Let the Training Begin! (Harley / Open)

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Harleen stopped the 1937 Ford 2-door, purple Sedan convertible outside of a florist shop. She removed her shades and placed them on the collar of her white blouse before turning off the engine and withdrawing the keys. She kept the top of the Sedan down and waited for traffic to thin out before stepping out and onto the road. She skipped onto the sidewalk and looked up at the long, wooden, hexagon-shaped sign reading “Petal Perfect” in pink letters. She reached for the door handle and gave it a tug, grinning when chimes that sang out in greeting as she entered.

Her nostrils filled with the scent of freshly cut flowers and exotic fragrances that gave off a pleasant aroma. She inhaled even more deeply and uttered an, “Mmm” as she took a step forward. To the left was a large fridge holding many vases filled with baby’s breath, ferns and different types of flowers that stood within all shapes of clear vases. Across from them stood a wall with shelves that held up at least fifty empty vases of all shapes and sizes. Ahead of her was the front desk which had a running fountain of three fake pots, each placed on top of the other with water pouring out of each lid and collecting at the base, just to be returned to the top again. On the other side was a bamboo fountain, filling up with water at the top then tilting to pour the water out. Upon each title the bamboo strike against another stalk just underneath, creating a pleasant hollow sound every so often.

Harley could tell right away that the owner very well could be a hippie and expected her to be at least sixty years old and possibly Asian. She leaned against the counter and tapped the bell at the desk, letting the sound of the bell echo through her ears. She then caught sight of the rack of cards and plucked one up to look it over. The cards were meant to go with the flowers and were blank aside from the colorful pictures printed on them. She put the card back and focused on a white garden trellis that held baskets full of fake flowers and ivy hanging down the sides.

Ivy… she thought about buying a flower for Ivy but knowing her roommate, she wouldn’t appreciate the gift. Unless it was something rare and near extinction. Her eyes moved over the plants hanging from the ceiling, along the walls, to the shrubbery that had been delicately carved into shapes that reminded Harleen of Greek statues with the arms cut off.

She tapped the bell again and looked past the counter to the room in the back. Behind the counter stood an white, iron cage where a yellow canary had turned its head sideways to get a clear view of Harleen. It had begun chirping and turning it’s head in every direction to see all movement within the shop and stopped only to clean it’s beak against the branch. Two other canaries sang below on a separate branch, twittering and flitting about.

Harleen tapped the bell a third time, then a fourth, a fifth, a six… wondering if she could drown out the singing of the birds. If anything she was annoying them with the loud chiming bell and was causing them distress as they hopped across their branches and clung to the bars with their feet, then flew around the cage in an attempt to escape the annoying tolls.

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“One moment please!” Flowed a voice from the next room. It sounded neither angry nor annoyed at Harleen‘s constant bell-tapping but worried that she might not find a happy customer on the other side of the counter. It was not long before Alison bustled into the room that Harleen stood in, wiping her hands on a white towel and then setting the towel down on the counter “I am terribly sorry for causing you to wait. Is there something that I may do for you?”

She placed her hands into the pockets of her white apron which also stated “Petal Perfect” in pink letters. Her clothes were dark brown which emphasized the rich and shiny blond hair that sprouted up from the roots and curved downward to hug the sides of her face like one of the wall-hanging plants.

Her eyes sparkled with kindness and excitement for having someone new to acquaint herself with. Those merry eyes were of a true blue color, like a silver edged iris, streaks of sky blue mingling with a background of darker blues, giving a textured look to her pupils. She closed her mouth but the smile continued to tug on each end of the mouth, showing Harleen that she was friendly and willing to assist her in any way. Her eyes looked past to the classic car parked outside of her shop and glanced at the keys in Harley’s hands. Both were the same shade of a violet purple.

“Is that your car parked out front? It sure is a beauty.” She flashed another smile. “I bet you’re proud to drive such a fine classic. My neighbor used to make them along with dune buggies, trucks and Harley D‘s.”

Alison kept her eyes fixed on Harleen's but she used her peripheral vision to look over the woman's outfit. She could tell this woman had a personality just by her choice in clothing style. It wasn't necessarily her choice in clothes but she could see that her costumer pulled it off the style. She also noted that the woman's brows were brown while the hair was blond, indicating that the woman had dyed her hair. That did not matter although secretly she was pleased that she had original blond hair. She could also tell that this woman was a perfectionist since it looked like she had gone to a manicurist to get such fine nails, frivolous things like that never interested Alison for she was always getting her hands dirty through gardening, painting, or breaking nails during martial arts training with her cousin. Granted she used nail polish every now and again but it was for rare occasions or to match colors with her outfit.

