Sleep is the little brother of death

[meowminx]

WHO: Selina (catmasked) & Lust (easytochop)
WHERE: City streets somewhere downtown
WHEN: Afternoon of August 18th
SUMMARY: PAIN
WARNINGS: VIOLENCE AND BLOOD AND STABBING
FORMAT: Para

It had been a fairly uneventful day so far. Selina had stopped by Ramus' habitat and spent a few hours with the leopard. He really seemed to be taking to his new home. One less thing for her to worry about.

She was taking a roundabout route through downtown back to her apartment. Plenty of time to kill before she had to meet Peter for dinner. So she walked, just enjoying the sun (something she saw less and less often these days, it seemed), the momentary lack of chaos in the city. Hell, even the masses of people that moved by en route to whatever their daily lives held, despite the latest wreckage that surrounded them.

It took Selina a while to figure out that, despite everything, she was actually in a fairly decent mood for once.

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[easytochop.livejournal.com]

Selina Kyle not hating her life? Clearly something had to hit the fan.

Lust had been walking, as she always did on days when she had no work. The excuse of committing the City's structure to memory had begun to fall flat after six months; she was beginning to suspect that she actually enjoyed it, which was a little disgusting. Still, she had to admit that her plans were moving along smoothly, so taking some small pleasure in observing the city was a momentary luxury she could afford.

And then she saw her. Selina looked content enough from her viewpoint, shrouded in the shadows of a cluttered alley--possibly even happy--which was good. Lust watched her pass by, waited a good forty-five seconds, and then left her sheltered position for the street, to observe the direction of her retreating back. Scarf firmly in place (if any civilians identified the tattoo later, she might find herself in trouble), she began to tail the woman, her senses making up for the two-block distance.

It was almost a Pavlovian response, going after her. She wasn't entirely sure what she was following her for, or what she expected this encounter (because at a certain point Selina would notice her presence--she was no fool, which was why Lust liked her so much) to yield, but she knew for certain that was that she was going to enjoy herself.

[meowminx]

Live in Gotham long enough and you start to get a sixth sense about being tailed. Selina didn't do anything as obvious as glance over her shoulder, but she did pick up the pace a bit, moving easily through the throngs of people.

Her thoughts moved along at a steady clip as well. Back home, she'd just duck into an alley, let the idiot follow her, and then take him or her out. But there were too many people here out of her weight class for that to be a real option.

Unless. Unless she was clever about it.

Another block and she melted from the crowd into a narrow alleyway, indistinguishable from thousands of twins across the city. Only she didn't stop. She stepped through the wall into what looked like the storage area of a restaurant she made a note to never eat at.

And she waited.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

She noticed the woman quickening her pace and couldn't help but smile as she did the same. People tended to give her a slight berth in the first place, when she was walking close among them--they weren't quite as ignorant as the humans in Amestris. As she ducked into the alleyway, however, the grin turned back into a frown. Selina clearly didn't know who was following her if this was the action she had taken. Instead of turning towards the alley as she grew closer, Lust walked past it, moving in tandem with the rest of the crowd for once, and cast one sidelong glance inside.

For a moment, before she remembered the powers that Selina had long since made public knowledge, she was shocked; the momentary look of fury on her face, however, was wiped smooth as soon as her memory filled in the gaps of misunderstanding. Of course she would do this; the question was what the woman had chosen to phase through, and whether she could see her.

She stopped walking, quite suddenly, and began scanning the crowd for people she could use. Though there was little to do but wait until she knew which building to move on, Lust could at least equip herself while she did.

[meowminx]

Selina knew better than to just stick her head out to see who was following her. Good way to lose it. Instead, she went up through the ceiling (still a difficult trick, but she was getting better at it) to the second floor. The dust there was thick -- clearly no one had been up there for a while.

She estimated distance and footsteps, counting down. She tacked on a few extra second and then stepped through the wall onto the fire escape. Higher ground, always an advantage.

