3050/This is not my beautiful house!

This is not my beautiful house!
Date of Scene:	22 August 2020
Location:	A penthouse in Gotham City
Synopsis:	Batman warns Catwoman about the Court of Owls in the process of gently foiling her robbery. Catwoman is Catwoman about it. He gives her a GPS device to summon him in case of trouble.
Cast of Characters:	Selina Kyle, Bruce Wayne
Tinyplot:	The Court of Owls

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Selina Kyle has posed:
    The life of a world class cat burglar is not ALL glamour. A lot of it is! The aftermath *certainly* is~ But somewhere in the process, there is, sadly... always work.
    This building, for example, was not strictly meant to be climbed from the outside. Or at all, really. It's one of the taller buildings in Gotham, and not RIFE with patios, with the primary exception of the rather opulent luxury penthouse at the top, which is Selina's goal.
    Scaling the building was more time-consuming than arduous, harrowingly making use of a set of high tech adhesive devices to essentially climb hand-and-foot up the side at a gradual pace, all the while placing the occasional smaller device in a vertical line beside her, until finally she reached the penthouse patio, putting the devices in a satchel hung on her shoulder, and then rotating her free arm once with a little grunt and a sigh. "Haaah, Gotham and it's high rises." She muses to no one in particular as she moves towards the closed glass door. "God help me when these people start living in skyscrapers."
    Catwoman goes down on one knee and begins to gingerly pick the lock, in no apparent hurry.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
It is purely by chance that the Batman spots the lone figure making its' way up the side of the high-end apartment building. An intersection during a routine patrol, caught in the lenses of a miniaturized pair of binoculars while the skyline was being scanned. Batman briefly allows himself a faint smirk. Some things never change. There's a comfort in the familiar, though, and while he remains vigilant for the presence of Talons, he extracts his grapnel launcher and begins to stealthily make his way through the intervening space between the rooftop he occupies and the building Selina is climbing.

He takes his time though...not only pausing to try to discern possible ambushes, but because well...Selina will have a harder time running if she's a bit tired from the climb. His only real dilemma is whether to follow her into the targeted penthouse (Because Bruce has a relative idea of who lives there and that's the only place likely to be worth Selina's time), or to wait for her to emerge, and engage in what is practically the time-honored tradition of cat-and-mouse that they tend to play. Either way though, he waits for her to get inside. If he goes for the former, it's a lot easier to get into someplace someone's already broken into /for/ you!

Selina Kyle has posed:
    With the distinct click of a lock coming undone, Catwoman gives a self-satisfied little purr before she pulls the twin doors open with a bit of a flourish, raising her arms, and then sweeping them down and back in a little bow for the entertainment of no one but herself; oblivious to the fact that she's being watched. And to the heightened state of danger in the city of late.
    Catwoman saunters merily into someone else's opulent home - restrained my mansion standards, but the next best thing you could throw your money at in terms of living conditions. Selina should know, she lives in one. "Oh, honey, no..." she sighs as she looks around the garishly decorated dwelling, and puts a hand to her chin. "Ohhhh, gosh. If I'd known things were this dire, I might have given you and hubby a break. Ooohhhh weeellll..."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
After but a moment of deliberation, Batman decides to alight upon the balcony that Selina entered just a minute or so ago, and so it's another couple launches of the grapple-gun, and a rapid ascent at the end, that brings him to it, crouching on the edge a moment to listen and look for any sign that he's been detected, before slowly making his way inside, giving little heed to the decor or the valuables within (particularly as nothing looks disturbed yet), before he rounds a corner and spots her making her own perusal of the place, her back, for the moment, to him.

"Catwoman." He "greets" her in a tone that somehow manages to feel mildly admonishing, amused, and grim all in the span of three syllables.