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“You don’t say?” Harleen felt herself smiling for the woman’s grin was contagious. She could sense a humble spirit standing before her and a friendly one at that. She wondered just how much longer the little chatterbox could go on if the two of them were to ever go into long discussions. It was also interesting to hear the woman mention Harley‘s since that was her alias. “The car belongs to my boyfriend. I mostly get around town on a pair of roller-skates and my babies.” Harleen shrugged. “Are you working alone? I wouldn‘t want you to close up shop early just because of me.”

Harleen was already sizing the girl up, determining if she needed to gas her and drag her out, but assumed the girl would go willingly; after all, she was expected. She quickly read the woman’s name tag and thrust out her hand to shake. Her long nails were rather distracting when glinting in the florescent lighting. They were coated with a see-through, shimmering pink nail polish with white tips covering the parts that grew away from the cuticle. “I’m Harleen, the one you spoke with over the phone. Nice to meet’cha.”

After a nice glance around Harleen continued to say, “My roommate likes plants. She used to be a botanist. Got anything special that I might get her? The rarer the better.” Harleen touched a fern leaf and looked over her shoulder at Alison to see if the woman would budge after making the suggestion. With her free hand, she reached into her purse to feel for the loaded gun and gave no indication that she would use it, for her smile looked innocent enough to fool anyone who did not know her. "I'm thinking something pretty but deadly too. Got any poisonous plants or some with thorns on them? You know, exotic."

Harleen picked up one potted plant, looked it over and put it back on the shelf. This place wasn't too bad but she also knew that Ivy would flatten it in a heartbeat if she knew it existed. She'd make a rant about the genocide of flowers being slashed in half and their limbs being torn off just to visually please the costumers who bought them. It didn't make any sense to her since Ivy trimmed the leaves off of her precious plants in order to collect toxins extracted from their leaves. "I don't plan to poison her, she just likes to study different plant toxins and create cures for them in case anyone gets poisoned. You might appreciate the hard effort she goes into creating new stuff. I can't wrap my head around most of what she does but it helps to get pricked by a thorn then cured for whatever poison entered my bloodstream."

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“Miss Quinzel!” Alison recognized the name at once. “Yes I thought I recognized your voice!” She removed her apron, folded it and set it on a chair to wash later. “What breed are your babies, if you don’t mind me asking?" She assumed the woman had huskies, for dogs usually represented their owners in looks and in personality. Lazy people had hounds which rarely used up much energy. Hyper people owned Labradors and unstable people usually had German Shepherds. From this woman’s looks she guessed huskies, for Harleen was very lovely and quite possibly spoiled. Huskies usually speak a lot and so did Miss Quinn. They also whine when they don’t get their way and throw a tantrum to protest. She hoped that Harleen was not a rich socialite who is used to getting her way. Harleen did mention that her babies “pulled her on roller skates“ and that is a fine exercise for huskies, for not only does it burn their energy but it hones in on their instincts and love for work. “Bud and Lou were their names, correct? And am I right to assume that both are male? Do they have any aggression issues with each other or with people?”

As she asked these questions, she went over to a sink that was connected to the shop’s wall. She washed her hands with soap and dried them with a towel dispenser. Once she was certain her hands were clean enough, she used lotion to replenish the moisture in her skin and returned to her desk. She used her keys to unlock the desk cabinet and pulled out her purse and sleek, mahogany-colored jacket. Not only did her jacket protect her from the dangerous claws of dogs, it was sometimes used as protection against their teeth when ever they would jump up and snap at any loose articles of clothing. She would rather avoid the jaws when possible for she loved her clothes and rarely bought two of the same thing. She hoped that Harleen’s dogs would play nice with her wardrobe and her as well.

She brushed off any stray dirt that was on her black slacks and checked the underside of her boots for any fertilizer or mud she may have stepped in, after all she was going to a customer’s house and did not wish to get the carpets dirty. When her dark brown boots proved to be clean, she slung her light brown leather purse over her shoulder and dropped the keys inside the leather walls. She flicked one of the two tassels that hung from a leather strand and smiled a close-lipped smile at Harley to await an answer as they walked to the door. She paused when remembering something and glanced back over her shoulder. “Dinah! I am stepping out to assist Miss Quinzel with her dogs. Put my dinner in the fridge for me if you decide to make something!”

