Luster Night
Sure she was more skilled than I thought, but I’m a professional thief, being born one doesn’t mean anything if you don’t got the experience. My grip tight on her wrists but I was careful to not bruise her, I threw the pistol across the room. “Careful, no one has to get shot tonight.”
“I rather give you anything else but that diamond!” for a second I thought Felicia was negotiating with me, she thinks about it for a while, “I rather not give you anything at all.”
She was quick to scratch, her long and sharp nails draping across my upper chest. Okay now I was pissed off. Getting a suit like this isn’t just as easy as going to a random store- that isn’t the point. I grabbed her shoulders and threw her on her back to the ground. I quickly got over her, putting some pressure on the knee I had resting over her stomach to keep her down. She struggled underneath me, tried to fight back as my hands grabbed at her wrists and them above her head. I kept her pinned down, the gun thing was already pissing me off, I hate it when people pull guns on me, but now she wants to start scratching?
“I’ll show you what actual claws can do.” I narrowed my eyes, the sharp claws on my suit could slice easily through the barrel of a gun, I’ve left scars on people with them… yet I hesitated when it came to Felicia. She wasn’t a bad person- not that I knew about anyways -we had a nice chat in the club didn’t we? A girl so much like me ‘felt like talking to the mirror. I sigh. Was a diamond really worth all of this?
And so I left her alone in the apartment, tied her up to her chair giving me a head start since she had shown she knows how to fight back. Left her precious black diamond next to her, did in fact take a few diamonds. I couldn’t just not!
Is it weird I felt guilty for stealing? I think it’s more weird how I showed up to her club the next night as if I hadn’t had a cat fight with her the last. I immediately noticed she of course wasn’t wearing her black diamond cat anymore, probably gave her a scare.
“Nice to see you again Miss Hardy,” I put on my usual sly smile, yet she seemed to be in no mood to amuse me like the first night we met. I didn’t give her a chance for fake small talk. “What’s wrong?” I moved in closer to her, trying to offer her physical comfort.
“Break in.” She answers simply before elaborating. “Dad always told me to be the best of the best. I learned everything from him, I should’ve learned more. I mean I’ve always known I was just like him.” In the end if I hadn’t been me and was just a regular person, I would have no context or clue what she was rambling about.
But of course I’ve done my research on the Black Cat, and I don’t mean her club. “Felicia, darling, you’re rambling.” I said softly, trying to ground her back.
She sighs before looking at me, “I’m going to close the club early tonight, got some personal things to take care of.”
Yes I know stealing things from people affects them, I’ve always known. Yet it felt so odd to see Felicia act this way. It made me feel odd, seeing her like this.
Well that kinda ruined my plans for the evening. I wanted to get to know her on a more personal level, to have a friend in the city! Yes. Yet she practically ran off. It seemed her scare with a cat burglar reminded her of her father.
And so, if I couldn’t spend the night with company I’d steal my own. Swinging through the night sky, the cityscape passing me by as I fall for a few seconds before getting enough momentum to move forwards, it left me a lot of time to think. Maybe coming to New York was a bad idea, needed somewhere new that wasn’t Gotham yet I find myself in a city that feels like a mirror. I could already see the Spider fighting his own set of villains. So of course I went the other way, didn’t need more familiarity. I just want something new-
I stop swinging, landing on a rooftop of a skyscraper as I see a girl in black latex with white hair, a small black mask, and white fur on the top of her suit, gloves, and boots. Now that was new. I’ve done my research on the city, always have to be prepared when in a new environment. And if I wasn’t prepared for this it means there’s a new anomaly. (Shhh pretend it isn't obvious who it is)
“Are you lost?” I grin, I stand on the ledge of a building higher than where she was. I looked down to where she was, I could see her debating whether to entertain me or to just leave.
“Catwoman, pretty on the nose ain’t it?” She squints back up at me, the light of the moon probably shining on her a bit.
“The Catwoman.” I correct, hands on my hips. I tilt my head to the side, getting a good look on her. “Last I checked you weren’t the anything.”
I could hear her scoff under her breath. “Black Cat.”
“Huh?”
“The Black Cat.” she repeats.
“Oh, no I heard you the first time.” I jumped down, landing in front of her. She stepped back before stepping back in. Her open chest almost against mine. “So…” I circle around her a bit before returning in front of her. “Are you a fan of the original or perhaps a… relative?” I stepped closer, a claw by her cheek
She seems to hold no fear. There is this hint of contemplation in her eyes. She quickly grabbed my wrist, something I usually didn’t get intimidated by… but her strength was almost superhuman. “No, you see… this name, Black Cat, well a lot of favors are owed to it. Including from Kingpin.”
I knew who she was talking about, Wilson Fisk. Well known name around these parts. My question is what does this have to do with me? Quickly found the answer when the ledge of where I stood broke apart. I yelped as I fell. The only thing keeping me up was her loose grip on my wrist, keeping me up like I weighed nothing. I hated my life being in the hands of others.
“Not a copycat, I actually bring bad luck.” She grins.