Selina Kyle has posed:
    As Catwoman tours the luxury dwelling at a leisurely pace, she gently hums 'I've been working on the railroad' to herself. She holds up a smal statuette and gets as far as 'alllll the live long-' before, admittedly, Batman's appearance gives her a bit of a start. "D'yeep!" She vocalises, tensing up and lifting her hands into the air at shoulder level for a moment, before she begins twidling the statutte a bit between thumb and forefinger, and tilts her head quizically, "... Is that you, Conscience? I told you I'd be busy tonight."
    She's already playing with this. She knows there's pretty much only one person it could be who wouldn't have tased her or something by now.
    She plays up a cautious half-turn before she makes a show of sighing with relief, putting one hand to her heart. "*Oh* thank god. I was worried this was going to get awkward."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Not as long as you put the statue down. In one piece. Where you found it." Batman replies, managing to keep a straight face. He does deduce she likely hasn't started helping herself, mostly because the likely place for jewelry and other easily-transported valuables hasn't been reached yet.

"I'd ask if you were staying out of trouble, but here we are." It would take a perceptive soul to catch the tiiiiny undercurrent of wry humor there...but she does likely know him well enough by now to recognize it for what it is.

"But in all seriousness...this isn't a good time to be prowling." There's a brief pause before he adds, "Been hearing any "Owl" rumors lately?"

Selina Kyle has posed:
    Catwoman can't help an oddly delighted grin in regards to 'staying out of trouble', and then affects great confusion. "Hmmm? Now why on Earth would I need to set down my own proper- oh!" Catwoman looks around as if startled, "This- oh- Why, THIS isn't my home!" Selina heaves a sigh and feigns an embarrassed laugh, "Ohhhh my gosh, New York got me more turned around than I thought, isn't that silly? Oh well-" With that she shrugs with a sharp lift of her arms, 'accidentally' tossing the statuette back over her shoulder and into a wall.
    She just sort of ignores the shattering sound.
    So much for stealing valuables.
    With that, she saunters gingerly towards Batman as he speaks, amusedly purring, "Oh, how can you say that?" as she traces one finger across Batman's chest, from the tip of one of his symbol's wings to the other, "Mischief's the only way we get to play~"
    It can be a little odd, knowing that Selina Kyle and Catwoman are the same person. As playful and flirty as Selina can be, she really has almost no restraint when she's in costume. There's an odd grey area where it's simultaneously hard to imagine they're the same person, yet impossibly NOT to see that it's same person dialed up to eleven.
    But you seem to be drawn to extreme personalities. And who else would understand having to restrain yourself in normal life like this?
    The mention of Owls seems to genuinely confuse Catwoman enough to pause whatever game she's playing, and she tilts her head. "Can't say that I have." She answers, peering to the side with faux thoughtfulness, before she turns around and begins to gingerly pick at some items on a shelf. "Why? Has Oswald changed his branding?" She asks, and, appropriate, draws an Umbrella out of a nearby holder and opens it above her head, letting the staff tilt and rest against her shoulder, spinning the parasol back and forth idly.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
One might almost imagine the exasperation in Batman's eyes at the tossed statue. If they knew the face behind the mask. There's no outward wince or flinch or even a subtle shift in his stance. But there is, perhaps, the tiniest bit of a clenched jaw. Is he REALLY angry? No, not really. The statue honestly wasn't that valuable anyway (Certainly not if Selina simply discarded it in such a fashion, and admittedly she has an even better eye for such things than he does, if only by a few hairs' breadth).

He's motionless a moment, then steps forward, hands moving to her upper arms. IT's not any sort of attempt to restrain or capture her, or if it is, it's the slowest, most telegraphed capture in recent memory.

"Selina. This is serious."

He generally doesn't use her given name unless she's out of costume or...unless he's trying to impress that things are serious.

"There are new...and yet very old...players on the streets. They're called Talons, and they serve the Court of Owls. Which...I've recently discovered the hard way is very real." Selina's grown up in and around Gotham, no way she hasn't heard the old rhyme and legends. But while that's sinking in, he continues.

"Right now, they've been targeting me, the Robins...those directly associated with me. But they may get to a point where they don't care to be discriminating and I don't want you..." He actually hesitates, looking perhaps a touch awkward for a moment, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Or worse. The Talons are...formidable." Which is his way of saying they're a challenge even for him. Which is not meant to discount Selina's own skills so much as illustrate the magnitude of the threat.