She heard a brief reply in the back and a spraying of hose in knowing that her cousin was tending to the plants in the back, keeping them fresh so they would not wilt. Alison turned back to Harleen and opened the door for her, allowing her to head out first. She raised her eyes to the chimes that drove her cousin crazy but smiled when hearing the cheerful songs the metal hollow tubes produced as if they were singing a goodbye to her.

"We keep the more exotic plants in the back if you don't mind following me." Alison explained and lead Harley around a stone path and to a locked gate. Inside the gate came the sound of whining and pawing. "Hello Cu! Who's my good boy?" Alison coo'ed and used her keys to unlock the gate. She opened it, allowing her Welsh Corgi to come out and greet them, then followed them inside. "See anything you like?"

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Harleen ran her finger along various plant leaves inspecting how thorny certain ones were and then the petals of others. She paused in front of a white flower whose petals seem to lazily stretch out, yawning wide enough to show the yellow, pollen-stained stems inside. It's own leaves were a pale green color and appeared to be really hairy. She read Argemone glauca - Pau Kala, otherwise known as Hawaiian Poppy. The flower itself was three inches across and she wanted something bigger. She passed up the poppy and moved onto another plant, admiring the bright yellow colors that twist away from their vine and opened up like a painted trumpet. She flicked one of the leaves that sprouted from the vine and glanced at the name "Woodrose." She looked through other plants whose flowers were star-shaped or some that looked like green, spongy bananas, to the water lettuce that floated with some lily pads on an outdoor water fountain with a cupid aiming its bow to the side and water squirting from his lips.
It was a peaceful shop from the inside and out, if not one that was run by hippies, she guessed. She was surprised that Alison didn't wear any rose colored spectacles or tie dye when she had first met her. The girl was more cutesy-business type with a friendly disposition.

Harleen stopped and pointed at one that looked like a cluster of red coral growing together with huge umbrella-like leaves with long stalks and green and light veins. The leaf stalk is attached near the center of the leaf and stood two feet tall. The flowers themselves were petalless and were hidden below the leaves at the top of the plant. "Ooh, I like this one! What is this one called?" Harley seemed to energize the relatively calm Harleen as she pointed at the plant.

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"That is called a Bingabing. It will eventually grow into a tree up to thirty-three feet tall or less. This one has female flowers because they are growing in dense clusters. Can you see the two to three-celled, spiny seed capsules? The male flowers grow in branched panicles. The plant itself grows in Hawaii in low elevation, moderately wet areas to wet areas. This is very poisonous but then again the most beautiful ones usually are."

She crouched down to pat Cu and rubbed the spot between his large ears. "Harleen, this is my dog Cu. Cu, will you go say hi to our guest? Go on, go say hi."

The twenty-six pound dog strolled over to where Harleen was and stood up on his hind legs with his front paws in the air. His large pink tongue flopped out and hung from his lower jaw. He had a fox-like appearance with the orange fur and erect ears, although there was no tail in sight, only a small bob. He glanced back at Alison who praised him for the effort and patted her hip to allow him to return to her, in which the corgi did gladly. It was clear the breed was eager to please and looked proud at making mum pleased with him. He plopped his bottom down and ducked his foot out from under him to sit more on his leg than his rump and glanced back at Harleen, curious as to who she was.

"He's not even a year old." Alison babied her puppy by talking in a mothering tone and made kissy faces at her little beast. She stood up and grinned down at her baby. "They have been traced back as far as 1107 AD and it is said that the Vikings and Flemish weavers brought the corgi with them as they traveled to Wales. They can be rather stubborn at times but I think I've got him well-trained."

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"Something tells me you know a lot about...stuff." Harleen winced when she saw Alison play cute with her dog. Even she and the hyenas weren't that close. She began to wonder when Alison had gone on a date last and then thought about setting her up with someone. Sadly there weren't many takers in Gotham. Maybe the Bats was free? The more she thought about this, her eyes became glossy and she tilted her head up and to the right. What if they got married? Would Batsy wear a tux with his cape and cowl still on? I bet he'd wear the gloves too... and the boots. And the belt. He may as well keep his costume on at this point. And how would someone like Miss Bell approach the Batman? Would she be scared of a giant rodent with wings or does she like all animals? She hope it was her second guess because her hyenas were perfect trouble makers.

