|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Oct 31, 2010 3:43:05 GMT -5
For many of the people here, this lavish event is merely an excuse to rub shoulders with the other wealthy elite of Gotham and the surrounding area. And while that would lure Dr. Pamela Isley out of her lab for the evening by itself, that this happens to be an event that she actually supports doesn't hurt at all. And so, here she is, in her favorite little red dress, working her way through the crowd of people who supposedly support preserving the rainforests of Paraguay. That she's one of the few who are sincere about their interest is evidenced by how she actually contributed a significant amount of money, rather than the pittance that she normally gives during a charity cocktail party - just enough to get her an invitation to the next one.
But it would be a lie to say that she's here just for the cause. No, she's been in the habit of attending all the major social functions that she can ever since the rumors about her mental health died down enough for her to be welcomed back into polite society. She's even starting to get the reputation of being a bit of a party girl, though the reason is really that's she experimenting. And based on the fact that nearly everyone she's bumped into this evening seems to think that she's absolutely charming, whether they knew her already or not, the experiment seems to have been a success: the new pheromones seem to be working well. But not too well; a potential complication that she's been on the alert for is that she might be so captivating that some fool won't leave her alone, but that worry hasn't been realized either. No, she's simply been working the crowd with ease, and that's exactly the way she wants it.
Finishing a round of small-talk with an elderly gentleman that she wasn't really paying attention to, she pauses to accept an offered hors d'oeuvre and to survey the crowd for important people that she hasn't met or properly greeted yet. She hasn't bumped into the party's host yet, though if the rumors of Bruce Wayne's unpredictable behavior are true, she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't show. And she also wouldn't be surprised if he was lost in the middle of the crowd somewhere with a model on each arm.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
Last Edit: Nov 1, 2010 1:07:43 GMT -5 by Avalikia
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 1, 2010 0:56:22 GMT -5
It wouldn't be a lie to say that Selina was one of those that was here for the chance to rub shoulders with the elite of Gotham City. Indeed, she was here for that purpose. Truthfully, she had a few close aquaintances who she did in fact enjoy spending time with when not planning yet another scheme that involved her catsuit and some glass cutters. Not to mention the cause of this particular party did genuinely catch her interest as well. Surely a big industry such as Wayne Enterprises should be expected to hop aboard the eco-friendly bandwagon at some point, she was just glad to see it happen so soon after the mass televised panic. Not necessarily for the Earth itself, but for it's creatures. After all, how could an animal live without a habitat?
Selina had and has been a big advocator of wildlife preservation in Gotham City for quite some time, not to mention a 'friend' of Bruce Wayne. Not really a friend in the way most people would define the term, but she knew him and had been to a few of his gatherings before. They'd even had a few conversations together. Other than that though, she hardly knew the man and couldn't care less. Really, she'd just like to talk to him more to find out the secrets that he hid in this manor, where things were, that sort of thing. It was a wonderful home and a great spot for a late night robbery. This huge manor with only one man and his servants.. in a way, it disgusted her. But the disgust turned to intrigue, and the intrigue turned to curiosity. And well, curiosity does bad things to cats.
Throughout the length of time that she'd been here, Selina had briefly chatted up a few of the guests, but her eyes were mostly on the material items that Wayne had scattered about the place. A lot of art, some bronze work, a small statue here and there. Not many jewels, which disappointed her. Though, she shouldn't have been expecting a vast jewelry collection from Gotham's most eligible bachelor versus bachelorette. For the moment, the medium-sized black bag that slung around her bare shoulder remained quite empty.
