14013/Cat and Bat games round 2

Cat and Bat games round 2
Date of Scene:	01 February 2023
Location:	Gotham Diamond Exchange
Synopsis:	The cat came back... not the very next day. Also, not to the same place. But Kate and Felicia have another chase. No one falls off a building this time, and they find a common bond in thrill-seeking.
Cast of Characters:	Felicia Hardy, Kate Kane

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Felicia Hardy has posed:
    It's not so much the prize tonight for Felicia. Sometimes it never is, in fact. She certainly earns enough by doing less dangerous and flashy heists but sometimes... there's just a certain special appeal to skirt the bleeding edge of danger and desire. Tonight is one such night where the thrill outweighs the prize. After a chance meeting in New York with one of the famed Bats, the Black Cat is not only tempting fate by invading Catwoman's turf, but the vaunted Bat Family's as well: Gotham City.

    Even if she /doesn't/ earn the ire of one of the caped crusaders, though, she's quite content trying her hand at the state-of-the-art security systems the Diamond Exchange happens to sport. She'd spent the time since her run-in with Batwoman doing her own research. Patch notes. Security vulnerabilities. Using her civilian identity to pose as an investor to get a close look at everything from ground level, too. Felicia isn't dumb, after all. She just happens to make poor decisions at times, and poking the Bat Hive is one of those poor decisions.

    Everything goes so smoothly, though! Cameras, electronic locks, motion sensors, guard patrols. It wasn't even a /big/ score, either. Perhaps $10,000 worth of uncut diamonds, small. Nothing that's usable in some kind of focused laser weapon or a crystalline matrix in an evil supercomputer. But a woman like Ms. Hardy has sources, and knows she could get triple that for well-cut gems, even if all of it happens to be small potatoes. Sprouts, even, compared to some of the big rocks and big hauls. But even she only has so much room in her oh-so-tight suit to carry home the spoils. The purloined pouch is pocketed for safekeeping and the white-haired larcenist is on her way out for that classic rooftop escape! Extra EXTRA attentive eyes might've noticed a few little breadcrumbs left, just for fun, that would be nothing to the eye of the average security chief...

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate has been out on patrol fairly steadily recently, simply because... well, that's the life. Spend her days dealing with Kane Capital and the early evening putting on airs of partygirl heiress, and then relax and unwind by being herself later on once the sun is down. It's definitely a healthy lifestyle and it's not like she's putting every spare minute of time into some form of costumed crime fighting, or mentoring the younger vigilantes of Gotham is not just a desperate attempt to be too busy for her personal demons to get hold of her again.

And she's been spending time researching a certain cat-themed criminal. After picking her jaw up off the floor from realizing she somehow never heard of Black Cat. But hey, that's what happens when you spend most of your time in Gotham. It's like sports team coverage. The papers favour the home team. And Kate couldn't bring herself to reach out and ask her resident catburglar if they had like, a WhatsApp group or something. But she had plenty of time to program new parameters into her own drones. Trying to tweak response and recognition time. Mostly so she can go on a hunting trip back to NYC. So it's a bit of a surprise when she's out on patrol and her cowl chimes a quiet alert in her ear and there's a projection in the corner of her vision of her drone's point of view. It's not a great view. But that hair. That figure.

Kate's just relaxing, gliding through the air when she snaps out a grapple line to adjust her course, rocketing up into the air and gaining speed and altitude. So as Felicia's beginning to make that escape, there's the sound of snapping fabric above her, pale face in a sea of darkness, white-masked eyes clearly locked on her... and those ruby lips are fighting back a grin.

It's time for a chase, and Kate's not willing to pretend she isn't going to enjoy it.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    That sound reaches her ears. That 'pull' of her senses, though she's certainly lacking any true sixth senses like the Spider or the overwatch tech of the Bats. She looks up, her own ruby lips curving up into a grin. There's no pretending here, as the Black Cat simply laughs and breaks into a dead sprint. She isn't going to fight Batwoman on top of the Diamond Exchange. No, she's going to absolutely take that merry chase onwards and elsewhere! Down the block, up the street, higher into the rooftops?

    It doesn't matter. Right now, it's a very simple pair of needs. The first being 'anywhere but here' and of course, 'catch me if you can!' even if she isn't saying anything. Thanks to the abundance of gargoyles on the edges of Gotham buildings, Felicia's own grapple strikes true as she leaps off of the edge of the Exchange roof, her white hair flowing behind her like a beacon. She's zipped up tight from the chill this night, too, as she swings towards the building she's latched onto, digging her feet into the wall and running along it with the help of the cable.