She shook her head to clear away her thoughts and looked back at Alison as she spoke, hardly hearing any of the facts she uttered. "I'll take that Bingabing thing." She points at the plant and looked around. "Is there a way I can wrap it up? Or maybe you can tie a pretty ribbon around it?" She glanced in every direction to look for a way to brighten the flowers appearance. She glanced at her watch and slapped her head. "Oi! Would you look at the time! You know what? Forget about the ribbon, we gotta go! I'll pay you for the plant once we get to Ivy's." She grabbed Alison's wrist and pulled her toward the gate.

Harleen opened the door for Alison and waited for the woman to lock up. She tapped her foot impatiently and said, "Come on, come on! My roommate will be home any minute now! She's a grumpasaurus when she first gets home so I want to cheer her up with a present!" She placed the plant in the backseat of her car and buckled it in for safe keeping, then swung her keys around her finger impatiently. She blew another large bubble of bubble gum and could feel Harley Quinn beginning to surface.

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Alison closed and locked the gate then turned to see Cu running toward the car in thinking he was going with them. His little paws carried the stocky body across the stone path and over to Harley's car. It didn't take much for him to leap into the seat and found his way into the back. He propped himself up on the side door to look over the edge, panting and looking as happy as could be.

Alison was about to protest but the corgi had been faster than her words. "You don't mind if he comes along, do you?" Alison asked. "He's good with other dogs but I would prefer to keep him in a separate room, if not in the backyard during the training session." She explained as she walked toward the car. Her heels clicked against the stone, the sound bounced off of the surrounding chain link fences with the strips of white plastic woven through them. A breeze flowed through her hair, showing the layers of her bangs versus the longer hair in the back. Her jacket turned the corners upon Alison's movement and from the breeze. She climbed into the passenger side of the car, holding her purse close to her body and allowed Harleen to close the door for her. She glanced back at Cu and buckled herself in.

A strange button caught her eye on the dashboard, for it was the size of her palm with a clown face painted on it. It was of a light gray shade with two large cartoon eyes, a bright red nose and an upturned goofy smile with a darker red with two gray buckteeth protruding from the close-lipped smile. The rest of the dashboard had buttons for the radio, a glove compartment, the speedometer and the A.C. controls but the clown button stood out the most. She figured the pull lever was for popping the hood and quickly put that out of her mind, and also ignored the switch to the upper right of that. Her eyes strayed back to the clown button where she was tempted to press it but decided it best to ask instead. "What is this button for?" She pointing without touching it.

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"The more the merrier." Harleen replied, for she was glad just to have Alison in the car in order for them to be on their way. She ran to the other side of the car and opened the driver's door, slid into the tan leather seats. She closed the door, buckled up, and started the engine, hardly allowing it time to warm up before pressing the accelerator. The tires squealed as the rubber bit into the black gravel; causing scented-burnt rubber smoke to fill the air. The car had finally caught hold of the street and lurched forward, throwing all of its passengers against their chairs as it roared down the road. “That’s the missile launcher. One press opens the trunk while a second press will release the missiles. It really comes in handy when there’s someone behind you don’t want to be there.”

Harleen’s grin grew bigger as the thrill of speeding flooded her veins. She was about to make things better between her hyenas and Ivy and there would be nothing in the world that could stop this determined woman. Her fingers clutched the wheel until having turned a sharp corner, or when dodging traffic that to her, seemed to have come out of nowhere. The New York cab drivers would be amazed at her driving, for it was not skill but sheer determination on her behalf. She could feel Harley’s joyful laughter in the back of her mind, feeding off of any worries that Alison may be experiencing at this point, for any sane woman would be fearful of crashing into an unsuspecting car or hitting a pedestrian that may run across their path. And yet there was another figure who haunted the back of her mind, not the grinning madman who had stolen her heart, oh no, this was a dark shadow with an extended wing span, low demanding voice and nearly always a scowl whose eyes burn through the darkness to penetrate one’s soul.

Harley’s eyes glanced at the rearview mirror and no longer saw the corgi standing up to enjoy the ride. He was pressed against the seat as much as she was only she doubted he was enjoying the mad dash to Ivy’s. She checked her side mirrors and saw the flower shop growing smaller and smaller with each mile gained and jerked the wheel when her eyes caught the slightest of movement up ahead. There was an older woman crossing the street with a baby carriage. The lady couldn’t have been more than fifty years of age wearing a dark gray business blouse with a matching skirt, black heels, purse and Victorian-age hat with a black feather plum sticking out. The woman saw the speed demon zipping down the road and jerked back the carriage just in time. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes bulging in disbelief of the thought of her precious grandson or daughter about to have been flattened by some clown behind the wheel.