If someone was actually there, at least. Selina frowned and glanced around. She hadn't been wrong, she was sure of it.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

After a perfunctory once-over of the street, Lust turned her attention back to the problem of the alley. Backup first, she thought, putting a worried look on her face. She would prefer doing this by herself, without potential witnesses, but Selina wouldn't want anyone to get hurt.

And she could always kill them later, she thought, smiling to herself as she grabbed the arm of a young man as he ambled down the sidewalk. He was adolescent and awkward-looking, either a highschooler or a young college student, which made him both more vulnerable and more likely to curse her out instead of helping.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him apologetically and speaking the way the average human should. "I'm probably going crazy, but I could have sworn I just heard something from down there." She jerked one black-gloved thumb in the direction of the alley, her eyes wide and a little nervous, but she kept her voice low--it wouldn't do to draw a crowd. "It sounded like someone--something in pain, I'm not sure if it was human... I know this is none of your business, but I just don't want to go see what it is alone. Not after all the stuff that's happened here before."

The boy complied, and why wouldn't he? A beautiful woman was scared and expecting him to save the day; in her personal experience, appealing to that machismo was even more effective than seduction. Lust followed him a little gingerly as he walked to the opening of the alley and took a tentative look inside.

[meowminx]

She saw someone move into the alleyway and stepped back flush against the window, mostly hidden behind the brick of the building face. She frowned a little, wishing she was better dressed for this sort of thing. Light blue sneakers, matching t-shirt, capris -- not exactly combat-friendly. On the plus side, she didn't look particularly suspicious lounging around a fire escape. One thing you couldn't say about a black leather catsuit.

It was a boy. Some kid she hadn't seen before. Maybe one of the Titans or Young Avengers she hadn't met, though he looked a bit timid for-

And then Lust peered around the corner. Selina swore silently to herself. Of course she didn't recognize the kid. Some bystander that had gotten dragged into this, most likely.

Damnit. She stayed motionless for the moment, watching.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

He continued to walk down, stupidly enough--but that was the power of persuasion. Once they were started, they didn't always come to a stop unless you made them.

Once she had glanced in, Selina's position was immediately obvious, but an attack at this point in time would be a bad idea. They were still relatively close to the mouth of the alleyway, and Lust would rather avoid bystanders altogether if she could.

"I don't see anything," muttered the boy, his voice even higher-pitched than she had expected, but he didn't stop. As she followed him, Lust turned her head and looked directly up at Selina, her the gleam in her eyes cold and challenging.

You know what I will do, she thought, brushing her hair back casually and smiling a little. Make your decision.

[meowminx]

Damnit.

Adopting a casual pose, she leaned on the railing, looking straight down at the kid. "Hey," she called, throwing in a touch of Brooklyn into the voice to add to the authenticity. "Private property. Get lost before I call the cops."

Of course, that would only work if Lust would let him pass.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

And Lust, of course, would not. Standing between the boy and the street, Lust kept her gaze on the fire escape. Selina was the priority; if he tried to run, she could easily catch him.

"Really?" she called back, her voice clear and defiant--the very model of a concerned citizen. "And what if there's someone injured on that private property?"

[meowminx]

Selina's grip on the railing tightened until her hands were white-knuckled. The implied threat was obvious.

"No need need to hurt anybody," she replied, an edge laid into her voice that she hoped the kid was smart enough to pick up on. Not that he'd be fast enough to get around Lust.

Still, if he was ready to bolt and she could provide a distraction...

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

He was, indeed, getting cagey fast--although he couldn't have any idea of just what he had gotten himself into, the boy had to know that he was in a bad situation that could go downhill fast. He fidgeted a little, starting to back away in the direction of the alley's mouth, but he was already too far in to escape. And even if location wasn't against him, Lust was simply too fast to outrun. She didn't shift from her position, just extended one arm in his direction, but her claws moved like lightning. In less time than it took to scream, they were hemming the boy in, piercing the bricks behind him like butter.

He opened his mouth, presumably to scream--but with a sigh and a flick of her wrists, one of her fingers lay directly across his throat, skimming the prominent Adam's apple. Just enough to draw blood, but not nearly enough to kill.

