3899/Bubblegum and Karaoke

Bubblegum and Karaoke
Date of Scene:	22 October 2020
Location:	The Sing Sing Karaoke Bar
Synopsis:	Harley drags Spiral down to the Sing Sing bar for karaoke where Spiral and Aimee literally crash heads together! Harley comes to the rescue with some 'Get Lucky' and then they find out what more about their new friend.
Cast of Characters:	Harley Quinn, Spiral, Aimee Alexander

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Harley Quinn has posed:
Night out at a Karaoke bar! (Or well, late afternoon for starters)

Harley had already threatened Spiral she'd bring her out to one of these places SOON. And the soon had turned into the now. How had she convinced the six-armed wonder? Well, a little bit of her psychologist's magic did wonders. Along with a sprinkle of big blue eyes. Killer combo really!

The place itself isn't exactly classy, or where the finest crop of society comes to sing or have a good time. But it's not as if it's a dump, giving it more of a cozy feeling than anything else.

Harley has already taken the stage (because of course), dressed in shorts and a white tank top, proud pigtails high up and the microphone in hand.

"Because maaaaybbbeeeeeee.... You gonna be the one that saves meeeeee.." Ah, Wonderwall. Such a classic! And she ain't too bad of a singer either. She casts a glance out to Spiral to see if she will pick up the song to continue. She even gives her a bit of an encouraging look, followed by a wink.

Putting Spiral on the hot spot!

Spiral has posed:
Spiral is immune to a) possession, b) effects that steal her powers, and c) big blue eyes. That's not really a song she can dance to either, its more a swaying sorta song, so she's not really doing much, just standing in front of Harley, with her back to Harley, and glaring at the crowd with four of her arms folded. Daring someone to call her a freak.

She seems to sense when she's being looked at somehow though, and glances back at Harley. "No, I'm not singing, I don't know why you dragged me here.". Stubborn! She'll dance though, as she abruptly decides to get away from Harley by dancing her way through the crowd to head over to where the bar is, and woe betide any human cow who gets in her way. She's feeling a bit sore about her event being ruined last night. An event far cooler than karaoke in her opinion.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee laughs, awkwardly lifting the cast-covered arm in her sling with a wry grin as the manager offers her the wrong hand to shake. "Thanks for your time. This seems like a really lovely little place, so I hope I hear good news from you soon. I'd really love to work here."

With the singing going on, the teen isn't even sure the man has heard what she said; seemingly confirmed when he simply smiles and nods and avoids actually saying anything himself in response. Her smile becoming a little forced she gives a thumbs up with her working left arm before turning towards the room at large.

"Holy shit, is that..." Harley fucking Quinn. The name remains unsaid, as Aimee simply stares at the stage. A quick mental double-check of her power suggests the people around the bar don't seem to be terrified, but even with that small reassurance the cozy little place suddenly seems a bit less safe.

Eyes fixed on the stage, she takes a single step on her journey towards the exit and crashes into someone. "Sorrrrrryyy...?" What starts off as a reflexive apology trails off slightly at a higher pitch than normal as the teen stares up at the face of a scary, 6 armed woman with robot bits.

"Shit. Please don't kill me."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Ufff, betrayed by her singing partner! Harley makes a sad clownette face at Harley when she decides to spin away from her. So it's up to her to finish the classic. And finish it she does! All to the mighty clapping of .., one person. Really, such a tough crowd! "Thank yoh, all o' my fans!" she throws kisses everywhere and then looks at Spiral in an inquisitive manner..

And that is when the Spiral-Aimee crash happens. Oh no! But Harley is here to save the day with some dance music! Some quick thinking gets her to spin through the song selector and she hits the play button just before the next in line to sing is coming up. She is given the stinky look but nothing else.. Apparently that one also knows who she is! Being famous is so hard sometimes...

"This one gonna rock yoh socks, Spiral!" she says on the mic. And the first tunes to 'Get Lucky' starts popping through the place.

"Like the leeegeend of the phoeeeenix.." She begins. Really. Who is able to resist dancing to this and forget all about murdering people who run into them?

Spiral has posed:
Spiral has white glowing eyes too! you can't forget those, they are the scariest bit. Especially when her helmet provides shade from the lights in here, you can just how glowy her eyes are in the shadow then. And she was annoyed before someone piled into her, causing her to take a step back in surprise.

The fact she's mildly annoyed probably registers with Aimee the Empath, but even worse is the fact that underneath that surface emotion are the roiling thoughts of multiple minds, at least some of which are completely ax crazy.

"Kill you? Right here in the middle of a bar? Maybe if they are out of jack and coke.". But she perks up a bit at the change of music. Daft Punk??? And she manages to go from wanting a drink, to pondering killing someone, to dancing, all in the space of about five seconds. This is sort of song that demonstrates why she has her magnificent furry boots too, lots of leg action! And the six arms making the wavey bits look quite impressive too. She can certainly /dance/.

