Let me tell you a tail

[heeeyadora]

WHO: Catra, OTA
WHERE: Billy's fantasy city
WHAT: The life of a Cat Burglar
WHEN: Superhero Event
WARNINGS: Violence and bad puns



The Classic

Catra dropped down inside the store, eyes glowing as she looked around to be sure the coast was really clear. The jewelry sparkled dully in the dark, and she grinned, fingering a sharp claw and scrapping a hole in the nearest case. This was too easy.

She filled her bag 'til it was bursting, certain she'd gotten away with it as she climbed back out onto the roof, only to spot a damn hero.

"Ugh, you’ve got to be kitten me, it's you. Don't you have anything better to do?"

The Corporate

This was bigger fish than a simple jewelry store. These people had the cash to throw around on real security. But Catra enjoyed a challenge.

She dropped down on a wire, eying the laser grid with a smirk. Was that all? She could do lasers in her sleep.

She typed the security codes into the computer terminal and they shut off, Catra purring as she dropped down to the ground and unhooked her harness. But a moment later alarms suddenly started blaring. Apparently those codes hadn't been quite as up to date as she was led to believe.

The Personal

This wasn't really the sort of job Catra normally worked. This was personal, to someone at least. She slid in through a back window, scanning the room and making her way through the space. She'd been instructed to take nothing else, in and out, no one the wiser.

Which would have been simple enough if not for the sudden sound of key in the door. Catra froze. They weren't supposed to be home yet, she'd timed this out perfectly! What had gone wrong??

Comments

Classic

[plate_builder]

Honestly, it was something that Reeve had been putting off too long. He was tired of this one, tired of the way she was ruining his reputation. So he'd sent his cat-bots out, going to find the burglar at last. And he'd waited, by her clear escape route, arms crossed over his chest.

Nor was Reeve alone. A whole clowder of cat-bots prowled the roof around him, ranging from recon units barely larger than kittens, to the life-sized black and white panther named Cait that was the Meowchanist's constant companion in the field. Many growled at Catra, metal teeth gleaming.

"Normally, yes. Far better things. But you see, your little escapades are clawing up my reputation. Two cats with one stone and all. I can't let that continue."

The Personal

[demjiin]

It wasn't actually a key in the door but a set of slender lockpicks making friends with the lock. The owner of said lockpicks calmly enters and shuts the door behind him. He walked with a cane but still had a sense of grace, or at least dexterity.

"Please finish your business. Don't let me stop you."

When he spoke there was a rough, abraded sound to his voice. Like an old man speaking from a teenager's mouth."

Corporate woes...

[sinistral]

Bucky typically didn't work jobs like this; private security didn't really fall under his jurisdiction. But when that security related to government property, it was a different story. It was his third night waiting quietly, far enough back to not trip any alarms but close enough to be on the scene in seconds.

And when he got there, he wasn't even surprised. This kind of break in did fit her usual modus operandi; it wasn't the first time he'd tangled with the Cat Queen of Crime.

"You've gotta know, kitten, that I can't let you get away with this one." It wouldn't be so easy, but he had to try.

[heeeyadora]

Her hair rose on end, and Catra growled right back, eyes flitting about to take in the full force she was up against.

"You're such a sourpuss," she accused with a glare, shifting her bag and eying her best escape route. She swung her whip in an arc to clear herself space before taking off at a run and leaping onto the next nearest roof.

[heeeyadora]

"..." Catra blinks her mismatched eyes, posed to strike but confused by that casual response. Her tail twitches behind her and she frowns.

"Who the hell are you?" she demands. And how did he know she'd be here if he's not the home owner? Was he the contractor?

[heeeyadora]

"Tsk, you say that like you think you can actually stop me this time," she purred, "That’s hiss-terical."

It was a whole lot of bravado considering she hadn't even gotten to her objective yet, and she smirked easily, taking off on all fours.

[demjiin]

He's a gang leader, owner of a gambling palace, con man, thief, and killer.

"I'm a businessman. And I have a business offer for you; what would you say to being a thief of secrets? By which I mean listening at doors and windows. Hearing conversations, looking through papers left on desks, finding bank account numbers, or innocuous things like shoe sizes and favorite childhood toys."

What Kaz knew of Catra was found by watching her in Temba. But he would not mention Temba just yet. Better to get her answer first. He didn't introduce himself by name either.

"You're already an accomplished thief and I have no doubt you could be just as good at never letting others know you'd been there. Compensation would be determined on a case by case basis, of course."

[sinistral]

"Just gotta slow you down." The alarm had been tripped, and other safety measures were in place. Bucky just had to keep the cat burglar busy enough for the lockdown process to complete, keeping her prize away from her.

Not that she was ever going to make it easy. Just once, he really wanted to be surprised; for now, all he could do was take off after her.

[plate_builder]

"Unpurlievable," Reeve grumbled as he threw himself after her. The cats streamed forward as well, making jumps or scattering to the road below so they could try and cover Reeve's path and run recon.

"Going to leave you collared and declawed, you fleabag!"

[heeeyadora]

"You and your copycats have to catch me first!" she called back, skidding under a duct and hooking her whip with another flick of her wrist to help swing to the next building.

There was an explosion of sleeping pigeons, and Catra cursed, shooing them out of the way so she could carry on.

[heeeyadora]

She narrows her eyes suspiciously, not relaxing, but listening at least. She hasn't fled or attacked quite yet.

"And what's in it for me?" Compensation, yes, but she gets that now without having to listen at doorways, "What are we talking? I'm not cheap."