“WEEEEE!” Harley finally came through and threw up her hands as she narrowly missed the carriage and sped through a red light, causing other cars to slam on their breaks and lay on the horn. “Did you see the look on that fat bird’s face?”

She tore through the streets of Gotham and passed by a police car waiting around the corner. She saw the lights flick on and heard the siren wailing as the car pulled into the streets and began to pursue her. “I wanna listen to the radio!” She flipped a switch and pushed the power to turn on the radio. Rather than hearing music, a police scanner was reporting.
“…purple 1937 Ford convertible with a green top heading down 2100 East at speeds up to eighty miles-per-hour. Two female Caucasians in their late twenties to early thirties inhabit the car. Backup is on the way.”

"Here, put this on and keep your head down." She reached into a glove compartment and pulled out a blindfold. "Trust me, it's for your own safety."

Harley got off on the nearest exit and missed a road divider by inches. She weaved in and out of traffic now reaching speeds up to 90 miles-per-hour. She took exit after exit while feeling her heart pumping fiercely as visions of her and the Joker out running the cops and the bat played through her mind. She wasn’t by any means a professional driver but she did have enough experience with the Joker to keep herself believing there was a chance she could escape.

Eventually one of the roads cut off to the left and entered into a wilderness area. Soon the city disappeared into a forest of trees and bushes. No more billboards, no more stoplights, just a winding path surrounded by nature.

Harley continued on until she reached a large white sign with black lettering that read, “Welcome to Paradise Meadows.” A smaller, tan sign with black lettering had been placed over that reading, “CONDEMNED by Gotham Health and Safety Board.” Below the signs rest an old abandoned, all metal recreation vehicle that had nothing better to do than collect dust and add to the deserted town look. Beside that was a house with a green roof and light gray painted walls and a small grass yard. There were rectangular cement flower boxes lined along the house with dying plants spilling over the sides as if reaching out for help of anyone who would be willing to give them a drink of water. There was no other car parked outside and Harley pressed the garage door operator that hung from her keychain then waited for the garage to slowly open. She was surprised to see that Ivy’s pink car with the personalized license plate ROSE BUD was not parked inside. Deciding that Ivy wouldn’t mind if she got there first, she parked the car and closed the garage door, turned off the engine, withdrew the car keys from the keyhole, grabbed the plant from the back and tried to get out of the seat. It would have worked except the tight tug on her belly reminded her that she was still buckled. She struggled with the belt before getting out of the car and raised her hands in the air to say, “Welcome to Toxic Acres!” She used her keys to open the door then laughed at herself. “What am I doing? No one has been here for years!” She opened the already unlocked door and bowed in the entrance with one arm and hand extended toward the inside in a gesture for Alison to enter, while the other held onto the plant.

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Rockets? What kind of fool did Miss Quinn take her for? She was about to ask what the button was really for until the words were suddenly thrown into the back of her mouth, the moment the car jumped forward. It was all too soon that she realized what kind of a driver Harleen was and she began to tighten the seat belt around her waist, praying that they wouldn't be killed. When Harleen had come across the elderly woman with the baby, she cried out for Miss Quinn to look out but the woman didn't seem to listen. Harleen wasn't the kind, focused woman any more but a half-crazed maniac behind the wheel. It was as if the woman had two different personalities! Alison swallowed and looked ahead of them to see what other madness lay ahead of them. She was too terrified to speak at that point. She had dug her nails into the seatbelt and car door to keep from being tossed around like a helpless kitten being shaken within a hamster ball. When she discovered that the radio was some how tuned in to a police scanner, she was abhorred to find out that she was now sought as an accomplice for reckless driving and public endangerment, at least that’s how her brain translated it.

They were moving much too fast for her to really take in any of the surrounding sights and she couldn't see what any of the street signs or billboards said other than, one that stuck out to her. It had the image of a yellow oval with a black bat shape inside. The words could have said, "New York has a spider, we have the bat." Was she losing her mind? Was this all just a senseless day dream that felt too real to determine what was reality and what was a dream? She had had these kinds of visions before when she was half-asleep, for her imagination was running amok at that point. But no, this felt too real.

