5115/A doll for me, a gift for you.

A doll for me, a gift for you.
Date of Scene:	10 February 2021
Location:	Harley's Room: Antique Store Apartment
Synopsis:	After the 'doll incident' Harley calls Aimee over to the scene of the ritual once again (April's apartment, where else?). She is introduced to Bud and Lou and Harley has a gift for her.
Cast of Characters:	Harley Quinn, Aimee Alexander

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Harley Quinn has posed:
It's been a little while after the 'doll incident' chez April's, Harley clearly in denial about having *any* blame about it. It was all Terry of course, or the devil leaving books around for innocent eyes to peer into. And she still counted that as a date of all things! Just one step above the roller derby. Sure, it weren't exactly great excuses but then again she was sort of insane. Sort of.

A message had then arrived though, inviting Aimee to come by the apartment. It was Terry-free. She had made sure of it. She also had made sure to get Aimee her gift. Not that she was apologizing for anything! She actually had it before the event already, was just figuring out the best time to deliver it..

"You boys behave or else it's the gulag with you!" She is telling her 'boys', Bud and Lou, at the main room, waggling a finger at them.

"And if weird books come by or ya see any dolls attack to kill. No survivors!" There. Instructons given!

Aimee Alexander has posed:
The invite hadn't necessarily come as a surprise; though Aimee certainly hadn't expected to be invited back to the scene of the battle against the demon dolls so quickly. Her annoyance with Harley over the clownette's role in causing the whole kerfuffle had her considering turning down the invitation, or perhaps even ignoring it outright.

(Un)fortunately she found it rather hard to stay mad with someone so perpetually perky and fun. In the end she had decided, perhaps slightly reluctantly, to make another visit to Harley's home. Perhaps take the opportunity to vent her frustrations with a bit of lecturing.

Having arrived at the alleyway running alongside her destination, Aimee briskly marches along it to the back door of the apartment and bangs on it thrice. She's learned to be wary of alleyways in her time in New York, and keeps an alert vigil for any figures who might try follow her down it as she waits for the door to open.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Theah! Must be her! Remembah what I said!" Harley still waggling her finger at them. Bud just ignores her and runs to the open window... A decidedly not human head pokes out from the window just above the entryway, sinister and with .., pointed ears? Some slobber falls down it's mouth, the sound of something wet hitting the ground next to Aimee. Eewwwww.

But then the door opens up to let Aimee in and climb up to the entrance of the place. There's another door which is opened by the clownette standing on the other side, shorty-shorts, tight t-shirt and NO shoes. Because being at home. Wearing shoes at home is just not hygienic!

"Hello, Aims! Come in."

Behind her there's two hyenas sitting on the floor. They have warm little woolen shirts on, looking like little gentlemen... If it wasn't for the sharp teeth and the veritable wicked grin on their expressions.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
The splat next to her feet catches the alert teen's attention; Aimee's gaze first shifting down to the little splatter of saliva, then looking upwards and getting an eyeful of scary teeth and muzzle.

"B-Bloody... fuck!" Her heart is already hammering in her chest when the door opens for her, and she makes sure to quickly duck inside to 'safety'. Except... that was the apartment's window. Pinching the bridge of her nose, and heaving a resigned sigh as she realizes the spooky dog beast at the window is just another average day in Harley's world, she makes her way up the stairs. Only stomping her annoyance just a teency bit.

Scowl affixed to her face, Aimee's already mentally working on the dressing down she's going to give the clownette when the clownette opens the door at the top of the stairs and gives her that happy greeting. The teen's scowl falters, her lips twitching as she tries not to smile; does her best not to rake her gaze over the other woman's minimalistic choice in clothing.

