2019-04-30 - Kissing hands and shaking babies

Summary:

Mera goes to learn about surface-dwellers and gets an education from the Joker. Dinah scopes the scene out.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Tue Apr 30 03:48:39 2019
Location: Turtle Bay

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

dinah-lancemeramister-j

No one is supposed to be in the disaster zone. That, of course, is not the state of affairs. The forgotten and those who wish they could be find solace in the anonymous, ruined buildings. Amongst shadow and rubble, they eked out their lives, self-imposed exile giving them a sense of security.

This, of course, offered verdant recruiting grounds for the Joker. He walked along, resplendent as any president visiting a disaster zone, save with a twist. He was decked out in a garish, purple velour suit. He was surrounded by massive, burly guards in similar, gaudy palates. They wandered along, heavily armed, distributing from large sacks, goods for those most miserable and downtrodden found here.

It was public relations without the cameras.

Some visitors don't even know the Disaster Zone is off limits. And probably wouldn't care even if it was. Mera is a curious soul, and all this devastation piques that curiosity. How did it happen? Why is it still like this? And all these people who scurry around in the wreckage - who are they?

Mera strides down the streets with all the authority of her noble birth, even when attempting to be disguised as an everyday mortal. Maybe that is why people scuttle away or avoid her eyes. Her clothing is casual chic…from about ten years ago. More beige and white than anything bright. Certainly not as bright and colorful as the party of men she spots handing out gifts like a rhubarb Santa Claus. Curious.

Dinah knew of the disaster zone, she knew it was off-limits…and she also knew that certain people didn't really care. Truth be told, the Black Canary wasn't exactly the greatest of rule followers, otherwise she'd be a cop like her father and not beating up criminals while wearing leather most nights.

Today however, she wasn't quite so eye-catching in her attire. At least, not immediately. A simple grey hoodie jacket was worn over her clothing, zipped up and hood pulled over her blonde locks and a pair of old jeans. She was here to look around, talk to some contacts and get a little info, so it was hardly suprising she'd eventually be drawn towards the talk of a 'recruitment drive.'

Mera, of course, attracted attention by virtue of her bearing. The first contact she makes with the group is with one of the hulking security forces. The man, dressed in lime green and incandescent orange, steps up to Mera and looks down at her with a deep frown on his sloppily made-up face. She doesn't quite fit the script, so her presence earns an inquisitive look backward.

Responding to the cue, forward struts the Joker. A hand brushes lank dark hair back from his scarred, make-up covered face. His brown eyes rake down and upward again, taking in not only the attire but the bearing of the Atlantean. He croons in a breathy sing-song, "One of these things ain't like the other, one of these things ain't quite the same." The end of the lines brings him within arm's reach of Mera, and he mindlessly laps at his lips before splitting in a wide smile that puckers his scarred cheeks. "You should really get your money back from your travel agent, my dear. I think you got led astray."

Dinah, of course, arrives at this time - if she closes near enough, she will find henchmen moving to head her off with an equal measure of uncertainty to what Mera received in her arrival.

Mera looks up with disdain at the large bodyguard - it's lucky that she is used to such vibrant colors under the ocean or she may have gone blind. She manages to look down her nose at anyone, even if they are taller. And why is he wearing all that paint on his face. Is it a mating ritual? Landlubbers…such strange creatures.

And then appears the man who must be in charge. "Travel agent?" Mera has no idea what that could be. "I have not been led astray by anyone. I chose to come here. To see the…" She glances around at the ruins, the poverty, the stench. "Sights. And you are?" That he is not acknowledging her obvious superiority has Joker in her bad books already.

Mera's eyes glance over at the hooded woman as she approaches, to be headed off by another large, colorful goon. The redhead turns her gaze back to the smiling man. "Are you a man of importance? A noble?" He has an entourage after all.

