7906/A Clown, A Phoenix, and an Ocean God Walk Into A Park

A Clown, A Phoenix, and an Ocean God Walk Into A Park
Date of Scene:	16 June 2019
Location:	Columbus Park - Chinatown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Marvel Girl, Poseidon, Harley Quinn

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Marvel Girl has posed:
Sentinels. They're here. Now. In this world. And they seem to be multiplying. At least they seem to be early ones though. It might not be too late to stop things.

It's all Rachel can think about, especially since the attack on the protest yesterday. And sure, she could talk to other mutants about it, or work on a program in the danger room, or...any number of productive things. But the truth is, remembering what Sentinels did to people in her own time has her at a high simmer, threatening to boil over.

So rather than inflict herself on everyone back home, she made her way into the city and to the park for the morning tai chi session with all the little old Chinese ladies. If any of them find the redhead in their midst odd, they've had the courtesy (or lack of English) to keep it to themselves. So far.

Poseidon has posed:
"why there isn't a lake?" Poseidon is perplexed, quite a lot perplexed, that there is a park without at least an artificial lake. That would be artificial, and so not perfect, but better than nothing! At least, that's what the god in disguise is thinking as he walks through the park's paths, currently shapeshifted as a human man in his middle thirties, with messy black hair, sea green eyes, and dressed in a white shirt and a white pair of pants. But no, he doesn't seem a baker, nor an icecream vendor.
The world is going, lately, in a direction he doesn't really like, but then the number of disasters a multimillennial creature can see are not so low to be surprised or particularly offset by a particular disaster. Even if, since he decided to stick with humanity to protect them and do his part, he is all but happy about what happens on Earth lately.

Harley Quinn has posed:
At the little Tai Chi session that's going on, Harley Quinn starts to setup. Is she a new instructor? Is there something that's going to be happening later? Well, she's off to the side, not where the current 'lead' person is, or anything. And she's got on fishing gaiters all the way up to her chest, then thick straps going over her shoulders. Underneath is just the top of her Daddy's Lil' Monster shirt. She doesn't have her white makeup on and she is carrying with her an insurmountable amount of gear along with a big tackle box.

Setting the tackle box down with a loud clanging clatter, Harley grabs with that hand from under her other arm a camping chair that kinds of unfolds as she settles it on the ground. Then there's this little tuning fork looking thing that she throws right into the ground like a knife into a board, great news for her, now she can set down the fishing pole that's been gripped tightly. Letting out a big loud whew, she starts to draw a few looks from the quiet somber group of stretchers.

Taking a seat she goes about her work, the cooler she was tugging along behind her gets openeed and a cold bottle of something comes out, which she puts into the cooler's handy cup holder that's built right into its plastic frame. Then tackle box gets opened, and some weights are attached to her fishing pole, some live works are hooked onto each one of the three little hooks from her fishing hook.

She takes an appraisal of the whole thing. Bringing her arm back she yells out, "Fooooooour!" In her distinctly accented voice, and lets her line fly. It lands amongst the tai chi-ers but doesn't hit anyone in specific. Soon though tons of birds are starting to circle the squirming worms caught on the line, putting her fishing pole partially into the tuning fork thingie to rest it there, leaning back and smiling, she grabs her cold drink and sips... waiting for a bite.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel was just trying to center herself, dammit! She flinches at Harley's shout, that simmer bubbling just a little higher in her mind, like flames licking their way up a log. The little old ladies don't seem to mind much - they've all seen stranger things in their time, rather like Poseidon - but Rachel's shoulders tense up, already starting to defeat the purpose of the flowing movements.

As the birds start to hop along after the worm on Harley's hook, there's a tiny telekinetic flick from Rachel, bouncing the bait back outside the circle of people beginning to move through the steps of the routine.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon feels two things simultaneously. Ears a shout, and feels a flicker of power not that far away. And so it is that he aims his steps in the group doing tai chi's direction, getting in sight of it not too long ago. And in sight of something that he recognizes, instantly, and that his mind doesn't associate with the absence of a lake... And maybe that's why his lips form, almost involuntarily, the words "I told you there should've been a lake!" and he stares, openly, at Harley's fishing gear.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Quirking her eyebrow in the direction of her line, she reaches down and starts to reel it back in making birds hop after it all the more until she gets the line back in her direction. "Now if only Bud and Lou were here, they'd really be enjoyin' snackin'."

And she checks her line again, making sure the worms are still moving, she squints at them incredoulsly for a moment longer and then she taps one of them and then licks another one. Before she squints at them again. "Ahhhh, good yer still squirmin'. An' ya taste fine. So, what gives?"