Now she's happy.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
If Aimee wasn't terrified *before*, she certainly is after the casual way Spiral talks about killing her. Trying not to dwell on the feeling of the weird swirl of what seems to be multiple faint sets of emotions beneath the obvious surface one, the teen steps back and almost frantically taps on the bar behind her with her healthy arm. Risking a look back over her shoulder, away from Spiral and towards whoever is tending the bar, she almost frantically blurts out "B-Bartender! A jack and coke for the beautiful young woman I bumped into!"

So maybe it's corny and a touch disingenuous, a free drink is a free drink... hopefully.

But turning back towards Spiral reveals the woman is already dancing away, seemingly without a care in the world anymore. Slowly putting two and two together, Aims slowly turns her gaze towards Harley on stage and *stares*; completely unsure whether the save was intentional, and trying to look for some indication that it was.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"She's up all night till the suuuun, I'm up all night to get soooome..!" Harley continues to blast through with the mic, that voice of hers along with the better choice of song doing wonders to make those few here at the karaoke joint get more lively. It's a tough crowd really! But not even a tough crowd can resist this!

Atop the stage she dances with abandon as well, making full use of that gymnast's body to swing and sway to it, along with even some 'robot' dance moves when the more techno part comes along. Seeing that Spiral has turned to dancing now does appear to make her somewhat happy, at least it registers in her expression to someone who might be looking.

As for signs. Well, when Aimee is staring at her there is a wink tossed in her direction. Which may just indicate that saving intention!

"We have come toooo faar to give up who we aaaare." she continues on.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral can dance just fine and manage to move around. So without missing any beats, she hops past Aimee over to the bar. She can even hold a drink while dancing having an excess of arms, so one of the bottom arms sweeps up the free drink, while four of the others keep up the dance.

Then she twists back to where she was, near Aimee. She dances for a bit longer, before she blinks at her with her white eyes. "Thanks. Maybe I should kill more people randomly if that's the effect it creates.". She smiles a tight smile. "I don't kill anybody as a rule. I'm the transport is all." she explains bitterly. "Dance, Spiral, dance! Spin your spirals!". It sounds like she's putting someone elses voice on. She's not dancing full bore any more, but she's still sort of swaying around, mostly unconsciously, in time to the beat.

"You must know what that is like now. You work here?" she guesses. "I find work so very constraining. But everybody needs money.".

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee reflexively looks behind herself when THE Harley Quinn winks at her. Nope, nobody else there. A faint blush starts spreading across the teen's nose and she very quickly uses her power to push *that* particular feeling down until it may as well not exist. She tosses a hesitant nod back to the singing woman, it'd be rude not to after all, and then takes a quick peek back at the scary lady...

...who is actually maybe a bit less scary when she seems to be having the time of her life dancing while collecting her free drink. Eyes are still a bit creepy, and her people skills could definitely use a bit of work, but with a wry quirk of the lips Aimee has to admit to herself that her own aren't so hot either.

"Sorry for assuming. Just uhh... had a bad month, y'know?" She lifts the slinged arm a little before shrugging in a 'what can ya do?' gesture. "Plus, you've got the whole badass alien samurai look going on, so..." The teen is rambling a bit, and clearly a touch nervous, but it actually seems to be more a 'not good at talking to people' thing and less a 'scared she's going to die' thing. "Uhh, but, I don't actually work here. Yet! Had my interview today. Hope it went well? I don't really need the money, just... want some life experience. Is that weird? Oh, uhh, I'm Aimee. By the way."

Harley Quinn has posed:
As all good things the song does eventually come to an end. And it brings a whole THREE people to clap at her performance. Step by step, winning them over! Harley bows deeply, all full of flourishes. "Thank ya! I love ya all too!" mwahs given up to the air and then she hops off the stage. Ufff, that was invigorating!

She begins her way over to the bar where her friend is and grins deeply. "Look a' that! Already gettin' offered drinks!" She rests her elbow at the bar counter and blows a loose strand out of the way of her eyes.

She only seems to have gotten that last part of what Aimee is saying, having caught her name apparently. So of course that she immediately introduces herself. "I am Hah'lee." she says, offering another wink.

Spiral has posed:
"Life experience? You don't need a job in a bar for that." Spiral says, and stretches her arms out expansively. "I can give you some unforgettable life experiences. Or...". She tilts her head, peers a bit more closely. "You feel directionless? Like your life has no purpose? I sense shyness, at least. Maybe you need to become a star in your own story. Maybe I can help. And I, am Spiral." she clarifies, just in case she wasn't clear earlier.

"Ah. This is my friend.". Literally, friend singular, her one friend. "Everybody knows her. She's an excellent psychologist, if you need a therapist ever." she says, voice sounding suddenly quite dry. "And she hasn't killed anybody for a long time I think. Probably longer than me. Very sad.".

She perks up a bit suddenly, a thought coming to mind. "Maybe we three can go meet my friend Elizabeth one day. I wonder what she'd do.". Dragging a new innocent into it, should add to the fun.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee stares a little at Spiral, a touch spooked but a little more intrigued with the way the woman hit the nail of her problem on the head. Before she can even think to respond however, Harley is being introduced. The teen looks a little lost and overwhelmed at having the attention of two kinda scary women.

Closing her eyes for just a second, Aimee twists her power, giving herself a bit of a confidence boost to deal with the addition of Harley. A playful grin forms upon her lips.

