String me up to a cherry tree; come one, come all - and hang with me.

[forefather]

Who: OPEN.
When: The morning of August 31 until September 2.
Where: Sector 4 and random spots throughout the city.
Summary: Mysterious flowering cherry trees have sprung up overnight. They're beautiful, but their petals have some strange effects...
Warnings: Put your warning in your subject line.

Comments

OPEN! Warnings for Joker...

[he_is_wild]

[Joker is quietly wandering the streets, his fedora pulled low, a black duster wrapped around him. He isn't disguised but tonight he doesn't feel like being overly conspicuous either. He's thinner than he has been, now close to emaciation, but there is still a spark in his eyes.

As the evening breeze carries some blossoms past him, he glances up. The trees weren't there last night, he knows that much. But he doesn't spend much time thinking about it.]

[leading3men]

[ Zoey has never seen trees like these before. They seemed almost anachronistic, or something like that: never belonging. She is hardly poetic - thoughtful, yes, but not eloquent - but she can see something as beautiful as these trees, whatever they are, in something harsh and corrupting as this island.

A wind gushes through the street, and some of the petals fall on Zoey's bangs. She shakes her head, dragging some of the more entangled petals out of her messy hair. When she looks up, she sees someone approaching, but he looks oddly familiar. But with the hat pulled down low and the feather duster wrapped around him, she doesn't pull two and two together. She drops her gaze, ready to consider that it's nothing. ]

[he_is_wild]

[Joker sees Zoey as he approaches.

He lifts his chin, enough to show a toothy smile beneath the hat.]

[leading3men]

[ Oh, Jesus, that smile gave her goosebumps -

Wait. Shit. She recognizes this guy now. ]

You got to be kidding me.

[ Off duty and no cuffs in sight. What do. ]

[he_is_wild]

[He smirks as he comes in closer. Kid? Him?]

Always a possibility.

[leading3men]

[ God. She heard the grapevine down in the station, where Re-l and Joker have this . . . whatever it is. Where is she when you need her? And where's her gun? ]

I'm surprised you bothered go all out in the open.

[he_is_wild]

Open?

[He slings an arm around Zoey's shoulders]

This is me being discreet, poppet. Would you have recognized me if I didn't smile at you?

[leading3men]

[ Oh god ew ew. She's trying to lean away from him. ]

Then why bother smiling at all?

[he_is_wild]

What? I can't say "Hi"? I don't believe we've ever officially met, you know.

[He grabs her hand and shakes it.]

Hi, I'm Joker.

[leading3men]

[ Against her better . . . reservations, she decides to play along. See how this goes. She returns the grip, but just faintly. ]

Zoey. I'm Zoey.

[he_is_wild]

[He coos]

Zoey? What a nice name! The "Z" sound is one of the funny ones, dontcha think?

[leading3men]

[ Wow, that's a sound Zoey never wants to hear. Ever. ]

Not as bad as X though.

[he_is_wild]

"K" is the funniest sound. Kangaroo! Kill! Fracus! A fracus is funny. Rockets are funny! Joker! JOKER IS FUNNY.

[leading3men]

[ Okay, fuck this. She's can't deal with crazy, so she tries to duck underneath his arm draping over her shoulders. ]

Yeah, since you can't spell slaughter without laughter, I get it.

[he_is_wild]

You got it, girly.

[He drops his arm]

I put the laughter back in slaughter and the "fun" back in "Fun City". And it's one heck of a tough job.

[He stares straight into her eyes]

But someone has to do it.

[leading3men]

[ Zoey's mouth goes dry.

Jesus Christ this guy is serious. ]

You're fucking sick!

[ Why this haven't occurred to her earlier, she has no idea. ]