Money Doesn't Grow On Trees [Ivy, Penguin]

[Lola Marks]

[This thread is slightly further into Ozzy and Lola's relationship, still dating, nothing too serious yet. Also it will start between Ivy and Lola and then Ozzy will jump in later.]

When Lola first heard that she was going to an island in Gotham City she can honestly say that this wasn’t what she was expecting. Perhaps she wanted a beach or a nice resort but an insane asylum? This was where they put dangerous people that weren’t fit for the fabric of society, and they would never be able to progress as long as they were in there. But at least they were trying to get help? Or so she thought. Mostly she was just thankful that she was going to be spending time with Oswald. Whom she had grown somewhat closer to.

It wasn’t until she had heard the real reason why they were going to be here that she had grown excited about it. Oswald wasn’t clear at first but he had mentioned a lady that had a serious interest in the well-being of the earth. If there was one thing that she loved to pretend like she cared about it was the environment. She wasn’t filled in on every detail by him, but it was enough to get her to agree to go with him and see more of the sights of Gotham City. If this was a historical landmark and there was someone important here to Oswald, she wanted to be here to see it all.

When they pulled up in the limo she stepped out and observed the grounds. The place was not as terribly filthy as she imagined an insane asylum would be in her mind. It looked almost regal from the outside and prestigious. Whoever ran the place obviously cared about it as it looked like it had been recently renovated. When prompted she walked in with Oswald and stopped while he was met at the front desk. After he spoke with a few people to the side one walked up to her and offered her an escort to where she needed to go. Lola accepted figuring he needed to talk more with a few people about what he wanted to do with the woman.

She was walked down the halls after giving her new beau a kiss on the cheek with the doctor that came to escort her. She stayed in the middle of the halls, looking to each metal door as she passed them. The place was so strange and it had an eerie sterile feeling to it. Every now and then she wore she could hear screams coming from below her or above her, she couldn’t quite tell. Her arms came around herself for comfort as she walked toward the intensive treatment center. Why was this woman put in such a tight containment facility? What did she do that was so horrible? It was probably something that had to do with putting the rights of the environment in front of people, as it usually did with those types, which was alright in her book. Or at least that was how she was going to make it seem.

Finally the man that took her to the intensive treatment pointed down the hall and told her how many cells it was across before she reached the correct one. He left her there so he could go back to whatever these doctors did. Lola took care in her steps as she passed the large glass windows until she finally came to the young woman’s. The first thing she noticed, besides the bright orange suit was her hair that overpowered the hue of the room. She was gorgeous and Lola instantly adored her. Such a beautiful woman for such a beautiful cause. Anything surrounding this would make her look better in society. She stepped up to the window and tapped the glass lightly. “It’s terrible that they lock you up like this…Like you are on display..”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

To say that Poison Ivy has been miserable ever since she was caught would be an understatement. However, surprisingly, that isn't actually the asylum's fault. At the moment they could turn her loose and she would still be miserable. She can't help but continuously brood upon how she got here - Nightwing. It wasn't even the Bat... Terrible! Shameful! For the second time her precious babies have been abandoned because of an arrest.

The first time she could handle - she drove the FBI out of the city and took what she thought were adequate precautions about a repeat. In fact she was getting a few last components to the finishing touch to that when she was caught. She should have had an easy victory, and yet she lost. And what's the point of trying again if she'd have to put in so much more work and sacrifice so many of her babies if it's all so easy for it to be taken away? Of course she finds herself mulling over things that she could have done better, but in the end the ideas fail to address the main problem - she can't be certain that she wouldn't lose another garden.

With that on her mind, the fact that she's at the asylum is largely background noise. Occasionally she's disturbed by some staff member for whatever reason, but at any other time she's liable to do exactly what she's doing now - laying on her cot facing away from the window so that she can ignore the rest of the world and brood in peace. In fact she doesn't bother to even look when she hears a tap on the glass. Whoever it is that wants her attention can keep on not having it.

Yet when she hears the words that the woman says, she considers changing her mind. That's not the sort of thing that a staff member is likely to say, at least not until she's had some time with them. And her methods don't work as well on women... Turning, she glances over her shoulder at the woman, quickly sizing her up. Strange... this is not someone she recognizes, nor does the woman seem to act like she's one of the staff members she hasn't happened to meet. The fact that the other woman is attractive is not a factor to her. While Poison Ivy is absolutely obsessive about her own appearance when she can - because it works - she couldn't care less about what other people look like. How they act is far more important, after all, and even when they behave themselves they have an uphill battle when it comes to trying to convince her to care at all.

