4120/Roll out!

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Roll out!
Date of Scene: 13 November 2020
Location: Derby Queens
Synopsis: It's derby night with Tenderloin again visiting the Brooklyn Queens! Harley 'recruits' Aimee to play on their game and chaos ensues!
Cast of Characters: Harley Quinn, Aimee Alexander




Harley Quinn has posed:
It's derby time once again in Brooklyn! The Brooklyn Queens are facing off against their fabled enemies from the Tenderloin district. Mean-looking girls all o' 'em! But Harley has gotten herself her war painting going, some black stripes on her cheeks to make her look fiercer, helmet on and all the pads as well. She is rolling about the rink with the rest of her team, getting ready for another go..

They are trailing behind from the score shown on the boards, tenderloin giving them a run for their money but it isn't time to give up yet!

Earlier Harley sent Aimee a message to come and visit the roller derby rink. It will be fun! Or so she says... But for her there's a lot of stuff that is fun....

So arriving at the place it will be easy to spot where she is, right there on the rink, the bleachers about the court full with people cheering. Roller derby is famous around these parts!

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee hadn't known what to think when getting the text message from Harley. A momentary thought about a romantic rollerskate date for two had been quickly disgarded as being patently ridiculous (and a bit embarrassing). And having no idea what 'roller derby' was exactly or whether she'd be expected to participate she hadn't known how to dress herself.

After far too much worrying (along with pulling half the clothes out of her closet), the brunette had eventually settled on a faded old pair of jeans, an older pair of chuck taylors, and a simple camisole with a baggy old long-sleeved tee worn over top of it. It's in this rather more rough'n'tumble than usual ensemble that the empath arrives at the rink, her loose ponytail whipping about as she looks about for the clownette.

It doesn't take long to spot Harley (the girl stands out!), and Aimee hurries to find a good spot in the bleachers from which to watch the other woman's performance. A quick glance around at the rest of the enthusiastically cheering crowd gives the teen the confidence to stand on her tiptoes, waving her arms above her head and shouting "KICK THEIR ASSES, HARLS!"

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley is talking to the other girls now, fists pumping up in the air, eyes a little manic .. She appears to be doing some kind of inspirational speech. Or at least a rather lively one because the other girls just give her a bit of a weird look at the beginning but then eventually they are shouting. A whistle sounds on the rink and it seems the round is starting... They begin to roll around, Harley being on bruising duty today. Which means keep the opposing team away from their 'scorer'. She starts to roll and roll, faster and faster and the brawl begins..

There are scuffles happening, some shouts, Harley shouldering a girl against the side of the rink with a *thud*. It is indeed violent.. And Harley does have that superior strength which seems to make things perhaps a tad unfair..

As they go for the second lap Harley appears to spot the young girl. "You came!" she shouts out, waving her hand as she rolls near the edge. Of course that a distraction here can be fatal and so the girl she had lead against the side of the rink comes rolling in, murder in her eyes and goes straight against Harley, sending her flying. Ufff, that's gotta hurt..

Which also means it leaves their 'scorer' without defense to start getting hassled by the opposing team. Things aren't looking good!

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee isn't sure what exactly to think of this sport, wincing a little bit at the violent shoulder check Harley gives a girl from the opposing team. She's still having despite it all though; a soft grin on her lips that only grows when the clownette calls out and waves.

A grin that abruptly disappears when Harley is knocked off her feet. The teen clenches her fists as her eyes narrow dangerously. "Nice cheap shot, ugly! Pity you couldn't take her without help!" Her gaze remains fixed on that girl for a few moments longer, glaring nastily, before flitting to look towards Harley and make sure the clownette isn't hurt. Her fists clench a little harder, nails digging into her palms; the empath feeling a little helpless up here so far away from the action.

Harley Quinn has posed:
The clownette shakes her head a bit, recovering her senses as another lap goes by. Of course that it's hopeless for her team right now, the scorer now being flanked by a couple of girls. The sound of someone hitting the protective glass is heard, their scorer, then falling down on the ground without moving. Unconscious! The crowd watching starts 'booing'. They are for the home team afterall!

A timeout is called as they go to check on what is going on with the player. Harley finally resumes standing, giving a thumbs up over to the general area where Aimee is before going on to check on the fallen player.

Conversation is taken. Back and forth between the players. Lots of moving arms around. Some frantic movements. "We can't lose against those bitches!" Harley is heard saying in a loud manner. "I will find someone!"

She starts rolling around the rink and approaches the area where Aimee is, beckoning with a finger for the girl to join up near the sidelines. Oh no...

