735/Comedic Timing

Comedic Timing
Date of Scene:	24 March 2020
Location:	Planet Herowood - Times Square
Synopsis:	Harley flies with PG!
Cast of Characters:	Harley Quinn, Karen Starr

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Harley Quinn has posed:
It's planet Herowood an' there's plenty of cosplayers abound, but one server is moving out onto the floor who definitely knocked her costume out of the park. Blonde hair up in a pair of high pigtails, pale face covered in slightly smeared makeup like she fell asleep in it the day before, and clothes designed for a toddler a whole two sizes smaller than she is... It probably isn't regulation Herowood attire, but it damn sure is eye catchin' aint it?

Meanderin' with her buttcrack fully defined in her short shorts, Harley pops cher bubble gum headed towards her first table of the night, "Evenin' to ya pun'kins..." Her left leg thrown over the back of a reversed chair to rest her chin on the rest sitting flush with the table. Big smeared red smile over big white teeth and big blue eyes. "Can I staht ya all out wit some drinks?" This would be totally okay in... say... a Waffle House... or a Strip Club.

The dad at the table AND his twelve year old son are pretty enthrawled. Mom, maybe a little less so.

Karen Starr has posed:
    It had been a nice, formal dinner. Janet had brought her along to chat- and, perhaps, she'd intended to get to the bottom of whether or not Power Girl was the real deal in any way. Accordingly, she'd left impressed, halfway through Karen's burger. Admittedly, that's the worst part, watching a Kryptonian eat like a well-mannered dumpster and then nothing horrible happens to them.

    Karen retrieves her cape from the guy at the front, just as a few of the servers pass by. Clasping the pauldron down, there is a moment of serene silence from the blonde before she just stares, astonished, out at nothing.

    "That was-" is all she says, before the voice hits her ears. Everyone else gets to experience it at normal volume, but for Karen it's like having a person whip out a megaphone. You gotta brace yourself.

    There is a sigh. Exasperation. Annoyance. Mild confusion. Trudging quietly back into the dining room, Power Girl arrives to a mild fanfare that heralds her approach to Harley's table.

    "Quinn." she says when she arrives, "What are you doing here?" Sure, it's an invitation- but maybe one day Harley will have standards enough not to take the easy lines.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Despite the earlier agitation directed at her by the female third of the table, Harley's not rising to her challenging stares and throat clearing defiance against husband and son who have taken quite the shine to the ill-dressed server taking their order. "So that'll be.. two Mega Iron Bugers, one no lettuce, one no ketchup, both wit' high flyin' fries wit' Avenger seasonin'. A Jokes on you milkshake fer the lady, extra smilin' malt, an'a ceaser salad..." That is not even remotely what they ordered, not even close.

She just looked at the menu and made the shit up.

Everyone is either scowling or staring at her.

This is going swimmingly!

Off Harley goes towards the back, right near Karen when the Kryptonian calls out to her and she pulls up short in her passage with one foot hyper extended... rocking backwards a step on her red/black sneakers to stare... directly into Karen's clevage. Leaning forward to shout down into that open window at the front of Power Girls costume like a microphone, "OH HEY POWER GIRL. LOOK EVERYONE IT'S POWER GIRL."

Blue eyes cut upwards, still bent over, "I'm werkin', can I get ya a table?"

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen could hear the disaster plodding along as she made her way through the crowd. Many of those items aren't even things on the menu. Admittedly, Karen is as much worried about Harley as she is the people at her table: If the woman is really trying to turn over a new leaf, this isn't going to help.

    As Harley goes about calling into her decolletage, Power Girl places her hands on her hips. At 6'3, admittedly, there's not a whole lot of bending to do to get at the offered window and the flesh it practically presents.

    Idly, Karen rolls her eyes. People are staring now, more than there were, at least. Not too many of them want her autograph, but several are taking pictures of Harley's almost-motorboat.

