Harleen Quinzel (revmeup) wrote in roguesgallery, @ 2009-08-28 00:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | harleen quinzel, pamela isley |
Who: Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Isley
When: August 28th - evening
Where: Organic Haven - Gotham's most eco-friendly grocer
What: Harley and Pam meet again, and this time numbers are exchanged
Rated: G
Harley was not a fan of organic, overpriced foods, but she had just happened upon the aisle in her quest for sweets. The grocery store was a new stop for her and after ten minutes of searching, she knew she would never be coming back. All she could find was whole-wheat this and mutli-grain that.
As she switched the basket on her arm into another hand, she paused to look at a bright red box with a cartoon clown on the cover. The advertisement was meant to deceive children into thinking their mid-day snack was a fun, delicious treat. As she looked over the ingredients in the crackers her nose curled. "Eeeyuck." The box went back on the shelf and she headed down another aisle.
As she was turning into another aisle, Pam Isley was turning in the direction from which Harley had come. She, on the other hand, was a lover of all things organic, and didn't mind dishing out her expendable income on better quality food. This market would have to do until her own greenhouse was all set up.
Her should brushed against the other woman's and she turned her head to begin an apology when she saw who it was. "Dr. Quinzel! Hi!" In a cream colored knit dress, accented by green leggings and tastefully applied makeup, the botanist was certainly looking better since their last conversation.
Harley would have been fine without an apology and was one step away from the woman when her name was called. Her head snapped around quickly and the red hair was all she needed to see to know who had called her. "Hiya, Pam! Fancy seeing you here." She swung the empty basket around and came to effectively block the lane by standing at Pam's side. "Looks like ya made it out of Arkham without goin' crazy."
"Yeah, well, Dr. Crane was pretty nice about my early release," Pam murmured, shifting the grocery basket in her arms. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, but...I was in a hurry to get out. You understand."
"It's just nice t' know Dr. C listens to me. Sometimes I feel like he doesn't like me very much." Her mouth twisted to the side thoughtfully. "Of course, him and I are working together now, so that's gotta mean something good, right?" She brightened up substantially and focused her attention back on Pam. "How are ya handling your new fame? I bet ya got more than Vic Sage knockin' on the door these days."
"I don't know about fame," Pam said, shrugging her shoulders with a blush on her face. "But I'm doing alright. I've been asked to speak at a couple of gatherings. Scientists. Greenies. That whole group." She was happy to turn the subject back to Harley as quickly as possible. "You're working with Dr. Crane? Is the project anything interesting?"
"Interesting? Ah, I guess ya could say that." She smiled and combed some of her blonde hair back. "We're at the paperwork stage right now, so it's pretty boring." She glanced down at her hand, the pads of her fingers stinging from all the sorting she had had to endure, but she never once complained. At least not in public.
"Ya do what ya gotta do, right? It's not as meaningful as sittin' out on a toxic dump site but..." She trailed off and her hand went to her stomach. She recalled how queasy she had felt from the few minutes she had been with Pam. When the other woman had showed no signs of illness, Harley assumed she had eaten bad Chinese.
"Yes," Pam nodded, swinging her basket idly. "So...do you shop here often?" She was new to Gotham, and of course, she desired local friends. To see the kind doctor in one of her familiar places put her so very much at ease.
"Here?" Harley looked mortified at the thought of being a frequent shopper in the organic grocer. "I was just stoppin' in to see what was here. Ya know, an adventure." She offered a nervous laugh. "It's not really my kinda place."
"Oh..." Pam murmured, looking disappointed. "Well, obviously, this'd be my kind of place." She chuckled nervously, twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers. "It was really nice bumping into you."
Harley pursed her lips. "I haven't had much time to look around. Maybe the play will grow on me?" A bright smile showed itself and she took a glance around the aisle. "What sorta stuff are you getting?"
Harley was reluctant to let Pam go. She could have just given her a card and been on her way, but where would she have gone? A friendly chat was just what she needed and looked like Pam wanted the same.
"I was going to look at the local produce section," Pam said, pointing in the direction Harley came. "It's a little bit more expensive, but it saves the world so much on carbon emissions to buy locally." She grinned, shutting herself up before she got too preachy. "I also think there's a little cafe area someplace. I keep smelling the most amazing chai."
Vegetables? Harley had to fight not to stick her tongue out, and so she just kept smiling and let Pam lead the way. "A cafe? Let's go there!" Maybe they would actually have something sweet. She assumed they would at least have enough sugar packets to make a coffee tolerable.
