593/April's New Roomie

April's New Roomie
Date of Scene:	18 March 2020
Location:	Coney Island
Synopsis:	April introduces Harley as her new roommate. Her Tinder date finds out April knows Kung Fu.
Cast of Characters:	Vanessa Carlysle, April O'Neil, Harley Quinn

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Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa had been living in Starling City pretty much since the night she got out of jail. April had heard the story by now, of how Vanessa had been arrested in the aftermath of Green Arrow's raid on a big time drug smuggler named Yu Phun. Who as it happened, had engaged her services in other capacities that night. And how the smugglers flunkies had shown up at Vanessa's apartment to pressure her not to testify.

Enter one Oliver Queen, whom Vanessa had previously met as just Oliver, who had paid her legal expenses that got her the deal to turn State's witness, and then whisked her out of New York for her safety.

Tonight Vanessa wanted to meet up with April again, though to come back to New York, Oliver at least wanted one of his security men to accompany her. So it is that Vanessa is standing and chatting with a man in a black suit as she waits for April to arrive at the festive park that they had once talked about going to, but hadn't made it to together yet.

April O'Neil has posed:
April had gotten the message to meet up at Coney Island and though she hadn't had a single incident on the streets that she could verify as being related to what Vanessa was going through, she'd still had a number of strange things happen to her lately. Not even related to Harl-- okay, yeah they're all related to Harley Quinn.

"So I have apparently fifty guys waiting to see me here at Coney Island, because of you." She says over to Quinn. "I just want you to realize that." And because of this fact related to April's Tinder profile and Harley swiping EVERYONE as a Yes, April is wearing a baseball hat and a black leather motorcycle jacket with a black scarf around her neck to try to conceal her identity. Blue jeans and boots finish her outfit off as they wander through the park.

"She should be around here somewhere." April says, headed toward where Vanessa said she'd be!

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Outta respect fer yer new occupation as a profeschunal call girl, Imma dress incognated so as not ta draw unwanted attenchun to ya." The Clown Princess says, her usual pigtails forgone in favor of a baseball cap turned aorund backwards. She's still white as a fresh roll of toilet paper though and still has way too much makeup on. Wearing a babydoll t-shirt with a picture of Jone Johns on the front that reads I drank the Koolaid: OH YEAH! and a pair of zippers and chains skin tight pants with sneakers. She walks with her fingers shoved into the back pockets of her jeans, popping bubble gum with gaudy ass hoop earrings that make her look like a psychotic, pink/blue tip dyed blonde dyed hair.

"If'n I was a whore, where would I be? Prolly suckin' someone off in the public toilet, cus I'm a /classy/ broad, an' I'd nevah do that in public." She doesn't even know what Vanessa looks like, even though she's pretend to be here like four times now.

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
When Vanessa catches sight of April, she gets a huge grin. "There she is," she says to the tall black man that accompanied her. Vanessa hurries over to great April halfway, shadowed by her shadow who follows along. His eyes are focused on Harley right away as if recognizing her, while it seems to take Vanessa longer.

Vanessa offers April a tight hug. "So good to see you," she says with a warm sigh, before turning her attention to April's companion. That's when it finally strikes her who it is. "Oh, hello," Vanessa offers towards Harley. Long ago, she had to become skilled at smiling when that might not be the most honest expression of how she felt. So the smile, once it is forced to her face, does seem like a fairly genuine one.

The security man walks over and stops nearby. He's done a quick scan of the area, seeing if the two ladies were followed. With the crowds that are out at the park tonight, it would be tough to say for sure. He does keep a watchful eye out in the area, but his attention is on Harley far more.

April O'Neil has posed:
"I'm not a call girl! And Vanessa's not a whore!" April replies to Harley as the seas of bodies at Coney Island part and give way to the view up ahead. "There she is." April says at about the exact same time that Vanessa says it further away. So the four unite together and become one (not really), April hugs Vanessa and then looks to /Vanessa's/ shadow. He gets a smile from April, because well don't you worry about that. "Hi." She says to him before she looks back to Vanessa and Harley meeting up for the first time.

"Harley, Van, Van, Harley." She motions then /to/ Harley. "She's out, legally now. She's a government agent now..." Her blue eyes go to Harley and she narrows them a little. "That the right title for it?" She asks her new roommate. But without an answer she looks back to Vanessa. "She's been staying with me now to help keep me safe and, secure." But she again has to look back to Harley then. "Are we safe and secure?" She asks the blonde in the fancy outfit.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"That's nawt what yer tinder profile says." Said conspiratorily to April, pop of her gum against her back teeth.