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Despite her concern for Harley, even Aimee's attention is caught by the scarily loud *thud* of the scorer hitting the glass wall. The teen's hand reflexively covers her mouth in horror, though relief comes when the movement of Harley getting back up catches her eye and she spots the thumbs up. At least her friend is okay.

She fidgets a little bit, mostly ignoring the agitation she feels from the audience as the time-out is called and they wait to see what happens next. As soon as she hears the words "I will find someone!" coming from Harley's lips she knows what's going to happen. She heaves a sigh, muttering softly to herself "Fuck... don't do this to me Harley..." but despite that when Harley beckons her she reluctantly makes her way down to the sidelines.

"Harls... I don't know I can do this. I haven't rollerskated in years, and I'm not tough like you and..." She trails off, looking down at her feet for a moment before sighing, forcing a wry smile and muttering "...but if you need me I guess I've got your back. What do I have to do?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
OOOoo, music to her ears when Aimee says she *has* rollerskated in the past. The rest is irrelevant. "It's like ridin' a bike!" Harley informs the young woman, "Besides it's not as if you awhe an ol' hag that's forgotten all about her youngah yeahs!" now that she is close to the other girl it's noticeable the harder breathing, the roughness on her clothing and face, some of the painting smeared up. It's been war out there! "And besides, I got yoh back!"

When Aimee accepts there is a beaming smile from Harley and she leads the girl over to the changing rooms. "Get in heah.." she says, she wheeling about the place and starts picking up some team clothes. "Mmm, too big.." she discards it, then continues on. An eye on Aimee, "Too smalll..." and then finally finds one. "Ahah!" she says. "Soooo...., what's gonna happen is ya gonna change into this, get the roller blades on. Basically what ya gotta do is ta do laps ovah the otha girls!" easy! Right ...?

"I will be hoverin' near ya all the time so we got this!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Despite trying not to rely so heavily on controlling her own emotions lately, Aimee can't help but feel that this is probably as justifiable a situation as any to cheat a little bit with her powers. The growing anxiety in her chest is dialed down, though she makes sure to not get rid of it entirely. Her confidence seems to be in a good place already, though it does end up being dialed up a touch when Harley starts picking up clothes and the teen realises she's going to have to get changed in front of the clownette. And given the nature of the sport she's about to participate in, she gives a little bump to her aggression while she's at it.

"Hey Harls? If that bitch who hit you gets close to us can you keep her steady for me? I've got a surprise for her." The words leave Aimee's mouth, and she *knows* they sound a bit worrying, but somehow she can't find it in her to care. Payback is a bitch, and her name tonight is apparently Aimee.

Looking at the uniform Harley's grabbed for her, and then looking at the clownette, the teen can't help but blush a little. Still, there's not really time to dawdle and time-outs don't last forever, so abruptly turning her back towards her friend the girl kicks off her shoes and sets about getting changed.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Oh?" Harley first asks and then a devious grin appears on her expression. "Oh!" teeth showing in that wide grin, "A surprise uh? And heah I was thinkin' you were hopeless in terms of viciousness. But heah you awhe surprisin' me!" She lets out a loud cackle, wheeling about the room a bit while she waits for Aimee to change up. "Come on! No time to lose!" when she notes Aimee blushing and pausing before changing. "Ya can feel all embarassed later!" but at least she does turn her back to give the other girl some matter of privacy.

"So ..., I should tell ya. They will all be gunnin' ta take you down, since yoh awhe the scorer." a bit of a rough explanation of the rules.. But there you go!

"But we can't let Tenderloin win this time!" She shakes a fist. "Time foh some payback!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Thankfully it seems rollerskating really *is* like riding a bike. There's a momentary unsteadiness as Aimee stands after putting the skates on, but a couple seconds of rolling about is seemingly enough to file the rust off. "Wait... everyone's goin to be targeting *me*?" She heaves another sigh (she seems to be doing that a lot), but doesn't try to back out, instead offering a grumbled "Well you better make sure they don't *get* me..." that has maybe just a tiny bit of genuine grumpiness to it. Harley's probably used to grumpiness though, being friends with Spiral and all!

"Okay." The teen smacks her own cheeks and does a little twirl on her skates as she follows Harley towards the locker room's exist; more just to get herself comfortable with skating again than any attempt to show off. "So. Am I allowed to like... shove these people with my hands? Or is it all shoulder checks and hip bumps? What are the rules on faces?" As the pair head back into the rink, the empath hip-bumps the Clownette and turns to look at her, chewing her lip for a moment before double-checking "You'll keep me safe, right?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"It's fine. I was just distracted the first time..." When the other 'ace' got knocked into a wall. Harley rolls over to wrap one arm about Aimee's shoulder while she is finishing with the roller skates, "Imagine the crowd chantin' yoh name when we win! That's what ya got ta think about!" a glance at Aimee and a laugh. "Taking off after Spiral, are ya? But ya got nothin' on her grumpiness. But I am breakin' through though!"

