Grizabella Part 2 [Catwoman]

[Deleted]

Edward stepped off the fire escape and onto the roof at exactly 11:59. Of course the fire escape had been an ordeal. He had chewed through his entire lollipop and was now gnawing on the stick just to ignore that annoying pain in his leg. Allen stepped off the fire escape right after him. The big man was smarter then to comment on Edward slow climb, but the big man still let out a groan of irritation as he moved off to the side.

“Cane,” Edward ordered, hating the fact that he had to put all his weight on his leg at the moment. Allen tossed him the cane and Edward caught it. His hand gripped tightly to the top and leaned his weight onto it instead of his leg. Doing this once in a week was fine….twice…only frustrated him. He just had to remind himself this was all part of his plan. The greatest riddle was worth any hassle.

Edward looked over the roof of the Museum to see if Catwoman was already there. She was either hiding in the shadows or would pop down from another roof at any moment. He decided that instead of studying the roof he should check to make sure all the security system was shut down. He pulled out his phone. He hacked in the cameras and had the screens on repeat. The guards wouldn’t notice until a shift change so it gave them about an hour. More then enough time to find the clues he already left.

He nodded at his phone then put it back in his pocket. “Kitty cat makin’ ‘ppearance?” Allen asked him, folding his arms over his chest.

“She will,” he answered not knowing why he decided to answer such a stupid question. His mind was too focus on everything going right. He had dosed his usual cologne with toxin. He had diluted the toxin so it would only have an effect on her dreams. He didn’t want her hallucinating randomly during his investigation because it would only make her suspicious…or maybe she would just blame it on her previous experience with Scarecrow. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a risk he wanted to take…at least not yet. Allen and him had already taken the antidote he had made, but it would effect anyone who breathed/smelt it.

“Robby wanted her autograph,” Allen mumbled out seeming annoyed with the chore, “Don’t see why the kids on babysittin’ duty.”

Edward frowned. Nina had left his apartment to get back to her life. She said she had everything under control, but Edward was too much of a paranoid freak to just let her go so Robby was still watching her. He still hadn’t told her about the kiss and he decided he wasn’t going to. It was part of the job, and therefore went into the ‘things I don’t tell Nina’ section. “He’s not wasting her or my time with a silly autograph,” Edward remarked as he glanced at his watch 12:01.

She would be here any moment.

[Avalikia]

12:01am. She was late, but then again, there weren't many times that Selina had made a point to be on time for any engagement either as Catwoman or as Selina Kyle. As a socialite she had become rather known for showing up to events in a fashionably late style, often with no excuse due to the fact that no one really ever questioned her about it. As Catwoman, she never really had very many opportunities to meet up with someone in a planned sense. Most of the time others ran into her, and it was completely unexpected.

And honestly, her meeting with Edward had totally slipped her mind until about ten minutes ago while she was in West Gotham, on the rooftop of one of the larger corporate banks and ready to make her entrance. It was when she was about ready to carve a hole in the glass on top of the tower and seeing her reflection that somehow reminded her of her deal with the Riddler, and quick escape from the skyscraping building and into the street, hitching rides on moving cars and becoming noticed until she'd found a hiding spot in South Gotham rendered her a bit exhausted already. Cops had been called out, and even here she could hear the sirens blaring in the distance, since she'd successfully lost them.

Her only worry now was that Batman might show up.. but she didn't actually do anything wrong this time. Simply the fact that she was a fugitive on the run gave the GCPD enough cause to chase after her, but she'd committed no crime tonight. Yet.

Even though frankly she wouldn't put it past the idiots down at the police station to call over their radios that she'd been caught fleeing the scene of a corporate tower, and more than likely had something on her person. They tended to assume a lot of things, with her especially. The fact that she was out and on the prowl clearly being undeniable proof that she was committing a crime. Stupid, all of them.

Her distaste for the stupidity of the police and the citizens of Gotham City in general on her mind, she began to ponder the reputation of her newest 'ally,' if she could even call him that. Even though he'd lost to Batman on numerous occasions (then again, who'd really ever won against him except for her?), he was still an incredibly smart man, and remembering the last exchange of words between them, he liked to hear just how smart he was. Something she could play to her advantage as well. Keeping that in mind, she stuck to the more shadowed areas of South Gotham, her stealth and agility helping her to overcome numerous obstacles in her path and avoid detection as she neared the Museum.