Then again, there's a certain subcategory of person that she finds more tolerable than most, and this woman may very well fall into it. And if only because she's bored, she supposes that she could talk to her - at least until she can decide if it's a decent conversation or not. "If people want to look at me, they're free to enjoy the show," she replies with a scoff. She knows that she's attractive and, far from not liking the attention, she actively encourages it. Even if it's the guards leering at her as they make their rounds - it only benefits her.

Though she actually doesn't look that good at the moment, or at least for her. Beyond the lack of available beauty products, the standard issue uniform does nothing for her and there's a dull, unhealthy look to her expression after spending so much time wallowing in her own misery and not bothering to tell the staff how to best care for someone with her unusual biology. Yet none of that does more than tone down the fact that she really is quite an attractive woman. She's just an attractive woman who needs better clothes, better food, and some time in the sun.

Sitting up on her cot so that she can look at the other woman properly, she's curious enough to ask, "Who are you?" They don't allow just anyone to walk through this section of the asylum, after all. Not without finding some way to convince the right person, anyway.

[Lola Marks]

Just having to tap on the glass in the first place made her feel terrible. She felt like she was at a zoo for real people. Lola had never been a fan of the zoo in the first place, or rather that’s what she told people. She really didn’t feel strongly one way or the other on the subject but she knew that it was the general stigma that the zoo was a bad place that locked up animals, just like the circus. For these reasons she stayed on the environmentally safe side of the spectrum and made sure that she showed that.

Of course she didn’t have a problem wearing fur at all. Some things were just too far.

But to put a human being behind glass and expose them for people to just come by and stare at them? For doctors to come by and prod at them or observe them like they were some kind of experiment? Terrible. Lola could sympathize with her, simply because she was so pretty and on the other side of the glass. Her manicured and painted pink nails tapped at the glass a few more times until the woman turned and sat up. She lowered her hands and greeted her with a warm smile. At least she was taking it with a positive attitude, although she didn’t look so well from the front, but who could be happy in a place like this.

“My name is Lola Marks.” She introduced herself finally and looked behind her to see if Oswald was any closer to being at her side. The rules and regulations of an asylum were unfamiliar to her, but she wasn’t surprised about getting a royal treatment or special privileges from any facility. She looked the part of importance and she acted the part of importance, even if she hadn’t made a name in Gotham at all. The extent of Oswald’s reach in Gotham was unknown to her still but she knew that it must have been far from the amount of luxury he lived in and the length that his words carried to people. Outside of that he didn’t talk much about what else he did besides be rich and important and to Lola, that’s really all that mattered. Even if at sometimes her curiosity wanted to get the best of her.

“And you are Miss Isley right?” She asked, remembering her name from the conversation she had with Oswald about her earlier. “Why did they put you in here?” Her voice tuned to a sympathetic and concerned tone. Her eyes danced about the cell. It wasn’t very big for someone that had to stay in there all day with no ability to leave. From just the short few words that they had exchanged this woman didn’t seem like she belonged her. When Lola thought of insane she thought about people screaming and throwing themselves against the walls. But this woman seemed perfectly fine. Maybe this is why Oswald wanted her out….and if that was the case she would stand behind him on it. A sweet yet sly smile came to her face as she thought about it. “And I might just be one of your new best friends”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

If tapping on the glass makes her feel terrible, she should try being on the other side of it. Of course, knowing that it would not be too difficult for her to escape should she decide that she wants to makes the whole place seem less confining than it might. But she stays because escaping would still not be effortless, and in a way staying here is a convenience. Here she doesn't have to worry about any vigilantes coming after her, nor does she really have to worry about taking care of herself.

And much of this situation that would bother a lot of people doesn't bother her in the least. The lack of privacy really isn't an issue for her because when you genuinely don't care about someone you also don't care how closely they are watching you. The main drawback is that, though she doesn't have to lift a finger here to get her needs met, they hardly meet any of her needs to the standard to which she's accustomed. Especially in the clothing department. In fact she finds her gaze momentarily resting on what Lola is wearing with the slightest twinge of jealousy. She wouldn't feel that way if they were to meet anywhere else, but here and in her present condition?

But she forces her mind away from that quickly, focusing her attention on the woman's words. She doesn't recognize the name at all, so she can't be one of Gotham's wealthy elite - strange, though, she seems to hold herself like one. Or perhaps she's a newcomer since she stopped playing such close attention? "Please, call me Poison Ivy," she says with slight smile, as if inviting her to do so is a special privilege. Actually, the opposite is more true. Since becoming a rogue she prefers her new name, and there's only a handful of people who she will tolerate calling her anything else.