She takes the arm away and gives the other girl a bump on the side with her elbow. "Now let's go, the timeout is almost done!" she starts rolling to the exit, pigtails fluttering about her. "Well, ya can shove 'em away. No gouging eyes oh goin' for the sensitive parts though!" because one never knows what savage Aimee can get up to.

She hip bumps the other girl in return with a grin. "Have I evah let you down?" don't answer that! Regardless, trusting a clownette can be dangerous. Good thing that Aimee has those powers to rely on!

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"I..." Aimee trails off, she doesn't really have an answer to that question. Harley has never really let her down, but then the clownette has never really been in a position *to* let her down. There's no friendship without trust though, so Aimee simply nods her head and offers a grim smile both to her friend and to the rest of her new team.

She's new, untested, it's not really any surprise that the other girls are looking at her fairly petite form with scepticism. It's a look she doesn't like, and one she decides to try and fix. "If you girls can see to it that the bitch that knocked into Harley finds herself by her lonesome with the two of us? I'd be much obliged. I've got some payback to dish out and would rather not get interrupted, yknow?"

There's certainly no evidence that she can back up her threats, but there's a coldness to her voice and a glint in her eye that gives even some of the veterans a bit of pause. And sure, the impression is helped along with little mental tweaks to her own emotions to make the act that much more convincing, but some part of Aimee really *does* seem to be keen for a little violence. Apparently she's protective of her friends. Who knew?

Harley Quinn has posed:
There are indeed some looks of skepticism tossed Aimee's way. Some grunts. The girls are losing, morale is low too! But the vicious words from Aimee do bring some heart to them. One of them, a large one says. "Got it. Time to win this shit." they start spreading out to positions, the sound coming out that the timeout is over. Time to start rolling. Not even much of a time to get acquainted..

The rink might take a little bit to get used to, considering it's skewed towards the center, very much like a Nascar track. Harley seems like a natural here though. She holds to Aimee's arm as they start on that first curve, letting her get used to it. "Maybe theah's still some hope foh ya, Aims!" the sound of the rollers is heard in the air, along with the crowd, cheering that the action is starting up again...

As for the opposing team, it's throwing daggers with their eyes from the opposite side of the track. But they will end up all mixed together soon enough..

The whistle sounds again and they are on! Harley picks up speed. "Let's go!" she points ahead. The rest of the girls start closing in, some shoves, some pushes, nothing too serious yet. The Tenderloin team appears more interested in keeping the advantage before going on the offensive.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Maybe Aimee doesn't really know what she's doing, or maybe she just has a ton of faith in Harley. There's also the possibility that the girl has a bit of tunnel vision. While she lags behind a little as she's getting used to the slope she very quickly starts to pick up speed; forcing her way past her teammates and all-but dragging Harley along with her. Her eyes are narrowed slightly, her jaw set, and her gaze intense. She looks every bit the predator despite her dainty limbs.

Bare forearm brushes against bare forearm, and one of the Tenderloins stumbles in what looks to the crowd to be rather over-the-top surprise. Aimee skates past, already ignoring the stumbling girl and trusting the rest of the team to take advantage. She gives a teammate shoving against another Tenderloin a helping hand, dragging a finger along the back of her latest prey's neck and taking the girl's existing sadness about the recent death of her grandmother and pushing it to 11. Again after creating an opening she skates past, leaving her team to take advantage of it or not.

And finally she's almost caught up to her real target. Having almost forgotten about Harley's presence Aimee has to turn her head to make sure the clownette is still keeping up with her. A smirk is offered, a nod of the head made, and the message is clear. Let's get her.

Harley Quinn has posed:
As they pick up speed and Aimee takes point that even appears to surprise Harley who moves close by. She takes advantage of the fumbling girl who Aimee brushes aside, digging in low to take her by the belly and toss her out of the way, the girl flying to the middle of the rink and out of commission! At least for now. She grits her teeth. "Go Aimee, go!" she shouts from behind in that manic way of hers.

The Tenderloins now start taking things more seriously, turning and slowing to create a block to not let the others past... Harley swoops ahead, going forward and past Aimee in that reckless manner of hers, letting out a 'weeeee' and charging head on against another girl to open a way past. It sends the two of them tumbling to the side but there's an opening there...

