9541/Hardcore Roller Derpy

Hardcore Roller Derpy
Date of Scene:	08 January 2022
Location:	Derby Queens
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	April O'Neil, Darcy Lewis, Harley Quinn

---

April O'Neil has posed:
Okay, there's no angel attacking from the outfield going on on this day!

Nope, it is a lovely cold winter day outside the roller derby building in Brooklyn!

April wanted to try out her new gear that Harley gifted her for Christmas, and she wanted to recruit another team member that felt vaguely similar to her, rather than the scary expert Roller Derby player that Harley Quinn is!

In the now, April is seated on one of the benches near the track. She has her gear on, a black tanktop with the number 7 on the front and back, a pair of bright yellow shorts with black spandex shorts on under that, her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she's putting her new yellow and black Bumblebee helmet on, chinstrap secure!

"Okay. So..." April stands up on her quad skates (what a cool name for them!) and spins around to look toward the new comer.

"On a scale of one to ... uh, ten. I guess. How much do you think you know about Roller Derby?" She asks as she rolls forward and backward by flexing her padded knees a little.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy is here, ready to be initiated into the secret art of the derby!

Due to all that winter, she arrives quite bundled, in that wool peacoat and red knit cap, an abundance of scarves wrapped around her face, neck and shoulders like she's some puffy cold weather ninja. While still outside, she checks that she has the address right on her phone, staring up at the warehouse. Naturally, a sport like this is held in such a place. But so are half of Brooklyn's best up and coming bars and clubs (that sweet sweet party scene by the... horribly polluted industrial canal!), so it's not really a problem. She just wants to make sure she's at the right clandestine social club. Don't want to show up to the avante garde performance art gallery looking to bust heads!

Once satisfied, she summons her bravery and heads in! A minute or two is taken exploring the space, before she is able to locate April waiting for her. She has brought a bag, which presumably encloses her non snow-ninja clothes, and soon learns where the locker room is. Thus, a metamorphosis, as she eventually re-emerges decked out in what is presumably her usual work-out clothes, leggings (rather than April's stylish BOOTAY shorts) and a similar tank/sports bra sort of thing. Notably, she has lost her big ol' hipster glasses, blinking one eye as she approaches. She's got whatever protective gear they might have had available here to borrow or rent, holding her helmet in her arms.

"Uh... about as much as you can learn watching a match on youtube, which I did after you told me about it," she answers April. "But I know how to skate. Well, mostly. Sort of. I did it when I was a kid." OH BOY!

Harley Quinn has posed:
Yep, no angels here today! Only devils. Ready for some deeeerbyyyy!

Or are they? Harley has been nowhere in sight during those initial preparations. She wasn't in the locker room, nor was she here to receive April when she arrived. How odd! She's normally the first to arrive. But today? Apparently not. Whatever is she up to? It's only when Darcy comes out all ready to roller skate that a door on the side opens. The manager's door! There? One Harley Quinn. She is dressed to derby, tight booty shorts and shirt. Pads on shoulders and knees. Helmet on. Some dents are visible here and there which .., may come as scary. But roller derby is a dangerous sport!

The sound of a strident whistle echoes throughout the arena, "ALRIGHT, BITCHES!" drillmaster Harley calls out, rolling on closer to April and Darcy. "So this is the new girl.." baby blue eyes squint and she eyes Darcy from head to toe. "You got experience in this, soldier?"

Someone shouldn't had gone on a war movie marathon with Harley last night....

April O'Neil has posed:
Of course there's a bunch of other girls in the building too, since this is a practice skate time of the day.

April puts her hands on her hips, grinning at Darcy's answer. "Excellent. So you know just as much as I do." Uh oh. "Blockers and Jammers... I'm a Jammer." She says, placing one half-gloved hand on to her chest. "Though Harley calls them Hos---" She is cut off by the whistle filling up the room, causing everyone to stop and look toward her.

Yeah, everyone here is familiar with one Harley Quinn. Heck, most of the ladies who come here are apart of Harley's online fan clubs...

April just puts her hand back on to her hip, then motions to Harley with her other, before looking back to Darcy.

