16361/Demons and Thieves Just Another Night in Sunnydale

Demons and Thieves Just Another Night in Sunnydale
Date of Scene:	12 June 2024
Location:	The Bronze, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Catwoman finds more than she bargained for in Sunnydale. But this might be the start of a beautiful friendship. Or Buffy just having the necklace she just recovered stolen from her later. Who knows!
Cast of Characters:	Catwoman, Buffy Summers

---

Catwoman has posed:
"Come on, Cat... this one time. For me."

Selina drums her claws across the table. "Evie, it's in _Sunnydale_..."

"Like you haven't gone further," Evie croons.

Dropping her head back, Selina stares up at her ceiling, letting her mask dangle from one finger. "Not without a _very_ good reason."

Evie's voice lowers, takes on a seductive quality. "I can give you fifty thousand reasons..."

Selina groans, though the sound rumbles from her throat like a purr. "Fine. I'll do it."

...

Two nights only, the Amulet of Athendora is on display at the Sunndale Museum of Antiquities. Rumors and myth alike surround the piece, but only a scarce few know if the amulet's true powers. It's a valuable artifact all on its own, of course, and a prize worthy of display in even the most discerning collector's menagerie of rare gems and artifacts.

It has caught the eye of one particular vampire, however, named Lazarus. It's not absolutely clear that Lazarus is after the gem. After all, much of what's said about it is just rumor, but there's enough to make a certain Slayer suspicious. Over the last few days, there have been stirrings in the supernatural community as this new face gathered support leading up to the event. His name is hissed in corners too dark to see, and there's been a surge of attacks as he built up his brood of loyal followers.

Tonight is the night. The gem has been locked securely in its display case, and Selina has no idea that she's racing against a clock in the form of an already deadly vampire seeking grow even more powerful.

As night falls, the museum is shrouded in silence, save for the occasional hum of security cameras. Selina, dressed in her iconic black catsuit, slips through a skylight and lands silently on the marble floor. She moves with cat-like grace, evading motion detectors and bypassing electronic locks with ease. Her eyes are set on the display case housing the amulet, its golden surface glinting under the dim museum lights.

Unbeknownst to Selina, Buffy is already in the museum, lurking in the shadows, waiting for Lazarus.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Why did it have to be a museum? They were stuffy and boring and just a complete and utter downer. What made it worse? She wasn't really a thief and didn't have the qualifications of one. And thus, she'd had to come in here during the day and find a nice place out of sight line of camers to slip into a corridor behind the scenes. There she'd has to hide. In a closet. Literally a broom closet, that was off one of the offices. There wouldn't be anyone coming in here, unless the person in the office randomly dropped a vase or something. She just hoped that didn't happen as she'd hunkered down to sit in the corner behind some PPE that was hanging on hooks so she wouldn't draw attention. Then she'd waited. And mentally cursed this vampire who had forced her into this position.

Now that it was after hours, she'd made her way to the security room. The guard was on rounds at this time and that allowed her to slip inside and turn off the cameras that would be in the room in question. Why? Because Buffy didn't wear a mask. She was just Buffy. No mask meant she needed there to be no cameras. And the only way to do that was turn them off as far as she knew. Someone more skilled like Selina might set up a loop of old footage to hide what they were doing in case the guard came back in this room but Buffy just left the screens in question black once the cameras were turned off.

THen she began to make her way quietly toward the room in question. She wore boots but they had a rubberized soul so didn't make noise as long as she didn't drag them on the hard floor. No telltale squeaks of boots to give her away. A pair of black leather pants, a matching top. Because burglars wore black, didn't they? She had no idea. Everything she was getting here was from movies.

Hopefully Mission Impossible hadn't lied to her.

Catwoman has posed:
Selina crouches next to the amulet's display case, a canister of smoke sprayed to look for lasers that she might have missed during her initial investigation of the museum. There aren't any.

No fuss. No muss. This little antiquities museum in _Sunnydale_ wasn't like trying to steal something from the MET. At least part of the reason Buffy made it smoothly to the security room and back to the exhibit hall was because the singular night guard was unconscious in a different closet, so she hadn't even bothered with security cameras. It wasn't like she was going to be sticking around long enough for any of that to matter, anyway.

