8215/The Cat Detective

The Cat Detective
Date of Scene:	08 July 2019
Location:	Wayne Tower One - Fort Clinton, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Catwoman shows Batman she can do some detective work, too
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Batman

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Catwoman has posed:
Ever since Batman gave Catwoman the phone, or perhaps, the Batphone, it was hardly used for much of anything. It was on from time to time, should he have been checking, and off quite a lot as well. Paranoid about what kind of tracking the Bat might have in it, she made sure to never have it on in any way, shape, or form when she was too close to home, even if he might know the neighborhood she operates out of. There were certainly enough tales of her interrupting gang and drug activity to reasonably suspect she lived around there, but to keep him off the scent she also had it on around South Hinkley from time to time along with other locations. In short, no real pattern to track by. If, of course, that was part of his plan.

When she did call him, she told him she had some information and said she'd be waiting for him atop the tallest building in Fort Clinton. That meant none other than Wayne Tower One, and while it was purely coincidental on her part and, perhaps, a desire to play up the idea that cats like the highest places they can find, the fact remains it's a Wayne building in one of the richest areas of Gotham City. Given her aptitude when it came to theft, even if he's had no evidence of her doing any of that around Gotham lately, it might leave him on guard.

Speaking of guards, there were quite a few of them around the tower, even late at night. No real surprise. Breaking into the place was not especially on her list, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious about what went on behind those windows and walls. Getting to the top of the thousand-foot-tall structure and evading notice was, up to now, the biggest adrenaline rush she felt as she worked her way toward the peak. It couldn't exactly be reached by hopping down from anywhere else, and the bridges connecting the tower to other buildings only got a kitty so far. Be that as it may, she eventually reaches the top. "Oh, right. Penthouse suite. Fitting." Rather than sneaking into it, she finds a gargoyle to perch next to. When in Rome...

Batman has posed:
To ask his executive assistant, Bruce Wayne spent the morning snoozing in his office, attended a board of director's meeting and then blew off a department heads briefing in the afternoon to make it to a squash game before it got dark. The penthouse suite atop Wayne Tower One made a cozy home away from home, although anyone who knows Bruce Wayne knows that there is little of the workaholic in him that compelled him to stay late enough to use it. Rather, it served as something of a refuge when a night on the town left him unable or unwilling to make the trek home. That's how the story goes, anyway. At present, the lights within are dimmed and there's no sign of recent habitation save for the cleaning staff passing through.

But of all the buildings in Gotham City, Wayne Tower One is the one with which Batman is the most intimately familiar. The entirety of its structure is rife with secret entrances and exits, elevators that lead down to subterranean facilities and ways for the Dark Knight to get in and out without anyone knowing he was there. He makes good use of these secrets now, speaking from his perch on a gargoyle several feet above Catwoman. His arrival made no sound, and when he finally makes his presence known it is as though he has always been there.

"Catwoman."

Catwoman has posed:
Catwoman has her secrets, but they surely pale in comparison to Bruce Wayne's. There may come a day when the man and woman will laugh at this, but that day is not this one. It might not be one for quite some time, if ever. In the here and now, the location gives Wayne all the cover he needs for a simple appearance at night as the Caped Crusader.

She should have gone a few feet higher, found the /true/ high spot of the tower. That way, he wouldn't be able to surprise her like this.

If he's looking for her to twitch or shift in place, there's only a brief motion of the shoulders before she turns toward him, a clawed hand resting atop the head of the gargoyle she's by, nothing else keeping her from taking a long plunge.

"Avon calling," she says, a line she's used before, but maybe not around him. "I had no idea their benefits package was so good," the woman drawls, adding, "Front door was locked. Couldn't take the elevator up." Just how long /did/ it take to get to the top?

Batman has posed:
"You have information?"

One thing about Batman, he's direct. He wasn't summoned here for a friendly chat and what he knows of Catwoman is that she wouldn't call on him just to toy with him. Though even as he thinks it, he considers that may be just what she's doing. No professional thief would continue to ply their trade in the city watched over by the World's Greatest Detective unless they were insane or had some ulterior motive.

Nothing he'd seen from Catwoman suggested that she was insane.