Wearing what some should have come to expect of Miss Kyle by now, Selina meandered about the room with a small glass of sparkling champagne that she'd just picked up from a peaked 'tower' of glasses, in a form-fitting black dress that ended just above her knees. Strapless, it allowed her to show off one of her more recent steals from a commercial business that didn't deserve half the money it raked in anyway. A choker-styled silver necklace with diamond embellishments, it shimmered in the chandalier-lit light of the room and that at least made her feel better. Along with that, her arms were covered by black silk gloves that ended up near the top of her biceps, each wrist glimmering with bracelets of the same sort as her necklace. With her ear-length hair slicked back save for a few strands of bangs, Selina felt to be the very image of sophistication for the moment, and a fake smile was brandished across her face as she took a look around, no sign of Bruce Wayne anywhere. Not that she expected him. There was an unfamiliar face, though. A red-haired woman with a red dress, taking up the offer of an hors d'oeuvre. Not that she knew everyone in Gotham City, but she knew she'd never seen her before. For now, all the mysterious woman gets is a sidelong glance, probably Selina inspecting to see if she had any real jewels on her persona, maybe to do a little research and get a new target.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Nov 1, 2010 3:30:10 GMT -5
A woman Pamela's age with a figure like hers wearing a dress like the one she chose for tonight needs little by way of embellishment. However, when visiting a place as upscale as Wayne Manor, one doesn't skimp. Still, the highlight of Dr. Isley's ensemble is the rather exotic-looking white orchid nestled in her hair - one of a kind, of course, as she created the hybrid herself. But in addition to that the studs in her ears hold real diamonds of decent size; her bracelet appears to be platinum; and her dress, black stilettos, and silver handbag are all the genuinely expensive variety rather than the clever fakes so many are trying to pass off as real lately.
But it doesn't take her very long to notice the woman wearing entirely too much black looking her way, and Pamela shifts to a smile and approaches almost by reflex. Not that she doesn't quickly peg the unfamiliar woman as someone probably hardly worth knowing - now that she's back in the full swing of these events she can usually assume that she's met or at least had everyone important pointed out to her. Then again, there's always the chance that she missed someone, and it's not like a nobody would get an invitation to this party.
"I don't believe we've met - I'm Doctor Pamela Isley," she says very formally but pleasantly as she extends her hand, all the while hoping that whoever this is will be quick about indicating whether or not she's worth the time it would take to get to know. It's not like she comes to these things for the fun of it, after all. This is all purely for research and building connections that may be useful in the future, so she doesn't want to waste her time.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 2, 2010 1:41:51 GMT -5
It wouldn't be completely vain to say that Selina was too an attractive addition to the party. Though where Pamela decided to go with more of her natural beauty, Selina opted for boosting her own with the jewels that she worked so hard to get into her possession. By the time another month or so ran around, these particular jewels would be sold and the funds spread out between her various charitable works. Most of which going to wildlife rehabilitation centers, and also to those back to her home in the East End. That would be a private manner that she would see to personally, most likely in costume, for her own safety.
While sipping the champagne, Selina did happen to look around the rest of the room. Isley was an unfamiliar, but it wasn't as if she was going to just stare at her. It was impolite to stare, for cats and humans alike. The rest of the guests she at least recognized; most of them anyway. Even for a socialite like Selina Kyle, it was hard to know everyone. Why, she had her doubts that even Bruce Wayne himself knew everyone that he invited to his home. It didn't really help that she didn't particularly care for a good majority of the guests either. Ah well. It wasn't her party.
Holding the stem of the glass and losing her interest in scanning out the guests that she felt she'd be comfortable with chatting up, she was honestly surprised when the red-haired woman who was a definite 'new person' in her book came up and introduced herself. Smiling pleasantly enough, Selina reached out with the opposite hand and shook Pamela's, nodding slightly. "Nice to meet you, Doctor Isley. I'm Selina Kyle, and no.. I don't believe we've met." Looking up, the white orchid in the doctor's hair did catch her attention, and made Selina raise her brows. "That's a lovely flower, I've never seen one like it. What is it?" The question might've made her sound ignorant, but she certainly was no botanist.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Nov 2, 2010 23:11:50 GMT -5
Kyle... Not a last name that she's familiar with. New money perhaps? Not that Pamela is the type to judge too harshly on that; old money may know how to keep it but new money knows how to make more. Then again, for all she knows, Ms. Kyle comes from one of the less conspicuous families - Pamela is from one of those herself. "Nice to meet you too," she offers, her tone very sincere though she's actually still on the fence about that.
Still, this Selina knows how to steer a conversation in a good direction. "Oh, this?" Pamela asks, her tone feigning surprise that she's being asked about such a minor thing in the time-honored fashion of pretending that you left much better adornments at home, "It's an orchid hybrid of my own design: Dendrophylax lindenii and Grammatophyllum speciosum - the best of both, naturally. Botanical hybrids are my specialty." The way she glosses over the level of expertise needed to create such a thing and convince it to grow is meant to come off as being humble, but her self-satisfied smile does much to dispel that impression, pheromones or not. Still, it's not as if she's boasting about it more than she can live up to.