"And apparently when you use terrorist tactics, they object to that. I don't see why - it got the FBI out of the city. And serial homicide - though honestly none of those people were any loss. Fraud and extortion, but how else was I to afford to buy things off the black market? Rob banks? No. Public, reckless endangerment for the advancement of science... Oh, and shoplifting, but how else is a woman to keep up with the latest trends when she can't show her face in public without being tackled by some vigilante?" she explains and justifies easily, showing absolutely no hint of remorse for any of the above - a small sign of why she's here and not in a prison of some sort. She leans back against the wall, pulling her knees in front of her and sighing, "It's really not fair."

But the other woman's last statement causes her eyebrow to lift first before she suddenly laughs. "My friend? Oh, I doubt that. I don't play nicely with others..." she says, laughing again. Then again, this Lola Marks hasn't said or done anything horribly irritating yet, and that's already better than average.

[Lola Marks]

Her right hand stayed on the glass as she observed the woman in her orange garb. Shining rings adorned most of her fingers and golden bracelets dangled from her wrists. Every inch of her screamed high and proper class. Her fingers only lightly pressed into the glass and removed themselves once ‘Poison Ivy’ properly introduced herself. It was an interesting name to go by but Lola met the name with a sweet smile. How posh, naming herself after a strong poisonous vine, it just would add wonders to the supposed cause that she was told her fought for.

It wasn’t the only thing interesting about this woman. She had a way about her that was simply captivating. She was tempted to ask if that was her natural hair color, but that would have been offensive. Of course it was her natural color; no one could get that kind of lushness without it being genuine. The thought made her run her hand through her own raven hair and let her curls fall to the sides. Natural beauty was always the best.

Lola’s brow rose as she began to go over each offense she had apparently committed. A serious look of curiosity and uneasiness marked her features at first. This woman certainly didn’t look the type to be a terrorist like the type she saw on T. V. But there must have been something going on already considering the FBI was in the city already before she committed these acts. Fraud and extortion? Well…that would greatly depend upon what exactly you were getting. Although Lola didn’t ‘often’ participate, she had seen her share of a coke party or two…..High class of course. There were some things that just couldn’t be squired at those parties at some kind of local supermarket. The last part was the most interesting by far. Vigilante? She could only assume that she meant she was taken in by a civilian that took the law into their own hands in one incident, or just people calling the police in general. She had nothing against law enforcement. They were a needed job, as long as they did their job and stayed away from things that were too small to matter.

There was only one explanation that made enough since with the story she had been told versus what she had just heard. Every action she committed was done for a much greater purpose. How could she not love that? It just wouldn’t be proper of her to not side with green. After all, we all couldn’t be saints all the time and if you believed in something hard enough it was always worth going for…as long as it paid well enough in the end. Because of this thought her chin lifted slightly and she laughed, clasping her hands together. “Such perseverance in the face of adversity. It isn’t fair that you are in here at all.”

Even when she protested to her immediate friendship the smile couldn’t be wiped from Lola’s face. “Do play Poison Ivy, Everyone can be bought.” She giggled and cast her gaze to the side again, moving back with a click of her heel to check down the hall. Thoughtfully she brought a finger to the glass and held it up for her as if telling her to wait and good things would come. “When my Puffin gets here I think you might change your mind about your playground.” A cute nickname for him left her lips. She hadn’t called him it to his face yet, but she had been thinking of a few for a while. He loved the colder things in life and the things that surrounded it. She just had to.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

In spite of her present location, attire, and appearance, there's still something about Poison Ivy that indicates her high class upbringing. Much of it is in the way that she holds herself, always with a certain dignity about her even though she's been forced into wearing such a ridiculous color. Some of it is a certain undercurrent in her every expression that hints at a feeling of superiority. Still more of it is in the very precise way that she talks. You can take the money away from the multi-million dollar heiress and throw her into a place like this, but you can't change who she fundamentally is.

As she explains her crimes she subtly watches the woman's reactions. The uneasiness she sees there at first indicates that she's not speaking to a fellow major criminal, but the way in which the list seems to be eventually shrugged off seems to indicate that this Lola is delightfully naive. Only someone as dangerous as Poison Ivy is can safely treat her lightly - anyone else who does so seems to almost be begging for her to take advantage of them. Though first she'd need to want something that Lola can help her get...