Selina Kyle has posed:
    Catwoman actually gasps slightly as Batman grabs her in a manner that is... uncharacteristic, at least for moments like these. She drops the umbrella, startled out of her playful demeanor. She inclines her head to look at one of the hands gripping her shoulders, as if mildly offended, but the seriousness of Batman's tone and the use of her name draws her eyes up to his face and keeps her quiet...
    ... For a minute. Her eyesbrows raise and her face tilts forward with amused disbelief as soon as the Court is mentioned. She's heard the stories. Everyone in Gotham has. The rhyme used to make her curl up under a blanket at night. Now? Now she basically gufaws "The *what?* The *Court?* Bat, are you-" she doesn't get far, as Batman is NOT to be interrupted right now, and she's forced to listen to what he says.
    Her expression changes somewhat when he mentions the Robins being targetted, concern showing on her face. You can almost see the gears turning in Selina's head, weighing the seriousness of what she's hearing against her instinct to more or less stay above it all... and, in truth, a very real arrogance on her part.
    "... Well." Catwoman says very softly, and begins to lean towards Batman until they're chest to chest, purring, "... Luckily for me, *we*... are mortal nemesis'." She finishes with a little smirk, and nudges her nose up against Batman's chin.
    She's back to games. Though hearing him say he didn't want her hurt was... kinda nice.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Familiar games. In a way, comfortable ones. They both know he's not going to cart her off to the GCPD or God forbid Arkham tonight. They both know she won't escape with any ill-gotten gains. There may be a chase involved, though given the current situation that latter bit is seeming a bit less likely.

"Of course." He replies, the voice modulator still managing to convey the dry tone.

He should tell her to stop. Keep her at arm's length. Sometimes he manages. Sometimes the war must go on. But is this one of those times?

No, not really. Arms fold around Selina in spite of himself. Though much like he's sometimes managed to keep her at arm's length, she's sometimes used moments like this to ambush him and effect an escape...though less often as the years have gone by.

"Selina...." It's a different tone now, perhaps a bit of a warning one. You know, the type that tells of him having "This is a bad idea" roaming through his head but not exactly doing anything about that thought. Or maybe a bit of "Hey, I'm trying to be serious here" yet he's not exactly protesting.

Selina Kyle has posed:
    Selina sincerely doesn't think she could be in the target list, given her reputation as a criminal. At least she assumes that's still her reputation. Nobody's tried to drown her for fraternizing with the enemy lately, so she SHOULD be okay.
    If anything manages to actually spook her, it's the way Batman's acting. Not that she's never been this close to him - Selina's managed to get her way more than once over the years, and they've shared their quieter moments - but he usually puts up more of a fight. Her doesn't usually just... *hold* her.
    So that's... strange.
    Held close in strong arms, her head against a broad shoulder that she once scratched deeply enough to leave still-lingering marks, Catwoman murmurs, "... Okay... okay. I'll be careful."
    She's trying not to let herself feel genuinely spooked by this behavior. Usually she takes Batman's warnings as a challenge. This? This is different. She puts her arms around his shoulders and sighs, standing up a bit on the toes of her boots and propping her chin up on his shoulder, saying, "Never thought I'd see the day *you* get all worried about *me*. Suppose I should savor it~" Her voice becomes a bit hushed as she notes, "It usually takes a lot longer to get here~" as she puts one hand to his cheek.
    This is, historically, when she either scratches him, or kisses him.
    Luckily it's the latter this time. On the other cheek, but still.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
There's a moment, just a moment, of tension draining, she's certainly close enough to feel that. There's even a soft sound of humor at her comment about the usual time-span before they end up literally wrapped up with each other.

"That's all I ask." He replies to her assurance of caution, and both tilts his head down to kiss her more fully, not a kiss of heated passions, but something quieter, even sweet, one might say. And then he steps back, turning aside to gesture back towards the balcony door, "After you." Yes, there's a tiny quirk of a smile there.

