Appearance Is Relative [gemini]

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy was smiling. How could she not be? The sun was bright that morning as it climbed higher in the sky, the wind - purified by New Bludhaven's immense plant life - was warm as it bore her auburn locks in a banner behind her, and she had a visitor lined up that would be most... beneficial. Acting as the mistress of New Bludhaven - 'the Lady of Eve', as her people referred to her, or just 'the Lady' - was a full-time dedication. Poison Ivy might have been called paranoid, but her worries were not unsanctioned. The security she'd organized for New Bludhaven aside, she would not leave it without her as its defender.

When Pamela still had a weighty agenda that stretched out into the world at large which needed addressing. So many people to kill, projects to sabotage, men to seduce, and threats to deal out. What was a girl to do? Apparently a girl had to make friends. Poison Ivy had never worked perfectly well with others, not until the Sirens developed and was maintained recently did Pamela think herself even capable of prolonged alliances with others. Mother Nature took her time with Selina and Harleen to heart, therefor, and had grown from it. Finding the right women had been more simply done than she thought, too.

Poison Ivy needed generals of New Bludhaven. Agents to dispatch past the boundaries of her utopia. She had arranged possible candidates, and it did not take overlong for her to narrow it down to two. Pamela hadn't entertained the idea of sending out a summons for Selina and Harley for a moment. They had all left on even terms, and were each ready to stand alone. Besides, the two femme fatales that Ivy was enlisting for aid this time would answer to her, and the small fortunes she was offering to sedate them. If anything, Pamela thought she'd enjoy this alliance more than the Sirens.

She was in charge.

The idea of having a woman working for her who could change her shape was enticing, to say the least. Gemini would suit Poison Ivy's espionage epicenter, and act as an invaluable asset in affairs of state for New Bludhaven. So Pamela had extended her reach through contacts and the natural world and cordially invited Gemini to New Bludhaven with an alluring bribe that would be hard to turn down with the most noble disposition. Beyond that, all Ivy had to do was prepare the venue for where the meeting would transpire, and she had done a splendid job, if she did say so herself.

This particular garden was on the southern edge of New Bludhaven. It's shape was vaguely circular, and wrapped in a high, ominous hedge. There were no trees save one that towered in it's heart. The branches spread wide, and its roots were so massive it split the garden into sections. The entrance to the garden was through an opening in the hedge, and emerald lawns struck directly between two arm-like roots to the tree's base. That was where Poison Ivy knelt. She pinched a thick, emerald seed between her forefinger and thumb, dropped it to the fertile soil underfoot.

At once the seed burrowed of its own accord into the grass. Vines slithered like snakes suddenly from the grass, a pastel green and began twining up around the bark of the tree. Crimson thorns started solidifying along the edges of the creeper, and bulbs swelled before bursting open into roses with petals trimmed in a charcoal-black. Poison Ivy stood back and admired her work, then she raised her voice. "You're better than your reputation makes you out to be. Not many could sneak up on me in my own garden."

[Gemini]

There was something to be said about how amazing Gemini was. She had officially been in the villain game for five weeks. Thirty-Five Days since she left Attica Prison to start her career and she was already getting offers from some of the biggest names in the game. She was dating an Outsider, she robbed Bruce Wayne... and she was getting invited to meetings with Poison Ivy. Poison... freaking Ivy? Uhh... goodbye C Class criminal status Gemini was moving up to A Class Henchman status... which was like B minus Villain status. So she hopped on a plane to New Bludhaven.. which apparently had a super villainess for a patron saint. Must have been one of the perks of being around since the 40s. or... or was that a different Poison Ivy? Was she even in the right universe? F*ck it.. she was having a good time anyway.