"So... Spiral, Harley, is it 'hot but scary' night here tonight, or am I just lucky?" Too much confidence! Her grin freezes, rictus, as she tones down her confidence in a moment when she'd desperately rather have more. An awkward little laugh is offered to try play the remark off, and she tries to remember what Spiral was saying literally only moments ago.

"I uhh, I don't think I need to see a therapist, but if I do... Umm..." A throat clearing behind the bar and the unimpressed gaze of a bartender that still hasn't been paid for Spiral's drink distract her from the awkward situation, and the teen jumps at the opportunity to change the subject. Digging her wallet out of her jeans, Aimee tentatively offers "Uhh, Harley, what'll you have?" It'd be rude not to offer.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Is she tryin' ta give ya her sales pitch already?" Harley asks when she hears Spiral going on about offering life experiences. Shame on you, Spiral! She even gives Spiral a bit of a raised brow. "Spiral likes ta think o' herself as a movie makah." she says, "I think she's got a lot o' talent. But she might need ta woik on what her type of movies are." because yes, trying to reenact a prison shanking might not be good. Specially if it's real!

"I am also a great singah, bat swingah, shoulder ta cry on, food lovah. How can someone not love me?!" She then laughs. Confidence? That's something she appears to have to spare. At least on the surface. And her laugh turns into a wicked little thing when Aimee speaks out with a confidence that goes so much against what she appeared to be earlier. It makes the psychologist watch her with more attention. "And mmm, looks like Aimee has a little more bite than she was showin'!" it amuses her too.

"Glad ya enjoyed the song, and we should totally hit the Sion one day. Meet yoh posh british friend. Or is it frenemy? I nevah know!"

As for drinks, she looks over at the selection. "Mmm, I will have a beer ta start with!"

Spiral has posed:
Spiral puts two hands on her hips, and gives Harley a Look. "I don't just do movies." she says mildly. "Movies, experiences, improvements.". She looks quite calm, but she's actually quite annoyed with Harls, at least briefly. She knows when her fun is being ruined.

"Harley is the happiest and most confident person around. The harlequin, after all.", Spiral says, with a pointed smirk at Harls. She might not be the most sociable but she's smart, and... knows her audiences. "And scary and hot night, perhaps.". Her nose wrinkles, her mind(s?) already starting to turn to more considering more sinister things than dancing. Thats adjacent to 'freak' really, even if its not what Aimee said.

"I think my love of her star power is very much one way. She always plays her role perfectly though. And what a role!". The six armed sorceress assumes a beatific look for a moment, imagining Betsy in that nutrient bath, being merged magically, perfectly. Oh, those were the days alright. They shall never have their like again. She sighs a bit.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee blinks, frowning in thought at Harley's mention of Spiral's 'type of movies', before eyeing Spiral speculatively. Even if she missed the wrinkling nose, she couldn't miss the darkening of the woman's mood after the teen's awkward flirt. She shakes her head at Harley's response, lifting up her hands defensive "O-oh, I'm really... I don't have bite really. I just sometimes go a little bit overboard with the confidence, you know? I mean, not that you're not both... you know. I mean, I wouldn't kick you out of bed do people even say that I mean I know I just did but crap I'm rambling again."

She gives herself another little boost of confidence, makes a point of paying for the two women's drinks, and then does her best to address the issue she believe she's caused.

"What I *mean* to say is that I'm fully aware that you're both outta my league and who even knows if you're interested in girls. That's none of my business, and I didn't mean to make either of you uncomfortable."

Nodding in satisfaction at believing she's solved the problem, she returns her attention to the issue of what kind of movies Spiral actually makes. "So umm, this actress friend of yours. What sort of actress *is* she?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Happy, happy joy joy." Is what Harley replies to Spiral, the manic little grin on her expression just getting wider, she winking at the six-armed wonder. Not that inside she's like that, all those fractured thoughts and feelings making her a jamble within, the sad mixed with the joy. But right now, she seems to be enjoying their company. And she likes to sing! So there's that.

"Do ya know those kind of directors that always want to bring out that specific actor to a movie? Like the Scorcese-Di Caprio combo? I think that's Spiral and Betsy's relationship." This said after Spiral goes on a tirade on how much she loves the mutant psyker in her movies.

She takes a moment of pause to take a drink out of her beer, blue eyes fixing on Aimee for a good while when she goes from 8 to 80 with that confidence. She laughs out loud. "Daaaamn girl. Ya go from cold to hot in like ..." and she snaps her fingers as if to demonstrate. "I like it!" it also reminds her a lot about herself too.

"And I am always good with dippin' my toes into the ladies pool, if ya know what I mean." she replies. "I was once in a relationship with this gal that ..., let me tell ya, she really knew how ta get me goin'.. Ufff.." and she starts fanning herself with one hand. "I get the hots even thinkin' about it." nope, Harley doesn't look the type to get uncomfortable with anything.