The other girls come to the rescue, attempting to block Aimee from getting tackled away. Though the one that took out Harley earlier seems to be gaining ground, approaching from the side, ready to do the same trick she used on Harley. To push Aimee up against the glass wall, a bit of a malicious grin there on her lips.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
The problem, of course, with trying to blindside someone who can feel your emotions is that, unless you're somehow feeling absolutely nothing, an empath will *always* feel you coming. Aimee doesn't even need to look, all the better to feign ignorance and bait the attacker in. And then, at the last possible moment, a graceful pirouette that leaves her attacker poised to go straight past her.

That would be too *easy* though.

The teen grabs the arm of the other girl as momentum carries her opponent past, stumbling a little herself as she's dragged off the line she was skating. The other girl stumbles and jerks, swearing in sudden fright; Aimee doesn't let go. With her attacker distracted by what is soon an almost overwhelming amount of fear it's not hard for even someone of Aimee's build to continue to guide the now panicking girl towards that wall and then give a hard shove to the back of her head to make sure that's what collides first.

Brutal.

Not even giving a backward glance towards her collapsing opponent, Aimee pushes off at speed. Payback has been had and now it's time to worry about winning. A win that the teen is fairly sure will only happen if she passes the scorer on the other team. She's not entirely sure, but it does seem like speed is probably the most important thing to worry about now. That in mind, she gives a nod to her teammates and decides to leave the rest of the violence to them.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Brutal for some. Cheerful for others. The ones watching the show cheer from the sidelines, the crowd wild at the aggression in display. But indeed revenge has been found on the one that had taken Harley out earlier... That one seems out of the count right now, a big headache to nurse back home to Tenderloin..

As for Harley, she is recovering, more tussles with other players, some shovings. She breaks through and back to be near Aimee. "That's what I am talkin' about!" she points ahead. "Gonna have ta cut past her in the last curve theah!" She warns. Because indeed the end is looming to a close..

As for the other girl, she sees the approach, starting to roll faster and leaning forward. She is nimble and small. A lot like Aimee too.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee feels herself blush at Harley's enthusiasm, but is too busy worrying about winning this thing to agonize over it or try to 'fix' it with her powers. A single sharp nod is Aimee's only response, saving her breath for the exertion she's about to undergo. She leans forward herself, mirroring the other girl, and puts her all into a sprint. She's far from being an accomplished speed skater, but years of ballet does tend to develop ones leg muscles to a degree. She also has the advantage of a single-minded focus. There's no urge to look behind herself, the emotional reactions to her exhaustion and the burning pain in her muscles can be removed with her power entirely even if the physical sensations themselves remain. All doubt, nervousness, excitement, anger, everything except the drive to succeed disappears.

And Aimee is gaining ground.

Around halfway through that last curve Aimee has caught up; her arms reach forward and try to shove the other girl out wider to give her room so scooch by on the side. There's no way for Aimee to try mess with the other girl's emotions without letting go of her tight control of her own, so as they hit the final straight it comes down to two girls neck and neck; hip-checking and shoving at each other in an effort to get ahead.

..except Aimee isn't alone.

Harley Quinn has posed:
As the two girls struggle to gain an advantage Harley is gaining up speed, using that strength of hers to really get her momentum going. There are some advantages for such a small body to have that kind of near superhuman strength afterall, one of them being the way she can push herself forward..

So as they get onto that last curve Harley is able to catch up. "Care for a dance?" her voice heard, all playful. For a moment it may not be clear as to /who/ she is talking to. But then one hand is felt pressing behind Aimee to give her momentum forward... The other arm wraps about her opponent's and so as she sends Aimee over to victory she keeps the other girl embraced to her from behind.

There is some struggle, an attempt to get out of that 'dance' but Harley is just too strong, her grip iron.

The home crowd cheers when Aimee finally surpasses and ends the lap in first, meaning points to the Brooklyn Queens and a victory!

There is a vibrating feeling in the air now, the happiness that watching sports can bring to those that enjoy it and they see their team winning. The girls that won and their elated feelings of victory. The defeat on the losing team. Harley is ecstactic though and for once she doesn't bash her opponent into the glass, just spinning her way as it's all now over. "Ya did it!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Harley's question *almost* makes Aimee stumble; the problem with tunnel vision. But between her emotions being numbed and the balance of a ballerina the empath keeps a largely steady pace. The hand on her back encourages her to push harder, even *if* Harley's doing a good enough job of stalling the competition to make the extra effort unnecessary. It's only second later, even if it feels like longer to her, that she passes the finishing line and with relief drops her emotional control.

The world around her feels like it abruptly snaps back into focus. The noise of the crowd that she'd forgotten was even there is suddenly thundering through her, *for* her, a giddy grin tugging at her lips as she soaks in the adoration. Showboating a little bit she throws her hands in the air, twirling in a 540 degree spin and then coasting backwards. It feels amazing, and her eyes immediately look around to seek out the one both responsible for it and with whom she wants to share the moment.

