[ Hands against brick, Selina lifts herself up onto the balustrade, no attention paid to the very long drop bellow. She settles into her "seat," legs outstretched and crossing at the ankles in front of her. ]
Hey, I can play nice for a night. Be helpful. [ Selina's version of helpful, at least. ] So long as after we're done doing your whole... mmm, vigilante thing, we do something I like. Y'know, just so things are nice and even.
[ She leans on her elbows
against the balustrade, next to Selina, her eyes on her. (And the jewelry
store in her periphery. There's still a job to do.) ]
[ The job. Right. Wouldn't want to get too distracted... except Selina likes being a distraction. So, when Bryce moves in a bit closer, it just gives her an excuse to dip down and lean in, a playful smirk on her face. ]
I have plenty in mind. [ She lingers, hovering close and moving closer as she reaches out to tuck a stray hair behind Bryce's ear. ] I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait to find out what.
[ A little thrill runs down Bryce's back when Selina moves closer, touches her hair. Brings back memories of a couple nights ago. The whole "can't feel my toes" thing.
Also the "I tried to get my leg into a fairly extreme position for this girl and I have lived to regret it" thing. ]
You're a menace, [ she murmurs, trying and failing not to smile. ]
[ And as Selina would happily remind her, it was worth it despite whatever minor regret is felt. There's a bit of a trade, sure, but it's always worth it. ]
It's part of my charm. [ She pulls away a bit abruptly, a finger tapping lightly against the bridge of Bryce's nose. ] And you're distracted. You've done your work at gathering your intel, I assume? If you're ready to get back on track, you're welcome to share. Not that I'm opposed to skipping to the good part.
[ She sighs, just a huff of breath, trying not to let her disappointment be too obvious. ]
It ought to be a basic smash-and-grab. Evangelista isn't exactly sophisticated. It's the fourth time someone's tried to hit Almeida's in two months, though. There's something in there that someone wants that isn't the jewels.
[ Now, now. Don't pout. She does intend to make up for it with the whole something she likes portion of the evening. Selina rolls her shoulders, letting her head move side to side to loosen herself up as she reaches into the pocket of her jacket and pulls out a pair of gloves with sharp, metal claws affixed to the tips of each finger. Look, she's got a theme going. ]
So, then let Evangelista do all the hard work, let the grunts earn their keep. We stay in the shadows and wait. If there's something in there, then they'll lead us right to it, won't they? That's when we strike. [ She puts the gloves on slowly, carefully. ] You're really lucky you brought me in for this, Princess, 'cause you're going to need me in a fight.
[ She hops down from the balustrade, feet touching ground with a soft crunch of rough cement beneath her boot. They're eye to eye now, or close enough to it, and Selina can't help but take advantage of the proximity. She takes a step closer, situating herself between the girl and the wall of the parapet. ]
[ Bryce cocks her head, shifting to counter Selina as she moves, but not moving away. In fact, she decides to press her luck -- reaches around Selina to lean her hands on the balustrade on either side of the other girl. It puts them face to face and very nearly chest to chest. ]
You're right. I wouldn't let you keep anything from the store.
[ Selina bites her lip against a slow forming smile as Bryce moves in closer, and whether that was according to plan is anyone's guess. She leans back against the wall, her hands settling at Bryce's hips to pull her in a little closer. ]
Good thing I seldom do as you say. [ And somehow she manages to get even closer, those sharp little claws digging into cloth and flesh. The slow, magnetic pull drawing one mouth to the other. Selina lingers, breathing her in deep. ] What's a little deceit between friends?
[ Friends. Occasionally something else. Sometimes something more, and not always in the most positive respect. She's not normally so generous but as her lips find Bryce's, she decides there's no harm in giving her a little preview. ]
[ Sometimes Bryce wonders what would shock people more: her kissing criminals, or her kissing girls. She doesn't spend a lot of time wondering, though. Especially not when she's actively kissing Selina.
