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Tweak says, "More fun than Shark Week."

Harley Quin (theaccessory) wrote in rooms,
@ 2015-08-06 21:12:00

Entry tags:

!dc comics, *log, harley quinn, selina kyle

[quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]
Who: Selina and Harl
What: Harley wants to play blackjack.
Where: The Egyptian, DC
When: Before Harl goes to the women's shelter to get Ivy.
Warnings/Rating: TBD

[Harl had a plan for herself. A future. That future included her current dayjob (which she was taking a week away from - well deserved vacation time, she'd been a very good girl) and a low profile.

But there'd been no time for a low profile on her way out the door to see Ivy. No makeup to tint herself back to a healthier color, no wig, not even a cursory hat. Visiting hours at the shelter didn't open up for a while, though, and it felt like the time to visit old friends.

Ordinarily she would have gone looking at one of Kitty's old haunts, but a couple nice questions and tickles under the chin got her what she wanted from a pair of toughs guarding a drug dealer on a streetcorner. Selina Kyle was off runnin' the Egyptian, and didn't that just sound like the kind of place for a girl like her to kill a couple hours?

She wasn't dressed for the occasion, however. All her nice things were back in New York, but the rest of her was enough of a shocker that the casual clothes were the least of her worries. She wasn't in 'lying low' form just now, instantly identifiable by the white skin from tip to tail. She'd let out her braid and fluffed things up a little bit to class up, but she had been driving cross country. She freshened up her makeup, pouted in the rearview, and crossed her fingers.

But she still had it! The boys at the front door parted without a word, earning a sunny smile in return. Phew.

A few minutes later, red and blue-streaked white puffed around her shoulders, scarlet and black nails flayed wide, she was dragging a pile of chips toward her corner of the blackjack table. And God, wasn't that a smug grin, oblivious to the stares and sideways looks since she stepped foot through the front door.] That should cover a new paira shoes and a houseplant! [She gave the table a playful kick from her stool.] Deal!

[Everybody was being so nice to her here! A boy had rushed up to bring her a glass of champagne, and at least three guys in tuxes had asked her if she needed anything. Yowza. This was a swank place, too - designer dresses, sequins and rocks the size of her eye. She was half-expecting Sean Connery to stroll up and offer a round of Baccarat. So what if she just saw two mob bosses and a capo file into a back room? Who cared? Every single sap at the blackjack table could have some two-bit mob connection and she'd still fleece them for every penny.

In truth, it had kinda been a crazy night. She'd blown down the freeway to get here, and she was keyed up and nervous, worried about Red. Academically, she knew that they guys at the front had let her waltz in because they knew who the all-white and black and red broad was, not because her legs looked so good in these heels. And she knew the servers were tripping over their feet because people knew Harley Quinn, and there were even odds that one supervillain or another could be making their grand entrance any minute now if she was here. And because, well, she'd made a little bit of a reputation for herself? Maybe? There was that time she lost everything on the roulette wheel at Maxie Zeus's place. That had been ugly.

And there was the long list of priors, a whole lot of them involving guns and large mallets and the rich. But whatever. She was winning!]

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[quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]

spacecowboys
2015-08-07 07:22 pm UTC (link)

[There was one rule at the Egyptian; everyone was welcome.

Well, everyone that had money to lose. And it was a new rule, something born from the demise of the Family amnesty that a little redhaired bat had destroyed. The club was Selina's now, and the price? Well, a lot of green. In addition? The Families could meet there, unharmed. It was a safezone. She was Switzerland, and she could live with that. It was better than shootings in the street, and all just because Maroni and Falcone needed to cry at each other about something. Posturing, you see, was important, and this place? This place reduced the need for a body-count to prove a point before discussions could commence. But, oh, it wasn't just Family that passed through her doors. No, everyone from the mayor to the police chief frequented the club. She didn't load the dice, and she didn't favor the house; she didn't need to. A person played long enough? They lost. No, her tactic was to just keep them playing, and it was working so far.

The kitty cat? She was making a killing.

The whisper about Harley's arrival came before the little blonde even sat at the table. Two steps in the door, and someone carried the news up the long and twining steps. Well, at least the night wasn't going to be boring.

Selina sent back orders to let Gem play. And, then, she leaned against the top banister of that twirling stair, and she'd watched the gaming floor.

