The Thief and the Warrior. (Catwoman)

[ares]

The Narrows.

There was no place more dangerous in all of Gotham. Not even Arkham could rank that among it's accomplishments, for at least at the asylum one had their guards. The narrows however, nobody ruled the narrows but crime. That never changed.

Except tonight.

Norman Osbourne was not the sole member of his Avengers to grace Gotham with their presence. For while Norman had been at the fundraiser, one of his comrades had insisted to have a gander at the notorious Gotham City, to get to know the conflict that constantly surged within it. Somebody who knew conflict better then anyone. Who lived it, breathed it and in every figurative essence was it.

Who better to tell Norman just how well the city lived up to it's bloody reputation then the most bloody and violent individual that walked the planet. Standing atop a random building in the narrows, looking down at it from above was none other then Ares, the God of War. In full battle attire, with his axe strapped to his back, helmet on his head and armor on his body, Ares looked every bit like a man that had walked out of a fantasy novel. But something about him was different then the regular costumed being that stalked these streets.

Maybe it was the way he stood at the edge of roof top. His posture was proper, tall and without angle. Standing straight up, his arms crossed and cold glare leveled at the street below, Ares was... not impressed. Maybe it was the workings of the mysterious Batman who he had heard much about, or his other stalwart companions that made the city not live up to it's reputation. Maybe it was the fact that tonight was an off night for the criminal fraternity, with what was going to happen in the more ritzy parts of the city. Or maybe it was just that when trying to convince the God of War something was bloody, you had to bring something more to the table then purse snatches, mob shootouts, rapes, psychopaths and corruption.

Ares however, did feel something else. While Gotham here in the now did nothing to make him care about it, echoes of it's past wounds made him understand that once upon a time this city would have indeed made the God of War proud. When you were Ares you could pick up on certain things and in a way he could sense that a war had long been raging in this city. It was calm now, but Ares knew deep down that it was only a matter of time before Gotham lived up to it's reputation once again and he hoped to be there to witness it. To marvel at it and to make the city know that he was proud of it.

For now, he'd continue to look for those subtle signs, staring at the buildings edge and looking down at the ground below. He seemed completely unaware of his surroundings and it was almost as if he was in a trance.

[Catwoman]

Selina erupted out of the glass skylight in an explosion of sharp shards, somersaulting through the air before landing onto the rooftop in a low crouch. Her chest heaved as adrenaline laced through her blood, spurring her to action or a speedy flight. Ah, what the hell? She’d been aching for a thrill, and why not prolong the night with a little violence? She’d had so little of it lately that she feared her martial skills were on the decline. Such was the price of turning from anti-heroism back into her purely selfish line of work.

After what felt like ages, men forced open the roof access door, and spilled out onto the concrete roof. Three. The men began to comb the concrete in a frenzy, questing for the femme fatale who had infiltrated their complex and stolen their the artifact. Two. A thug began to approach her location, without even realizing she was there. One. He stood directly beneath her. Bonzai! Catwoman lunged from the nearby overhang, hurdling downwards towards her unaware prey.

Her feet connected with a solid blow, sending him hurdling backwards and then she pushed off of him like a spring board, onto a man only a few feet away. The woman’s velocity brought her fist into his stomach with rib-cracking force while her other hand latched onto his shoulder, flipping over him. As soon as he began to double over, she cracked him over the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

The remaining two were just beginning to react to Selina’s presence. I swear, if I ever go back into the villainess business, I’m going to have a competency screening for my lackeys. Catwoman mentally scoffed as she unwound her coiled whip from her hip. One man began to pull his gun, but with the crack of her whip, the gun flew out of his hand and skid across the rooftop. He barely had time to react when she cracked her whip again, latched it around his ankle, and yanked him towards her with all her might. The goon fell onto his back with mighty force, knocking himself cold.

One left. Unfortunately, this one was quicker, and smarter. While Selina had been tripping his comrade, the other man had his gun completely pulled.

