Phone call finished, she spoke again, and he actually took a second to search for the tone that usually accompanied that question. Paper shuffled and crinkled as the man resettled the blueprints and other plans he'd been looking through. One long finger pointed to the area of the old warden's former office, "You remember the loft-like area above here," A section set above the main room, accessible only by ladder for some reason, it had been filled with old files and the like, "I've had a staircase installed." Innocent enough of a comment, sure, but it had also been the closest, most convenient, space for one of the rooms she'd wanted to plan. The only one she'd tell him about.
Harley peered over her love's shoulder as he began to tell her what he'd done, to make the loft easier to access. The comment warmed her. She liked to think that he knew the room would be of use, one day. He knew full well that she'd wanted that room to be a nursery, but she hadn't bothered with it just yet, searching for another- because there was no safe way to transport an infant to and from the room. It was the very closest to where they would...well, not sleep, not often, but the room they would call theirs. It was a delightful surprise, that he'd done that for her. She beamed, her mood substantially improving.
"Thank you, Puddin'!" She giggled and leaned up on tiptoes to place a kiss to his cheek, not expecting to be allowed to really kiss him.
There were moments, like this, where whatever it was he felt for the girl was able to peek through. Such moments were unpredictable, even to him, and it was often difficult to discern whether it was real or simply a show for whoever may be around (and that included Harley herself). This; however, was one of those rare, real, moments. Joker was rarely without a plan, even if it meant planning for something that may or may not occur. He couldn't say if that little room would ever be put to use, but it would be there.
He gave little to no reaction to the quick peck to his cheek, still focused on ignoring the more uncomfortable emotions that had cropped up toward the end of their fight. The sort that had fueled his initial anger and disappointment and had infused his statement-slash-demand. She simply wasn't allowed to leave him, that's just how it was. Even by her own hand.
Joker didn't like secrets. Especially amongst his crew, but Harley seemed to be the exception to even that rule. Most of the time, anyway, that whole death-wish thing still rubbed him the wrong way. He could wait to learn what the 'surprise' room would be. As long as it wasn't a wing full of animals that viewed him as a walking snack, it probably wouldn't matter anyway. "I'm turning the old medical building into a sort of barracks for the boys, too." He had plans for a wider-scale recruitment job, to replenish their forces, and the penitentiary would soon have an actual purpose once they started rounding up their eventual victims for the latest plot.
She then leaned over the blueprints, scanning them herself, frowning slightly. She hadn't quite chosen where the other room would be, not yet. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she placed two fingers on the map, specifying two rooms she knew had cell-like doors. Humming softly under her breath, she finally spoke. "I need these two. For the special surprise, I mean. Perfect placing. D'ya think we can rig it so a remote trigger of some kind will make the doors swing open?" That would be perfect. She had missed having furry, vicious companions to cuddle with when Joker was in a bit of a mood. She fully planned to go to the zoo and round up the hyenas there- she was pretty sure there were eight- and adopt them. Since her other two had been killed, she'd really noticed how much she relied on the beasts. Eight more, why not? And if they could rig the cell doors to swing open from the push of a button or the flip of a switch, they could be released upon any intruders with ease.
The man glanced to the rooms she indicated, recalling a mental image of the area itself. The place that had once held the paper files for the facility. Two oddly cell-like rooms; he had never figured out their true purpose. Joker glanced up at her question, just who did she think she was dealing with? Rig two doors with such a simple mechanism? The look he gave her should have said it all, really, "I'll see what I can do." Slightly sarcastic, yes, but in the more...playful...way rather than irritated.
Why she wanted those rooms, in particular, was a mystery. His mind churned, going over every tiny possibility. One could do any number of things with that sort of space, but why the automatic doors? No reason to keep guests in such a place, really, so what was she most likely to keep in there? Joker had an inkling, he was just hoping he was wrong. His thoughts wandered to the pair of stuffed beasts in the other room. They had treated him like snack or toy, but they had their uses. Usually only for Harley, of course, as she was the only person they seemed willing to obey.
She giggled, nearly at her own foolishness, at his playfully sarcastic remark. "Puddin', I know ya can, I just didn't know if ya wanted to do it." She shook her head, turning to hop onto the table- tables were one of her favorite places to sit. She took care not to place herself atop of any of the plans, knowing that would only frustrate and maybe even anger him. There was no need for more anger, not tonight.
She honestly wasn't sure how he would react to the new additions to their crew. But she was a woman of love and affection, and she craved it like no other. Now, Joker wasn't always cold to her- in fact, he was never cold so much as stern and stubborn. And non-cuddly. She needed that in her life, so surely he would understand...even if those hyenas might see him as a prospective chew toy, she'd put them in their places. She'd even get them to grow nice and big, like her other two. A few toxins, feeding them humans as much as possible...yeah, it would be relatively easy to spur their growth. The last two had reached her shoulders when on all fours. She planned to get them bigger, this round.
It was moments like that, though, which would only solidify Harley's belief in his love for her. He was not a man who dealt with emotions well, and she'd known that from the very start. She did, however, make a point to remember each and every moment that he showed true affection for her- she would remember this, just as she had those other rare moments. Sometimes, maybe, she looked into an action too much, believing it to be truer than it was, but that never occurred to her. He cared. It was as simple as that, in her mind.
Of course, she did have those moments of slight doubt- like when he'd shot her off in a rocket and nearly killed her. That was when she'd met Red- good times, right? She'd paired up with the woman to take down both Joker and Batman, but in the end, her anger had dissolved in the face of his honesty and his apology to her. She was his girl. Their fights far surpassed that of any couple- hell, he'd once almost tricked her into a scheme that involved her own death- but she saw them only as tests. It was bound to happen, right? And still, her loyalty, her love never wavered.
Mad love. Love changes everything.