The slight bite of Selina's claws into her hips makes her hum softly against Selina's lips, pleased. She presses into the kiss, hips to hips, and lifts one hand to cup Selina's cheek. ]
[ Selina would probably argue for the former -- hell, the fact that Bryce Wayne, of all people, has a little bit of a thing for a street cat -- but why settle for one when you can go for the one-two punch? Just imagine what people will think when they learn what you do in your free time.
She pulls away slightly, for just a moment. It's enough to catch her breath in soft gasps before deepening the kiss. One hand drops from the girl's hip, wandering over the curve of her rump and pulling her in as Selina grinds her hips into hers. They've got... a little time to kill, right? ]
[ Oh, that grind is nice. Bryce's hum is a little closer to a moan this time, and she shifts to get her thigh in a better position for Selina to press against. Part of her brain is flashing 🚨THIS IS NOT THE TIME🚨 at her, but -- it's just so hard to resist.
What does finally snap her out of it isn't her better judgment, but the sound of a car pulling up at the corner of the block. Bryce breaks away from the kiss like snapping a twig, one sharp and purposeful movement. ]
[ They may not always see eye to eye and Selina might not always be quite so willing to play nice and Bryce might not always be so easy to charm, but they're real good at the physical part. And sure, it probably says something about her that the closest she can get to letting some of her walls down is taking her clothes off, but those are her issues and she choosing to ignore them. She's tangled up in Bryce, literally and figuratively, their legs slotted in between each other and with a slow roll of her hips she lets the friction build as she grinds against the thigh pressed between her legs.
Selina responds with a soft, mewling moan and the desperate clutch of her fingers into flesh as she returns the favor. She doesn't hear the car and she certainly isn't thrilled about being interrupted, but she manages to make a quick enough recovery. Her gaze follows the source of the sound and she releases Bryce quickly, catlike alertness and just a bit of embarrassment from being caught off-guard whilst trying to get her swerve on. ]
W-Well then. [ She releases her grip on the girl, slipping from between Bryce and the wall. ] I guess I'll see you down there, hmm?
[ Oh, yeah. She's definitely making a run for it. Selina turns one last time to face Bryce, the hint of a smile playing on her face and then she's gone, off the edge of the roof. By the time she catches up with her, she's already listening in as the low-level grunts do all the hard work. Have fun catching up, Bryce. 😘 ]
[ Why does she have to be so gorgeous when she's being super aggravating? Bryce shakes her head, pulls her mask over her face, and takes off after Selina. Hormones are going to have to wait.
One thing Selina was right about: it's worth letting Evangelista's thugs actually break into the store, to catch them in the act. Once they're inside, Bryce creeps in after them. The leader of the group is headed straight for the back room with one associate, while the other two are helping themselves to the merchandise, without much apparent concern for the alarms they have to be tripping.
Bryce gives Selina a significant look, gesturing towards the two men looting the jewelry cases, and sidles after the two going for the back room. If she can incapacitate them and secure them in there, she might be able to get an answer or two about what Almeida's got that's so important, and the GCPD can come clean up the rest of the mess.
(Please, please let Selina cooperate with this. And please let nobody have a gun.) ]
[ Selina's always right, but that's something Bryce will learn with time. She'll also have to learn to trust her a little more, too, but she's not holding her breath there. Almeida's has nothing she's particularly interested in and she has plenty of motivation to play nice.
With the hood of her jacket pulled up, Selina moves silently like a shadow in the darkness. She manages to stay hidden in the dark, crouched low to the ground like a cat stalking its target and ready to pounce, and Bryce's departure sets things into motion. Selina allows the men to wander and put some distance and distraction between themselves and then strikes, sneaking up on the grunt closest to her. She grabs hold of him, surprising him just enough that when her arms tighten around his neck, he's out before he can even react. He falls backward and she walks him back, breaking his fall as she lowers him against a filing cabinet. If she's lucky she can take down the second man just as easily. ]
Hi, there~
[ What follows -- more fight, this one -- has to happen quickly and quietly and Selina's not afraid to get a little rough. She takes him out with a well-placed hit to carotid, letting his buddy act as a cushion this time. Apparently "playing nice", for Selina, means playing this the way Bryce would: tie them up and gag them, leave them for the vice to find 'em. ]
Nothing personal, boys, really. It's just that you're making a real mess of things here. [ There's a beat of silence, Selina pulling a coil of rope she'd swiped from Bryce on the way down out from inside of her jacket. ] Also, you sort of interrupted my date, so I guess it's a little personal...
