The Usual Suspects (Ivy)

[eli]

Pamela Isley, the botanist, was the best bet in figuring out just what had been happening over the past few weeks, to be specific, why was she targeted by Two-Face. The reason why was not the most intriguing aspect of the assault, it was what witnesses said Ivy did in her defense to ward off Two-Face's advances. From what Eli had gathered in questioning witnesses to build up a viable reason to visit the well-known botanist, she and Two-Face had known each other in...more intimate terms. Of course this was only a suspicion on Eli's part, but it made sense if he was to put the halted romance and Two-Face's party-crashing. Eli could not be sure, so he decided to ask Pamela herself.

He arrived at the address and gawked at the mansion. She sure did live well for someone who worked with plants. But he could see why: the property was swarming with all kinds of green life. He got out of his car and slowly walked up to the front door. The house was quiet, but he decided to knock anyway. He did not know if she was near the door or not, but he announced his presence anyway. He just hoped that she was home.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

It hadn't taken very long for the rumors of what happened between Pamela Isley and Two Face to spread like wildfire. They easily outpaced the police - Ms. Isley is already aware of exactly who among those who she used to associate with she can continue to associate with and who she can not. All in all, it's been... amusing. Her social life may now be a complete wreck, but there's something vaguely entertaining about watching it happen - whether it's the flimsiest of acquaintances reassuring her that they whole-heartedly see no problem with her... condition, to those who she was supposedly close to immediately breaking all ties. She'd received phone call after phone call from people asking, as politely as possible, if the rumors they'd heard were true. And then they stopped altogether. Time to begin the salvage operation.

But Pamela's ponderings on how to repair her standing among polite society are interrupted by a knock on the door. Checking the security camera has become a well-developed habit by now, but it's only a man in a police uniform - nothing to be concerned about. Of course they'd want to send someone over to ask a few questions - but this time the questions should be easy because the truth will suffice. Even so, she scowls at the inconvenience, though she's able to put on a pleasant face by the time she reaches the front door. Today she's wearing a pale green Asian-inspired dress: sleeveless but with a high collar; her neck didn't escape unscathed, after all, and bruises are not pretty.

"May I help you?" she asks politely after she opens the door sounding and looking just a bit tired, though she's actually looking him over rather carefully. This one will be a piece of cake.

[eli]

The door knob turned and Eli took a step back for room when Pamela Isley appeared in the doorway, looking a little tired. She was very pretty, not the kind of person Eli would have expected to be a well-known botanist. In his mind he had the image of a militant enviromentalist, unkempt hair, odd clothing, that sort of thing, but Isley obviously was an exception to his stereotypical rule. She then asked if she could help him. He stood straighter, a grin appearing on his face to try to lessen any tension if there was any to begin with.

"Hi Ms. Isley, my name is Eli Smith with the Gotham police department and just wanted to know if I could ask you a few questions regarding an incident you recently had with Two-Face? I've been talking to some witnesses about Two-Face's motives and they said to just ask you myself. Is that all right with you?"

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

If there's a scientist that doesn't quite fit the stereotype, it's certainly Dr. Pamela Isley. She treats botany as more of a hobby than a job, really, even though she's good enough at it to sell her skills for a high enough price to maintain the lavish lifestyle to which she's always been accustomed. Her parents are both wealthy scientists themselves, so she's used to money and all of the nice things that one is able to buy with it. Not to mention all of the people one is able to hang around with if your bank account is full enough. That is, if they don't also consider you a freak.

A smile plays across Pamela's face as he explains who he is and why he's here. Yes, she's sure the GCPD has questions about that. Everyone else certainly does. "Hmm, yes, nasty business that. Would you care to come in?" she asks, making a vague gesture to the couches in the front room. Even if he only asks just a few questions, she's sure that they'll be the type that require some explanation.

The interior of the mansion is open and airy, with very few walls and a lot of large windows that flood the place with natural sunlight. The furnishings are all pale, neutral colors that purposefully encourage one to pay more attention to the decor. And all of the decor consists of exotic-looking living plants. While she didn't go overboard in their size and number, there's still no shortage of examples of that part of her work that's pleasant to look at - both flowers and leafy houseplants. She's a specialist in hybrids, after all, and one of the best in the world.

