InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "hiccup"

Commander Shepard (evertheheroine) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-07-13 13:06:00

Entry tags:

harleen quinzel, jane shepard

Who: Commander Jane Shepard with a detour provided by Harley Quinn.
What: Jane has a new place to live...and a room mate?
Where: The Apartments.
When: July 13th, late afternoon, when Jane gets bored?
Rating: Likely PG-13, for language.
Notes:

So, maybe it wasn't the brightest move of her entire life, deciding to leave the hospital, but she didn't care. She was pretty sure, if she didn't leave soon, she'd be climbing the damn walls. She'd spent some time with the PDA, having decide to bandage herself and scrape what remains of her medi-gel she could from the husk of her omni-tool and get herself, at least somewhat, patched up. That too got boring though, even if the questionnaire had been illuminating, and eventually she'd taken to trying to make origami out of straw wrappers. Even that did little to stave off the onslaught of boredom. She'd fiddled with her tools and gear, trying to see if she could get them in some kind of working order again, with only marginal success. It seemed even the most durable technology had found itself usurped by Reaper technology. That had been the end of that.

The symphony of groans her body gave at the idea of movement, never mind dressing herself in some manner of hand-me-down clothes, as well as the echo of several Doctors telling her that they couldn't rightly advise her to leave. She really didn't care. She was Commander Jane-fucking-Shepard and she'd had enough of just laying around trying to heal up. Was she all better? No. She was better enough to walk and dress herself though, and that was good enough. If anyone decided that was not the case? She'd give them a mouthful of what she thought and continue dressing herself.

It was hardly an easy process, even if what she was slipping into was much, much, more comfortable than the tatters of her armor and uniform she'd come in here with in the first place. The grey, hooded, sweatshirt hung lightly over bandaged arms and torso, while a pair of slim fit pants, which were blessedly olive drab, covered her lower body. Her boots, one of the few things that seemed to have survived Harbinger's attack, were strapped back over her feet as she stepped out into the hallway. She gave a glance right, then left, trying to figure out which way she should go to get back her things.

Her things, albeit not exactly deserving of a plural form, namely consisted of her Carnifex sidearm. There was some serious lament on her part, that the rest of her gear and weapons had been extremely battered, if not destroyed. Even with her Omni-tool and Biotic Amp still semi-functional, Shepard felt entirely too naked without a gun in her hand. Of course they'd demanded it from her, and she'd turned it over with minimal argument - so long as they promised to return it to her. No sooner had she stepped out into the hallway, to start looking for it, then she noticed the flashing notification on her PDA. Something about a housing assignment and...a room mate?

Shepard groaned. "Seriously. Someone. Where the hell is my gun?"

She snatched up her PDA to see just who this Phil Coulson was..

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diamonddoll
2012-07-14 01:25 am UTC (link)

It had been a long time since Harley had worked in a hospital. Of course, some would argue that this was her own fault, what with the whole becoming a henchwench and turning from doctor to patient in the asylum. But she could hardly help it. Mister J had just been so captivating. She hadn't known what hit her until it was too late. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she was still in love with him. Or obsessed. Something. She wasn't really sure what to think about her relationship with J. She knew, deep down, that it wasn't healthy. This break from him was proving to be good for her in that regard, but she worried that if he ever did show up, she'd fall right back into the same habits she always did with him. She didn't want to, but what she wanted, what she knew was the right choice, was rarely a factor when it came to the Joker.

She'd been called down to talk to a patient who was leaving against medical advice and who wanted her gun back. Harley, of course, understood the reasoning. They could hardly just hand the woman a weapon without being certain she wasn't a danger to herself or others. And, as the resident psychiatrist, she was the best person to handle this particular assessment. Honestly, she was just glad they were taking her seriously here. She had several regular patients who came to see her, and her superiors trusted her judgment with the cases that came in. It felt good in a way she hadn't even realized she missed. She liked her work, and she hadn't really had the opportunity to use her skills this way in years. It was refreshing.

She approached the room where the woman, a Jane Shepard the files indicated, was currently assigned, her heels clicking softly against the floor. That was the weirdest part, honestly, slipping physically back into Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Even when she wasn't in costume, she'd taken to embracing Harley Quinn's childish nature. In sharp contrast, the heels, skirt, blouse and lab coat were positively grown up. She had even gone back to wearing glasses for work. The only concessions she'd made to herself were the fact that the skirt was bright red and the blouse was black. But even then, she still looked entirely adult. Even after a few weeks, she still felt uncomfortably like she was playing dress up. Still, she knew it was just an adjustment. She needed to fit in in this society, and letting of of some of Gotham seemed to be the best way to do that.

"Ms. Shepard," she said, when she saw the woman, "my name is Dr. Quinzel. I was hoping that we could talk before you're released. I hope that won't be a problem."

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evertheheroine
2012-07-14 04:06 am UTC (link)

Jane looked up, having been seemingly deeply engaged in her PDA, with an expression that spoke volumes upon volumes of what she was feeling at that moment.