Kate Kane has posed:
Even as she inhales and lands smoothly, skidding forward until she can get her footing and use those powerful thighs to spring into a sprint, Kate's questioning exactly why she keeps chasing this stranger across rooftops. She's got a perfectly good customized Ducati bike that would make this so much easier on the streets. Then again, she probably shouldn't be hoping for a high speed vehicular chase just because she'd have the tech edge.

And this is _her_ neighborhood. Almost literally, she considers. The diamond exchange isn't that far from her place. And she's spent hours, nights, weeks running these rooftops and the rest of the city. She might be able to navigate them blindfolded. But then she wouldn't be able to keep her focus on that white mane that her instincts insist she chase down.

Her own grapple fires out to snare around the neck of a gargoyle parallel to Felicia's, the sound of boots scraping on the wall sounding just feet behind Felicia, and off to the side... not closing the distance yet. Keeping pace. Because it's just a game, isn't it?

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Just a game. A wonderful game to get the blood rushing, the heart pounding. The diamonds are worthless if they're simply handed over. Given freely. Bought. No, this is the only way. Perhaps unfortunately for poor Felicia, this is also one of the few things that makes her feel so alive. The risk. The run. Not misbehaving for misbehaving's sake, but being chased by one of Gotham's apex predators on her home turf. She can hear those boots thudding on vertical brick behind her. She might not be able to feel Kate's breath on the back of her neck but the hairs there are standing up.

    Glorious tension. She cuts the grapple line and jumps, leaping ahead at an angle and aiming to use that super strength of hers to propel herself over a four-way intersection. The nearby skeleton of a building, either burnt out and condemned for demolition, or a fresh addition to the skyline still in the process of being assembled. Either way a maze of pillars and darkness.

    Could she slip her pursuer in a construction zone? The Cat gambles, second hook shooting out of her thick, fur-lined glove and taking hold of a crane overlooking the building site. Her trajectory and destination are far too obvious.

Kate Kane has posed:
As Kate reaches the apex of the wall, she springs up onto the rooftop, pace slowing momentarily, because as her grapple is reeling back in, her other hand is slipping along her utility belt, pulling out a set of bolas capped with modest metallic balls with glowing LEDs. Because Kate's using her very best in this chase. Magnetic bolas swung around her head as she sprints forward, eyes darting, mind running a mile a minute.

And for moments, the thrill of the chase, the temptation of her prey, it's all forgotten for swift, focused calculations. Angle, speed, time. The thin cord and attached balls are launched, spinning through the air towards the fleeing cat burglar, aimed to reach the half-finished building at the same time as the feline felon. She has no doubt it won't stop her mystery woman.

But it might slow her down after she flies through the air so effortlessly. Kate can't match that strength, but with a low, primal growl she does her best to try. And she does what she does best. Tries something she should really practice more often.

One of her drones that's been following the chase sweeps in at speed, her grapple firing out to hook onto it, and while the engine whines sharply, and the drone bobs down a couple of feet under Kate's weight and momentum, it slingshots her forward to give her the boost she needs to close the distance.

She's not letting this woman get away from her. She wants to catch her far too badly to take things easy.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    If Felicia is hearing the bolas being swung and flung, she isn't showing signs of it. In fact, she likely isn't detecting them. No, she's too focused on her trajectory, her momentum. Swinging around a dozen stories up has enough risks to where physics are absolutely important! Physics that Kate is clearly anticipating, and not just the physics of Felicia's curves in that snug thermal suit. She comes down on one of the open floors, concrete and bare pillars.

    And those bolas catch her around the legs. They wrap, trap, and entangle. But physics won't be denied, and Felicia springs up, using her momentum to slow herself with a series of acrobatic maneuvers that, thankfully, rely more on handsprings and leaps to slow herself down. Out of eyesight, though, she tsks as she tumbles to the cold cement floor and sighs. "...well still better than that godawful web fluid..."

    She shakes her head and frowns at the nature of the devices. Magnets? Well then. She extends the claws in her gloves and shreds the cables connecting the spheres and uses her enhanced strength to pry the off before tossing them into the darkness. Darkness that's as lit up for her as daylight as her contacts cycle into night mode, giving her no real disadvantage.