    Taking a calming breath, Power Girl soldiers on. "I just had lunch. Listen, did they hire you? Or did you just wander in here and like the idea. You can't do that." Looking around a moment, "Unless you want this to go really annoyingly, you've got to come with me."

Harley Quinn has posed:
There's some bending!!

Maybe not a /lot/ of bending, but...

There's still some bending!!

Harley straightens and twirls the end of her right index finger around the curl of pink tipped blonde hair, "Whatcha mean did I jus' wandah in heah?" Obviously she did, she might be legally out of prison, but she's still a multi times over felon with a criminal record the length of most peoples debt...

There's also that whole crazy as a shit house rat hangup e'erybody aludes to too..

The gum in her back teeth pops a few times, blue eyes staring up at Karen... and then her smile starts to fade a little. Shades of it falling off her face like snow sloshing from a roof in Spring. "I need't a job..." She murmurs, glancing around at everyone staring at her, which is a product of her own antics to be sure, she did just use Power Girls bustline as a megaphone.. And she aint exactly dressed for subtly.

They're staring at her the way everyone stares at her. Like ...

Big blue eyes close, hand rubbing up her neck to grab the small apron she snatched off a hook in the kitchen and pulls it up and over her her pigtails. After tossing it over the back of the chair, smoothing it out with both hands, the Clown Princess turns sharply and walks with as much poise as she can muster towards the exit. "I aint want't werk here no-way.. there's roaches in the ranch dressin'.. an' I'm pretty sure one'uh the cooks has Ebola."

Karen Starr has posed:
    To be fair, if the size of the megaphone was the only determining factor of its volume and effectiveness, they'd probably be the best megaphone on the planet. Sadly, they tend to absorb more sound than they transmit, and Power Girl is getting ever so much more nonplussed over the course of it all.

    But, alas... This is how it always starts. Power Girl shows up, tries to be mean and tough and serious, and then all of that melts away when she comes across someone or something that doesn't -quite- deserve it. She pities Harley, somewhat. She's sympathetic. If it hadn't been for the nightmare that ended her home universe, frankly... She might have done everything she could to stay on Themyscira. She knows where a person can be driven for what they perceive as love.

    That's why when Harley starts to sulk and make her way for the door, Karen follows her. "Listen. Wait. Do you have a place you're staying? I'll take you there. Then, I... Know some people. Catch a few airplanes, and they owe you some favors. I'm sure I can help you find some work."

    God, she's probably going to regret this. At the very least, -Karen Starr- will regret it.

    "At the very least, it'll be at a place where nobody looks at you like -that.- I can give you that much." So sympathetic- and, to be fair, she'd never given Harley -that- look. "Just- you might have to stop trying to wear hotpants as a thong."

    Aww. She noticed!

Harley Quinn has posed:
Big blue puppy dog eyes look up at Power Girl when she mentions her hotpants, awkwardly dipping her head around with her left hip jut out enough that she can, somewhat, see her butt.. Then back to Karen with the creeping grin coming back into place on her smeared red lips like a spreading infection, "Awwwww! Ya notice't!"

Surely she heard all that really sympathetic stuff the Kyrptonian said too, right? Don't shake the 8-ball, the answer will probably leave you disappointed...

Suddenly there's a blond lunging forward to hug around Karen's waist as if they were old pals reuniting after an extended visit, but it's only been like fifteen seconds. Her head craned forward to pillow, we're not gonna need to explain where okay? We all know where her head is pillowing.

"Thanks Peej, can I call ya Peej? Does anybody else call ya tha'? It could be like yer secret, secret identity.. ya know besides' tha one ya use to pretend ta be human, which I don't unnastan', but whatevah, it aint my place ta tell ya how ta fit in-" Since Harley is human and barely fits in.

The terrible thing about helping Harley?

She gets attached.

Sometimes literally.

Thankfully for Karen, she's fast enough to move out of the way and strong enough to seperate the psychotic leech off her with ease. "I'm stayin' in Crooklyn wit my bestest of frien's April O'Neil. I aint sayin' she sprung me outta Arkham'er nothin', but she definitely didn't /not/ sprung me... plus she always has pizza, which is supah strange cus I aint nevah seen her eat no pizza..."