"Harley!" Aimee has to shout to be heard over the crowd, but her voice still manages to convey her bubbling excitement. She slows her coasting a little to make it easier for the clownette to reach her, and then throws her arms around the other woman in a tight hug. She doesn't say anything else, but she may not need to. As soon as she manages skin-to-skin contact the empath tries to share all that giddiness, excitement and absolute joy with the clownette, along with a hefty dose of affection and thankfulness.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley reaches to take out her helmet, tossing it aside as she continues to slowly roll about the track, waving at the crowd before noting the approach from Aimee. She grins widely. "Hey, girl!" she says before uffing at receiving the young woman in her arms. The skin to skin contact is welcome but then she is receiving all those emotions, having her shudder in place at the rather innocent joy she feels oozing from the girl.

She knows by now that it isn't a normal feeling as she has been made aware of Aimee's powers but she finds herself smiling, infected by the girl's own sense of affection and thankfulness. "What ya feelin' is beautiful, Aimee.." she says quietly, squeezing the girl in against her as they slide together about the track, holding on to one another.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
At Harley's words the flood of emotion stops, Aimee's cheeks flushing and her head turning away in embarrassment; the tight hug loosening as the teen babbles "S-Sorry about that. I was just really happy and wasn't thinking and-" It seems to take her this long to properly process what the clownette actually said, and after an awkward pause she offers "I mean, if you wanted to I could keep it goin a bit longer? I just, you know, it's kinda rude to be forcing emotions on people and..."

Trailing off, the empath quietly waits for a reply; and now she's not focused on pushing emotions *in* to Harley she's far more aware of the emotions Harley is *already* feeling. The emotions of the neurologically atypical certainly aren't easy to get a handle on, but at least for the moment Aimee has a front-row seat to them.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Focusing on Harley's feelings can be compared to going to a rock concert and staying right next to a rather loud speaker. Every feeling is amped up to 11, the rush of emotions that go through her as wild as she often looks on the outside. Excitement, pride on the girl, giddy happiness at having beat the other girls, that rush of victory that often brings one to feeling elated. All that and more, her emotions unhinged, no restraint to her.

Even with all of that happiness though there seems to be something else. As if all those rushing emotions were a cushion to keep her away from something else. Other feelings which seem to want to crawl up to the surface. Darker, sinking thoughts, but those almost feel imaginary sometimes considering how vibrant and strong the others are. "Rude?" a laugh escapes her. "We just went about bashin' heads in a roller derby game, and ya worried about bein' rude?" she turns the girl's head with one hand to have her look at the field where a few of the adversary girls are still sitting or getting up, one of them being the girl that was bashed by Aimee against the railings. "Ya did that."

She beams at Aimee and laughs out again, almost like a hyena. "Maybe we should hire ya to ouuh team!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee is caught slightly off-guard by the strength of Harley's emotions and, perhaps more notably, the sheer number of things being felt so strongly all at the same time. Despite that, the hint of darkness buried beneath it all is what draws the empath's attention. When attempting to focus more directly on it however, the feelings seem to slip away beneath the overwhelming force of the clownette's more positive emotions leaving Aimee wondering if she didn't just imagine it all in the first place. The slight headache that starts to throb in her skull finally makes her realise that she's focusing far too intently, and the empath eases up on her curiousity; a gentle if short surge of affection being sent Harley's way as the teen relaxes, hoping to sooth any darkness if it does exist.

Of course effectively forwarding her own emotions through to the clownette as she has been isn't without risk, and when Harley cups her jaw to turn her head to the sight of the downed players Aimee's shy giddiness also gets momentarily sent over the link before the empath abruptly cuts it off once more.

Ignoring the flush she feels on her cheeks and trying to act as chill as she can manage, she nods her head towards the opponents "I... I guess I *did* do that didn't I? But... I mean, they were strangers. You're my friend, right? So... it's different. I'd never be trying to slam you into anything, after all." She shrugs, looking a little bit awkward, chewing her lip uncertainly as if she might be second guessing how she treated the opposing team. "A-anyways your team already has all its positions filled right? You guys don't need me. But I'm still happy to come and cheer you on!"

Harley Quinn has posed:
The affection makes the clownette smile. Does she note it's Aimee sending it her way? If so she doesn't comment on it, instead one arm just squeezing the girl tighter to her, perhaps showing her own affection, or the one Aimee is projecting on her. It's hard to know what feelings are real when an empath is on the job! They slow down on the rolling until she brings them over to the center of the track, not on the slope anymore.

