1030/The Play's The Thing

The Play's The Thing
Date of Scene:	07 April 2020
Location:	Beacon Theater
Synopsis:	Both Selina and Bruce have a bad date at a theater show. This time it's not with each other!
Cast of Characters:	Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne

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Selina Kyle has posed:
Intermission couldn't come soon enough.

Selina Kyle had been thinking about getting out for a night of theater for some time. Cats would have been the easy, if uninspiring choice. Some of the songs were fun and the costumes interesting, but even with some modern updates it was rooted so deeply in the 80s that it had a certain stigma among many people. Plus, that horrid movie. Ugh.

No, tonight it ended up being Xanadu, and she went with a date. Ignore that it, too, had 80s origins and a movie that was widely panned. It was someone she ended up chatting with a few times at a couple charity events, and while he seemed interesting enough at first it became sorely evident the man was shallow, not very bright, and really only wanted to get her into bed. He must have talked a good game to get her to relent to just this much as far as a date goes. Maybe the idea of a show was too good to pass up.

Now, she's regretting it. Oh, she's dressed to the nines with a perfect dress, arms bare, a low-cut back, and high neck in front, plus diamond jewelry and comfortable but classy footwear, but this guy just would not shut up in the VIP box they had, trying to tell her this and that about the play, hinting at what he was hoping to do later without saying it in those exact words, and just leering at her more than he watched the show.

Were she a cat, or in another guise right now, she might hiss and scratch him.

Thankfully, the intermission came minutes before she decided she was just going to make up some excuse to leave and ditch the guy. It was a longer version of the play, and thankfully they did build a break in. "Stay here, Steve. I need to step out for a powder and a drink." Walk slowly. Keep it under control. Maybe the next date would actually work out.

Yeah, right.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Bruce, much in the same boat, had elected to abandon his box seats to retrieve some drinks for his companion of the evening. A friendly enough woman, but vapid and unagreeably talkative for someone trying to sincerely enjoy a play.

And not even here ironically-- there were some parts of the Bruce disguise that did not wholly disagree with Batman's sense of a good time!

So excusing himself, Bruce exits to the box landing. Private boxes often have their own little service center, including an open bar and upscale catered food. For the cost of the seats, it's the sort of considerate service most wealthy patrons expect.

"Miss Kyle?" Bruce hails Selina with a well-aimed pitch of his voice, just loud enough to be heard without him bellowing at her. A grin splits his face and he changes course to intercept the black-haired socialite. "Well well, surprise meeting you here. I didn't realize you were a fan of musical theater." A hand is offered in a gentle shake to her.

Selina Kyle has posed:
"What did I ever do to des--" Selina is asking herself now that she can actually catch a breath out in the area set aside for those who can afford to sit where people like them do. They're hardly alone, for there are a number of other patrons taking advantage of the chance to freshen up, get a little more toasted, and so on.

"Eh?"

She turns, confirming it's who the billionaire thinks it is, and there's a momentary look of desperation on her face. Sure, Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne have had a couple dates that ended poorly, but there were reasons that went beyond the norm. They were at least cordial toward each other aside from that, and seeing him right now is far more preferable to that other loser inside. "I was a bigger fan until about the past hour or so," she says, meeting his hand equally. "Bruce, you have to rescue me from the disaster I've been stuck next to. You have /no/ idea."

Or does he?

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Bruce glances at the boxes, then puts two and two together and winces at Selina. "Ohh," he realizes, and clucks his tongue. "One of those dates, huh?" A sympathetic expression crosses his face and he turns to face the bar, gesturing with one hand and giving the back of her arm a gentle two-fingered touch without trying to intrude into her space. "C'mon, we've got a ten-minute intermission. Let's commisserate a bit; is yours worse than mine? She keeps telling me about a backpacking trip she took into Cairo five years ago and how much it changed her life. I'm sure it's an interesting story, but I'd kind of like to enjoy the show, y'know?"

He gets to the bar and invites Selina to precede him, gesturing at her an invitation to order first.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle chooses..milk? Yes, milk. It might not be the first time he's seen her opt for that, often seen with a glass at other functions. It's non-alcoholic, and it's good for you. What could be bad about it?

