Owner	Pose
Ekaterina Vespucci	It's midnight and Contessa Ekaterina Vespucci's compound is locked down. There are no exterior guards but some obvious electronic surveillance in the form of cameras and a heavy security door. The door has one of those almost cliched sliding panels that opens at eye level. Ekaterina had put the word out that she had an extremely lucrative deal for a particular cat burglar involving a relatively simple score as far as the latter was concerned. The nature of the job was still not clear. But it did afford an opportunity to meet with the reclusive Contessa or Lady Artifice as she was known. Of course there was one important choice to be made. It was quite possible to walk in the front door as Kat had specifically given orders for that route to be open or alternatively an attempt to bypass the Contessa's security and surprise her could be made. The latter might be more bothersome but certainly more impressive.
Selina Kyle	Selina Kyle is a woman who can appreciate a good surveillance system. She got the Contessa's message easily enough. Money talks, and with enough cash to grease the wheels, word travels quick between the layers of messengers separating Selina and the Contessa. Still, it's best practices to check the place out before just walking in the door. Purely scouting. And then curiosity gets the best of Selina, as happens to many cats... The best electronic surveillance in the world is the kind built to TRY and catch Selina Kyle. In her full costume and with all of her tools handy, Selina meticulously pokes her way through the security of the compound. Once she's in, she takes a leisurely... but secretive... prowl. She's not stealing anything. Just getting the lay of the land, and maybe deciding on a good place to surprise the woman who wants to hire her so badly.
Ekaterina Vespucci	There are many options - a laser tripwired ventillation system. A heavilky alarmed fire escape entrance. Most interestingly a plexigalss ceiling on the heavily trapped roof. Not an impossible challenge though for Selina negotiating said roof. The letter gave a birds eye view of Ekaterina's studio and her living quarters. One question remained however as to whom this Contessa was. If there was more than one woman in the compound the wrong person might be approached. There were no real photos of this Contessa that could be confirmed. It could not be said how old she was or what exactly she looked like. She was apparently quite the artist however. All these approach vectors remained open to Selina which one would she pick? There were only two main guard rooms at the front and back of the compound. Though these weren't visable. Still knocking on the front door remained an option.
Selina Kyle	Selina takes her time choosing. In the end, she goes through the roof. A tricky proposition, but not an impossible one, and she handles it with deftness and finess that reflect her status as one of the elite cat burglars on Planet Earth. From there, it's easy enough to drop into the Contessa's living quarters, grab a comfortable chair, and just... wait.
Ekaterina Vespucci	Selina doesn't have to wait as there is already a woman in the room - a short thoroughly adorably cute lady. She looks to be no mre than her late teens to early twenties she has large almost anime size cornflower blue eyes and an angelic face. At the moment her back is turned to Selina and she has a set of headphones on listening to what faintly sounds like Florence and the Machine. She has not noticed Selina perhaps because of this buffer. She is painting a picture of - if Selina can recognise him - Frank Castle otherwise known as the Punisher. It is impressive photorealistic in fact. Whilst the paint lands in exactly the right place on the canvass it is in all the worng places on the small girl. On her nose, in her hair, on her hat which is one of the Disney Pixar minion hats, on her bunny slippers. It is also all over the baggy jumper which is the only piece of clothing she is wearing apart from her underwear and the minion hat. But she is that small that the baggy jumper seems adequate. The room itself tells a tale - one wall has Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia. Another has a vintage sword collection and a mandolin in a glass case. The rest of the room is filled with completed and half finished sculpture and paintings all as astoundingly accurate as the one that the young lady is making now. But for being this rich and runing a syndicate the little angel in front of Selina is waaay too young. Is this the Contessa or her daughter?
Selina Kyle	Selina knows better than to judge a book by its cover. She's from Gotham City. She's run into far, far stranger circumstances than a young-looking crime boss. At least she's not a bird. Still, the cat burglar doesn't make any presumptions yet. She just silently walks to where the woman is painting, and waits for the brush to leave the canvas. Far be it for Catwoman to destroy a work of art in the making...! Then, with a clawtipped finger, a gentle tap on the shoulder. "You rang?"
Ekaterina Vespucci	Well Kat starts as can be expected jumping back a fair way dropping her brush - mercifully not messing up the painting. She pulls down the headset and regards Selina with those enormous cornflower colored orbs of hers. After a second or two she smiles sweetly. "Sonno la Contessa Ekaterina Vespucci," she introduces herself with a small curtsy, "But everybody calls me Kat - you must be Catwoman? I had half expected you would come in this way - still it is irksome to have your security bypassed. No shame in losing to you though." Kat seems a little too nice for her job - but until you meet her men you can not fully judge how she keeps her organisation intact. It's more of a Republic than a tyranny though without question she is in charge. She's just also everybodies little sister. "Can I offer you something? We have a fully stocked bar adjoining here."
Selina Kyle	Catwoman, meanwhile, is exactly as advertised, in black leather and with a half-amused little smirk almost one hundred percent of the time. "I'm good. I got told you were looking to talk to me. So I'm here. Let's talk." She sounds like she's having fun, playing a game... but she's still right to business.
Ekaterina Vespucci	"Ah yes well - that's good to I suppose. I am in the market for a certain painting that might prove somewhat embarrassing to me. I have made several very generous offers for it. It resides in a private collection. The owner has been uncooperative." She directs Selina to a nearby computer where she flips through a number of images going through the ages all of which have a woman that resembles Kat. Almost unmistakably. "Ah yes here," she comes to a nude painted in renaissance style. It's her again. "Sandro Botticelli's Il Contessa Ekaterina circa 1490. I got drunk I am not proud to say and this happened. Kind of the original nude selfie." So Kat establishes or at least asserts that she had been around an unnaturally long time.