At the bottom of the building, Selina unwrapped the whip from her waist and with a loud crack, it clung tightly to a side ornament, and she used it as a sort of rope to climb the building, pulling herself up and over the ledge gracefully and half re-wrapping the whip around her waist so that the end of it dragged slighly against the floor of the roof, as if it was a tail.

By the time she'd got there, it was about 12:09. She'd left him waiting unintentionally, but at least she had a good excuse. Selina wasn't concerned though. It wasn't like men stayed mad at her for very long anyway.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Edward." She spoke up quietly, walking toward him and brushing off her shoulders and waist and such, ridding the leather suit of any debris from the climb up the building. She walked right up to him and immediately gave him another kiss on the cheek, putting her arms around his neck and letting her claws rest carefully on the back of his shoulders. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

[Deleted]

Edward’s finger tapped against his cane which meant one thing, he was becoming impatient. He had already put in his second lollipop of the night. He had counted 460 licks and since he had been licking the lollipop at least once a second it meant seven minutes had past. He pushed back the sleeve of his jacket revealing his watch. 12:08…no wait it just changed. 12:09. His eyebrows furrowed together. Did women always have to be late?

He saw movement from his peripherals and turned just as a woman in black hoisted herself over the ledge. A frown was cemented on his face as he watched her wrap the whip around her waist. She was lucky that he managed to give them an hour timeline. If he only had fifteen minutes they all would have been wasted waiting for her. He watched as she walked over to him with apologetic words. “Yes, I would expect you would be,” he remarked with an eye roll. He would have gone on a rant about how society had forgotten to teach anyone punctuality and for that reason their economic growth was diminishing, but then she leaned in again. He felt a soft kiss on his cheek that seemed to have halted any words of anger. The anger being taken over by the same confusion he had felt earlier that day. Why was she being so physical with him? He heard an awkward cough that sounded like a cover up laugh from Allen. Great...just what he needed. He felt her claws tingling along his shoulders as she asked her question. Her body was once again very close, close enough that he could easily wrap an arm around her small waist and pull her closer...it was almost distracting. Ah, she was manipulating him.

He wanted to be angry not only at her tardiness but also at her arrogance in believing a few touches and kisses could manipulate him into forgetting. Instead, he found the manipulative technique actually working. Yes, he was mad, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice it. He frowned for a moment upset with himself and her techniques.

He shrugged his shoulders, allowing himself to escape from her hold and move a few steps away. With the newfound space he didn’t feel as distracted from her body. “I’ve learned by now that women are always late. I believe it’s something in the genetic code,” he commented causally.

Once he was away from her, he realized he should have stayed put. The closer Selina was to him the more of the toxin she would breath in. It looked like he would have to sacrifice his personal space to her….not that any man proclaimed that to be a bad thing. He turned his face away from her as a smirk appeared. His job was to actually get close to a beautiful woman, events like these were the reasons he loved his career choice. However, that wasn't his only job of the evening.

“Dear, I’m not sure what your plans are for tonight, but I have dinner in the oven so let’s get this started,” he stated as he walked towards the glass ceiling window where the police claimed Catwoman used to break in.

(OOC: I just read over this and caught the mistakes...gezz writing things when your tired turn out bad lol.)

[Avalikia]

Catwoman did have an arrogant streak, but at least it was warranted. Edward might've thought that she was putty in his hands before, but at the moment, he was putty in her hands. Her claws, actually. For however predictable a woman could be, a man was just as much, if not moreso in the company of a beautiful woman like herself. Especially if she was as close to him as she was, and as appealing to his needs and whatnot. The leather outfit probably helped her out in that sense as well.

After he shrugged her away, Selina frowned a bit, but shook it off. They were here for business. He was no Batman, she couldn't just waste time flirting around with him for no good reason. Not that she'd want to, anyway. Riddler just.. wasn't her type. Though for the next couple of days, weeks, however long it took for him to help her through this situation, she wouldn't tell him anything like that. Edward would be treated like a king while he helped her gain her life back. It was only fair, anyway. It wasn't as if she had much in the way of material possessions she could give him in return at the moment, not that she believed he'd even want anything tangible. Some compliments, boosts to his ego, physical closeness, those types of things.

And then when their business was complete, she might just pay Batman a visit and get back on his good side as well, tell him where the Riddler was hiding. If he didn't already know.