Adding /////reeeeal///// quietly, "I think she's got a boyfrien' she don't want I should knows about..." Finger to her lips, shhhhhh. Same finger flicking down. We all know where she's flicking, nobody needs it spelled out for them. "Boing.."

Karen Starr has posed:
    For a moment, Power Girl seems almost bothered. Like maybe this is the moment where she learns that Quinn is too far gone. Idly, too, she worries that the other woman is going to start making accusations, but Harley seems to mildly skip over it. That's good.

    Karen isn't necessarily caught off guard, but to say that she was outright expecting this outcome wouldn't be correct. Instead, she was expecting Harley to continue to have little ability to recognize reality, or contempt for the idea of actually working, or both.

    Despite that Harley is attempting to suffocate herself- something that seems altogether -plausible- in that veritable -ocean-, but digression aside... It's almost touching when she wraps Karen up in that hug. "Yeah uh- A couple people do. It's fine." Permission granted. She doesn't really address the rest, though she does start to float, as the other woman gets attached. It's as good an opportunity as she's going to get to, well, get Harley someplace secure.

    Karen isn't sure where in Brooklyn Harley's staying, but she is sure that she doesn't believe half of what the girl's saying. Especially the part about April breaking her out. It's... Not a story Karen needs to know.

    "Well, the prospects I have are in Metropolis, but we'll see about something closer to Brooklyn." Easy to forget that Power Girl lives in Metropolis, after all. "Hey, if there's always pizza, I could use an early dinner." Didn't she just eat? How does she maintain that six-pack? Where does she put it all.

    Oh, right, Boing indeed. She sighs.

    "Can you give me April's address? So I can get you back there safe?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
Floatin'!

Harley isn't use to floatin'! This is a new experience, except for when B-Man sometimes use tah dangle her from somethin' upside down with her arms tied, but that don't count, because that's grab assin' an' the whole consent thing... it's like vigilantes suddenly throw consent out tha window when ya shoot up a fund raiser in Gotham! What even gives wit'- Wait a tick.

Arms cling to Karen's shoulders, legs looping around her lower leg with her ankles crossed, she's pretty Stronk fer a human! And got all them gymnastical skills to boot! Moy flexible, eh? EH? nevahmind... "Oh, well then Imma have'ta come up wit' a better pet name fer ya. I can't be like everybody else, tha's no fun' an' kinna borin'. WEEEEEE!"

Releasing her arms, The Clownette instead holds onto Power Girls leg with her thighs and falls backwards, arms out wide like she's inverse flying! Pig-tails swaying loose. "Oh, right.. there's an Antic Shop ovah on... uh... It's ovah... Can ya hear my Hyenas laughin'? Cus I don't do so good wit directions. I jus' know where ta go." Peeking up (down, perspectively), at Peej. "Do a barrel roll! Go fastah!"

Also, "Yer gonna love April. She's gonna be so happy I'm out here in these streets makin' legitimate frien's. She's bein' hunt't by some criminals from Star City cus her Hoouh frien'- I aint makin' fun of her frien', mind, she's actually a hoouh - is shack't up wit some billionare... Ya evah notice they can get away wit whatevah? Date a high priced prostitute? No proll'em... but a poah girl from Gotham dates a murderous psychopath fer a few years an' SUDDENLY she's a criminal.."

"Clear break down of tha whole social construct if ya ask me... If I was a man, I bet they'd have Ryan Reynolds playin' me in a movie."

Karen Starr has posed:
    The floating only intensifies, but it's okay- because clinging to Karen is like clinging to a statue made of warm iron, that is just strangely soft in a lot of places. It's... Honestly, Karen does chuckle when it seemingly takes Harley a moment to realize that she's getting to fly. Karen, for her part, ascends slowly.