The car raced toward a forest of trees, most of them were producing yellow or yellow-green leaves to prepare for Autumn. Normally Alison loved Fall and all the wonderful changes it brought, but this time Harley's speeding would not allow her to see anything for more than a blink of the eye. She would have been disappointed if her heart was not in her throat, choking any bit of relaxation out of her.

When they had reached Paradise Meadows and the car began to slow down, she was shaking all over and slowly turned her head back to see if Cu was alright.

The pup had wound up on the floor and was lying flat on the floor between the front and back seats with his ears flat and eyes just as wide as Alison’s. He looked up pitifully at his owner as if to silently ask, “Is it over yet?” He remained still, most likely in just as much shock as she was and waited for her to command him onto his feet. However, he would probably stay where he was after that crazy ordeal of getting tossed around without a seatbelt, even if she did call him to her.

Alison, shaking, removed her seatbelt and slowly opened the door. She placed one trembling foot over the edge and felt the cement floor underneath her boot. She then set her other foot down and carefully got up. Her knees wobbled and she had to keep upright by leaning on the car door. She knew her hair was a mess and strands of it were hanging from the corner of her mouth and from the long lashes that were curled above her eyes. She opened the back seat and bent down to collect her bundle of orange and white fur, stroking him to gain comfort more for herself than to calm him. “It’s okay, good boy.” She said, having a hard time pronouncing the words since her chin was also quivering. She closed the car door and walked up to Harley like a crash victim who had gotten up and walked away from a terrible accident. She walked into the house without much thought and simply collapsed on a couch. She kept Cu cuddled close to her body, continuing to stroke his fur and long ears even as he continued to whine.

At last she looked up at Harley and remembered what had happened through glimpses of vision once her hair had parted from her vision, allowing her to see the danger they had just lived through. “You nearly killed us!” She blurted out, but there was something far worse than Harley’s insane driving; something far more dangerous and deadly. She heard claws clicking against the linoleum floor as two beasts entered the kitchen, one room away from the living room. She could hear an excited chuckling coming from the next room over followed by curious sniffing. She had never heard that kind of sound before and it sent chills up her spine. Whatever that sound was, it wasn’t normal.

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“Hi babies!” Mommy’s home!” Harley exclaimed as she saw her two pet hyenas enter the room. She crouched down to greet them and gave them both a big hug. The two beasts chattered and flicked their tails when seeing Harley and then caught sight of the guest.

Bud and Lou stopped all greetings when they saw an unfamiliar face and lowered their heads to the ground to sniff some more. They moved cautiously toward Alison with their hackles and tails raised. One of them began to growl uncertainly while the other spotted Cu. Bud moved forward to sniff Alison’s shoe while Lou crept toward Cu.

“Don’t worry they only attack if you’re Batman, of if I tell them to.” Harley skipped out of the room and into the bedroom, leaving her boys to get acquainted with Alison. A few moments later she returned and held out white spandex onesie that stretched from the neck all the way down to the ankles. It had long sleeves and a matching jester hat to go with it. “I figure you could wear this to help keep your identity in case I need you outside of the hyena training. Do you like it? I originally got it as a wedding outfit but since that day may never come so you can use it.” She placed the clothes on a sofa chair and then tossed Alison a zip up bag full of items. Inside was a canister of grease paint, stencils, lilac purple and sky blue spray paint, nail polish, gloves, magenta lipstick, and eyeliner, purple contacts and mascara.

By then, Bud and Lou were craning their necks forward in order to figure out what Cu was. They were sniffing and standing with one foot on the couch trying to get a better idea of what the fuzz ball was. When they smelled dog, they licked their lips and wondered if he was edible or not. The only thing keeping them from attacking was their natural fear of man, or in this case, woman. They were a cowardly lot for they didn’t know who Alison was and they would move forward and then jerk back if she made any sudden movements. Their spade-shaped ears would swivel forward when curious then behind when in doubt of something. Both were uttering a ‘whoop’ sound which started off low and ended in a higher note, all while their heads were down and the mouths slightly opened.

“There’s a few things I want them to stop doing and one of them is to stop peeing on Ivy’s plants. Every day they go to the same spots and it drives Ivy crazy. Another thing is to stop them from tearing up the furniture. When I’m not watching them they’re usually shredding pillows or cushions, digging in the dirt or crashing into things. They like to drag their butts across the carpet and it leaves a nasty odor that smells like boiling cheap soap.” She waves her hand in front of her face. “I like to bathe them once a week but they hate baths and their skin is really dry and itchy. My conditioner doesn’t seem to do much for them. And is there any way to let them bond with my roommate?”

