[center][h2][color=f49ac2][b]H A R L E Y ☺ Q U I N N[/b][/color][/h2][/center] [i]...BUT FOIST.[/i] Harley needed to talk to her two sweet little angels. [color=f49ac2][i](This is so weird. It's like, goin' around telling people you know that someone they know died. Oh, hey, sorry, old Uncle Lou bit the big one. Only instead of Uncle Lou, it's the old me. In a way. Oh, hey, sorry, I'm movin' my life in a different direction. And it affects you in a very direct way. Y'know, cause I centered my whole fuckin' life around murder and mayhem and now I don't wanna do that no more? Hopefully I didn't screw ya up? I really got no idea how Dee Dee is gonna take this...Come on, Harleen. Getcha head in da-game! Ya got this!)[/i][/color] Harley Quinn peeled out of the kickback in her conspicious vehicle she used for when she was going undercover. A little dark red car. On it's bumper was one of those "Coexist" stickers, you know the one. Camouflage. No one would suspect a thing! Gotham was a great place to live. It just had a good vibe about it. Except for all the shitty parts, which she hated so, so much. If she hadn't built all of her connections and her entire life in this God-forsaken shithole of a city she would have left it long ago. Not like many other cities would be better, though. Atleast Gotham is corrupt enough that she can get away with way more stuff. Also, no Superman or Spider-Man, or Changeling or Thor floating around. Batman was pretty tough, don't get her wrong, but at the end of the day he's just a kung-fu boy with a lot of toys. It really was the asshole of the world. Crumbling streets, bending buildings, smog and clouds. No one outside of Gotham gives a fuck about Gotham. People IN Gotham barely give a fuck about Gotham. It has the highest crime rates in the god damn country. Highest poverty, lowest in education. The politicians are as incompetent as they are stupid. And the mental health care system [color=f49ac2]"By GOD Arkham Asylum!"[/color] The narration spilled out into reality. Harley began rambling aloud as she moved her shoulders in tune with the pop music on the radio. [color=f49ac2]"Four years I put up with that [i]drek![/i] I was loyal! I cared! What did I get for it!? [i]BUPKIS![/i] Nothin' but late nights and lonely Hanukkahs! That's a fuckin' rotatin' door! I would know! I been on both sides of it! OUTTA THE WAY, ASSHOLE, I'M DRIVIN' HERE!"[/color] Harley slammed the horn. "Fuck you, bitch!" The asshole in question shouted, sticking his middle finger out the window. [color=f49ac2]"I'll rip yer legs off!" [/color] Harley shouted back, punching the wheeel as she sped around the other car. Briefly passing into oncoming traffic before swerving ahead. Then, it was over, and no one thought much of it. Exhaling, Harley loose strands of blonde hair out of her face. [color=f49ac2]"Oy vey."[/color] --- The street lamps blasted finely defined cones through the thick, permanent fog of Gotham city. One could barely see the tops of the downtown skyscrapers. Only the divine light of the Batsignal could pierce such a gloomy veil. Finally, she pulled up to the dejected skate park the Dee Dee twins called home. Harley didn't really know where they went off too. They seemed to exist in a little world of their own. Well, she also hadn't put much work into finding them. They could handle themselves. Easily. Pulling into the grass-cracked parking lot, Harley shut off the car and stood. [color=f49ac2]"Smell that stale Gotham air."[/color] She inhaled, stretching. [color=f49ac2]"Mmmmh... carcinogens!" [/color] Harley exclaimed. With a skip in her step she went into the skatepark. It was surrounded by a decaying chain link fence, propped up by cardboard in some places. The buildings around it, that formed three out of the fourth walls surrounding the park, squeezed the park. The far wall had large hole busted in the brick, and a shabby man milled about in the hallway within. The smooth, lonely sound of a saxophone filled the space. A figure, shrouded in darkness, had found their way to the top of a street lamp and played off-key, spontaneous cords. Perched like a gargoyle of coats and fur. Bitter grafitti was scrawled onto the walls. The skatepark itself was drenched in graffiti, all of it's many colors made black and orange by the Gotham atmosphere. It rose and fell like waves, rusted railings and withering wooden panneling, corroding concrete. Yet people still rid. Men and women rode the waves of the park, jumping and plummeting. They wore strange clothes of the deco days. There wasn't a single unmasked face among the lot. This ritual was a silent one. This place was just one of the many oddities in Gotham's forgotten corners. These people presumably led normal lives. Be it in soul-crushing offices or back breaking labor. Perhaps some were criminals, others with clean sheets. Some sober, others drunk. It didn't matter. Here they donned the cheap suits and caps of the 1920's. Placed the ugly visage of a crying clown upon their countenance...and skated their problems away. All of them, though, had some loyalty to Dee Dee. Thus, all of them were a little loyal to Harley. Evidence by, as she pushed open the squeaking "gate" to the park, one person took notice. Dressed in a thick trenchcoat and wearing a simple but effective cheap mask, they boarded over to her. They rose from the lower area of the park and came to a stop, kicking up their board and holding it one hand. [color=f49ac2]"Hey there, slugger." [/color]Harley greeted, looking them up and down.