What he's NOT saying is that this patrol is supposed to end in a rendezvous with Robin, who had been taking his circuit across the other side of the neighborhood, in about seven minutes. So he's on a timer.

"It's...not inconceivable that I may need your help before all of this business with the Court is said and done. "Mortal enemy" or not...I hope I can trust you..." That seems like a VERY loaded statement, on a lot of levels. Mostly because it is.

Selina Kyle has posed:
    Catwoman holds that embrace for a long moment before coming away with a little sigh and a lazy smile. "Things *must* be serious if you're feeling sentimental~" She notes playfully, though there's a quiet fondness to her voice.
    Her shoulders slump, though, when Batman guides her to the door. She casts an anguished look over her shoulder at the interior of the penthouse before she sighs and moves towards the door. "Haaah, you're no fun sometimes, you know that big guy? You're not the least bit curious to see what they've got?" She asks rhetorically, "Do some appraising, tut at their design sense...?" Selina looks back at Batman over her shoulder with a playful cock of her hips and says "Make some memories~?"
    In serious matters, though, Selina... doesn't quite meet the tone, turning towards him and putting one hand to her chest, playfully aghast, "Please, when have I *ever* given you reason not to trust me?" She says. Though she IS intrigued by the prospect of him needing her help. Usually your team ups are a little more spontaneous. That or you're trying to keep her alive when her work blows up in her face. Speaking of memories.
    That said, Selina speaks a bit more softly as she asks, "So if I, uh... happen to be attacked by any fairy tales in the night... do I have a way to contact you? Far be it from me to demand a knight in shining armor, but..."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"They shouldn't have gone with carpet. Their decor is clearly designed to compliment a dark hardwood floor. Also those window dressings are hideous. And that wallpaper should have been replaced at least a decade ago." Batman says it all with as dead-straight a face and tone as anyone could possibly manage. So much so that he couldn't possibly be anything other than joking. Who says he doesn't have a sense of humor? Not that he breaks character on this particular score. No sir, he's totally serious, just look at him!

"Who says I won't remember this?" HE queries on the subject of making memories, this time allowing the ghost of a smile to touch his face. He does, however, reach to his belt, withdrawing a small, simple device. It's a small cylinder with a button in it.

"Secure GPS tracking alert. Press the button and I'll know where you are and that you're in trouble." A pause, "And yes, I could find you with this without you turning it on, but that may just be the price of having us on-call for an emergency." "Us" likely meaning the whole of the Bat-Family.

Selina Kyle has posed:
    The surprised look of confusion on Selina's face as her brain struggles to connect Batman to the concept of humor turns into a grin of pure delight, her shoulders shaking with the laughter the manages to mostly restrain, as she muses "*How* are you not married?" At least she assumes he's not. Otherwise her escapades have been a bit more scandalous than she thought.
    "Ooohhh?" She intones curiously as she takes the device, a curious little grin, that briefly turns into a frown as Batman notes he could track her with it. "... Well, every job's about pros and cons, I guess." She muses to herself, then looks up to Batman with a smirk. "I promise not to use it if I just get lonely~" she says, before she picks up her satchel, slings it over her shoulder, and pulls out one of the devices from before. With a little salute, she says "Don't work too hard!" Before she rather recklessly leaps over the side of the balcony. The device in her hand snaps onto the tallest of the objects she'd planted on her way up, and she begins to slide downward at a controlled speed with a cry of exhileration, each point stripping away and re-attaching to her device as she goes until she's low enough to kick off of the wall and land gracefully - and safely! - on a nearby rooftop.
    She casts a lingering look back up at the balcony with a little smile, before she flees into the night.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Batman doesn't answer the query as to the lack of Mrs. Batman, but that's hardly a surprise. He does, however, watch Selina's departure, until she disappears from sight, at which point he cues up the communicator on his wrist and speaks quite calmly:

"Robin, Sector 7B is secure. I'll meet you at the rendezvous point." And thus he's off to meet his partner in crimefighting, launching a swingline and disappearing into the night, on a different trajectory than the Feline Fatale.