“Drop it.” He commanded, his gun fully aimed at her.

Catwoman’s green eyes scanned her surroundings, finding herself only a few feet away from the ledge of the building. Her sensuous lips curved into a wicked smile.

“Sure thing, handsome.” Catwoman purred mischievously.

She pulled the satchel from her hip, extended her arm, and tossed the item off the roof. Needless to say, she went after it. Hurdling towards the streets below, she aimed her whip mid fall, latching onto a nearby roof’s gargoyle. She swung her body forward, catching the satchel once more before her swing reached the end of its distance, sending her downward onto another roof top. The woman tucked her body, rolling through the air to ease the impact of her landing.

Slowly, she recovered from the impact, and unwrapped her body from around the object. Unfortunately, the sound of gunfire spurred her to movement, preventing her from seeing if it’d come out in tact. Looking around, she noticed that this rooftop was not only very close to the other one, but not much further down, making her easy prey. And, unfortunately, it had little cover… other than the seven foot tall man in armor and a vent.

Arching her brow at the man, she flipped across the rooftop and pressed herself against the vent.

“I don’t suppose you have a gun stashed somewhere within all that armor, do you?” She shouted to Ares. Hey, might as ask a random passerby for help. Besides, his outfit suggested one of two things. One, he was a super. Two, he was insane. Either way, seemed like a good temporary ally for her.

[ares]

The sound of gunfire wasn't enough to bring Ares out of his trance and he payed it no heed. Why should simple gunfire draw the God of War's attention. It was like a bucket of salt water enticing Poseidon's interest, or man's arousal drawing the divinity of his dear sister Aphrodite. It simply was not to be. Ares would remain on the edge of the building looking down, remembering his promise to Norman that he would take care not to interfere in the normal events of Gotham life, even if it meant somebody getting killed.

If it was one thing that Ares had above all the gods it was his pure brutal honesty. The lies and deceiving ways of his kin did not reach to the God of War, for he had no need to deceive outside of battle. As far as Catwoman, she was as important to him as an ant was to a man in an hurry. She had gotten into the firefight when she stole the artifact, it was up to her to deal with the ramifications. Ares was not the one to exert himself for those that could not defend themselves.

But at least he was nice enough to warn her of that.

"The Gods help none that dare not help themselves," he said with a bored tone as he went to turn around, arms still crossed over his armored chest to watch just how she would deal with the attackers. As long as they made no move to annoy him, lest he need to show them just who he was, Ares would be completely lacking of sympathy for Selina and her predicament.

[Catwoman]

Did this man think he was a god? Yeah, he definitely fell into the ‘crazy’ category, despite what his heroic stature otherwise suggested. And somehow she doubted that, even if he suddenly changed his mind and wanted to help her, that he had a gun. Damn it. Her whip certainly wasn’t long range enough to deal with him, and the building didn’t have enough cover for her to get close enough to take care of the shooter. Then there was the possibility of running, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to risk full exposure again while running towards him.

Then there was the gigantic man standing about halfway between the vent and the edge of the rooftop.

“You know, you’re right. I haven’t been selfish enough lately.” Selina reflected aloud with some slight amusement. After a pause in the gunfire (presumably the bastard was reloading), Catwoman brought herself out from behind the vent and charged towards the massive obstruction – Ares. Using her speed to her advantage, she bounded slightly so one foot braced against Ares breastplate, and then used him as a human springboard. Twirling through the air with acrobatic grace, she landed on the rooftop just as the man finished reloading.

Starting towards him, she grabbed the outstretched arm that held the gun, and brought it down while simultaneously bringing up her knee. Judging by the agonized look on the man’s face, and the grotesque snapping sound from his lower arm near the elbow, she was pretty sure she’d broken his arm. Just for good measure, she twisted his broken arm, eliciting a cry of pain as his fingers loosened further, and the gun came clattering across the rooftop. To finish this guy off, she punched him square in the face, knocking him unconscious.