    Of course, the time taken to stick the landing without crashing and burning into sacks of building materials and then pry off the bolas is time lost.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate lands smoothly, using her own acrobatic moves to turn momentum into an asset, rolling further into the building, only to find that cable snipped, her breath huffing out as she nearly purrs, voice hoarse, breathy, pace of speech slowed by the rhythm of her breath. "You know, you can keep those. It's important to have keepsakes."

She's not crouching like a gargoyle, not even squaring off like she's getting ready for a fistfight. Her lips are quirked in a little half-smile. "Since you're not keeping the diamonds."

She gives a little shake of her head, that red mane fanning out as she crooks a finger, "Listen, I'm willing to make a deal. You give me the diamonds, they turn back up tomorrow with a note from the city's dark protector, and _you_ get to avoid finding out that the ham sandwiches at Gotham Central Booking only barely avoid counting as cruel and unusual punishment." Her lips spread into a wider, more wicked smile as she hisses softly.

"I mean, that or we can go for round two, and this time I'm going to be expecting you to be stronger than you look. No easy push off a rooftop for you. Or we can stay... friendly."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Acoustics are a lovely thing. Felicia might not be able to 'throw' her voice, but she can certainly make good use of the terrain. She's quick, she's quiet, and her laugh is oh-so-musical. "As much as I'd love to take your toys and see if I can reverse engineer them into something /useful/, I'd rather keep the stones..." she calls out, letting her voice echo across the rebar-reinforced support structures surrounding them. "Much shinier, though I'm sure those toys of yours aren't exactly cheap..." she tsks.

    And then another louder, brighter laugh. It cuts through the chill of the Gotham winter night, again spreading around the building as Felicia slinks towards one of the far ends so she can escape. "Please~ I'm so far above getting into a fist fight... there's nothing elegant about trading blows like that. If I was /really/ interested in causing trouble, I could bring this building down around you, but where's the fun in that? Let alone the people on the street..."

    There's an exasperated sigh from the white-maned thief. "But do, please, keep wasting your time with little old me. I'm sure one of the strange sewer beasts that calls Gotham home is out stealing drugs and industrial explosives instead of this poor little kitty taking some shiny rocks."

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate's voice sounds from the distance, her own rueful laugh sounding, "Oh, probably. But Gotham's got a pretty deep bench of crime fighting volunteers, if Killer Croc's /that/ mad about something, they'll handle it. Besides. I saw you first. And you threw me off that roof. It's pretty personal for me."

And that's when Kate springs into action... only for Felicia's luck to turn her own Rebar, concrete, and bolts. And it's one of the bolts that undoes Kate's surprise attack, her voice having been projected from her nearby drone. But her cape? Her cape's very real, and very snagged on a bolt that someone didn't tighten into a beam all the way. Meaning her lunge is slowed, and there's a ripping noise as she tears a rend in her cape.

It's impressive, that cape's made of some /very/ expensive material, so the fact that Kate ripped it with that drive of her legs would raise eyebrows at the manufacturer.

But it might be enough of a delay in her momentum for reaching hands to be avoided as she's attempting to grapple the agile burglar.

Kate knows she's not really after the diamonds. Oh, she's not going to /keep/ them if she catches her cat, or forget to return them to the diamond exchange. But the diamonds aren't going to be what she remembers about the night. Not at all.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Maybe that 'thrown' voice from the drone had Felicia's guard down some. Thinking the Bat was further away. And the closer Kate is to the Cat, the easier it is for her to know where the beautiful thief actually is situated. Only so much space, if so split by those vertical structures. Places to hide, places to run, but quiet is key. Outside of the taunting and teasing, however! She's adoring this. She could just have slipped off, ducked down to a lower level through an elevator shaft. Leapt to the street below and gone off elsewhere.

    But no. She's sticking around. She's taunting the Bat, wanting to prove she's better. Faster. Smarter. That she got away with the goods right in front of the other woman's face. That smug look beneath the mask turns to surprise, though, when she hears the cape ripping right behind her. Felciia whirls around, backstepping away, so narrowly avoiding the grasp. Very narrowly.

    "Bra-VO Miss Bat..." she laughs softly as she dances backwards, a little extra sway to the hip and chest while doing so. She's showing off, that much is obvious. "I DO apologize for the roof incident, those window-washing scaffoldings are so unreliable... I thought you'd have better -luck- catching yourself..." she pouts a little. "...really, I hope you didn't get too hurt from that spill." There's a little mocking in her tone but she's definitely got more than a little sincerity to go with it.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate smirks and shakes her head slowly, steps slow, measured, controlled... and working to ensure Felicia's not changing angles to get herself a clear path to sprint away. "Oh, it wasn't so bad. I've had worse spills free diving on vacations. A few scrapes and bruises. Sore shoulders, but nothing dislocated."