"One of those dates. He insists on telling me everything about the play so I can't even try to enjoy it or the songs, and I think he's up to about a dozen different pet names for his..well, let's just say he's thinking about dancing horizontally later on. He didn't act like this at all before I agreed to this. I almost threw him over the balcony, and I might have if he wouldn't have landed on some poor sap below."

Oh, she's letting it out. Me-yow! Fssst!

After having allowed him to guide her along toward a quieter spot on the level, she looks at him for a few long moments before admitting, "You look good tonight. Have you been keeping yourself busy?"

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Iced tea for me," Bruce requests. He looks almost relieved, and approving, at Selina's choice of something non-alcoholic. Drinks are retrieved and they sidle t a location that's more or less out of the flow of traffic.

"Busy? I suppose so," Bruce allows with a grin. "Family life doesn't leave much room for free time. It'll be a couple more years until my youngest is out of the house." He doesn't seem to mind that much. "Been doing a little side work to help Tony Stark with his campaign. I'm hoping if I just donate enough to his PAC, he won't actually ask me to do any real work," Bruce jokes with a self-deprecating humor. "It'd cut into my recreational time."

He sips his tea, uplifts his chin at Selina. "How about you? I love the outfit; very stylish. Been out there lightening wallets?"

"Charity fundraising, I mean," he clarifies, before another sip.

Selina Kyle has posed:
It's probably good for Selina that she hasn't gone to the hard liquor. She glances past Bruce and remarks, "Don't turn around, but it looks like we'll be on Twitter at any moment. Someone's got her phone out." That did not take long.

"Right, you have a kid. Or two. I haven't kept track." She hasn't even been to Wayne Manor aside from any of the times it's been used to host a fundraiser or gala of some kind. "None for me. Just haven't found Mr. Right, and I'm not ready to settle down yet. I'm keeping out of the election stuff, myself. Most politicians don't mean anything they promise anyway."

In the midst of sipping her milk, she suddenly coughs and almost spits it up, right about the time he's asking about wallets. How did he..? Oh. "Ugh, sorry. Down the wrong pipe. Ahem! Thank you. It's a shame I'm wasting it on that loser in there. And you know I love the big cat charities. I went to one in New York City the other week and bought a couple pieces to take home."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Ice tea and milk, and convivial chatting; Bruce glances once at the amateur papparazzo, then lazily refocuses back on Selina without any care or hurry. When she starts coughing, though, alarm crosses his face and he quickly produces a clean handkerchief to offer her.

"Right, that's your pet project. Bad, /bad/ choice of words," Bruce amends swiftly, and with a rueful expression. "Personal mission. I'm glad to hear it's going well," he says, talking smoothly over his faux pas. "Did I hear right, there's a new wild safari exhibit up in Yonkers? The cats get a lot of acreage to prowl around in for most of the day?"

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle reaches up to wipe her mouth with the back of a hand, but Bruce is there with a better option. A hastily muttered 'Thanks' follows, and she remembers to dab daintily around the area, ensuring no spilled milk to cry over.

"It's a passion of mine. I like the feel of a powerful motorcycle purring between my legs," she tells him, playing it up just enough to make sure he knows she's using the words she intends to, "but helping those beautiful animals makes me feel like I'm doing something right. And yes, I have. I've been meaning to get out there for a look, to see if it's legit or..."

She frowns, really more of a scowl. "You've seen that Tiger King crap?"

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Tiger King? No. My kids keep telling me I should," Bruce allows. "But it sounds too much like trashy daytime TV for my taste. The fact that it's unscripted isn't a selling point for me."

His eyes narrow subtly. "Really, a bike enthusiast? I wouldn't have pegged you for one," Bruce tells Selina. "No offense, of course; I just don't know a lot of people in our social circle who get into the hobby," he says. "I used to ride when I was younger, but you start to realize how dangerous it is after a few near misses," he says wryly. "I'm not sure I've got the reflexes to keep up anymore. All I need is to lay the bike down and then be in traction for six months beacause I got the brakes and the clutch mixed up." He grins ruefully.

Selina Kyle has posed:
The socialite sniffs, and it's one of derision. "Do yourself a favor. Don't. And I don't think any of it is an act. Nobody looks good in it, and nobody's taking care of those poor animals the way they should be. I don't even like the idea of them being in captivity as part of a safari or, really, a sanctuary, but I'd rather support a place like that instead of them being caged for people to gawk at or pet, and it sure beats them being killed just because they were born into a life like that."