The henchmen heading her way are glanced at, but for the moment? Well, Mera was clearly more eye-catching and seemed to be making a scene for herself. Perfect. It meant she could learn a little more, see a little more. Of course, in his suit and with no disguise? It was pretty easy to pick the Joker out of the crowd, his 'branding' was all over this place after all, but still…she didn't -really- want to have things turn violent here if she could help it.

Alright, so there might be a bit of a thrill beating down a henchman or two, but the disguised heroine didn't like her odds of avoiding some of the curious, desperate and downtrodden getting caught in the fray.

The Joker claps his hands together and gives them a vigorous rub when Mera says she's here to see the sights. "The sights?" he repeats with obvious relish. He turns then, deepening the disregard for her station by moving to drape an arm around her shoulders. His other hand fans across in a panoramic indication. "Well, we have a wide variety of ruins here to see. Do you like ruined office towers? Ruined subways? Maybe a ruined community centre?" Each is indicated with a point of his index finger. His hand returns to press against his chest, and he relates, "Happy to show you, my dear. I *am* royalty. So glad you noticed. I'm the crown prince of crime himself."

"He's the Joker!" the orange-and-green minion proclaims, as though this were obvious and as though it were Mera who was ignorant where the social hierarchy was considered.

Dinah cut a far more discrete figure. The henchman who has intercepted her finds no help in his curious look backward, so turns back toward her. Clad in a purple and burgundy three-piece suit, he offers the rote recitation of a script. "Do you have a moment to discuss your Lord and Saviour, the Joker?" He reaches into a bag and extends a gift-wrapped, hand-sized item toward Dinah.

"These are ruins? I thought this was how you all lived" Mera deadpans in reply, stiffening under the arm upon her shoulder. Such familiarity should be punished but she manages to restrain herself. Barely. His name means nothing to Mera, though the fact that his flunky keeps talking to people without permission suggests that this Joker's crown is flimsy at best.

"Crime?" Mera has heard the concept but never really understood it. It has something to do with greed from what she can figure out. "Ah, you steal things?" Another look around their surroundings. "You wish to steal concrete chunks?"

Lord and saviour? Really? Dinah has to resist the urge to shake her head right then and there. Of course, she expected crazy to attract crazy, but was this really how the madman went about it? Of course, the 'gift' is taken in hand, it's a little hard to avoid otherwise before she shrugs her shoulders lightly. "I came to listen," she offers the mook lightly before making a point to look past him towards Mera and her exchange, giving a little look of false consern. "But they might need you over there, things look a little dicey…"

It wasn't entirely a lie, but it was also intended enough to be a distraction and get the guard to turn away. Hopefully she could ditch the 'gift' and disappear a little into the crowd while she observed.

"Not quite," the Joker declares, his index finger now pointing upward to emphasize the point. "Most people live in much nicer places. Not so crumbly. More amenities. Round-the-clock entertainment for their prison cells." He licks his lips again and he relates, leaning a little more on Mera, "You see… people like to have soft carpet and big-screen electronics. They like to have artisanal tea and a thousand options of entertainment that they don't actually enjoy. So they lock themselves in with all these little niceties. They do jobs they hate, trading years of their life for this shit they are told they want, that defines them. They make themselves their own jailers. But… hey. At least it ain't crumbly."

He turns to look at Mera straight-on then. "So, do I *want* to steal? No. I want to *give*. What makes a criminal isn't the stealing, it's breaking any of the millions of minute little rules people are expected to live by. If you don't put yourself in one of their little, comfortable jails, you're a criminal." He leans his head in nearer, resting his forehead against the side of Mera's head if she allows it. "So where ya from? Asgard? Olympus? Jupiter? The future? The past? Space? The Bermuda Triangle?" The list is going to keep going unless she stops him.

The henchman predictably looks back over his shoulder. "Huh?" he offers. Then, seeing nothing really amiss, he turns back… only Dinah is gone. She has drifted off in amongst a small group that is gathering to receive hand-outs, or perhaps to listen to the charismatic madman.