He'd come to doubt his own motives also. Even if she were turning over a new leaf in some sense - informing on the other criminals - he has other informants. He even has his own alternate identity ensconced deep within Gotham's underworld. It would make sense to run her off. More sense to throw a set of cuffs on her and turn her into the GCPD. If he thought they could keep her.

But he doesn't. And what truly gnaws at him. What causes him to sit awake long after the sun's pale fingers have crept up over the horizon.

Is /why/.

Catwoman has posed:
Maybe it's the way she speaks to him sometimes. Maybe it's got to do with how she looks at him, or doesn't show the same amount of fear around him that most do.

It could be as simple as the catsuit, the way she lives freely and, at times, recklessly, risking everything each time she goes out and does a job.

It's probably just the catsuit.

"Right, yeah. Information. So I got close to a couple of the families - no, I'm not going to tell you how - and I heard a few things." He's not the only one good at disguises. "The Triads are trying to strengthen things in China Basin, no surprise there, but it looks like the Russian mafia is pushing into the area. There have been some clashes between them. The All-Americans aren't happy about this, but they're mostly two-bit thugs."

She's left the gargoyle by the time she gets to the best for last. "Here's the problem. I'm hearing things about a new player in town, the Purple Dragons. They're trying to claim some turf and gain some footing." This places her within arm's length of the Bat, a hand resting at her hip.

Batman has posed:
Batman listens to the information without reaction. For the amount he moves or responds to what Catwoman tells him, one could be forgiven for thinking him part of the building's ornamentation. His mouth is set in a grim, humorless line and the absence of stubble suggest he has not been burning the candle at both ends as he is often inclined to do.

But then she mentions the Purple Dragons and their push into Gotham proper. Someone watching him carefully, someone only an arm's length away, might be able to see the nigh-imperceptible twitch in his jaw. The slightest tilt of his head towards her. She's telling the truth. She did the legwork and, what's more, she brought it to him as she said she would. Slowly, he turns his head to look directly at her.

So, he decides, he'll return the favor and clue her in.

"I have plans to deal with the Purple Dragons," he says flatly, not sharing the full details of his son's plans for the gang, "but steer clear. Could be crossfire."

Catwoman has posed:
Most people would miss that reaction out of Batman. It's so minimal as to be excused as just about anything, if it was anything at all.

Catwoman is not most people. Her level of perception being what it is, there is next to no detail she misses. This is, after all, a woman who cases every room she enters, just to be safe. So, that twitch in his jaw and the ever so faint repositioning of his head tells her she's surprised him with what she came to say. Maybe, she even impressed him. That might make up, to some extent, for a past transgression or two. If nothing else, it proves she's making some kind of effort.

"So you already knew," she replies, shaking her head. "Of course you already knew. Either way, I don't have any interest getting into whatever mess that could create. I trust this stuff to protect me, but I'd rather not have to test it any more than I need to." The Feline Fatale plucks at a portion of the catsuit, near a collarbone, just above one of the areas it's designed to draw eyes to.

Batman has posed:
To his own credit, Batman's eyes are not drawn to that area of the catsuit. He trained himself many years ago not to be distracted by such things, and while many of his enemies have tried they have all ultimately failed in that regard. Perhaps it was because he is truly determined, or maybe it was simply his ability to see beneath the crude temptation to the sinister intent that shone like a knife's edge beneath. Nevertheless, his eyes remain stuck to hers.

"Good. That catsuit could maybe stop a low caliber bullet, but likely not anything great. The weaves off, too. Cut against the grain," he draws a finger through the air, illustrating the precise angle, "It would go through it like it was cheesecloth. Need to reinforce it."

His comments may seem nitpicky, or as though he is admonishing her for being unprepared. Though there is a hint of possible concern in his voice. Most thugs with a knife or a gun aren't going to have the same critical eye that he brings, but it only takes a lucky shot or a well-angled slash to cause real, lasting damage.

Then again, reinforcing her suit may defeat the purpose of it.

Catwoman has posed:
Both of Catwoman's hands come to rest against her hips, adopting a somewhat defiant stance before him, her nose turned up slightly as she eyes him through the tinted lenses of her goggles, lips drawing into a thin line. Look, a kind of, sort of Batman impression!