[eli]

Pamela invited Eli in and he obliged, following her inside her home. He took in the decor immediately, which was pretty difficult to avoid. The place was beautiful, very ornate. Much more eye-catching than, say, his apartment was. By the decor one could see just how much Isley loved plants, if not already convinced from the impressive spectacle outside. He took a few steps forward, but then noticed Isley leading the way in the front room, motioning toward the couches. He gingerly sat down on one, still looking around at all of the green life and many windows in her home. It was like a virtual greenhouse. Who knew? Maybe it was, Eli had no idea. Botany was by no means his forte of expertise.

"Wow, you've got a really nice place here, Ms. Isley. The plants...it's like they could talk to you if you were quiet enough. Anyway, like I was saying outside, I heard from a few witnesses that you and Two-Face had an altercation of sorts, that you were also able to successfully repel him somehow. Do you mind recounting the events of that night just so I can compare your story with the other witnesses? I'm just trying to build as big a picture as I can so I can form a better approach is all."

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

It's only natural for someone who is both beautiful and wealthy to want to surround themselves with pretty things. Pamela just so happens to have a certain talent for creating very pretty things on top of that. She actually doesn't consider what she has in her home to be her best work - that's in her greenhouse. But then, so much of what's in her greenhouse was not created for its beauty (though she'd never make anything unattractive on purpose).

She chooses one of the other couches, purposefully distancing herself from Eli. Sitting too close would bring him within range of her natural pheromones and that would more likely make this particular situation worse, as helpful as they are at other times. But she rewards his compliments on the decor with a smile, "Thank you - botany has always been very rewarding for me." She crosses her legs and leans back as she sits, looking perfectly relaxed.

The way he phrases the question almost tempts Pamela to downplay what happened. However, she's well aware that, while this one young officer could hardly know all the important details, once they're done gathering information from all of the witnesses and piece it together they'll likely have a very good picture of what happened and any lie of omission on her part would likely be caught. Which would be a very bad thing because she didn't do anything wrong this time. It's better if she explains the complete truth of the matter because if the rumors that have been spread about her are any indication, quite a few of the witnesses didn't understand what they saw and head.

"Hmm, well, I was in one of the back rooms when Two Face came to the party. And when he saw me he... well, we used to date and broke up on very bad terms, so he was not happy to see me. So he picked me up by the neck and held me against one of the windows. Banged my head against it and threatened to flip for my life - you're aware of how he does that, I'm guessing? So I, caught in this very bad situation, poisoned him with my blood. After that it was easy enough for me to negotiate for my life with the antidote, though he did knock me off of a bar-stool before he left. Then again, I probably deserved that - it was a very messy break-up," she explains quickly and easily. And one might get the impression by how completely unaffected she is as she recounts this tale that she's even somewhat proud of herself. At the very least, she has no lingering upset or fear relating to the fact that it could have ended badly for her. And when she finishes her story she stops and waits - she's guessing he'll have questions.

[eli]

Eli sat at an angle from Isley, listening quietly as she recounted the events that had occured between her and Two-Face. Yes, he had heard of Two-Face, but had never seen him in person. Just pictures and video so far. What he had done to Isley was appalling and Eli sat forward as she explained what happened absorbing every detail. Some things stood out, made him pause briefly. What stood out just did not seem to sit right with him. He cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry about what you went through...the other witnesses didn't give me any details like that. If I had known it would be so painful, I would not have asked for specifics, so I'm sorry for that. But...one thing does stick out in particular. What do you mean poisoned him with your blood? And what about this antidote? Am I missing something?"

Isley's supposed poisonous blood, the plants...something didn't sit right with Eli but he couldn't put his finger on the reason. Assumptions were never good, especially for a cop as fresh as he was, so he kept his mind clear and on task. Hopefully Isley would make sense of everything.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

"Painful?" Pamela objects a bit at the word, "My head, afterward, yes. But no - I never felt like I was in any real danger. I had the situation under my control very quickly, and I'm sure that, deep down, Harvey still loves me." Why wouldn't he? She'd had him wrapped around her little finger for so long before she ended their relationship. And she'd looked amazing at the party. She's guessing that even if she hadn't quickly thought her way out of that situation he couldn't have got through with actually killing her.