She touched down on the tarmac and rented a motorcycle from Triple A. As long as Miss Ivy didn't wrap it up in vines and the like.. she'd be able to get a security deposit back. She parked the bike a solid 9 blocks away from the meeting point. Sure she could just walk in there.. stroll in all star struck and the like? Or she could go there and prove her worth. Gem wasn't much of a direct aggression kind of girl... she was a damn good spy. An excellent espionage agent adept at arriving, killing, stealing and leaving... all without being noticed. There was a question to be asked however.. how was someone supposed to sneak up on the queen of nature... when she was surrounded by nature? Usually the answer was to use a gun, but.. using wings would also help. Taking a step backwards, she exhaled and took a running bound forward, sprouting 6 foot wings from her back. She skimmed low to the ground for a moment before catching a thermal and rising up into the sky. She didn't have to fly very far to see her destination. It looked like the quiditch pitch during the triwizard tournament.

She leveled out and slowly descended into the garden. It's the last time it'll happen, I can promise you that. Just felt the need to... prove my worth? Show that I'm a fitting servant to a radiant goddess? All that poetry jazz. What does my reputation say about me? How many times is the word 'insane' brought up? She touched down in the grass and replaced her wings with regular patches of skin, clothing and tattoos. From what she understood of Ivy from a myriad of her mother's files, the brain's files and wikipedia.. she would do best to avoid crushing any of these plants. Which would be bloody difficult... as crazy as Gem was.. she felt awkward sitting still for too long. She fidgeted awkwardly on her feet and walked around the area, sniffing plants and taking in the ambiance. So, Your offer has me very excited to be doing grunt work for you, Miss Isley. Seeing as my file was inconclusive on just what I can manage... can I.. would you like a sampler or something? Give her something to do so that she didn't do something stupid... like snap the stem on a rose she was feeling. Sorry... preemptively.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy did not turn to Gemini as she landed, rather the botanist continued to address the creeper that she continued to inspire growth in. She was just caressing a thorn to see if the toxin that each tine held was cooperative when a whimsical thought struck her. Pamela had left the Sirens not long ago on equal terms, just as Selina and Harleen had. Mother Nature had felt that her time of camaraderie was well-used, but in the past. Honestly the Sirens had banded together out of necessity. If it had amounted to more than that, so be it.

Poison Ivy felt like she, Catwoman and Harley had all needed one another - no matter how absurd it sounded voiced, nor the fact that she would never openly admit it. The disbanding of the group was a way of each of them standing on their own. Because they were ready to. Pamela hadn't stood, she'd towered. Just look at the splendor of New Bludhaven. Her success had been so great that it had surpassed her wildest imaginings, and continued to flourish, blossom, and deepen its roots as the days wore on.

Pamela was stricken then by the unexpected parallels that could be drawn between the alliance that she was drawing up now, and the one that she had departed from recently. Poison Ivy as present as ever, a deadly woman with a feline motif, and a - from reports, and reassured in several sentences - changeling with a brand of humor. Mother Nature still preferred this trinity compared to the previous one. She was in charge, and with money enticing Cheshire and Gemini, Pamela was sure to have more fun.

Already Poison Ivy was taking a liking to Gemini, hyperactive motor-mouth or no. "Flattery will open many doors for you, darling," she said while inhaling the fragrance of one of the black-tipped rose petals. Pamela had considered the consequences of enlisting the help of a veritable greenhorn like Gemini. The pros outweighed the cons. And if I can take her under my wing, so much the better, she thought vaguely. So far Gemini seemed less taxing on her patience than Harleen always was.

The stem of the rose snapped.

Or not. Poison Ivy couldn't help it. She stiffened, and her lip curled slightly at the sound of it, and the stab of pain that twisted in her gut. Thankfully her back was to Gemini so that Pamela didn't look so irritated at the accident. Finally, the botanist turned to address the other woman directly, a mischievous smirk on her lips. "And the money I offered did nothing to influence you," she said with a tinge of sarcasm. "I think your entrance was proof enough of your worth," she said, "Though, I am curious." Pamela quirked one brow. "What did you have in mind for this 'sampler'?"