"It's not like much of what I did was even for me. I'm only trying to save the planet. And see how I'm thanked?" she adds with a pouting frown, "They keep telling me that what I did was wrong and I should feel badly about it. But I don't, because it wasn't. Certain sacrifices must be made for the benefit of everyone, and how can it be wrong to insist when people prove too greedy to make them willingly?" That some of these 'sacrifices' include reductions to the number of people on the planet is besides the point.

When Lola makes her statement about everyone being able to be bought, this time it's Poison Ivy's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Not everyone. Money is nice, of course, but some things are far more important..." she says easily. She may enjoy being in a position to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, but she's willing to do without it if she has to - especially if it's good for her plants. Her most recent hideout is a prime example - it's a profoundly unpleasant place to live, and yet it's still undiscovered as far as she knows. The safety of her plants is paramount. Not that the security of that place is doing them any good without her there to care for them.

But she's quickly distracted from that thought by what Lola says next. Her lips purse in brief thought at the nickname, but it really isn't very hard for her to figure out who Lola is talking about. She may not care about animals nearly as much as she does plants, but she does know more than her fair share about them, including the puffin. A bird very similar to a penguin save for the end of the world it lives on and the fact that it can fly somewhat. But why call someone a puffin when the person called such could just as easily be called a penguin, which is a much better known animal? Because the person objects to being called a penguin, of course. "Mr. Cobblepot is here?" she asks, genuinely surprised by that.

Though hearing such a young, beautiful woman call that man hers causes Poison Ivy's gag reflex to consider acting up... The man may be a tolerable person to do business with, but the very idea of being attracted to him! Perhaps she can understand taking an interest purely in a man's money - she actually does that herself from time to time - but if that's all there was to it then she knows from experience that there wouldn't be any cutesy nicknames. And there are plenty of wealthy men in Gotham that are much more pleasant to look at - she's dated, taken money from, and ultimately killed a few of them herself. There's no accounting for taste, apparently.

[Lola Marks]

Lola never thought that she would ever be dealing with anyone dangerous. Those kinds of things only happened in the movies, not to important people like her. Besides, what kind of an asylum would let her walk into a dangerous part of it and begin talking to a dangerous person? Even if they believed her to be dangerous from the way she was talking it was all for a good cause….Or at least a cause that she would pretend to support.

Money is nice? Money made the world go around! It was the only reason to get up every morning and go to work. Of course going to work was not the life for her. She had never lifted a finger to labor once in her life and she wanted to keep it that way. But someone had to get up every morning and make money and those people progressed in life, those people made a difference. There were the people that worked hard for their money, and the people that took advantage of the people that worked hard for their money. Either way the outcome was the same, people were still working for money. How anyone could say anything different just didn’t make any sense.

But how could she blame the poor woman from saying such odd things? She was in an asylum after all and being cooped up in a cell could make you say all sorts of weird things. Whatever group she was a part of was probably worried about her and she hadn’t been able to fight for her cause while she was locked up in here. No, the mission to why they had come here in the first place was becoming clear. Oswald wanted to help her by using…Whatever business he ran. She had already seen its workings once, and he had shown he worked with…Interesting people. The though alone made her shudder slightly and shift her weight at the glass. If she ever saw that creepy man with the doll again it would have been far too soon. But hopefully Oswald got the message on that and would make sure to keep them separated.

Lola really had no idea that Oswald didn’t like being called anything in particular. He hadn’t reacted to any of the nicknames she had called him so far negatively. All she knew was that everything he seemed to do revolved around the colder places of the earth, so she took animals and things from his lounge that represented the places he seemed to enjoy and made up cutesy nicknames for him. What really surprised her was that fact that she guessed from a single word who it was. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who thought these kinds of nicknames were fitting for him.

“Yes he is.” She looked from the glass down the hall once again and then back to her to see if he was coming. “He’s up at the front right now talking to someone, possibly trying to get you out and he can do anything with the right amount of class and money. Which he happens to have plenty of both. You know each other well?” She asked as she scanned over her expression when the name was mentioned. Sure, when she had first gotten a glance at Oswald she wasn’t very pleased with his appearance. It was difficult to be pleased with it, and the same look that was on Poison Ivy’s was probably on hers. But his class and standard of living alone was enough to make all of that go away. Especially the way he lived. Maybe for once she was actually able to look passed the pocket book?....No…

Lola shook her head slightly to herself and laughed internally. She must have lost her mind for a moment being in this place.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

This bit of news causes Poison Ivy to frown instantly, apparently not nearly as happy to hear that as one would think. "I'm not at all interested in having his help to get out of here," she states, getting off her cot and walking over to the glass keeping her in, folding her arms and craning her neck slightly to try and see if the man is coming. But the view from her cell is much, much worse than it would be in the hallway - he'd have to practically be here before she'd be able to see him at this angle.

