3669/A Strange day

A Strange day
Date of Scene:	03 October 2020
Location:	A deserted beach on Tahiti
Synopsis:	Strange meets Harley + Spiral. Rocky start, strange finish.
Cast of Characters:	Spiral, Stephen Strange, Harley Quinn

---

Spiral has posed:
Spiral first came here more or less on a whim with Harley. But now she knows where it is, it's actually not bad for a little retreat. It's not where all the tourists are, on the other side of the island, and it's perhaps not quite as pretty, but it's close, and she values being on her own. Especially after meeting with Waller and ending up in jail for a while.

But it looks like she's being treated with kid gloves. How nice.

Thanks to timezones it's before dawn on this remote Pacific rock, and Spiral is just walking down the beach on her own, lost in thought, having just danced her way here from New York.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    That odd sort of tickling on the fine hairs on the back of ones neck, the way you can just feel someone looking at you from afar. You know you're not alone, but you also can't see it, or hear, or even smell, but that part of your body knows it. Someone is watching. Someone is looking.

    That's the feeling Spiral might feel as there's a man not on the island, but out at sea, not bobbing up and down with the waves, but disappearing behind the crests of the larger swells, and reappearing closer with each passing wave.

    Not long until the man stands on the soggy sands and his bare toes wiggle aginst the cool grains, "You certainly make a lot of noise." The goatee'd man says with a kindly, inviting smile as he gets close enough to be heard. Wearing a long blue top, a tunic even, and a pair of dress pants that have been rolled up to the knees and no footwear, Stephen addresses Spiral calmly.

Harley Quinn has posed:
On her own or maybe not so much! Harley tagged along of course. Tahiti! And maybe now it's time to see that dawn.

But Harley isn't exactly here just yet, having gone to explore the palm trees on her own, then over to another side of the beach collecting clams.

Clams! They make for a good necklace, so that's what she has been collecting out there. "Ya know.., in the movies there's always a pearl inside one o' these..." so unfair. She grumps a little but she is getting the necklace ready for use... And now it's time to go back..

She comes making her way out of the treeline. "Hey, guess what I made foh ya!" she is waving the necklace around in the air..

But then she notes Strange there. Immediate eye squint. Who's that guy?!

Spiral has posed:
Spiral pauses, and turns her blank white eyes over to Strange. There's a pause. Does she recognise the Sorcerer Supreme from more than mere reputation? "I was wondering if anybody would notice. I suppose there's a reason why magic users rarely use their powers so... frivolously.".

She half turns to Harley, and shakes her head a bit. "If you wanted to find a pearl in one, maybe you should have warned me..." she smirks. "Movie special effects are one of my specialties.". The 'necklace' makes her recoil a bit. Gross.

She indicates Strange with one hand. "This is Dr. Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. Defender of Earth from magical threats.". And given that title, she turns back to Strange, and adds, "I'm not with Mojo at the moment. No invasions of Earth are imminent this time. But you probably know that already.".

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "It's the cost of magic, not the fear of others noticing that we worry about." Stephen says, toes idly scooping and cooling further in the mushy sand. He appears to not be incredibly concerned about any kind of conflict as he looks more like a cover to a romance novel about a wrecked ship than a man who's fought the otherworldly and extradimensional beings to protect earth.

    Turning towards Harley and giving a soft wave of his, red and scared hand, "I see you've made friends..." Stephen says, slowing his pace of speech as he looks closer at Spiral and then a glance towards Harley, and yet, his grey eyes remain tight before he takes in a breath, and allows a soft sigh to escape, "What a funny and horrible thing time can be." Strange says to himself.

Harley Quinn has posed:
The recoil at the sight of the necklace just makes her grin wider. "Ooo, is that yoh 'I love it' look? Yea, it iiiiiis.." she continues making her way across the sands, bringing the necklace closer but paying attention to the Strange(r). When Spiral just introduces him so frivolously she just quirks a brow. "That's a big title.. I know o' ya." she wrinkles her nose. "Out with the Avengeahs and all that. Shiny hero.." but then she turns somewhat defensively, looking between Spiral and Strange..

"What awhe ya doin' heah? Spiral ain't done anythin'.." not today at least! Yea, she is ready to bust some kneecaps to protect Spiral if needs be.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral already paid that cost, so she's rather less concerned about that than a human might be. It's precisely that that is the reason why teleporting is so easy for her - and warping things in general, with magic or science, as a close second. The slow smirk spreading across her face betrays her thoughts on this to Strange.

