Back at the asylum Harley was revising her patient evaluations. After typing in the last edit she paused and looked at her phone, the background was a picture of the two of them at the outskirts looking at a far to the city of Gotham. J found a batarang in his pocket and used it on the tree he later carved out. "I still gotta go back there to see what he wrote in the bark." The phone rings. "Yes."
"You're 10:15 appointment is ready for you Dr. Quinzel."
"Thank you Sarah."
"You're very welcome Dr. Quinzel." She got up and left her office with the revised folders and a notepad to go. Heading out to the courtyard she made a right turn to botanical gardens instead of going straight to the executive hall. This was a nice change of routine, she hadn't attend many meetings with the shareholders and she wanted to keep it that way. In order to skip today's meeting she agreed to fill in for Leland's slot while she's in Coast City with her husband. This had no negative effect on Harley, only more snide comments from Jeremiah, bastard. One that held concern for her beside Joan was actually Bruce. For this patient he cautioned her about the dangers of the ivy and how vicious she can be towards humans. Apart of her wanting to reply with something like 'I happen to be in a loving relationship with a man who looks like a clown but can still kill you while laughing' but as you see some of her colleagues would very much raise an eyebrow at least. His worrying reminded her of a solicitous mother. Nevermind that, Harley wasn't a member of the staff here to be cautious, she came here to understand and heal the disturbed residents here.
Walking to a closed of section of the grounds the guards patrolling the gardens stopped her. "Papers miss." Handing the man who seemed to take his job very seriously gave Harley a quizzical look. "Enjoy the visit Dr. Quinzel."
"Ugh thank you I guess," She followed the other guard into the center of the gardens "creep." The vines of a full allotment of species with weeds choking out the flowers and trees covering the rays of sun there was too much to see in only an hour. A fountain awaited her, showing next to it was a woman in a sealed glass container. She had red orange hair cut short for personal style. Her skin was a slight green hue that blended in with plants around her. Harley was surprised that the board still approved having male personnel around her, especially since the Ivy Raid. The former physician "treating" her had an attraction. She seduced Dr. Hanz but used her deadly kiss spreading neurotoxins throughout his body and mind. This individual has little to no disregard for human life. She would much rather see the Earth turn back to its natural state, there were a couple moments in the past where attempts were made. Now she stands in a see through box shelved off from the rest of the patients and for good reason, men she couldn't stand. Harley had seen her file once before coming here. What she learned was enough to get an idea of what was going to prevail.
Poison Ivy turned to Harley with her glossy green eyes. "Hello good doctor."
"Hello Miss Isley. You may leave us guard." He left the area. Ivy smiled with her blood orange lips. She sat in the sensi position. "So let's begin. I am Dr. Quinzel and I will be filling in this appointment for Dr. Leland."
"Where did she go?"
"She went to Coast City with her husband. I believe it was for an anniversary or such."
"Have you ever be to Coast City Dr. Quinzel?"
"Only once, I was eleven. I was visiting my grandmother in the hospital before she passed away."
"Oh." She said with subtle tone.
"It says here that you have been temperamental with the female guards. Would you mind explaining why that is?" She responded with displeasure.
"When they watch me they begin to gossip. This time it was of how I slept my way to become a doctor. Dr. Woodrue lead me on his research team so he could further his advances latter after the experiments were finished. Not to say there wasn't any chemistry between us, unfortunately as you can see things didn't go out as planned."
"So you can say it was a tempestuous relationship."
"Complicated, at least at first. He used my emotions to further his experiment by testing a sample of his...formula."
"Yes the solution that made you into Poison Ivy. How did it feel?"
"It's not an experience I would want to relieve again. I felt my insides burn like they were put in a crucible. My vision began to change radically, I could see the molecules in our air, the pheromones nature emits into the world. My veins were black and spread quickly throughout my body. A moment of peace was interrupted by a deafening headache. I was in and out of consciousness for three weeks, all I saw was Jason smile and take notes of my progress."
"And how did that make you feel?"
"Frail. To be a guinea pig, chained and strapped while not knowing if I was going to survive what occurred. He expected the concentration to enervate my immune system entirely, it did but was later merged with antibodies of the serum. I am one with this earth and the only one to understand and feel the constant pain, poisoning from the human every second of the day." Harley was writing notes down to further analyze the situation.
"How did you escape from Dr. Woodrue Ms. Isley?" Ivy wasn't smiling or angry, simply just blank of expression.
"A part of me did love him, I can't deny that from my past. But what did to me was unforgivable, at first I loathed him, now I can't thank him enough for allowing me to be eternally connected with all living organisms on this daming planet…"
"Please don't ignore the question, I can't do anything if you don't tell me what occurred." Ivy sighed.