Pulling back her arm, Harley starts to get ready for another launch of her fishing line. Getting that odd itch when someone's staring at you, or maybe it's just the near-constant paranoid delusions? Who knows? Harley smiles in Poseidon's direction, "Ya a fisher as well, or ya jus' starin' at the drink? I got a few if ya wants yerself one. Hold on, gotta cast." And she does so again, launching her line in hopes to have it land amongst the Tai Chi folks once more.

Marvel Girl has posed:
This time, when Harley casts the line, it runs into what appears to be an invisible wall, plinking off into the grass closer to her. Rachel follows along with the leader of the little group, though as a move causes her to turn in the direction of the would-be fisherwoman, there's definitely a hard look cast in her direction.

There's another of those flickers of power, too. Temper, temper.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon keeps approaching the group, and Harley, and his eyes notice the bouncing object on an invisible wall... Lots of potentially strange things going on at once, it seems!
"I am just thinking you are seeing an ocean where there's none, miss?" he speaks in reply to Harley's words, examining her, and then looking at the group of people doing their tai chi "don't you want to cast your line where people are not trying to exercise, maybe?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
Tilting her head as she casts the line, Harley blinks a few times, and then squints. Can she see this wall? Nope, was it in her head? She probably is running that idea around, and around, and around. Walls of all sorts, invisible walls, imaginary walls, walls before their built, how do they get built, where does all that product come from? Just off on an incredible web of surface thoughts that anyone might be so welcome to if they were open to them.

Turning, as she starts to reel her line back in, for another cast. "If yer seein' an ocean, yer the one who's crazy." She starts and shakes her head, before adding onto that, "If I were tossin' my line 'ere fer fishin' where there ain't nobody then who'd make all the fuss? After all, ain't fishin' really about the people yer fishin' with? Not the fish ya catch, skewer, rip out all its guts, an' feed ta small children."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Harley's voice pounds against Rachel's temples, wearing away at the attempt to ease her mind. This is...this is definitely not working. Letting out a huff of breath, she steps back from the line of people and their flowing motions, stalking over toward Harley and Poseidon.

"Seriously, why? //Why//?"

Harley knows enough about psychology to recognize //that// as a loaded question that's about far more than a fishing line in a park.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon raises an eyebrow in Harley's direction "cause those people are trying to do their stuff without the need of someone casting a fishing line in their middle?" he asks, crossing his arms on his chest. His mind is an odd one, something enclosed in a shell or probably in a seashell, where the occasional surface thought slips out. In this moment, some of them are along the lines of 'I will make her a lake here so she can fish in peace and let others do their stuff' 'mah, humans...' 'who's that one now stomping towards the fisherwoman?'

Harley Quinn has posed:
The angry red head, now there's no cliche or anything, comes stalking over toward Harley as she's about ready to cast again. She pauses a moment and she looks over to Poseidon, then back to Rachel, "You two know one another?" Walls of fish, walls of whys, walls of guts, barrier walls, barrier reefs, reefs, coral, coral is sharp, sharp things, knives, cutting, skewering fish. Goes Harley's thoughts around and around further into spiraling craziness.

Though she puts her atteniont back on Poseido for his qusetions, "I understand what yer tryin' ta say Mister, but ya got it backwards. Ya see, most fishin' people they go out to a place expectin' ta find themselves some fish. But they're really goin' out there ta socialize, let themselves relax, ta get away from it all. I ain't got none of them pretenses." And she eyes back to the woman again who's coming her way, "Lady with the angry hair, yer kind of in my fishin' lane. If ya want a drink, I got things in my cooler over there..."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel doesn't need to be a psychic to recognize this level of crazy. No way she's diving any deeper into that pond. "There is no fishing here. No. Fishing. Because there is no body of water," she gestures around herself. "If you want to socialize and spend time with people, there's is a group of lovely old ladies right over there doing tai chi."

A beat. "They don't all speak English, but you don't speak sense, so it probably works out!"

She looks over toward Poseidon, then between him and Harley. "Are you her aid or something?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon alternates his eyes between the redhaired woman, the fisherwoman, and the group of ladies "no, I have never seen her before." he just says "but I think she has a quite odd view of fishing, and trust me mlady, I know what fishing is and even why people fish..." he says obviously the last part towards Harley herself. "so well, if you want to practice that, sport" and he says that word in a quite odd way, maybe a bit amused that humans got it as a sport in some places, and even a bit upset that, and yes this thought slips his mind, h'humans are just catching fish not to eat them, I bet they would be disappointed if a shark killed them just to let them float on the surface ignoring them and just going to brag with his friends...'