[ Here's hoping her date is having just as much success. ]
[ From the back room, there's an easy-to-miss thump. The kind of sound someone might make if someone else had just choked them into unconsciousness and dropped them on the floor.
Well, the sound is easy to miss from out on the store's floor. Judging by the sudden flurry of crashing noises that follow it, it wasn't so easy to miss in the back room. Someone back there snarls "Put it down!" and there's another thud, a clatter.
[ Selina is conscious of the time -- the tick, tick, ticking of the clock hanging over the showroom and the reasonable amount of time it'd take for the police to respond to a triggered alarm. She moves quickly and after taking a moment to bid her barely conscious crowd adieu, she heads into the back room to check on Bryce.
She hangs back, leaning against the door frame to keep a watch for flashing red and blue lights and whatever else might be headed their way. Bryce has got this, right? ]
[ She's got
the last guy down on the floor and is searching his pockets. The safe at
the back of the room is sitting ajar. Bryce finally comes up with a phone
from the guy's jacket as he start to stir and groan. ]
Here. [ She tosses the phone towards Selina, trusting she'll catch
it, and pulls a set of zip ties out of her own pocket to hogtie the thug.
]
[ -- with ease, capturing the phone mid-air, her hands curling around it as she pulls it to her chest to stash in the inner pocket of her jacket. And Selina really shouldn't find the whole grumbly face-punching thing as hot as she does, but she knows what she's about. She glances over her shoulder out into the showroom, then back over to Bryce watching as she finishes up. ]
Not that I need to remind you, but we really should be getting out of her. Wouldn't want to have to explain all of this to GCPD's finest, would we?
[ Yes, obviously, she knows to the minute how responsive the GCPD is going to be to a silent alarm in this part of town. What do you take her for?
She makes quick work of zip-tying the unconscious mook, as well, then straightens up and gives the room a once-over. Good enough. With any luck she can bother Jim Gordon later for more information about what's in that safe. ]
Back door should be this way. Come on.
[ Shadow-silent, she leads the way towards the exit. ]
[ Of course she does. Selina rolls her eyes and, honestly, it wouldn't surprise her if Bryce caught that as well, but she's quick to comply. She's all about self-preservation, you don't have to tell her to make a run for it, she's already on her way out the door -- after taking a moment to jam her steel-toed boot into the ribs of a thug just regaining consciousness.
She can already hear the sirens as they make their exit out the back door and Selina grabs hold of Bryce's hand, pulling her the opposite direction of the sound as they run through the alleyway. ]
[ Bryce does have the sense to know when to follow someone else's lead. At least in this precise moment, she does. She might be good at disappearing, but Selina's been doing it longer.
Maybe she shouldn't find that bossy, graceful, wrong-side-of-the-law thing as hot as she does, but what can you do? ]
[ Selina's been been doing it longer and is specifically set up for doing business in Diamond District. She knows all the hidden pathways, all the hidey-holes, and she knows exactly where to run to and it's close by.
She leads Bryce to an opening in a chain link fence wrapped around an old warehouse and through the a back entrance where the workers would pop out to grab a smoke. The place is long abandoned and there's no electricity, but there's an office just at the end of the hallway with massive windows and with the blinds pulled open, there's just enough of a reflection from the street lights to illuminate the room enough for them to make each other out in the dark.
Selina takes a seat at the edge of an old desk, still catching her breath from the run over. ]
apologies! the holidays + being sick are not a productive combo
Hey, I can play nice for a night. Be helpful. [ Selina's version of helpful, at least. ] So long as after we're done doing your whole... mmm, vigilante thing, we do something I like. Y'know, just so things are nice and even.
No worries at all!
