Bad time for a Breakdown [Open]

[Joan Leland]

It was already getting late when Joan had started to head for home after another day wasted trying to find a new job. Arkham was down, there just wasn't many places for a professional psychologist to work without the asylum. She'd resorted to working for herself on the side but money was tight for a lot of people, even if the trapped feeling in the city was proving to make people a little more unstable than usual. There still wasn't enough work to keep her bank account from slowly decreasing.

Late was rather relative these days. It was dark and the curfew for the night was only half an hour away, without it she would still consider it early but now it was just enough time to drive home and safely hole up in her apartment for the night before the FBI took over the streets again.

Quite calmly she reflected on the day and tried to come up with a plan for tomorrow as she drove past the empty shops and barely noticed how quiet the streets seemed with most people already inside. Months ago it would have been odd, now it was just another day. The city almost felt like it was old and dying without life on the streets. Financially at least it probably was dying.

A stutter from the engine broke her line of thought.

This was really not the time to break down. She pulled over just as the engine died "You would pick now. Come on...come on" Joan muttered as she tried to get it to start up again.

It wasn't working. A check of the watch, twenty five minutes to go. Could she fix the car and be home by then? If it was something simple, maybe. She certainly couldn't walk home that fast and the empty streets of Gotham weren't so inviting outside the relative safety of her car. A small sigh and she reached into the glove compartment for a flashlight before popping the hood and getting out to have a look.

[harley]

It was getting longer than usual that Harley had been separated from The Joker. Normally it was less than two weeks before he was out looking for her or she was back at one of their numerous hideouts, begging for forgiveness and to be taken back which a majority of the time he would reluctantly accept. However, this was getting on to the start of the third week without any word from The Joker, he had even abandoned their regular hideouts. Needless to say, if she wasn't already insane, this would have driven her there.

Bored and lonely, she walked the streets of Gotham, feeling very apathetic she didn't care about the current curfew on the city. Laws like that didn't apply to a person like Harley anyway, she was already wanted for countless crimes as it was, if the police saw her at any time of the day they would arrest her on sight and try their best to lock her away for good. But with her very well documented mental state, conventional prisons weren't an option for her and any mental institutions were easy enough to break out, no matter what the officials claimed.

It was a good thing that the streets of Gotham were empty thanks to the curfew. These were the only times Harley could risk being out in public since normally whenever people saw her signature red and black outfit, they reported her to the police. However, this night, Harley wasn't wearing her typical jester costume. Instead, she was dressed like any other girl in Gotham, but with the red and black color motif and pig tails still remained. Whether it was because she was trying to move on because she thought she had been abandoned or because she wasn't in the mood for anybody looking to have a brawl with The Joker's ex-second in command, she wasn't sure.

Looking down at the sidewalk, with her arms in her jacket pockets, she turned into a street and looked up to see if there was anything to be aware of before heading up it. To her surprise she saw somebody with such unfortunate luck that their car had broken down. From this distance she could see it was a woman, but that was all that obvious. She didn't know why, but Harley wanted to help the woman. Gotham was a dangerous place at night and she had some vague knowledge of a curfew. Whoever the woman in trouble was, Harley saw no reason why she should get in trouble with the law, or worse. Compassion was something that she rarely felt, but tonight was an exception.

Slowly she approached the woman as she was checking under the hood. "Hey lady, do ya need any help?" she said, her distinct voice as loud and slightly abrasive as ever.

[Joan Leland]

Joan's skills with cars wasn't widely known in Gotham. Her neighbours hadn't failed to notice it, a garage near her apartment building was well aware she couldn't be sold anything she didn't want or need and generally didn't require anything from them that didn't need specialised equipment. A few at work had seen her fix things a couple of times but that was about it. She kept her car looking like the normal dull hatchback she still considered it to be but the entire thing had been tinkered with so many times it was a grand testament to a waste of time and money. It was her hobby to keep her sane against all the stuff that happened at work, a handy skill courtesy of her dad and sometimes quite a good way to turn a boyfriend into an ex. Which really made the breakdown of her own car all the more disappointing.