*chirp-chirp*

Catwoman reaches up to touch her earpiece as she inspects the rest of the pedestal. "What's up, V?" ... "No, not yet." ... "Probably another... four minutes?"

But then another voice rises up in that same exhibit hall. Lazarus, a handsome man in his mid-thirties, is wearing a bespoke suit. He's flanked on either side by a... well, a 'goon' would probably be the best way to describe them. Younger, muscled, their suits bought off the rack.

"Well, well, well... what have we here?" he croons.

Selina whips her head over her shoulder, still crouched against that pedestal, now with a hidden panel popped off to reveal the inner workings of a pressure-activated security system.

"Call you back, V," she murmurs, then reaches up tap her earpiece and end the call, sloooooowy standing up like a stripper on a pole.

"I'm sorry, boys," she purrs with a vaguely lewd smile. "Didn't you see the sign? Visiting hours are over..."

And THAT is when Buffy stepped into the exhibit hall, and all eyes turned to _her_.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy froze, looking back at them all like a deer in the headlights.

Silly girl. She'd expected to be able to find a spot and setup but they already had made their entry. Without turning off the alarm system. Guess they weren't worried about secret identities. Except the woman. She had on a mask and a full costume. Which was enough to have Buffy staring a few extra seconds. Not for any untoward reasons but simply there weren't costumed types in Sunnydale. Ever. Never ever.

Though she had to say that the main vampire was dressed better than she was used to. "You must be new. No vampires that have been around a while seem to be able to get out of their century. At least the super old ones. Mid range I guess can blend." She was thinking of Angel and Spike though even they sort of stuck out if it wasn't nighttime when they were running around. Leather jackets in summer tended to do that. Angel was better at blending than Spike, admittedly. Focus, Buffy. Bad guys at twelve o'clock. But what about the woman? She didn't seem to be with them from what she'd said. She certainly didn't look like security. So what the heck was her angle?

"She's right, y'know. Visiting hours are over and you all should vacate the premises before I call for help." Then she reached into the messenger bag she had slung over her body crosswise and pulled out a stake. "Oh wait, Silly me. I don't need help."

Catwoman has posed:
Three men that all look like they were ripped straight out of a Mafia movie was normal enough. Gotham had more than its fair share of organized crime, but a blonde with a stick that seems determined to confront all three of them single-handedly? Maybe all _four_ of them? What was she, some kind of wanna-be modernized wood nymph vigilante?

_This_ is why Selina traditionally stayed around Gotham. At least all of their vigilantes had very clear themes. (That's not actually why, but it did mean there was a certain level of comfortable predictability in the familiar...)

"If I'd known this was going to be such a social event, I would have worn something more formal," Catwoman murmurs to no one in particular.

And she does so just as the men are turned to face Buffy, showing off their fangs.

"The slayer!" Lazarus hisses.

And Catwoman?

Well, never one to miss an opportunity to take advantage of a distraction, Catwoman is right back to work on that case, foregoing disabling the pressure plate in favor of going straight to cutting open the glass so she can reach in and grab the amulet.

Meanwhile, the two goons rush straight at Buffy. Because that's what goons do.

Buffy Summers has posed:
"Awesome! Fans!"

Buffy actually managed to sound amused and pleased as the two goons rushed toward her. At least it was only two and not four. She still wasn't sure where the costumed woman fell in things.

She shifted her stance, quickly going into a spinning roundhouse kick aimed at the first one that got close enough then spinning down to floor level in an attempt to trip the second. The first staggered back after the foot to the face but the second jumped into the air, avoiding her attempt. Only to suddenly glance down to find a stake in his chest that she had tossed as she moved.

"Oh sh--" That was as much as he got out before he poofed into ash or dust or whatever it was. It wasn't like she'd really researched it. It looked like ash but she often referred to it as dusting them. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Did it really matter? The demon wearing people clothing was gone from this realm and that's the important part.