It gets a bit easier when she's close enough to the top to spot Harley's two pets. Her steps hesitate slightly, and she stares at the hyenas for a few moments before finally recognizing them for what they are. Forcing a smile she doesn't entirely feel, she can't help but try break the awkwardness with a bit of humour. "Banzai, Ed, and Shenzi? Does that make me Simba?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
The wicked little grin is mirrored by Harley when there's mention of the lion king hyenas, "Well...." and she scoots in closer, almost face to face, "... Do I get to have a little bite of the tasty morsel?" she teases in typical Harley fashion. But it's all a ruse to have the girl even feel more awkward! Unaware of the arm that wraps around her and pulls her close, "I missed ya." she tells the girl, leaning in to place a kiss on her lips, slow and savoring the moment.

It also serves as a good distraction from what Harley knows would most likely be a confrontation of some kind due to what happened before. Harley, not great at dealing with consequences.

"These are Bud and Lou.." The clownette then introduces the hyenas, "They've been with me foh a long while now! Part o' the family. It's criminal that I hadn't had the chance ta introduce them ta you yet but heah we awhe now..!"

She gestures to the hyenas who get up their feet and approach, sniff-sniffing their way in, starting to go around Aimee with their little grins. "They won't hurt ya. Go ahead, say your helloes." the arm still wrapped around Aimee's lower back.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Feeling her cheeks flush slightly, Aimee tries to give the clownette an embarrassed shove before she's captured by the sneaky arm around her waist. Being missed forces a genuine, if reluctant, smile to tug at the corners of the teen's lips. With a roll of her eyes as the smile grows she begins to half-hearted protest "But you only just saw-"

Of course she gets interrupted with a kiss. At this point it's par for the course for Harley to keep her off-balance and wrapped around the clownette's finger.

Breathless after the kiss, the empath narrows her eyes slightly. "I know what you're doing..." But, apparently despite knowing she doesn't make any effort to start lecturing Harley and instead allows her attention to be directed to the two curious hyenas.

She tentatively reaches a hand each towards the pair, seeming slightly nervous despite the clownette's reassurances (It *is* Harley after all...) "Bud and Lou huh? Nice names. Did you pick them?" She considers for a moment asking how Harley got a pair of hyenas as pets, but thinks better of it. It's probably best not to even think about it.

Once the two have had their fill of sniffing, she slowly and very carefully moves her hands to rest between their ears and gently ruffle their fur.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley just lifts her brows when Aimee admits knowing what the clownette is doing. No answer though! Plausible deniability and all that. Just another squeeze around the girl's waist. She had genuinely missed her, having started to grow fonder of the girl as time went by.

The hyenas do their approach, maybe noting the nervousness and letting out little whiney sounds that appear to be cackles (Maybe that's with who Harley learned how to cackle. So similar!)...

One mouth opens wide when Aimee tentatively approaches the pair with her hand, Harley then saying warningly. "Loooooou.." making the hyena whimper at not being allowed to take a bite but then gets on with sniffing the girl all over and soon enough she gets a big slobbering tongue on her hand. Maybe it's a sign of acceptance!

The hyenas then slide closer and bump on Aimee when she starts to ruffle their fur, tongues lolling out.

"They awhe spoiled lil things really. No longah the killin' machines o' befoouh! Maybe they awhe enterin' reform too like me." she pats one of them on the side. "They seem ta like you though."

After a while of sniffing and petting and fur ruffling and more warning looks from Harley she eventually suggests. "Lets go to my room. I got something for ya." a pause and then she finally asking you, "Have ya been doin' okay since the other day?"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Making a face, and whiping slobbery hands off on her jeans, Aimee eagerly takes the chance to escape from affectionate (and still slightly scary, she hadn't missed the warning looks Harley was giving them) hyenas and walks towards the Harley's room as fast as she can with the clownette's arm around her waist.

"I'm fine. The cuts were all really shallow, no stitches needed or anything. I'm just going to look like I got into a brawl with an alleycat for a little while I guess." She winces, muttering a faint 'hope they don't scar...' grumpily before turning her attention to the rest of what Harley had said.