With the last of the guards disposed, the female went back own onto the rooftop Ares was on.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” She stated coyly, her lips curved into a wicked smile. Actually, that was a lie. If Ares’ presence didn’t serve as something of a challenge to her pride, she probably would have simply run off and continued on her merry way. Curse her feline ego. After a brief pause, her brow arched behind her goggles, and she formed a question that had been on her mind since she first saw him. “So, is there a Greco-Roman convention in town?” Curiosity killed the cat.

[ares]

If Ares could read mind, Selina Kyle would likely have had found out the hard way that Ares is no mere nutcase in a helmet.

However, seeing that telepathy isn't part of his vast repertoire of immortal abilities, he'd simply observe the woman's following actions. As she charged him he would move not an inch. His poster, his position, nor his demeanor would alter and he would simply let the woman use him as a stepping stone to victory. It was something others had done in the past, though few had actually done it in the literal sense. As for Selina, she would have the privilege of being the first to have his godly aid at her disposal. Even if it was just as a wall to kick off as.

Selina would easily get the impression that he was very strong, for his body would not falter one bit beneath her as she would use him as a spring board. From underneath the plumed helmet his eyes would follow her and evaluate her performance. He did not pick out anything that would suggest she was anything but human, so she would hold his attention. However, when she took specific care to not bring his demise, Ares would give a bit of an annoyed look. He had been expecting more from her.

At least she made it a point to ensure that her attacker payed painfully, giving him a wound to think about during recovery. As she finished, he'd continue to watch her, eyes taking careful note of the way she moved. Ares glare could literally be felt and Selina would could tell that he was picking her apart with his stare. It was a merciless evaluation, scanning each part of her body without care for how she would take it. There was no lust in it however, for he seemed not to care to hold his attention in any one spot in particular.

By the time she'd reach and speak, he'd be finished. Raising an eyebrow as she addressed him in a sarcastic tone, he'd give her a cold hard glare. If it wasn't for his promise to Norman, he'd have slapped Selina as punishment for taking that tone with him. Instead, he'd simply speak.

"If you were smart enough to equip yourself in such a manner that would make you capable of dealing with such an incident head on, then you would not need my help," stated Ares in a tone that she would expect to hear used on a child that needed to know it's place, rather then herself. As far as the comment about the convention, he simply wouldn't dignify it with an answer.

[Catwoman]

Selina had one rule… well, really it was more like a guideline, as she had killed in self defense before… and that rule was not to kill. Murder seemed unnecessary beyond moral reasons. To not mention, some part of her rather liked the idea of a plethora of men and women alike (mostly men), thinking back on the time she kicked their ass. Looking at old wounds and remembering her. There were other personal reasons, but she didn’t really like to explore them with any depth.

Ares’ gaze was a little disconcerting, as though he were sizing her up and it seemed even slightly malicious. Still, she was a proud woman, and she was still positive that she could outmaneuver this behemoth (especially considering he was wearing armor), so she didn’t back away. It wasn’t as though he expressed any hostility… yet, and twitching in the wrong direction when one was a criminal always had unpleasant results. Her body language seemed natural in spite of her predicament.

Just when she thought the massive man might lighten up a little, he did something Selina couldn’t stand – tried to lecture her.

“And go back to catarangs? Please, I’ve outgrown that.” She said with a slight shudder as she recalled her years of villainy. It wasn’t that it was bad to be the antithesis to Batman, it was just that it was awful to imitate Bruce. Besides, when it came to mindless obedience and imitation, that’s what the batfamily was for, right?

“Well, this was… fun.” Catwoman said in a deadpan tone of voice, though the sarcasm was still evident. Getting conversation from this guy, let alone wit, was like trying to squeeze water from a stone. Much like Bruce, he seemed to have some sort of stick lodged up his ass. Really, from what she’d seen so far, Bruce may have met his match when it came to tight-lipped humorlessness.

Standing on the ledge of the building, she stepped off and hurdled towards the pavement below, before once again latching her whip onto something and swinging to safety.