Summary:After learning some information on one of the possible kidnappers from Nightfall, Bruce decides to take a chance and gives the case to Selina to see if it would fit as Helena's first mission. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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For a few days now, Bruce has been running a few side searches on his computer, looking up information. Finally, he's hit pay dirt. As he researches what he's found, he almost was prepared to head out on his own to track down the lead he discovered - but then he saw the picture of Selina and Helena on the monitor. Next to the picture of his parents, it's a six year old Helena mugging it up for the camera with her mother, Selina in her Catwoman garb, and Helena wearing a Hello, Kitty! hat. He considers for a few moments, judging the information and decides.
Taking out his phone, he brings up his contacts. And there at the top of his list is a picture of Selina - in her celebante finest. There's a fond smile, and then he pulls up the messenger.
Sel? I have something for you to look at. Possible field trip for you and Hel.
'Field Trip' was the code that they had decided on for when they were discussing what type of missions that Helena would be considered for a first time out. After a few moments, he adds.
Come down to the basement, I want to go over it with you.
The camera DOES love Selina Kyle, and Selina Kyle adores their child, so they tend to show up in a lot of pictures together. It's easy to forget how petrified Selina was at first, how tempted she was to resent the idea of motherhood and everything associated with it, but, well… she fell in love with the kid. Sometimes things actually work out.
Oooo, she'll be so excited~ I'll wear my sunday best ;) Is the text that comes back, perhaps enjoying herself too much at the expense of subterfuge, but she knows where the line is.
The second text doesn't get a response, but a couple minutes later you hear heels clicking on the stairway leading to the cave; a failure of stealth that's surely on purpose to draw attention as she walks down the stairway with one hand on her hips. For the first time in what feels like ages, she's dressed as the Catwoman, the form fitting black body suit, the subtle armored padding, the heels you can never talk her out of, and of course the goggles currently perched on her forehead. She knows you have business, but as she reaches the bottom of the stairs she smirks, "What do you think?" She asks and gives a bit of a spin as she steps towards you, showing off the whole outfit, coming to a stop with one hand on her cocked hip, the other hanging down. "Still fits after all this time~ Kind of a relief, actually."
She looks… well. She looks like Catwoman, which is to say: *damn*. Not to put too fine a point on it.
She's a mess of gorgeous chaos,
You can see it in her eyes. - Author Unknown
He should have worn the cowl, really. Part of the reason why he always wore it was that it hid his eyes - because if you can read someone's eyes, you can read their intent. And perhaps that's why he was always looking into her eyes when they were chasing each other - mainly him chasing her in the physical sense, while she chased his heart.
Even now, the vision of her makes his heart skip a beat as his blue eyes give him away. She's a stunner. Pure and simple. And he couldn't be prouder to call her 'his', really. Out of all thr trophies, out of all the things Batman has taken over his life - it was what he was given, and had taken in return that was the greatest part of his gallery. And then she made it even more when she added their daughter to the family.
He tries to pass it off, however, arms crossing over his chest. "I see you've been incorporating some more armor plating and kevlar in. Hopefully you found a way to keep it from cutting on your flexibility?" Oh the things he says to her, it's all part of the game, really? "Did you ever have a doubt it would fit Selina?" he asks her, possibly not buying /that/ part at all.
"And how have you incorporated it into the suit you and Helena are working on?" What, you didn't expect him to know that? He clears his throat for the moment. "Speaking of. As I was texting you…" he trails off. She can be distracting, but he pushes through. This is more important. "I have a lead on how the Nightfall may have gotten information on the kidnapped children from East Side Elementary." he turns his attention to the screen, away from her for the moment - denying her an open oogle as she saunters - because he knows what that does as well. "It's something you and her can start off with."
Selina can't read minds, but she'd like you to *think* she can, and is usually pretty good at guessing; so she smirks as if Bruce's jaw had dropped. Selina would probably resist being called his, or anyone's; her stubborn feline-like sense of independence still having a couple hooks in after all this time, forbidding her from admitting she's not just living for herself anymore, as she's still being true to what she *wants*. It's part of what makes her Selina, really, you just roll with it. But they obviously belong to each other.
"Yes, *very* practical, that's exactly what I was thinking." She purrs good humoredly sad, true to form, she saunters rather than walks to Bruce's chair. "Oh, I wouldn't trade flexibility for anything, it's gotten me far in life~" She teases, true to form, and then sighs. "A little, yeah. Mansion living can be hard on the waistline, or so I hear.
"A little more balanced then ours," she answers to his question about Helena, "She needs to be able to kick higher than you do, after all. Didn't get your height, I'm afraid, but she got my legs, so it'll even out." She slips in behind Bruce and drapes her arms down, crossing over his chest as she kisses the top of his head and then rests her chin on his shoulder, watching the screen curiously, giving a slight purr as he explains. "Detective work, huh? But will she love it, or think it's homework?" She muses with good cheer, "Well, it'll funny either way." Swaying back and forth slightly, she adds in a more serious tone: "… I'll pull her out at the first sign of a wizard." meaning to be assuring to the worries she figures Bruce has - and which she shares in regards to the crazy stuff - giving the side of his head an accompanying little nuzzle with her cheek.