"Wait... you actually got me something? I mean, I know I said you better get me a present but..." The flush rises to her cheeks once more, and she looks rather pleased with the thought. "I guesss I forgive you then. Just... next time you plan to read a magic book you know nothing about, pleeeaaase remember that not all of us are as tough as you. I don't wanna cramp your style or spoil your fun, just... if I die that's not super fun for me, y'know?" The slightly strained smile she wears as she says those last few words suggests maybe she's only half joking.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"When the truth is so much bettah! Gettin' into a brawl with demonic dolls from hell! April had waaaaay too many dolls. I wondah if the spell also made them replicate." Harley starting to get a little carried away about talking about the matter she had convinced herself not to talk about. But oh well! "It also means we gotta make suwah ta start trainin' ya in the arts of Harley-fu. But all things in theah time.."

"Scars can give great personality. And stories too!" She opens the door to her room, closing it behind them when they are in. It's pretty plain as rooms go, but considering she is a guest at April's she hasn't gone as far as changing it *too* much. Certainly no graffiti walls or anything of the sort.

When Aimee addresses the 'problem' directly she nods lightly. "I mean, what were the odds of it havin' an actual ritual in theah?! It was still a fun date, a lil different, but good nonetheless."

She trails off and wanders to a bedside drawer. "I had already got it befoouh but .., didn't feel right ta give it to you right aftah.." she brings out a small box from the drawer.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"You say 'what were the odds' but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have bothered reading it if you didn't think there were sooome kinda odds there." Aimee stares at Harley, a single eyebrow raised, before she sighs and shakes her head. She determinedly ignores talk of scars and being tutored in whatever Harley-fu is, not wanting to destroy the mood by getting into an argument even *if* she'd originally planned on doing just that.

She sits herself on the edge of Harley's bed and focuses her attention on the small box that apparently contains her present. Trying not to look too intrigued she rocks back and forth slightly and puts on her best 'casual voice' to ask "So.... what'd you get me? And... not that I don't appreciate it, but... why? I mean, you said you got it before the doll thing, so it probably wasn't to make me less grumpy with you."

Her eyes narrow ever-so-slightly as she squints at the box, trying to guess what it might contain based on the size. "It's not... stolen, right?" She has to ask.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley remains standing even as Aimee settles down on the edge of the bed, returning to stand in front of Aimee and shaking her head, "That's the whole point, not knowin' what *will* happen. Which is what makes it fun and interesting. Well, part of it at least." but then her focus goes to the box she is carrying and she lets out her best cheshire smile. "Do I need a reason to get you a gift?" before she looks absolutely *scandalized* about the suggestion she stole it. Harley? Stealing things?!

But she winks right before she begins to open the box. Which isn't an answer if it was stolen or not! It's a small enough box, and light too. So whatver is in there isn't heavy. She finishes opening it, tossing the top over to the bed.

Fingers bring out a silk choker from within, black colored with lace. Not *too* fancy but quite elegant.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"You. Are. Trouble." Aimee speaks the words with a wry smile in response to Harley's justification for reading the book. But very quickly the present has captured her attention once more.

"Well-" she muses as she curiously watches the box being opened "-I guess you don't need a reason to get me something. But, now I feel kinda bad because I've not got anything for you. And I'm the spoiled rich girl so that's kinda doubly bad."

Then the choker is revealed, and Aimee gasps softly. Her right hand covers her mouth and she takes a moment to just stare at me; admiring it before peeking up at the clownette "It's beautiful. Subtle... elegant. Did... is this just because you found out I'm rich? You know you don't need to buy me... *or* steal... me fancy fashion stuff. Right?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Oh yea." Harley mentions about the 'spoiled rich girl' part, "We still need to *talk* about that one day, don't we?" almost as if she was getting ready for *serious* talk time! But then she just shrugs, "No need to be now though, just whenever. It was sort o' a surprise though! And the gift was a surprise, why wouldya have a gift back foh me? Ya makin' no sense!"

