14170/Everybody Wants to be a Cat

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Everybody Wants to be a Cat
Date of Scene: 18 February 2023
Location: Old Gotham - Founders Island
Synopsis: Two cat burglars meet and join forces.
Cast of Characters: Felicia Hardy, Selina Kyle




Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Thanks to at least one member of the Bat Family, a certain white-haired cat burglar has been sighted in Gotham a bit more frequently. Perhaps she's just brazen to be stepping on another feline-themed thief's turf, or she's just apathetic. After all, Felicia Hardy is a girl who has ways of getting what she wants, one way or another.

    It's tonight that she's lingering on a rooftop, bright aqua eyes obscured by a pair of compact binoculars. She's in Old Dutch, Old Gotham, with an eye for a prize at the Museum of Antiquities. She had enjoyed a guided tour during business hours but judging by her domino mask and skintight attire, it's the Black Cat that's looking to partake in a little solo tour once she's found a perfect ingress point.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Perhaps Catwoman was tipped off as to the newcomer, or maybe she just heard about the other Cat through the grapevine. Perhaps she was -also- on the earlier guided tour.

There are a lot of 'perhapses', but no amount of speculation changes the facts: Black Cat isn't the only one with an interest in the Museum roof tonight. Felicia would have spotted several skylights from below during her tour, and it only takes a little bit of geometry to figure out which one might be the best for entry. Scanning that direction with her binoculars, she discovers...

A woman dressed very similarly, in black leather. Only Catwoman has a cowl with ears and goggles. She is also looking directly at Black Cat, offering a wide smile and a wave.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia had definitely heard /of/ Selina, if not by name. Catwoman? Absolutely. If the two had met on the tour, it's unlikely they'd recognize each other now--even if Black Cat's hair and eyes are a dead giveaway. Professional courtesies, perhaps?

    But those bright eyes blink and Felicia stands up, looking off across the way to the woman in the goggles, her head tilting to the side. A mix between a scoff and a laugh escapes her lips and she just shakes her head. "..well tonight got interesting.." she muses to herself.

    "I do wonder if we're after the same prize... or if Catwoman believes in honor among thieves..." she taps her chin and then backs away from the edge--before promptly rushing at it and making a running leap off of the roof. It's quick, it's easy, and a good grapple-swing later... the Black Cat in the black suit lands gracefully upon the museum roof.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle watches the run, the leap, the grapple-swing, and she takes a few steps closer to the edge. When Black Cat lands, Catwoman is standing right there to wait for her. The woman has a coiled whip on her belt and those claws are certainly NOT for decoration. Her head tilts, looking down and then back up again.

"That was marvelous, darling." she practically purrs. "But..." she gestures generally at Felicia's costume, down and then up again before settling on the zipper. "... how? Do you have zipper insurance or something?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    To her credit--and the weather's--Felicia's zipper isn't halfway down her chest tonight. It's zipped up a bit further but there's still the clear exposure of skin and more than a hint of cleavage. "If I said it was magic, would you believe me?" the platinum-haired thief teases. "Honestly it's actually just a very durable zipper," she then says, adjusting her fur-lined gloves a little bit. Even in the face of Selina's whip and claws, it's notable that Felicia has zero exposed weapons.

    Well. Aside from the ballistics. But those are kept under lock and key, just enough.

    "What brings you to the museum tonight, kitten?" she asks, playful but not condescending.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle head-tilts a little at that, chuckling softly. "Well this IS Gotham. I've seen stranger things than a magic zipper..." she lets that thought trail off, the smile returning.

"Well normally, this would be the part where we discover that we're after the same prize. We fight and the winner breaks in to claim the prize, leaving the loser to plot revenge for another day."

Selina turns on her heel and takes a couple of steps. "Or... We fight, Batman swoops in and chases us away. Nobody wins."

She turns to face Black Cat, then, smiling payfully. "Or we take the Casablanca ending, and this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The smile broadens and she folds her arms over her chest. "What do you say, Kitten? Curious?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia's own arms fold under her bust, lifting the considerable shape of it up some, even with the zipper tugged higher than 'usual'. "Well now..." she considers, unfolding one arm and tapping her own cheek with the glove-covered finger as she listens.