"And what do you do?" she asks, her tone shifting to polite curiosity, though of course she's really asking to gauge just how useful this woman might be.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 4, 2010 0:42:25 GMT -5
Generally, Selina could tell who smiled through their teeth at her, who was being friendly just to get one's name and who they worked for. Most people were concerned not with personal issues here, but with money. So far, Dr. Isley didn't seem like one of those types, but she'd been wrong before. Smiling politely, Selina kept her eyes mainly on the one-of-a-kind orchid that Pamela had decided on flaunting in an elegant manner, and for good reason as far as she could tell. It was the same way with her and her jewels, though of course she wouldn't wear them in public until well after the news of their disappearance had faded from the headlines. After all, Catwoman didn't steal just any jewels. They had to be rare, they had to be worth thousands or more, and they had to be sought after.
Nodding her head at the scientific names of the flowers that Dr. Isley had crossed to come up with the beauty she was wearing, Selina chuckled a few times. "Sounds like hard work. But if this is an example of what else you could do.. I'd say keep up the good work." Plants were never her thing, but she could certainly appreciate the beauty and rarity of the botanical hybrids that Pamela was talking about, even if she couldn't gain any meaning from the names she gave.
The question of what she did made the corners of her lips curve a bit more upward in a slightly coy manner, having the urge to gush about what an astounding theif she was. Like her love of animals, Selina did quite enjoy the rush and the experience of stealing things, and she had since she was a child on the streets. If it were more out of control she might even be admitted to Arkham for a case of kleptomania, but she was a smart woman. She knew when to quit. When it suited her, of course.
"I oversee a few wildlife sanctuaries, mostly dealing with wild cats. Relocations, rehabilitations, things like that." While she never did really get her hands dirty in caring for the animals, she made sure that the funds she made both legitimately through donations through the charities, and illegitimately through her heists went directly into the budgets of the facilities, and that they provided the best care to her beloved animals.
|
|
|
Last Edit: Nov 4, 2010 15:44:11 GMT -5 by vicki
|
Post by vicki on Nov 4, 2010 15:34:55 GMT -5
As soon as she heard about the luxurious gala being thrown at Wayne Manor (and word travels fast when you're a reporter), Vicki Vale had immediately RSVP'd for the event. She wouldn't dare pass up any chance to learn more about Gotham's most sought-after - and most secretive - bachelor and his recent exploits. Not to mention sniff around for any potential leads on a hot scoop from some of the more famous citizens that often attend such high-brow events. She's dolled up in her fanciest of clothing for the evening, a long, sleek blue dress that perfectly complements her eyes and a pair of snappy sapphire heels. Perhaps she's here for more than purely professional reasons, though the press pass tucked away in her matching sequined purse would at least imply otherwise.
After rubbing elbows with one of the spokesmen for Wayne Entertainment (and making sure he got her card), the strawberry blonde scans the sea of partygoers for another source of good conversation while she waits for the man himself to show. Spotting the other two women chatting nearby, she turns to head in their direction, the slit hem of her dress swirling around her ankles as she casually strolls over.
"Evening, ladies," Vicki offers in way of greeting as she approaches the unfamiliar pair of attendees adorned in dresses that respectively match the colors of their hair. How strikingly stylish. "Any sign of our most eligible host yet?" she inquires with a coy smirk on her rosy pink-painted lips as she glances between the two. No introduction is offered as of yet, though if either of them have watched any live-breaking reports on the Gotham News Network, it's likely they know who she is already.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Nov 5, 2010 1:40:43 GMT -5
"Oh, thank you," Pamela replies kindly to the compliment, though not with any genuine enthusiasm. She can't expect anyone who doesn't know botany to truly understand her talents and even then this single flower is the merely the tip of the iceberg. Still, she supposes that it's nice that others can at least realize that she's made something pretty even if that's nearly completely besides the point.
As Selina explains herself, she mentally takes careful notes. Well, that would explain why this Ms. Kyle is here - she would have both been invited and decided to come because of the cause alone, which might explain why the two of them haven't bumped into eachother before. The same could be said of Pamela herself, but she tends to attend any party she's invited to if she's not too busy with work and only a rare few have anything to do with what she's really passionate about; and she supposes that saving the invaluably precious rainforests would just so happen to help the cats too. Nevertheless she mentally sorts Selina into the 'remember the name just in case, but you probably won't need it' category. She has no real use for cats, generally speaking.