"He locked me in the botanical gardens of the research facility, that was his first and last mistake. I saw in the distance a Abrus precatorius. I blew some microbes that gave the plant a growth spurt of such. It was 1000x stronger than the effects of common Nitrogen. That wasn't it though, I had control of the organism. As it grew rapidly the seeds were shooting off like pellets tossed under a lawn mower. He ran in and was dumbstruck from what he witnessed. The seeds spread under the soil, they grew and continued to multiply to my heart's content. The hybrids that were born with thorns and poisonous was thought to be impossible. I made their tall vines grab him and keep him still while I broke from his restraints. Walking up to him, he's frightened from the monster he created, such as Frankenstein and his rejection. I kissed him and as I drew away I saw his eyes turn red with blood running down his face as the rest of his body shut down from the biggest mistake he made which ironically was his greatest success."
"Well it certainly explains why you are contained." Ivy snickered.
"Yeah Wayne was particularly interested in obtaining a secure cell for me. It blocks my ability to communicate with the plants. Smart man, can't image how much he spent for this."
"Believe me, this is chum change to that man. I've seen him once use a hundred for a tissue because the one on the table weren't double layered or given a decorative stitching."
"So I'm taking a wild guess that you're not a fan of Mr. Wayne Dr. Quinzel."
"No, I'm more into a man who can make me laugh."
"Well good luck with that, all this place has to offer is creeps and the delusional. Men that feel too important to belong to anything but their own stupid obsession."
"Yeah I definitely didn't notice that at all," Harley said jokingly with a hint of sarcasm. "If anything that title belongs to Dr. Arkham."
"Amen sister. That bastard thinks that we're just animals he can lock in a cage and throw the key." Harley noticed that her session was almost over. This was a conversation that she won't mind continuing in the future when Dr. Leland takes another hiatus.
"I'm sorry to say that our session is about over. It was a pleasure to meet Ms. Isley."
"Please, call me Pamela Dr. Quinzel."
"Please, call me Harley everybody does." The guard was in sight to escort the doctor out. Harley waived out to the woman who is feared by many in this city, but for a second a wave was returned. This wasn't a bad start to a possibly great friendship. Everybody can use a friend in our casual lives, whether you have many or few, sometimes one is all you need.
Harley was walking back to the Doctor's Hall before she was stopped by a team of Arkham guards. "What is the meaning of this!"
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Dr. Quinzel but Dr. Arkham wishes to discuss with you."
"May I ask what he wants to talk about at least?"
"It's above my pay scale Dr. Quinzel." She walked with the group of guards to the Executive Hall to the gray room that Harley always dreaded. The glass walls which revealed the budget cuts for the next quarter or termination of certain treatments with substitution of an ineffective yet cheaper one, disgusting.
In the room there were only two bodies, Dr. Arkham and Bruce Wayne. Both men shared looks of disappointment. Harley only kept one look, vexation.
"What is it now Dr. Arkham, can a woman simply not be given time to finish her work?"
"Of course but time is never a constant, it's expendable. Now I call you here today because I've been given notice."
"Notice of what?"
"...That some of our patients will be transferred to Blackgate Penitentiary." Harley's eyes widen with surprise.
"What?!"
"The new District Attorney is up for re-election and wants to show the city of Gotham he's worth the vote. His proposal to the mayor is to first transport one patient to Blackgate and if everything goes well they'll take more of our patients. That facility doesn't have the resources to contain our patients. This man's message is to end empathy as a substitution for true justice."
"Is there anything we can do?" Bruce stood up.
"I can speak to our dear DA. I'm sure a contribution to his campaign could shift the mindset of even the most ignorant individual." Harley wanted to know who was the first to go in this trial run.
"Who are they shipping off first?" Jeremiah looked at her.
"The Riddler." Both Bruce and Harley were confused. Riddler has had a quiet reputation in the institution but unfortunately also had a reputation for escaping when least expected.
"Yes Mr. Nygma is less of a threat as compared to some of the meta humans but we can't ignore that his recent track record before admitted is less than applicable." Jeremiah didn't look shocked.
"Well of course, in fact I wouldn't be recommending any of our patients being transferred to that prison where only more hell will break loose. That is one of the reason's why I had you come here. In a cooperative effort, both of you must find a way to persuade the DA to drop the case. I will handle our shareholders and board on my end. Just get Henry Mecham to stand down from making a fool of himself."
"Easier said than done," said Harley. "When is the proposal going to be enacted?"
"In two weeks." Bruce half chuckled.
"Challenge accepted."
"Good, keep me posted as the weekend arrives." Bruce left before Harley. She handed Jeremiah the revised evaluations. "Well, you're right here." With that she left the presence of Dr. Arkham and headed out into the halls.
"Agh damn it. So Mr. Wayne have any ideas besides bribing an elected official?"
"Actually yes, a dinner. We offer Mr. Mecham the chance to experience one of the finest restaurants in town which non coincidentally I own."
"Mind if I bring a date?" Bruce raised an eyebrow with interest.
"I thought you were single."
"Nope, I've been seeing someone very special for about a month now."
"Sure you can bring…"
"Jack, his name is Jack."
"Okay then, I'll have my secretary send you an itinerary."