Do you have something in mind?
[ She leans on her elbows against the balustrade, next to Selina, her eyes on her. (And the jewelry store in her periphery. There's still a job to do.) ]
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I have plenty in mind. [ She lingers, hovering close and moving closer as she reaches out to tuck a stray hair behind Bryce's ear. ] I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait to find out what.
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Also the "I tried to get my leg into a fairly extreme position for this girl and I have lived to regret it" thing. ]
You're a menace, [ she murmurs, trying and failing not to smile. ]
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It's part of my charm. [ She pulls away a bit abruptly, a finger tapping lightly against the bridge of Bryce's nose. ] And you're distracted. You've done your work at gathering your intel, I assume? If you're ready to get back on track, you're welcome to share. Not that I'm opposed to skipping to the good part.
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It ought to be a basic smash-and-grab. Evangelista isn't exactly sophisticated. It's the fourth time someone's tried to hit Almeida's in two months, though. There's something in there that someone wants that isn't the jewels.
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So, then let Evangelista do all the hard work, let the grunts earn their keep. We stay in the shadows and wait. If there's something in there, then they'll lead us right to it, won't they? That's when we strike. [ She puts the gloves on slowly, carefully. ] You're really lucky you brought me in for this, Princess, 'cause you're going to need me in a fight.
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[ She hops down from the balustrade, feet touching ground with a soft crunch of rough cement beneath her boot. They're eye to eye now, or close enough to it, and Selina can't help but take advantage of the proximity. She takes a step closer, situating herself between the girl and the wall of the parapet. ]
Not like you'd actually let me keep anything.
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You're right. I wouldn't let you keep anything from the store.
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Good thing I seldom do as you say. [ And somehow she manages to get even closer, those sharp little claws digging into cloth and flesh. The slow, magnetic pull drawing one mouth to the other. Selina lingers, breathing her in deep. ] What's a little deceit between friends?
[ Friends. Occasionally something else. Sometimes something more, and not always in the most positive respect. She's not normally so generous but as her lips find Bryce's, she decides there's no harm in giving her a little preview. ]
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The slight bite of Selina's claws into her hips makes her hum softly against Selina's lips, pleased. She presses into the kiss, hips to hips, and lifts one hand to cup Selina's cheek. ]
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She pulls away slightly, for just a moment. It's enough to catch her breath in soft gasps before deepening the kiss. One hand drops from the girl's hip, wandering over the curve of her rump and pulling her in as Selina grinds her hips into hers. They've got... a little time to kill, right? ]
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What does finally snap her out of it isn't her better judgment, but the sound of a car pulling up at the corner of the block. Bryce breaks away from the kiss like snapping a twig, one sharp and purposeful movement. ]
Company.
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Selina responds with a soft, mewling moan and the desperate clutch of her fingers into flesh as she returns the favor. She doesn't hear the car and she certainly isn't thrilled about being interrupted, but she manages to make a quick enough recovery. Her gaze follows the source of the sound and she releases Bryce quickly, catlike alertness and just a bit of embarrassment from being caught off-guard whilst trying to get her swerve on. ]
W-Well then. [ She releases her grip on the girl, slipping from between Bryce and the wall. ] I guess I'll see you down there, hmm?
[ Oh, yeah. She's definitely making a run for it. Selina turns one last time to face Bryce, the hint of a smile playing on her face and then she's gone, off the edge of the roof. By the time she catches up with her, she's already listening in as the low-level grunts do all the hard work. Have fun catching up, Bryce. 😘 ]
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[ Why does she have to be so gorgeous when she's being super aggravating? Bryce shakes her head, pulls her mask over her face, and takes off after Selina. Hormones are going to have to wait.
One thing Selina was right about: it's worth letting Evangelista's thugs actually break into the store, to catch them in the act. Once they're inside, Bryce creeps in after them. The leader of the group is headed straight for the back room with one associate, while the other two are helping themselves to the merchandise, without much apparent concern for the alarms they have to be tripping.
