Chapter Text
Was it really a Wayne gala if Mr. Bruce Wayne was not in attendance? Selina Kyle wondered that, and chuckled to herself. Didn’t matter, to her. The place was full of lovely marks, and the hidden compartment in her clutch was slowly filling with diamonds and platinum as she moved among the crowd.
A flash of something shimmery caught her eye, and she turned to see a gorgeous woman moving through the crowd. She didn’t look out of place here, not precisely - her jewelry alone proclaimed that she was just as wealthy, if not more so, than all the dowdy old matrons with their anniversary gifts dangling from wrists and ears. Yet this woman wore emeralds, in this crowd, and of a cut and depth of color that made all the diamonds look like boring glass.
The woman was young, around Selina’s age, in a crowd that skewed older as money often did. And she was heart-stoppingly beautiful. Deep brunette hair, worn loose and wavy down her back in what had to be conscious defiance of every perfectly-coiffed updo in the place. High cheekbones, dark eyes, a regal profile, and a sensual mouth slicked with matte oxblood. Her skin was on the dark side of tawny, another contrast to the mostly-pale or fake-tanned crowd, and she wore a white dress that set it off gloriously. It was the diaphanous floor-length skirt, sheer except for touches of silver, that had caught Selina’s eye, moving with each stride to disclose an astonishing length of absolutely gorgeous leg.
And she really needed to keep her mind on business if she didn’t want to be caught staring. Still, this woman moved like she owned the room, the differences between her and the rest of the crowd merely serving to make them a bland backdrop for her. Too, there was something about her stride that spoke to Selina’s alter ego, some inherently feline grace, though in this woman’s case it was more leopard than housecat.
Selina caught her mind wandering again, and made herself move on. Those were very nice emeralds though…
…
In the end, she couldn’t resist. Selina found her way over to the beauty in the white dress while the latter stopped by the champagne fountain. “Love the dress,” she said breezily.
The other woman looked her over, from Selina’s close-cropped black hair to the little black dress that hugged her curves. Her gaze lingered at Selina’s throat, on the elegant choker she’d worn, and she replied with the faintest hint of an accent, “Thank you. That sapphire necklace is beautiful.”
Selina took a glass of champagne and stepped conspiratorially close. “Are we the only women here who aren’t trying to keep DeBeers in business all by ourselves? I swear, the amount of diamonds some of them are wearing, it’s just gauche.”
She got a fleeting smile of agreement before some young trust fund boy in a tailored suit interrupted, still trying to decide which one of them he wanted to ask to dance, but that was time enough for Selina. She’d love the whole set, but the emerald bracelet she slipped off the other woman’s wrist would have to be enough.
…
A couple more watches, bracelets, even earrings when she felt like challenging herself, and one particularly gaudy ring that the wearer kept flashing around, which Selina took solely to find out if it was actually real, or just a good cubic zirconia. The setting would be worth something, at least, but that theft might be discovered, so it was time for Selina to leave.
She let herself quietly out the back, planning to circle around and catch a ride further down the road. She never brought a car to these events, in case she had to leave abruptly; leaving evidence behind wasn’t her style. And for a woman who made a sleek black dress look as good as she did, Selina never had trouble finding someone to play chauffeur.
Her plans skidded to a halt ten steps from the back patio, as a low voice in the dark declared, “You have something that belongs to me.”
Selina paused, and turned with a smile. “That’s a new pickup line, but I kinda like it. Go on?”
The woman in the white dress stepped out of the shadow of one of decorative hedges, and oh yes, her gait was definitely predatory. “Charming. Give me back the bracelet you stole.”
“Me?” Selina asked, and knew she looked utterly innocent when she said it. She’d walked past cops and museum guards and Interpol officers on the strength of that look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sure Wayne’s got a lost and found, though. Maybe check there?”
She had to take a step back as the other woman closed the distance, checking the periphery. No witnesses around, she’d chosen her moment to leave, and if it came to it, she could bolt back inside. To that end, she started sidling toward the door.
“You were the only one who could have taken it,” the other woman said, her voice still low and musical. “I watched you liberate a few items from the rest of the guests, as well.”
“Are you calling me a thief?” Selina said, letting herself sound offended. A little closer, and she could make a run for the door.
“You seem a cut above the average pickpocket,” the other woman replied, and without any hint of warning in her body language or voice, she lunged.