She did notice a different sort of smell around Edward than she'd remembered from earlier. A cologne probably, but something about it, she didn't quite like. It made her nose burn and gave her the tiniest of headaches, just enough for her to get irate about his comment concerning women and lateness. She bit her tongue though, and instead just followed him over to the window that the tabloids had said she broke in at.

"At least they did their research." She commented, kneeling down and tapping a claw against the glass, shrugging afterward. "This would be the ideal spot to get in the building.."

Focused for the moment, his last comment only just sunk in, and she smirked, turning to look over her shoulder at him. "Dinner at midnight? I wouldn't take you for the night owl sort, Edward."

[Deleted]

Edward watched as she studied the glass. Yes, he always did his research. He smirked to himself as she tapped a claw against the window. Nothing went unnoticed to the Riddler, and he prepared his crimes as if nothing went unnoticed to the investigator. It was his way to prevent capture. Yes, the Batman had foiled a few of his plans, but overall Edward had accomplished and won many times. This was his game and he knew the rules.

He took a step forward. On the glass there was a cut creating a square for a person to easily lift the glass and climb through. As he studied his work, pretending that instead he was analyzing the scene he took in her words.

“When your mind is constantly moving you only managed to get a few hours of sleep. Numbing task like cooking helps,” he stated as he looked down at her. Insomnia among rogues seemed to be as common as chicken pox among children. Either you’re over plotting or you’re paranoid about Batman, but both added to the lack of sleep. The Joker told him once that he went a week without sleep. Of course, what came out of it was one of his crazier schemes. However, while most people found the lack of sleep painful, Edward didn’t see insomnia as a horrible condition. Time was precious. He didn’t want to waste it on sleep.

“They didn’t enter through the window,” he stated as he used his cane to point at the square cut. It would be too difficult to bend down and point it out to her. “And right here is your first piece of evidence that it wasn’t you. Look at the cut. It’s choppier then your work. It’s not obvious, but it definitely has a few jagged spots in the line. It’s actually probably the very reason they didn’t enter here. If they were to lift the glass there would be a higher probability of it breaking,” he stated in a calm voice that came out when he did deductive work like this.

“Beside I make the best desserts and it’s not a riddle on how good chocolate taste at night,” he said randomly back to his first topic. He hoped that hinting at these things would give her incentive to seek him out for a temporary safe house. For his plan to work he had to be there when she slept. He would have to listen to what she said in her sleep until she gave up a name. He would later tonight bring up Batman and hopefully talking about the man would bury it in her subconscious until her dream dug it out. As he said before, time was precious and he would not waste all of this planning to not get what he wanted.

[Avalikia]

Keeping her eye on the glass that'd been cut, she soon looked to be pretty irritated with the whole situation even more than she'd been previously. This whole thing was just insulting to her reputation. A square cut, and they thought it was her? Never in her entire career had she cut in the shape of a square. Too dangerous, even for Catwoman. Rounded cuts were a lot easier to slip past without getting a portion of her costume shaved off by the sharp cut glass edges.

Pursing her lips together in thought, she paid no futher attention to his mention of dinner or even the bit about dessert. He liked to cook and whatnot late at night? Good for him. She did too, but mostly because she lived a practically nocturnal lifestyle. Not that she cooked very often anyway. A woman of her social status was kind of expected to be seen in high end restaurants with men just as wealthy as her, and with the amount of money she was able to practically throw away, there were no complaints on her part.

"This is such a sloppy cut. I can't believe those morons thought I'd do something like this." She finally blurted out, standing back up and crossing her arms over her chest in sort of a huffy manner, looking back at him again. "You know how insulting this is?" She asked irritably, and looked back at the window. "This would be like if someone credited the Joker for one of your plans.. or something." Maybe not the best analogy, but she wasn't quite thinking her clearest.

"So. Shall we go inside?" She asked in a new, happier tone of voice all the sudden, as if she wasn't even bothered by anything previously.

[Deleted]

Edward was slowly noticing that Selina had a bit of a temper. He took a step away as she stood up just in case she decided to take it out on poor innocent him. He nodded in agreement at her first statement. Edward purposefully made the glass cut bad, expecting the GCPD to still associate it to her, but bad enough that he could put the blame on someone else besides him.

This would be like if someone credited the Joker for one of your plans…or something.