She holds the choker up in a couple of fingers before grinning at Aimee's answer on what she thinks is the reason for it. "I didn't get it for ya because o' any o' the reasons ya talkin' about.." a beat, "Stand up, Aimee." she then says.

"I am glad you like it. I wanted ya ta have somethin' o' mine. Somethin' ya can wear openly." Her free hand reaching to touch the girl's cheek, caressing it under pale fingertips.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"But if you didn't need a reason to get me something then that means I didn't need a reason to get *you* something but I didn't, and..." Aimee's face scrunches a little as she manages to confuse herself with her own logic. "Whatever. I... thank you. I really do love it."

She stands, as requested, and fidgets nervously. Pressing her cheek into the gentle caresses, she smiles softly at the clownette "Wait, something of yours? So... this used to be yours and you're giving it to me now to... symbolize our connection?" Her voice rises a little in pitch, mirroring her rising blush. "That's... really sweet!" Perhaps she should sound a little less surprised when saying that though.

And perhaps she shouldn't just assume all her guesses are one hundred percent accurate.

"Put it on! I wanna see how it looks." She gathers up her long hair in a fist, holding it out of the way in a pseudo-ponytail and turning her back to the clownette to let the woman work.

Harley Quinn has posed:
The clownette smiles when Aimee appears to get excited about the gift, she nodding and having her turn her back to Harley when she gets up. "Yes, exactly. It symbolizes the connection we have. Even if it wasn't somethin' I wore in the past." she says to the girl, closer now, her breathing felt on the back of Aimee's neck. Her pale fingers feel around the girl's neck, sensing the smooth skin, thumb trailing over it before it's replaced by the feeling of the silk, wrapping around her neck..

She takes her time getting in place, her lips felt on the back of Aimee's neck before she finally clasps it close, gently adjusting it. "Perfect." she comments. "I knew it would look just perfect on you.." tone soft as she addresses her girl, now not as exuberant and loud as she usually is when in 'public'.

"Turn around. Let me look at your face." She suggests.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee can't help but tense as breath and then fingers brush over her neck; skin slightly ticklish and causing her to squirm a little. Once Harley's finished clasping and adjusting the choker, the teen lets her hair go and rakes her fingers through it until it falls how she prefers.

"I dunno about *perfect*..." Her voice is a little meek as she half-heartedly protests the compliment. "And you haven't even seen how it looks properly yet!"

Despite the protests neck glows red in pleased embarrassment, as does her face when she turns back to face the clownette. "So..." She tilts her head to one side for a few moments, then to the other. Finally, she lifts her chin pompously and uses her best posh voice "How do I look?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I have seen enough." Harley retorts, placing a brief kiss on the back of the girl's head while she is raking that hair down. It's when she turns that the clownette then takes a while to her over in a pensive manner. "Mmmmmmm!" head canting to one side, then to the other, amused with the posh voice. "Is that yoh usual rich girl voice?" she asks...

Hand then moves to rest on the girl's neck, thumb brushing over the silk choker, "It looks right as I imagined it. And I only imagine perfect things.., so theah!" thumb then moving from the choker to press lightly on the girl's nose, "How do *you*feel with it?" she then asks. Apparently a much more *important* question then how Harley thinks she looks. At least by her tone!

Blue eyes are fixed on the girl now, watching her expression, hand sliding across her cheek, moving just under her ear to rest there.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"My voice is my voice." There's a hint of playful annoyance in Aimee's tone as she explains. "My Dad's British and I've spent enough time visiting his side of the family that I can pull off the posh British accent. I'm also pretty good at sounding like a snobby French woman, but only when speaking French and most people outside France probably wouldn't recognize the distinction."