[Gemini]

It was odd to see Poison Ivy at work. She wasn't actually doing anything that a normal gardener wouldn't do, talking to plants, caressing them, filling them with evil thoughts to protect their mommy at all costs. Normal Botany 101... something Gem opted to avoid at all costs mainly because she was clumsy and not fully in touch with her mind. Had Ivy not been... Ivy, Gemini would've made a passing statement about it, jovially commenting on how taking care of plants was pointless and the like, but she valued her continued existence. Maybe in time she'd come to enjoy horticulture. If she didn't... well then she'd likely become plant food. Her future was looking nice and bleak, just the way she liked it.

She knew full well not to run around the garden shoving her face into flowers and taking deep whiffs. She might take a deep inhale of Dionaea Nexmors and then it was end game. Even as this thought circulated through her brain like a warning bell, she couldn't stop herself from burying her face in a bushel of what she hoped was roses. No way in hell these were your average roses.. they had to be a cross pollination of something and... maybe orchids? Her mother used to grow those all the time before she went loopy. Both Mentally and Physically. Don't want to open too many... no one likes a kiss ass... what kind of roses are these? She had tried to hold one up to show it to Ivy, forgetting for a moment that Ivy probably didn't even need visuals to see that Gem was touching them. She snapped it and spun around her face rapidly turning into a grimace. I.. I can make up for this. She didn't know how, but she felt the need to say something when Ivy turned around and stared Gem down.

She sighed a breath of relief when it resorted to regular conversation. Well.. I mean the money isn't that much of a blessing anymore. I robbed Wayne Enterprises last week... I'm the world's youngest millionaire. I'm excited for the work experience and for the chance to work with a powerful, beautiful female. I need a mother figure since mine doesn't call me on my birthday. Her smile grew at Ivy's curiosity. She loved using her powers, excited her to no end to just borrow other people's faces Well... I can do animals and all that, I stretch... REALLY far and really fast. She looked around for a moment trying to find something she could test with speed alone. After coming to that conclusion she suddenly felt the need to show off even more. I shapeshift really well.. My mother was an actress and I got her flair for impersonating people.

She closed her eyes and exhaled as her body shifted and changed to match Ivy's. She didn't borrow the black and green bodysuit however. She opted to show more skin, wearing the bright red Arkham Issued jacket, barely buttoned and showing most of her stomach and the leafy panties to cover her womanhood. She even took the precaution to have the vines and leaves protruding out of her green skin. Rose red hair and lips, vibrant green eyes and a very Gemini smile slowly fading into something more seductive and teasing. You know... I rather like this look over the new one. Maybe I should bring it back the next time I'm in Gotham, instead of that... leafy corset? She took a sniff from the rose and sighed happily. Her act would need more work.. but this was the first time she had seen Ivy in action, she'd get better in no time.

[Poison Ivy]

"Stygian Roses," Pamela said in almost a sigh to answer Gemini's question. "I bred them myself." The break of the stem was met by the subtlest twitch of a muscle in the botanist's eyelid, but other than that she glazed over it. Poison Ivy looked mildly amused at Gemini's given opinion on kissing up. "No one likes someone who flatters poorly," the redhead corrected knowingly, "as long as you can do it well, you have no idea how many wonders a well-phrased compliment can work."

Gemini continued to nonchalantly describe why the money promised her wasn't the reason for her choice of auditioning. Poison Ivy's eyes shone with a dark sweetness at the admission. She was growing more impressed with this up-and-coming villainess by the passing hour. The changeling was definitely proving to be a good possible investment. Pamela wasn't second-guessing her decision to attempt to enlist her as an ally, at any rate. Snapped rose stem or no. At least she was apologetic. Translation: she wasn't an imbecile with a death wish.

"Good for you," Pamela said with a look of near-indifferent amusement, "I always hated Wayne." Ivy looked back to her children, and took to listening to Gemini's self-description with a thoughtful smile on her full lips. The sound of the young woman's transformation was what finally drew Poison Ivy's attention enough to turn her about again. Gemini's skin darkened, her hair lengthened and looked to bloom a deep vibrant red, vines encircled her arms, an entirely new outfit flowed from her previous one. In moments one of Mother Nature's own past appearances stood opposite her.