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“H-hyenas?” She shivered and clutched Cu even closer to her breast. She instinctively began to think of all the ways to get away from them in case they were to attack, whether that be kicking them in the nose or holding their scruff to keep them from biting. She could use one against the other, always keeping it in front of her as a shield. She had considered this many times with aggressive-based dogs she faced in the past although none of them had actually attacked her. Even then she was more concerned for Cu’s safety than her own. They could easily snap his spine in half, let alone hers, with just one sure bite. She swallowed and tried to trust Harley’s words but it was hard for her to have faith with wild animals, or animals born with the wild still in their bloodstream. However, this did explain why the house smelled so strong of ammonia.

“Th-the spotted hyena or t-tiger wolf can live up to fifteen to twenty years and is known for having strong acidic fluids within their stomachs that can digest just about anything from hides, bones, and hooves. They have one of the most powerful jaws in the animal kingdom which they use for eating or hunting in a pack. The females are dominant and have one matriarch while both sexes have a sort of bear-like build. They are very social creatures even though they are more competitive than cooperative. The females provide for their own cubs instead of helping the others unlike wolves. E-even Aristotle the Greek philosopher was aware of hyenas and would compare them to the civet, baboon, and jackal, pointing out the similarities among all four species such as the mane, however the baboon and hyena’s names were mixed up and that’s the only thing they had in common, aside from tearing the bones out of sockets from their prey.” Alison explained, babbling out of sheer nervousness but tried to regain her authority over Bud and Lou. The last thing she wanted was to be torn apart by these two out of fear alone. She was female after all, and they were male, therefore she had to become the dominant one and show her own aggression to them in order to stay at the top. Harley was a pushover for these two and they knew it, but she was also their food-giver and they relied on her and loved her to some degree, although she could not see much respect between the three.

Her confidence grew when she became brave enough to stick out her hand with the fingers curled inward and her wrist exposed to them. When Bud and Lou sniffed and semi-licked her hand to get a better scent without biting her, she was certain that they were tame enough not to attack unless she gave them a reason to. Even Cu was straining forward to touch noses with them but kept his ears flattened. Like Alison, he had never seen a hyena before and they were a little intimidating. His nose twitched as sniffed the air and became very conscious about Lou moving over to the side, hovering over him to sniff his behind. Cu was physically not in a position to feel comfortable to be sniffed for he was unable to move within Alison’s arms. He gave a tiny growl and bared his teeth at the two brothers, then snapped out at Lou when he got too close. Luckily the hyenas backed off for they had never seen a “treat” snap at them before. The little guy had spunk, they had to give him that.

Alison decided she would never leave Cu alone with the boys, not even if they showed truce between each other. Why risk the chance of her baby becoming their snack? Sure she could always get another dog but she and Cu had really bonded since the day she picked him up from the litter at eight weeks old and trained him into knowing good behavior and in doing all kinds of tricks. He had a good temperament and a great personality, and she would not allow two hyenas to take him from her. In order to diffuse the fear welling up within her, she began to concentrate more on her facts by saying, “They are prone to scent marking when they are raised without adult members of their kind. They are very territorial but there are fluids you can get from the pet store that might remove the urine scent and the stain. There are tiny enzymes that sink into the carpet and wood beneath the floorboards that eat at the odor whereas soap would not. The smell discourages normal dogs from using the bathroom in the same spot although I have never tried it on hyena urine. Hyenas, from what I’ve heard, are very difficult to house train but it’s not impossible. They are very destructive because they have more wild in them than dogs do. When bored, they will seek out something to do if their hunting instincts are wasted. They need at least an hours’ worth of exercise, fifteen minutes of training on a daily basis for up to six weeks, and you must follow through with the training, otherwise it won’t work. The reason why they are dragging their bottoms across the floor is because their anal sacs have not been emptied. It’s not that they have itchy bottoms, they are squeezing their sacs and that is also why you are getting a musky scent. You would want to train them to drain their sacs outside by praising them every time they do it, but when indoors you want to discourage the behavior and used the enzymes to eat up the scent. As for your roommate goes, bonding occurs when the animals respond favorably to training, but her heart needs to be in it. If she doesn’t like the animals and never will, there’s a strong chance she’ll never like them, even after she’s trained them. However it is most important that you both train Bud and Lou together so that the boys listen to both of you. And for bathing, their skin is drying out because human products were never meant to be used on animals. Get a puppy shampoo and bathe them only once a month. They need oils in their fur to keep their skin moist and the puppy shampoo helps with that. Human shampoo will just strip the oils out completely and leave them with dandruff.”

