10256/Helping The Needy - Just Don't Think About How

Helping The Needy - Just Don't Think About How
Date of Scene:	27 November 2019
Location:	South Hinkley, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	On the eve of Thanksgiving, Catwoman tries to do something nice for others. Misfit finds out how it came to be, raising questions to consider.
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Misfit

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Catwoman has posed:
While it's far from being the Diamond District, South Hinkley is the home of a few different places that serve different purposes. There's Herod Arena, which hosts basketball, hockey, and various concerts and other events. It's helped bring some improvements to the area, but it hasn't erased the fact there are a lot of people who are down and out, seeing little in the form of a way out of their lives of just scraping by.

It's interesting, in a sense, that Selina Kyle has chosen to live in this neighborhood. Maybe it is a way to remember where she's come from compared to where she is now. She could afford a much better place, and while there are a few safehouses around, she's taken care to keep her Catwoman persona private this whole time. She can do some publicly 'nice' things as Selina on the charitable side, but of late...few have seen Selina Kyle.

That's because Catwoman has come out to play more often in the wake of the Batman seemingly dying, or at least with different ones out there. It's led to an increase in home theft, the sorts of crimes she developed a reputation for. But, only theft from the rich, the powerful.

Catwoman also operates out of South Hinkley, in the sense that's where she can occasionally be seen doing something like she is right now, on the eve of Thanksgiving, outside a nondescript homeless shelter. Sure, the Wayne Foundation Centre isn't far off, and gets much more focus. Maybe...maybe that's why she's here instead, with an SUV full of turkeys and other food, bags of warm clothes she's helping unload with a couple shelter volunteers who seem used to this, if still a little surprised to find the costumed thief actually there in this capacity. Her expression is a struggle right now. She's trying to put on a happy face, but it's forced.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie is out and about, on a sanctioned patrol. I mean despite her doing great on the mission against the demons the other night Misfit is pretty much still on mugging and other small crime detail. She just simply isn't sent off on really dangerous stuff without a lot of supervision yet. It isn't like she has all the training Robin has after all and she is pintsized like him.

Skipping from roof top to roof top through Hinkley ... a mix of grapple gun and teleporting... trying to practice both techniques along with all her other training.

The SUV being unloaded by a costumed criminal cuts her off short there .. skidding to a half on the roof top. "What the doozy...." her head tilting and then she leaps off and swings around carefully to land off to the side "What are you doing!" accusatory a bit.

Catwoman has posed:
In the midst of handing off a turkey - well over 20 pounds - to one of the volunteers who has a sort of 'I still can't believe this is happening right now' look on his face, Catwoman is interrupted by the sound of someone landing atop the roof of the SUV, leading to a brief yet complete once-over as Misfit then moves to the street.

A seemingly annoyed expression takes form. If this is someone pretending to be Catwoman, it's a /very/ good attempt. If it's really her? Well then. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she asks, hands now empty of the turkey as the volunteer begins to back away slowly. "And what are you supposed to be?" she adds, making a casual gesture with a glove, the fingers tipped with claws, at Misfit's getup.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie looks puzzled as the turkey... a turke.. is taken inside and she slowly shakes her head watching that. Then her attention comes back to the Catwoman and that clawed glove.

Okay that is a very convincing outfit.

"I'm Misfit." her hands going to her hips a bit of a pose as she looks down at Catwoman and glowers. "Why are you ... dropping off turkeys..." this well.. it is very out of the usual for a catburglar right.

Catwoman has posed:
"I'd say you look like one, yes," Catwoman deadpans, and the hand lowers to a hip, where the famous bullwhip is coiled up around her waist. "And a Batgirl fan, apparently." She motions for the pair of volunteers to continue unloading the SUV. There are still bags of clothes to be taken in. Yes, taken in. Not taken from. Why would she steal turkeys and clothes?

The Feline Fatale takes a couple steps closer, putting Misfit more in her direct line of attention. "Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful of what we have," she reminds. "And I don't have a whole lot to be thankful for these days. Everything I care about is gone." It's a sudden thing to appear to open up about, but it might give Misfit a clue, a look into the mind of the catburglar. "If I can't find something that makes me feel good again, at least some of the people around here can have a warm meal and some new clothes courtesy of Gotham's elite. Do you see any of them down here? I didn't think so." All along, her voice remains flat, lacking emotion even though some tries to crack through. She must be in a /place/ right now.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie continues to watch puzzled, why would she steal turkeys and warm clothes is a very good thing to ponder.

"Batgirl is the best." she notes chipperly. Not seeming to be disturbed by the deadpan about her name. Yeah she is just owning the moniker and making it her own.