She almost seems to preen under the attention Harley's giving her, and is visibly trying very hard (and failing) to not look rather pleased with it all. "How do I *feel* with it? I mean, it feels fine? Almost..." She hesitates a bit, chewing her lip and looking unsure of herself "Almost maybe a bit too tight? But not. But I imagine that's just because I'm not used to wearing a choker. And it's kinda in the name after all, huh?"

Pressing her cheek into the clownette's hand, the teen has to abruptly stifle a giggle as a thought pops into her head. "Choker... I 'ardly know 'er!" A couple more stifled snickers escape her before she remembers who she's talking to and feels the need to clarify "That was a joke, not a... not anything that isn't a joke." There's a pregnant pause before she makes things doubly clear. "No choking anyone."

"Anyway, do you have a mirror I can use? I wanna see it!"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Brit and french? What a deadly combo!" Harley replies with a laugh before smirking. "Ya clearly have some issues about talkin' o' yoh past life. I wondah why. Ain't ashamed of it, are you?" She questions, apparently now done with watching the choker and focusing on the girl's face instead, "Too tight? You will get used to it." she says in agreement. "Gettin' used ta a new thing isn't always easy. But we'll get ya theah." as if there was more meaning to the choker than just being a gift.

When Aimee goes on about choking she just rolls her eyes. "If this is yoh unconscious self wantin' me ta go and do it. Nope, ya safe theah. Not my thing at *all*." and that seems to settle it. She does seem serious about it too! Yet it's a seriousness she breaks with squeezing the girl's face gently, hand then leaving her so she goes to one of her drawers.

"Knock yourself out, oh vain one." she tosses a small mirror from within it to Aimee so she can look it over.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee makes a face "Oh, gross, no! Very much attached to the ability to breathe thankyouverymuch." Having gotten the most important response out of the way, she chews her lip in thought, almost fumbling the catch of the mirror as she considers how to respond to Harley's other question.

"I'm not ashamed. I mean, what's there to be ashamed of in having British and French heritage? It's neat being bi-lingual but, none of that stuff is really a big part of my life, y'know? I was born in America, and I've spent my life in America."

The empath pauses, frowning a little, then adds "And if this is about me not mentioning I'm rich... that's not exactly something you just drop into a conversation without sounding like an asshole. 'Oh, by the way? Just so you're aware? I'm actually super loaded.' It doesn't really go over well with most people."

Looking into the mirror to both distract herself from the direction of the conversation and admire her new fashion accessory, the teen smiles a little. "But, I mean, I'm happy to tell you anything, or, you know, everything. Anything you wanna know? Just ask. I'm an open book. I promise."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I do it all the time." Harley replies, this about sounding like an ass, a brow quirking as if daring the girl to say otherwise, "So ya might as well do the same. Ya can drop it in convo, like ..., 'Wow, nice shorts Harls. Did ya rip'em yohself. I got like fifty at home all signed by Gautier..'" and yes, she makes a posh little accent when saying that. "Now ya tell me if I sounded like a jerk.." a wink given at Aimee.

She moves around Aimee while she is looking over the mirror, wrapping her arms about her from behind and peeking over her shoulder at the mirror, "Looks good on ya." she resting cheek against cheek. But her expression turns a bit more serious at those last words.

"I find myself wantin' ta know moouh of you, yes, with time. Ya've been sorta growin' on me ya know?" Tone softer than it's usual exuberance.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"Growin' on ya... like a fun gal infection?" Aimee wears an absolutely obnoxious grin as she makes the pun, catching Harley's eyes in the mirror just so she can add an over-the-top wink. "For the record though? Yeah, you sounded like a total jerk and someone I'd not waste my time on. Which is kiiinda why I don't talk like that!"

Either completely missing the serious turn Harley's words took, or else deliberately feigning ignorance, the teen taps her lips with a fingertip before declaring. "So, I'm Aimee Annette Alexander. I'm 18. I recently graduated High School and am taking a year off before I start working towards my career. I enjoy long walks on the beach, reading, and puns."