The Joker does have some good points there, Mera admits to herself, though, as a noblewoman, she's not going to be too keen on the anarchy that he is suggesting. There needs to be some order, even if there is no greed. A little start from the redhead as the Joker's forehead rests against her. "Atlantis" she replies, using that moment to move further away from the presumptuous pirate. He was close with the Bermuda Triangle, though Mera would know it by another name.

"What are you giving to the people here today?" Mera asks, gesturing at one of the objects handed over. "Why do they need 'things' if 'things' will imprison them?" She takes a moment to notice that other woman has disappeared, looking around to see if she can spot her once more. Her bearing also marked her out as different to those waiting for the Joker's munificence.

Of course, even with her diguise, Dinah couldn't stay hidden for too long. Eventually she was going to have to either duck behind some rubble, flee or get spotted again. Still there was no open hostility going on just yet, but the blonde bit her bottom lip as she watched the exhange between the self-confessed Atlantian and the known maniac.

This wasn't really the crowd for her to go pointing out he was insane after all. At least not if she wanted to avoid violence. Instead her own attention goes to Mera's very question. Just what was he giving out? She was already looking around. Surely at least one of the folks who'd turned up had already opened the gift.

"Atlantis!" he echoes again. His arm slithers from around Mera. He lifts a hand to one of his henchmen and one of the little gifts are tossed his way. He extends it toward Mera. "No plastic wrap. Look, paper. I bet you *hate* plastic. I hear there are islands of it out there… little plastic trees swaying in the breeze. And all those little fishies, gobbling up humanity's waste, swimming in acidifying oceans thanks to our dirty energy." He tsks with a shake of his head. "I mean… *you* must see it would be insane for us to continue as we are? Bleaching away and sterilizing the oceans, our own little cradle of life on Earth? All to fuel those little prisons." He smiles widely then, extending his arms outward theatrically. "These gifts are just that. Nobody has to do what I tell 'em. Nobody has to pay me back. Food. Blankets. Medicine. Guns. Just…" He shakes his head, hands twitching slightly. "Just what we need to get *by*, you know?" True to his word, those around Dinah were unwrapping anything from pills to handguns, from hamburgers to snuggies.

If the Joker wants to remind Mera of her anger at humanity, he's picked the right words. Her expression colder as he goes through the list of terrible things they have done to her world. Lost in vengeful thought, she almost misses the part about guns. "You give them guns?" And, sure enough, there are people fondling their new guns. Still…if humans want to kill each other, would it be that bad? Yes, because their war would destroy her world as well as theirs. "It was nice to meet you, Prince…Joker. But if you will excuse me, I must continue my investigations. I hope we will meet again." A quick look around for the hooded woman - Mera would like to see her again too. Mera offers a polite bow to royalty before heading off in the direction of the sea.

For her own part? Dinah had best be on her way. With Mera departing there was no longer the concern of the 'lost bunny' effect, but she still didn't have much she could do here. Tresspassing? Illegal weapons? That was about it. Not much more she could do beyond throwing a few punches and creating a mess.

With one last glance towards the crowd and a silent hope that these same desperate people wouldn't be knocking over the next bank she came across, the woman starts to depart.

Mister J preaches with firebrand intensity to Mera as she begins to walk again, "The whole system's built on the backs of the ones on the bottom. Empower them and it saves the sea." He relents then, pausing to over a bow with a flourish. "Come back anytime, my dear. Just ask for me - I'll ensure I have time to see you," he promises. He turns his attention to the mustering crowd, swelling even as Dinah leaves it. "Ladies and gentlemen step right up!" he announces. "Everybody gets what *I* think they need. A meal, warm clothes, maybe a bit of power against the system holding you down! If you'd like to hear more, if you'd like to *get* more, come on up and speak to my friend Bobo…" With such a wealth of the disenfranchised, it was sure to be a good evening of recruiting.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License