"I .. oh." yeah that makes Charlie stop short there and she hops off her perch to walk around glancing in where the volunteers are. "Huh... okay... sorry." glancing back to Catwoman. "I'm sorry you lost what you care about too.. it is nice you are helping people though." she falls quiet. "Also some rich people are good with charity.. though I do think more taxes might help more than relying on charity right."

Catwoman has posed:
Stealing them? No. Buying them with stolen money or money from stolen goods? That would be more accurate to say. Either way, the point is clear: Catwoman got these things with someone else's money. Does that make it better? Worse? Does it matter in the end? Perhaps Misfit, or Charlie, will be asking herself questions like these.

"If you say so," she responds to the cheerful promotion of Batgirl. Both hands settle at her hips as she looks the girl or young woman over, whatever her age. She lets Misfit have a look at the stuff and volunteers unhindered. "Go ahead, check the bags. Take a few in." She sniffs once, a glance sent down the street. It's in the direction of the Wayne place. "Some are, some aren't," she says of the rich and charity. "Most of them are content to spend less on taxes, count their money, and give nothing back. I decided to help show a few of them the value of charity. The people around here? They need someone who..who.."

For a moment, the facade actually falters, and Catwoman has to look away quickly, has to compose herself. "Sometimes people..need something to believe in, someone to believe in them." She has nothing to add to that, so she grows silent and gives Misfit the chance to verify things for herself with the food and clothing.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie leans to peer into the SUV now and the remaining donations to be unloaded. That does cross Charlie's mind, that this was probably funded with illegal funds... but it is going to charity. Charlie isn't about to impound an SUV full of donations just on principal but huh.. moral quandry.

"That is definitely true..." about people needing something to believe in. The teenager steps closer to the SUV and grabs a couple of the bags of turkey there and hurks them up and walks them towards the volunteers. She doesn't check hte bag she just seems to be trusting that it is actually donations.

Turning after handing them off Charlie "This isa goo thing you are doing... seriously.... I'n surprised but proud of you." it is said with a ton of niave innocence.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman begins to respond defensively. "I don't need your.." But, she cuts herself off.

A few seconds go by, stretching toward fifteen or twenty before she moves to silently unload a few more reinforced bags. There's stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, rolls, all the things needed to make a grand Thanksgiving meal for dozens of people. Other bags have warm winter coats, sweaters, socks, shoes, underwear, and more.

If those who 'gave' to this cause really knew how the money was spent, how would it affect them? Would it lessen the sting of being robbed by none other than /the/ Catwoman? Would they feel like she was mocking them? Sure, she's still probably kept a lot of the money for herself. Yet, if she's to be believed, a fair amount has gone toward something good for others.

Without a word, she brings bags just inside the shelter, setting them down for other volunteers to separate and deal with. While, all the while, looking like she's ready to break into a bank or museum.

Finally, she glances toward Misfit again and mumbles a few words. "Yeah, sure...thanks." It comes off like a struggle to let her in on that side of her, a side that reveals any form of gratitude or graciousness. "Just..help me finish this up if you want to be useful. You're one thing. I don't need the cops coming around to ask questions too."

Misfit has posed:
Charlie continues to help unload letting it be done silently, there is a lot of helping to be done unloading it evidently. Charlie must have come in pretty much at the start.

I mean the moral quandry will probably remain unresolved here.. because yeah not going to undo the act of kindness and charity.

Probably will need to talk to Babs about this.

"No worries... the cops are really busy and no one is really right around here... for some reason Gotham lights up around Thanksgiving .. " taps her cowl. "But yeah we should move quick... I need to get back on patrol.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman casts a glance toward Misfit again. The partial cowl and goggles do a fair job of hiding her features just enough that it's tough to tell who she really is. It masks the color of her eyes, and the black lipstick takes it a step further.

"Yeah, lots of crime around the holidays. Petty theft, family fights, drunken violence. Funny how that works," she comments. Giving Misfit one last, long look, she shakes her head. "I don't know how you got into all this, but let me give you a little advice. Be careful. Gotham is not safe for people who don't know what they're doing. It's not safe even for people who do."

Turning away, she adds as she casts a wave over a shoulder, "Anyway, thanks for the hand, and not trying to cause a scene. I'm not here for a silly medal or some dumb key to the city. I don't need a camera crew putting up some video making me look good. I just wanted to do..something."

With that, she unwinds the whip and it cracks as she uses it to lash around a light pole, swinging toward a rooftop. The SUV? It has a driver. Any check of the plates or info would reveal nothing out of the ordinary, a legit rental...just nothing connected to Catwoman in any way aside from her simply being there.