[RL - A Visit at Lisa's Place]

[tntandgasoline]

The Joker had his way with things. It was never hard to do something for him; if he wanted something, he got it. It's just how things were. They'd always been like that.

And right now, he wanted to do two things: intimidate Jackson and check up on that darling Lisa, who just so happened to live in a Miami. How he got there was nobody's business; all that mattered was that it was nightfall, and he was standing in front of the door of (hopefully) Lisa's house, a bottle of decent wine (it's so hard to find a good wine when you're a wanted man) in one hand.

He smirked, smoothed back his hair, leaned against the door way and knocked, three times, against the door. Hello, anybody home?

Comments

[tntandgasoline]

"Sorry," he shrugged, not sounding very sorry at all. "But it is a compliment. Sort of." After all, she wasn't bulimic. He hoped.

"Let's see... Oh! I know." He looked at her with a mildly curious stare - one that was definitely an understatement to how he really felt. Oh, this would be interesting. "You just said this, uh, Clint person, he does a knight routine. You didn't sound too happy about that - why's that? Don't like a man swooping in to save you from all the unsavory people in the world - like me? Jackson? Anyone else who might've slighted you in the past? Like being your own keeper, am I right?"

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

"I don't like the idea of him getting himself involved in a situation where he might get hurt. I don't want anyone getting hurt. Not Clint, not... you, not... even... Jackson." That last part took a lot of cringing to admit. But, after as much pain and death her situation had brought to those around her - relocating her father, three months in the hospital for Jackson, Keefe's death, damages to the hospital, and winding up with the two of them at gunpoint in Jackson's apartment - she was fully ready for the pain to end. But, she couldn't give him more information than necessary.

[tntandgasoline]

"How, uh, noble." This self-sacrificing, nobody-get-hurt attitude was cloying, like a thick scent that encompassed the entire house. He was just now starting to realize that that was what was making the house feel so... unhealthy for him. "But, sugar-" Ahah, that one would work, "Life is full of people getting hurt. There's nothing you really can do about it."

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

Sugar? Well, better than Lis'. At least for now, it was. She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her.

"But, when there is something that I can do to stop it, of course I'm going to. Which means doing all I can to keep Clint from doing something... stupid. Even if he hates it." Lisa sighed, shutting her eyes. It was hard to keep refusing help.

[tntandgasoline]

"Boys will be boys, Lisa.." He stretched again, rising to his feet. Slouching over towards his coat out of the desire to move, more than the desire to leave, he hemmed a bit. "But you can't stop everything bad, Lisa. Sometimes, uh, sometimes bad things just happen, even to the nicest of people."

He gestured vaguely towards her, "Like you having to deal with Jackson. Like Clint enevitably getting into a fight with me over this visit, because if you tell him, you know he'll assume the worst. Just like everyone assumes the worst." He wasn't bitter about it - that was the point - but it was irritating to have everything he did dismissed on the basis of him being bad. "And really, what can you do to stop it? The wheels, Lisa, they turn with or without your approval. Things happen."

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

What was it with all of these people saying the same thing? Just 'bad things happening to good people' - as if it wasn't within the power of people to change that. Just because it took collaborative work didn't mean it couldn't be stopped. She bit her lip, now glaring.

"They don't have to happen. The wheels don't have to keep turning. It's just a matter of wanting it bad enough. But, you're right, it's out of the control of any one person. Clint isn't going to fight with you, I'm not going to let him. But, that doesn't mean you should try to antagonize him, which I know you're good at."

[tntandgasoline]

"Sweetie, I don't even know what the idiot looks like, or what his user name is. I wouldn't be able to bother him if I wanted too."

He picked up his jacket, brushing it off idly before looking at her. "You're really set on this, aren't you, Lisa? Set on grabbing life by the, uh, horns and making it yours." Doing what you wanted because of what you believed - hey, anyone could associate with that. Even the Joker.

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

"I am never going to have to say something was out of my control again." That again wasn't supposed to come out. That again would draw questions. She turned away from him, uncrossing her arms so she could wring her hands together. "I think maybe you should go. You've proved your point."

[tntandgasoline]

Hm.