Poison Ivy's eyes widened. She didn't try to disguise her look of pleasant surprise. Then, even as she watched, the facial features, set of shoulders, even the way that Gemini stood drooped into something different than when she had been wearing her genuine face. Pamela smirked at the impression. "Not bad, dear." There were subtle elements that were off, but Ivy knew that that was likely because she hadn't had a chance to truly study Pamela's demeanor. For having just met for the first time, and under such conditions... Well... Gemini was potentially quite prodigious.

"You're hired," she said simply.

[Gemini]

Stygian Roses? Now that just sounded awesome. Now she just felt like crap. Not only did she break the pretty flower.. but Pamela put time and effort into growing her own strain. Then Gemini had to come in and... Gemini everything. In her future spare time she'd plant her own strain of flowers for Pamela. She'd think of a name for it eventually. I'll uh.. I'll work on my flattery then. She never knew when she might just mess up again and wind up needing forgiveness.

She did however feel the need to shut up when she went on and on about how she had been pretty awesome the other day. She was trying to show up a SUPER Villain. Had she not gone over the villain rankings but a few minutes ago? Damn her insanity! Though she was happy to hear that Pammy... she was going to call her 'Pammy' from now on. Happy to hear that Pammy disliked Bruce Wayne. At least she could get some points in this conversation. Though she did feel like she was boring Pammy with this conversation. Wasn't even interesting enough to hold Ivy's attention. Good thing she had her shapeshifting ice breaker. It was how she got all the biddies.

Thank you! Probably the coolest person I've ever morphed before, definitely the prettiest. I'm kinda basing you off of a few different sources. 10% Lara Croft, 20% Madame Rouge, 40% Jessica Rabbit and 30% Uma Thurman in that movie they made about you. She completely forgot that she was supposed to be in character and when she came back to look on this moment.. she'd find it hilarious to see Poison Ivy gushing over herself. I promise that in time, I'll definitely be able to narrow it down to 100% Poison Ivy. I mean... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! She smiled and jumped up and down, bringing her feet up to the small of her back on each hop. Unfortunately... she managed to jump a bit too much and the twins slipped loose of their already meager cover. Her green cheeks caught a shade of red before she quickly changed back to normal. Uh... Sorry, Boss.

She was gonna call her boss from now on too. She had gotten so much done today it was insane. Got a new job, made a new friend, seen some chesticles and stolen a motorcycle. Her followers on twitter would love this one. So... Anything you need me to do first? Sign a release form? Go rob someone or... cook dinner or something? Cause I make.. a Dynamite Crepe Suzette... A... hmm. Are you a vegan? Or a carnivore? I suppose I could see arguments for both sides... Sorry if I'm being invasive. It's the nicest way to know everything about someone I'm impersonating without torturing them or dating them... not that I wouldn't mind dati- I'm going to be silent now. Good old Gemini.. always putting her foot in her mouth.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy took a moment to reflect on just how poor Gemini's ecstatic behavior compared to Harley Quinn. They both seemed to share the inability to stay still, or keep their tongues from wagging incessantly, but Gemini's monologues were perhaps preferable to Harleen's. Primarily because Gemini was putting forth a lot of effort to get on Ivy's good side, and Harley had status and experience enough not to need to do so. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were partners when they were together. Gemini was now the botanist's protege. She might have sounded like a broken record, even in her own head, but damn if she didn't like to be in charge.

In the end, Pamela concluded that though Gemini was a novice, her brand of hyperactive motor-mouth was a lot less taxing on the patience than Harley's. Not a slight to the cupid of crime, either, and Ivy could handle both, of course. It was nice, admittedly, to have someone there who reminded Mother Nature of her closest ally. Even if Harley was off carving her own name in Gotham or beyond, at least Poison Ivy had someone to take up the talkative comedian slot of her life. Even if Gemini's jokes might have needed a little work.