Kate's posture is tall, commanding... even if Felicia's natural height has hers beat. Her hands are low, hidden in her cape.

Her head tilts thoughtfully and she murmurs out dryly, "You know, you're interesting. Stealing things in Manhattan? I get that. It's the big leagues for crime /and/ costumes. But Gotham? The Diamond district? A little predictable. Cliched even. I mean, cats are territorial and here you are right in the middle of one's main hangout." Her lips quirk in a grin, "So what brings you into such a dangerous place? It can't be the diamonds. You could get those anywhere... were you hoping /someone/ would chase you tonight?"

And that's when Kate strikes. Her own night vision is shut off, her eyes squeezing shut as her right wrist flicks, a flash bomb right up into the space between feline and bat faces. Harmless, it's not even really an explosion. Just bright light. Bright light that Kate dives through, one hand going for those goggles, and the other reaching out to try and capture Felicia by her midsection. It's not quite a smokebomb and a shove off a roof. But it feels like fair payback for that.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Another laugh, softer this time. "Glad to hear it... and perhaps I just. Get so bored. With the same old scene... maybe I wanted to meet this famous Catwoman by prowling on her turf..." she offers, playful as usual. As always. There's an aloofness in her own stance. She's tall but she's neither shrinking nor trying to be imposing. She just /is/. Standing tall, confident, and full Black Cat on display. Perhaps even a little bit smug!

    "And what if I was hoping for that?" she asks by way of answer, just in time for Kate to play her gambit. With her contacts will focused on night vision, the flash is blinding. She gasps and staggers, blinded while her contacts try to compensate but she can't exactly blink it off that quickly. It gives the talented combatant more than enough of an opening to pounce on her and either pin her to the nearby pillar, or to the cold floor!

    And that domino mask? Hardly any kind of covering at all. It's pulled away, easily revealing the white-haired beauty for who she really is. A certain Manhattan millionaire with bright, aqua blue eyes that continue to blink the spots out of them. "...and... maybe she just now caught me finally.." she clucks her tongue, grinning. "The crowd in New York is such a known quantity to me, and the /usual/ nightlife is such a drag.." she sighs theatrically.

    "So... Batwoman..." she purrs, still exuding her own power and confidence, "...how does this little game of 'Bat and Cat' end tonight, mm?" She could probably force her way out of this, her strength more than enough to pry a hold off of her. But why play that card again so soon?

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate's thrill of victory is tempered, because... well, even with those goggles removed, with that face revealed, she knows her prey can escape. It's not over until it's over. But... she's seen those eyes before. She remembers her own locking on them. At... oh. God. At Avengers mansion. That meeting with Wasp about HYDRA.

She clears her throat and tilts her head, "Oh, I see. So hanging out at the pool got boring, hm? My my." She keeps close, her lips quirking as she murmurs dryly. "I think maybe it ends with some professional courtesy. You don't need the diamonds, you're just bored. I get that. I've been known to act out when I'm bored too. I don't take diamonds, but we all have our vices."

She shrugs her shoulders smoothly, "How about you give me the diamonds, I let you off with a warning, and we discuss options for night life that don't involve flash bombs and construction sites? I mean, it's _cold_ out here. I could go for something warmer, personally."

Kate sighs, and her left hand reaches up, working at a hidden catch at her neck, a soft hiss as some sort of seal gives, a faint whir of a locking system disengaging, and that cowl's being lifted up. Emerald eyes are shining, meeting aquamarine as she lifts one slim eyebrow. "Haven't we been to the same parties before? We could've been gym buddies this entire time, Ms. Hardy."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    It's a good thing that Felicia opted to continue being a teasing little minx. Smug and playful until the end, truly. She rolls her eyes at the pool party comment. "Once you've been to one pool party with the rich, you've been to all of them..." she sighs, exasperated. "I get it, there's a thrill to being a beacon of light and hope and goodness and all that..." she groans. "...but there's something appealing about being /naughty/. And no, I don't need the diamonds... but neither does the idiot in the shark suit who was going to bid on them this week..."

    She looks Kate's suit over, grinning, "What's the point of expensive toys if you're not going to /play/ with them? What's the point of pretty pictures if you're not going to enjoy them? What's the point of a night on the town if you aren't goingto /savor/ it?" she purrs loudly, lowly. "And yes.. warmer is better.. my suit is very cozy.." she wiggles, lifting her head up so it's not resting on the hard ground.