And, knowing by now that Oswald, if not Lola's own mind, is keeping her in the dark about many things, Poison Ivy sees no reason to cause anyone any difficulty by being too open in what she says next - not that she's capable of getting herself into any more trouble than she already is, but she's certain that Oswald wouldn't appreciate having to explain away things that were said and one never knows who may be eavesdropping in a place like this. "It would make me feel uncomfortable - I wouldn't know how adequately thank him. And it's completely unnecessary," she continues, fully arrogant enough to be more direct as she adds, "I can leave here whenever I want, without any help from anyone. It wouldn't be difficult - this is not a hard place to get out of." And she's hardly going to allow the man to claim that she owes him anything for doing something that she could do herself - she knows how he operates. Though perhaps his visit could turn out to be useful to her for other reasons...

Shifting her attention away from the hallway - she can't really see anything anyway - she instead looks at Lola, who would now be arms length away if it weren't for the glass in between them. "And no, I wouldn't say that I know him well, but all of Gotham's upper crust tend to know each other. And my father was a multi-millionaire, and so was my mother. So naturally he'd know their only daughter," she explains, her expression easing up now. Though in reality, Oswald merely knew of the Isleys before she met with him in the back room of the lounge, not that long ago. But the implication that they've known each other longer is certainly helpful if the man wishes

[Lola Marks]

Lola paused at the glass with her next awkward statement. It caused an uneasiness to hang in the air as she was once again struck for a loss of words. This woman could defiantly be a challenge to talk to sometimes. Just from this short conversation alone she could tell that she didn’t get along well with others. Lola was always thankful never to have that problem, but that because she took the initiative to make sure it didn’t happen. She was a part of the elite world whether people liked it or not, and most did like it. She deserved it after all.

But who says in an insane asylum that they would rather not get any help getting out of here? If Lola was placed in here under false pretenses she would have been going mad just sitting in the cell. There was no amount of words to say how much help she would need and accept. Anything would be better than this cardboard box right? Maybe she misspoke; no sane person would say something like that, no matter how stubborn they were. Lola glanced to the side awkwardly again looking for her Puffin. He needed to come as soon as possible.

She might have protested to her statement but when Poison Ivy went on to explain it started to make a bit more sense than before. She would have just been embarrassed accepting help from Oswald. Lola could sympathize at that moment; she was locked up an in insane asylum. Imagine what that would do to her reputation? Any social standing she had would just be out of the window, aside from any supporters she had picked up. But Lola didn’t know the half of how this woman worked and despite trying to figure it out it just opened more and more things to question.

Leave whenever she wants? Now nothing made sense at all. “You..Like living here?” She added and raised a brow. That was really all she could say about it. Maybe Poison Ivy had said it out of spite, but the conversation was defiantly turning weirder. What woman in her right mind would want to be deprived of a vanity, a curling iron, a makeup bag, and a shopping mall? No self-respecting woman would do such a thing, especially as high class as the woman seemed.

Oswald sure knew how to pick his friends. Lola Took a polite step back from the glass as the woman approached and tried to look down the hall. Lola looked for her and returned her gaze with a slight shake of her head. “I haven’t known him very long, but I do know he isn’t one to waste his time so he wouldn’t come here for no reason.” She smiled slightly, almost smugly, as if she knew Oswald would get Poison Ivy to do whatever he wanted, simply because he did have the power and the influence. But Lola’s suspicions of her upbringing were true when she mentioned her background. It really didn’t come as a surprise considering how she had held herself before. She was a blue blood through and through.

Lola took a short step back to the glass and tried to match her hands upon it. “You really should keep an open mind about it. I don’t think this place will offer any luxury suites any time soon and your hair is far too beautiful to let go neglected..”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy can actually be an exceedingly easy person to talk to - when she's trying. And she's only putting forth a very minimal level of effort at the moment - if she wasn't trying at all she would be downright intolerable, and if she had reason to be unpleasant on purpose she'd be even worse. But at the moment she's right in the middle of a string of bad moods and has to put forth a bit of effort to even be as polite as she is now - which she's doing simply because when she didn't know who Lola was it wouldn't be prudent to say anything she couldn't easily apologize for later, and now that she knows about the connection to Oswald she certainly doesn't want to burn any bridges just because she's miserable.