[color=f49ac2] "Ya seen Dee Dee?"[/color] She asked. Silently, they nodded. With a thumb they beckoned towards the far part of the park. The clown clicked her tongue against her cheek, firing off her akimbo finger guns and winking. [color=f49ac2]"Thanksamillion."[/color] Harley jumped ten feet down into the canyon of the park, hit the floor, bent her knees, and bounced ten feet back to the top of another plateau. A skater appeared, the underside of their board intricately painted, and then scrolled back down into the skater park. Things were busy. But Harley spotted them. The Dee Dee twins. Identical gingers. White shorts, red crop tops, white, poofy hats. Their cherubic faces painted starch white, two perfect red circles on their plump rosy cheeks. Finally, white roller skates. Animated raggedy ann dolls, pulled from the dustbowl and breathed full of malevolence. They circled around each other, singing a nursery rhyme. Their hands behind their backs, round and around they went. Every once in a while a skater passed by on the walls, zooming around them. The two were identical. Dee Dee was the collective name they went by. They were never apart. It went beyond the love one might have for their identical sibling. Her musings on the linked pair were interrupted. Dee Dee noticed her. [color=orange]"Mama Harley!"[/color] Dee Dee exclaimed. [color=f49ac2]"Heya, girls!" [/color]Harley called back. They peeled off their circle and casually skated up to her. Big smiles all around. They approached, giving her a big hug. Harley kissed the top of one of their foreheads, and she knew both of them felt it. [color=f49ac2]"How've ya been? It's been a while!"[/color] She asked. Deidre responded. [color=orange]"Wonderful, simply wonderful!"[/color] She pirouetted. Delia nodded. [color=orange]"Oh, yes, just fine, just fine! How have you been, Mama? The underworld shakes." "It shivers!" "The Prince and the Princess..." "Gotham's favorite comedy duo..." "Disrupted at last?" "How are you?" "Are you okay? "Shall we seek revenge?" "Have you been liberated?"[/color] Deilia asked, Deidre continuing and finishing sentences for her. Their voices were high pitched. Eloquent but small. The shrill plins and plons of a brassy music box. Harley smiled sadly.[color=f49ac2] "Yup. Mistah J and I are no more. But don't worry about revenge. I'm movin' on. A wise man once said: Living well is the best revenge."[/color] Dee Deed nodded, in awe of their mother's wisdom. [color=f49ac2]"...Course, that was seconds before I shot him because I wanted revenge. So, y'know, that might be a biased source. But still! I'm tryin' it, for now. Plus, eh, not sure there's much I can really do. Mistah J, er, Joker, is pretty much untouchable to the likes of little old Harley."[/color] [color=orange]"No, no, say not these things!" "You underestimate yourself." "We shall travel northward, and destroy him." "Destroy this town with guns and fire-" "Make it regret drawing Quinn's ire."[/color] Harley chuckled, pointing knowingly at Delia. [color=f49ac2]"Aaahaha, the rhyming. I was wondering what 'appened to that. You guys just come up with those on the spot, or...?"[/color] [color=orange]"In the mirror, we do practice." "Novices, we might be AT this."[/color] Dee Dee shrugged. [color=f49ac2]"Wow!"[/color] Harley was genuinely impressed.[color=f49ac2] "I bet you guys creep the hell outta people with that. It's great!"[/color] [color=orange]"It's true, we're known to inspire fear." "However, what is the true reason you've come here?"[/color] [color=f49ac2]"All business, huh? That's my girls. Well...I'm just gonna say it. Girls, I'm gettin' into the hero business."[/color] Harley was getting used to breaking the news to people. The skate park fell silent as everyone there stopped. Even the distant saxaphone cut themself off with a final discordant note. In the quiet, Harley felt a shrill tingle of anger travel up and down her spine. "[color=f49ac2]WHATTA YOU BUMS LOOKIN' AT!? GO LICK SOME PAVEMENT, YA FUTURE SKIDMARKS!"[/color] She yelled over her shoulder. The saxaphone and the skating quickly continued. Exhaling, she glanced back down at Dee Dee. The two of them were looking up at her, smugly. [color=orange]"We knew it."[/color] They said in tandem. Harley nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. [color=f49ac2]"Yeah, you're not the first person to tell me that."[/color] [color=f49ac2]"I'm relieved, though. Gotta admit. Do you think I can still come over to visit, even if I ain't a villain no more?"[/color] She asked, a little meekly. [color=orange] "Visit?" "Visit?" "No, no, not at all."