3250/Cats are Evil.

Cats are Evil.
Date of Scene:	26 November 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Batman

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Catwoman has posed:
Gotham's East Side has long passed its prime. If there ever was one, it was so long ago that even the oldest living soul in Gotham today would swear it has always been a dangerous crime-ridden place where only the unfortunate live simply because they cannot live anywhere else. The only thing it often seems to have going for it is that, for those who do live here, it is still (slightly) better than being homeless and out on the streets.

Lately, it is for those living in the East End that it has been almost more dangerous than being homeless. A number of turf wars and power struggles have resulted in deadly confrontations and innocent lives lost or critically injured and changed forever.

Catwoman would be the first to vehemently state she is anything but a heroine. Yet the East End is her home, too. And she is not happy with the turn of events threatening to finally destroy an already struggling part of Gotham once and for all. Tonight the feline thief stands atop a tend story apartment complex, looking down into an alleyway separating it from another just like it. It isn't the alley that has her attention, it is the number of criminal types of the organized sort that have chosen to use it as a meeting location that have caught her interest.

Batman has posed:
    During this time of night the chill of autumn seems to bite with icy fangs. Those lingering gangsters in their track suits and jackets all seem to be unhappy at the cold, at the way it hunches their shoulders and causes their breath to be visible as little puffs of vapor. Normally they would be complaining vociferously in Ukrainian, gesturing impatiently for them to head inside. But something else has their attention, something else has them focused on the shadows, on the sidewalks, on each and every car that rolls by as if they might be carrying something entirely untoward.
    There's barely a breeze to the air, just a faint brush that would at the most send one or two brown leaves dancing across the street if this part of Gotham still had a living tree. But it's enough to carry the scents of the night with it. The distant smell of a fireplace being fed wood, old brine from the docks just a few blocks away. Barely enough to cause the cape to rustle over the toes of his boots, the cloak curled around his shoulder seeming to enclose him entirely.
    How he got there isn't clear, nor when exactly he arrived. But he eventually announces his presence with that gravelly voice of his by offering a single word of greeting. "Catwoman."
    He steps forwards, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. The pair of them little more than long shadows high above upon that rooftop, invisible to the men below.

Catwoman has posed:
They say cats are jumpy when they are surprised. Often times they lose their cool and flail in wild and comical manners before running in every direction at once in an effort to get away from, well, whatever it is that surprised them.

Catwoman, to her credit, is a bit more calm than her feline inspirations sometimes are. At least right now. The Batman is simply there. And while she hadn't expected it, she has learned it's going to be that way with him. And tonight? She's been a good girl. In fact she's at this very spot considering just how good she may be in giving the goons down below a lesson in who really runs this turf.

"Batman..." her voice fairly purrs as a soft, hushed murmur. "You know - if you slum like this often, people might get the wrong impression about you." Her goggled gaze never leaves the gathering below but her chin lifts up and slightly toward him in acknowledgement. "There'll be talk. It'll be scandalous."

Batman has posed:
    The tall man's reply is easily given as he murmurs without looking at her, "I'll somehow manage." He takes a step forwards, closer to the edge of the rooftop, one boot resting upon the small wall that divides them from the abyss as he leans forward resting a forearm on his thigh thoughtfully.
    Behind the mask his brow furrows then he turns and looks to her, irisless eyelets meeting her own gaze as he says, "I was going to ask what your read was on the recent mob war," He uncurls a hand slightly, gesturing to the side and that mass of men standing around down there as they seem to be waiting for something... or someone. "But seems like you have your own angle on things."
    He focuses back upon the gangsters, frowning absently. "How long have they been here?"

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman smiles. Smug. She feels she's gotten his goat, teasing. Has she? probably not. But cats have their own perspective on the humans that belong to them, so.