"Like? No," she says immediately when Lola asks, "Of course, not. I just don't see the point of leaving." Her voice turns a little bit bitter at that last bit, allowing some of her miserable mood to be voiced. "At least until I figure out how Batman won't be a problem," she adds in a quiet mutter, for though it wasn't him that caught her she knows which masked crime fighter is the real trouble. From what she's heard from the other patients, Nightwing has moved to a new city and had just been visiting when he caught her. Lucky her...

Her attention shifts back to Lola when she starts talking about Oswald again, and this time her words cause Poison Ivy to purse her lips a little in thought. "Well, unless his reason is something beyond simply wanting to do me a favor, I'm afraid that he's inadvertently made an exception this time," she replies somewhat arrogantly. Knowing Oswald, it's perhaps possible that he'd have some interesting reason for wanting her out of the asylum beyond simply wanting to put her in his debt, but it would have to be extremely interesting if he hopes to convince her. The man, like so many others, has far less of a hold on her than he suspects. And she still wouldn't let him be the one to get her out of here.

Yet when Lola comments on the lack of amenities and the beauty of her hair, Poison Ivy can't help but soften that hard front she's putting up. Just a little, anyway. "How sweet of you to notice!" she replies, letting a smile reach her face as she touches her hair. It is, of course, one of her many good features. "Fortunately, it perks right back up when I care for it properly - I just need the right conditioner. I know how to make it myself, you know," she says, though her smile fades a lot when she adds, "Though even if I do leave, it's unlikely there's a luxury suite waiting for me - I'd have far more important things to do than relax and pamper myself. Though I must admit that it bothers me that I've been a bit out of circulation - I have no idea what the current fashion trend is right now." And the almost anxious expression on her face makes it perfectly clear how unacceptable that is to her.

[Lola Marks]

Batman, Batman, Batman. She’d heard the name several times now and still had no idea who it was. He couldn’t have been a famous movie star, Lola would have known of him. But obviously his fame resonated in Gotham or at least as far as she could tell. She had never even heard his name uttered where she had come from, then again if he wasn’t anything that special she would have never heard his name from the more proper social club. Well, whoever this “batman” was she would have to meet him despite his beastly name. He was just far too popular not to it seemed!

But why would he be a problem to her? Perhaps he was trying to bring down everything she stood for, in this case making him a menace to society. Lola didn’t really care one way or another whether it was right or wrong, as long as it fed into her interests and social status. Of course she wasn’t simply out to get into trouble either. She would rather stay on the good side of the law. But the top socialites tend to get away with more than the common folk, especially when it came to saving the planet.

Lola honestly didn’t have a perfect answer for her when it came to Oswald’s intentions. He had filled her in on the vague details in the car but as for the true purpose for coming here? She wasn’t quite sure. She could only assume it had to do with her obvious cause. “I’m sure when Oswald gets here he’ll explain everything. We only spoke briefly about it on the way here, but I must say since I’ve been here I’m certain we should help you with whatever favor you need.” She stated her opinion but knew that it was hers and hers alone. She couldn’t just put her opinion on Oswald.

Poison Ivy seemed to perk up in her mood when the talk of Skin, beauty, and fashion started. This was a subject that she could talk about all day if she wished. Lola stepped back from the glass to show her in a better view the full length of her dress. “I had a fur when I came in the door, Very posh right now, but they took it as I walked in. Apparently nervous that I would hide someone in it.” She laughed softly and shook her head at Poison Ivy’s own attire. It was a shame that someone with taste like her had to sit in something so ugly. “They wont even allow you to change it in any way?” She asked thoughtfully. Even with a good pair of scissors she might be able to make something adorable out of it. The worst part about it was the color however.

Cautiously she glanced down the hall again and then back to Poison Ivy, bringing her body back to the glass. Surely he was going to show up any minute. “Who runs this place anyway that put you in such conditions? This cell is not proper for someone with such immaculate taste.”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy doesn't comment any further on Oswald's reasons for being here, as Lola clearly knows pretty much nothing and she herself won't completely dismiss the idea that her may convince her to leave until he does or he doesn't. Because she though she knows just how miserable and in a way helpless she feels, she also knows that the man in somewhat clever and capable of surprising her. Not that it's likely, but she'll admit that it's possible.

Yet clearly if she's going to have to kill time before the man finishes doing whatever it is that he's doing (ensuring that his meeting with her will go largely unnoticed, she's guessing), it's more productive to talk to Lola about things that the other woman obviously knows more about. Her lips purse only slightly at the mention of a fur - her concern for animals is far lower than many might suspect, as while animals are an essential component of the environment she doesn't much care if they have feelings or suffer - she wouldn't wear a real fur, but she won't kill anyone else for doing so. "That dress is adorable! I have a similar one at home - it's one of my favorites!" she comments as she allows her face to shift into a smile.