"My roommate." She indicates. "Harley the Quinn. A doctor. But not /the/ Doctor Quinn. Well. Yeah."

April's mother loved that show and they used to watch it together!
"Can we lay off the whistle though, Harley...? I'm still recovering from the drinking..." The Reporter says with a soft sigh, and an adjustment to her helmet.

Darcy Lewis has posed:
Darcy is probably more acquainted with Harley Quinn via her extensive criminal record than her fanclub, given that she works for the feds. However! It's supposed to be about rehabilitation, right? And if the lady has served her time and is now out here organizing sports for the community, that's something admirable, isn't it? It's a good way to work out those aggressions...

...possibly on her. Crap.

Whatever her opinion, Darcy's expression goes just a little toward immediate intense terror as the 'drill sergeant Quin' shouting begins, practically hopping in place, and then almost having her legs slide out from under her as her skates go in both directions. She manages to stay upright, with some wibble-wobbling and waving of her arms to counterbalance. A good sign!

Darcy looks over to April as she starts explaining things. "So... the blockers block each other, right? And Jammers..." It sounsd like another word for block, so, well, that's confusing! BUT, Darcy is a nerd, so she studied: "They... kind of do some kind of thing where they try and skate around and score points, right?"

Once her legs are properly under her, she turns, as if to skate off to join the chaos, but Sgt. Harley has already run (rolled?) her down: "Uh, no ma'am!" Ma'am? The war movie vibe is catching! "April was talking about it, and it just uh, sounded like it might be fun."

Harley Quinn has posed:
Indeed there are fans all about! Harley even waves here and there when she is going closer to April and Darcy. The mean, drill sergeant face is reserved just for the two. Doesn't that just make one feel loved? It's when Darcy starts going with 'Ma'am' that there is a little crack on Harley's expression, a stiffled giggle. "Ooo, I like this one April! Right into the spirit of things..." Harley rests her hands on her hips, nodding approvingly.

And get rid of her whistle? Fine. She blows it way with her mouth in that casual manner of hers. The thing flies and ...., hits someone on the track. On the head. Harley doesn't even notice it, continuing on. "Anyway, yes!" she points at April. "You are THE Ho." she tells April. "The one that goes around the field!" and then she pointing between her and Darcy. "We are the bitches. We awhe theah ta make suwah the Ho goes places. Or in this case ta go make a round around the track. Others will try ta stop her. Theah's also the boss bitch, who's usually in front of the bitches. I usually take that spot. But hey, if you awhe good enough who knows?! Maybe ya can be the one ta be the boss bitch!" she tells Darcy.

"Also, you went drinkin' last night?!" They were together. That Harley doesn't remember that is telling how drunk she must have been.

April O'Neil has posed:
When Harley approaches, April skates over to stand beside Darcy to make sure she doesn't fall over. She watches the whistle get spit out and fly across the room to hit a girl in the head. It gets a vague frown before April looks back.

As Harley explains the positions, April leans over to Darcy. "Sometimes she calls the Boss Bitch 'Pimp'. I think she's cleaning up her act for you. She really does like you."

Then April stops whispering, because she knows Boss Bitch Harley doesn't like whispering!

"But yeah, this is Darcy. She's a Astrophysicist... You know, space stuff. IT's really cool. You'll love each other. I'm sure." She grins between the two of them.

"Right... so I ... Uh. Ho around out there, trying to score the points. Running away from everyone has been my primary strat since we started this." She says to Darcy with another grin.

"Are we doing a scrimmage tonight, Boss?" She asks Miss Quinn!

Darcy Lewis has posed:
The idea that Darcy might be out to usurp Harley's 'alpha bitch' position is met with a very quick and defensive raising of her hands, palms out, to wavy-gesture away the very notion of such cutthroat intent.

"No, no, I have... no idea what I'm doing at all. So I'm happy being just a normal, uh..." Is she gonna adopt all this 'bitches and hos' lingo? "...blocking-person." Not yet! You gotta warm up a gal up to that kind of thing.