    "So many options... though I admit that I do prefer not to fight when possible.. don't misunderstand me, I'm no coward. But there's better things to do with one's time than get in a catfight..." she grins, turning to the side and tossing her hair back some.

    "And worst case scenario would be Batman showing up..." she tsks, pacing slowly, back and forth, sway in her hips. "Casablanca could be good, though it would lead to interesting... friction... should we be hunting the same prey..." she muses, then she snaps her fingers.

    "Let's play, then, kitty. What are you after tonight? I do admit to being curious, but would curiosity kill -two- cats? I do so wonder~"

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle shifts her weight from one foot to the other, rolling her hips lazily as they chat. She laughs softly at the question, then. "What am I after? What if I said it was -you-, hmm?" she teases.

"Actually I must admit a certain -preference- in my baubles. Did you notice a certain gold and onyx pendant with the profile of the goddess Bast in the Egyptian section?"

Did Catwoman just admit to having a thing for cats?

"There are those who would pit us against each other, but really all that does is conveniently use one problem to address another. And we're both smarter than that."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    A snowy brow lifts and those bright eyes seem to widen slightly, expression of mirth showing on Felicia's face. "Wouldn't be the first time a beautiful woman tried to catch me and put me in her pocket..." she winks, cocking her hips to one side and grinning. But then she listens to the description of the treasure she's after and the talk of using the two of them. She just sighs and shakes her head.

    "The powers that be think we're idiots, clearly.." she tsks. "But no, while that pendant was beautiful, it's not to my tastes. I dare say we'll not be adversaries tonight. And in fact we may be able to help each other, mm?" she struts over to the skylight and bends forward, peering down into the museum proper.

    "Over in the local antiquities area, is a lovely painting... A painting of the environs around us before it turned into.... all of this..." she makes a gesture to the skyline and the city as a whole. "A very beautiful landscape. Not so priceless as, say, the Mona Lisa herself but... to a collector of fine artwork, it's a beautiful piece of history that so few people in this city won't even notice missing."

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle laughs at that, the goggles hiding the brightening of those big, blue eyes. "I can think of a lot of places to put you, but a pocket isn't one." she purrs. Selina follows over to the skylight, peering down into the museum and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I know the one you're talking about. Beautiful and charming. Do I detect a sentimental streak in that white mane?"

Selina selects a tool from her belt, then. "It would make for a wonderful show of trust, don't you think? I get the painting and you get the pendant. Tit for tat."

Selina's gaze briefly lowers about 10 inches below Felicia's mask.

"As it were. Meet back here and we'll make the exchange?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "You'll have to share what places those are when we're done, mm?" Felicia teases, recalling the floor plan. Egyptian exhibit? Not too difficult. "Now now, you're going to make me blush," she winks at Selina, putting her hands on her hips. "And sentimental has nothing to do with it. I just happen to know the true value of a treasure when I see it. And I've got an eye for beauty. Some things might just get overlooked or taken for granted by others... why should they spend their lives walking by it day after day without.. appreciating it?"

    Then she shrugs and sees the tool selection, and grins at where those eyes are directed. "...mmhmm... I won't be wearing the pendant though, darling..." she lifts a hand and taps her own chest, right in the middle, right above her cleavage. "But do feel free to stare all you like, so long as it doesn't get you too distracted..." she trails off with a playful purr.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle sinks to one knee, and she is staring at that bountiful cleavage as she jimmies the lock on the skylight without looking. "I won't be wearing the painting either. Did you want the frame as well?" The painting isn't large, but frames are certainly bulky. "Then we'll have to compare notes on hiding places."

Selina opens the skylight and props the lid. "After you." she offers, with a flourish. "And I do some of my best work while distracted. In fact, I sometimes trip the alarm just to keep things lively."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "The canvas is going to be old, so do be careful with it. As far as the frame goes, it's... not necessary..." Felicia considers, shaking her head. "...relics in their own right, some of those frames, but they're terribly garish at times... But bulky is part of the fun, isn't it? I was trying to steal a fancy rug but I was being harassed... those are a bit difficult to get through a roof hatch..." she laughs quietly. "Oh but fun things for beautiful things..." she says softly.