"But I am curious about what Spiral's answer is." She smiles over at her friend.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral was honestly quite surprised by what Aimee was implying. She wasn't thinking about dates at all - after all, she's an unlovable monster. After staring at Aimee in disbelief for a moment, two hands going to her hips, and momentarily not dancing even slightly, she shrugs. "I have a raisin faced freak interested in me as it is. How could I want anybody else?".

She shakes a couple of hands, palm down, at Aimee when she is referred to as an actress. "Not an actress. Chauffeur to the stars, talent agent... all in the past now. Well, not quite all. Sometimes its fun to embarass established directors with my own productions.". She finally gets to sipping that jack and coke she was so generously given, and smirks at Harley's description of her.

"I think I'm more like Kubrick." she eventually says, eyes glowing a bit. Method acting to extremes, verging on torturing her actors, almost no humanity, yeah.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
The blunt musing about Harley's former lover causes Aimee's control to momentarily slip. For just a moment she's a shy and lonely introvert in the middle of a pub having an absolutely ridiculous conversation with two attractive women, one of whom is Harley Quinn. For just an instant, the knowledge that Harley swings both ways and the memory of that earlier wink draw a fierce blush that burns over the teen's entire face. A moment later she's crushing her embarrassment with her power, and trying to re-wrangle the rest of her emotions, but it's far too late to undo the physiological reaction that caused her blush.

Despite the obvious blush, with confidence back in hand once-more Aimee offers the clownette a wry grin. "I'm getting the feeling you told me that *deliberately."

And then she's being compared to a 'raisin faced freak' and found wanting, and that grin becomes a touch strained. The grin remains, awkward and probably obviously artificial as she listens to Spiral talk about the British woman, and her directorial style.

When it comes time to respond, the first words out of her mouth are "I guess raisins can be kinda cute?" Not particularly being a movie buff, she takes a moment more to think before asking "Stanley Kubrik. Did he do The Shining? Or am I mixing him up with someone else?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Wade?!" That makes Harley let out a loud cackle before shaking her head to herself, "Well, he was all about proffessin' his love foh me and then he goes and backstabs me ta have picnics with ya!" but the clownette is still laughing. She doesn't seem to mind one bit. "Can't trust guys, amirite?" and she holds her beer up for a toast before tossing some down her maw. "At least he took a bullet foh me... Or well, was it like 100 or so? Couldn't tell." miniguns have a way of doing that!

When Harley spots that reaction from Aimee a crooked little grin comesto her expression. "Theah..., back to bein' cold again, all shy and shit. Or is it hot? Can't tell too well." she rests her elbow on the counter, her hand up and holding her chin. "It's as if I can never really know how ya'll be reactin'. Fascinatin'." it does seem she likes those types of people. One of the reasons she had gotten close to Spiral too! Among a few other things..., arms notwithstanding.

"And nah, that's the one. Also did Clockwoik Orange too." She offers, another very nice movie! "And comparin' yohself to a mastah Spiral, I like it." she grinning at her friend. "Gettin' some confidence in."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral seems happily oblivious to much of how Aimee or Harley react, but then scowls. Big time. The worst yet! When she listens to Harley. "Yes, Wade. He was denying all that to me, saying he actually was dreaming of six arms the entire time. I should put him in a box and teleport him to the moon.". Harley isn't improving Wade's chances of melting Spiral's icy heart here!

"Some say Kubrick was an insane genius, after all.". Spiral has many flaws, but undue modesty isn't one of them. Smirking at herself and at Harls, she turns back to Aimee again.

"You have met the right two people if being overly shy is a problem. Maybe its fate." she says lightly. "A therapist and someone with a background in show business and giving people full body makeovers.". She smiles thinly, looking Aimee over as if for the first time - she does have a vaguely dreamlike demeanour much of the time, not quite with it, but she focuses on what's right in front of her for once.

As for her conclusions? She seems to be pondering.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee mostly ignores the talk about this 'Wade' person, though the toast provokes a "Hear hear" in response, if only out of a sense of female solidarity. And possibly also a shy-but-artificially-confident girl's attempt at getting in the good graces of the attractive woman who *hasn't* yet made it fairly clear she's not interested.

The interest Harley shows in Aimee's abrupt emotional shifts causes the teen mixed feelings. There's definitely a hint of 'oh my gosh she's *interested* in me', but it's also mixed with a much larger hesitance to reveal any hint of her power to someone who is at best a complete stranger, and at worst one bad day from being a criminal again.

As if to respond, both to Harley's observations and Spiral's remarks, the empath nods her head. "I guess even when I'm trying to hide it it's obvious to you guys huh? I'm... yeah, I guess shy is a good word? I'd like to think I'm a good actress, but when all you ever do is act, and all other people do is act, it gets a bit hard to know how to be your actual self." She tilts her head, not looking particularly satisfied with the vague explanation, but shrugs and leaves it as is.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Put him in six separate boxes." Harley adds to the fire of Spiral's anger. "The worst thing is that he'd still be alive!" such a fate, being immortal like Deadpool is! "That fuckah got all the good powahs." she says in ways of complaint. "But he's cool to hang with. Even if he can be a bit unpredictable." she isn't saying that with a straight face, because there's always that hint of a joke in her expression, or a glint in those deep blue eyes. But Harley having the nerve of calling someone unpredictable is something!