    She toys with the idea of using a little bit of that Black Cat Bad Luck to make something misfire, but halts the thought when she spots Kane reaching for the catch to her mask. Now Felicia is truly surprised. The look on her face is genuine shock as she takes in the... familiar features of... "...Ms. Kane?" She keeps her voice low, in case security was snooping around at the noises, or if anyone was even on-site really. "..well, small world.." she laughs, grinning.

    "I shouldn't have shoved you, I should have kissed you more than just on the cheek," the Cat winks. "...mmm, same boring parties, yes, I'm sure..." she sighs. "...isn't this more fun? Gets the blood rushing, the adrenaline pumping... the chase, the thrill..." she exults, purring nearly. "..but yes, gym buddies.." she smirks.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate reaches out, fingers curling around both of Felicia's wrists... bringing them above her head, crossing them, so her left hand can maintain a gentle but firm grip, her other hand running fingers through her own hair, fanning the short locks out... even Kate Kane isn't immune to what a cowl does to hair. She doesn't keep it /that/ short.

But she rises up slowly, that grip coaxing Felicia up as well as she murmurs dryly, "Well, cozy as that suit is, it's not as bulky as a cold weather sleeping bag, so keeping you on the ground seems decidedly unfair."

She clicks her tongue, jerking her head to the side, off towards the street below. "Willing to play along with getting out of the cold? Maybe I'll convince you to return the diamonds. But I'm pretty sure I can do it more convincingly with a drink than up here."

She grins wider and her own voice drops to a /purr/. "Besides, I so rarely get to chase someone down and then give them a ride on my bike. Usually it's just waiting for a GCPD wagon while Killer Croc or some gangsters make a bunch of grumbling off-color remarks. You're far more charming."

Kate should probably be worried there's another person in the world who knows her secret identity. But at some point, she always comes back to the same thought. If someone wants to pick a fight with Kate Kane and finds out she's _also_ Batwoman, with all the skills and combat training that comes with, they're probably going to reconsider. And if someone's going to pick a fight with Batwoman, and finds out she's Kate Kane... having to deal with those skills and then finding out she's obscenely wealthy? Again, it doesn't seem like that's likely to make anyone /more/ confident in messing with her.

But then, Kate often does a fine job of messing with herself. But for now, she picks up her cowl again and slips it back on. "We'll have to come up with a new competition. We're tied now, kitty cat."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia does play along, for now. She was already formulating ways to get out of this. Simply break the hold? Easy. Ropes? Easy. But as she stands up and gets offered a drink... that's a different sort of 'imprisonment'. "...A drink? No ham sandwiches?" she asks, voice coming out in a teasing tone now. She laughs softly, winking one of those beautiful eyes of hers. So vibrant.

    "Usually I'm dealing with some scrappy hero or burly vigilante..." she bemoans. "I can't wait to get away from that bravado and confidence... but -you-, little bat..." she purrs and winks. "I'll play along. Do I get my mask back? There's a reason we wear them, you know... so we can enjoy pool parties without more than the usal amount of paparazzi... and spend nights like -this- doing what we.. enjoy.. Not everyone can be Tony Stark, or /wants/ to be..." she grimaces.

    Then at the talk of the competition, there's a knowing and amused expression on her face. "A new competition, darling? Well, diamonds or no, I think I already have my desired prize for the night..." she dips her head down and bumps her nose against the nose of Kate's mask.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate lets out a low little noise, somewhere between a derisive snort and a chuckle as she murmurs dryly, "Well, you haven't seen me without the costume. For all you know you're still dealing with a burly vigilante. I mean, I need to keep myself able to keep up with you without any powers. And riding the bike across rooftops? Too dangerous for me to do when I'm sober enough to be on the bike anyhow."

Kate sighs softly and reaches down to her hip to offer the mask back up, "Fine, fine. I'll have to use... I don't know, a newspaper clipping for my trophy case."

There's another soft click and hiss as Kate fully reseats her cowl, gives that longer hair a little sassy fan with her hand and lets Felicia slip free of her grip, nose to nose, only for her right arm to hook around the cat burglar's waist. "Oh, I guess the drink will be a pretty good prize. I'll make sure it's one of my precious bottles. Maybe order some delivery. I tend to work up an appetite after nights like this."

And so Batwoman sweeps her own feline rival off towards the rest of the night.