Selina has strong opinions about this.

But, she also shifts gears at a moment's notice. "Oh, you didn't know? I used to ride them when I was younger too, but I never stopped. I didn't think roaring up to a fancy ball on a Harley was all that fitting, but we should go out for a ride sometime. It'll come back to you just like that. Now that I know you enjoy it too, you simply must." She's giving him a smile the Cheshire Cat could be jealous of.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Oof, I roped myself into that one, didn't I," Bruce says with a resigned wince. There's no graceful way to demure; he exhales and gives Selina a look of mild reprimand. "I guess I can pick a bike up and we could go for a ride up the corridor," he allows. "It's been years, though, so you'll have to be patient with me. And no tricky side roads or crazy routes," he insists, and wags the index finger curled around his iced tea. "And if I end up cracking my skull open you have to be the one to explain to my kids how you roped me into it." Blue eyes dance. "Deal?"

Selina Kyle has posed:
"Completely," Selina confirms, offering mock seriousness, a solemn nature that doesn't make it all the way to her eyes, which reveal a playfulness. These two managed to screw up a couple dates? And it's been a while since they've even been on one.

She suggests, "If it makes you feel any better, we can get one with a sidecar and you can ride in that. Don't forget a good helmet, just in case. But, it's a deal." She can't be serious. Can she?

Back to the milk, as seconds continue to tick away during the intermission. "I don't really want to go back in there. Do you?" A few have already begun to re-enter the auditorium.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Smeared on the asphalt I could explain to my kids," Bruce allows. "Caught dead in a sidecar? I'd never hear the end of it," he grins.

"There's a *ding ding ding* of intermission concluding, and Bruce heaves a mild sigh and looks back at the box.

"I really don't, but she did come here with me. It'd be rude to ditch her."

"But if you want to join us, you can," he offers. "She can't be as bad as your date, and at least we could take turns distracting her and manage to catch -some- of the show. Tell her you've got a skeevy feeling about your companion and need a place to hunker down. She'll understand."

Selina Kyle has posed:
"No sidecar, then." Too bad. Now /that/ would have made for some interesting discussion on social media and all the talk shows. "What about a trike? All the cool people use them these days." That's a lie.

One thing that sets Bruce Wayne apart from Selina Kyle is his reluctance to come off poorly around someone else, even a bad date. It would look as if she has no reservations about that. "I would," she muses as the call to return to everyone's seats is sounded, "but that makes me feel like a third wheel. Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to go from one person who won't shut up to another. I'm just going text the jerk in there and say I threw up. Is it a lie if I almost did?"

She eyes the doors back into that section of the theater, as if half expecting him to come out looking for her at any moment. "Maybe we should come back sometime and watch it without distractions."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"I won't rat you out," Bruce says, and brushes his thumb over his heart in an 'x' shape. "But... yeah, why not?" he says, agreeably. "You and me, I mean. If you're willing to forgive me for the last time," he tells her, hastily, and grins at the socialite. "Tell you what, I'll make sure my calendar's empty and I won't eat any seafood the day prior." He seems willing to be the butt of the joke made at his own expense. "I'll get drinks and the box, maybe you can pick out something the caterers can bring us to eat while we enjoy the show?" he offers. "We'll make a nice little evening of it."

Selina Kyle has posed:
"Good. I'm not a fan of rats," Selina remarks, glancing at the gesture the wealthy man makes. She glances toward one side of him, just past the shoulders, and clears her throat. "And I'll try not to have to run off for..reasons, either. I really wasn't just trying to get you back. We'll work it out, maybe make a weekend of it. The show, then the safari. Deal?"

Did she just set up another date with Bruce Wayne?

"Oh, you might like to know there was this trashy woman who was asking me all about you at the last event. I mean, she wasn't even /trying/ to hide the fact she just wanted into your pants and your fortune. What was her name?" She views the ceiling, which is a very fancy design. "Right. Alice McBeal. If you see her around, consider extra protection."

With a wave of her hand, she finishes the last of her milk, sets the glass down atop the nearest bar, and pulls out her phone. "Soon, Mr. Wayne." Right now, she has a text to send. Little does she know the guy inside has already started making moves on another woman who was nearby and alone.