The familiar presence of Selina draping over him reminds him of exactly how much she's become more than anything else in his life except for the Mission. Because like her, he still has those hooks that are dug in deep in the past. He smells of warm sandalwood, his hair still as full as it was in their youth. His hands immediately move to cover hers, giving them an affectionate squeeze as he lifts one to kiss it. Then he releases them both. "It involves gang activities, and kidnapping. This isn't a B&E, Selina. I know that would be much easier - but just as much planning. I know you /never/ went off on a heist unprepared. It's one of the things I came to appreciate about you." he explains.
With that, he's puling up the main screen, transferring from one of the side screens to the main one. An image comes up on the screen.
"This is Meredith Youvin. She's a teacher's assistant at East Side Elementary." He brings up an image from a security camera. It's a picture of Meredith's shoulder. There's a tattoo of a stitched skull on her shoulder. It's faded - untouched up for years. He doesn't tell her what it could mean yet - he wants to see if she can figure that one out. There's always room to train and learn.
"She went to school in the lower East Side, with a man named Miguel Santos." Another picture comes up, and Bruce explains. "He's got ties to a street gang known as the Denim Crows - they have ties to the Clan del Golfo, a cartel out of Columbia." His attention moves back to Meredith. "She had some petty crimes on her juvenile record - but nothing in the past decade."
"However, that recently changed." Bringing up the list of children kidnapped from East Side, and the date that they were kidnapped, he also brings up Meredith's financial records. Within a few days of each child's disappearance, there's a sizable deposit in Meredith's account. He's going to let her piece it together.
"Mmmm." Selina hums in acknowledgement as a name is put to the first picture, and gives a short huff as the tattoo becomes apparent, an odd mix of derision and sympathy in her voice when she comments, "Someone met the wrong crowd early." Selina grew up on the streets after all, she knows what that means, and she knows how easy it can be to fall into that trap. Luckily for Selina, groups were never really her thing. How things change~.
"… Little minx." She mutters, all sympathy gone a few seconds after Meredith's finances are brought up. Selina may not be a detective, exactly, but when the pieces are on display she can see it clearly enough. Plus you pick up some habits when you attach yourself to the world's greatest detective for long enough.
Selina's done some bad things - at various turns intentionally, inadvertently, or through the manipulation of others - but kidnapping children - selling them, in this case - makes her feel genuinely ill. As such, she's not having fun when she nods her head and says, "So we squeeze her. Or…" she glances to the side as another possibility occurs to her, "… we find out who's squeezing her, and… determine how much more squeezing she needs." Selina may have… aggressive tendencies but she can usually keep it reeled in when she needs to. That thought in her head, though, Selina purses her lips thoughtfully. "… I'll have to be ready to put the brakes on Helena if she loses her temper too early." She gives a bit of a rueful smile, "She won't appreciate being embarrassed in front of the bad guys, though."
That was what Bruce was waiting to hear. It had been the argument that the two of them have had since Helena practically hit puberty. When would she be ready to go into the field? Bruce was still not convinced that this was the case. But, this information, this investigation. It gives you the chance to prove otherwise. However, when you start to lay the options on the table, his hands lift, his gauntlet covered hands finding yours again.
"I figured a girl to girl talk may get the information more freely than.." does he really say more on how intimidating the Bat can truly be when he needs to be? Even after five years, he's probably still got some of that mythos around him - especially now that he's somehow 'risen from the dead'.
"Do you think that she's ready?" he asks Selina. It's a simple question, with so much weight to it. "I can entrust it to you. This much I know." He's trusted her for the last five years with the cowl. And with his heart? For much longer. He turns his attention to a family portrait of the three of them. It's similar to one of the ones in the Manor. There's the one that's all of them - boys, Helena, Selina, Bruce. And then the other one - that for now - is just Helena and Bruce. The Wayne and his heir. Since Selina is not there - yet.
Letting out a breath, he squeezes her hands with clear affection for her, before he lifts his head, tilting it back to take in the curve of her face, studying her. Because this answer demands a look into her eyes and knowing that Selina has all the confidence she's given him in the last few months that Helena was ready for this life. Now is the moment of truth.
Selina's eyes follow Bruce's gaze to those pictures - one of which gives her a smile, the other of which tends to make her feel a bit lonely. There's a lot of little things that make her regret her stubborness about putting the proverbial stamp on their relationship. That resistance she feels in her bones like a cat that doesn't want to be collarred. That image of Helena and Bruce without her, like she's some kind of shameful secret. It makes sense to her, in a way, though. Selina's done heroic things, but she's not a hero; and it's not just because she's hurt people. She doesn't care the way Batman cares. Her heart only really goes out to three or so people, and she herself is one of them. She's selfish. That's just the fact of the matter.