From what Poison Ivy could gather, Gemini was only saying so much out of nervousness and a desire to impress her new employer. That gathered knowledge did wonders to assuage whatever irritation had crept into Pamela's chest over the course of the meeting - however slight or great. She was gratified upon hiring Gemini by a burst of her flamboyant energy. Rather than try to appear cool, collected, and almost indifferent of being approved - like most villains would attempt to look - she literally began jumping up and down in excitement.

Pamela found it refreshing to have an underling who didn't go to such cliche lengths to meet the status quo of other villains. Gemini would not be overly difficult to read in the future. That made Poison Ivy's job easier. Mother Nature's look of vague amusement only piqued when Gemini's bubbly reaction caused a display that would be considered publicly indecent. "Actually, the first thing that you can do is follow me. I'll show you to the quarters I've prepared for when you stay in Eve, and on the way you can see what it is you're helping protect."

Pamela admired the creeper one last time and then turned and walked toward an expanse of blank hedge, expecting Gemini to follow. "You aren't only going to act as an agent for me in the field." The hedge wriggled and split, opening to admit it's mother and her guest. "You're going to be an extension of my hand, both within New Bludhaven and without. A general of Eve, and an heiress of nature in my good graces."

[Gemini]

For a new gig, Pammy was really nice. She let Gem talk to her hearts content, she didn't get mad when her clone got half nude in front of her, and she didn't kill her for plant murder. Maybe... maybe Pammy was coming to see her as more than just another employee. Maybe even like an apprentice... or something more. As she watched Ivy, listening to the talk about her stay in Eve, she had to fight the urge to reach out and hold her hand. Her not having a steady mother figure was going to fuck up her business strategies later on. If she saw every nice older woman as a role model, she was going to wind up latching herself onto some old lady on a bus.... though free cookies would sound wonderful.

Eve? Why not Eden? Is Eden on it's way? Am I not allowed to stay in Eden because I'm unpure? That was an odd assumption... Gemini took at least two showers after she left Gotham. The first for the stench of running from a vigilante and suffocating a woman with her skin, the second because she felt sticky. Thinking about it, she doubted Pammy shopped at ikea.. so odds were Gem was going to be sleeping in a bush or something lame like that... she didn't exactly mind roughing it out in her boss' backyard.. but she couldn't even spring for a cot or something? Golly.

She followed after Ivy, admiring her absolute control over plant life. She did appreciate what Ivy was saying about this game however. A general of Eve? An heiress of nature? Yes please! Her Resume was going places unknown now. I'd gladly serve nature and be an extension of her will amid the world. She meant that one too. Not just for the paycheck, not just because Ivy was here bearing down on her with this. She was honestly feeling it... kicking the world's ass to cover it in plants rather than kicking its ass and covering it in factories and Ikeas. Should I make my hair red and put back on the viney underwear? I like to look the part on any job I take part in. Her mind was invaded of a miniature Ivy running around. Auburn hair tied back into a ponytail, White blouse with red rosettes as buttons, leafy miniskirt and vines for leggings. She'd have to remember that one for when she wanted to have some fun around town later. Actually... she'd bust out that little disguise the second Ivy gave her her living quarters.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy's mouth twisted wryly at Gemini's suggestion. Not in annoyance, but definitely not in a kind way, either. The thought had been voiced by her Council, actually, when the nickname for New Bludhaven had began to manifest. Even rumors had to be approved by Pamela before they could carry on in correctness, and 'Eden' had been vetoed by the botanist. "What better name to befit this new paradise than the name of the first woman to walk earth's surface? I am the Eve of this new Eden, so surly it should carry what would be my name."

The words that fell from Poison Ivy's tongue were - out of context - selfish, and little more. She had a way of saying them, though, that made the listener nod to her methodology, and agree. Being around Pamela was often to be in a daze. "Good." Poison Ivy's tone was final, but with a glaze of dark delight once Gemini professed that she desired to take to the role given her with a fervor. Pamela's path was assembled for her in her approach. What would have been a turn, or a skirt around a lesser garden, a distantly beheld bridge over a glittering stream, was null and void.

