2013.07.18 - All Cats Are Grey

As the moon begins to set up on high over the city of Gotham, it's white rays casting shadows on the city of darkness. A lone figure is running across the rooftops in the Museum District! As she leaps out over the alleyway, Catwoman has a look of joy on her face as she goes into a back flip, landing with ease on the next rooftop!

As she continues to move with the speed and grace of a Cat. The sound of a whip, **CRAcK** announces her arrival to any within the Gotham Art Insitute as she swings across the alleyway a bit to large for her leap and lands on the Insitute's rooftop. A look of sasitifaction on her face, Catwoman begins to ravel her whip and places it on her belt while walking to the sunroof on the roof.

-Crack-

Somewhere in the darkness, sensitive ears twitch in the direction of the explosion of sound. To the lone vigilante traipsing through nearby roofs, it's a cause for concern. The figure crouches and pounces into motion, traveling in the direction of the crack. He moves with a grace akin to that the notorious burglar, though there is little joy in his feline face, he is focused. Sensitive ears ready to pick up any more sound, and night-vision eyes trying to discern shape from shadow as he leaps from one rooftop to another, closing in. His nose alas, is no more useful than a human's, having suffered irrepairable damage.

~That didn't sound like a gun... what was that?~

~Maybe it was nothing at all, and you're wasting your time deviating from your route. That kinda sounded like a whip...~

~That's not how it works. You investigate everything.~

~Alright, but if we end up breaking into some crazy bondage joint, you're in charge of the brain bleach.~

Having a powerful imagination was a problem sometimes. His inner monologue had become a two-part lesson in dialectics and it tended to not so much take the reins as it was to hijack the caravan completely.

He closed in, sticking to the shadows and trying to triangulate from where the sound came from. Before him was... the art institute? Why would someone use a whip near there?

Art majors were creepy...

The Catman has not gotten her attention just yet, as Selina crouches down near the sunroof. She looks over the lock in depth as she runs her fingers over the sunroof edges. She is looking for the alarm or any there of as she smirks softly she pops a finger out and a single claw glitters in the moonlight. She cuts the needed wire to make sure the alarm does not sound, as she moves back to the lock and takes out a lock pick that she begins to easily open the lock.

Vorpal finally spies the figure hunched over the skylight. he frowns and summons his invisibility, fading out in a manner very much befitting the Chesire cat. Just so he can get a closer look. He gently floats from his rooftop towards the one of the Art Institute.

~What is she doing? I she... trying to break in?~

~It looks like it.~

~I'd like to know for sure`

~Dude... that's Catwoman. What else would she be doing?~

~We don't know she's Catwoman yet.~

~Okay... slinky woman dressed in a catsuit. With cat ears.~

~She could be someone else. I'll just make sure she's actually doing *something* before I make myself visible. Maybe she's doing something else...~

Fat chance of that. But Vorpal did believe in at least get a little more evidence before he acted. Too many heroes came in, guns blazin before things were clear, and often ended up fighting each other in a waste of time and property damage.

Maybe Catwoman was on the side of the angels this time?

Well... probably not. But it was better to make sure.

The feline is indeed doing a little B and E, as she pops open the sunroof, and slides into the building. She lands without a sound as she pauses to check for guards. She taps her googles to activate the heat vision, as she begins to look around. The movement back on the roof causes Selina to cock an eyebrow. She did not see anyone on the roof with her, yet does not reveal she knows someone is there as she begins to saunter down the hallway with humming softly. The second she gets around the corner, she leaps up into a split grabbing a hold of the sprinkler, and going into a wide split so her feet keep her up. As she waits for the figure to come around the corner.

The cat floats down from the skylight, landing softly on padded feet. He is unaware that the notorious cat thief knows precisely where he is because of his heat signature. If he did, he might have to protest to the Cheshire Cat for not thinking clearly when it gave him his powers. This was the 21st century, get with it!

He walks silently down the corridor, looking for where she went.

~I do NOT want to fight her. She has a whip~

~Maybe you can just talk it out? She's a cat after all...~

~Correction she's cat-themed, that's not a guarantee of anything...~

~Yeah just wishful thinking.~

He has never encountered the resourceful thief before, otherwise he would be looking UP with his night vision, not straight ahead. He soon comes under her, such a rookie mistake...

As the 'catman' passes under her, Catwoman drops down silently and leans against the wall, with her arms crossed over her chest and says elegantly, "Now...if I was going to guess...you are following me yet...the question is why." Her goggles giving off a soft reddish glow where the Iris's would be as Catwoman cocks her head to side.

Vorpal turns around quickly, and his invisibility falls from him like a shawl off Fay Wray.

~How the hell--!~

Then he gets it when looking at her irises. Damnit... infra red.

~You are such a goddamned rookie. Didn't you THINK one of the greatest thieves in the world would have, you know, infra-red equipment????~

~Neither did you, so shut up!~

Because he was stressed, and distressed, that internal monologue actually was acted out loud by two little versions of Vorpal- wearing white and red variants of his suit, sitting on both shoulders and speaking at Vorpal before vanishing.

He doesn't acknowledge that it actually happened (he probably didn't even think it was said out loud), but looks at Catwoman, muscular body tense and apprehensive. His posture was that of a cat uncertain of whether or not he was going to have to fight or run...

And, yes, he was a bona fide Cheshire Cat in appearance.