[Deleted]

Harley’s brows shot up in surprise. “You really are a geek.”

Later on…

Once Alison seemed to be getting used to things and the hyena training was coming to a close, Harley decided to tell Alison that she would not be returning home. “Sorry Ally, you’re stuck with me until my hyenas are perfect little angels.” She plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped through a variety of shows but stopped once she saw the Gotham News.

“Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy, was caught by Batman and sent into Arkham Asylum today. Police say that the freelancing botanist will be put away for good this time, although the City of Gotham knows different. In other news….”

Harley turned off the television and frowned after she had discovered that her friend would not be returning home any time soon. “Well, that explains it.” She tossed the remote behind the couch and looked over at Alison. “Gee, you don’t look so good. I’m thinking the toxins of this place are starting to get to you.” She tapped her chin and wandered out of the living room and into the kitchen. “Where did Ivy leave her anti-toxin shots?” She moved out of the kitchen and headed into one of the bedrooms. “Here it is!” She said then paused. “Maybe…” She looked through another drawer and scratched her head out of confusion. “There are a lot of these things but none of them are listed as… ah-ha!” She held up a small bottle and brought it into the living room along with a syringe complete with needle. She uncorked the tip of the needle and the bottle, plunged the needle into the liquid then held it up to squirt out the air. “This’ll only hurt for a second.”

[Deleted]

“Toxin?!” Alison alarmed and wiped the sweat from her brow. “No, no shots. Get that away from me!” She backed away, not out of fear of the needle but in not knowing what was in the needle. That and Harley seemed to suggest that Alison was being forced to stay against her own will. “You’re crazy if you think I’ll let you inject me with who-knows-what!” She got into a fighting stance to let Harley know she was serious. “I trained your hyenas, I’ve told you everything you need to know about training them, and now it’s time for you to return me to the shop. If you don’t my cousin will come looking for me and she’s not someone you want to mess with.”

Alison backed into a small table that was holding a large green plant and expensive-looking vase. The vase wobbled and the weight of the plant toppled over and crashed onto the floor. Alison would have apologized for breaking it but not when Harley was wielding a potentially dangerous object in her hand. “Seriously Harleen, you don’t have to do this. I’ll come back, I promise.” She felt a sudden case of nausea form in her stomach and esophagus mixed with dizziness and a fever. It was getting harder to stand on her own two feet and she leaned against the wall for support. “Don’t…” She slide down to the ground and could barely lift her head. She felt so weak. So very weak.

Her eyes closed and a distant pain could be felt on the opposite side of her elbow. It felt like warm fluid was surging through her veins and spreading through her arm. After a few minutes that seemed like seconds to her, she opened her eyes and looked around, not knowing what had happened. At her side rest Cu with his head on his paws and his eyes closed. She glanced at her arm and saw a bandage over the area where Harley had stuck her with the needle. Panic began to rise in her heart as she remembered what happened. “What was in that shot?” She asked.

[Deleted]

Harley was seated backward in her chair while balancing on the back legs as she rocked. “I don’t know. Something Ivy made.” She smiled. “Feeling better?” She asked and watched as Alison’s eyes moved over Cu. “I gave him a smaller dose too. He’s nose wasn’t wet so I figured he must have been getting sick too. I had to sneak some shots into my babies because Ivy didn’t want to waste the anti-toxin on them. Gee I hope that wasn’t the same needle I used on them than I did on you. Who knows? Maybe the blood and DNA will get into your bloodstream and combine due to some freaky plant and animal genetics.” She waited for Alison to respond with a facial expression then laughed. “Relax, It's just a joke.” She laughed and pointed at Alison. “You should see the look on your face!”

She got up and disappeared for a little bit, trusting that the anti-toxin would leave Alison weak for a little bit longer. She quickly got dressed into her Harley Quinn outfit and returned with a cartwheel and a purse hanging off of her arm. “Weee!” She exclaimed and stopped to stand. “You should get dressed so I can take you to Mistah J. There’s no point in staying here if Ivy’s gone.” The woman with the white grease-painted face said.