Zodiac [Selina & Nina]

She should have come in the front door. But will all the officials milling about, and the security, she had poo-pooed that idea in seconds. Sometimes it was easier to do her normal gig, rather than go out of her way. And with this sort of ...welcome, she was going to do it her way. As soon as the glass had been replaced, she was inside. It was warm. She was freezing. Even if it was the orient, it was still chill. And being in her leather catsuit for the damn flight over, even in the Bat-whatever he had called it? She was not happy. She'd dumped her things, and made a beeline for Eddie. Not that it was difficult for her to suss out where he was. He had splattered his characteristic tells everywhere.


But he'd been nice enough to invite her out. But she hadn't thought it would pan out like this.

Green eyes glared at him from behind the mask, narrowing to slits as he hobbled over. At least she had been able to get her restraints removed before this little...excursion. As he drew closer to her, her hand would dart out, going for his cheek to connect with him. And if that didn't work, and he tried to avoid it, her right foot would hook around his left, dropping him to the ground.


“Oh. Friends in high places, you know. I'm getting into the tub. Then we'll talk about this little ...visit, Eddie.” She hissed, stepping around him as she ripped her cowl off, entirely ignoring Allen, and Nina, save for a slight smirk.

Shaking out her mop of now curls, Selina paused, turning around before heading into the lush bedroom. “Looks like you've found yourself a pet, eh, Eddie?” she purred, laughing slightly before going into the room and shutting the door with a click. Seems that the woman he would barely acknowledge had come a ways.

First, she was going to get out of her suit. Take a bath. Then have a little chit chat with Edward. A ...forewarning of sorts. The sort that considering she had teamed up, temporarily with Batman, meant he would not refer to her as her real name, unless he valued his ….well, intellect.

Nina visibly flinches in sympathy when Edward abruptly ends up on the floor. However, quickly seeing that the woman, who is quite capable of causing much more harm, didn't do so she decides not to react to that further. She doesn't know very much about how the two of them interact, but what she does know and her experience of being around Edward tells her that it's extremely likely that he did something to deserve that at some point. If she were even slightly the type to express her feelings through physical violence, there's a good chance she'd have done something of the sort herself at a few points.

Still trying to fully come to grips with their visitor and the way she greeted Edward, she doesn't really react to the smirk the woman gives her. The words, on the other hand, prompt suddenly narrowed eyes and a scowl - instantly offended. Though the expression fades quickly in spite of the sheer depth of the emotion: Well, what do you expect her to think seeing you here? she's asking herself as she forces herself to calm down. Nina can be confident that the woman will either not be around enough to make her opinion matter, or she'll quickly learn the error of that statement. One can not know Nina and see her as anyone's 'pet'.

Well, she's definitely getting up now. She abandons her book to the coffee table before grabbing her crutches and pushing herself to her feet. She could actually probably walk a bit by this point, but after all her knee's been through she wants to be very careful with it. Still, she'll probably ditch at least one crutch in the next few days. She's already stopped using the knee immobilizer. She follows Edward over to the kitchen in silence, taking a seat on a barstool. "Would it matter if I minded?" she asks rhetorically.

She resettles herself, though she keeps her crutches more immediately at hand this time since getting up from a barstool is quite easily done and the odds are high she won't be sitting there for long. Then she looks more directly at Edward as she asks, "Are you okay?" She suspects that he's perfectly fine, but she doesn't want to assume. Though immediately after that she asks, "And do you know what her problem is?" Perhaps surprisingly, her tone for that question is suspicious and almost accusatory. She doesn't really want to jump to the conclusion that he did something, but that's definitely the safer bet than assuming that Selina is just randomly angry. The more direct question of 'What did you do this time?' hangs in the air, unspoken.

She was freezing. And irritated. And...baffled. Here she was, in China. With Batman. And somehow she was going to do this entire trip while keeping her own damn identity on the down low. While she had never even fathomed how this was going to happen, she wasn't entirely..sold on it, either. But thanks to the little....deal the two had made for the time being while the FBI was encroaching on Gotham...there was little she had to say. And little she had been able to pack.