"Yea, ya liked it, didn't ya?" That one she figured it out, the giddiness about what just happened. "It's good to let yoh haeh down sometimes." her tone advising, she pointing to the overall excitement surrounding them. "But ya can feel it, can't you? How people awhe vibratin', no need ta be an empath to feel this!" Harley closes her eyes then, smile radiant as she just focuses on listening to the people. It's a good change for her, noone pointing or somehow afraid of her, people just ecstatic about their team's win. "Why would you be wantin' ta slam against me, mmm?" she asks, eyes still closed, not hiding her amusement. "And the team is always lookin' foh new people. After tonight I am suwah they would like ta have ya. Besides, it's all amateurs, we mostly just do this for fun!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"I don't know that I'd say I liked the *violence*... well... except that one bit." The last few words are muttered, Aimee glancing at the player who had knocked Harley off her feet and had seemed to intend the same for the empath. Her eyes narrow slightly, a slight glare to her look, before she sighs and turns her attention back to the clownette.

"It *does* feel pretty great to be cheered like this though. And to just... enjoy myself. And see everyone else, well, mostly everyone else enjoying *them*selves too." She sounds almost reluctant to admit it, but a slight grin is already tugging at the corners of her lips at the thought of it all; a grin that only grows when she sees Harley with an absolutely vibrant smile soaking up the moment.

Her reaction to the flirt is probably obvious to guess by now even if the clownette doesn't bother to open her eyes and see it for herself. A blush, obvious shyness, and a bit of fidgeting. Aimee spends a few moments trying to decide how on earth to respond when Harley gives her an out, bringing up the team once more. "Well... I mean, if the rest of the team wants me on board... I guess it could be fun? Maybe just as a substitute? I don't want to steal anyone's spot."

There's another few moments of comfortable silence before Aimee finally manages to put together a response to Harley's flirt. "You should be careful flirting like that Harls, or I might start to think you're serious and then you'll be in *big* trouble." She waits a beat, then bumps her hip against the clownette to defuse some of the seriousness out of the statement.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"They will accept it... One way or the other." Maybe Harley will wave her clownette status if there's any trouble. Sports corruption goes all the way down to the amateur leagues of roller derby apparently! But then she is re-opening her eyes to look at Aimee, looking all amused. "Awww, ya look so cute when you blush." she reaching up with a finger to press on the girl's nose.

She releases the grip on Aimee, receiving the bump on her hip that she uses to start rolling again, spinning about in place slowly with a 'wooo', "Big trouble? Oh no..." she brings her wrists together. "Yoh weah gonna arrest me officeh? Slap the handcuffs on and toss the key away?" her lower lip trembling as if she was scared, it all seems to be done as a joke though.

But then she winks mischievously. "Maybe I'd like it." taunt the clown about flirting? Get ready to get more of it apparently! "But be careful, I am mastah in gettin' outta cuffs and then *you* might be in big trouble."

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"I'm... I don't..." Flustered as she is, Aimee can't manage an effective retort to the compliment of her blush. She narrows her eyes in an attempt at a glare but, with her cheeks as flushed as they are, it looks entirely harmless and kind of endearing. Besides making the teen blush, the compliment also ensures she completely fails to notice the implications of Harley's promise to get her on the team.

As soon as handcuffs are mentioned Aimee knows she's started a war she probably can't win even *if* she were to believe the clownette's faux fear. The wink and the flirting that follows only confirms it. But she's not the same Aimee she was when she came to New York, or even the same girl she was a few weeks ago. Where once she might smother her own emotions and back down with a subject change, the new and improved Aimee bites back even if she doesn't think she can win.

She might not be able to think of anything particularly funny or witty to respond with, but she's always been better at just being blunt. To that end she raises a single elegant eyebrow challengingly and tries to ignore the heat radiating from her face as asks "Is that a promise?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Ooo, the girl bites back." Harley's tone is one of approval. Or at least it seems like it even if her expression remains all too amused, grin wide and showing teeth, eyes just a touch manic, "Now I am really hopin' I had a hand in that!" she folds her arms together, over her waist, continuing to spin in place with quite the graceful motions and balance, all that past of dancing and gymnastics coming to the fore.

"We just need ta woik on getting yoh face ta not look as if it will explode." Yes, it's almost like a sun of it's own, all heat and redness for Harley. Or perhaps she is just messing with the girl. She eventually stops with the spinning, the roller blades now stopped. She then finally addresses the blunt words. "Could be. But careful that ya don't bite on moouh than ya can chew."

One pale hand reaches up, brushing some hair out of the way of the girl's face. She looks a touch more serious now, or as serious as Harley can be, "I feel like I'd only hurt ya if I made good on that promise though.."