Her amusement does seem to be growing as they continue on talking by the bar, even as someone starts singing up on the stage the first chords of 'All by myself' such a classic! But Harley lets out a BOOOOO, "I am not heah ta be hit by yoh feelin's!" she says over to the stage before looking back to the other two, rolling her eyes. "Some people ..., geez..."

Attention then goes back to Aimee, lips pursed together in consideration. "Yea, the problem with shyness is it normally makes ya act the otha way around." she comments. "Not lettin' ya out o' that bubble. But yoh go in and out supah rapidly. And the worse of it all is it looks fully genuine." a glance given to Spiral. "But she's good, I will give her that." in acting, she most likely means!

"Maybe you just need to let a little bit of yoh crazy come out so ya can find yourself." Harley then suggests. It had worked for her! In ways ..., maybe not too well. Ah heck, she was still broken as is but noone needs to know! "And Spiral is right, we awhe probably the best kinda gang ta hang with. Spiley. Or is it Harral?" she appears to be considering the mishmash of their names together.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral shrugs. "He can't teleport.". Well, actually he can sometimes, but Spiral doesn't know that! "He is a scoundrel. I almost hoped. But he thinks I'm a freak after all... and second best. Ugh. What a liar!". All six hands clench! "And he has star power too. Serious star power. Bah. If we go to Tahiti I'm feeding him to a shark.".

Yeesh, and this is merely for being insulted, it's not like they are an item or ever were an item!

She senses some psychologist magic happening over there though, and gives Harley a poke in the side. With a metal finger. "I think you should turn some of these insights onto yourself, Dr Quinzel." she mutters.

She turns back to Aimee then, and shrugs. "Enh. I know what I am at all times.". She is not exactly a psychologist herself. "But as you'ev not run off in fear at the first sight of my arms that's better than the vast majority of humanity.".

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee had all but forgotten the music until Harley started booing. She winces a little, mouthing a 'sorry' to the singer even if she doesn't particularly disagree with the clownette's assessment. The woman's assessment of Aimee's flip-flopping shyness gets a second wince, along with a muttered "Guess I need to try harder..."

At the mention of 'letting a bit of her crazy out' Aimee can't help but glance between the pair at the bar with her. Taking that kind of advice from crazy people doesn't seem like a sane decision. But then... that's probably the point. "I... guess I could do with letting my hair down a little. Not karaoke, I cannot sing worth a damn, but..." She trails off, confidence getting her that far, but not any further.

She sighs, shaking her head, before giving Spiral her full attention. Doing her best to catch the 6-armed woman's eye even. "Forgive me for being a bit crass, but why the fuck would you having 6 arms make me run off in fear? I mean, okay, I know what I said when I bumped into you, but... I saw a literal fox-woman just the other week, and she saved some dude's life." She shrugs, and then after after a few moments of biting her lip, she heaves a sigh. "Sides, I'm not exactly 'normal'" one-handed airquotes just feel wrong "myself, y'know? It's just less obvious with me."

She fidgits a little, not having planned that kind of revelation even if it was only implied, and not knowing how it will be taken.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"You know how movie stars can be! Fuckin' divas." Harley replies to Spiral about Deadpool's star power. But he was good, no doubt about that though! But she lets that subject go for now.. Because she is busy getting poked with those COLD metal fingers.

"Ow.." She murmurs, all dramatic. She can be a diva too when she wants. At least jokingly, because she soon after winks back at Spiral. "Now I know WHICH fingers are stayin' put if we evah get frisky with one anotha." she teases her friend, returning a little bump of her own with her elbow back at Spiral.

"And that right theah!" Harley fingerguns in Aimee's direction whe she asks Spiral why she'd need to run in fear. "We awhe heah sittin' at this cool bar and noone is runnin' off. You ain't some kinda demon, Spiral." a shake of her head. "Besides, fuck what otha people think.." she taps the counter and calls the bartender's attention. "ANOTHA ROUND HEAH, WE AWEH THIRSTY!" she then looking back, eyes on Aimee..

"Oh my god. Wait!" She puts a finger to the side of her head as if concentrating. "I will guess what yoh powah is! Undah that arm cast ya have this huge claw arm! Eitha that or ..., yoh a mobster and got a shotgun hidden in theah." she then looking between Spiral and Aimee. "Wha? Don't give me that look! I saw it in a movie, ok?"

"But now moouh seriously, what do ya do?"

Spiral has posed:
"I am a demon of sorts." Spiral points out to Harley. "Shiva.". And she spreads out all six arms. "Though... a fake. A copy. Good for the ratings, I suppose.". Who knows why Mojo did that, he's not exactly sane either.

"I can't sing either, so don't worry. I only dance. No, I think that's just a broken arm. Who knows what it is. Maybe something mysterious.". Spiral smiles at Aimee.

"Mysterous is best. Can make a good drama about it. As we are right now, I suppose.".

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee shakes her head very slowly, in obvious disbelief "Yeaaaaaaaahnoooo... it's just a broken arm. Some guys tried to mug me a couple weeks ago. But uhh, wasn't me that fought em off before you ask. Some local superhero who fancied herself a bit like Spiderman." She looks thoughtful a moment "Y'know, that sounds mean. I mean, she was a badass, don't get me wrong. Just... yeah seemed to be trying to be Spiderman when she didn't actually seem to have spider... powers?"

