payday.

“What’s the business this time, girl. Well my city remains peaceful, no need to worry.” 

             ❝ – how can you trust someone when                       they don’t trust you back ? ❞

    she pressed.

   despite this, of course she trusted Selina. more than     anyone, and she hated herself for even questioning it     since she’s life had taken a drastic turn to the mask th-     an she was comfortable with – not that she would say,     who was she to say when or where Catwoman could     take the night into her claws? but that didn’t stop the a-     nxiety of her not coming home.

    Catgirl takes a step forward, just one. as if approaching     she were to approach a stray and the glare behind her     goggles faltered but you couldn’t tell it. as if conflicted,     was this a mistake? she noted the suitcase, but she w-     as here, and catching her right on the spot might get th     -e answers she pined for.

             ❝ –  i just want to know what’s going on,                                                      with you and…                                           whatever the hell this is. ❞

      Seems the whole part where they have exactly no time -- zero, nada, none -- isn’t quite sinking in. Clementine comes for a reckoning where there doesn’t need to be any. Selina has done a lot of things in her life, but mix up a kid with those sadists? Not in a million years. There’s exactly no chance to tell her that when both they and a heaping side of Gordon’s people could be hot on her heels.

      “ You wanna know? Keep up first. ”

      All it takes is a clawed hand on the wall, and she ascends faster than the eye can follow, vaulting to the next rooftop without so much as a backwards glance.

@breakanylock

               ❝ – Catwoman. ❞

    her teeth clench after the name left her lips, tensing     her maw. it sounded… so bitter. she jumps from at-     op the stairwell entrance and onto the roof, her body     crouching instinctively as she lands ( evening the pr     -essure from her feet ) and she rises to face her me     -ntor. she was mad, even through the polarised len-     ses, her glare was as fierce as the light it reflected,     perhaps even more.

   she had had enough of being kept in the dark, to ha     -ve wool pulled over her eyes long enough   till she     was fed up with the unknown. they shouldn’t have     secrets, but Selina has one, even after all they both     had been through together, she had one. and she     kept her cards too close to her chest for comfort,     what was she hiding?

      Perhaps the eeriest part is that Selina doesn’t even flinch. Doesn’t see the ire seething behind those eyes for a long while, though she feels it emblazoned on her back. The tone of voice alone lets her know Clementine would be glaring daggers if she could. That audacity will get her far some day, Selina knows, but this time isn’t it. No, this time it’s above any of them.

      Better someone be pissed off about secrets than tangled in this mess.

      Suitcase in hand, Selina turns on a heel. The thing about donning a mask is while it’s on, it becomes a persona, at least in part. The shadows, the protective sheen of dim city lights off her covered face. There’s nothing to see etched into her expression that she doesn’t want to be seen.

         And if you asked Bruce, he’d say the same.

         His family’s home is a mess of contrasts. His childhood memories of a loving mother and father dragged into the harsh light from the murky shadow’s of childhood—criminal empires and so much blood that it could soak the plush carpets.

         Sometimes it’s hard not to feel like a ghost himself when he wanders the vastness of it all, rattling at chains that pull and tug on his heart when disturbed. He doesn’t get many visitors, either. Not since Harvey went away.

         He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss the company, didn’t miss Selina while she was there.

         “ You know you’re welcome here anytime, Selina, ” he says, a genuine smile curling the corners of his lips.

     “ In my experience, even ‘anytime’ has its exceptions. Say, when you’re lounging in your underwear and marathoning reruns. ”

      Or maybe that’s just her. When Selina tries to picture Bruce letting himself relax, she draws a blank.

      With his permission given, Selina brings her motorcycle around and kills the engine, shaking her hair out from her helmet. Parked and propped beneath the shadow of the large building, she takes just a moment to admire the sleek paint job and shiny chrome. Some days, she still can’t believe she lucked into it.

"I just managed to put the flytraps to sleep," She crossed her arms over her chest, turning to face Selina. "Till they heard the door open, you're lucky I don't just feed you to them."

@breakanylock - greeter

“Hey girl, long time no see. What’s up?” 

@breakanylock got scratched up (x)

                ❝ – you’re going out again?                                                 tonight? ❞

   she fails to keep the surprise from her tone, she    turns from the counter to look at the older wom-    en, ceasing whatever gadget she began tweaki    -ng to perfect condition – it taking longer with    not-so-much help from Isis pawing at the screw    driver or parts.

     “ What, you’re giving me a curfew now? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? ”

      Even as Selina fastens the buckle beneath her chin, adjusts the googles in place, and gives herself a quick glance in the mirror -- it’s all answer enough. No need to insult Clementine by stating the obvious. The concern’s nice, the kind that comes with family, but some things are best done alone. Some things no one needs getting all tangled up in but Selina.

guardians starters / accepting.

guardians starters / accepting.

guardians starters / accepting.

      If you ask her, Wayne Manor casts too long a shadow.

      More than the smear campaign and the mysterious brooding act, from the outside, it looks too big to sit right with her. Funny how all that space just feels like another way to box people in.

      So, there’s a slight complication when it comes to rubbing elbows with the sole heir and messier still when she figures Bruce is a bit too earnest for what the glitz and facades put out there.

      Selina isn’t sure it’s what he needs, but what he gets is the loud rumble of a motorcycle pulling up to his gates, the engine an idling purr as she waits on admittance. This is more for his sake than hers. If she really wants in, she might be able to go toe to toe with his tech. Again.

   a light in the darkness was always a comforting sight,    warding off evil and bring back hope – but seeing the    distant lights and pinnacles, she can’t help but feel a    pip grow in her stomach, as if they stood in the eye of    a hurricane and about to face the storm.

   the city felt so big back then, but now it couldn’t of lo-    oked smaller… crammed with all sorts of unspeakable    sins that ironically… was what kept it standing.

   she reaches up to her helmet, setting her curls free to    the crisp evening  air and her eyes now unfiltered to t-    he city, the same old city they left behind a year ago.

                                 ❝ – maybe it missed us.  ❞

   she cracks, swinging her leg over and off the bike and    joining Selina on the road’s edge. helmet under arm a-    nd the other resting on her hip.

       ❝ – we’ll just take it as it comes as we always have,                               and wing it when it trips up on itself..  ❞

      There’s some part of her that still isn’t sold on the idea of returning. It seems counterproductive to everything Selina is trying to accomplish. Namely, living long enough to have a little security somewhere down the line. She’s aware that’s double important with Clementine now looking up to her like a-- well, like a daughter would her mother. Doesn’t scare her to think of that nearly as much as it used to.

      “ From what I hear, Gotham’s already doing that. And guess who’s at the center of it. You only get one. ”