[heeeyadora]

With a normal human that threat would have meant nothing to her, but Bucky had always proved a thorn in her side, easily able to keep up with her.

"How'd they even purr-suade you to take this job? This is a bit below you, isn't it? Security for hire now?

She skidded under a closing shutter, knocking over a pair of bins in his path to hopefully stall him long enough to lock him out.

[sinistral]

The job really was below his skills but Bucky tried not to let the taunting get to him. The target was important, after all, and he just needed to keep her busy for long enough.

"Bit below you too, isn't it? Petty thievery?" He cursed at her path, leaping a bin and flinging the shield to stop the shutter enough for him to hit the ground and slide under it. Just one of these days a criminal was going to come quietly. Bucky would probably have a heart attack from the surprise of it.

[heeeyadora]

"Aww, you know nothing's too low for me," she purred, giggling and shaking off the familiar feeling that she's said that line before now.

Damn. She looked back to see him slide under after him, and snapped her whip to try and drive him back. "Do we really have to keep playing cat and mouse?"

[demjiin]

Kaz kept both hands clasped on the head of his cane and gave a small shrug, continuing to smirk.

"While I do offer money, I also offer something much better and much more subtle in the holding; power. If you know a person's secrets you then can control them provided it's a big enough secret and there is someone or something they want to keep that secret away from.

Working as a thief of secrets for me, in turn, would allow me to gather more information. Make mental connections. See vulnerabilities, and thus gather leverage. You would be the one to gather the information and I would be the one to make proper use of it."

While a lot of people had gained new superpowers lately, there were still plenty represented in Temba already. Kaz also was purposely trying not to remark on this new reality because he intended for Catra to still work for him when he could find a way out of this particular trick of the city's.

[sinistral]

"Yeah, we know you ain't high class." Not that she'd fall for the dig, but it was worth a try.

That whip though was a nasty instrument; he'd tangled with it more than once. The last thing he wanted was to get wrapped in its strands — but if he did, would it slow her down, dealing with him? He'd have to consider it; for now, he kicked one of the bins back at her and rolled to his feet, grabbing for his shield. "Come quietly and I'll see you get a nice cell with lots of sunlight to lay in."

[heeeyadora]

Honestly, it wasn't a bad deal, but she bristled at the notion that she couldn't make proper use of it on her own. Maybe it was true, but she didn't like hearing it.

"And what's to stop me from doing all that without the middleman?" she wondered with a pointed look.

[heeeyadora]

"Funny, coming from you," she panted with a smirk, stopping to block the bin from bowling her over, slicing it apart with her claws.

"Sorry, I'm an outdoor cat, don't like to be coopt up," she countered, skidding to an abrupt halt as a new laser grid lit up the room. The alarm was all ready triggered, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out what these ones set off.

[sinistral]

"Brooklyn's a class of its own, kitten." Even more than a New York thing, Brooklyn was Brooklyn.

Thank goodness for the second laser grid though; Bucky was still counting down the timing in his head. He just had to keep her occupied for another six minutes; by then the data would be dumped and the drives wiped — and this entire encounter recorded. "What's wrong? Get your whiskers singed?"

[heeeyadora]

Catra was trying to run a similar count down in her mind, and her tail flicked with increasing agitation as time ran out.

She glared back in his direction, and attempted to flick the whip out again, but it fell to the ground in pieces, her eyes widening in shock. Bucky's teasing wasn't too far off it seemed. These weren't ordinary lasers. This kind of tech wasn't even supposed to exist.

"You really don't have anything better to do, Mr. America?" she taunted, attempting to parkour her way through the maze of lasers. "No people to protect out there?"

[demjiin]

This would be tricky, he would have to refer to Temba without mentioning Temba. For now he kept the smirk.

"Did you wonder how it is that I found you tonight? It's because I've learned many of your habits and I already know so many in this city, at least a little bit, but I would like to know many of them better.

Perhaps someone you don't remember, but know all the same. Someone who is very fast. Someone with white hair. Or is it black hair? Or even brown? Perhaps it's aged enough to be greying."

Kaz gave another coy shrug.

"Perhaps it is all of them with different names to go with each face? If you want to find out what I know then you will have to work for me to find out."

[plate_builder]

Really, woman, you should recon your areas better. The pigeons sleeping there was so easy to know.

He ran after her, and instead of going low under a duct, he jumps right over it and then grabs Cait's collar as the robot jumped right between the buildings with ease. Reeve got his feet under him again and kept running.

"You're going to find yourself pawsing over how easily I do it."

[sinistral]

At least it was the whip and not her hand; for as much of a thorn in SHIELD's side as she was, he had no genuine desire to see her hurt. And he really didn't want this to turn into some kind of rescue mission, either, but apparently even the lasers weren't going to stop her.

(Good data, though; Stark should be happy. Whenever he managed to hack through firewalls to get his hands on the recordings.)

"What, disappointed to see me?" He poised at the edge of the laser field; the vibranium in the shield would deflect the beams, he'd been assured, but that didn't mean he wanted to enter before he had to. "Hoping for the Human Kite instead? Crimson Speed? Here I thought we had something special."

[heeeyadora]

"Leave the puns to the purr-fessional," she bit back, landing delicately on an old rusted fire escape that shuddered and groaned, before leaping across the alley way to perch on a small ledge.

[heeeyadora]

She narrowed her eyes, not entirely sure what he's getting at. It's vague enough to be tempting, but she was still wary.

"...So you want me to play spy for you. I guess I could see about trying. It doesn't exactly sound difficult."