She waits a beat to see if the pair will forget their curiousity, and heaves a sigh when it quickly becomes clear they won't.

"I'm an empath I guess. Mostly I can just feel emotions of people nearby, not like they were my *own*, just... I know what they are? And I can kinda... control my own?" Feeling a bit unsure, the teen gives herself yet another boost of confidence. A frown forms, a pregnant pause follows, then a heavy sigh.

"You know those assholes who'll make nice to your face while secretly hating your guts? Yeah, I can feel that." What was meant to be a simple statement sparks her frustration, and she continues with venom in her voice "And they're fuckin everywhere, all over the fucking world. Everyone wearing their pretty little masks to fit in with what's expected. And it's all bullshit. All lies."

And then, catching herself, the girl artificially tones down her own anger, pushing it back down out of the way and leaving exhaustion in its wake. "Who even am I if I can't be myself?? But... it's how the system is, I can't fight that. I'm guilty of it myself, giving myself a bit of extra confidence here and there just so I can *function*. But all the while I get to see all the subtle ways peoples' insides don't match their outsides. And it sucks."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Fuckin' hell, everyone wants ta be like Spidey these days!" Really, so many people with similar powers! Harley then casts a look at Spiral. "Didn't ya tango with a similar one a while back. Some arana?" her memory is a bit fuzzy so she wrinkles her nose, perhaps not too sure on it.

"And please, girls. We will only know if ya sing or not when ya both get yoh butts up theah and do it. Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow. But sooooon..!" she at least is open to not having them on stage tonight! But knowing Harley, she will make it happen sooner or later. Magic powers of persuasion!

When Aimee begins to speak about her powers it makes the clownette quirk a brow up in curiosity, listening with attention. "Oh, yoh awhe a cheat! I knew it!" she looks relieved. "Foh a moment I thought I was losing my touch on readin people.." a smirk. "Not that I can read 'em like you do apparently!"

She brings both hands up to her cheeks. "And now I am gettin' all self-conscious, does this mean ya can read my FEELINGS?!" a mix of jealousy but also being intrigued about it. Everyone always has these cool powers! "Don't read mine! Because then ya'll be making us both blush!" she says in warning to Aimee! If that jamble of feelings inside her is even discernible, with all the variable moods. But right now it seems to be in quite the excited, happy place. Along with those feelings of intrigue about the girl they just met.

"Without masks the world would be a bettah place, foh sure. Or at least moouh chaotic, just the way I like it." She then muses, "Though seein' all that shit yohself, I can get why ya angry."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral listens curiously. Now that sounds familiar. "It wasn't a woman who was always talking like she had a radio in her ear, was it?" she wonders. "Because if so that sounds familiar. Bad dancer. But not the worst do-gooder out there.". She shrugs her many arms. "Weeks??? You didn't get it treated?". The Body Shoppe owner is not really that familiar with human hospitals and their timescales any more.

When the explanations come, she nods. "Empath. Mmm. What do you think of me, then?" she wonders. "No masks. Though Harley always wants me to wear normal clothes.". She narrows her eyes a bit though, and focuses inward, trying to summon up all the rage and hate and pain within her. It's pretty easy to do in her case, never that far away. She just imagines her tying herself to the front of that ship as it cruises the chaos of the Wildways and driving herself mad - from the point of view of the victim. Oh yes, she knows she's a monster, alright.

Her eyes dont betray any movement due to them being blank, but the slight smirk suggests she's seeking a response from Aimee. Like poking someone to see if it hurts!

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Whether it be a moment of courage, or just sheer exhaustion, the empath chooses to let her control over her emotions drop. She visibly sags a little, and a touch of nervousness once again becomes visible in her bodylanguange, though not nearly as much as there perhaps should be given the situation.

"Sorry, can't really choose to turn it on and off." She smiles a fragile little smile that isn't exactly disingenuous but looks like it's maybe only present by the faintest of margins. "If it makes you feel any better, Harley, I don't really get a *deep* insight into someone's feelings unless I'm touching them. Otherwise I just get a vague, broad-strokes sense of the strongest thing they're feeling? Like uhh, you're in a really good mood yeah? Like, excited maybe even? But I don't know the why's or the how's or any of the nuance, y'know?"

Shaking her head to try and dispel her slightly morose mood, the right edge of her smile quirks up a little higher. "And yeah, Arana? Aranya? Something like that anyway. She rescued me, gave me an encouraging pep talk on how all I need to do to be a hero is spend my whole life working towards it, and called the ambulance for me on her ear radio." Turning to look specifically at Spiral she gestures with her cast-covered arm. "This ugly thing's from the hospital. Unfortunately they didn't have any more cool robot arms in stock." The attempt at cheekiness seems a little half-hearted, but it's clear she's trying not to kill the mood.