Once the door clicked shut, she jammed it easily with a small wedge from her belt. Nicely as it was, there was also a bug attached, so she'd be able to hear all the griping and whining that was sure to come from her 'friend.' And she was correct as she started to peel the now-damp suit from her body.

Walking over to where the tub was, she started a hot bath. A bit of time in there, and she'd be good. Time to think, time to figure out what to formulate on how to tell him...the exact why's she was here. That his little heist had gone well, that -no- her skills were not rusty, but maybe his wordcrafting was, considering tall, dark, and brooding had figured out the riddle left in the computer system.

After sinking into the tub and warming up, and laughing considerably at the little tete a tete the duo was having, she emptied the tub, and wrapped one of the lush towels about herself, more than a bit tickled when another door in the bathroom lead her to where his room was. Smirking, she opened the rather large, ornate wardrobe and rifled through his clothing until she settled on a vivid emerald dress shirt. She had enough other sundries to make the shirt into a suitable dress for the time being. That being as such, she made her way back into the bathroom, twisting and tying the dress until it resembled a chic dress in the rich emerald color. A quick brush of her hair, and she looked almost good enough to hit up that new bar in Gotham's something or other hotel.


Gathering her few things; her belt, boots, suit, cowl, and the small satchel that nearly blended with everything, she finally reached for the small wedge, replacing it in her bag. Casually walking out, Selina Kyle nee Catwoman for the time being carefully laid out her suit and other items on the couch.

“Nice conversation, Eddie. And for the record, the heist went well. Tiffany is a religious nut, but...a few words and I seemed to be able to get him to think I could be used as bait for Batman. Nothing a batarang couldn't do, right?” Smirking to both Nina, and Edward, she padded barefoot into the kitchen, grabbing two glasses; one for Nina, one for herself. Leaning across the bar, she crooked a finger to the bottle. “Toasting to unreasonable men, “ She paused, a grin blossoming on her lips as she raised her glass to the other woman. “Nina, correct?” She said, clinking her own glass to the other woman's.

“But, as things happen to be, I'd prefer sushi, alas, this is China, not Japan, as your wordcrafting may need a bit of ...help.” Another sip. “Unlike another tall, dark and brooding man who figured it out with ease, and wrangled me onto his own personal jet, you know.” Another sip of the liquid, and she leaned against the bar's counter, peering at the other two. Glancing at the glass, her nose wrinkled. “Beggars can't be choosers, nor can thieves be too picky without a plan...” was her soft murmur to herself.

“So, as it goes, we land, I part ways, telling him I'm going to see if I'm able to get any intel and meet back in...oh, a few hours. At least that's what '95 minutes' sounded like to me.” Winking to Eddie, her large green eyes settled on Nina for a second or two. She'd already seen the crutches. It seemed that injuries were the new 'it' accessory in Gotham as of late. Which reminded her she'd need to be a bit..careful.

“And to be honest, I have no idea what the four of us are going to do here. It's going to be tricky enough with him and I not knowing each other's identity. But, I do know we all want Tiffany and his little circus out of town.” Downing the last of her drink, the glass was carefully set down as she awaited her answer, and questions.

“See? No lecture, Riddler. This is a bit of a different...MO, even for me.” She was teasing Eddie again, considering she had caught most of the conversation whilst she was enjoying her warm bath.

Nina didn't believe him. His lip pursed more before he took another sip of his hard liquor. His fingers tapped against his cane in thought. If the plan hadn't gone the exact way he wanted, she obviously had to get out of Gotham for a time, but still, why come to China? To yell at him? It fit most women need to nag every man in their life MO pretty perfectly. It still seemed odd. There had to be another reason she was here, and it involved him and his current plan. Why would be involve in his current plan? Had someone blackmailed her? Did the FBI manage to break his code and plan to use her as bait? No. No. The FBI barely has the brain capacity of a mouse. Only someone who was intelligent could figure out his riddle. The only person he knew who was up for such a challenge was....Batman.