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee's rather pitiful glare intensifies as her blush is called out, at least in as much as her cheeks puff up and bottom lip turns outwards slightly. Altogether it looks more sulky than dangerous, perhaps the result of growing up a spoilt little rich girl. Before she can try pull together any kind of sassy defense Harley manages to keep her off-balance by immediately going back to flirting again. The teen's eyes light up, she has the perfect response. Before she can voice it though she's thrown off balance a second time when things suddenly get surprisingly serious.

"I-" That's about all Aimee has to say, at least initially, feeling like the wind has been taken out of her sails. Her own expression becomes more serious to match the clownette, and she visibly stops herself from answering quickly. She desperately wants to reach out and delve into Harley's emotions, to try and get some idea what the other girl is thinking. Instead she sighs, shaking her head to try and dispel the urge, and spends a few long and quiet moments obviously in thought.

"I mean... yeah. You might." There's an obvious reluctance in Aimee's voice as she admits that, and she pushes on quickly so that that idea doesn't fester. "But, anything might. I mean, just being friends with you could too, right?" She looks down at her own feet for a moment, though it more seems to be an attempt to gather her thoughts than an effort to avoid eye contact. "I've learned a valuable lesson these past few weeks. Sometimes... you have to take a bit of risk to find what you want. And maybe sometimes you'll almost go insane in some fucked up dimension with animal people, but... even when the risk doesn't pay off it doesn't mean that taking it was a bad idea."

She shrugs a single shoulder awkwardly "You don't get anywhere unless you're willing to take a chance and get outside of your comfort zone. That's what you've taught me. So if, you know, *hypothetically* you made good on that promise, and I ended up being hurt. Well... that's how that stuff goes sometimes."

Harley Quinn has posed:
If one expects to stay on-balance when in Harley's presence they are in for a big surprise. The clownette makes sure to keep people on their toes, either for the good or for the bad. No boring moments with this one! She watches the shifts on the young girl though, the way she hesitates, watching her in that analytical manner that she often uses when studying others. She finds herself smiling but it's a bittersweet thing, the hand moving from brushing the girl's hair to cupping her chin when she notes the lack of eye contact.

She raises the girl's head so they can look at one another, "It's a good lesson ta have learned." she admits. She is someone that advocates it fully afterall! And with the crazy life she leads there's always one thing or another going on, like dimensional or time travelling. It's a thing! "But you are still very young, aren't you?" unlearned and untested, that's what it appears to be the meaning.

"Ya won't be likin' what ya see underneath." as if she knew all those feelings she keeps locked up under all the crazy. Not that it stops Harley from leaning in, touching lips to lips slowly. The girl did say she was good with getting hurt.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
And once again Harley shows her ability to keep someone completely off-balance. Aimee had been bracing herself for a rejection, but starts to look genuinely annoyed at her age being brought up. As soon as the clownette is done speaking the empath opens her mouth to argue "I-".

The kiss catches her completely flat-footed.

She freezes for just a moment in complete shock, eyes wide like saucers, before her brain kicks back into gear and she attempts to inexpertly kiss back. It's very tentative; Aimee clearly has no real experience with it and it probably only serves to reinforce Harley's point about the empath's lack of life experience. Still, she allows it to linger as long as the clownette wants, and when the kiss does break she inhales deeply before releasing it in a slow exhale.

"Maybe I won't. But I like the rest of you, and I can't imagine anything so terrible that it could outweigh everything else." She shrugs, and makes sure she's looking the clownette in the eye as she adds "But, if it *is* so terrible, and this is all a mistake? Well, live and learn right? At least then I'll know for sure."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley's lips taste of strawberry gum, but that's no surprise considering how one can often find her chewing on a bubblegum. And she certainly notes the inexperience, lips guiding the girl's into a more full-on kiss, slow. It lingers for a time until she finally breaks it up, chest heaving up and down more noticeably. But she grins at the girl, wide. "It's a kiss." *gasp* does she dare to try and explain what a kiss is? But then she clarifies, "Don't think *too* much of it, but not too little eitha." again she lifts a finger to tap Aimee on the nose.

She hesitates a moment, perhaps seeing the same kind of shiny look she had when she was with the Joker on Aimee, innocent and wide-eyed. "I .." and she pauses briefly, " .. don't really want to turn you into anotha one o' me." clearly she not thinking too highly of herself. "But I can help ya." whatever that means.

The clownette reaches down to pick up one of Aimee's hands, looking at it. "And then ya won't get hurt no moouh."