Another little sigh of frustration and her eyes scanned over the engine, trying to ignore the dark, empty feeling all around. Couldn't see any loose wires, the suped-up engine with the turbocharger she never used again after testing it worked but had put in some time ago to take her mind off nearly being killed in Arkham again was looking it's usual slightly dirty self. It wouldn't start, that narrowed things down.

Her thoughts scattered at the sound of footsteps. Ohh crap. Please be friendly. Is it too much to ask to just this once bump into the police or maybe even a friendly guy with a tow truck round the corner? At least don't make it someone who wants to shoot me.

She started to look up but froze at the voice. She recognised that voice. Her torch quickly shone over to the other woman as Joan straightened stiffly "Harley?" She was understandably nervous and tensed ready to move fast just in case. Please don't be in a crazy mood.

[harley]

As soon as Harley had offered her assistance, she instantly regretted it. What did she know about cars? She didn't know the difference between an exhaust and a spark plug. Even worse, it could be a cop or some FBI guy. Harley was a wanted woman and getting caught because she offered to help somebody when their car had broken down would add to her already poor criminal reputation. Harley Quinn, sidekick to The Joker, self proclaimed "Deadliest female adversary of Batman", locked up for being a good samaritan. It was too horrible to comprehend, but it was too late now.

Harley panicked slightly as the light from the woman's torch hit her face when she turned, causing her to shield and squint her eyes simultaneously. "Woah woah woah, easy on the headlights, huh? What are ya tryin' to do? Blind me?". It was like getting a photograph taken, when the flash goes off and distorts your vision. While the light shone in her eyes, Harley heard her name being called by the woman. That was never a good sign. If somebody knew Harley's name, they knew exactly who and what she was and a psychotic killer and lover of perhaps the most feared criminal in Gotham's history was rarely met with a good reception. However the voice sounded oddly familiar, but Harley couldn't place it.

When the after effect of the light wore off, the woman's blurry face slowly returned back to focus. Harley recognized her immediately. "Dr Leland?" she asked, almost in disbelief. The two of them had a rocky past, to say the least. Out of all the people to have met on an empty street at night, she never for a moment thought it would be Joan Leland. "So...ughh...how have ya been?" she asked followed by a slight nervous laugh as she reached behind her head with one hand and awkwardly scratched behind her ear.

[Joan Leland]

So far so good. Joan was a pretty paranoid woman, specially when it came to meeting random rogues outside of Arkham. Even more specially when they had a connection to the Joker. This is Harley though, Joan can't just run, she still blames herself for Harley running around in clown make-up and she still has to try and find some hope that there's a way to undo it all.

There's no clown make-up tonight though. She considers that that could be a good sign, she certainly hopes it's a sign that the Joker's nowhere near and Harley's not out to cause trouble tonight.

She lowers the torch a little hesitantly but there was little good to be done by blinding Harley while she wasn't being dangerous. A part of her wished she's brought her toolbox from the car boot before checking the engine, at least then she might have something better than a torch to defend herself with but again, she is pretty paranoid, though with good reason.

Outwardly she fakes her usual calm, her body might be tense and her mind's considering the various ways a hot engine and open hood could be used as a weapon but her voice keeps steady once the initial surprise sinks in.

She slowly closes the car hood again as she speaks, just in case even if Harley's behaviour is reassuring "I'm..." a lot of conflicting thoughts run through her head but the less than truthful "Fine" comes out. An awkward gesture goes to the car "Just a little engine problem" that's as much small talk as she's happy with considering she never likes to talk about her life, not even with the other Arkham doctors. It's a habit built up from trying not to give the patients anything to go on. She easily slips into talking about someone else though, namely Harley "How're you doing lately?"

[harley]

The atmosphere was tense to say the least. Harley was well aware of how Joan must have felt towards her. Heck, pretty much everyone in Gotham felt the same way about her. The only thing she didn't know is how her feelings manifested themselves, was it anger, fear or somewhere in between. Either way, Harley was on guard, waiting for something to happen. If Joan tried to attack her, she didn't want it to come as a surprise. It was still unbelievable that out of everybody in Gotham it was somebody she had known before her criminal career began and it was somebody that she held a grudge against. The only question was what to do about it.