...Besides, apparently that job is reserved for Spiral. Aimee visibly jerks a little bit at the sudden inexplicable shift in Spiral's emotion, more in surprise at the abrupt change than anything else. She peers at the sorceress in concern, concern that very quickly transforms into an unimpressed stare when she spots that faint smirk. "Might'a worked better if you'd done that when I bumped into you."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I want you to weah OTHA clothes than just that suit. I mean, unless ya get a whole line of suits back home..." And Harley then waggles a finger in Spiral's direction. "And usin' yoh magic ta clean yoh clothes is cheatin'. Unless ya clean mine too..." because what are friends for?! "Besides, that cool, tight dark suit I gotcha is pretty fun. I like the patterns in it." she for some reason always finding some kind of meaning in those otherwise inscrutable patterns.

As Aimee explains more about her powers it makes Harley lean over. "Ooooh, it's a good excuse ta get handsy with someone, isn't it?" she asks, giving the younger girl a wink and a suggestive eyebrow-waggle. "But ya right about that.." her happiness that is. ".. always good to go out with my girl friend. And now girl friends as it's a trio!" there. Instant in to the gang.

That look given to Spiral makes Harley also look her way, squinting her eyes. "Seems ta me yoh up to shenanigans again, Spiral." she leans over to give Spiral a little poke on the side with a finger. Taste your own medicine! "How about you let the whole nasty villainess schtick down for a bit tonight, eh?" she teases.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral's smirk broadens to a somewhat less evil genuine smile. "You are an empath." she agrees. "And a quite controlled one at that. I don't know why you're looking for a job in a bar. The SHIELD could make great use of you. Or you could enrol in Xavier's school, and join my friends, they are a fun bunch.". She shrugs a little. "Fortunately I'm not working for my original creator any more, so you have nothing to fear from me at least grabbing you and giving you a job.".

She holds out her wholly metal arm, to prod at the cast gently with its forefinger. "I have plenty spare, if you like. I fear it would ruin your star power though." she admits. "And, yes. Arana! That's the one I met. Oh she gave you hopeless pep talk? I'm not surprised, very serious, she seemed to me. Like a cop, with all the humour, too.".

She's got hard skin but she still squirms a bit when she's poked, more in embarassment, and maybe anger too. "Harley... grr.". Talk about style being cramped! "I have lots of clothes, orange, blue, that thing you bought that looks vaguely like a X-Man uniform...". As for the nasty villainess thing, she just gives Harls a cold look. And then turns, to smile at Aimee. "Well, that's rude, isn't it." she says mildly. "But I take such slanders like I take having six arms. With a weary heart.". Yeah, some bullshit going on there. But she does have a heavy heart.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee groans, both arms lifting, and both stopping when the movement reminds her that her right is in a cast. So much for covering her face. With her control over her emotions released the blush Harley's flirting causes is able to run rampant. And Aimee lets it. It's embarrassing of course, but she's never really *enjoyed* using her power to be someone she isn't, and there's a certain feeling of liberation in just allowing things to play out as they will.

She very deliberately doesn't reply to the flirting this time, without the artificial confidence it just seems easier to try and pretend not to notice. "Shit, you know my parents would lose their minds if they knew that *The* Harley Quinn just called me her friend." Not even a moment passes before it seems she realises something, a playful grin tugging at her lips "Fuck it, why not?"

A strangely content sigh, then her attention is being drawn back to Spiral as the woman shares her opinions. Aimee nods, listening politely, letting the tall woman finish speaking before she responds.

"I guess I just... I want a normal life? Maybe that's foolish, I dunno. I know I don't want to work for the government or whatever it is SHIELD does and I've already graduated High School, so I dunno why I'd want to go to Xavier's even if it is fancy. But, y'know, if it wouldn't hurt it might be cool to have a robot arm or two? Next time I get mugged maybe I could be the one breaking *their* arm." Is it strange that she seems kinda into that idea? Perhaps, but as well adjusted as the girl might seem it's clear that there might be some issues here and there. "I guess I don't know *what* I want, and that's kinda the problem, y'know?" She looks a little discomforted by the attention being given to her rather petty little troubles.

Harley Quinn has posed:
The talk of SHIELD just makes her wrinkle her nose, Harley not particularly fond of them! As for that school, doesn't seem to ring a bell. "Spiral. Life advisah." She grins up at the six-armed wonder, "I like it." she says about her suggestions towards Aimee, lifting her second beer up for a moment and then downing half of it.

The color that starts to appear on Aimee's expression makes her grin more and more, like a kid that put her hand right into the candy jar. "Theah we go! Beautiful coloouh theah, isn't it?" she lets out a soft laugh.

"So this is a night o' us all gettin' our hair down. Good. I can drink ta that foh suwah!"

Though as Spiral goes all dramatic on her she pouts briefly and shakes her head. Harley has a bit of a big mouth sometimes! "Ya know I didn't mean it like that, ya silly goose." she says playfully. "And I am offerin' the secound round, so how can it be rude!"

"And a normal life... What's the notion o' normal foh you, Aimee?" Her eyes then fixing directly on the girl. "9 ta 5 job, white picket fence, cozy body ta wake up to every mornin?"