He didn't have much longer to toy with that idea because then Selina walked out of his room.

He choked on the liquid that managed to go down his throat the wrong way. He coughed into his sleeve as he forced himself to turn away from the image he just saw. Selina Kyle wearing only his shirt. It certainly did not help that Selina’s physique could be comparable to perfection, and Edward loved the color green. The woman was trying to torture him for some sick revenge. He heard Selina walk by him, and with his eyes still focused on the floor as he continued to recover from the cough, he got the barest of glance of her bare legs.

Mother of…

He causally turned back around like he had gotten control of his little coughing episode and nothing was out of the ordinary. It wasn’t like a half naked seductress was walking around in his shirt while his…his…Nina was sitting right there at the bar. He hated women.

Luckily, Edward’s mind was comparable to a beehive. It could focus on many things and still hold a conversation. The words just held less emotional value with a distraction in front of him. The mention of the pitiable head agent barely causes Edward to blink. He knew the single man was not the issue with the FBI. He was a fool and didn’t even count as piece on his chessboard. Now, on a more personal level, he did have a fun little game the man could play on a later date.

He was quite pleased though, that the plan went as suspected. He certainly had no reason to be concern over her ability. The fence had shut down like he had requested. Her explanation though on how she managed it only gained a rolling of the eyes from him. “It’s not that far fetch of a conclusion to come to. If the Batman knew your identity, I have no doubt he would watch from the window as you undress like most attentive stalkers,” he mumbled, but he noticed that Selina was focusing much more attention on Nina then him. The corner of his lip dipped downward ever so slightly. There always felt like an underline plot going on behind this lioness mind, and he did not particularly like the idea of Nina being involved in it.

He also just didn’t like two women in his life becoming friends. One woman was bad. Two that communicated, gossiped, and analyzed, would probably lead to Edward’s death.

His focus that was on Nina’s softening expression, Selina’s graceful pose along his counter, and the clink of their glasses is slammed to halt at the mention of Batman.

He barely catches Selina’s jabs or the wink shot in his direction.

Batman is here.

He is in Beijing.

He figured out his riddle, obviously not all of it if he hasn’t gotten a hold of Wu. He also is putting his faith into Selina. No offense to the woman. She is far intelligent, but she is a wild card in everything she does. She walks on the line of grey every night. She could hardly be considered reliable, yet she had found him. Did that mean the Bat was only a few minutes away? No, he wouldn’t have waited for Selina’s bath…unless he really is a stalker and happened to be in his bathroom. No. No. Selina just confirmed that they do not know each other’s identity. It really was a risky move on the Batman to bring her, almost desperate. The mention of the FBI agent caught his attention barely. Ah that’s right, he had told Selina the mere basic of his plan, i.e. his plan, if successful, would take the Feds out of Gotham. He had left out all the points between point A and point B, but Selina on most occasions respected another’s privacy.

The teasing was lost to him at the moment. There was a riddle plaguing his mind. Why was Selina here when she knew Batman was searching for him? Did he trust Selina? More then most rogues, but no.

He sat his drink down on the counter as he took a step forward to Selina. He no longer cared about her little clothing. His mind was on his plan abut to be stopped, and he needed to know exactly which side of the line Selina was walking on now.

“Dear, I am afraid you forgot to answer the most important riddle,” he stated as he stopped himself a mere half a foot away from her. “Why are you here?” he asked in reference to his suite. His eyes then fell to her glass as he watched her drink it. He smirked. You always needed something for an upper hand. “I must mention that it is highly possible that not all my beverage are safe to drink,” he commented as he brought his eyes back towards hers. “But it would be rude of me to stop a beautiful woman from having her drink,” his smirk still playing on his lips.

Selina would not turn him into Batman if he had anything to say about. It was a piece on the board he wanted to either get control or get rid of as soon as possible.