Approaching the car quite casually, despite still keeping on guard. Harley listened to Joan's reply. It didn't take a degree in psychology to tell that Joan was lying, Harley could guess how she felt. Back in the days before 'Harley Quinn', if a known psychopathic killer had approached her she would have felt the same way. Add to that, the fact that Harley and Joan have had previous encounters together. She raised her eyebrows when Joan had answered her question. It was clear that Harley didn't believe her.

Harley had always been jealous of Joan. She was an experienced psychiatrist and much better at her job than Harley was. Not to mention Joan had said that Harley was not experienced enough to become The Joker's therapist, even though she couldn't have been more right. Eventually Harley managed to get her way and the rest is history. Even now, deep down Harley hold Joan responsible for the lifestyle she leads now. However, it was Joan's lucky day since Harley was still in the depressive mood that she had been in for so long since her and The Joker separated. Any anger she felt towards Joan was barely noticeable.

"You should really watch out Doc, there's plenty of wackos in this city and they can be pretty dangerous!" she told her. The irony was totally lost on her. Slowly, Harley leaned against the side of the car, relaxing slightly as she prepared to answer the next question. "Well to tell ya the truth Doctor Leland, I ain't doin' so good. Me and Mistah J kinda...split up. Ever since me then I ain't be feelin' too good. But I met this nice lady who's given me a place to stay and stuff." she told her with a frown. It had been a hard few weeks, but thanks to Poison Ivy, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "How's the old Asylum doin'? It's been ages since I last visited!".

[Joan Leland]

How Joan felt towards her was probably a lot more complex than she imagined. She didn't dislike Harley, she couldn't. As far as Joan was concerned Harley was a victim of the Joker and the management of Arkham. She should have argued harder to keep Harley away from the mad man but by the time she saw the true extent of the obsession it was far too late. She feels guilty. Maybe she could have prevented it all.

Yes she's a little afraid, Harley's pretty unstable, the wrong word and she could easily spark anger but even with a little fear for her life mostly Joan just feels sorry for her. She was taken in by the Joker, her world ripped apart and she doesn't even really seem to see it. She needs help.

At least Joan was pretty used to talking to psychopathic killers, yes there were usually guards around or at least people somewhere but it's enough that unlike the average person on the street she's not gone into a blind panic. She's just sticking to the other side of the car and keeping a reeeeally close eye on Harley. Paranoia over the possibility of Harley planting a bomb on the car comes all too easily thanks to her last random meeting with a rogue on the streets, darn you Nigma.

Harley's look of disbelief just caused Joan to raise her eyebrows back. Lie though it was Joan's clearly sticking with it. She could almost believe Harley was sane and just she was failing to keep her emotions hidden at work for a moment. Whatever happened since then Joan did at least used to think there was a lot of potential in Harleen Quinzel, the woman paid more attention than some. Now though that potential was of course gone to Joan's mind.

She knows well enough that Harley doesn't see the irony of her own words, she's not pointing it out, it's a dangerous enough situation without provoking the crazy lady. She's also really careful not to smile about the news of Harley and the Joker splitting up, even if it's the best news she's heard all day. Yeah it happens all the time but Joan doesn't usually get to talk to Harley when it does "I shouldn't worry, I'm sure somewhere there's a nice man who could make you happy again" so long as they're anyone but the Joker.

The comment about the nice lady bothered Joan, Harley was so easily taken advantage of but first she answers Harley's question "The FBI have shut it down, they're taking care of the patients now. There is no more Asylum" for the sake of her job she hopes when the FBI leave Arkham will get back onto it's feet again but right now it was closed and she was out of the job. Back to that nice lady though "What's this woman asking for in return?" she was suspicious, the types of people who'd put someone like Harley up weren't really what she'd assume to be nice.

[harley]

When Joan mentioned the possibility of another man taking Joker's place, Harley couldn't help but frown. To her, there was nobody else in the world that could fill his shoes, and who would want to even try? Harley was well known throughout Gotham and no doubt well beyond the city borders. No man in their right mind would be interested in her, despite the fact that she was an extremely attractive woman.

"Ain't nobody like Mistah J. With him everythin' was perfect." she said with a sigh. As she spoke, her mind was dominated with images of The Joker's face. The sad thing was that in her mind, everything was perfect. Every time he had beaten her or worse, she blamed herself for. In all the time she had spent with him, Harley had even managed to justify the killings that she had taken part of, even if she didn't like it. In Harley's mind, The Joker killed to try and express some twisted and deranged joke, it was all one big joke. Whether Harley's interpretation of his psyche was the truth or The Joker just wanted to kill people, nobody would know besides him.