Harley Quinn has posed:
Putting one hand on her hip, so the other can keep holding her fishing pole, Harley says, "I ain't seen no sign." She looks around again to try and find a 'no fishing' sign to no avail. And then she looks back to Rachel. "I think there's somethin' bigger happenin' wit' ya than just yer complainin' about my choice of fishing venues." And then she nods in agreement to whatever it is Poseidon is saying. "Yeah, wha' he said." Thumbing over to Poseidon.

Then she takes a deep breath in, "No no, Harls, ya gotta remember not everyone's as level headed as ya are. Thanks Harls fer the reminder." She speaks to herself for a moment, before smiling more sympathetically in the direction of Rachel. "Did'ja lose someone recently? A pet, family member, close friend? Or feelin' like yer just not... well, good enough fer somethin'? Is that what's goin' on? Ya can talk ta me, I'm a professional."

Marvel Girl has posed:
The crazy lady in the park can tell that she's hanging by a thread. Awesome. Rachel takes a deep breath, nostrils flaring, as she tries to center herself. She rubs a hand at her brow, ducking her head. "Yeah. Just my entire world, over the last...ten years or so. But it's cool. I'm totally coping. You know. Punch some giant robots. Try to go to the park and maybe blow off some steam."

She pushes a hand through her hair as she looks back up, doing nothing to bring order to the unruly mess as she looks back to Harley. "Look. I would just really, //super// appreciate it if you could not throw sharp and pointy things at old ladies. Maybe this nice guy could take you somewhere to actually fish."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods "true that, even if fishing in your opinion at least it's all about socializing, I am sure those old ladies will not really be happy to having sharp objects tossed their way... I can lead you to a better and safer fishing spot, hm? We don't want the lady here to snap, and snap you." he smiles at Rachel then, leaning on a nearby tree

Harley Quinn has posed:
Settling her fishing pole down on the little resting fork she brought with her, Harley just crouches a moment before getting up to get to the cooler. She opens it up and pulls out two more bottles of stuff. She offers one to Poseidon, and the other one to Rachel, "Root beer." She offers, "Alcohol ain't doin' it fer me no more. I ain't goin' no where, this here's America, an' I'm free ta be free so long as I ain't hurtin' nobody!" A bit of a angry tone comes to her voice as she tenses up, and then she is calming down.

Responding to Rachel, "Ahhhh, yer a cape. I got'cha. Yer life ain't goin' so well? I understand, I get it, I do, really." A hand goes up to her own chest as she nods her head, "Look, why don't you just take a seat fer a moment, and cast a line? It's very relaxin'. Fishin' is the sorta thing ya do when yer lookin' ta share a bit. So, tell me, Miss Angry pants, what's got yer socks all crumpled at the ends of yer shoes?"

Marvel Girl has posed:
"I'm not a cape," Rachel grimaces. "Capes are for..." She trails off, shaking her head. "I'm not a cape." But she does have powers, which she demonstrates by waving a hand to move Harley's chair so that the group of women practicing their tai chi are not in the path of the casting.

She does take the root beer though. Might as well, really. She turns another glance on Poseidon, seeing how he's dealing with the crazy. "But for the record, Sentinels are bullshit."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon listens quietly for a moment to the two women's exchange "well, I must say, sentinels are causing quite a lot of troubles it seems..." he admits "even if I've been a bit busy with, stuff, lately and am not really as informed as I would like to be on the matter..." he glances briefly around, focusing then on Harley to catch her reaction at the chair being moved.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Yah, it's okay lady. Ya got a name Red?" And Harley looks over to Poseidon, while nodding her head, "Them those robots who are goin' after peeps an' kidnappin', killin' or torturin' them? Whatever is they are doin', ain't no good, that's fer sure. Wish I had one of them growin' up though, robots fer reals." And she smiles, at that, childhood dreams of apocalyptic robots.