"Ah," she says in understanding and looks like she's about to say more when they're interrupted by someone else. It only takes Pamela a moment to place the face of the reporter. Like wasps at a summer picnic, these media types... not that Dr. Isley would let a reporter know what she really thinks - it might be reported. "Good evening! And no, I haven't seen him," she replies with a polite smile, "But you know how Mr. Wayne is." Not that she herself has much more to go on besides his reputation, but it's good to at least fake connections with very important people.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 5, 2010 10:19:06 GMT -5
Whether or not Pamela appreciated her comment was of no concern to Selina. Because whether or not she really appreciated Pamela's work was ambiguous too. Sure, the flower was pretty. But that was it, to her. As Isley had no real use for cats, Selina had no real use for plants. Practically speaking, anyway. Everyone had use for plants, given that they were a requirement for life in most cases. Humans were an odd bunch however, and seemed to forget that. While she recognized this fact, she didn't obsess over it at all. Her obsession lied in her feline companions, and even then she wasn't really obsessive. Just.. protective.
Not much else of a reply is given to the botanist after that. A polite nod of her head and Selina actually begins to turn around, but is interrupted by the presence of one of Gotham's reporters, and not one that she particularly cares for either. Not that she knew her well, but she tended not to like the media types. Always reporting on her heists, one day one of them might get a little too much information from a crime scene. Though, she was careful and smart, and tended to avoid that possibility. Still, another mostly fake smile appeared and she addressed the reporter at least somewhat politely, though far less so than she was with Dr. Isley.
"Vicki Vale. Here to tell the folks of Gotham just how serious environmental causes are around here, right?" She asks with just a hint of sass, taking a sip of her champagne between that and what she says next. "Or just for another few words with Bruce?" No, not Mister Wayne, or the bachelor, or whatever others called him. She'd known of him for long enough and had enough conversations that she felt comfortable calling him by his first name. Titles were reserved for those she had respect for, and at the moment, she lacked a respect for the billionaire. At least he was trying to fund a good cause, but it'd help if he was actually around to promote it.
|
|
|
Last Edit: Nov 5, 2010 12:24:01 GMT -5 by vicki
|
Post by vicki on Nov 5, 2010 12:22:48 GMT -5
"Mm," Vicki answers Pamela in between sips of champagne, "don't we all?" It would take a bit of thinking to remember the last time she had actually seen the man himself appear in the public eye, and not just some spokesman from Wayne Enterprises speaking on his behalf. Her made-for-TV smile fades a bit, however, when the raven-haired woman questions the motives in her presence, and she turns to face Selina directly.
"As a journalist, it's my duty to report any notable happenings in the city to the rest of the public," Vicki answers cooly in response to the subtle challenge, lifting her chin confidently. "And if I happen to bump into Mr. Wayne, and get an official quote to accompany my story, then that's just an added bonus. So perhaps I'm here for both. No different from why any of us are here, really. Wouldn't you agree, miss..?" She trails off, not yet acquainted with the statuesque, diamond-studded woman standing before her, and hoping to lead her into revealing her name.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Nov 7, 2010 1:56:11 GMT -5
The casual smile on Pamela's face becomes less fake as Selina draws the reporter's attention. Bad things happen when you irritate media types, eventually if not immediately. Fortunately, it's something she's learned by observation more than experience, even though she spent a couple of days in the spotlight a few years ago. Not wanting a repeat of that, she intends to be excessively polite and uninteresting - though it doesn't help that the pheromones she's been experimenting with tend to make her seem more interesting than she is.
Putting that thought into action, she remains quiet as Vicki defends her profession and keeps her amusement about it politely to herself. She doesn't see how reporting can be that difficult of a job, at least compared to her own. Convincing others to give her what she wants tends to be easy enough, but perhaps she might feel differently if she actually tried writing something that anyone else would want to read. She has to actually suppress a smirk when Vickie asks for Selina's name; she doesn't need a third sense to tell her that could make things interesting.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 7, 2010 13:50:41 GMT -5
"Kyle." She finishes for the reporter, giving her last name. Normally she would give her first and last name afterward, and say something like 'nice to meet you,' but she wasn's so sure that it was a nice thing to meet Miss Vale. With her own smile fading, Selina turned to look at the rest of the guests and shook her head. "The seriousness of the cause is what concerns me, that's all. Wayne Enterprises is doing a good thing by attempting to be more environmentally friendly, I'd hate to see such a decent cause dilluted down because some people want another few short words with a billionaire." Vicki was right though. The reason most were here was just to get the chance to bump their social status, and fawn over Bruce Wayne if they happened to be female.