The second goon was already recovered and was doubly annoyed at the loss of his partner. This one had a few more skills at least. Leading to an exchange of punches, kicks, blocks as the two of them got the feel for each other. Then Buff dove to the side as he went for a heavy hammer kick. She rolled to where the stake had landed after the first goon fell and picked it up then was doing a backflip out of range of another swing from the vampire.

His mistake was letting her get back in close though as she ducked in under that swing and slammed the stake home through his back, through the ribs, and directly into his heart. She didn't release the stake as she turned her attention to Lazarus, eyes locked on him as the goon turned to dust and then was simply gone.

"So are you two like together? Or did I interrupt two things at once?" she asked curiously as she brought her hand back down to her side, stake still at the ready. "What's the big deal about this doohickey that it's got your attention, Lazarus?"

Catwoman has posed:
Buffy turns out to be an _incredibly_ useful distraction for Catwoman's unexpected guests. While she's cutting through the display case, the blonde is making short work of the goons, and if the timing works out _just_ right, she'll have the necklace and be gone while she's still dealing with the one in the most expensive suit.

He's the leader. That's how these things work.

With a little *tink*, the glass hole she'd made falls out, and she reaches one claw inside to scoop up the necklace just as the second goon is going *poof*.

Lazarus had been debating whether or not it was safe enough to turn his back on Buffy, but Catwoman was also doing his work for him by getting that amulet free... so it was also a matter of timing for him, too. Of those lackeys could hold her long enough, he could grab the amulet from the woman in the leather catsuit and be out while they had their little girl fight.

"Us? Together?" Lazarus scoffs, though the idea does seem to give him an idea. "Not yet..."

Deafening alarms start to go off all at once, and security locks -- the ones Selina hadn't already disabled on her way in that also mark her way out -- start snapping into place.

Amulet clutched in one hand, Selina was already on her feet. She was going to race around the room to get around them, but vampires are... fast.

Before she gets more than two steps, Lazarus has her by the throat, pinning her against one of the paintings on the wall.

"...But we could be. I think I'll take her _and_ the necklace. Move, and I snap her neck," the man warns.

Selina's arched into that vice grip, clawed gloves reaching up to try to scratch and pry it off with absolutely no luck. And even though she tries to speak, it only comes out as little gasps.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Well Shit.

Good news: They weren't together.
Bad news: They weren't together.

Now she had a situation she didn't want to deal with at all. It wasn't like she was a negotiator. She wasn't going to be able to talk this guy out of it because that wasn't her forte. She was better at violence. Sad, but true. While she certainly had brains, they were generally used to plan for the future violence that was necessary for her to do as a Slayer. Not to try to psyche out a vampire holding a hostage.

"Not moving. But obviously we all need to get out of this building." She was about to point toward the ceiling but relaized she shouldn't move her hand because he had warned against any moving.

"Let's make a deal. You let the nice BDSM lady go--without hurting her," she added cause that was probably important. "And I'll give you a head start." This was about as reasonable as she was going to get even as she considered her options. A mental rundown of everything in her bag that would work but none of them would be fast enough to save the woman from a snapped neck.

Catwoman has posed:
Well Shit is right.

Imagine being the BDSM lady behind that cat mask and not even being able to get out your safe word (which, at this immediate juncture, was probably actually a fairly explicit string of not-so-nice names for the man holding her there).

The clawing wasn't working. She could barely breathe, though at least he wasn't actually cutting off her blood supply. He _was_ turning to look at Buffy, though, because he obviously considered her to be a much more immediate threat than anything the Cat could do to him.

Selina's eyes flicker over to the blonde at that -- that attempt to barter for her safety, and there's surprise under that mask. Surprise layered on top of a growing sense of panic. Two men had just turned into dust, and the other one was holding her with the relative strength of Superman... at least, compared to her own un-augmented abilities.

Lazarus's lips quirk into a wry smile. "How generous. I don't think so."

Selina's hands have fallen away from his arm by the time the man jerks her away from the wall, ushering her backwards. She coughs when that grip on her neck changes, and her heels stumble across the hardwood under the force of his direction, but she manages to keep her balance even though she can't see where she's going.