"Ya ever go fishin' before?" This back to Rachel as she gets her fishing pole and moves it as well, in quick order, to match up with the chair. The chair moving doesn't really bother her much, and it's even hard to tell for those peeping in on thoughts whether or not she knows the chair moved, or maybe she set it up all wrong. What is time? Who knows? What is order? That's certainly unknown. "So, tell me about these Sentinels some more?" She pulls up the cooler and takes a half seat on it, allowing Poseidon to take the other half if he wants to sit.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"I went fishing a couple times, when I was a kid. With my parents." Rachel shrugs, taking a sip of the root beer. "It's been a long time, though. I can't remember if we ever caught anything, honestly. Sentinels are mutant-hunting robots, so not great pets for kids," she adds as an aside, dry. "Because someone, somewhere, at some time, decided that they were so threatened by the idea of people with powers that it was a better idea to hunt them down preemptively than to let them live."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon shakes his head a bit "that's what humans are becoming, they'll destroy the wole planet at some point if they keep going like that." he just says, sighing. "and this park needs water." he adds, and indeed he glances at a seemingly empty spot, or at least there's a bench, empty, otherwise the circular area would be perfect for a small pond! And that's why Poseidon focuses, channeling a bit of magic, enough to form a cavity in the ground. Then it's about creating some water to fill it and there, after thirty seconds or so, there is a new small pond of clear water. "and you just got a fishing spot right here too" he says to Harley "that I will need to go fill with fishes, now, I suppose..." he aims a smile to the two women and then waves "excuse me, ladies!" he says, starting to walk towards the newly formed pond, and probably to the various glances of various people around, he just walks into it, to vanish from sight. It'll be just a quick back and forth to bring in some fishes, then Poseidon will just teleport away, disappearing from the park from now.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Rachel gets a few slow nods from Harley as she goes, "Yeah, that'll put a damper on yer day fer sure." In response to the whole mutant-hunting robot conversation piece. Though her eyes kind of are drawn off as she sees a pond, come into existence. "Ya see that? I was concentratin' so hard on fishin' that a pond came outta no where fer me!" A pause before she smiles with a little chuckle in the direction of Rachel, "Ya see, I ain't crazy, jus' was ahead of the game." Then she blinks a few more times, pouting a bit, "Oh no, now my fishin' hole is going to get invaded by people." To Poseidon, as he's heading out, "Thank you Santa Claus." To herself more than anyone else, "I knew I'd been a good girl this year."

Back to Rachel, smiling, but trying to get a look of concentration, "Knowin' you capes, er, uh, I mean, knowin' ya gingers an' all. You probably are worried more about yer friends, then yerself. Am I right? Worried ya ain't gonna be able to help'em none against these robot fellers?"

Marvel Girl has posed:
"My friends and family are already dead, so." Rachel glances over at Harley from staring at the pond, brow quirking. Even by her standards, people disappearing into ponds and going back and forth with fish is weird. "Mostly, I just really want to keep it from happening to someone else. And if I get to rip some of them to pieces in the process, that's a bonus."

She looks over with a flash of a sharp smile, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "It's not about being a hero. It's more about not being..." She lets out a huff of breath. "They fucking killer robots that are targettting specific mutants. Seriously, fuck that."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Alright alright, I get it, yer life was pretty bad." Harley mentions, and she looks over at Rachel with her eyebrows raised. "Now, I gotta say this upfront, I ain't have nothin' bad ever really happen ta me, so I can't relate fully. But in my time, bein' a doctor and all, I've seen a lot of people. And some of them got really bad things going on, but ya ain't know it the way they look at the world."

A few nods of her head as she settles her Root beer on the ground, for now. "Ya ever been in an airplane. You know, when they're talkin' about them mask thingies ta keep ya from losin' yer mind when yer gonna crash?" A pause, assumed knowledge, "Well, ya gotta put yer own mask on first before ya can help anyone else. Ain't gonna mean ya can actually help 'em, but ya gotta make sure yer in the right space up here" She taps her own head to make a point, "And here." She pats her chest above her heart, "If ya ain't. Ain't no good to nobody. Ain't matter if it's walkin' talkin' fish people tryin' ta eat every last one of us, or some killer robots. Ain't good to nobody."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel squints a bit at Harley's analogy, trying to follow along. She's never been on a commercial airline to hear that announcement. But she's got her own analogies. "Right," she says slowly. "You mean like first aid, make sure you're not bleeding out before you go to bandage someone else, because if you bleed out while you're doing it, then you're both dead. Yeah. No. I get that."

She takes another drink, making a face as she looks around the park. "I did that. Went out, got my head straight, came back with a goal. It's just not like it's a cut that you stick a band-aid on once and everything's fine."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Bingo. Winner winner chicken dinner." Harley comments, smiling over to the red head. And then she tilts her head a little bit, "Yer family's dead toots, but ya got a new one. Not everyone gets that chance. Don't waste it bein' mad at somethin' as big as the world, an' start thinkin' about enjoyin' what ya have before it's gone. Whether ta poison gas bein' laid down by a farm plane under the guise of sprayin' insecticides, killer robots, or just gettin' old."