April's whispering version earns a sort of dubious look back. "THIS is the cleaned up version. Uh... yeah, must be." A weak smile. DOUBTS. So many doubts.

Quickly, she straightens up again, as not to get caught talking in class, but moreover to echo the introduction April makes, which causes her to further straighten, a return of confidence in her posture after the initial shell-shock at the rolling terror of Harley Quinn wears off. "Nice to meet you." There's also a reflexive glance that follows, back toward whatever window or skylight might get the best look up at the heavens above, as if she's worried about something. "Yeah, space stuff. Its pretty interesting." But she doesn't say more, even if there's a brief sense of worry about her. No reason to bring gloomy shop talk to their fun day-off activity.

"I think I get the general principle of it, anyway. Maneuvering to control position and stop the other side from breaking through. I'm probably gonna need help on, uh, the technique or whatever, like how you're supposed to skate to not fall over immediately when you hit someone."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Oooooh.." Harley purses her lips together when it's revealed that Darcy is an astrophysicist. "You awhe the brains of the operation I see.." she rubs her hands together, "Good, we need some o' those around heah." to compensate Harley's chaos! "I sweah, we gonna be the best team this next year. I already got Ivy to join too." she confesses to the others. and wait, is she talking about Poison Ivy? "I thought on gettin' Didi to come too, but that would just be unfaeh to the others. I mean, they would just let her go past, she's so queenly. Who wouldn't..?!" she holding her hands to her heart in a dreamy manner. Clearly the drill sergeant is gone now.

"But we *still* need that last player if we want a full-house team. Some mean bitch-ass o' a girl that takes no prisoners." she looks between the two, "Know any with the profile?"

"But anyway! Today is all about balance. And seein' what ya gals got." She turns to get between the two, one arm going around each of the other women's shoulders. "It's like Darcy says, we need to focus on that technique. And more importantly, learnin' how to fall!" she starts leading them into the rink. "Now start rollin' around the track. I am gonna try ta tackle April, and Darcy will try to stop me!" nothing like getting right to business. Typical Harley.

April O'Neil has posed:
April reaches up to her chin to adjust the strap there a little as she looks to Darcy, just grinning at her. She nods her head then, before adjusting her helmet too some. "I've got all kinds of different opinions on how this all works. I'll... sort it out some day... I'll let you know which Refs are going to be a hard ass on you, and which are gonna just sadistically let others beat on you." She whispers to Darcy again. "I think there's something going on with that too, I need to investigate it more eventually."

Reporter!

April smiles at the mention of Ivy. "Oh. I love Ivy. She's so sweet...." April says next, having never met the infamous old version of miss Pam.

Since they're on the edge of the track, April is just standing there with her hands on her hips when Harley comes to do the arm over shoulders thing. Her roomie's comments have her smiling more and shaking her head. "I'm up for Darcy trying Jammer too, if she thinks it'd help her ease in. It helped me, to be sure..."

Once on the track though, April is testing her new quad skates, when she hears Harley lay out the plans for how they're gonna practice. She looks back over her shoulder... "Wait... what? Why are you looking at me like tha--- AHHH!"

April shouts, flails her arms and starts to try to skate while shouting!

Darcy Lewis has posed:
"You need more players? Well, I-" Darcy does the standard open mouth, close mouth. "-I'll ask around the office. Maybe someone would be interested." She knows tons of physically capable ladies, of course. It's just that a lot of them are far more law enforcement inclined than Darcy, resident space-case #2.

Soon, they're ushered out onto the track with Harley between them, and Darcy follows along, wobbly initially but finding a bit more balance once she has a moment to get used to it. Not falling over immediately is an accomplishment of a kind! And after a moment, there's a notable shift where she isn't using Harley's arm to assist her own balance, but is steady on her own.

As they glide out, she takes in more of the lore and culture of the place that April shares, looking around the rink. The view is different from the inside. And naturally, the reporter is up to her usual routine. "So corrupt and sadistic referees, great! I guess every sport has something like that."