"And no, not really," she adds, looking down at her own attire with a scowl, "I suspect that there's not much that can be done to help this thing, even if I was allowed to have the tools required to alter it." Any form of scissors or sewing needle (or, better yet, some sort of dye) are hardly on the list of things that they'd give her. At least, not without a higher level of persuasion than she's willing to go to. "And without any tools, I'm sure that it could only be made to look worse. I don't care what they say - there's something fundamentally lower class about the ripped look," she says, shaking her head.

She can't help but smile as Lola again comments on the accommodations. That she both needs and deserves better should be blatantly obvious to anyone. But, sadly, she's used to not being treated the way that she deserves to be. "The director of this facility is Jeremiah Arkham. Who is, to be frank, a real idiot. And believe me I'd know - he put himself in charge of my case, so I 'get' to have regular chats with him," she says with an expression of contempt on her face.

[Lola Marks]

There was a certain atmosphere about this place that made her uncomfortable, even when she was talking to someone. Maybe it was the moaning that would occasionally come from the halls or the clearly distinguishable cries coming from several cells around them. Lola didn’t dare look into any of the others that Oswald didn’t say she should go to. This one suited her just fine; he wouldn’t really try to expose her to such filth. But she was beginning to understand why he wanted her here in front of this woman. This woman didn’t belong here and for whatever reason he wanted her back out among the high class of society.

Speaking of Oswald he sure was taking his time. How hard could it be to get a woman out of this place that clearly didn’t belong here? The thought was suddenly distracted when she commented on her dress. Lola smiled and pulled her knee forward looking down at her own dress and admiring it for just a moment. It was a beautiful dress and if she had one of her own that just confirmed her high class. Lola was never one for sowing either, but she had seen many maids and butlers tend to hem a dress when she was little. Some of them were very skilled in doing so and made her plenty of adorable clothes. When she was little, she was dressed like a doll and she always felt like a doll princess. Lola Deserved it.

“When we get you out we can see what we can do about getting you into something more presentable. I wouldn’t let them escort you out of here in that. I would just die if I had to walk out of here in it.” She commented once again on the fact that she was going to get Poison Ivy out of here today, or at least her Puffin was. Why would she deny help from them? It wouldn’t be a good move to do so, this way she could get out and not be an escapee that would just end up right back here after a while. Besides Oswald wouldn’t do anything illegal that would deliberately get them all in trouble without a very good reason. She trusted that he wouldn’t deliberately put her in any danger.

Jeremiah Arkham? Interesting name, nothing she had heard of or read in the recent paper of the Gotham Times. Then again she had barely glanced at the paper while she was having coffee at her hotel room just the other night. She had skimmed the print and barely read over names in bold like Batman and Vigilant. This certainly was an odd city of fairy tales but she enjoyed the excitement. Anything to get her mind off of what happened recently in her family would be good for her. Even if it meant walking into an insane asylum and talking to patients. “We’ll have to have a little talk to him about releasing you I’m sure.” She smiled and tried to keep the conversation going while she was waiting for Oswald. “I can’t imagine what’s taking him so long. He was right behind me when I was told to move down the halls.”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

The ambiance of this place hardly bothers Poison Ivy, except perhaps in that she really does prefer nicer surroundings. She can tolerate living in such primitive conditions if she has to, though she doesn't particularly like it. But the sounds of the insane hardly disturb her - so what if some unimportant and worthless being is suffering? Why should that trouble her?

Yet she is troubled by Lola's comment that once again indicates that she'll be helped to leave. Her stance shifts uncomfortably at the thought and her lips purse, but with some effort she convinces herself not to comment upon that directly again - it's Oswald that she'll have to refuse and not this woman anyway. Instead she says, "Well, I certainly wouldn't die. I look fabulous in anything, including this, but the fact that it's so blatantly obvious that I would look even better in anything else only proves how horrible it really is." She shrugs, emphasizing her uncaring attitude about the whole thing. Why should she care what the idiots around here think of her appearance anyway?

But though she was able to shrug off the first comment, the woman's words about talking to Dr. Arkham push her tolerance of it too far. Her expression suddenly turns angry, and though she manages to keep the volume of her voice level, her words are abruptly tense and clipped, "Look, I can not accept Oswald's help, even if he's offering it freely." And she seriously doubts that! "Not only is it unnecessary, if any of the other rogues found out about it my reputation would suffer. They already struggle with taking me seriously because I'm a woman - though perhaps it's justified when the only others are a crazy cat lady who is more Robin Hood than rogue, and a misguided clown girl who is under the impression that the Joker is in love with her - but hearing that I actually needed a man's help to get out of here would make it even worse," she rants.