"Why's the african fella eyebawl'n me?" Harley wonders to April as they approach the approaching Vanessa. Her fingers remain stuck in the back pocket of her jeans, gum popping when she chews it across her back teeth, "Hey fella, ya lose somethin'? My eyes is up heah.." Pointing down at her breasts, then up at her eyes. "Don't think I don't see ya googlin' the goods, yer on warnin'. Im keepin' my eyes on you."

To Vanessa, "Hay. I'm Ha'lee Quinn." She's straight up not even trying to hide it. Holding her hand out all elegantly, feet together, bownin' and shit. "I'm April's roommate an' new be eff eff cus yer not aroun' no moah. Yer a tough act tah follow though, apparently, she had to help me escape from Arkham..."

Hands up to the Security Guard, "I'm kidddin'... I escap't on moi own." But April said she's legal, "Which came latuh.. Big fat lady-" A big lady walking by turns to look at her, "I aint talkin' to you... keep movin' Shamoo." Thumbing over her shoulder, "Can ya believe tha' 'tude in her stare? Christ, tha nurv of some people... Where even was I?" Oh right, She glances around, "Aside from gettin' caught in the Kerby's'-" Turning after the bigger gal to /half shout/ so she definitely heard her, "-suction breath.. I aint sense'n no direct conflict'er general ambiance of ill reputitude..."

Up nodding at the security with Vanessa, grinning, chewing her gum real loud. "Hey. Ya single?" Jerking her head towards April, "Tinder."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa gets the explanation from April, and repeats, "A government agent?" Vanessa's widened eyes look over to Harley. "That's... wonderful. I remember your background. How you... want to help people," she says, mentally picking bits that she hopes will be complimentary.

Vanessa realizes she really should have worked out a code with April to be able to tell if April was telling the truth or just playing into Harley's psychotic episodes for her safety. But then, Vanessa didn't imagine Harley would actually get back out.

Vanessa looks to the security guard. "This is John. He's a really good guy," she says of John Diggle. John inclines his head to both women. "Nice to meet you both," he says. He directs his next words to Harley as he picks something that hopefully will be complimentary, "Good to hear Miss O'Neil has a good friend," he says. And he shakes his head. "Afraid not single, no," he shares. This also gets a glance from Vanessa. She's never thought to grill him on that subject.

Vanessa looks back to April and Harley. "So I guess everything's good then," Vanessa says, looking between both women, and looking for a sign from April that might be interpreted as "please call the Marines in". Vanessa tells Harley more directly, "And, glad to hear April has someone. She's really good people. The best," Vanessa says.

April O'Neil has posed:
Everything that Harley says - just about - gets a staring from April with her lips parted and just a general 'what are you saying?' kind of look from the young reporter. But when the question is asked of John Diggle and John replies, April looks back over to him and shakes his hand when he offers it. "I'm so sorry. I'm not a call girl. I'm really not. There's just been an... incident on my Tinder--" She stops there. "I don't even use Tinder. Or well, I mean, I didn'tuseTinderuntilHarleyheredownloadeditontomyphone! AmItalkingfast? ItfeelslikeI'mtalkingreallyreallyfast!" April laughs nervously and lets John's hand go finally before placing her hands on her slim hips and then exhaling sharply and glancing over to Shammo--er to the nice person who doesn't deserve to be called that. She tries to smile at them but... yeah they're not happy with them as as a whole group now.

April looks back to Vanessa then. "Are /you/ okay?" She has to ask. "We're..." She motions a hand over to Harley now. "We're fine... we're fiiiine." She puts that hand up on to Harley's shoulder and trails it over toward her neck. She is subconsciously squeezing Harley's shoulder really tightly and making the hand go further and further toward Harley's neck until she has her hand around it.

"We're just having fun! Right?" She shakes Harley by her neck, not choking her, not at all. Just you know... seeing what it'd maybe feel like if she did. This is their relationship.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley isn't paying the least bit of attention to the chaos she sows simply by being present. She's a whirlwind of crazy that follows her like dust on a tornado kicking across the Navada desert. "April, yer soundin' thirsty..." In her best between us girls voice, which is plenty loud enough for Diggle to hear it. "Ya gotta smooth inta these things..." She makes a motion with her hand like a plane soaring through the sky to a graceful landing. "Yer at a twelve an' a half dpms an' I need'ya back down at a five'er six tops..."