But Pamela's attention is quickly drawn to the follow-up question. This is a tricker one - not because she isn't completely innocent here too, but it actually brushes up against a situation that actually is painful to her. "My blood contains a mixture of several very lethal contact poisons - naturally, I keep the antidote to all of them with me at all times just in case I bleed on someone on accident," she answers but, knowing that fact will no doubt be astonishing, she immediately explains why that's the case. "About two years ago when I was finishing up my doctorate, my professor performed an experiment on me without my consent. I nearly died twice, and there was a manhunt but they never caught him. And now these poisons are a natural part of me," she explains quickly, trying to get that part over with. And though she's able to keep her rage under control as she explains this, it's only just and reveals itself as a certain tension in her voice: she's obviously still very, very angry with the man. Then again, who could blame her? And once again she goes silent and simply waits for the next question.

[eli]

Eli did very well not to completely gawk in disbelief at what Isley was telling him. He did not believe that something of that nature was even possible, but he was also not a "science oriented" mind. He was one who looked at cold, hard facts. Such a concept as unusual as "acid blood" was totally alien to him, and it was really quite baffling. But, Isley was a highly respected botanist, so if she said that she bled acid, he would believe her, however he would have to be cautious now. He smiled rather nervously, hearing the disguised tension in Isley's voice as she recounted the surely painful memories.

"I, uh...don't really know what to say to something like that. I mean, I'm sorry that you experienced such a thing but I guess I just never believed that something as such was even possible. But, then again, I'm not a super-smart botanist, either."

His tone was absolutely serious, not sarcastic in any way. His mind was still on her blood. That could be dangerous, but she had already said that she was careful. The implications of what could be done almost made him shudder.

"So if I were to get some of that on me I'd be in trouble...gotcha."

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Pamela isn't sure whether she should be more amused or annoyed by that nervous smile she sees playing over the man's face. Even the compliment to her intelligence doesn't quite ease the feeling - it seems like every conversation lately results in the other person being like that. Either that or being excessively interested, and she's not sure which is worse.

Though to her credit, Pamela tries to remain patient - that immediate reaction makes it obvious to her that he's never met anyone, well, odd before. She'll simply have to go through the trouble of teaching him how he ought to react to it. "No," she corrects him, allowing a hint of irritation to color her tone, "If you got it on you, I'd give you the antidote and you'd be fine. But you won't get it on you because I'm just as in the habit of bleeding all over the place as the next person - less, because I'm careful." She's been repeating this idea to so many people lately; having poison in your blood is not really that big of a deal. Really.

"And as for it being possible, well, Dr. Woodrue was a genius. Also insane, obviously, but nobody knew more about botany, hybridization, and toxicology than him. Except perhaps me, I suppose, but I'd never do such a thing," she adds, the angry edge returning once again to her tone as she talks about him, though that last part is sincere enough. Pamela Isley would do a lot of things, but she'd never put anyone else through what she went through, even though she knows that she'd be even more successful at it than he was. She'd survived because she's secretly a meta-human and not because Dr. Woodrue got his experiment exactly right. And she's the only one who knows what he did wrong.

[eli]

Eli listened as Pamela explained the obvious reason people just didn't end up evaporating into a dissolved mess around her, bringing up the doctor's name that she had worked with. A Dr. Woodrue. The name was familiar to Eli. He knew of the man's reputation only by hearsay, but like Isley had just pointed out, he did sound like a very intelligent man. He could see how Isley had become so successful, following in Woodrue's footsteps. Although, to her credit, Isley seemed to have surpassed Woodrue in Eli's opinion.

The topic of conversation was turning sour, both from Isley's somewhat persistant tone in discussing it and something that Eli could read in her eyes. He was not one to keep pressing on an obviously painful subject, so he decided to inquire about what he had gathered over the past couple of weeks.

'Okay, I've been investigating some particular crimes lately and they all seem to have a single thing in common: a certain kind of spore or something or other has been found at each of the scenes. I've asked a few other botanists around the city and they couldn't really tell me anything concrete, only conjecture. Have you heard about any of this? Do you think these spores or 'hybrids' as I've also heard them be called could be stolen from any particular place? If I can find out where they came from I can move a little closer to figure out just what is going on."