His jaw tightened into a firm frown, gripping the top of his cane harder. Part of him wanted to swat her like a bug, but remembered that she was actually a cat and had claws. He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the scene of cane against leather before opening them again. “It doesn’t take intelligence to create chaos, but how can I expect a lost pathetic kitten to understand a simple concept like that,” he said with a cheeky smile.

“And no, we can’t go inside yet,” he said annoyed, turning away from her and walking around the window towards the door. “No wonder you can’t prove your innocence when you don’t even have basic detective skills,” he mumbled.

“Since we know he didn’t use the window, he must have used the door,” he said loudly as if he were explaining it to a classroom full of kindergarteners, “That could mean two things. He is either very good at picking locks or he had an inside man.” He stopped at the door and bent his torso over so he could look at the lock. His eyebrow rose as he saw the little thing he was looking for. He brought his purple glove finger to the door and wiped it across the keyhole. He brought his finger closer to his eye. “Hmm. Interesting,” he stated, straightening his posture, “Now we can go inside, Dear. How are you planning on getting in?” He didn't need to ask, but it was better to let her take control on the break in then to show that he knew the lock.

[Avalikia]

Selina did have a temper. A temper and a penchant for relatively extreme mood swings, which were only made worse by the traces of toxin still in her blood system that, by this time, had she known that they were still there, she would've given up hope on her immune system ever really purging. Maybe that's what Scarecrow was going for? Without an antidote, she'd always have a small amound of the stuff in her bloodstream, and would never be quite as functionally sane as she had been before. Not that some psychologists wouldn't have a field day with her need for a costume and her 'gimmick,' but it was common knowledge that Selina Kyle was sane.

'How can I expect a lost pathetic kitten to understand a simple concept like that?[/i]'

Turning to face him sharply, Catwomans's face turned to a scowl again and she felt the urge to unwrap the bullwhip from her waist and give him a sharp, stinging cut across that smug face of his for speaking to her like that. Or get him under her claws again and leave a few more permanent marks. Something to hurt him, but she controlled herself and just scoffed instead. The Catwoman equivalent to a real cat's hiss, apparently.

"I'm a theif, not a detective." She commented with a shrug, letting out a huff of breath and wandering over to the door and the lock. She listned to his deduction of what the lock could mean, but it didn't really matter to her. Detective work was so.. complex. So were her heists, but it was a different sort of complex. Committing a crime and solving a crime were like the polar opposites in how to solve one 'puzzle' to put it in a way Edward could appreciate, and she simply nodded and bent down slightly to observe the lock.

"Hmm. Too easy." She muttered, and grinned as she held the lock as upright as she could, and stuck one of her claws into the keyhole. Turning her claw around, she listened carefully and turned her ear toward the lock slightly, hearing a little 'click' as soon as the lock un-locked. "After you." She said, after actually opening the door for him.

[Deleted]

Edward stepped to the side to let Selina get to the lock. He found it interesting that each rogue had a love of sorts in what they did. While he had his obsession with creating puzzles and solving them, Selina loved the obstacle of breaking in. A grin grew on her face as her sharp claw moved into the keyhole. His hand naturally went to his neck when he saw the painful things. The bleeding had stopped soon after it had happened, but he could still feel the bumps along his skin. It probably did look like a cat attacked him.

He frowned at the thought, but immediately smirked when she unlocked the door. It had taken him at least five minutes fiddle with that lock. She truly was a much better thief when it came to things like these. Of course, Edward heist took more planning and creativity. She opened it for him, and with a nod he walked in. “Allen, you can wait up here. If I’m not back in the next half an hour assume I became allergic to cats,” he said back to the big man.

The big guy's head shot up to his boss’s words. He must have been checking out Selina’s body when she bent over to pick the lock. Edward didn’t find that surprising at all. The big man let out a grunt before heading over to the ledge for a seat. Edward looked back in front of him. Stairs. Wonderful.

He grabbed the railing with his free hand and slowly traversed the annoying obstacle. With an ego as large as Edward showing his weakness to anyone besides his men always hit hard. He tried to act like the pain didn’t scream with every step he took. He tried to act like going down stairs was as easy as riding a bike. He tried to act like he didn’t have the mobility of a senior citizen. But the straight line on his lips, the irritation in his eyes, and the aura of pure anger probably prevented all of those. He soothed his pride over by focusing on his lollipop. One, Two, Three,

It felt like eternity to Edward, but eventually they made it to the bottom of the horrible stairs to the first floor doorway. He checked his watch. They were good on time. The guard shift still wasn’t for another thirty minutes. He opened the door, holding it open for Selina. Only polite. “My lady,” he said causally, but lacked the humor he would normally put in it. After she walked through he shut the door behind him.