    Then when the hatch pops open, she leans down into it, crouching low and likely intentionally giving the other woman a little extra to distract her. Those curves are practically poured into her suit, as protective as it is. "See you up here soon then, darling," she clucks her tongue and slips inside.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle leans in as Felicia crouches low to slip inside. Yes, she's staring. Shamelessly. And when Felicia clucks her tongue, Selina grins. "Back in a flash." she quips back. Making sure that Felicia is clear (and getting another look!), Selina makes her own entry.

Gripping the edge of the skylight, she tumbles headfirst through it. Uncoiling, she extends fully and drops lightly to her feet. "Now then. To find that painting." she muses to herself.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    While Felicia had mapped out a winding course to get to the painting, working her way through to the pendant requires a little more thought. But what's a good night out without a little spontaneity and improvisation? A boring one, certainly, and not as 'good'. So she slinks, from shadow to shadow, behind exhibits and around sculptures. Bored night watches are less of a threat than security cameras but she certainly does take a few moments to make good use of her... powers.

    On a couple of occasions, a guard finds him or herself the victim of some of that Bad Luck. One poor lad trips over his own toes as he tries to liven up his night with a twirl when about-facing on patrol. A woman peering close to an artistic vase has a sudden onset of a sneeze--or three--and is forced to work overtime to keep the display from tumbling over and shatterinng. Just minor inconveniences, little moments that give the slinky sneakthief ample time to pass by.

    And then, she's there. She's in the Land of the Pharaohs. Replica canopic jars with plaques on what was stored in them, recreated mummufied remains thanks to Gotham's always on-point artistic community, and of course legitimate relics plundered in the name of 'preserving history'. It isn't hard to find the Bast pendant, focused under a light as it is and held safe in a glass case.

    Felicia just sighs, shaking her head, and carefully works her way over to an alarm panel on the wall and takes her time fiddling with it. She's got little pouches of tools and a near-encyclopedic knowledge of security systems. It doesn't take her long to bypass the devices keeping watch on the pendant's case, and once she approaches, dealing with the electronic locks keeping it enshrined in bulletproof material is child's play to a woman of her talents.

    All that remains is getting /back/. She closes the case, re-secures the alarms just to make things even more entertaining later when people find it missing, and works her way once more to the skylight--and freedom. With a borrowed Bast bauble.

Selina Kyle has posed:
This isn't Selina's first time in the Museum of Antiquities, not by a long shot. Like Felicia, she had planned her route to a different part of the museum tonight. But it's not like she doesn't know her way to the American section. Activating the thermal imaging on her goggles, avoiding the guards is a simple matter of stealth and timing. Definitely not her first rodeo.

That doesn't mean that Selina isn't up for a little risk, of course. Black Cat was right, and this particular painting isn't especially valuable. No plexiglass cases or pressure plates in the floor. There IS an alarm wire securing the painting to the wall, like most of the paintings in this section, however. The brute-force approach would be to kill power to the whole alarm system, but Selina is better than that. A simple piece of tape keeps tension on the wire, while Catwoman eases the painting from the hook... frame and all. It's about one foot by two feet, which means she'll have to use both hands to carry it.

Sneaking out with the painting isn't quite as easy, but Selina is patient, and daring. At one point she pivots behind a security guard as he turns, side-stepping in a quiet dance.

Back to the skylight, she uses her whip to curl around a latch and slowly climbs up. With the painting carefully under one arm, she climbs with just her legs and one hand.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    It would seem, since she had the smaller burden to bear, that Felicia was up top first. The white-maned beauty isn't resting on her laurels, though. She's been keeping watch, keeping an eye out, maybe 'helping' with a little nudge of Bad Luck to a snoopy guard out of their route due to a bathroom break. The security camera sure did catch his pants falling faster than he could catch them. Oops.

    That said, when Selina returns, she'll find a hand grabbing that whip and pulling. And pulling. And up she goes. Effortlessly, the Black Cat hauls Selina out of the hatch, hand over hand pulling the whip up with her. "Quite the burden you're carrying," she quips softly.

    It turns out she *is* wearing the Bast pendant now, though, because she didn't want to stuff it in a pouch or lay it on the roof--yet needed both hands free. "I really don't think it suits me," she says with a playful smile.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Ooop! Selina chuckles softly at how effortlessly she is hauled up by the platinum blonde. Lightly... carefully... holding the painting frame with one hand, her gaze lowers to the pendant. "Such a nice display, though." she purrs, admiring how it just, um, lays there upon the natural... pillows.