Bryce gives Selina a significant look, gesturing towards the two men looting the jewelry cases, and sidles after the two going for the back room. If she can incapacitate them and secure them in there, she might be able to get an answer or two about what Almeida's got that's so important, and the GCPD can come clean up the rest of the mess.
(Please, please let Selina cooperate with this. And please let nobody have a gun.) ]
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With the hood of her jacket pulled up, Selina moves silently like a shadow in the darkness. She manages to stay hidden in the dark, crouched low to the ground like a cat stalking its target and ready to pounce, and Bryce's departure sets things into motion. Selina allows the men to wander and put some distance and distraction between themselves and then strikes, sneaking up on the grunt closest to her. She grabs hold of him, surprising him just enough that when her arms tighten around his neck, he's out before he can even react. He falls backward and she walks him back, breaking his fall as she lowers him against a filing cabinet. If she's lucky she can take down the second man just as easily. ]
Hi, there~
[ What follows -- more fight, this one -- has to happen quickly and quietly and Selina's not afraid to get a little rough. She takes him out with a well-placed hit to carotid, letting his buddy act as a cushion this time. Apparently "playing nice", for Selina, means playing this the way Bryce would: tie them up and gag them, leave them for the vice to find 'em. ]
Nothing personal, boys, really. It's just that you're making a real mess of things here. [ There's a beat of silence, Selina pulling a coil of rope she'd swiped from Bryce on the way down out from inside of her jacket. ] Also, you sort of interrupted my date, so I guess it's a little personal...
[ Here's hoping her date is having just as much success. ]
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Well, the sound is easy to miss from out on the store's floor. Judging by the sudden flurry of crashing noises that follow it, it wasn't so easy to miss in the back room. Someone back there snarls "Put it down!" and there's another thud, a clatter.
Then, quiet. ]
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She hangs back, leaning against the door frame to keep a watch for flashing red and blue lights and whatever else might be headed their way. Bryce has got this, right? ]
You playing nice in here?
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[ Growled: ] Give me a minute.
[ She's got the last guy down on the floor and is searching his pockets. The safe at the back of the room is sitting ajar. Bryce finally comes up with a phone from the guy's jacket as he start to stir and groan. ]
Here. [ She tosses the phone towards Selina, trusting she'll catch it, and pulls a set of zip ties out of her own pocket to hogtie the thug. ]
Tell your boss this place isn't worth it.
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[ -- with ease, capturing the phone mid-air, her hands curling around it as she pulls it to her chest to stash in the inner pocket of her jacket. And Selina really shouldn't find the whole grumbly face-punching thing as hot as she does, but she knows what she's about. She glances over her shoulder out into the showroom, then back over to Bryce watching as she finishes up. ]
Not that I need to remind you, but we really should be getting out of her. Wouldn't want to have to explain all of this to GCPD's finest, would we?
[ Translation: hurry it up, Princess Facepunch. ]
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[ Yes, obviously, she knows to the minute how responsive the GCPD is going to be to a silent alarm in this part of town. What do you take her for?
She makes quick work of zip-tying the unconscious mook, as well, then straightens up and gives the room a once-over. Good enough. With any luck she can bother Jim Gordon later for more information about what's in that safe. ]
Back door should be this way. Come on.
[ Shadow-silent, she leads the way towards the exit. ]
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She can already hear the sirens as they make their exit out the back door and Selina grabs hold of Bryce's hand, pulling her the opposite direction of the sound as they run through the alleyway. ]
This way.
[ These alleys? They're what Selina knows best. ]
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Maybe she shouldn't find that bossy, graceful, wrong-side-of-the-law thing as hot as she does, but what can you do? ]
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She leads Bryce to an opening in a chain link fence wrapped around an old warehouse and through the a back entrance where the workers would pop out to grab a smoke. The place is long abandoned and there's no electricity, but there's an office just at the end of the hallway with massive windows and with the blinds pulled open, there's just enough of a reflection from the street lights to illuminate the room enough for them to make each other out in the dark.
Selina takes a seat at the edge of an old desk, still catching her breath from the run over. ]
Y-You get anything useful?
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