The rose has her Thorns, but even roses need some love to grow.
Poison Ivy
Pamela Isley, or rather, Poison Ivy was tending to her precious babies, when a loud crash in her fly trap room alarmed her. She sprung up and turned, getting ready to face her intruder. She applied some of her deadly lipstick and made her way towards the direction of the sound.
Lee
Lee was not having, as simply as she can put it, a good day. First Galactus decides he wants to eat the planet Amoeba, to Darkseid enslaving planet Nobus, and turning the only planet on which all species coexist in peace, to planet of blood-thirsty savages. Thinking her day ended after defeating that idiot, she was back to square one, dealing with none other than half-a-brain-cell Galactus who decided if he couldn't have planet Amoeba he'd try Earth. They did contact the League, but one of their idiots decided to give the planet eater a power boost. Who knew two nuclear power cells could do that to an intergalactic planet eater. Either way, her sisters and herself defeated the moron by blowing him up. However, nobody bothered to tell her that it would cause a blast wave large enough to send her from friggin star city all the way to wherever the hell she was now.
Groggily she tried to stand, but a sharp pain lancing through not just her brain, but her leg, not to mention every cell in her body. She looked down to assess her damage.
Her eyes widened at the sight of her right femur jutting out of her skin.
"Shit!" she cursed. She knew she had to set the bone in place and find some water. Looking around, she noticed that she seemed to be in what looked like a greenhouse.
She froze.
Something was creeping up behind her.
She turned.
Nothing.
Hyper-aware of her surroundings, she glanced side to side trying to pin point something, anything.
She heard it. The distinct clicking of heels, getting closer. But she knew that there was something else.
Something different about this place.
The heels got closer.
Closer.
Closer.
…
Then in a flash something wrapped around her arms and body. It wrapped around her legs and pulled. The pain from her previous battle, her head injury and leg was just too much. She blacked out from the pain, but not before she caught a glimpse of what looked like a woman with hair as red as fire.
SCENE CHANGE
Lee opened her eyes, the room was still dark and it didn't seem to be morning, therefore training hadn't started yet. She decided to get a little bit more sleep. She snuggled down into the bed and inhaled deeply. Ahh, the smell of roses in the rain.
Wait…
'ROSES IN THE RAIN!'
She shot up. She looked around the room and realised she wasn't at home. She closed her eyes and the events of yesterday flooded her mind. She looked down at her leg to find it bandaged and splintered. Wait. WHERE WERE HER PANTS! She spotted it on the nearby dresser and immediately made to get up and get it.
However instead of standing, she came face-to-face with the floor, the movement resulting in a loud thud.
Poison ivy.
Ivy was once again tending to one of the many plants she owned, when she heard the loud thud in her bedroom.
"It looks like our guest is awake. Shall we pay her a visit." She said to her plants. She snapped her fingers and her vines made their way to her bedroom. As she neared, she peeked inside. She watched as the stranger determinedly made her way to the dresser to fetch her pants. Muttering and cursing all the way. However, her injuries seemed to be hindering her ability to do so.
Quietly she ordered her vines to restrain her guest.
The stranger noticed her vines and put up a remarkable struggle considering her injuries. 3 broken ribs, 4 cracked, a broken leg, a mild-concussion, a fractured wrist, not to mention all those bruises and cuts. She shouldn't even be able to pull herself out of bed let alone be putting up this much of a fight. Ivy's attention was drawn back to the stranger when she saw some strange light. What she saw next baffled her. The stranger was communicating with her vines and instead of restraining the stranger, they held her up as she gingerly put on her pants. Ivy needed to intervene. If this person could interact and command her own babies, then she was a problem.
"Ah good, you're awake." Ivy said in her seductress voice.
Lee's head snapped up. She got into her fighting stance.
Ivy was shocked, either this woman was stubborn or knew how to deal with extreme injuries and pain.
"Now, now, you don't want think little ol' me is going to hurt you?" Ivy said sweetly bringing her hand up to her chest in mock offense.
Lee laughed, well more like chuckled, "My lady I unfortunately am not inclined to trust beautiful women. Things never end well if I do."
Ivy smiled, "Well every rose has her thorns and you are probably one of the wiser few who know not to touch one."
Lee smiled back, "I know exactly how and where to touch a rose. You do not pluck roses, you gently tug on them until they release the safety of the ground and come to you. But either way, something tells me that it is not only your thorns that are dangerous my lady. But rather your very being. From your toes to your brain. Am I incorrect?"
"You are most definitely right but, I am at an advantage here don't you think?" Ivy smirked and gestured with her eyes towards Lee's injured leg.
"Besides that is no way to act towards your hostess much less so against the person who patched you up so nicely."
Lee looked away and thought for a moment. She cursed and remembered her manners as she put down her hands and relaxed her posture. She sighed, "Thank you my lady for your generous hospitality." She made to bow but her leg gave way and with groaning cry she hit the floor.