Roots from the giant trees, or columns of gargantuan vines curled into formation moments ahead of Poison Ivy's graceful tread to take her on a more direct path. From the vantage point that the mostly risen route offered the two women, the view was no less gorgeous. What mortals could be witnessed lazing in the sun on a massive toadstool, watering mutated blossoms or feeding carnivorous bulbs wore straw hats, and weathered clothing beneath sturdy aprons. "I'd like you to remain yourself just now," Pamela said softly.

The vine that they had mounted most recently extended its reach from the earth and began elongating over New Bludhaven, headed toward its center. Only a scattering of skyscrapers had been left standing - now reinforced by living pillars of greenery that swallowed most of them - and it was at the heart of these that Pamela's own personal garden lay. On the balcony of a former office building was where the sinewy emerald arm allowed its passengers to disembark. Pamela stepped onto the leaf-covered balcony, and turned on her heel to face Gemini.

Dark, and ominous knowing glittered in her green eyes. "Before we go any further, I need to inject you with a serum that will preserve you in New Bludhaven. The pollen and spores that my children naturally exude would likely kill you over time." Poison Ivy was being truthful, honestly. This would be the bid of trust - what little could be employed in matters between two women of their reputations, even if Gemini's was just putting out leaves. "Hold out your arm," Pamela instructed.

[Gemini]

N...No. Gemini didn't believe a single word of that. Well... she believed that Ivy believed it to be right, but she didn't abide by it. If they were honestly going with the story that the place was Eve because Ivy herself was Eve... then it opened parallels to the actual story of genesis, which didn't bode well at all for anyone involved in this place. Not to mention that it was Eve's fault that paradise became unreachable, her fault women everywhere now had to deal with so much shit. Gem wasn't a thousand percent positive that she was okay with this allegory being the basis for her new homestead... but who was she to argue? Certainly not someone with an opinion worth listening to. I suppose that makes sense. Everyone was allowed to be a little conceited every once in a while. Ivy, being the goddess that she was, got more chances than others. Gem would get her chance eventually though. New Geminishire off the coast of Genosha... coming soon.

Now THIS was the way to travel. Crossing an entire city on a giant root.. bridge thing? She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. Oh sure... sure. Gemini until needed otherwise. She smiled and took a few photos of the area around her, the bridge, the people down in the city slaving over Ivy's gardens. And then she turned her back to Ivy and took a picture with her new boss in the background. Yup.. these were going right onto her tumblr.. and the Ivy one onto her twitter. This is... immensely beautiful, Boss... my followers will love this. With a quick upload, she signed in at New Bludhaven and wrote a quick little blurb about moving on up to the east side. She slid the phone back into her jeans with a smile. Eve or Eden or even Babylon.. this was going to be an amazing experience. Do you socially network, boss? I could follow you or something.. Her twitter had like 5,000 followers. Most of them being police officers.

She hopped off the vine, sticking the dismount perfectly, before looking around the dilapidated office building. This might've been a proud city at one point. Thriving and growing the same way these vines and plants were thriving and growing. It was kinda sad... but at least the people here were happy. She leaned over the balcony railing and took a few snapshots of the area. She spun around on her heels and rolled up her sleeve. Stab away, boss lady. This moment was going to be one of two things.. Either Ivy was going to kill her with a well placed neurotoxin... or she was gonna save Gem's life. If it was the first... well Gemini could at least get in some closing remarks insulting Pammy, maybe get off a few lucky hits and burn down a tree, if it was the latter.. then wicked, she would live to see another day. So.. if all of the residents of New Eve have this serum circulating through them.. I'm assuming their kids would have it upon conception.. but what about people coming to visit? Do they just come knock on Mother Nature's door for their jabs? She had better get an answer this time too.. or she'd vote down Ivy's Zagat rating. "Eve? 3 stars out of 5 for bad staffing!"