"Be quiet, okay?" she whispered, smiling angelically. "We have some talking to do before I can let you go." Which she had no intention of doing, of course; though Selina would doubtless identify Lust as her murderer (because she was going to kill her, she had decided it from the moment she entered the alley) once the magic of this place revived her, but she had no desire for the humans to mob her before she was ready. But he was paralyzed with fear, shivering underneath her fingers--she could have told him to run away and never look back and he still wouldn't have moved.

Looking back up at Selina again, she smiled easily--but her voice, when it came, was cool and commanding.

"Come down here," she said, "before I make you."

[meowminx]

It took her a minute. Scenarios ran through her head and were just as quickly discarded. Lust was too far away fro her to try and take out from here. And she couldn't just leave the kid to die. Maybe once upon a time it would have been an option. And even then...

Selina vaulted over the railing, plummeting down to street level, landing in a crouch. Ready to phase, to fight, to do something.

She just didn't know what.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

And with her other hand, she lashed out, all five fingers lancing out at her vitals. She knew Selina could phase. She knew that she was a perfectly capable fighter. But she was only human, and Lust was so much more.

[meowminx]

The fingers went straight through her. Harmlessly... she was already intangible and in motion. Heading right towards Lust.

But that was a feint, and the last minute she changed course, angling to grab the hostage and phase him free. Get both the kid and herself out of there.

Of course, grabbing him meant she had to shift back to solid, if only for a split second.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

And when she did just that, Lust was waiting. It was more instinct than a deliberate move, but she jerked back in the right direction at the right moment, her claws slicing through Selina's abdomen and the boy's head--presumably piercing his brain. The feeling of catharsis was immediate and absolute, as was the pleasure, and any idea of retribution was momentarily wiped from her mind. She had actually, finally, done it.

The boy died instantly, and though he hit the ground hard he made no sound other than the initial impact, which Lust appreciated. All things considered, he was the lucky one. Only three fingers had made contact with Selina, she realized, retracting them with a soft smile on her face. A pity.

As quickly as they had shot out, they were gone, and she was just a woman with unfortunately bloody gloves in terrible surroundings. She would have pulled Selina to her, to cover her mouth in case of screaming--in the satisfied afterglow of accomplishment, she sometimes felt a certain disgusting intimacy for them--but she couldn't have blood on her now. Stupid as the tide of human traffic was (had they really not noticed any of this?), they weren't entirely blind.

[meowminx]

To her credit, Selina didn't scream. There was a strangled gasp as sharp pressure spiraled out from her center. And still the dead kid hitting the ground processed first. She had to look down and see the blood running out from between her fingers before she realized what had happened.

Should hurt worse, she thought. Shock maybe. That was a bad sign, right?

She was still on her feet. With an exhale like a hiss, she managed to stagger a step, two steps towards Lust before falling to her knees, barely catching herself on bloody hands.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

It was impressive, Lust had to admit, just how much determination the woman had--but she didn't want her approaching any more at this point. Extending the same three claws, she struck Selina hard in the chest, pushing her back more than aiming for anything vital.

[meowminx]

Selina was trying to pull herself to her feet when Lust attacked again. She barely felt the impact of the claws, the collision with the pavement as she was sent sprawling backwards. All she knew was she was suddenly staring at a patch of sky framed by the lines of the surrounding buildings.

Help. The word floated through her head, dim and ethereal. Need help.

She managed to work her comm unit free from her pocket, but it slipped from her fingers, clattering far away somewhere. She muttered something that might have been a curse. And then the little sliver of sky faded and shrunk away to nothing.

[easytochop.livejournal.com]

The ecstatic tinge to Lust's satisfaction was beginning to fade, but she was still smiling slightly as she bent to pick the communicator up. Selina was gone. She had friends who would pick up on her absence, friends who could very easily come after Lust for what she had done--and a few of them, she had to admit, who could probably kill her for it. She might just have to take a vacation after this, but she had the money, and the release she felt now was well worth it.

Was that device recording? It always did seem to come on at the most inopportune moments. Silently, Lust switched the damn thing off, and then she left the alley without a backward glance.