    It's a lot easier to acclimate when she's not shooting off into Mach What in an instant. However, Harley starts dangling off of her precariously and that seems to cause Karen to roll her eyes. Someone else might be a bit more terrified, or at least cautious- but not this particular ex-gymnast, former definitely-not-juggalette. She just gets excited, and like a grandparent hopping up their grandkids on sugar, it's mostly Karen's fault.

    Harley's flexibility momentarily boggles Karen- because some of the angles are just strange- and don't seem like one you'd practice in gymnastics. Probably best not to think about it. "Yeah, I can... Hear some really abnormal animal sounds coming from that way..." she states- and sure enough, she's zooming off in the direction of April's apartment, approximately.

    To be fair, while Karen has various anatomical projections, she does not have the anatomy of a plane- but, nonetheless, she does what Harley considers a barrel roll, which in her case is just a quick- but not too quick- twirl. Like doing a horizontal pirouette in midair at forty miles per hour.

    There's a silence, and frankly, Karen isn't sure how to process any of that. "Which uh- Which billionaire?" she asks, not exactly addressing the topic at hand. She'll... Come back to it. Probably.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Not-so-Juggalette INDEED... For one thing, Harley has talent an', if she want't, could command jus' as big a fan followin'. Ravenous lunatics clammoring fer her attention like a pack of wild hyenas scampering for a scrap of black and white face painted meat covered in cheap soda pop flung from a projectile rifle like a railgun. A see of sad, lonely, weirdos clinging to the 90s like a Back Street Boys reunion tour. Covered in hatchet-men merchandise sold at licensed vendors for increased mark-up while laudin' the economic super complex in every simple rhyme!

They are pretty catchy though.

Besides, Harley has the Pink Pig-Tail internet army eatin' up twitter with Clown Princess sitings!

There she be, though, dangling off Power Girl like Pink at the Oscars, twisting with the 40 mph twirl with a grin and flaring hair tassles shifting around her horrible makeup job! "Weeeeeeee! How coul't this evah get borin'? Alls I got in mah origin story was an abusive boyfrien' an' some really crass clothin' options..." Also the rap-sheet, let's not forget that! Or the permanent membership to Club Arkham.

Harley sits back up and grabs hold of the only thing a girl /can/ grab hold to in a flyin' sitch like this one...




Karen's cape, ya fuckin' perverts.

The boobs are for her face to lay against, god.

"That sounds like mah babies, yeah... not tha' I can hear'em, but I can imagin'. I bet Lou is sniffin' Buds butt right now. I should't warn ya... the stairwell? Kinda a disaster zone.. but ya shouldn't have noah troubles navigatin' that particulah minefield."

She heard the question! She's just getting cozzy. "I unno, there's so many of'em. Steve McQueen I think, she looks like'uh grandpa chaser tah me."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen isn't sure that Harley doesn't already have a ridiculous, ravenous fan following just based around how she wears her hot pants. To be fair, most of them tend to stick to things like twitter and most of her apprehension comes from how much they seem to be willing to do for her. Can't be healthy- for Harley -and- for her followers.

    "I'm not saying it doesn't get boring," She responds, apparently now being ridden like an actual vehicle. Her hands find Harley's thighs. Juuuust to make sure that the wind doesn't kick up and knock the girl off of her back. Her grip is strong enough to remind the Clown Princess that she's safe. "But I am saying I've never fallen asleep while flying. The rest, though- none of that is all it's cracked up to be." Karen almost has more sympathy for Harley than she has for herself- after all, Karen at least got to be sixteen years old. Sure, it was a precipice to everything being deleted and her losing everyone she's ever loved, but there was still time to look back on. All Harley can do is forge forward- so Karen doesn't blame her for her attention issues.

    "I am trying not to think about it, but there's a lot of large-dog level breathing going on." There's a pause. Karen has a strong enough consitution that she doesn't vomit. "I'll. Just fly up the stairs. Or go through a window, or the wall. Really. Probably better." Nodding at Harley's last statement, Karen seems perplexed. "Well, if April needs help- then it's probably good that I'm here."