Selina smiles wryly, then. "It IS lovely, but I think it would be better with my complexion." Offering the painting with one hand, she tilts her head and asks playfully. "Tit for tat?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia doesn't like to show off her super strength, really, as it's certainly a trump card she likes to keep close to her chest. But she isn't about to let Selina dangle with -her- painting. The pendant is nice and all but Catwoman is right. It would absolutely look better on her. And more fitting. Black Cat or no, Selina is more cat-themed of the two cat burglars, after all. Felicia has a fetish for fine art, though, and not for feline trinkets.

    "Of course, tit for tat," she states, pushing out her chest some. Then she takes the painting with one hand and turns around, tugging her hair out of the way so that Selina can unhook the pendant from Felicia's neck and remove it. "All yours, darling, that was fun."

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle hands off the painting, then steps right up close behind Felicia. Her breath is warm on the other woman's neck, and for a cat burglar with deft fingers she certainly takes her time with the necklace clasp. With a kiss on the cheek, she lifts it carefully. Lowering her own zipper, she puts it on and lets it ...pillow ...naturally. "Mmmm... it feels wonderful." she purrs.

"This was a lovely first date, but I do hope that it won't be the last. I don't have anything fancy like a Bat Signal, but why don't we trade numbers?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "I kept it warm for you," Felicia replies about the 'feeling', and grins as lips catch her cheek. One of those bright eyes winks, the taller, curvier woman turning to face Selina. "A date now, was it?"

    There's a soft laugh that escapes those soft lips and she just grins. "...a date... that does sound lovely..." she carefully holds the painting under one arm now. "Of course, why not. Do we keep the masks on for the next one, or are we going on another adventure in fingering valuables?" she asks sweetly.

    "Because I can swing that way, if I see something I like. But we both know how secret identities go..." she offers.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Selina Kyle tilts her head, one hand lightly brushing fingers over her new pendant. "Hey, I'll show you mine if you show me yours." she teases back, wetting those red lips. "How about we start with the masks and see how things go? There's nothing that says we have to keep this strictly professional, after all."

Selina pauses for a moment, then adds. "Oh, and there's someone you should meet sometime if we're going to work together in Gotham. Or anywhere, for that matter. She has, shall we say, global connections and knows a lot of people. You'll like her. She's fun."

Fun, for an assassin, that is. And what professional criminal wouldn't benefit from knowing the daughter of Ra's al Ghul?

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "I do so enjoy making new friends, this is a business that's so full of lone operators..." Felicia sighs dramatically. "...sometimes a girl enjoys a little... company. Though more often than not it includes a chase.." she grins. Her eyes follow that tongue, briefly, before returning to those lovely greens in those goggles. "That said, I'd prefer to show off when I'm not holding a painting under my arm... could always pick somewhere warmer and drier for proper first meetings," she playfully waggles her mask with her free hand.

    The talk of meeting other people, though, earns a quirk of a brow. "...I'm always up for friends and colleagues, but not competition. Still... the more friendly faces in Gotham, the better..." she muses, certainly not averse to the idea. Besides, more people she can show off for, in more ways than one. Felicia always was proud of her thieving skills, and an audience makes it all the better.

Selina Kyle has posed:
"Well we've already shown that we can work together." Selina replies. "And I have a couple of places I use to lay low around town. I'll send you an address. Informal." Trust is best experienced in small doses, after all. "Why don't you stash the painting and I'll take care of the pendant, then we'll meet up?" She zips up her suit to cover the pendant, then. "Unless you had other plans for tonight, that is."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia laughs softly and gives a loose, playful little two-fingered salute. The wind tugs at her form as she reaches her arm up towards a building across the street, the fur on her collar and gloves rippling with it and her hair fanning out behind her. "Stash it is, and I'll see you soon?" she says with a wink. She does want to get the painting out of the night air, after all, and somewhere she can store it before transferring it back to her penthouse.

    There's a 'shunk' and she fires a grapple up towards one of the many, many Gotham gargoyles and swings off into the night. The last thing Selina sees is that sinuous figure's form shining in the streetlights before swooping around a corner.