Fortunately for Edward, it isn't until Selina mentions Batman that she actually looks at him so she misses seeing his reaction to the way Selina is dressed entirely. But she does see the look on his face after that - sudden thought, followed by that perfectly understandable question, followed by that truly absurd implied threat.

She says nothing on the subject of the safety of the liquor, though the fact that she frowns slightly and takes another small sip from her glass says enough. What prompted Edward to make such an obviously flawed set of statements? She doesn't know about Selina, though obviously he wouldn't let her drink poison and Selina seems to know that too. Must have been more thrown by the news about Batman being in Beijing than he's letting on. Or something like that.

Though her attention easily shifts back to Selina when she sits at the bar next to her. She's still not sure what to make of this woman, still very much on the fence about just how likable (or not) Selina is. Some of her actions and mannerisms are likable, while others are more... abrasive. Though when prompted, Nina easily summarizes by muttering, "Tiff! He arrested me for a crime I didn't commit and shot me twice for refusing to talk." And clearly there's more to that story, but it's a good enough summary to explain the flash of anger in her eyes. Definitely not a fan.

Though Nina knows what Selina's doing to Edward, as she's done the same thing to him before herself a couple of times, she's waits with probably far more patience for the woman to get around to actually answering Edward's first question. She'd very much like to know the answer to it too, but her expression is rather blank as she simply waits to have something actually substantial to react to. And when she does, it's simply a raised eyebrow. Wait... What's this about a meeting? And... dinner? She suddenly feels like she got lost somewhere in the explanation...

Not really knowing what to make of this, she frowns and looks back at Edward to see what he's making of this. He is, after all, the one who's used to dealing with these people, right?

She knew he wasn't an idiot. But what she did know was that Edward Nigma was a man. Reaching over to grab the pile of black leather, Selina turned slowly to face Nina. Pointing a finger at the woman, she nodded slowly. “We'll chat about that,” she said quietly. Tiff shooting people? If she didn't know Edward as well as she did, she'd suggest the two take up poaching together. But if this little hotel, or whatever she was going to be staying at had a secure, and she meant -secure- computer, she could pull up a bit of information on that topic.

Green eyes sparking at the woman, Selina decided to...add to the conversation. “Maybe your beau, and Tiff can get a bit of aggression out; you know, shooting range” Cocking her forefinger and thumb she squinted one eye shut as she focused back on Edward, who now would be close to throwing her out. Moving her thumb forward she mimicked a trigger, and winked at him.

Holding onto her things she was in the bathroom and changed into everything but her gloves and cowl, the dress carefully left on his bed with a folded over note with the following written, “Dinner will have something better...” Before she walked out, leather-clad once more.

“Well friends, I hate to head out into the cold night without you, but, we'll be seeing eachother soon. Nina, we must meet for drinks.” Closing the space between her and the other woman, Selina procured a business card and flicked it out between two fingers like a professional socialite. “My card. Call the number, or have Eddie do it. I know of a few places that would be excellent to head out for a ladies' night.” Smiling warmly, she walked over to Edward, the edge of her boot slipping between the cane bottom on the floor, effectively stopping the tapping.

“I hate to say I can't warn you any more than I have, Edward.” At his outburst, she had to contain her smirk, her eyes twinkling as she forced a serious expression. “Well, hopefully we can get the FBI out before they harm our Gotham. And, you know...if you're both my parents....who's on top?” Finally cracking a smile, she slipped her glove on, patting her dear friend on the cheek, as well as the top of the head. He was so cute sometimes when he was pissy.

Slipping her other glove on, as well as tugging her cowl down, Selina had now completed her guise as Catwoman, and made for the balcony doors. Whip in hand, she turned on her heel, and snapped it once to check it. No rain damage, thankfully. And with that, she was back into the night again, leaving the doors open, the rain thankfully having petered out for the evening.

It was now time to tango with Batman. Figure out exactly what he was going to do with all this. She wasn't exactly at ease with the situation, and she needed to toy with a few new encryptions with her phone. It was always a treat to be able to own a device that routed several numbers to one phone; her normal business contacts, as well as her 'nighttime numbers.'