“If I remember correctly from the plans I looked over, the stolen object should be this way,” he stated heading off to the right. They walked down the long hallway. Edward heard a whistle in the distance and paused for a moment. It was too far away to be a hassle for them. He continued until finally the site of police tape came into view. He used his cane to lift the tape and pass underneath it. There in the center of the room was an empty case. As he walked over he took note to the brochure holder. He inwardly smirked. His riddle was hidden in the very back within a brochure. He had circled with a green pen the letters to the address of the next heist. He wasn’t surprised it went unnoticed. When he reached the glass box, he saw the same jagged cuts but in a circle. Except this time the glass had been removed. It was lying on the ground. He looked inside the box. He noticed the same clay type substance he saw on the door. The pedestal that held the diamond had it. “As I thought,” he mumbled. He then looked around the area until his eyes locked onto a screw.

He finally turned to Selina. “I think I know how this occurred, but do you know of any reason anyone would want to frame you?” he asked softly not wanting to draw any attention of the guards.

[Avalikia]

Picking locks had always been something that Selina was good at. Even as a child despite her absolute need to resort to theivery, she had shown a talent at breaking into places she shouldn't while she was still under the 'care' of her mother and father. Her lifestyle from a young age to a young adult as a theif only honed those skills, so it was really no wonder that she accomplished the simple task of removing the lock in just a few seconds.

Ready to follow Edward into the building, she looked back at the man he'd arrived with; Allen was his name apparently, and grinned back at him as he was given instructions. Before she turned to actually enter the building, she blew a little kiss toward the big bodyguard, and rolled her eyes afterward after he had turned around, so that he wouldn't see it. She didn't catch him checking her out or anything, but given how distracted he seemed, she wouldn't doubt it. Not that she was particularly narcissistic, but.. he was a man. A big dumb one too, from the looks of it. Odd that Edward could stand to be in his presence for very long considering how much he seemed to hate stupidity on even the most minimal level.

Finally, she wandered into the staircase and was down on the floor level in a matter of a few seconds, walking down as she normally would in a civilian type setting. She could've used the whip to grapple downward. She could've just leapt off the railing and landed on her feet. She could've done a lot of showy things for the simple reason that she could, but she didn't. Probably because she didn't feel like she really needed to impress the Riddler. Her respect for the man was minimal, and the only reason she was even cooperating was because this really was a serious issue, and she understood how much help she really did need from a genius mind that wasn't as into the whole vigilantism scene as her first choice was.

Noting how long it took Edward to travel down the stairs, she glanced down at his cane and his leg, but didn't say anything. Her eyes were hidden behind the red filter of her goggles, but she did have a sort of pitiful look on her face. Deep down she really didn't care about Edward or the pains in his leg, but she could act like she did. Maybe to help lure him into a false sense of empathy, which could serve her good in the future, should she ever find herself on the wrong side of the Bat and needing a genius' mind again, which.. probably wasn't as farfetched an idea that it might have seemed.

As Edward held the door open for her, she grinned and brushed past the frame, entering down the hall and following to the right as he'd instructed. She followed until they got to the exhibit that'd been robbed, and again, it was done in a sloppy manner. Seeing the glass circle on the ground, she picked it up and observed the edges, wrinkling her nose a bit in distaste and scoffing. "Whoever did it should've left blood trails for how jagged this is." She muttered, knowing that she should've put the piece of glass down softly to avoid getting caught, but the toxins in her bloodstream still messing with her head resulted in her dropping it purposefully instead. Though, the glass was made of a firmer material and didn't shatter upon contact with the ground. Instead, just a decently loud 'clink.'

"No idea." She said through a sigh, and bent forward again, noticing the bit of clay inside the box just as Edward had. She was no expert, but she knew a decent amount of rogue's names. Clay.. Clayface? He would've been capable of posing as her. Scraping up some of the substance from the box with a claw, she looked at it for a moment, and blinked, chuckling a little, even. "Maybe it's just an impersonator. Supposedly it's the greatest form of flattery."