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy chose to ignore the pictures being taken of Eve, and the question directed towards her about if she 'networked' only caused Pamela to have a withering look - literally - for a few moments before she fended off the notion. Obviously Gemini was talented, and had vast potential that the botanist planned to make the most of, but her common sense seemed to be lacking. All around were people living off of, and in tandem with the earth. Not a single article of advanced technology was being used in sight. From a cellphone to a television, the electronics that had been present throughout all of Bludhaven before it's remaking were nowhere in sight. What made Gemini think that Poison Ivy spent hours sitting on a laptop everyday?

She had a utopia to preserve, run, and govern.

Pamela honestly wrestled with the desire to snatch Gemini's little device from her hand. It would have been so simple to concentrate enough toxins in her hand to turn the smartphone to a pile of boiling, molten waste.

At least Gemini was not stubborn or foolish enough to attempt to ignore Pamela's order... er... suggestion about the serum. She didn't know if the changeling's abilities would make the progress that the spores of New Bludhaven inspired affect her more slowly, or rapidly, but it was better to be safe. Wouldn't want to go through all the trouble to recruit Gemini just for her to die from the environment she now protected. Pamela stepped up to Gemini and grasped her forearm firmly. A vine had now snaked up into her palm, and put out a thorn filled with the antidote - a clever way of distributing the serum that Ivy had engineered - pricked her skin.

The pain was as slight as it was brief. Scarcely had Pamela latched onto her forearm than she released Gemini and stepped back. The redhead's eyes narrowed critically. She tapped her chin with a finger twice, and then seemed satisfied. "The elixir is taking rather well," she said thoughtfully, almost to herself. "Very well. Let's tour your new abode, then, shall we?" Poison Ivy turned and strutted towards the veil of ivy shielding the inside of the building from sight. At her approach the leafy blockade swept aside and drew up like curtains to reveal what was within...

Poison Ivy stepped in first, but then moved to the side and swept her arm out to encompass the living quarters and allow Gemini to explore on her own. There were many signs showing what had once been, but that had been disassembled and cleared away by nature to make room for it's own design. In one corner, shattered computers and desks wavered, speared through the heart by vines that curled along the walls. The penthouse office that had once been was no more. Light coursed through the veins of the emerald tendrils throughout, of every leaf and every flower that adorned the walls and floor.

A bed had been scavenged for Gemini, Pamela knowing that curling up on a toadstool wouldn't be ideal for the other woman, and it stood at the heart of the room. A table stood to the right laden with bowls of fresh fruit, and other natural delicacies. The bathroom from the previous CEO office had been maintained and untouched by Ivy's babies to be used by her general - seen through an open doorway nearby. Otherwise, the plants that flourished in the spacious chamber made their own form of decor. Eccentric, but beautiful in a spring grove, otherworldly sort of way. A few of Pamela's younger subjects had likened New Bludhaven to the homes of the elves of some make-believe series or another.

Not the worst comparison available, really. "Welcome home."

[Gemini]

No responses. Once again she was completely ignored by Ivy. Gemini didn't just flap her gums incessantly for her own benefit! Well... obviously it was for her own benefit but she liked a good back and forth, it gave her something to focus on.. it drove her mind towards a specific point. The psychiatrist in the prison specifically pointed it out. If she's left to her own devices.. well things start to take a turn towards the unhinged. She would hate everything about herself if at some point she lost control of her mental facilities and.. hurt someone that she cared about.. or wound up dead with no chance to apologize or explain why she was such a royal agitation. Wait the elixir is taking rather well? What kind of horsefeathers? Her hand recoiled a bit and she sucked on the point of entry for a moment.. she actually felt a bit woozy. Must've been the.. the toxin or something. Rubber was not supposed to be injected with chemicals and treatments... it ruined the vermouth!

Wait... wait.. wait, WAIT. Are you saying that there was a chance that the serum wouldn't work? Mom, that's totally unacceptable. She didn't raise her voice above something of a controlled and upset whisper, which was the tone she took whenever she was talking to her actual mother. She didn't notice the slip, she would probably never even be fully aware of it.. even if Ivy mentioned that she had said it. That was something her mother would have done.. test something borderline poisonous and dangerous on her willing and able child. It was how Gemini learned to love her mother. She could only test these ideas on Gemini because she trusted Gem right? Trusted Gemini not to die, where everyone else would surely die. She was loved for being so strong. Tour the new abode... sure, of course. She wiped her pricked hand on her jeans before hopping on down and getting ready to start her new life as a Baby Ivy. Maybe she should change her code name to something plant related.. like Venus!