It wasn't as if Selina was trying to be rude or anything though. She was just at least half-passionate about exposing weekend environmentalists when it was something that she did take seriously. A lot of her money went into eco-funds, not necessarily for the planet but for the animals that her reserves cared for. Taking another sip of the champagne, the green-eyed woman tucked a short strand of her hair back behind her ear, and glanced around the floor once again. Still no Wayne, still no real change in the evening. Fine with her though. She had no real place to be until all the wealthy stiffs were back home and in bed.
|
|
|
|
Post by vicki on Nov 8, 2010 10:45:02 GMT -5
The surname stored away in the reporter's mental rolodex out of habit, Vicki nonetheless nods her head in response to the other woman's reply. "We can agree on that, Ms. Kyle. And what better way to raise awareness for such a noble cause than to have a personal endorsement from Mr. Wayne himself?" There's a subtle smirk at the edge of her glossed lips, as though she had somehow enjoyed the slightly catty repartee with the darkly-dressed female; probably far more exciting an exchange than any of the superficial hum-drum she had had the dubious pleasure of conversating over this evening.
She turns away from Selina to face Pamela now, inquiring with a genuinely interested voice as she briefly glances over the redhead's form and fashion: "I simply have to ask - what perfume are you wearing? It's lovely." Smells about a thousand times better than the musky fragrance exuding from the silver-haired elderly woman in the mink stole standing nearby.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Nov 9, 2010 3:24:06 GMT -5
Continuing to observe the exchange in polite silence, Pamela privately thinks that it's no use quibbling over why anyone is here, so long as the donations are large. Of course most of these fools don't care a bit for the cause, but whether they care or not doesn't much matter so long as they still put money into the hands of those who actually do care. Asking for much more than that is probably useless - she's long given up on the hope that others might see the error of their ways by simply telling them that they should care. No, that would require something much more drastic.
Those thoughts are interrupted when Vicki's attention shifts to her. Asking Pamela what perfume she's wearing is somewhat like asking a tiger where they got that lovely fur they are wearing, though generally her scent is subtle enough to go unnoticed. But that the reporter manages to pick it out doesn't seem to phase her as she has a ready-made answer: "Perfume? Oh, you must be smelling my orchid," she says in surprise before quickly introducing herself "I'm a botanist - Doctor Isley." That's right, nothing to see here - just a botanist with a flower.
Though she manages to pull off sounding casual and polite, in the back of her head she hopes that her name won't trigger anyone's memory of a certain man-hunt for a certain professor who poisoned one of his students. Not that it's the sort of thing that would especially stick out in the papers of a place like Gotham, but she keeps running into people with irritatingly good memories every time she thinks she's 'safe'.
|
|
Avalikia
Beware the Admin!
~
Registered On: Oct 25, 2010 17:23:29 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 826
~ Relationship Status: Love Triangle
~ Partner: HTML and CSS
|
|
Post by Avalikia on Nov 9, 2010 10:55:23 GMT -5
Now that the conversation had managed to drift out of the realm that included her, Selina simply flashed another quick smile toward the both of them and turned herself around. Flowers were beautiful, but that's about where her interest in them ended. To her, 'environment' set off flags that had to do with animals, not plants. Though of course the misconception on her part was completely due to her chosen career. Either way, she'd given her opinion on the orchid before, she didn't feel she needed to again. The reporter was right though. Now that she had mentioned it, Miss Isley did have a cloud of a very nice smelling fragrance around her. Too bad it was all to do with the orchid in her hair. If it was something one could buy, she probably would have. Though, there was always the option of snatching it from the woman's hair. Not that she would at the moment, not as Selina anyway. With her champagne glass empty, she nodded politely to one of the various gophers running around passing out and collecting drinks and empty glasses and sat hers on the tray that was collecting quite a few small glasses. With both hands free, she crossed them over her chest and began to have a sincere look around the actual place. Wayne Manor, that she'd been in before, but never really got around to staking out. As a thief, wasn't that her duty of some sorts? Find out where the goods were stashed. There were plenty of little things stuck out in the area where all the guests were that could fetch a price, that probably wouldn't be noticed if they were gone. Not to mention all the people wouldn't be watching her anyway. They were busy talking with each other. The notion definitely crossed Selina's mind, especially as she caught glimpse of bookends. Not quite worth her time to steal, but enough to make her wander over there and stare at, admiring the detail of them.
|
|