Selina was fast though, and she made a break for it, only to find out the other woman was faster. Her wrist was snatched, and damn, the woman knew martial arts, because that was a very effective joint lock that quickly had Selina smacked up against a column, her face pressed to cool marble by a hand wound into her hair, and her own right hand twisted up behind her back high enough to make her shoulder ache warningly.
The other leaned into her, effectively pinning her there, and Selina could’ve gone for the mace in her clutch … if she hadn’t dropped it the moment she was grabbed. Never get caught with the goods, that was rule number one. She had a couple other options, still, but this woman didn’t seem interested in outing her as a thief, so for now she’d play it by ear. If all else failed, she could scream, and have a couple partygoers come investigate. Or use the tiny ceramic blade hidden in one of her own rings - on her free hand, luckily - to dissuade her attacker. Bloodshed was always a last resort, though.
The other woman spoke softly, close to her ear. “Tell me where my bracelet is, or I will be forced to go looking for it.”
Selina grinned. Maybe she had a way through this. “I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
She actually chuckled at that, but tugged Selina’s wrist up a little higher, making her bite her lip and stand on tiptoe to try to relieve the pressure. “I am not interested in games, thief.”
“I don’t have it,” Selina said, which was technically true.
An annoyed sigh, and the hand in her hair let go, only to conduct a surprisingly thorough frisking. She waited until the other woman was checking her bra to say, in a calculatedly breathless tone, “Most people buy me a drink first…”
That earned her another quiet laugh, despite not finding anything incriminating. “If you hadn’t stolen something I value, perhaps. Now, where is my bracelet?”
“Would you believe I have no idea?” Selina replied, because again, technically it was somewhere on the grass, but a red clutch was hard to see in the dark.
She could, however, see the gleam of steel in the moonlight as the other woman brought her free hand up to Selina’s eye level. That was a much bigger knife than she would’ve imagined anyone could conceal in that dress. And when Selina gasped at the sight of it, the other tucked it under her chin, the blade’s cold kiss against her pulse making her go very still.
“Obviously you dropped everything you stole the moment you thought yourself apprehended,” she said, in conversational tones. “Let me be clear. I do not care in the slightest about your other thefts. Anyone who does not pay attention to their belongings and their surroundings deserves to be made a fool by the likes of you. Give me my bracelet, and I will release you. But I will not let you steal from me and live. Is that understood?”
“It’s in my purse,” Selina said, because this stopped being amusing when she realized the woman was armed. “And I dropped that when you came at me. So I hope you have a flashlight, or finding it’s gonna be a bitch.”
She made a little ‘tt’ noise of irritation, and released Selina, who made a show of rubbing her wrenched shoulder. She stalked away, the white dress looking ethereal in the moonlight, and began searching the ground methodically. Selina did the same, cautiously; she’d rather find the clutch first than let her get her hands on it. “Who are you, anyway?” she asked.
“Someone who is never just a mark,” came the curt reply.
The light came on then, and both of them straightened, wincing in the brightness. Alfred Pennyworth stood at the back door, looking at them both dubiously. “Miss Kyle? Miss Heed? May I be of assistance?”
“It’s no trouble, Alfred,” Selina said breezily. “I came out for some fresh air, but I dropped my purse, and Miss Heed was nice enough to help me look for it. Thank you, though, I see it now.”
Unfortunately it was closer to Miss Heed, who picked up the clutch with a triumphant smile. “Let me walk you to your car, Miss Kyle. You seem a trifle unsteady, and I would hate for you to lose such a valuable purse again. Thank you, Alfred.”
At least she wasn’t going to knife Selina in front of the butler. Selina ground her teeth, but she wasn’t going to let this woman see her irritation. Instead she put on a sunny smile and linked her arm through Miss Heed’s elbow. “So very kind of you,” she purred, savoring the surprised look in those dark eyes.
Once they were out of Alfred’s line of sight, the other woman stopped, unzipping the clutch. “A hidden compartment. Clever,” she remarked, and fished out her own bracelet by feel. And then handed it over, raising an eyebrow. “I believe someone had already remarked on a missing ring as I left. You had best make your getaway, thief.”
“Glad to, Miss Heed,” Selina said cheerfully. “Don’t forget, you owe me a drink.” She dropped a salacious wink and headed out, leaving the other woman shaking her head at her insouciance.