A pause as she taps the fishing pole with her foot, "You should try it, helps ta focus. But while yer doin' that ya should really be thinkin' about why yer out here in a park fishin', lookin' to 'get away' when away means not bein' around those ya care so much about."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Oh no, I know the answer to that one," Rachel snorts back a laugh, shaking her head at the fishing pole. "It's because I'm kind of a jerk, and I'm an extra jerk when I'm frustrated, so it's better all around if I'm not there when I'm feeling like an extra jerk. Also, I had this crazy idea that if I came out here and did some tai chi, I could focus, but I really should have known that this morning's tai chi would be interrupted by a fishing expedition. I mean, who does tai chi in a park without a pond without expecting to get interrupted by someone fishing?"

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Precisely." Harley Quinn mentions, in all seriousness. And she sits up a bit as she looks over at the other woman and shrugs her shoulders. "I'd say ya best start workin' at not bein' such a jerk then. Once ya stopped bein' one to me, I think we are gettin' along jus' fine. But I'm biased, I prefer redheads ta normal people. Green haired men, in purple suits the most, but there's always a spot in my heart fer more gingers in the world." A soft sigh as she smiles a bit and looks off, and then she adds, "Besides, why ya needin' ta do tai chi, ya ain't old."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"That's a very specific type," Rachel observes, smile quirking slightly. "Green-haired men in purple suits. Probably don't see a lot of those on the street." Apparently there's no Joker where she comes from.

"Not being a jerk means you end up getting close to people. Getting close to people means it hurts like hell when you lose them. Yeah, it's cliche, and it's damaged, and I get it, but I'm not so enlightened that I'm ready to be okay with losing people just yet," she admits.

"Tai chi's supposed to help you focus, still your mind. Kind of like yoga, but less..." She wrinkles her nose. "Yoga-y."

Harley Quinn has posed:
There's a bit of a nod, "Well, what can I say? When cupid's arrow strikes, ya better listen. That fella will put one clean through your eye if ya don't." She mentions, her voice is still kind of serious at that, "Seriously. He will." And Harley nods and then mentions, "Look. Today, tomorrow, the next day, yer gonna lose people. Yer also going to get close ta them. It ain't a matter of if, it's a matter of when. The more resistance ya put up the less time ya get wit'em." A pause, "Unless yer my Mistah J. Me an' him, we're gonna live forever. That's a fact, ain't nothin' gonna stop us from bein' together." A bit of a big swoon of a smile, as she sighs out wistfully.

"In my professional opinion, ya ain't needin' focus. Yer needin' ta realize what ya got, instead of definin' yer life by what ya ain't got no more. That's how ya stop bein' such a jerk." Harley offers with a few nods, "So, what I'm tryin' ta say is ... " A pause as she quirks her mouth to the side, and then ahs silently as it comes to her, "Right. What I'm tryin' ta say is - Fish. It does a body good. An' that's good ta the last drop."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"You are an odd duck," Rachel notes to Harley. "Like. I'm still pretty sure that you should have supervision and shouldn't be out here on your own." She takes another drink of root beer, shrugging. "If it was easy, everyone'd be nice and well-adjusted, right? And we all know that's not a thing."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Me?" Harley blinks a few times to the odd duck comment, "Yer not really seein' me as a duck are ya? Just, had a thing recently... an'... okay, no yer jus' sayin' that metaphorically." She sighs out, breathing a little quicker when she calms down a moment. "Whew. What's not easy about it? People think themselves inta loops on this kind of stuff. Yer sayin', I lost people, now I can't have nobody cause then I'll lose more people. An' yer missin' out on the logic. If you ain't gonna let people in when ya want to, you've already lost them."

And then there's the sound, in the distance, of some sirens coming in. Perhaps one of the Tai Chi ladies called in the fact that Harley Quinn was here. Either way, Harley perks up a bit and listens, "Seems like this park is gettin' more dangerous. Here, you keep the fishin' gear seems like ya need it more'n me." And she even takes off the gaiters to reveal her white and red jersey-styled top with Daddy's Lil' Monster on it. Those short shorts that are glossy blue and red, some really torn up fishnets and her calf-high boots. "If yer ever in Gotham though, an' ya wanna talk, jus' look me up. Harley Quinn. Nice'ta meet ya angry lady. Toodles."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Nice to meet you crazy lady." Rachel raises her root beer in a salute, looking over the pile of fishing equipment as Harley goes to make her mistake. "Harley Quinn. I'm Rachel," she calls after her, though she doesn't make any move to pursue.

Not a cape, indeed.

Shaking her head, she just stands there, considering the fishing equipment in the pond. Weird place, New York.