A Midnight Walk (open)

[Isabella Salvador]

It had been another night in the office, her faithful cot supported her weight as she shifted back and forth. Although her body begged for sleep, her mind refused to take a moments rest. Something was matching up, something still just did not make sense. Rolling on her back, a pair of frustrated hazel orbs glared at the ceiling. There has got to be more..her thoughts growled at her, there has to be!

A glance at the clock on the wall evoked a groan from her lips, it was already midnight and her mind would not let her be. She had spent the good portion of the week swamped by this case, the left over remains of Rachel's work. Her heart ached softly at the thought of her friend and she rose from the cot. She looked around the office, remember how empty it had been when she moved in, imagining how Rachel may have had it arranged. She felt her throat tighten and hot tears sting at her golden eyes before she blinked them away quickly. She had cried enough and now it was time to pick up the pieces and follow through on her promise.

Rising quickly, she grabbed her long, white peacoat from the coat rack in the corner. Slipping a can of pepper spray into the pocket alongside her keys, she bent down and tied the lose shoelaces that dangled on either side of the shoes. She just needed some air. And she knew just the place. Robinson Park.

She drove part of the way, primarily because it was entirely too far to walk to from the tall office building she currently seemed to reside. Parking her black Mercedes across the street from the park, she stepped out and set the automatic lock. The park was not lit well, but she knew it very well. She made a mental note to suggest additional lighting as stepped onto the sidewalk, glancing around to see if she should head back.

It looked isolate enough and so she began a slow, somewhat tortured walk. Her mind wandered through the details of the case, engrossed in thought and seemingly unaware of the other person's entrance into the park.

((Hope that's ok))

[Batman]

There was the distant sound of an engine and then silence before he emerged from the darkness of the park. He stood behind her with his cape flowing in the westerly winds. He was shorter in person than they’d made him seem in the tabloids. The Dark Knight's stance was defensive. While she probably didn't pose much of a physical threat to him, it was not in his nature to let his guard down with anyone other than Alfred or Jim.

He hated the park and it showed in his body language. This was mainly because with the exception of cover caused by the occasional tree and gazebo, it was rather barren. No buildings from which to drop on neither unsuspecting criminals nor fire escapes to leap to. The Caped Crusader was out of his element unless he wanted to go the Tarzan approach.

“You’re the new assistant D.A.”, he liked to start with a truism, as it gave the other side a chance to focus their mind on the task at hand. “Most of your department is corrupt. Not ones to be trusted. They cynically call themselves protectors of the public good while they greased their palms and let murderers and rapists back on the street. I need to know who among them can actually clean up this town.”

Normally he would stay clear of her. It would probably be in his best interest to do so considering the giant target on his back. But logic and rationality would take a back seat in this particular case. He had to know that the person taking over Rachael’s spot at the DA’s office was fighting the good fight. Not only would it keep his eyes open in the department as Gordon did with the Gotham’s finest, it would be anathema for someone outside of his line of thought, one of the corrupt which he and she fought so hard against, to be there in her stead. This is why he took this risk, spooking the woman in such a public place.

[catwoman]

Perching herself on the branch of the tree draped in shadows, Catwoman cast her eyes on the lone figure below. Her form blended in with the reaching branches and thick trunk from whence they came, making her presence all but invisible to the human eye. The woman below her, walking in the park at night, was just another example to her of how the people of this city were stupid and ignorant. Women should not walk alone after dark even if it was a generally secluded and open looking park. Didn’t she read the papers? Crime didn’t stay in the East End any more.

Obviously the woman did not read the papers to be out here such as she was, and yet there was something vaguely familiar about the woman. Her face struck a chord in the leather-clad cat, one that both amused her for the placing of it and made her raise a brow. The woman may not read the papers but she had been pictured in it recently. Of course, Selina could not be certain and she wasn’t about to go ask, but she was pretty good with faces, even ones clothed in shadows and soaking in only bits of moonlight.

A snicker wanted to erupt from Selina’s throat, but she stifled it. The new assistant DA certainly should have known there was plenty of crime to hide from in this city. Even if this was a safer park than most, that never guaranteed anyone safety. Not in Gotham. Not anymore. Not since the Batman became a fugitive and those in power had a chance to regroup. It mattered little to Selina in the scope of things, only making her job easier really. Crime had never paid so well as it had the last month or so. She did miss that tall dark and mysterious half man, half bat caped in black with form fitting kevlar. It just made the kitty inside her purr in fantasy.

Then, as if on cue, he emerged from the shadows. The Catwoman didn’t startle but stayed her place, balanced in the tree and cloaked in her own shadows. Was this a meeting of the minds, a way to try to get inside the good graces of the justice system once more? A clandestine meeting, perhaps, to win over the one person aside from the police commissioner who could be his greatest ally? Selina was more than a little intrigued even as the presence of the Bat made her heartbeat quicken. She admired him from afar, but now... she could almost touch him if she but made herself known.

However, Selina, the woman with the brains inside the costume of leather, stayed still. It was more beneficial for her to just eavesdrop right now. Who knows? Maybe another try at blackmail might be the winning ticket and having the DA in her pocket certainly would bode well if – and that was a slim to none chance – but if she ever got caught.