"... Er... wanting to make sure you're being a good kitty?"

~Oh, bravo. Bravo.~

As he comes into view, Catwoman cocks an eyebrow and can't help but smirk. She lifts her goggles to her forehead looking the Catman up and down. She places a hand elegantly on her hip as she pushes herself off the wall and asks, "And what makes you think I am being a bad kitty?" She purrs softly as she begins to slowly saunter towards Vorpal. Her body language is relaxed yet with purpose, "Tell me Kitty...man?" She stops a good 12 inches from him, "And...who.are.you?"

Okay, the whip wasn't out yet. So that was a good thing.

"Well... you -are- breaking an entering into the Institute. You can't tell me it's not for taking a look at the DaVinci sketches they're showcasing for the next month and a half..." he says, his mellifluous voice low. He knew he couldn't put his guard down. Catwoman was smart, Catwoman was resourceful, Catwoman was... bendy, and she could easily grab his head in a scissor hold and slam him against the wall.

She was also beautiful, elegant and classy. Things he wish he could be. Even as someone who wasn't into women, he couldn't help but admire the dangerous elegance of this burglar.

He had to be diplomatic. Maybe there was something he could say that would keep the situation from ending badly.

"My name is Vorpal... well, that's my callsign, anyways."

As she walks up two clawed fingers over his chest, "Well I am not in the mood to be good right now...Vorpal. I am here to do some bad...if you consider taking back..." She takes a step back away from him, "A priceless artifact that is rumored to have belonged to Isis." She presses her lips in a fine line and says, "Now...you could join me..." She smirks softly, "Or do we need to debate this?"

"Tell me more about this artifact... and who are you 'taking it back' for?" the cat answers. He flinches a little when Catwoman touches him-- a reflex from when the Joker joybuzzed him, perhaps. He takes a step back. "And as far as it belonging to Isis... I could always ask."

Catwoman blinks cocking her head to the side, "You could always ask?" She is now intrigued, "Really? I have to say you have my curiousity now young Vorpal. How can you ask the Goddess of Cats if the Ring they are displaying here is in fact hers?" She leans against the wall watching him a bit more intently now.

He watches her, not letting his guard down for a moment. It is as if he expected her to pull something out of a hat at any moment.

"I have been to Asgard and spoken with the gods before. I'm sure that if I ask around, I can find someone who can converse with the Egyptians. Or at least slip a message by."

He realizes this may sound like boasting, which wasn't what he was trying to say, so he adds "... I tend to get mixed up in things. Not intentionally."

~Like, perhaps, trying to stop the notorious cat thief?~

~Yeah, that'd be one of those. You know, if you keep crossing paths with Batman's rogue gallery, he's going to eat your soul.~

~I don't think Booster was right in that he eats soulsWanna take your chances?~

~Not really~

"... you haven't told me about the part about 'taking it back', though?"

Catwoman smirks softly as she crosses a claw over her heart, "I promise this then Mister Cat. I will allow it to remain here until I hear back from you." She pushes herself off the wall and grins like a Cheshire Cat, "I will give you 72 hours. If I don't hear from you by then. The Ring is mine and will be taken for safe keeping." She blows him a kiss and turns on her heel and begins to walk away towards the sunroof.

And a quick Sidestep and he teleports ahead of her "Waaait a minute, Catwoman--- you're taking the ring back because it belonged to the goddess of cats, right?" he says, leaning on a wall. He was more graceful that he gave himself credit for. "-- but I need to point out that of the two of us, I'm the actual cat. No disrespect, but it's true. I'd think I'd have a little more leverage on whether or not the ring should be here... after all..." he says, his features changing from those of a cat into the very likeness of one of Isis' representations. The voice that comes out reverberates softly through the halls, but it is soft and warm, "... shouldn't the world be allowed to remember Isis? It does a goddess no good that her legacy be kept in shadows."

And just like that, the illusion shapes itself back into Vorpal's appearance, giving Catwoman an enigmatic look.

Catwoman grins, 'All that glitters is gold and mine. King Midas once said..." She removes her whip and unravels it and says, "However...you and I come from different cloth Cat-man. I said I would not take it until you told me what you knew of the ring and if it did in fact belong to Isis. Your right that the Goddess should be remembered...however she should be remembered with respect and honor then keeping it in some locked up case." She gives her whip a small baby crack and says, "Now...your trying my patience. I will leave the ring alone...for now. You have 72 hours. Now are you going to get in my way or will I have to spank you bad kitty?"

Vorpal gives Catwoman a cheshire grin. "Very well, Catwoman, have it your way. 72 hours, we meet again on this rooftop and if I have proof, I'll give it to you. If not... I guess we be bad at each other. Just one request--- if we do end up having a ... tussle, don't aim at the face. My boyfriend would very much appreciate it, and he already nearly put me in the doghouse after the Joker." He smirks, throwing Catwoman a glowing, purple rose. "The way is clear, mademoiselle," he says, gesturing towards the skylight.

With a crack of her whip, Catwoman is swinging up and out of the hallway grabbing the rose in the upward swing. She looks down at Vorpal and smirks, "I can't promise you sweetness. I am a bitch after all..." She blows him a kiss and says, "Yet tell your boyfriend I will be gentle with your first time." She turns and sprints away off the roof and is gone into the night once again!