Though, from what she'd seen so far.. this was definitely not flattering in the least.

[Deleted]

When he heard the loud noise of hard glass against the ground he visibly flinched. Did she want them to get caught? Did she want the Batman on their trail? He should have brought Allen down just in case. A sacrificial pawn was always needed when dealing with the Bat. His grip tightened on his cane. While she could easily escape through the window above, Edward would be forced to find a hostage or attempt to run. He also expected that if she were caught she would be let off with a warning, but if he were caught he would be off to Arkham with a possible death sentence when he went to court.

He barely listened to Selina’s response. Who would actually want to impersonate her? Her style was too easy and lacked any challenge. He had to force himself to make the circles lack perfection because if they were perfect it would point to him. Who in Gotham could do everything clean, cut, planned, and organized? Him. He had to make it look like an amateur job to lead the trail away, but to be honest if he wanted to pull of a Catwoman heist he could do it with a blindfold over his eyes.

“For that to be true someone would have to actually idolize you,” he stated as if that fact would be impossible. He walked over to the screw on the ground. He bent down the best he could, reaching his hand out until forcefully grabbing the small piece. He held the screw between his gloved fingers, studying the object closely before putting it into his jacket pocket.

He turned back to her. “I have all the information here. I need to talk to some of my sources. I should probably talk to anyone close to you who knows your identity as well. It might not be your enemy, but rather a friend’s enemy seeking revenge through you. Of course, these are only hypothesis,” he commented as he took in her irritated feature. He never truly understood the words ‘a woman scorn’ until watching her. She looked ready to slit the throat of whoever caused her this hassle. He never took Selina as the killing type, but he wouldn’t put it past her at this moment. It was almost threatening in a way.

Instead of showing fear or any logical emotion that a normal person would show, he smirked, “Dear, anger causes wrinkles. You wouldn’t want Batman to dump you for a kitten.” He chuckled at his own joke as he turned away heading towards the police tape. While his comment seemed friendly (for him), it was planned. He had to start mentioning Batman here and there if her mind were reveal that information to him. That was the most important aspect of this plan.

[Avalikia]

Selina wasn't trying to get the attention of any guards or of Batman at the moment. There were most likely an abundance of guards on duty at the museum at the moment, just none in that area while she and Edward were there. Convenient for them, though she had a few ways of getting past security staff that hadn't failed her in the past. Batman's attention would be harder to gather at this point. He would've had to have been actually keeping an eye on her in order for an alarm trip to trigger his attention, most likely. She never really was high on top of his list of priorities, and she intended to keep it that way.

As for her style, Catwoman's wasn't as easy to replicate as Edward might have thought. Systematic thefts done in particularly stealthy styles, only adding to her cat-themed crimes. Entering from windows, appearing and disappearing without a trace, never making a sound.. with that leg of his, he'd have to hire help. That in itself immediately discredited anyone from impersonating Catwoman, since she never had help. Ever. In her crimes, at least. To get herself out of a hole, however.. obviously, she wasn't against employing a partner.

Instead of getting offended at his first comment, Catwoman just grinned and gave him a warning sort of stare. "Oh, and what makes you think that someone in this town doesn't?" She asked rhetorically, realizing afterward that Edward had no verbal filter and that his answer would most likely be an insult, and she didn't particularly care for his answer. And of course, Edward couldn't ever leave anything without an answer.

Giving a shrug, Selina let out a huff of breath and shook her head. As far as she knew, outside of Edward, only Scarecrow, Batman, and Robin knew positively of her identity by now. Not including of course the vast majority of Gotham who kept up with the Gotham Times and didn't immediately pass off the article on Selina's identity as Catwoman to be a hoax. "Everyone, now." She offered in a sort of defeated tone of voice, and looked down at the glass she'd dropped. That wasn't very 'clean' of her, she had to admit. Furrowing her brows again, she glared up at Edward and his comment about Batman. Always, someone had something to say about the damn Batman.

Walking back up to him slowly, Selina immediately thrust her hand at his throat again, sparing no little bit of space between his flesh and her claws. She actually squeezed his throat this time, though her features remained relatively neutral, like a cat just toying with it's prey. "Lets leave him out of this, Eddie." She warned, the faintest of grins appearing afterward.