Selina Kyle	Catwoman folds her arms and listens to the Contessa's story, and then watches as she flips through the images until she settles on the one. "That DOES look a lot like you... You're six hundred years old?" Catwoman looks over at the Contessa, and lifts an eyebrow, as if she expects the other woman to admit that she's playing a prank.
Ekaterina Vespucci	"Not even close," Kat says. "You may as well hear it from me since I doubt anyone would believe you if you tattle tailed. I think I would be committed if I told the full truth. No I was born around 820 AD hard to tell exactly when because of the introduction of the Gregorian Calender in the 1400s and I don't have the brain juice to solve that riddle. My name then was Engelberga of Parma. It's a name that hasn't aged well. I am in wikipedia believe it or not - listed as a Holy Roman empress. Not far from the truth. But yeah I'm an External - a kind of immortal mutant. The Black Queen of the Hellfire club is one and so is Apocalypse. I'm sort of their bratty younger sister - and by younger I mena I have only about 1200 years to my name. That's the short story. Nonetheless I'd appreciate you keeping that under your hat. I'm just telling you to dispell any mystery about the painting." As an after thought Kat pulls down her sweater showning a blemish on her shoulder which matches one on the woman in the paintings, "A bit too coincidental don't you think? If you need further proof."
Selina Kyle	"Huh," Selina says, as she listens to the story. She takes it all in, digests it, thinks it over... and then accepts it. "That's wild." She takes it in stride. She's run into so many strange things, that the idea of an immortal woman... hell, there's already Ra's al Ghul, so why not a little Italian woman? "Didn't know they Brazilian waxed back then, though," she says, returning her attention to the painting.
Ekaterina Vespucci	"I liked to keep myself neat down there but it was for private showings - usually after marriage. I only got married twice - once obviously into the Vespuccis. I had very few flings. A couple of brief ones with Lucretzia Borgia, Elspeth Bathory (before she went homicidally insane) and El Cid believe it or not. But those are all exceptions for remarkable people. I'm a Catholic conservative girl at heart - it's just being around so long one can get curious. Getting drunk at Sandro Botticelli's party might be one of the very few things that I unequivocally regret as the evidence is there forever," So Kat has even evidently done the girl girl thing but is that surprising with how long she's been around? "Anyway before too many digital copies of my bits get up and on the web I was hoping to nix this. I set aside a couple of million to buy the painting - it's yours if you can acquire it for me?"
Selina Kyle	"I can't help you about scrubbing a Botticelli off of the Internet," Selina says. She listens patiently to the Contessa's explanations and stories, but seems mostly focused on the job ahead of her. "Before I agree, I need to know who I'm taking this from, and where they're keeping it. Breaking into the Tate or something is going to be a lot more of a pain in the ass for me than sneaking into some rich collector's mansion."
Ekaterina Vespucci	Kat smiles beautifically at Selina, "Darn I would have thought you'd be up for anything," getting down to business though she says, "No it's a rich collector's mansion. I can't account for the security - I've only used proxies to try and acquire the painting not done it directly myself so that the police don't come a knocking here if the darned thing goes missing. I'd expect this man to have solidly above average security. He has quite a collection. His name is Sacheverell Jackson an elderly industrialist. Lives in New England. Here's his address."
Selina Kyle	"I didn't say I wouldn't be up for it," Selina says, offering a little bit a self-confident smirk. "Just that it'd be much more of a pain in the ass." Selina takes the address and tucks it into the collar of her suit. "If I need tools for this, you're paying for them," she says. "But if it's only solidly above average... I doubt it'll be an issue. I'm going to scout the place out before I do anything. Then I'll be in touch."
Ekaterina Vespucci	Ekaterina scans Selina with her large eyes and takes a bit of charcoal and a large sketch pad which she has on her desk - she starts meticulously drawing the catburglar in rough. It takes her seconds to get a good impression. "I have to say I like your eyes - the shade of green is quite profound," she says with a smile. "Okay well," proferring a business card, "Here is my number - you don't have to break in. Be awkward doing it carrying a painting anyway. You might want to try the front door sometime."
Selina Kyle	Selina eyes the drawing of herself. Perhaps she has thoughts on the idea of being captured by any medium, but she keeps them to herself for now. "Like I said, I'll be in touch. I'll check the place out. If I think it's a go, I'll let you know where to wire my money."
Ekaterina Vespucci	"If you don't like me having this painting of you when I am done - you can always just steal it you know," Kat jokes as if reading Selina's mind. "Absolutely good to meet you. I'll add you to my list of interesting meetings. I ran into Wonderwoman, Superman and Red Robin recently you know..." She had run into Poseidon as well but didn't know who the hell he was. She didn't also add Frank Castle to that list but her earlier painting hinted at that.
Selina Kyle	"You'll forgive me if, in my line of work, I'm not going to sign any autograph books," Selina says with a smirk. "Anything else I need to know? Otherwise, I'll see myself out, and get to work..."
Ekaterina Vespucci	"Shoo," says Kat smiling up at Selina with a sarcastic wave of her hand and returning to her sketch. "Nothing to add to what I've told you. We'll speak soon I am sure."