Spiral has posed:
"You don't want to say such things in the presence of a psychologist..." Spiral warns. "Ah, see?" she adds on to the end of 'what is normal'. "You want to be normal, but you want a metal arm?" Spiral asks, wrinkling her nose. 'Because I was bored' is a pretty rare reason for customers in her Body Shoppe, but okay.

"Well. If you want a cyborg arm, I can do that for you...". She narrows her eyes a bit. "I get the impression you need Harley's skills more than me, though." she eventually says. Aimee is too innocent to be borged willy nilly, even for Spiral's hard heart!

"Or maybe just... friends. A team. We can go visit Elizabeth, or April perhaps.". Spiral's social circle expanding again! She looks over at Harley for agreement.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee shrugs awkwardly, looking downwards in an effort to hide the still-present blush at least a little. "I dunno... I... I mean... a cozy body would be nice? I don't really know about the rest. I mean, I don't strictly need to work really. Rich parents, only child. But they've got it all planned out, I'm gonna go to college and study law and politics, join the law firm of my father's friend, and once I've got enough experience under my belt I'll get into politics... and I don't know that I want *any* of that." She shrugs again "First world problems, huh?"

She slumps a little, nodding reluctantly at Spiral "Yeah, yeah I guess you're right. Would be nice to have some defense next time assholes jump me though. I'm tired of being a damsell in distress. Or even dat dress." Her eyes flick to Harley, that terrible pun was quite obviously for her.

"I... I dunno that I need a team though. I mean, a team for what? Right? Harley's a therapist so... maybe I just need to talk to her and get my shit together like every other adult manages to."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I dunno, Doctor Spiral..." And Harley leans in closer to the white-eyed one, " ... I think we may be facing a clear case o' a gal that thinks she wants normal but is just as wicked as us. Ooooor, maybe she just doesn't know it yet. At least the lust foh some violence is theah, wantin those poouh thugs ta get theah arms broken by ya." she assesses. "Do you concur?" she even gets to put in a little bit of a posh accent. Elizabeth-style! Or maybe not ...

"And oh shit .., they want ta make ya a shark?" She asks. Harsh parents! "Well, maybe ya need a little time ta figure it out. Like Spiral says. Gettin' some friends, figure shit out foh yorself instead o' bein' told what ta do. And yoh powah is wicked cool by the way! As foh a team ..., everyone needs a gang o' friends ta get into shenanigans with! That's like a fact o' life." she nods sagely right after. So as to let them know she is speaking the truth, of course!

"April would love ta come meet us one day I am suwah, maybe when we go out again sometime? I still want ta see ya guys sing. Or we can go, you know, roller derby." she loves it! "Or we c-c-c-c-c-combo it and go to Elizabeth's place! It's a great dancin' spot! Also whea we two met." she gesturing between her and Spiral.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral shrugs at Aimee. "Seems like you need something, anyway. Trading away humanity in exchange for that, won't get you anywhere however.". Why is she giving life advice? She eyes Harley. "Pfft. I blame you for this.", she mutters.

She actually wraps her arms about herself and backs away a little, somewhat embarassed by the way things are going here. "I'm not sure she would appreciate my own particular past times." she points out to Harls. "Aside from visits to Tahiti I suppose, nothing to dislike there, aside from random Sorcerer Supreme's perhaps. And even he isn't exactly /bad/...".

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"I-I'm really not wicked..." The protest sounds a little meek, but at the reminder of the thugs that tried to mug her Aimee gets a little more fierce. "Besides, no, fuck them. If it's good enough for them to break *my* fucking arm when I'm just walking home how is it wrong that I'd love to return the favour!" She huffs, looking a combination of annoyed and sulky, eyes narrowed slightly and lips downturned. "All it means is I'm not some fucking girl scout is all..."

Her mouth opens as she prepares to explain how trading in her arms for robot ones would be totally no big deal... and then a look at Spiral, a *proper* one, reminds her that not all of the woman's arms are natural. Her jaw clacks shut for a moment before she begrudgingly admits "I guess you'd know better than I would about how big of a deal robot arms are. Sorry if I seemed like I wasn't taking it seriously."

Finally, she pinches the bridge of her nose and heaves a semi-reluctant sigh "So... April and Elizabeth? Well... I guess no harm in tryin the social butterfly thing. If worst comes to worst I can always fake it till I make it, right?" The teen seems uncertain, probably because she has no idea who these two names belong to except that they're apparently friends of her current company and there's no guarantee they'll be as easily placated with drinks.

Spiral has posed:
"I have done such things to people before. They all burned for vengeance, or some other petty need." Spiral points out. "There is a price to pay for such things. You... seem to want such because you are bored. Seems like a heavy price to pay for that.". She smirks, and one of her hands points to Harley for a moment. "You can thank her for your second chance.". As without Harley's influence, she would be dragging her off to the Body Shoppe right now!

Ugh. She shakes her helmeted head. Some of Harley's softness is rubbing off. "I think we're done here. My name is Spiral, if you want to meet us again just ask around for me, and I will come to hear of it.". She starts dancing, hands weaving around her quickly - and then one points at Harley, and they abruptly vanish in a yellow flash and with a *pop*.

Spiral's all socialised out.