"I'm ok doing the blocking thing. I'm, well, I think I'm relatively... sturdy?" She's not a waif, that's for sure. "And from the sound of it, it's kind of the 'standard' position. Probably everyone has to learn the basics, right? So I'm going to defend her... against... you..."

Oh no.

Thoughts of position, nerdy strategic applications, or anything else are quickly forgotten as Harley pushes them right out to start. She's just gonna have to do this! April gets pushed ahead, and presumably takes off skating once she has her balance. So now, what... she has to follow and play defense? As soon as the other woman gets ahead, she squeaks a panicked, "Wait up!" and sets off to follow. With speed! Well, with flailing and stumbling, and then eventually something approaching a proper forward motion.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Yea, get some mean ol' bitch. The biggah the bettah." Harley says back to Darcy with an encouraging nod. "And yep, you got the right idea! We gotta use people's strong points. And April's? She's great at escaping danger. Look at her go!" she says after puuuushing April to start on going around the track. And soon after? She does the same with Darcy. No hesitation allowed!

And contrary to what people could believe Harley doesn't start skating after them right away. She watches. Studies. Perhaps wanting for them to get the proper balance before she launches after them. Because what's the fun on going after prey that doesn't fight back?

"Alright, here I --" Harley gets into the track, prepared to pursue after then when ..., she gets slammed from the side. A cheap shot! Harley lets out an indignified yelp and gets tossed against the side barriers. She had yet to properly get into the track so she slams hard against the rink side before getting to her knees. The perpetrator? One of those Tenderloin District bitches. Eternal rivals to the Brooklyn Queens!

"Maybe you should watch where you are skating, Quinn." she looms closer to Harley. "Never know who may be around the corner." it's visible what's going on when April and Darcy are finishing that first lap!

April O'Neil has posed:
April has been a pretty good skater her whole life. Though she knows Inline skates more than these four wheeled things. So that did take some time for her to pick up... they're way more clunky after all! But better balance too...

She casts her eyes back to see Darcy making her debut on the rink ring. She grins at this, turning around to face the other woman to offer words of encouragement as she skates backwards now. Harley's presence had been seen waiting up to that first turn, so April doesn't see the cheap shot!

"You're getting it!" April says to Darcy. "Just don't lock your knees. Keep your legs angled a bit. Don't stand up straight or you'll tumble backward. And don't put your weight on the back of your feet, keep it closer to your toes...." She tries to coach as they make their way around the rink, with other girls from a variety of teams having showed up for this public skate.

When they come around the corner though, April sees the woman who took the shot, and sees Harley down.

"Ruh roh...." She mutters as she starts to roll toward them without any forward speed added. "Hey! Back off of her!" April shouts at the Tenderloin lady, but when she sees her muscles and size, she adds. "Please?"

Darcy Lewis has posed:
It's good that Harley doesn't strike early, because Darcy definitely takes a couple goes 'round to really get into the groove of it. And that's just the groove of 'skating forward and turning slightly' at a reasonable rate of speed. But April's tips are handy: stability is all important, and Darcy isn't one of these 'natural paragons of grace' sort of people. She has to work to figure it out. Presumably, her head is full of nerdy equations relating to the placement of her center of gravity, the centripetal forces acting on her turns...

...or that's the image she works to cultivate!

Beneath all this basic skating practice, however, is an undercurrent of dread. Because somewhere, Harley is out there, waiting to strike. And being realistic, Darcy has no chance when that happens. It would be true even if the woman WEREN'T a once-villain famed for acrobatic mayhem and oversized blunt weaponry. Owing to this, she keeps looking back over her shoulder, watching and trying to track the position of the would-be assailant, like those dudes tracking Jaws from their boat. And even this is a little challenging as she tries to manage the turns!

"I think I've got this down, but what do I do when she-"

April won't get much of a chance to answer her question, nor Darcy to experience the catharsis to her existensial dread: because the Tenderloin District bitches are here!

"Hey!" Darcy objects, as they come storming onto the track. See? Already a sense of team spirit, as one of 'their own' gets checked by interlopers. Then she looks back ahead to April, trying to catch up with her all the more.

"... can they do that?" Oh, she's going to have a FUN time learning these ropes.