Quickly she summoned the vines and Ivy watched silently as her vines carried the stranger to her bathroom. Ivy only moved when she heard water running and whimper coming from the bathroom.
She ran and burst through the door, "What are you doing!"
Lee remained silent and focused on her leg. Her breathing was heavy and laboured as she took in deep, slow and steady breaths. She turned the tap off and began to wave her hands over and around her body and then repeated the actions around her leg. She took a vial of what looked like water and poured it into the tub.
Ivy looked on in amazement as the water took a light glow and the bone set itself back in place. However, that was all that happened as the stranger promptly passed out.
Ivy stood there confused and dazed for a moment until she remembered the unconscious and injured person in her bath tub. She quickly wrapped up the injured leg and then ordered her vines to carry the stranger back to the bed. The vines removed the stranger's clothes and put on fresh new ones ivy had set out for her. They didn't fit but, what else was a woman to do.
About 3 days went by and the stranger was still unconscious.
As the stranger slept Ivy went into the kitchen and made some soup that looked entirely too green, all the while pondering what had happened in her bathroom. She was brought out of her flashback by a cry. She quickly moved to her bedroom wherein the stranger lie.
Lee had awoken to a little less pain but, she felt a little cold. She looked down at her attire and her eyes widened.
"WHAT THE HELL!" she cried. She heard footsteps and looked up to spot the fiery haired woman from before standing in the doorway with an amused look upon her face.
"Where are my clothes! Give me my clothes! And what the hell is this and where the hell are my clothes!" Lee cried distressfully
Ivy smiled coyly, "But you are wearing clothes dear."
"This! This isn't clothes, this is…I don't know what this is but it definitely cannot be called clothes."
Lee paused her rant for minute. She looked, well more like glared at the woman before her, until her eyes widened. It clicked. The clothes shew as wearing did not fit because they were made for someone smaller. Someone like…
"These are yours! Why would you dress me in…"?
"Yes they are and my, my, don't you cut quite the striking figure in them." Ivy teased.
"And people wonder why I don't trust beautiful women." She ground out through clenched teeth.
"Oh stop complaining, you would have frozen your cute little butt off if had left you in those drenched things and I didn't exactly have anything in your size. At least I thought of putting you in something that covered the essentials or we'd be having a whole different argument right now."
"If anything you should be thanking me darling." Ivy huffed and crossed her arms to further show her displeasure.
Lee thought for a moment and sighed. She supposed the woman had treated her rather well and she was being a complete ingrate.
"Thank you." she grumbled quietly.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Thank you" Lee articulated.
"You are welcome. Now here, you must be hungry after your long nap." Ivy handed over what looked like very green soup. But Lee took it because one, she was very hungry and two, at least her hostess was being gracious and taking care of her instead of kicking her out.
"Thank you. How long have I been out?"
"Oh, a few days." Ivy said nonchalantly as she watched Lee eat.
"How many is a few?"
"About three days."
"3 DAYS! I need to get back. They'll be looking for me." Lee said through gritted teeth as she tried to get up. Her body felt like stone. It appears it suffered more damage than she thought. It seemed to ache in unnatural places.
"Woah! Easy tiger. You're in no condition to be prowling around just yet. Your body still needs rest." Ivy instructed as she guided Lee back down to a lying position.
"No my sisters are probably looking for me." Lee tried to get up once again but, Ivy placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave her a pleading look.
"Look, you can barely get up, let alone walk on your own anywhere. Don't you think it would be better to see your sisters in a condition where you don't look so beat up, than scare them half to death with the way you look now."
"Oh fine, I'll stay, but, I would like to have my own clothes please."
Ivy snapped her fingers and her vines brought in Lee's clothes."
"Thank you, could please also ask them to take me into the bathroom. Please."
Ivy nodded but, stopped to face Lee once again.
"What was that before."
"What?" Lee asked, curiously tilting her head to the side
"Before in the bathroom before you passed out. The water glowed and your wounds were healed. What was that?" Ivy asked.
Lee smiled almost apologetically at Ivy.
"Don't worry about it. I promise it won't affect you or your friends in any way.
"Honey I'm just curious. I'm not going to judge you if that's what you're afraid of. I mean I talk to plants and bring them to life." Ivy said mocking herself.
Lee smiled apologetically once again.
"Alright." Ivy sighed, "Go take a bath. Don't use up all the hot water." And with that Ivy turned to leave but…
"Wait. Sorry you've been such a gracious hostess and yet I have been such a stupid idiot for not asking this earlier but, what is your name dear lady?"
"Ivy" And that was the simple reply she gave the stranger before she left the room.
Lee sat on the bed and repeated the name to herself.