He knew the body language; the shouldn't-have-said-that posture and the deflecting, the insistence that he leave, that he had a point to prove with that little tirade. It would be easy to push her more, get her to lash out, lose control, because she had all this control over herself and it was sickening, like the clean house and the insistence on being good, but that just wasn't the gameplan for tonight.

He made a mild, thoughtful noise in the back of his throat and shrugged on his jacket. No, there'd be no point in pushing her right now; it'd just pop all the nails that he'd driven into her right back out. That wouldn't do.

He instead slouched up behind her, leaning in to just barely push against that very-wide personal boundary of hers, placing his hands on her shoulders lightly - easy to brush off. Women were so scared of men. It was ridiculous what he knew about this kind of position. Can't take any of the power away when they're like this, or else she'll stab him with a stiletto.

"Then never let it," he drawled, voice low as he gave up on being so soft on her and leaned in just enough to smell the shampoo she used, "If you want control - and oh, this is always my advice, but it's good advice, sugar, don't let the mouth that feeds it to you change your opinion - if you want it, take it."

A pause.

"Eucalyptus, huh? Took you for more of a, uh, fruit kinda gal."

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

When she felt him come up behind her, she closed her eyes tighter, trying to will herself out of this situation. She hated, hated, hated feeling cornered in her own home but there was nowhere to run and she wasn't going to let him win this. But, he had said he was on her side - this wasn't a competition with Joker, was it? Was she just so used to considering it that with Jackson?

As soon as his hands - calloused and greasy from makeup and dirty - rested against her shoulders, every bone in her body wanted to scream in rejection to the contact. She just didn't let men that close to her, she hadn't in years, and Jackson had invaded that bubble and now Joker had and it was sending shockwaves in the form of memories of a sunny day in a parking lot and she had to pull away when he mentioned her shampoo. Oh, God, why was he doing this?

"Stop. Just, stop." She jerked away, wrapping her arms around each other tightly. "I'm not letting it. I've done a fine job of that so far, and that's exactly why I'm telling you that it's time for you to leave. I don't need your advice."

[tntandgasoline]

"Shh shh shh. I'm not here to hurt you, Lisa, remember?" He held up his hands - look, unarmed, backing away - and internally grumbled at overstepping his boundaries at a time like this. So close. Damn it!

"And I am going, but..." He patted down his jacket, frowning before reaching into one of the interior pockets and pulling out an old, relatively unwrinkled playing card, the jester crouching in silloughette on the front. "If you need anything - really, Lisa, anything - just call me." The number was on the back, printed in sequence through the diamonds, but she probably wouldn't call. Still, better safe than sorry.

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

Lisa's glare softened as he backed away. There was a good chance it had been completely accidental, that he hadn't known she would be so protective of her space but dammit why was she still so jumpy? She reached out and snatched the card from his hand, turning it over in her hands as she made a mental note to talk to her therapist - of course, leaving any mention of plural worlds or the people from them far away from that conversation.

"...Sure." Was her tentative reply. She set the card down on the counter beside her, eying him with unabashed suspicion. "Don't expect to be my first call."

[tntandgasoline]

"You have Clint for your first call," he chuckled, pulling out his gloves and casually slipping them back on his hands, waltzing towards the door. "Just remember, sugar - you're playing a game with that Crane-lookalike and I'm playing on your team."

For now.

He reached the door and swung it open, turning to give her a flourished bow. "Have a great night, Lisa-dear," he sing-songed, "Don't stay up too late with that wine."

At least he knew not to slam the door on his way out.

[nobaybreezes.livejournal.com]

Clint for her first call. Probably not. She considered briefly who would be, but didn't let it bother her for too long because in a moment he was out the door. Immediately, she slumped against the wall and put her hands over her mouth, trying to stem any possible sobbing. Slowly sliding to the floor, she shut her eyes and tried to keep herself from crying.

"Come on, Lis', get up," she coached herself. "He didn't even do anything, he just... get. up." Slowly, clumsily, she got back to her feet and moved to her bedroom to get her cell phone and dial up her therapist. Something had to be done about this twitchy, emotional nature of hers.