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Having had more than enough of talking about her blood and the reasons for it, Pamela is initially pleased by the change of topic, though she'd have preferred a different one. Her eyebrows lift in surprise as she's unexpectedly asked about her secret crime spree, though that gesture could easily be mistaken for simple surprise at the change of topic. Not missing a beat, she replies, "Yes, I've seen a few articles in the paper about that - quite the mystery, I'm sure. But I don't know anything more than that really. I can say that the hybrids in the pictures look like very simple plant only crosses. Anyone who knows how to hybridize plants could do the same thing. I could probably make things like that in my sleep." In fact it's quite possible that she partly did make them in her sleep - the best time to work on such projects is late at night when she knows she won't be disturbed.

Then again, the fact that Poison Ivy intentionally limited herself to techniques known by so many people rather than using the more highly specialized methods she knows only keeps anyone from having proof that it was her. Anyone who knows plant hybridization really could have made them, but not with the same ease, finesse, and quality she can. But one can't link a person to a crime based solely on how well a crime was committed, can they?

To further cloud the waters Pamela adds, "I have no idea where they could have come from. I'm not familiar with what the other botanists around here are up to, or I might be able to tell you where to look; but I've only worked independently since I graduated. Though if you or anyone else at the GCPD would like to look through my greenhouse and lab or would like copies of my notes just to be sure it doesn't come from me, you need only ask." Because naturally, she knows better than to keep any evidence of these side projects around. And it's not like there ever was any notes on them to begin with - any information she'd have needed to keep track of for such simple work is safely contained in her head.

[eli]

Great, Levi thought, from what Isley said those hybrids are common. I was hoping she would have been able to give me more of a lead.

He sighed, not ecstatic about what she had told him, but it was not her fault. Still, he could not shake the strange feeling that had been bugging him ever since he had arrived and seen Isley's home. What that was he could not put his finger on yet, and it bothered him.

However, Isley did want to help, he could see that much. She even said that he or someone in the GCPD could look over copies of her notes and even look around in her greenhouse. That could really help sort things out, so Eli decided to take advantage of her offer.

"That would be most helpful, Dr. Isley. Do I need to come back another time, in case you're busy right now? Or could I look around a bit now?"

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

The sigh he gives forces Pamela to suppress a smirk. Not even Batman would be able to connect her to the crimes that he's asking her about, and she's excessively pleased by that fact. The only thing that didn't please her about her crimes is that they weren't big enough. At best she was giving the worst of Gotham's companies and people some inconvenience, but she hasn't really been able to change anything. She has to go bigger, but how can she go bigger without getting caught?

But she'll save puzzling over that problem for later. For now, she's all too quick to say, "If you want to look now, that's no trouble at all." By agreeing so readily, it only cements how little she has to hide, after all, even if a small part of her is growing bored of toying with this man. On the other hand, having him leave with the impression that she's extremely innocent is well worth the time it will take to show him the greenhouse.

Standing easily, she says, "If you'll follow me, it's just out back." She leads the way through the house, but even before reaching the back door the greenhouse is visible through the window. The glass building is larger than some people's houses, rising two stories in order to accommodate small trees. And it's possible to tell even from the outside that the number of plants on the inside is what many would call excessive. And on the far side of the greenhouse, a small lab with solid walls is attached, though it's open to the greenhouse on the inside.

The distance from the house to the greenhouse is short, but there's plenty to see all the same; the back yard is just as beautifully landscaped as the front yard. The spring flowers are just starting to bloom and, though none of them are as elegant as what's inside the house because they have to be hardy enough to survive outside, they're all beautiful nevertheless. Especially the ones that line the concrete pathways that connect the greenhouse to the house and then travel around to the front in order to connect to the driveway. The trees and shrubs are interesting to look at as well - what's in the front yard is more neat and formal while what's in the back yard is more exotic and wild looking.

[eli]

Eli was a little surprised when Isley offered to show him her greenhouse, yet was inwardly beginning to believe that she had nothing to hide since she was being helpful. Either that or she hid whatever it was very well. Not that he believed that she was guilty of anything, but due to his overly curious and inquisitive nature, Eli did not cut down people of interest until he had for a fact a reason to believe that they had nothing to do with whatever he was investigating at the time.

"Thank you, that would be most helpful," Eli said.

Isley led him through the house and out the back down the concrete path. He could see the massive greenhouse in the distance and once they approached, stopping at the entry door, Eli looked up, taking in the entire structure.

"Wow, this is something else..." he said quietly.