"Sounds like a plan." Bruce went towards the elevator seeming to be following a cute little redheaded nurse. Harley made a judgy grunt, "Men. Well the one silver lining of this is I get to take my puddin to dinner. Oh shit! I need to get him makeup."
….Joker today was at the Laugh Factory in the Dark District of Bleak Island. Think of it as the Hells Kitchen of Gotham. This was the pinnacle of laughter and joy in the entire district. A place where your night could truly end with a bang. Just as the Iceberg Lounge many of Gotham's less than reputable citizens spend their time in a big room all containing a sense whimsy that immediately fades once leaving the building. Not to say there hasn't been conflict, a couple of the performers have ended up as icicles or dollotrons.
In the afternoon it was busy for today. A packed house with the underbelly of crime. There was a second floor where the villains had an exclusive viewing. Here they would discuss the daily grind in their gangs. At the time we have Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, The Ventriloquist, Two-Face, Penguin, and Joker laughing. None of them paying attention to the main performer, the six of them had plenty of material.
"Oh I got one," said Penguin. "How does a woman scare a gynecologist? She becomes a ventriloquist." Everyone busted out chuckling. Arnold couldn't help but giggle, Scarface made sure of that.
"No no this is better," said Two-Face. "How do you embarrass an archaeologist? Give him a used tampon and ask him which period it came from." Nobody could contain their laughter. People from below could hear them. Even some of them wanted to hear the jokes. "Ah Harvey you wonderful bastard, I wish Pammie was here, she would of loved that."
"I'm sure you have something better though don't you J?"
"Oh you can read me like a book." J noticed the wanting audience below them. "Hey Lee hand me a mic." Given a microphone he was gonna give them all a doozy. "What do lesbians like to do on the reg? ...Fingerpainting." The room was deafening in amusement. Mr. Freeze spit out in shock from the punchline, laughing, he doesn't laugh at shit.
"Oh god if only Ivy was here." said Harvey.
"It just came to me. Now where were we?"
"We're here to discuss the future of Gotham," said Penguin. "I for one is proposing a solution to our new DA, Harvey any plans?"
"It's up to the coin. Heads we kill him, tails we don't." He flicked the half dollar up in the air and just before it landed on his hand Joker took it.
"Sorry Harvey but this problem can't be solved with binary decisions. If we kill him it will only ensure the mayor and his council to approve of the relocation for our damned colleagues. I would enact fear, granted Crane is unfortunately not at our disposal. It doesn't mean we can't persuade Henry ourselves. Life is open to interpretation, I see it as flexible. Others see it in black and white. This fellow is from Chicago so somewhere a deep dish fits into place. Painting the town red is best in most cases, in this situation subtlety is preferred. After the problem is resolved anything can happen, Gotham is a big city. So any rejections?" Mr. Freeze stood up.
"What about the bat? We all know he's going to be keeping an eye on Mr. Mecham."
"We'll get to that as the time comes." The Penguin wanted to call a final opening for any other suggestions. "Any follow up ideas?" Everyone was silent. "All in favor for J's plan." All six said 'Ay'
"It's settled then. J you're up now."
"Excellent. First we'll need is guns, lots of guns."
...Exiting the Laugh Factory hours later all were giggling like they were in a high school clique. Granted the club did serve booze so it wasn't all natural. These villains had no problem sharing a drink and a laugh now and again.
"Man we have got to do this shit again. It's been awhile since I've got this plastered." Said the more than intoxicated Mister Freeze heading to his car.
"Guys (hic) don't drive while drunk, at this hour the bats is probably out searching for us. I'll have to call my driver." While J was talking to David for a lift the others were waiting filled with vodka and pita chips, they appeared to have meet on the day hummus was served. Penguin headed to his car, pausing he looked at his reflection. "Who the fuck are you looking at?" And with the crash of the glass the sooner J's driver got here the better.
An hour passed in getting everyone to their perspective hideouts. J was dropped off in front of Harley's townhouse. Being only 9:00 pm he didn't feel intrusive, only happy and a little tipsy. Knocking on the door he quickly checked himself, suit check, breath check, hair check, overall handsome. He pulled a bouquet of red Delphinium from his left coat sleeve. Harley opened the door with glee, always a beautiful smile everytime he saw her. "Hiya puddin, miss me?"
"Of course love. Today went awfully slowww without your presence dear." That slur in his speech made her form a smirk.
"Sweetie, have you been drinking?" He began to giggle.
"Just a little pooh." said while putting his index finger close to his thumb. "The business meeting I attended to served drinks and frankly I'm a sucker for an oaky merlot hehe. I was thinking of you though the entire time hence the flowers."
"Awww Mistah J you didn't have too." She glued onto him. "I do love them. Though not as much as I love you puddin."
"I (hic) love you too Harley." Noticing his intoxication she wanted to try some things on him. "Aw poor baby, don't worry Mistah J. Your Harley is here to take good care of you."
"Ya know, I can still feel my blood rushing." Harley was startled by the presence of his large member. Harley had naughty thoughts stirring in her mind. The night was still young and everyone could a little exercise now and then.
"My deeply charismatic Joker."
...