"Ivy huh? Why do I get the feeling that there is more than just 'Ivy', but then again I haven't been exactly forthcoming about myself so why should she be?" Lee said aloud to herself, well, to the suspended, animated vines above her.
Lee touched one of the vines and her eyes glowed, before she then commanded it to take her to the bathroom. She unhooked the vial around her neck and poured a bit of the content into the bathtub of water below her.
"Looks like I'll need to go back and get some more. Perhaps a slightly bigger vial. Considering the amount of times, I've gotten hurt and had to use this stuff in the past week, the extra weight wouldn't be too bad." Lee sighed and then a serious expression fell on her face.
'These trouble makers seem to have gotten more powerful than last time. Before I'd only come away with scratches and bruises and that is if they got a lucky shot, but, this time something was definitely off. There were also more frequent attacks. Something has got to be going on here. The question is, what?'
She decided to brood about it later and focused on healing her leg.
SCENE BREAK
A few hours later Ivy came back to check up on Lee. She knocked on the door three times. When she received no answer, she entered and found Lee passed out on the bed in her pants and her bra.
Ivy sighed and moved to dress the woman, remembering her outburst hours earlier. However, this time she took note of the intricate tattoos covering the woman's body. In the middle of her back were four symbols separated by thin lines. In the top right hand corner were waves. Below was a symbol that looked like fire. Next to that in the bottom left corner was what looked like a mountain and above that were swirls. The going from the left side of her neck, cutting diagonally across her back, down to her right hip and then curling around her right leg was a design of a Chinese dragon. Going upwards from her left was what looked like the tail of something. It cut across the rest of her back, up the right side of her neck. The creature looked like some kind of badger. Then going from her feet there were arrows with strange symbols within them. These went from the end of her feet, up both her legs, over her spine and seemed to go straight over her hairline and stopped in the middle of her forehead. The arrows also went over her arms and stopped just before her fingers. Her arms were also covered in what appeared to be waves. If you squinted hard enough it looked like they were moving, and if you had an overactive imagination, one would think she could shoot water from her fingertips.
Ivy continued to tenderly stroke the waves along her arms, noting the muscularity until, a small shiver from Lee brought her back the realisation that Lee was still partially naked and it was winter in Gotham. She picked up Lee's shirt and put it over her before pulling the covers out from under her body and throwing them over her.
Ivy turned on the water and filled the tub. She shed her clothes and got in. As she sat soaking in the warmth of the water her mind drifted back to Lee and the design engraved upon her body. She wondered why anyone would get that many? And not to mention the detail. Surely that would have. Was she perhaps part of some kind of tribe or cult? Was it some kind of tradition from where she came? Either way there had to be same kind of explanation. Right? Nobody, not even tattoo artists get that many, or tattoos that intricate? Just thinking about the needle and the pain caused her to shiver and feel sick.
Ivy began to relax but another thought hit her smack bang in the face.
Why in all of Venus was she being so…so…nice? She didn't know the stranger and the only mammal she would ever or has ever shown this kindness to, is Harley. The stranger was…intriguing to say the least. Very, very intriguing but why did Ivy save her. Why did she want to help her and nurse her back to health? Again Ivy was brought out of her little monologue by a knock at the door. She groaned. Seriously, she just wanted to relax and things just kept getting in the way.
Gritting her teeth, prepared to feed the person at the door to her babies, Ivy stomped to her door clad in her bath robe, with fury burning in her eyes.
She flung the door open ready to bring the wrath of the green…only to bring down her arms and sigh.
There was Harley Quinn on her doorstep, bruised and bleeding, looking at her with pleading eyes.
"Hiya Red. Puddin' got a little upset again and couldn't help himself. So I was wonderin' if I cud bunk here with you tonight?" Harley asked pinning Ivy with blue eyes akin to a child's.
"Harley I don't know if I can..." Ivy began but Harley was possibly her only friend in this world. She didn't know the stranger, why should this stranger take priority over her one and only friend.
"Come in Harley. Let me just take care of something first. Wait for me in the living room darling" She opened her home to the battered girl, guiding her to the couch before heading towards the bedroom.
Ivy opened the door to the bedroom.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
The stranger had woken up. She had found her clothes and was getting dressed. She headed for the window.
"I have to get back to my sisters and you have other guests to attend." The stranger smiled and nodded her head towards the living room.
When Ivy looked back toward the stranger, she had pulled a 'Batman', disappearing without a trace.
Ivy walked towards the window and looked for the stranger but she had vanished into thin air. She wondered to herself if she would ever see the woman again.
END
Author's Note.
Writer: What up guys. Sorry about being away for a bit. But here's a peace offering. This lengthy story to tide you over. I will be taking a hiatus, I seem to have run out of inspiration, but I will continue writing and update all my stories with whatever and whenever I can.
On another note, please PM me if you guys would like a longer story about Poison Ivy and the mystery woman.