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee can't help but look an endearing combination of annoyed and flustered as Harley takes the time to clarify the kiss, and can't help muttering under her breath "I know it's a kiss and not a bloody marriage proposal..." Despite her words, or maybe because of them, her shoulders sag just a little. She doesn't seem *too* terribly upset at least; there's a grin she's trying to force down that keeps tugging at her lips.

...At least until the conversation turns serious once more.

Her expression becomes one of, well, empathy. Having felt a lot of emotions from a lot of people, it's easier for her to relate to others in a way that defies expectations based on her relative naivety. Her voice is gentle and earnest as she murmurs "I could do worse than becoming another you. And before you say anything I know that sounds really naive, but... you're a good person. You're helping people. Whatever your past was, whoever you were, you were strong enough to grow and rebuild yourself into who you are now. So..."

She trails off, and looks down at the hand the clownette is holding. "Although I've gotta admit, when you say you can help me and that I won't get hurt anymore... it *does* sound just a liiittle bit sinister..." She laughs at her own joke, although the laugh sounds a little forced and the joke doesn't sound like much of a joke at all. Disconcerting offers aside, the empath takes the opportunity to try entangle the fingers of the held hand with the clownette's own.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"A *bloody* marriage proposal?" That appears to amuse Harley, giving Aimee another boop on the nose. She shakes her head slowly. "It's betta ta clarify things in the beginnin' than the opposite. That's one way ta get real hurt." speaking by personal experience? Most likely. But it's when Aimee mentions about being 'ok' in becoming another Harley that her wides go wide, mouth opening a touch and she shaking her head in firm refusal. "No." and she appears serious now. "Ya .., don't really mean what yoh're sayin'" a pause. "You shouldn't!" her voice turns almost shrilly and she lets out a sigh. "The objective is that ya learn how to be yohself.." which appears to be what she meant earlier.

Her voice does calm down some, "Livin' out o' others feelin's, not knowin' yoh own. Afraid ta get out o' yoh shell. That's what I'm offerin' ya." She says, perhaps in clarification when she mentions it being something sinister. Which on hindsight, it was!

She entangles fingers with Aimee, continuing to look down at those two hands together and smiles faintly.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee winces at Harley's reaction to her attempted words of comfort. She waits though, letting the clownette finish saying her piece before she attempts to clarify. Her own gaze still focused on the now entwined hands, and the edge of her lips quirking up to give her a small lop-sided smile, the teen takes a few seconds to simply enjoy the moment before saying anything.

"I... sorry, that was maybe a bit insensitive. I didn't mean- I just meant that you don't seem to give 'you' enough credit. Y'know? But I get it, I think." And if she doesn't, it looks like she's at least trying to understand. "Sides," her smile gains just a hint of cheekiness, "the uniqueness is part of the charm I think."

Trailing off, she spends another few moments smiling happily down at those entwined fingers before finally getting distracted by a wolf whistle from an approaching teammate. "Oh!" The empath looks around sheepishly, somehow having forgotten about being in the middle of a roller derby rink "I think we might've made a scene."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Hey, stick it Melinda!" Is what the clownette replies to the approaching teammate, she able to go from 8 to 80 in the split of a second. From tender to cursing her little heart out. She even completes it with a rather rude gesture given her teammate's way which just makes Melinda laugh. Harley laughs too and shakes her head a bit to herself. "This will be what ya gotta deal with if ya join the team!" fingers squeezing Aimee's.

"Come on. Lets get outta heah, time ta showah and then I will get ya home." She says, starting to slowly roll about to bring the girl away from the rink.

Their dynamic had changed though, that much was noticeable, Harley grinning. Was she happy? There was still that bittersweet smile on her lips.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee blushes, because of course she does, but no amount of teasing from her temporary (and possibly soon to be permanent) teammate Melinda can remove the smile from her lips; if anything it only makes it grow. Feeling the squeeze of her fingers, the teen returns it with a gentle one of her own along with an experimental attempt to send a more specifically targeted emotion to Harley. Specifically, Aimee tries to send not just affection, but her affection *for Harley* specifically through the empathic link. She leans in close to murmur an explanation into the clownette's ear "That's what I'm feeling. I tried something new so... tell me how it felt later so I can figure out if it worked." Explanation given, the empath decides to be daring (at least by her own standards) and give Harley a peck on the cheek, before turning to give Melinda a cheeky grin and a raised eyebrow as if to ask 'what of it?'

"Shower sounds really good, yeah. After that last sprint I'm really sweaty. And I am super ready to just get home and laze about the rest of the day. I didn't even play the whole game and I'm beat." She rolls alongside Harley, not noticing the bittersweet edge to the clownette's expression and her own expression wearing perhaps the biggest smile she's had in years. Naive, but happy.