"Sure," Pam chirped, tiptoeing a bit to try and find the place. "I guess we just try and follow the smell of chai." She gave another look around before starting off in one direction.
Harley sniffed the air as well. She was use to stale but this shop was beyond it. The only good scent was the spicy pumpkin pie in the air and she kept up with Pam easily. Maybe a chai latte would fill her up.
As they continued to sneak around the store, Harley was reminded of one of her favorite, Saturday morning cartoons. "Boy, Red, I wonder where Fred and Shaggy are. Think they parked the Mystery Machine out front?"
"They're in aisle one stocking up on Scooby snacks," Pam replied easily, walking around yet another aisle. "Oh!" Finally! Their destination. "I see it." She approached the little congregation of tables near a counter, glancing up at the massive blackboard hanging overhead. "Ooh iced chai."
At least the woman was familiar with cartoons. Harley followed behind to the strange coffee shop and found herself staring at what she assumed was the menu. The only time she had ever seen a shop like this was when she mistakenly attended a poetry reading with a couple of friends.
"Anything on this menu loaded with sugar?"
"Hmmm..." Pam gave the sign another look, sorting out the healthy and super-granola options. "What about the...Honey Bunny?" With honey swirls and cinnamon crunchy bits and whipped cream, it almost resembled a shake more than a coffee product.
"Just what the doctor ordered!" She dropped the empty shopping basket she had been using and made her way over to the cash register. "One Honey Bunny and one Iced Chai. Grande...or uh...large or whatever sizes you sell here." She was already pulling out her card to pay for the drinks.
Pam followed behind her, swooping in front of the blonde. "Don't--I've got it," she hurriedly pulled out her wallet. "I've...well, I thought it'd be nice to pay you back for helping me out. It's good karma, y'know? At least, I get to help Doctor Crane out with his gardening, but I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Why waste a good opportunity?" She handed the cashier her card.
Harley gaped as her card went ignored so that Pam could pay instead. She grudgingly shoved the card back into her wallet and instead handed the redhead her unprofessional business card. "Now I gotta take ya out to din-gardening? I didn't know Dr. C was into that."
Pam glanced down at the card, smiling before putting it into her wallet. "He gave me some seeds, wanted my advice because of my knowledge on the subject. I guess it must be a hobby of his, but the plant itself is moderately difficult to grow. So I offered to help. I mean, I know how to set up the right conditions for it, and how to read the signs of healthy development. And when I'm done, he gets to see the beautiful exotic plant."
"Huh." Most of what Pam said went over her head but she got the gist. Crane liked flowers; he just had trouble growing them. She was going to have to spruce up his office with something easy to water. Maybe a cactus.
"So ya really like plants? Or do ya just have a green thumb when it comes to growing 'em?"
"Both. I love plants, and I know the best ways to grow them," Pam proudly admitted, signing off on her charges and scooping up their drinks. She handed the colorful one to Harley. "Plants are...well aesthetically pleasing, but they're just fascinating to me. They thrive and provide. They do so much, so simply."
She took the drink with a grateful smile and sat down. Once comfortable she took a sip and savored the sweet drink. She had never tasted anything like it before. It had just enough spice without overpowering the sweet.
"Guess I've never really thought about it. I just know they look pretty, smell nice, and I always end up gettin' a dozen or more of them after a date."
"And they clean our air, give us nutrients, and cure diseases...all while being pretty. I mean, I consider myself a hard working woman, but I can't keep up with that pace," Pam giggled, sipping at her own drink. "How is the Honey Bunny?"
Again, Harley gave a moment to seriously consider Pam's words, but the thought was lost with another sip of the delicious concoction before her. "I think I got me a new fave. Wanna try it?" She wiggled the cup temptingly before the woman.
Pam smiled, setting her chai down. She leaned over the table, wrapping her red lips around the straw. She took a smile and smiled. "Oh that is good."
"What can I say? I like 'em sweet." She set her cup down and reached into her purse, pulling out her red phone. The corners of her lips turned down into a frown for a moment. "I gotta get going."
"Oh, well that's okay," Pam replied, shooing at the air. "I'll see you again soon?" She offered this last bit hopefully.
She nodded and hopped to her feet. "Gimme a call. We'll go out sometime. We'll have a uh...healthy girls' night out. Complete with wheat grass shots and eco-friendly facials?" Harley clearly had no idea what she was saying, but it sounded green enough.
Pam appreciated the effort. Thus far, nobody in Gotham had done as much to make her feel at home as this goofy blond doctor had. "It's a date," she grinned, scooping up her own drink and her half filled grocery basket. "Bye Harley."