But she tries.
She presses her lips together as she turns his question over in her head during that long moment, letting out a sigh as her and Bruce's eyes meet each other's. "… She's more ready than we were. AND… unlike us couple of lonely lunatics at the start… she actually has people to catch her when she falls." And Helena WILL fall, that's just life. She doesn't feel the need to spell that out for Bruce. She nudges his nose with hers and smiles. "She'll make it. And she'll be better than us."
She means that in a lot of ways.
She knows the truth. He /wants/ her in the Wayne portrait. Father. Mother. Daughter. But she's stubborn, and he's given her space. He's always wanted her there. But.. he has to respect her wishes. He sees that look in her eyes for a moment and he kisses her chin. Reassurance.
"She does. And you're going to be there with her." The meaning is there. He's trusting her with their treasure. But why wouldn't he? She's her mother - which means so much more, really, than what bonds he holds to his little girl. "I want you on point, Sel. She needs to watch and learn. Don't let her impetuousness override you on this one. Even if I know it would make you proud."
There might have been just the smallest hint of a smirk in his features as he says that. "I'm going to add this information to the case file. And in case there is wizards.. I have some cold iron in a case." his eyes drift to the lab. "They're weak to it."
And then her nose is nuzzling his, and he's reminded that they are near that age where he and Selina /will/ have to step aside, and Helena will have to step up to continue the mission - along with the other kids.
And will they ever truly have a golden twilight together. Perhaps impulsively - he lifts slightly and presses an upside down kiss to Selina's plush mouth, before pulling away. "Keep each other safe, Selina." he whispers.
Selina smirks slightly as Bruce asks her to take point, and gives a little salute with two fingers, "Sir, yes sir." Helena may complain, but, well… tough! That's the learning experience.
Selina raises her eyebrows at the mention of cold iron, and then sighs and slumps down so her cheek is on Bruce's shoulder when he explains its purpose. "Of *course* they are." She murmurs wryly. "I'm weak to it to, if you throw it hard enough."
But then her husband in all but name kisses her and she purrs into the embrace, smiling dreamily when she pulls away from it and nodding slowly. "We will." She answers, managing to contain her natural impulse to play around. Some matters are too important, and her daughter's safety is up there on the rare occasion when Selina decides Bruce isn't worrying for nothing. Which is admittedly probably a higher bar than it should be. "We'll be a regular dynamic duo. Nothing can touch us." She thinks for a second and smiles fondly, "… not even the ninja attack she's probably hoping for."
"You're really starting to make me wonder if I should take the Batwing up to keep an eye on things.." Bruce muses with a soft chuff of laughter as she presses close to him and he smiles slightly. "I know you will, Sel. I know. And no.." he remembers to add. "You cannot take the car." The beautiful, and just recently completed new Batmobile, it still has that new car smell where it was built on a Bugatti frame.
"I haven't had a chance to test it's stealth capabilities, and it's ability to go from normal top pursuit mode. Or it's holopaint scheme." he sighs, reaching up to rub a hand over his face. "I'm not worried about ninjas as much as I am about mystical creatures." Then he smiles. "But I know mine is better than theirs." It seems that's all he has on the briefing as he's reaching up to shut down the computer's main screen.
"Anything else you want to go over?"
Selina pouts as the car is taken off limits, "Aww, boooo." Helena's not gonna like that. But that's okay! She still gets the cycle. And… frankly speaking… there are other Batmobiles~ She nods along, brow slowly raising higher and higher as he goes over the various technicalities of the car; amused at his thoroughness if not, strictly, fascinated by the details, and smirks as he finishes his thought in regards to magic's odds against his girls. "By a long shot~"
At the last question, well… you can see in her eyes the myriad of ways it occurs to Selina to respond to that, but Catwoman's learned something resembling restraint over the years, and smiles. "Apart from where you found *holo paint*? I think I'm good." As Batman stands up, she smiles and tugs his cape over his shoulders, brushing them off and keeping them straight - an affectionate bit of tidying up his intimidating appearance with a little smile. And then she frowns. "It's a Stark thing, isn't it?"
"Why does all the cool stuff have to be /Stark/ stuff?" Bruce asks, a lift of his brow. "Not everything I have is dark and broody." he points out as he rises to his feet. The touch of the affectionate tendings of his near-wife for his cape causes him to glance over his shoulder at her and there's a smile.
"Anyway. I have something that Tony Stark will never have." His smile slips fond for her. But he doesn't say /what/ it is.
Better to leave her dangling, in this game.
"Because he trademarks it~" Selina returns with a smirk, only to give a soft "Oooo…~" on the subject of date night. Selina seems enamored of the feature, suddenly. Stepping out of amazing overpriced cars with a handsome man in public is one of life's pleasures, after all.
Selina blinks once at Bruce's final assertion, however, then gives a warm, serene smile and a short nod as she affirms, confidently. "Fashion sense." Before smooching him on the cheek from behind.
What? It's fun.