Because there's a method to the madness people.

She's a psychologist. She knows shit.

Like when people are blowin' smoke up her ass.

Her gum pops on her back teeth with big blue eyes looking back and forth betwinx Diggles and Vanessa pie. "Y'all seem noivous.. Ya think I got a birthday cake full of man'eatin sharks waitin' fer ya to drop yer guard'er somethin'? Come oan, we're all friends heah." Motioning between, at the very least, her and April. She's said some pretty horrible things about Vanessa where she couldn't hear it.

Not that she wouldn't say those same things to her face.

Only April has her hands around her neck, and Harley is moving it upwards to show her where to apply the right pressure to cut off oxygen, "Heah, this is where ya wanna squeeze, take a big fella out before he even shoots off his first bullet... an' I aint talkin' bout his handgun.." Wink at Dingle. "I'm trainin'er for the big leagues."

As she's shaken, her head wobbles back and forth, hair swaying where it lays down her back, hands going back to shove into her back pockets. "Yah, I do a pretty good job keepin' out the riff raff.. I'm still workin' on tha guy from the census office, but tha' son of a bitch is dedicate't to's work. I'll give'em credit fer that."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa Carlysle watches how Harley takes the neck squeeze from April, and that seems like it might be the point that Vanessa thinks April might actually be ok. If she manages that without any psychotic reprisal?

There isn't much Vanessa can do if that isn't the case. Not right now anyway. "Yes, I'm good. No sign of the guy's goons so far," she says. "There was a big guy, broken nose like a boxer, and... the littler Asian guy was actually the creepy one. He just looked like he wanted to hurt someone and was only waiting for the excuse," Vanessa says.

And she avoids looking anywhere near Harley as she says that.

John has gone back to watching the crowd, though also keeping more than an eye on the ladies themselves given who is present in the trio. Vanessa gives Harley a bit of a smile before turning it on April. "It's really been... well, best time of my life. And I don't even mean... Oliver's means. Just being together. And his sister is great and we seem to get along ok. Still haven't met his mother. I'm kind of a little stressed out about how that'll go, with how Oliver and his sister speak of her."

One of the carnival games breaks out in loud music to announce a winner. The losers? They only go silence to contend with, don't want to have people noticing how many of those there are. Vanessa looks back over to Harley. "Sorry if we're a little nervous. It'll be better when this whole trial thing is done and in the past. So you're... all good with the government then? How... if it's ok to ask, how does that work, exactly?"

April O'Neil has posed:
April lets Harley readjust her hand so that it is in the proper location to delivery a air squeezing choke, but she doesn't let it linger there for long. She doesn't /really/ want to choke Harley yet, she's just awkwardly expressing her affection and irritation. She /has/ grown to care for this crazy Clown Princess, and they've definitely gotten to a point where they seem to trust each other's actions and motivations more too.

BUT, she drops her hand from Harley's neck and glances to Diggle who's clearly in full Security Guard mode. So her gaze goes back to Vanessa, then to those carnival games. Her gaze lingers there a moment before she shoots it back to Vanessa. "I'm really glad things are in a good place for you now, Vanessa. Seriously. I mean, I was worrying mad about yo---"

A guy approaches from behind April. "Miss O'Neil?" He asks, putting his hand out toward her shoulder.

April totally freaks out. She ducks away from the hand and spins around to grab his wrist and toss him over onto his back right there in the middle of the midway! The nerdy glasses wearing man is laid out on his back and just groans loudly as he looks broken entirely.

"I thought... we... had a... date..." He groans in clearly levels of pain!

April releases the man's wrist and jumps back a few steps. "Oh god. I'm so sorry!" She says, raising her hands up to place them over her mouth!

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Well, it's a funny story." Harley is clearly all for things that deal with her, basically ignoring everything that doesn't really. Which isn't exactly fair, she hears it, but she's doodling in her brain and humming Disney songs while popping her gum. Her baby doll tee shows off her pierced bellybutton and her hands rest just above the tight belt region of her very tight jeans. "I had jus' turn't mahself inta the law an' goan back to arkham an' then this rotund- see I can be respectful -lady show't up sayin' I was free cus now I was a secret agent. Tha' I'd be doin' super hush hush work foah the United States of a America's government, which I took as, mostly, beatin' people ta-death wit a mallet, but only this time they give me medals an' not shackles."