The seemingly carefree expression on her lips vanished all at once and the soft smile of amusement was quickly replaced with a smug and pensive line across her lips. Her left eyebrow raised in a curious, and dreadful expression. As the woman approached, her eyes could be seen to roll, and even a soft sigh of dismay seemed to pass by her lips. To say that Commander Jane Shepard was none too pleased at this approaching prospect of interaction, would have been the understatement of the millennium. In fact, it would have been very much like the expression she might have given, if someone told her The Reapers really just wanted to come around for some kind of tea ceremony.

I sure as hell hope not. Shepard thought in response to the woman's question, before she turned, stood at the best 'attention' posture she could manage and, with a slight twitch of discomfort, folded her hands at the base of her spine.

"I should imagine not, ma'am." She spoke respectfully. "So long as I'm allowed my possessions." Negotiation was one of Shepard's strong suits and, she knew, it was her best interest to simply lay her cards out on the table. She felt positively naked without a weapon, even with her biotics. She could deal with being told she'd been kidnapped, she could deal with the fact that she'd been plucked out of the single most important battle in the history of humanity, she could deal with the idea she'd be thrown right back into the war when some mystical God decided she should go back, she could deal with all of it - as long as she had a gun.

"What can I help you with?"

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diamonddoll
2012-07-14 06:24 pm UTC (link)

Harley took a moment to just consider the woman. Most of the time it wasn't what people said that was important, so much as what they didn't say. Facial expressions and body language and the hundreds of little tics people possessed that told so much more than anyone thought. Harley was fluent in that language, and right now it was telling her just how much Commander Shepard didn't want to be talking to her. That was all right though. She was used to dealing with difficult personalities. It was obvious that this woman was wary, almost certainly had trust issues, and would not react well to the idea of being analyzed by a a psychiatrist. That was fine too. She could work on that. It was just a matter of finding a balance between not highlighting her role as a psychiatric professional and not lying to the woman. She had no doubt that any perceived dishonesty or manipulation would be met with an intensely negative reaction.

"Jane," she said calmly, "or do you prefer Commander? Shepard? Which would you like me to call you? Anyway, this will just be a quick check before we release you and return your personal items." She smiled. "Obviously, we want to make sure everything is good before we let you go." She stepped closer, mindful of the other woman's personal space, and pulled out a pen light. "You don't mind if I just give you a quick exit exam, do you? I know they can be frustrating, but better safe than sorry and all that. You can relax if you want. I doubt that position is very comfortable for you." It would be easier if Commander Shepard didn't hold herself so tense, even though that spoke novels about her state of mind.

"So," she said conversationally, "I take it you're new in Colligo? You're not a local, that's for certain, but I haven't seen you before. Then again, I haven't been here very long myself, so I might have just missed you." It was a careful play, an attempt to establish herself as someone trustworthy through their mutual status as captives of this place. A preferable alternative to the local doctors. She wasn't entirely sure it would work, but it was worth trying. "You can call me Harley if you want," she continued. "Everyone does, and there's every possibility that we'll be interacting outside this place, so there's no reason to stand on formalities. I save Dr. Quinzel for the locals."

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evertheheroine
2012-07-14 11:15 pm UTC (link)

There was a marked pause while she considered the woman's question. Rank and file were important things in her world and being able to identify the chain of command was quite important in her line of work. This wasn't work though, nor was this a military theater. This woman was a civilian, doing her job, in a civilian building. Jane couldn't see the point in pulling rank on her, even if the casual use of her first name felt...awkward.

"Shepard will do Ma'am." She replied politely, still standing at attention, as if this woman was some kind of instructor, or other form of superior. "And no, Ma'am." She answered, to the question about the exam. If it got her out of here, got her things returned to her, she could be as cooperative as need be, even if her cooperation was ninety-nine percent forged bullshit and bravado.

"The position is fine, Ma'am. Thank you." She lied, her tones still carrying behind them a lifetime of service. Her Mother had always been ma'am, her father, sir. If you were a person whom she respected, be it earned or simply due to the fact that she recognized you as a superior, even if that meant kissing your ass, you were sir, or ma'am. That was that. There was no room for discussion, disagreement, or a change in attitude. She was military to her core.

When the woman continued, explaining that she too was a newly acquired individual here, Shepard's eyes shifted slightly to take stock of the woman. Was she being honest? Jane had never trusted many Doctors, and even less so when it came to headshrinkers. They always had questions, too many questions, and always seemed to try and worm their way into your head. Jane hadn't ever cared for it, but still saw that as no reason to be rude or discourteous to the woman. Besides, she was probably the last thing standing between Shepard, and a sense of security.

"Four days now, Ma'am." She replied, nearly opting to substitute the informal title of 'Doc' in it's place, but deciding she wasn't quite ready for that. "I checked myself in after being tossed out of the Library, figured I could use a medical overhaul, just to make sure I didn't end up dead."

Again, she thought to herself.

"You prefer Harley then?" She turned the question back around, finding it odd that an established professional would prefer to drop their title. Most of them clung to it like it was the very thing that gave them life. Jane gave a slight nod of her head. "If it's all the same to you, while you're my Doctor, I'll refer to you as Doctor Qunizel." She added, indicating her respect for the woman's accomplishment. She figured being a Doctor was a hell of a lot more complicated, if she really was back in the 21st...which she very nearly decided to question, before deciding that probably made her sound insane.

"I assume we're not doing this exam in the hallway, Doctor?" She asked, more to simply get a sense of direction as to where she should be going.

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