"You remember, my goal is to get in and out of places without anyone noticing, let alone trying to shoot or stab me. That's more your thing," she points out, though her attention shifts ever so slightly toward a spot or two on the catsuit where such an angle could do what he warns of. "If you're suggesting a whole set of body armor like you go around in sometimes, I don't think so. It'd slow me down." That's what she believes.

How did they transition to this so quickly after the Purple Dragons came up? She realizes this. "Are you critiquing my catsuit? You /are/ critiquing it."

Batman has posed:
"You're more use to me alive," Batman answers, perhaps a shade quicker than necessary. The suggestion that he was critiquing her catsuit leads to the obvious follow up that he's spent time observing it, and he quickly derails the topic to avoid that.

"This is good work," he answers, a little praise from Caesar to throw things off balance. It seems he's just as skilled a duelist in conversation as he is in combat, "Useful information. Had suspicions about China Basin but couldn't confirm who was calling the shots. These are solid leads."

Catwoman has posed:
"I'm so glad you feel that way," Catwoman says flatly, considering the alternative to being alive. Whatever she's deduced from his study of her or her catsuit, or both...it seems this night is not the night to press things any further with him. She's got him tolerating her presence without issuing any threats, and after what happened outside the pharmabro's place, she may still have a few regrets over how far she took it. She just wanted to be away from there with her score.

The good words over what she came up with are taken with a short nod and a change in position that brings her closer to the edge of the rooftop. "I'm sure it'll keep you and your people busy for a little while. Try not to get yourself killed or anything. If I hear something else, I know the deal." Call him on the phone, either give the information that way or set up a face-to-face, the latter being her preference. If he /is/ tracking its whereabouts, right now the phone is somewhere in Upper West Hill, but the location is not moving.

Batman has posed:
Batman almost says what he's thinking. The words play in his mind so resoundingly clear that he can practically hear them. That telltale twitch in his jaw suggests he may have something more to say. To tell her 'take care' or 'be careful' and let her know that he isn't just viewing her as an informant. But even in his own mind he denies it. She /is/ an informant. He needs to remember that. How many people have fed him information in various guises over the years? He never blinked. He shouldn't blink now. Instead, all he says is:

"Right."

A nod of his head as he remains where he is, barely having moved since their conversation began. He doesn't try to disappear on her. Although relatively certain he could pull that particular trick off if he can manage it with the super-powered senses of the Justice League, it somehow feels discourteous. As though she's earned the right to leave first.

Catwoman has posed:
Sometimes, what's not said stands out more than what is. The single word, single syllable response helps clarify in Catwoman's mind that this encounter, while it might have helped, has not completely changed anything. Clearly, the Purple Dragons news and, to a lesser extent, the China Basin info is of use, but it's going to take more to rebuild further trust.

So, she does him one better. After a minimal nod, she turns away from him and leaves without another word. Her method of departure? A swan dive off the top of Wayne Tower One. She has no grapnel like Batman, but she does have a bullwhip and at least a few lives left, if the myth about cats has any teeth to it.

At least she doesn't go splat. Maybe she really /is/ insane.

Batman has posed:
The Dark Knight watches her go and, somewhere deep down in his gut, muscles tighten. A flinch at watching her plummet so swiftly through the air without any obvious safety line. He quickly dismisses it. He's made the jump himself countless times. His children have made the jump. It's something he could do in his sleep at this point. Why, then, should he feel concern for her when she does it? He knows she can handle herself. Of all those he has called enemies, Catwoman is perhaps the most skilled in those selfsame arts he has mastered as Batman.

"Hnh."

He grunts with disapproval. She hasn't earned it. Not by a long shot. Whatever part of him wants to let her into the fold is quickly suppressed by the Other part of him. The part that sees the world only in black and white. Wrong and right. Catwoman left the Path, and cannot come back to it. No matter what she does, she will always be loyal first and foremost to herself. That is not a person he can trust. Nor a person he can forgive.

But still, the thought remains. It lingers. A seed in his gray matter that is already putting down roots. It shouldn't be this difficult. It's a jump he's made countless times. A conclusion he's drawn before and never once reconsidered.

But still.