Part nostalgia, part curiosity, and it took only a few seconds for her to realize this wasn't her Harl. It wasn't the pink-gum girl that had blown bubbles in her ear and forced her to accept hugs. It wasn't the girl that had slept with a baby bird long dead. It wasn't the girl that had always tried too hard to help with Selina's pesky little bat problem. No, different girl altogether.

And, interestingly enough, this was the kitty cat's Harl in a completely different way.

This Harley, she was from home.

Selina let the little harlequin win a few hands, and then she took that long staircase down. It was time for introductions.

White, black and red, her hair pixie short, and Selina came up behind the girl with the whitened skin. She didn't clear her throat or tap the other woman on the shoulder. No, after a graceful moment of up-close perusal, she took the seat on Harley's right.] Deal me in.

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Re: [quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]

theaccessory
2015-08-08 11:48 pm UTC (link)

[Harl knew who'd sat down next to her as soon as she showed her pretty face, and when she asked to join the game, she squealed with delight.] K- Baby! [No Kitty, prolly not in public, that seemed like a bad plan.

Unabashed, unworried about how it might look, or how she might be an affront to the dignity of a glamorous casino owner, she grabbed Selina around the waist with her free arm and squeezed her, swinging her slightly to one side. If there was one thing Harley wasn't, it was reserved. Her affections and her hates were all very much on front street. Sure, she could adapt to a situation when that situation required it. Jeez, she did have letters after her name, didn't she? For all the derisive calls of 'bimbo' and 'skank,' she could have run circles around half the guys who decided what she was based on how much leg she displayed. But who needed to prove themselves to a loser like that?

She had a pretty good knack for numbers, too, which was why blackjack appealed, at least tonight. She did love her roulette, though - the random chance of it, the thrill of the spin!]

Ya cut your hair! [She lightly pinched the ends of Selina's clipped locks without pulling. No disapproval, just appreciation and surprise and warmth.] You look good, Ms. Casino Owner. Bein' a bigwig suits you. [Nobody pulled off the causal chic like Selina did. It made her kinda jealous, actually - watching someone rock simple pumps and a blouse could make any girl feel like she was trying too hard.

The dealer began dishing out cards, but Harley only had eyes for Selina.] I'm on my way to get Red, but I can't go for another hour. [She pulled at her lip with her teeth. Worry, worry that wasn't a game, wasn't a frippery, wasn't playful. She cared about Red, and she wanted the little Red to be safe and happy. Harley was of the staunch opinion, too, that nobody could do that as well as she could.

Only then did she finally release Selina's waist, capturing her own cards on the table with a flat slap of white palm, dragging them her way.] So how's bein' queen bee? [A pursed, amused glance to the men filing into back rooms.] Lots of new friends, I see.

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Re: [quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]

spacecowboys
2015-08-09 09:36 pm UTC (link)

[Here, Selina was not the Cat. Well, to be very fair, the Cat wasn't anywhere much lately. Oh, she longed for a heist that made people take notice, but this Gotham didn't take notice. Hood destroyed half the world, and this Gotham barely blinked. How could she expect it to notice her little escapades? It made her feel very, very small, and she didn't like it. And maybe that explained here, this place, her need for it. She could've come home and settled back into the loft, saved kittens, stolen diamonds. But there was no power here unless you were bat or threat, and she was neither. It was a rogue's predicament, and the melancholy of it crossed her features for a moment, but then she smiled for the little clown at her side.

A second, and then Harley was grabbing her around the waist, and it was almost like before. She could nearly recall the scent of bubble gum against her cheek, the feel of another little clown's kiss to her lips.

Seline shrugged the blonde off with her usual gruff annoyance, the kind Harley would remember, but the kitty cat's smile lingered. Alright, so this was a different little rogue in pigtails, but Selina was glad of the company. After all, no one understood a rogue like another rogue.] I cut my hair. [She tried to remember how much longer it was when Harley - this Harley - knew her. Not much, but there definitely wasn't enough of it to spike up now.

The dealer dealt, and Selina played with only minimal interest, long fingers tapping on lush felt, and a few chips fanned out in front of her. Oh, she knew this was a farce, but she'd follow it to its conclusion. After all, it might look good if the House - capital H - lost a few chips. And Harley being there? It was good too. Now she just needed to convince Hood to come in for a beer, and she'd be well ahead of the Iceberg on her rogue tally.]