[Deleted]

Edward answered every question except for ridiculously stupid ones, and to him her question fit into that category. He couldn’t think of any person who idolized a woman with obvious father issues….except possibly a hooker on a street corner. To even ask seemed unintelligent.

He chuckled again at his little joke. Everyone always assumed only the Joker could be funny, but the Riddler knew how to use wit as well as the rest of them. One of his many talents was his manipulation of words, and he used it to his benefit on a daily basis. He also gave himself a bit of laugh in the process. A very useful talent, indeed. As he reran his more recently witty remark in his head, he noticed Selina had gotten uncomfortably close again. Before he could even raise his eyebrow in a what-are-you-doing expression, her claws were digging into his skin. He felt his windpipe close, and he used his cane to balance himself against the sudden attack.

His eyebrows furrowed, showing an annoyed look. This was becoming too recurring for his taste. He also didn’t want his second shirt in one day to be stained by new open cuts. But her reaction was interesting. Why was she so insistent on not bringing up the Batman? No rogue would ever avoid talking about the flying rodent. It was actually quite the opposite. Rogues went out of their way to mention the man and explain their greatest triumphs…or slight mishap. It was strange that the woman who supposedly had a relationship with the man would become so aggressive over a comment.

He smirked.

“Did I hit,” he forced out through the lack of air, “too close to the truth?” He didn’t move his hand towards his gun because he knew Selina wouldn’t kill him, just as she knew he wouldn’t kill her. No need to waste his energy. She obviously was a bit emotional…time of the month possibly. Those fickle female creatures, it’s surprising they accomplish anything when they go on an emotional rampage for a week every month. He would let her get some of her anger out, but she would buying him a new shirt

[Avalikia]

Narrowing her eyes on Edward, Selina felt rather foolish for grabbing him by the throat again. Any harm that she caused him she could at least take some pleasure in, but not that much. It wasn't like she was going to kill him. She did need him. That added a sense of predictability to her actions, and thinking on it, she didn't like that at all. The whole thing seemed.. planned. He said something wrong, she scratched him. And again. And again. A part of her wanted to just kill him and try to employ Batman's help instead.. but she couldn't trust him fully. Not that she trusted Riddler much more, but.. he was less likely to sic the cops on her afterward. Slightly.

"No. You're so far from the truth that you should be embarassed." She hissed out, and shoved him backward enough to get out of his face, and turned back around to look at the broken into case. There was work to be done here, not more useless chit-chat about someone who wasn't even involved. Not to mention that was kind of an iffy topic for her, anyway. She did owe him a favor at the moment. Something to do with a botanist. She couldn't quite remember. Either way, she wasn't doing what he told her to do, enough to get on his bad side. She never really did like Batman when she was on his bad side.

"How about we just focus on the job at hand, hmm?" She muttered quietly, turning back to look at him briefly and then lifting her goggles from her eyes, tucking a few stray locks of hair that'd been caught between her cowl and goggles back up under the cowl with her claws.

[Deleted]

He felt himself stumble back and held out his cane for support. Lucky for both of them he caught himself before slamming into another showcase that would probably set off alarms. He shot her a glare as he straightened his form. He brushed off the dust, even though the chance of there actually being dust was rather slim. “Just because you are having relationship problems does not give you the right to abuse and insult me,” he said in a huff, whipping out his handkerchief from his lapel to pat down his neck again.

He barely listened to her questioned while he analyzed his neck of the further damage. “As I said before, I’m done here,” he said with the roll of the eyes, hating the fact he was repeating himself. “Beside, our time limit is almost up,” he continued moving his handkerchief hand to push up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal his watch.

“I’ll need a few days to check into a few leads,” he said taking the greatly desired step away from her. This woman was starting to annoy the very core of his bones. She acted purely on emotion, something he thought Selina was better of. It was like dealing with a pregnant woman a few days before birth. Why was such a talented sophisticated woman being so juvenile?

His eyebrow rose on his forehead as the riddle finally solved itself. “You still have the fear toxin in your system,” he stated. He was glad he was facing away from her because then she might have noticed the pinch look in his features. Would that affect the own special dose he created? No, he found something to attack the subconscious not the conscious. That thought reminded him, he needed to convince her to hide with him…well their current conversation was not leading down that comfortable path.

How does he fixed this irritating tension?

“I apologize Selina,” he said a little force, “some of my words….I guess…could be seen as uncalled for.”