She reaches out with many arms, to gently take hold of Harley Quinn and nudge her to one side. "Mojo would laugh before he did something horrible to you." she tells her. "But Strange is a hero.". Then she scowls, and not merely at the hero thing. "With bigger fish to fry than me.". She sounds bitter, suddenly. VERY bitter.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange glances towards Harley and that thick accent and without missing a beat shakes his head a couple of times, "I'm not an Avenger, and I'm not here after... Spiral." Strange says, though as the name passes his lips he looks at the woman and knows it's wrong, and yet, he knows she wouldn't answser to the name he knows.

    Instead, "Thanks for the introductions, I was simply curious who would be going back and forth across the world so flamboyantly and seems I've found the culprit less than malicious, just." Strange pauses to find the right word that might drop a hint to Rita, but wont upset her either, "Jubilant, though that might be the wrong word."

    "I'm not here for any fishfry, just, curious..." The Sorcerer notes and then a solemn look crosses his features in regards to the two ladies, but more so Spiral, "I suppose I'll take my leave then."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Spiral nudging her to the side is effective, at least she isn't in 'going for the kneecaps' mode anymore, just standing there with her hands on her hips, pale feet bare on the sand. "Not an Avengeah..? Thought you weah, but I suppose ya guys change teams as people change shirts. I tell ya, cutthroats the whole lot o' em! Mercenaries to the last!" look who's talking! But she quickly reaches the end of her rant and exhales, the necklace for now dangling down one hand.

The voice that comes next out of her is strangely calm yet filled with curiosity. "So.., wheah do ya two know each otha from?" she wants a story!

"Ya met her old boss? Or what happened?" Then she gestures around. "I got some beers ovah in the shade that I can share."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding - and sighs. Dr Quinzel's psychological powers at work again. "No stories. At least, not ones involving me." she mutters, defensively. "I thought we were on this beach to get away from stories.". She glances over at the necklace - at least that isn't being brandished in her direction any more. "You can leave that behind." she says helpfully to Harley.

As for Strange, she just shrugs. "It's your planet, you got more of a reason to be here than I do." she admits, narrowing her eyes a bit in challenge. "Beers? Fine.". She starts trudging of to where Harley came from, wrapping her arms around herself in an octopoid bodywarmer.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange looks to Harley and then back to Spiral and watches the fear and fight burn in the blank eyes, "I'm afraid not Harley, this isn't my story to tell." Stephen says, and then towards Spiral as she guards herself with her many arms, "This planet is only my charge, I have no right to claim it more so than any other being, yourself included. Spiral." He refuses to use the name he knew her by, as a sort of sign of respect to the her of the present, but he still treats her as though she were a human, deserving of that respect and kindness, they both do. Harley and Spiral, he's not here to rain on their parade or, beach, he's simply a curious wanderer in this and he's not going to linger and make things uncomfortable for someone he once called a friend and another whom he knew as someone else. "If you insist, I'll have a beer, but I'm not here to 'thawrt' you or anything of that nature."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Not anymoouh, you ain't..." Harley's grin wickedly delighted once Stephen accepts the offer of beer. "Because now that ya accepted ta partake o' my beer hospitality rules apply." that's not how it works, Harley! "So no twartin'!" She begins walking back to the tree shade where indeed there's a cooler. She casts a glance back at Strange when Spiral is so adamant against the necklace. "This looks like a shell necklace ta yoh, right? No idea why she looks at it as if it could bite her..." or maybe she does have an hint of why already! Doctor Quinzel on duty!

Blue eyes then go back to Spiral. "And we awhe on this beach to create new stories. Theah's a difference. But a friend told me not fohgettin' the past is important ta make us strongah foh the future." she tells the six-armed one.

As they reach the cooler she lets out a soft sigh. "Tahiti certainly is a magical place, ain't it?" she opens the box, bringing out a few beers. And no bloodprints mind you! She tosses one to each.

Spiral has posed:
"There's nothing to thwart, Strange. So long as I'm fired Mojo can't even come here any more, as far as I know. This world is as safe as it can be from the Mojoverse. ...Unless you're trying to thwart my drinks. Even I have to drink sometimes, as Harley seems to love to point out." Spiral admits, though she's a bit amused by Harley's focus on the mundane. Amused enough for her many arms to unfold a bit.

"Tahiti certainly seems to attract a lot of those skilled in the mystic arts.", Spiral observes, amused. "Chaos can give rise to the oddest... coincidences. In a way that's what magic is.". The shell necklace is just being ignored, now, as she settles down on the grasses and kicks sand out of the fur on her boots.

Speaking of which, she turns her white gaze on Harley. "So... you talked to April about me yet?" she asks. It sounds like she assumes Harley did for some reason...