Thorns will be fine. Even young, she's still Thorns. [Ivy grew up in Gotham, and that made a little girl resilient in a way nothing else ever could. But Selina chuckled at the question about being queen bee, obviously finding some amusement in it.] I like it here. It's comfortable. [She tapped the felt, anted up.] Did you mean it about Joe? What did he do to finally knock some sense into you? [She touched a finger to Harley's unnaturally pale cheek. If that didn't make a girl see reason, Selina didn't know what did.]

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Re: [quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]

theaccessory
2015-08-16 09:16 pm UTC (link)

[Getting shrugged off by Selina made a girl want to pinch her cheeks, but she did actually know it wasn't a good plan to make the big lady look small in front of everybody else. After all, she knew how to make someone look even more important than they already were. Accenting and supporting was something she kinda had a knack for.

Harley threw herself into the game of blackjack. She was decent at it, losing once and winning twice. In games of chance where the only real variable under your control was spotting a bluff, a psychiatry degree could come in handy.

As the hands played away, she kept right on talking, heedless of the other people at the table now that she had friendly company.]

She better be. [She resisted the urge to chew her lip too hard and ruin her lipstick, instructing the dealer to hit instead. No matter how much she told herself that Red would be fine, it was jarring to think of her any other way than she was.] You do look comfy! [A sly observation, more than an offhand comment. Selina looked oddly settled for the kitty she knew, ensconced in a structure of power and wealth. It suited her, but she'd never pictured the Cat running other people. She'd always been such a weirdo loner, coming around all lovey dovey for pets from the girls one day, then running off to the bat the next. Alley cat girl, it seemed weird to think of her perched on the top of a pyramid in the Gotham power structure. Maybe something'd gone wrong instead of going right.

At the mention of Joe, Harley's expression changed markedly. She was a playful creature really, but whatever had led to their parting was still near enough to her heart to ache.] I meant it. [She looked up from her cards, splayed black diamonds and red hearts, and to Selina's face when she pressed a finger to her cheek. She smiled at her, tinged with sadness, not so girlish, peculiarly adult.] Wadn't the knocking, actually. Maybe it shoulda been. He just...he wasn't the same. ...Or maybe I wasn't. [Pure wistfulness, but old hurt. All the good times and all the bad - the names, the stings, Ace Chemicals, being hung out as bait? She'd fallen for a man who knew her, saw inside her like her skin was off, who gave her the power to be somebody. No tears, no wet eyes, but a soft look.] Everybody changes, don't they?

[She shrugged a shoulder, loosening the sad thoughts, sending them spiraling away.] An' anyway, I got a whole new thing goin' on. I got like a job an' people in New York who need me. [She squared her shoulders and smiled, suddenly, dazzlingly bright and conspiratorial.] An' I got a whole floor in the building full of puppies and kitties. You're taking a day off to come see. [She bumped shoulders with Selina.] No excuse accepted!

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Re: [quicklog: harl and selina / the egyptian, dc]

spacecowboys
2015-08-17 03:52 am UTC (link)

[Selina paid next to no attention to her cards. After all, what did she care if she won or if she lost? And Ivy might be young, but Selina had a hard time imagining Thorns as anything but capable. Sure, someone had gotten their hands on her and injected her with something to make her plantish, and maybe Selina should be brimming with empathy, but empathy was in short supply in Gotham. In a city where everyone was traumatized in some way or another, other people's trauma was par for the course. Ivy, before, after, was more super-villain than rogue, and Selina figured the little redhead would be just fine.

And, hey, it would be nice not to worry about Thorns trying to kill her for once. It might not last, but the kitty cat intended to enjoy it for as long as possible. Ivy's little powers made her quite an adversary, and the plant hadn't liked her even one day since they'd arrived here. No, Selina wasn't worried about Thorns.

As for power structures? Selina wasn't perched atop one. Oh, no, she was here because she was offering a service, which means she answered to everyone in the Family food chain. It was definitely a tumble down the ladder, but Harley didn't know that. Selina, though, Selina was highly conscious of it, and she still wasn't sure what she was going to do about it all.

This? This was intermission.

But that wistfulness about Joe? That was Harley through and through, and Selina pushed the cards away and swiveled on black leather to look at the little harlequin at her side.] The one here is young, and he wants to be cured. I wouldn't worry about Joe too much, Harl. But, yes, kitten. Everybody changes. [There was sadness there, forlorn, because everyone had changed, and Selina had no idea how or when or, even, why.]

What kind of job? [And she chuckled agreeable at that shoulder bump and invitation.] Of course. I love vacations.

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