"My own angle? If you're trying to find out if I'm willing to let these scum stay in the East End and continue to hurt those living here who can't stand up for themselves, then you're a terrible detective." Her right shoulder shrugs, "But if you're suggesting I intend to beat them within an inch of their lives and give them a hissing they'll never forget, complete with full claws? Then you didn't need to detect anything because that is -exactly- what I am going to do. But I don't believe this is the whole party, yet. And I hate being early to an ass kicking. At least when I'm giving it."

Batman has posed:
    A grunt is given in answer as the man in the cape and cowl frowns marginally. He touches a hand to the belt at his waist and brings up a small device to his eyes. There's a faint whir as he leans forwards, touching a button atop the viewer and frowns to himself. To Selina it looks like he's just having a look see at the people below. But for Batman a green sheen overtakes the scene below, the faces of the men milling around are limned electronically as facial recognition data is gathered, lines outlining their features quickly even as in the corner of the viewer's display a steady stream of possible faces flicker past.
    It takes four... perhaps five seconds for all of those six men below to be identified, and at the end of it Batman lowers the viewer back to his belt. "Five of them are just soldiers, the sixth is Sergei Kurzanov. A mid-ranking button man for the Ukrainian mob."
    He pauses and looks at her sidelong, "Supposedly an expert in Krav Maga." He tilts his head slightly, "You're going to need back up." The way he says it, as if he knows best. That jerk.
    But then just as he says that a large black SUV rolls down the street and seems to cause a commotion with the men. Some of the ones who had been smoking toss their cigarettes away and the one who had been drinking from a bottle throws it away quickly into a bin in the nearby alleyway.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman laughs and turns toward him in annoyance. "Backup? I've lived in this part of Gotham most of my life. I have -never- needed backup. Least of all from the likes of a condescending man dressed like a bat." Then she waggles the clawed fingers on her right hand before falling backward off the edge of the building into a dive into the alley below. She may not have all of his fancy toys. She doesn't really need them.

The crack of a whip and then it catches the fire escape on the second floor. It pulls taut and the Catwoman's fall is turned into angular momentum asshe arcs (quite gracefully, really) toward the gaggle of hired guns and a button man. Her boot heel is aiming right for Kurzanov's jaw. Being told he was dangerous didn't scare her. It just gave her a primary target.

Batman has posed:
    As the Catwoman just leans back and lets herself drop off the side of the building, Batman at first seems to scowl, shaking his head even as she slips from view. But once she's falling... falling falling, and then the whip catches that low fire escape and snaps her around and forwards, he can't help but smirk.
    Perhaps she doesn't need back up. Even as suddenly she's there amongst the men who just hear that abrupt crack of the whip and are turning towards her...
    Only for Kurzanov's jaw to be snapped back with the force of that kick as he goes tumbling backwards while the other men shout angrily. Some of them reach for weapons, a blade is drawn, two pistols, a baton that snaps to hand and extends. One of the men point at her angrily and snaps something in Ukrainian and then... they charge.
    The SUV, however, hits the gas and starts to /roar/ on by.

Catwoman has posed:
Sometimes even cats jump at their prey too soon. She'll blame it on Him for distracting her. Daring to suggest she needed help and coaxing her to go into action sooner than she should have and resulting in that SUV tooling on by rather than joining the party. But there's no sense crying over it now. She's suddenly quite busy.

Landing on the grimy alleyway after the blow to Kuranov's jaw. He may be out. Most men would be from a blow like that. he may only be stunned. But what is certain is that it'll take a moment for his eyes to stop rolling around in his head, to figure out what just happened, and even try to prove he's tougher than he looks all splayed out on the ground.

Catwoman lands easily, her whip releasing as she draws it back around her. Looking at the others she offers a coy grin, "Ooops. I think I might have broken your boss-guy. Sorry. So who's next?" As the one with the knife seems closest, she swings her whip toward him next.