“Is that supposed to scare me off?” I deadpan before using my upper body strength, I bent my body up to lock my legs around her neck like a cross. I sat up, I grabbed the back of her hair pulling her head back as she stumbled. I hissed as I felt her nails dig into my thighs as she threw me to the side. I tumble around before planting my feet, the claws of my suit digging into the rooftop to keep me steady.
“My fight isn’t with you tonight, Catwoman.” There wasn’t much I could read in her expression.
“Really doesn’t seem like it. Then who is your fight with?” I stood up, dusting off my suit.
She scoffs,obviously not wanting to say. I see these metal bands on her wrists, a grappling line shoots out of one of them taking her with it.
I raise an eyebrow, a slight smirk forming on my face. “This could be fun.” I murmured into the night before taking out my whip, snapping it as it found somewhere to latch onto. I swung through the city. I kept some distance from her but I could tell she knew I was tailing her. Yet she did nothing to stop me.
We land on top of some high surveillance prison. “If you’re not here to stop me you could be of some use to me.” her back turned to face me, she croaked her neck to the side to get a view of me. So dramatic of her.
“Aw, our first job together, how romantic.” I grin before returning to a more serious expression. “What makes you think I’d help you, and why would I in the first place?”
“Well you’re not here to stop me that’s for sure. I did research on you.”
“Obsessive much?”
“You’re a smart woman. I’m sure you did research on the original Black Cat as well. If you help me, I’ll give you information about his secret stash.”
My eyes widened, and from her smirk she probably thought I looked like a kid in a candy store. I knew exactly what she was talking about. When they caught Hardy Cat they of course took everything back. Except some of the things he stole were never found as he never told anyone about it. Many people, including myself, thought he was holding out to give it to his daughter. Felicia did have a shoplifting record at 15, and it wasn’t light either. $13,000 worth of things in one mall trip. She only got caught because a kid ratted on her. That’s actually one of the reasons I came here as well. Some years ago there was this beautiful art show of old art nobody had ever seen before. Centuries old. The security was like something I’ve never seen before. An actual challenge, something I’ve been craving. But that night it seemed my real challenge was some competition. The old man got to it before I did. I stood alone in an empty museum! So embarrassing. All that work and for nothing.
She seemed to take my silence as an agreement. “His cell is isolated, specifically made so he had no chance of escaping like his other prison cells. It is a long hallway, his cell in the middle. In total there are about 9 guards-”
I interrupt “All of this for some old guy? I mean I know he’s good at escaping, but I’m sure he’s at the age where he needs assistance to go to the bathroom, no?”
I could feel the annoyance coming from her. She ignores me and continues talking. “3 on each end of the hallway, and 3 in front of his cell. We will enter through the vents, get a quiet drop from above on them and then meet up in the middle and take the rest out quietly.”
“Seems simple.” And it was, her plan worked out perfectly. Until it didn’t. Old man refused to tell us why, but his back was injured. And badly at that. He slowed us down. On our way out his loud groans of pain had caught the attention of other guards. Bullets going straight for us. “Listen, as much as I love showing off my skills to impress pretty people, this was not what I had in mind for tonight.” My whip could only knock so many guns out of their hands at a time. Not to mention while not just only covering myself but two other people.
Hardy Cat and the new Black Cat seem to have some sort of understanding, because in the beginning he did not want to come with us until Black Cat whispered something into his ear. “Take him to the location he’s about to give you, it’s your pay. I’ll stay here and cover you both.”
Did I really get along with her? Not really, our first meeting was a fight. “You’re new. You can’t take all of them by yourself!”
“Just do your part!”
I narrowed my eyes, but I knew there was no time for arguing. Black Cat and I switched places, she stayed back while I escaped with Hardy Cat in my arms. He had brought us to a warehouse. However, there was a sealed door hidden away. “Let me guess, this is where you keep the paintings.”
“Why go through all the trouble?” The old man said tiredly as he sat down on an old wooden stool.
“Trouble? Was actually pretty easy,” I shrug him off as I worked on the sealed door.
“You got the location, you could’ve left me to rot anywhere else.”
“Not my style Mr.Hardy. I said I’d help your new successor, and she held up on her end of the deal, it’s only right I do as well. I’m no petty criminal.” I got the door open, but that quickly became uninteresting when I noticed Black Cat was back, with some blood from her mouth and nose, yet somehow she still looked… not the point. “Kitty are you alright?” I make my way over.
She chuckles lightly, acting as if she wasn’t in pain, I could see the bruises forming already. “Didn’t know you cared so much about me, Cat.” she grins slyly, a tease in her tone.
I scoff, crossing my arms under my chest. Not much I could say to that. “Well it’s our first job together, what does that say about me when I let my partner get hurt?” I kept the flirty tone.
It wasn’t until a dry cough interrupted us that we remembered we weren’t alone. “Well you got your pay. I’m going to take Walter to… a safe place.” She said before saying another word.
I watched as she swung off with the man. I had the paintings I’d sought after all this time. Yet the only thing on my mind right now was to check up on Felicia.