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange too ignores the muscley necklace, not the grossest thing he's seen today, but still, it's unsettling. Stephen looks to Spiral and frowns as he gets the notion that the two women seem to think he's here to ruin their good time, when it really was simple curiousity that brought him here. Nothing more, and nothing less.

    "As I said." Stephen says, "I'm not here to thwart, and if it would make you both more comfortable and willing to relax, I can simply leave." The wizard offers, though he does have a hand out reaching for the offered bottle with his slightly shakey hand. Holding the bottle away, Stephen uses his empty hand close to his chest to make a flicking motion and the lid pops off and spins in the air for a moment before Strange casually plucks it from the atmosphere and holds onto it with his empty hand and takes a small sip, seemingly willing to trust the two of them to not poison him.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Fine, ya know what?" Now Harley feels affronted. Noone appreciates her efforts! So she slides the necklace over her own neck. There! She is fine, didn't die, nor get cursed. "And I will let ya know I look fab in it." hmph.. Though now that the beers have been handed out she opens her own, taking an instant swig out of it. It's a long one, about half of the bottle drained and then she exhales. "Ufff, thirsty.."

"And I ain't spoken ta April about ya. But I did talk ta Ivy. She's my bestie." A big grin coming to her lips before she dramatically sighs. "She was the one that told me that line about the future. It's a good one."

And while perhaps she may seem distracted at times there's a look she gives Strange, then down to his hands. "What's with the shakes?" She inquires, having noted the hands not exactly firm.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral shrugs at Strange. "I remembered you, is all. Despite it all.". A finger traces a spiral in the air restlessly. It might be good to know the Sorcerer Supreme given I plan on staying here for a while." she admits. "I'd even be quite sad if this planet is destroyed, especially if I am on it at the time.". While she's talking, two hands are working as if under their own intelligence to pull the top off a beer - she's certainly not looking at them, anyway. With her leaning back on the top two arms it's almost like someone else is passing her the bottle! Weird.

Harley has a bestie? and it's not her? Spiral looks briefly worried, and reaches out to pat her on the nearest arm. "It suits you better than me." she says by way of mollification. "...who is Ivy?".

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen stays out of the conversation between Harley and Spiral, it's none of his business, they're just normal people, no need for him to butt in, especially when he has nothing of value to add. Instead Strange simply takes a sip and seems to be content with nursing his beer.

    Strange looks to Spiral when she addresses him and he can't help but frown and reveal some, vulnerability, "You know I feel beyond guilty for what's happened to you Spiral. I offer you my pledge to help you however I can." Probably not the best time to offer such words, and he doesn't mean them empty, but he has let her down before, he wouldn't be surprised if she hated his guts and blamed, yelled, or even tried to kill him.

Harley Quinn has posed:
With no explanation coming about those shakes it makes Harley eye the 'good doctor' in a somewhat suspicious manner, maybe looking for other signs. Look, she knows how to spot a junkie after extensive years of dealing with Gotham and Joker!

Spiral's question about Ivy does bring her attention to her though. "Oh! I thought I had told ya about her.. Maybe not.. Poison Ivy, she is like a super friend o' mine from Gotham. She's like the wrathful avengeah o' mother nature.." best way to describe her! "I am suwah she'd like you!" a grin. "And don't worry, yoh awhe a bestie too." she assures the other woman.

It's when Strange starts speaking to Spiral that Harley goes strangely quiet. Listening to one, then the other. If anything she knows how to listen. Those years as a psychiatrist did help in knowing (sometimes) when to just listen. This did interest her.. But she did her best to just look distracted, playing with the shells of her necklace.

*beer sip*

Spiral has posed:
Spiral unfortunately knows Harley by now - and as soon as Strange makes his admission, Spiral is actually looking at Harley, with a calculating look. "So innocent." she taunts, and smirks at Harley. It's the psycho-smirk, but Harley is a friend, at least.

She reaches out casually to put two hands over Harley's ears - gently, but firmly. And another one goes over her eyes just in case.

THEN, she wags a metallic finger at Strange.
"That woman is gone, Strange. I should know. I am the one did it after all... It's best for all concerned if ancient history is left there at this point.".

She looks at Harley for a moment, who is no doubt struggling by now, and finally lets her go.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "My offer was to you, Sprial, not her." Stephen admits before he looks down at his hands, damaged and ruined beyond repair before he looks back to Harley and frowns, "Sorry. It was a car wreck." He notes somberly, mostly due to the somber mood suddenly and ends his thought with a drink of his beer.

