This is the worst puppet show ever....

[ha_in_havoc]

In the early afternoon, the clown has been wide awake for many long hours. Wide awake, sitting on the floor, and fussing with the pretty pink mittens Dr. McCoy gave him. Today is a therapy day. Maybe he can get them to take the damn mitten things. Not likely, though. He doesn't even know who his therapy session will be with. It varies. Sometimes it

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[myownluck]

Harvey hasn't laughed at this sad display, not once since the Joker came back with his hands all be-mittened. That has to earn him some self-control points, right? No laughing at all. But he has been watching the show from across the hall, and trying to hide his smile. It's not like there's much else to do around here...

[ha_in_havoc]

Oh, he's noticed Harvey watching. He hasn't said much about it. In fact, he hasn't said much at all since being hindered and chastised by his doctor. Since having Luke actually try to connect with him, more than anything.

He glances over at Harvey now and then, though. Narrows his eyes at that little half hidden smile.
"Enjoying yourself, Harvey?"

[myownluck]

The problem with reduced dependency on the coin -- not all the decisions he makes on his own are good ones.

"Half," he shoots back, doing much worse now at hiding the smile.

[ha_in_havoc]

He's certainly no sad Piero, but he's not smiling beyond the permanent upturn of his scars. The Joker scowls at Harvey. Is everyone around here going to start getting all ballsy now that he's shown a hint of weakness? It never ends.

"They just want to help me. They want me better. That's..ah...that's good of them, since I'll be leaving then.... Where will you be, Harv?"

[myownluck]

Getting a little touchy, clown? Harvey being mouthy at the Joker is really nothing new. It's just that there's so rarely a situation when he's smiling while he does it, instead of glaring.

He shrugs, looking more serious, cautious, now that the Joker's talking. "Still here, probably."

No I don't know. NO refusal to predict.

[ha_in_havoc]

Oh, Harvey's usually mouthy, but out of anger and hurt. That's fun. This is an honest amusement at his misfortune. This isn't funny. Harvey has a terrible sense of humor, that's clear now.

No coin and no uncertainty. What sort of awful topsy-turvy world are they living in? Everything's gone wrong.
"Still being treated like you're crazy." He licks at the scar that creases his lower lip. "Tsk. Is that really what you want?"

[myownluck]

Harvey has had enough experience to know, already, where this is going to go. What stands an even chance (at least) of happening, if he keeps talking to the Joker.

He does, anyway.

"And I'm not?"

[ha_in_havoc]

"You used to be. Of course....the way you're talking now ... maybe you are."

He shrugs. Poor, lost, Harvey. There's clearly nothing the Joker can do for him. And he tried so hard, too. Put so much effort into shaping Harvey Dent into...a better man.

[myownluck]

Stop listening to him. But he...

...but even that's too long spent thinking about it. His coin is in his hands, without thinking about it, and he rolls it between his fingers as he touches his tongue to his exposed bicuspids, wetting the dry gums. "Maybe," he half-concedes. "Maybe not. Maybe both. Or neither."

[ha_in_havoc]

"Everyone's crazy, Harvey. Everyone. We're all brittle, cracked, damaged goods. What's insane what's really crazy, is ..ah..pretending that it's all okay. Acting like any of this...anything... is safe or sane or normal. That's crazy."
He arches a brow and shakes his head sadly for all the poor, deluded souls living under the false impression that there's some defining line between people like him and the guy next door.

"Stop. Playing. Their. Games. It's no good. You can't win. You know that, right?"
When his own hands are taken from him, he can always work on getting an extra pair to go to work for him.

[myownluck]

"I can't win your way, either." His voice dips lower, rougher, but the righteous glint in his eye is all Harvey Dent. "It's just one choice after another. Either way. So what makes your way better than theirs?"

[ha_in_havoc]

"My way has more room to stretch your legs. No more tiny room. No more drugs to silence half of the whole. My way has choices. Theirs doesn't."
The clown's way also maintains their 'friendship' and makes Harvey's life minutely less immediately expendable than the average man. Not by a lot, but it's the best that he can hope for, short of being Batman.

[myownluck]

He could listen. Or he could flip, to see... which side to lean toward. As always, there are good points for either. But what he wants -- what he doesn't want is to do this anymore. To be so powerless to protect his friends and pseudo-family from himself and others. To be unable to choose when to help or hinder. And in that respect, flipping for it is as much of a win for the Joker as just going along with him. No. The only way to do it is --

He looks the clown in the eyes, as he holds up the coin. Shows the clean side, then the burnt side. Like he's about to flip. Then he places it on the desk.

"No."

He sits down on his bunk, and grabs a book to pretend to read.

[ha_in_havoc]

The clown watches him, waits for the coin to flip --anxious as always for the outcome-- then scowls as it doesn't happen at all. He slams one mitten-padded hand hard into the safety glass wall. With all the other events of the day...Harvey has gotten rather far under his skin.

"You are really disappointing me, Harvey. I don't know if we can be pals anymore. Not if you aren't going to play fair."

[myownluck]

He grimaces, and grits his teeth --the fucking word fair, it's like nails on a chalkboard -- but he grips the edges of the book tighter, and breathes out through clenched teeth and tries to think of nothing until he doesn't want the coin in his hand quite so much.

"Good."

[ha_in_havoc]

Obvious reactions. The anger he was after. The building discomfort and agitation. The Joker smiles, licking at the stitches at the corner of his mouth, waiting for the coin and the outcome. It doesn't happen, though. It doesn't happen and Harvey doesn't want to play. He scowls, his voice a deep, furious growl when he does speak again.

"That's not very smart, Harvey. I only like half of you. Do you want both of us against you?"