Batman has posed:
    The knife hand of the man charging at her gets the whip curled around his wrist with a /CRACK/ as she snares him and then almost casually yanks him off balance as he staggers forwards, fouling the approach of the one with the baton. It's enough to get them tangled together, giving her an opening even as the other bladesman steps to the side to try and get an approach on her. He says sharply, "Crazy woman."
    But the two with pistols are stepping back, trying to draw a bead on her while their compatriots are diving into the ruckus. There's the ka-click sound of a slide working and one pulls the trigger, the /BANG!/ echoing off the narrow walls of he alleyway, but coming just after the whir of a batarang spinning through the air and cracking across the barrel of the weapon, knocking it out of line and imbedding it partially in the wall.
    And then he's there as well, dropping down behind the other gunman, becoming little more than a darker part of the shadow even as his hands reach out and he yanks the man out of view. There's a short /THUD/ and then the gangster falls in a heap.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman grins. "Not crazy. Just... territorial. You boys don't belong here. Ever." She jerks on the whip, the two men colliding. Almost as if she planned it, right? Then the other one with a blade comes at her and she rolls away, sweeping out her foot to bring the man tumbling to the ground. Quick as a cat, the feline thief is upon him, making sure he stays down with a final punch. But then a gun fires and she dives away. Not to run, just to become a more difficult target.

She comes up just as the goon with the baton seems to have recovered and is moving toward her once more.

Batman has posed:
    The two gunmen handled and down, it's a show of perhaps respect or... trust? On some level that Batman turns to the side, leaving her to handle the last one and to make sure the others don't recover enough to get back into the fight. Instead he takes a quick stride, dashing into the middle of the street and skidding to a halt even as that SUV roars down the road...
    The vehicle takes a hard right, starting to turn around the corner just as Batman sends another batarang winging its way down the block, the black bladed object barely a glimmer of movement in the dark of the evening only visible when it /thunks/ into the back of the automobile even as it races out of view.
    But that leaves her there with the man and the baton as he twirls it around a single swirl of motion before he scowls at Catwoman and launches himself at her with one hand extended trying to grab hold of her so he can keep her in place for that club to slam around and crack against the side of her head if he's able to.

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman watches, a smirk on her lips. "Aww. You still want to play?" she taunts as the man rushes her. She stands her ground, striking his grasping arm out of the way before spinning under the baton and around behind him, kicking him the back and sending him into one of the alley walls. Turning, if slower now, he seeks to strike again. A second charge from the man is met with Catwoman's whip grabbing his ankle and jerking him off his feet. Landing atop him, those claws slash at his cheek, leaving a reminder before she grabs him by the collar. "Tell. Your. Boss. To. Get. Out. And. Never. Come. Back." she says with an angry snarl. (okay it isn't Batman-snarl scary. But still)

And then she puts him out with a final blow.

Seeing that Batman has already left the alley, she gathers up the weapons quickly and is scrambling up the fire escape toward the rooftops once more. It'll be several minutes before any of them regain consciousness and fumble off to tell their boss about how they got their asses kicked by a woman.

Batman has posed:
    For a moment Batman is in the street looking after the departing SUV. Something about it seeming... familiar. He frowns to himself even as another vehicle rounds the corner behind him. For a bare moment his dark silhouette is brightly lit by the headlights, the driver perhaps only having a split second to consider what that is exactly in the middle of the street.
    But then in the next instant a grapple line fires upwards, the line unfurling until the hook catches, the line tightens and he's launched into the air abruptly. It gives him just enough of a head start that he'll be there just as she's climbing over the edge of the rooftop, the grapple gun being set back in its place upon his hip.
    Those white eyelets focus upon her. "You've been training." Perhaps that is his grudging way of admitting he was wrong. But his brow furrows as he turns away. Clearly something is preying on his thoughts. "We'll talk later." That said he turns away... footsteps nearly silent as he moves, the cloak hiding his form as he walks.
    But then he says over his shoulder. "Was good to see you again." And then with that he drops off the side of the building and disappears from view.