"Arkham's gone huh? Sheesh, I liked that place. It was where me and my puddin' first laid eyes on each other" she said as she swooned slightly. That was the only reason she liked Arkham, it was only natural, not many prisoners were fond of the prisons they were held in. However, since it was the first place that Harley got a job after she graduated, there was a soft spot in her heart for the asylum.

The fact that Arkham Asylum was no more slightly worried Harley. That had always been the place where she was sent wherever she was captured. The best part about the asylum was the relative ease that was involved when breaking someone out. If the Joker was captured, Harley could have him out in a few days. If Harley was caught, Joker took...considerably longer to spring her. Even though it was obvious that The Joker took his time to break her out because he wanted a break from her, Harley was sure that it was because The Joker was far too upset to plan a breakout. Now with FBI sticking there noses into Gotham's troubles, being caught would be more dangerous than ever.

Harley was much more relaxed around Joan now, if she was going to do a runner or attack her, she would have made her move already and not just listen to Harley's problems. She wasn't stupid enough to totally let down her guard, Gotham was too dangerous a place for her to ever let her guard down when she was alone. Slowly, Harley turned against the side of Joan's car to face her as she answered the question about Poison Ivy. "Ivy? She don't want nothin' from me. We're friends, we just go shoppin' together and keep each other company. It's fun!". Of course when Harley mentioned shopping, it was the type of shopping that didn't involve the spending of money and whenever the two of them returned they were richer than when they left.

"So what are ya doin' now that Arkham is under the feds control?".

[Joan Leland]

Joan considers all the things she could say about the Joker and all the things Harley could do to her for saying it. For the moment she left it alone but it played on her mind as she tried to concentrate on the other topics of conversation.

"I'm sure when the FBI has finished here" the sooner the better "Then if it's possible Arkham will be back. Your room will be right where you left it" and they'll no doubt catch up again in a safer environment as soon as Harley's locked up in it. Safer until the Joker bothers to turn up anyway but you're not really an Arkham doctor until you've lived through a few escape attempts.

Joan's never been the sort to attack anyone, maybe the odd tranquillizer on escaping prisoners if the guards aren't close by but even among the Arkham staff she's one of the least dangerous. Electroshock treatments aren't a magical cure all to her and she certainly doesn't run experiments on the patients unless perhaps it's to analyse powers. She doesn't even own a gun or anything, though if she runs into one more rogue she's definitely going to start considering getting one.

Running is more Joan's style. She won't put her life in danger trying to capture criminals, she'll just try to sneak in a session of talking and phone the police when she gets the chance. They can do the criminal chasing, they're trained for that stuff.

She makes a mental note of the name Ivy but Poison Ivy hasn't done anything big enough to really make the papers Joan reads "...Well be careful with her. Try not to do anything to get into trouble" she's perfectly aware that Harley will get into trouble anyway but she's already got the Joker leading her into it, she doesn't need someone else like that.

She hesitates at the last question. Anything she tells Harley could get back to the Joker, she's never sure which one of the rogues dislikes the Arkham doctors most but she really doesn't want to find out by having one find her so she tries to be careful "Keeping up with the news, looking for other work. With luck the FBI will soon release the city and things will begin to return to normal" including her job. If not then she was unemployed and competing with everyone she'd worked with for whatever psychologist jobs could be found and there weren't exactly much in the way of them going around.

A moment of silence and she mentally sighs. It was no good, she had a chance to talk to Harley and she couldn't ignore it, she only hoped the clown was in a mood for thinking rather than shooting "Harley, if everything's perfect then why are you here wandering the streets right now?" Joan knew how dangerous poking at the flaws in Harley's logic could be yet she's doing it anyway. If she can just install a little doubt maybe Harley can break free, she has to at least try "Why does he beat and kill people? Why does he beat you? Was your life before all this really so bad? You liked being a doctor didn't you?" there was poking the bear and then there was full out going up and whacking it between the ears with a stick. Joan was ready to move, fast.