Her strut went from something of a quick shuffle to a complete and amorous following. She was over the whole poison testing thing. She might not have expected it from Ivy, but it did make her feel right at home to have something like that as an option.. and boy what a home to call her own! It was... it was something you'd seen on a Discovery Channel what if and it was glorious. Most of Mankind's innovations and monoliths that once towered over the docile lands of the earth were slowly being taken over and and replaced with Gaia's original design.. albeit with some more modern set pieces. She bounded across the room, finding it hard to keep her neck pivoted in it's rightful position. She wanted to look everywhere, envelop the entire room with her presence and find just.. she didn't know what she would've found had she searched the area.. but it would've been awesome to find. She ran towards the bed and used it like a trampoline, launching her towards the bowl of fruit.

Pulling an apple from it, she wiped it on her shirt as a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Welcome Home? That was honestly something she never thought she'd hear. 'Welcome Home.' She had somewhere to call a home.. and not just someplace she had illegally visited and comandeered for the night. If ever she was out in the world, doing her job or being shot at.. she'd have somewhere to come home to. Someone who was looking for her, putting the light on and caring about her. She might've just been jumping the gun on this situation, but as she bit into the apple... well she felt a warmth growing in her stomach. A calming and almost.. beautiful peace. Who knows... maybe this was legitimate happiness? I'm... I'm extremely honored to be here, Boss. She looked up and wiped a few tears from her eyes, putting on a stern enough face. Let the day I fail you be the last day I have on this earth. That was a promise she'd devote her life to.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy was honestly caught off-guard at Gemini's slip of tongue - or was it intentional? Either way, being referred to as 'Mom' after having just met the young changeling wasn't what Pamela would have expected. Already she saw potential in Gemini, and a resemblance to Harleen that suited to assuage the slight throb in what might be Ivy's heart to see her dearest friend. Here was a budding villainess that Mother Nature could water, nurture, and grow into the perfect asset. The perfect daughter, really. Poison Ivy was not always cold and callous as the media made her to believe.

Pamela hardly had time enough to let the comment sink in when her lips pressed into a slightly irritated line. Perhaps the union of Poison Ivy, and Gemini was predestined? They certainly were falling into the rolls of mother, and daughter with subconscious ease. Typical. One slight comment and the girl jumped to the most severe conclusion. The botanist rolled her eyes at the implication that Gemini gave. "Oh, please," she clucked, "don't be so melodramatic. The only variable was if the serum would take. There was no risk, other than me having to give you a stronger dosage."

Honestly, what did she think an 'elixir' was? Rather like the trend that Gemini appeared to be setting, the shape-shifter bounced from one subject - one emotion - to another like the rubber that she was made of. The dazzling sight of her new abode was enough to send Gemini off onto something other than the brief prick, and the misunderstanding therein. Poison Ivy was surprised to find that instead of being annoyed at the display of flamboyance, Mother Nature was amused. While Gemini bounded around her bed chamber, Pamela was busy inspecting the petals of a nearby flowering vine thoughtfully.

Poison Ivy was surprised for the second time in just as many minutes when Gemini turned to face her again, and a - rare - serious moment fermented her amiable features. Pamela's gaze widened, her lips, broke open in unexpected astonishment. Something fluttered in Poison Ivy's chest, and she smiled kindly, and thoughtfully, in a way that was barely ever directed at something other than a plant from her. Pamela crossed the distance between her and Gemini, and gripped the younger woman's shoulders tenderly.

With tender care, Pamela leaned in and pressed a kiss on Gemini's raven locks. "That's my girl," she cooed.

[OOC: I think that this might be a good place to end the thread. If you think so, just PM me! (:]