    Strange frowns further, his goatee warping with the motion, but not uncomfortably so, as he smirks at Harley and nods, "I'm not perfect like people seem to think."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Distracted by the necklace! Apparently it was a curse indeed not having made her aware of Spiral's approach and the covering of her ears then eyes. "Hey, at least offah me dinnah first befoouh we get ta the kinks..." she says in way of complaint at all those hands on her face. Struggle? She tries a bit at first and really..., again that small body does seem to have a *lot* more strength than would be expected. But she still doesn't get away.

When she is finally released she speaks up to Spiral. "You know I am gonna find out eventually." but she seems willing to wait, not pressing further on it.. Instead her gaze falls on the magician. She nods slowly..

"Welcome to bein' a fuckin' normal human bein'. We are all fucked up by nature." A shrug offered. "No need ta beat yohself ovah it."

"I mean, could be woahse, ya could be a junkie out in Gotham without any prospects at life and just waitin' foh the next dose until you look at someone in a funny manneh and they whack ya." Ok, that took a dark turn quickly.

*beer sip again*

Spiral has posed:
Spiral noticed Harley was a lot stronger than she looked. Probably stronger than her, really, so the smirk is still there after what she assumes is token struggle. "Everybody needs some secrets. This one wouldn't do anybody any good to reveal."

She looks a bit more surprised at Strange's clarification to what she assumed. "...Me?" she wonders, surprised by Strange's words. "That makes even less sense. I was made like this. Unless you mean... being fired by the Bloat. That, is a mercy.". She takes a huge gulp of beer suddenly. "You know I never liked working for him.". Her eyes have lit up with suppressed rage and not so suppressed contempt. ...and it's hardly too surprising that when it comes to Spiral you might get into a circular discussion!

"Were you the junkie, or the whacker, Harley?" she asks. "As we all seem to be sharing here." she says drily.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen finishes his beer and gives a soft nod to the two women as he stands up, brushing the sand of the back of his tunic and pants. With the bottle in one hand and the cap in the other, he does a little twist and the two are back together and he slips the bottle into the cooler. Making sure Harley will have to throw it away at least. "I did mean you." Stephen looks to Harley and blinks slowly, "Both of you. if you're ever in real trouble. REAL. You're welcome to ask for help at the Sanctum." The wizard notes.

    Just giving them the invite means the house will be approachable should they ever have true need of it, its occupants or its contents, but until such time, the wards and protections will remain.

    Stephen nods to Harley and finally to Spiral, "I think I should let you two enjoy your time. I'm nothing but a buzz kill and the 'cops' you think you have to worry about." He notes and turns.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Ya know. I am tempted ta ask what you mean by real trouble.. But I don't wanna get turned into a toad so uh.., I will thank you." Harley nods her head slowly at Strange at the offer. Her hospitality offer worked apparently! Now she will have to go to this Sanctum one of these days. And real trouble can be so relative too!

A look aside to Spiral and she frowns a touch. "I was both, dependin' on how you wanna take what I said." she informs the other woman. Down in her own spiral of addiction to the Joker and violence in his name! Harsh pasts they all seem to have..

"And alright.., have a good trip back. Ya look a real Robinson Crusoe though. I dig the choice o' clothin'"

She peeks up at Spiral. "Awhe we gonna watch the dawn today?" tone hopeful.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral shrugs. "Harley is afraid to even go home. Gotham scares her now I think." she says, ratting Harley out, though a spare arm does pat her sympathetically while so doing. "I am just more fatalistic than Harley is, the people who I have reason to worry about don't care where or even when I am.". And she plays with the ones she doesn't, like a villainous cat! She extends a hand to Strange anyway, one of the upper ones, so it's a bit closer to him.

"But you are not among them. I hope we have more reasons to have common cause than otherwise in at least some mutual futures.". Then she licks her lips, and adds, "But you better not bring the Avengers.", with a smirk.

As for Harley's question, yet another free hand waves at the horizon - which is glowing bright yellow already, they've been talking here for so long. "Look." she says simply, as the sun edges up over the horizon.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Strange pauses and looks over his shoulder towards Spiral, turning around and taking her hand in his, both of them as he drops to his knee. "I'm sorry I couldn't help before." He says before kissing the back of her hand. If she'll allow any of this, and then he looks up to her blank eyes, "I'm helping now." And with that, the wizard disolves and disappears from before the two, just as the top of the circle rises up over the blue line of the ocean.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral narrows her eyes a bit when he's gone, and settles back to watch the sunrise. "Very.. strange." she says, not expecting /that/.

And the urge to end on a pun is too great.