All with the hands around her throat. When they fall away, she grins over at April and goes back to talkin'. Payin' attention to their surroundin's in a way that most people would prolly consider aloof, but is almost certainly better suited for pickin' out subtlies what peoples want not seen. She's a criminal, former, an' a crazy person, current, so she sees what othahs don't or just don't wanna.

Like tha fella comin' up behind April. She sees him reachin' for her shoulder and sucks a bubble out of tightly held gum. "Yer gonna regreeeet tha'..." BANG, right onto his back. "Tol'ja." Pop/pip, of that obnoxious gum chewin'. "So anyays, now I'm a secret spy type poi-son. An' I get tah lay aroun' in my undah pants watchin' cartoons all day cus 'Merica is perfect an' don't got no enemies fer me ta kill."

Eyes down at the guy laying on his back, then up at April, then back down again. "Ya gonna offah her a hawtdawg? Christ, there jus' aint no good men no moah."

Vanessa Carlysle has posed:
Vanessa definitely hadn't noticed the man approaching April until Harley said something. John had noticed, and was just starting to move to put himself between them, when April goes Bruce Li on the man.

The security guard pauses to make sure things are ok before backing off a bit. Vanessa just covers up her mouth to hide her smile. Or more likely laugh. She's trying to be polite about it. "Sorry," she says, her voice buoyed up by the laughter she's trying to contain. "Just imagining what a wonderful 'how did you meet' story that would be for you two to tell your grandchildren someday," Vanessa says, her body starting to shake with the restrained laughter.

The brunette moves to help the young man back up to his feet. "Sorry, she's been on edge a bit lately. You know how it is. Tax season looming and all," Vanessa offers to him as he gets back up. Vanessa backs away then and looks over to Harley. "That's... that's good. I mean, I hope the... government agent thing goes really well. There's certainly people out there who deserve a mallet to the noggin," she says, the last part in a wry tone.

April O'Neil has posed:
April has to move to help the man get up to his feet and she gets him back up then offers him both of her hands. She's wearing fuzzy black half-gloves that leave her fingertips exposed and bare. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know... I mean, I knew, but." She draws in a breath as the man adjusts his glasses on his face. He says it's his fault and he shouldn't have reached out.

"Seriously, I'm really sorry. I uh..." She glances to Vanessa, Harley, even to John. "I ended up too busy tonight to go on any dates. I'm sorry, I'm new to this Tinder thing, I don't really know how it works."

The man seems to take it in stride and he starts to make for an exit. April takes a few steps after him but stops as he goes and disappears back into the crowd, saying that he'll contact her soon sometime 'maybe'.

With a heavy sigh, April turns back to her friends and exhales /sharply/.

"I need a drink. I gotta be up at 5am. But I wanna get absolutely /drunk/ now." She raises a hand up to adjust the NY Rangers baseball cap she has ontop her head.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley doesn't move to help him up, everyone else is already doing it anyways. She crosses her arms beneath her titties, bracing them up on her forearms, and watches the poor SOD be hustled away in a hurry, "Seeya tinder fella..." Wiggling fingers after him with a sharp glnace at April, "Now how ya gonna get a date if ya keep flippin' everybody tha comes along on their back... Oh I get it.. yer practicin' Kung Fu-sutra..." Snap, point, pop/snap gum.

"Anyhow, I orta get her back ta the apartment, fill'er full of real cheap alcohol, an' invite onna this fellas ovah ta help'er relax." Side glancing at April, "I'm jus' kiddin', don't bring them home.. tha's an important lesson wit tinda, okay? Ya got like nine hun'rit an' fifty seven dates lined up foah tomorrow night, ya can't be bring'n that many people back ta the apartment, I don't care how thirty ya are... Ya do'em in the Burger King bathroom down tha street like a respectable lady.."

She up nods to Vanessa, then Diggle, "As ya can see, she's in good hands." Showing hers, one of which lands on the back of April's neck to angle her towards whatevah kind of vehicle they came in. "Them was some nice throwin' skills ya got, toots.. ya up yer flirt game a lil an' I think yer gonna be ready fer the Show."