"And do you know what would happen if I was released? I can hardly go back to the life of the rich and famous - sit back while all these horrible people harm so many precious little babies? No, I'd quickly find myself rebuilding, taking up my work again. Only to find it crushed by a man in a bat costume, get myself thrown in here again, and be forced to rot here while all my work is destroyed," she continues, her anger slowly shifting into more of a helpless sort of sadness. "I don't think that I could bear to lose another garden, I really don't..." she adds quietly, suddenly looking as if she might cry though her face remains dry.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

It could be argued to be insanity just to bring Lola to such a place as this, in some ways Oswald regretted the rather impulsive suggestion but she did desire a tour of Gotham and the Asylum was certainly a prominent part of the city, besides apparently it made it seem like he was a nice guy for visiting the poor crazy plant lady and attempting to help her out. He did so love when people mistook his actions for acts of kindness, it saved him the bother of pretending.

A visit to the Asylum, particularly for a private talk, isn't such a simple task to arrange. While Cobblepot had managed to find a couple of staff who were willing to collect a little extra money on the side there were many who would notice such a visit and consider it worth investigation. Oswald did have somewhat of a reputation for being up to things so the timing had to be perfect. Those who would get in his way had to be busy elsewhere, people he could buy must be able to ensure the safety of his visit while Ivy must be on her own, preferably in the unpleasant surroundings of her no doubt very drab cell, just to put her in the right frame of mind to consider escape.

And yet despite all his planning he thinks nothing of arriving in a limo with personalised plates. Oswald's logic with cars is sometimes remarkably baffling but travelling should be done in style or else no one shall know to prepare for the arrival of someone important. His usual driver/bodyguard/security/general thug Mike has never grasped the concept of wanting people to know you're there but pointing out flaws in the Boss' plans isn't good for the health so he drives rather than argues.

Alas as seems to be the way with those willing to resort to bribery things begin to go somewhat pear shaped the moment they get to the front desk and Oswald spots the security guard who's supposed to be ensuring their path is clear is stood nearby waiting and subtly trying to gain their attention. To bring Lola was foolish enough, to deal with trouble while she was there would be impossible. The inconvenience of the lower classes was astounding, his only option had been to get the front desk to bring someone else he could rely on so they could take Lola on ahead.

He hid his anger until the moment he'd granted the guard a moment in private to discuss the terms of their arrangement. As if there was anything to discuss, no one went back on a deal with Oswald Cobblepot and attempted to threaten him with reports of his activities. All it took was a little reminding just how expendable he was. Guards disappeared all the time around Arkham and if he didn't wish to be one of them perhaps it would be wise to reconsider breaking their deal...It didn't hurt to have Mike looming above and glaring.

An inconvenient delay, one that may still cost the guard dearly if Oswald remembered by the end of the day that he required teaching a lesson. Maybe if he was lucky Cobblepot's meeting would prove distraction enough.

As a result anyway Oswald arrives late. How fortunate that having Lola go on ahead ensures that someone was on time, Ivy may not have been expecting them but he does prefer to keep to his schedule, even if the time he keeps is not always what others expect it to be. Now he merely has to assess how much the woman has told Ivy and if Ivy has let slip anything he has to blame on her insanity.

Hurrying the halls with Mike easily keeping up behind he navigates to where Ivy's cell should be and slows right down as he hears talking. The voices are easily recognised but he still seeks an appropriate time in conversation to make an entrance, these things are important of course.

Lola is kind enough to provide such an opportunity in questioning where he is though just as he rounds the corner he hears Ivy's rejection of his generous offer. What nonsense! How anyone could stand to be in the place for five minutes was beyond him. Rules must be followed though, he would have to address that in a moment, first he was bound to making his apologies "I see the staff here have at least managed to guide you to the right place my dove" Lola is not the only one who can do cringe-worthy pet names. Mike still has to fight the urge to grimace every time the Boss gets around women.

"I do apologise for my delay, these places are all forms and bureaucrats" He offers the invented excuse as he moves to kiss her hand before his attention shifts to Ivy and he finally tips his hat at her "And Miss Ivy, a pleasure as always, though once more it appears the surroundings are less than desirable. You cannot seriously be considering staying in such a place?"

Mike meanwhile quietly takes up position in the background by the nearest security camera and waits until Lola's distracted before calmly disabling it. He doesn't trust the guard to do his job anymore and isn't prepared to give him the chance to fail.