[/color] Harley's face dropped. The twins began to circle around her. [color=orange]"We understand your answer to the hero's call." "Over Gotham, we'll all stand tall." "Visit not, but stay at the Ragdoll Hall." "Always here, to catch you when you fall."[/color] They said, proudly. Harley's face lit up. Excitedly, she span rapidly. [color=f49ac2]"You- you really mean it!? You'll help me be a hero!? Why!? I thought you loved mayhem! It's all I ever taught you! I---"[/color] She cut herself off. Then she lowered her voice. [color=f49ac2]"I really thought I mighta screwed you guys up."[/color] She chuckled apologetically. [color=orange]"Mama," "Mommy," "Mother Dearest,"[/color] The two tugged lightly at her ponytails. Harley jokingly slapped their hands away. [color=orange]"You taught us that you care about us." "That was the most important lesson." "There are many people in this world," "But you saw us for who we were, before anyone else." "You raised as," "Taught us to be brave," "And to be loud. To be..." "Ourselves." "For that," "For that..." "We'll follow you anywhere."[/color] Deidre finished, her voice full of a rarely shown sincerity. Harley, at this point, was tearing up. She wiped her eyes and hid her face from the nearby skaters.[color=f49ac2] "Oh my God...oh my God, I'm gonna cry. You really...you really mean that?"[/color] The two came to a stop infront of her. [color=orange]"Of course, Mother Harley. We would never lie to you." "Unless it was funny." [/color] The two giggled, and Harley joined them. [color=f49ac2]"I...y'know, I..."[/color] Harley looked nervously at the nearby people. Lowering her voice so no one could hear.[color=f49ac2] "I really...I really love you two."[/color] She admitted. Dee Dee smiled brightly. [color=orange]"And we love you, as well."[/color] They responded. Dee Dee looked at her, and then scanned the environment. Their verdent eyes were full of life. [color=orange]"Though, perhaps one day, you may not be so afraid to admit it."[/color] They examined in unison. Harleen was taken aback. Before she could comment, they were onto the next subject. [color=orange]"Heroes have many enemies on Gotham." "A new career will be difficult to blossam."[/color] Dee Dee observed. [color=orange]"Who should we kill first?"[/color] Delia asked chirply. [color=f49ac2]"Well, hold your horses, girls. Mama Harley is gonna take care of some things, first. If you are really on board, I need you two to fix this place up. Round up some guys. Maybe see if you can convert any-a these layabouts into some real followers. I'm gonna have Coach wire you two some money for the project. After I get some. The Ragdoll Hall is gonna be my first place to gather. Thank you so much, sweethearts. I dunno what I'd do without ya."[/color] Harley explained, before hugging them again. [color=orange]"Anything for you, Mama." "But surely, there is someone you want to kill first?"[/color] [color=f49ac2]"Yeah...Victor Zsasz." [/color]She whispered.[color=f49ac2] "That guy fuckin' sucks, right?"[/color] The twins nodded. [color=orange]"Preying on innocent young women..." "Were exactly his type." "Though no doubt, we'd destroy him in a fight." "We'd peel off his skin, if it took all night." "The gruesome murders of one Victor Zsasz." "And worst of all- he's boring- he lacks pizzazz."[/color] The two listed off their grivances of one of Gotham's most notorious serial killers. Harley chuckled, nodding in agreement. [color=f49ac2] "That's the spirit. Yeah, that guy blows. I think everyone'll sleep better if they see me murder him live on the internet."[/color] She concluded, her logic sound. [color=f49ac2]"Okay. Now, I'm off to plan my first big solo heist. You two keep doin' your own thing. I'm proud of you two, y'know! You've done great out of Mama's nest. You guys...really took flight. Couldn't be happier with how you turned out."[/color] She stood up straight and proud. [color=f49ac2]"By the way, is that new hair dye? It looks really bright. Very nice."[/color] [color=orange]"Indeed, Mama Harley. It's a new shade of orange." "Soon you'll that...that we are...we...umm..."[/color] Deidre trailed off, staring intently at the ground. Delia joined her. [color=f49ac2]"Oh, uh, sorry 'bout that."[/color] She surpressed a giggle at Dee Dee's expense. Dee Dee blushed. [color=f49ac2]"Hey, don't worry about it! Comin' up with rhymes all the time is really hard. Okay, Dee Dee. I'll see ya around. Thank you so much!"[/color] She gathered them up into one last hug before. Then, she cartwheeled off the plateau. Zoomed up the ramp, hopped over the fence, and sped away in her care. Dee Dee smiled and waved weakly after her. Then, the two sat down. [color=orange]"Perhaps, Dee Dee, we should re-dye our hair into something that isn't rhymeless." "Maybe on the poems, we choose to mellow." "But our shtick, our gimmick, surely it's timeless?" "Or from now now, we just call our hair... red-yellow."[/color] The girls nodded, wide-eyed at that. Then they began to play with each other's red-yellow hair, giggling. The strange sisters were satisfied for another evening. Deidre and Delia Dennis-Quinzel skated their problems away for another night. Meanwhile, their adopted mother, as always, plunged headfirst into trouble.