"Fun place you've got here," she croaks. "How about I take out the blonde while you make your grand escape, instead?"

One clawed glove comes up, holding that amulet, and Lazarus's eye sharpen. His free hand rises, claiming the amulet... completely unaware that Catwoman's other hand had dipped into his inside jacket pocket. Misdirection at its finest.

"Now you're taking," he muses, grinning and spinning Selina around. "Fight her, or I'll kill you both."

Buffy Summers has posed:
That was completely unexpected. But it at least would have the woman out of his grip and then Buffy could do her work. If she could get the woman clear, all bets were off.

"Without Jell-O?" she quipped back automatically because her smart mouth was one of her best tools. Vampires were used to Slayers who were all work and no fun. And while she would dust them in a heartbeat, she tended to be upbeat when she could be while slaying. And her mouth just wouldn't stay shut.

Deadpool probably would appreciate that about her.

"So how much of a fight? Just enough for you to get your vampy jollies? Cause first Ew and second...EWWWW." She didn't hide the disgust on her face over where her mind had just traversed. A quick shake of the head to try to get beyond that.

"Alright. Bring it on. But my safe word is gonna be Cowabunga, just so you know." Since the BDSM theme was already going, might as well keep it up.

Catwoman has posed:
Selina couldn't help the little quirk of a grin that appeared at the corners of her lips. After all, she was being released, and while she _hoped_ she wasn't going to have to spend overly much time duking it out with some spunky blonde, she really needed to focus on one impossible task at a time.

And the first was getting Don Sleezo out of the picture.

"Do you _always_ talk so much?" Catwoman purrs as she slinks a step away from Lazarus, making no sign that she might try to take off. Actually, by all accounts, her body language suggested that she wasn't just ready to fight Buffy... she might enjoy it. She was tense and coiled, her hands coming up in front of her. "I hope you have that stick ready. Things are about to get interesting..."

And she wasn't wrong. Her body blocks Buffy from the bulk of the sudden FLASH, but there's an ear-ringing BANG as the miniaturized flashbang she slipped into Lazarus's pocket explodes against his chest, ripping a hole in his jacket and starting a small fire.

Selina collapses to the floor and swings one leg out wide behind her, sweeping the startled man off of his feet and onto his back... and then waiting there, hoping to be out of the way of Buffy.

Buffy Summers has posed:
It seemed they were both on the same sheet of music. Though Buffy hadn't expected the woman to help, just get clear of the bad guy. So when she went on the offensive, it was unexpected. Though the most unexpected was that flashbang.

Like a lot of things, Buffy had heightened senses on top of strength and reflexes. Which meant that was a lot louder to her. As her ears started ringing horribly, she was already moving toward her target. Because she too could move very quickly. Would be bad to be a Slayer fighting vampires if she couldn't.

One moment she was a good dozen steps away, the next she was dropping to a knee by the fallen man and bringing that stake down into the center of his exposed chest--thanks to that little fire that had happened. A piece of sturdy wood literally slammed through his sternum to penetrate the heart beneath. She just stared into his face as he looked so very surprised before he turned to ash and disappeared. Leaving just that necklace behind, laying on the floor where his hand had been.

"Yeah, I do," she answered Catwoman in a voice that was far too loud but yay for hearing loss for a few minutes! "Always talk a lot, I mean." She reached over to pick up the necklace, examining it with a frown. "Wonder what it does that he wanted it. Better take this with us."

And suddenly it was us as she rose to her feet and looked at Catwoman. "Thanks for the help. You're okay, I take it?" Still overloud and not even realizing. "We should make our exit before the cops get here."

Catwoman has posed:
It didn't get any less disconcerting, watching the third guy turn to dust.

Or ash.

Or whatever.

Especially since it was getting _on_ her. Selina shook off her boot as she stood up and absently brushed off the hips of her catsuit. It's kind of like that feeling when you think you have spiders crawling all over you.

"Well, at least you're effective with _that_," she says, nodding towards the stake. Then her eyes shift to watching Buffy pick up the necklace. It too had... dried vampire residue on it. "I _think_ I'm the one who should be thanking you. If we had more time, I'd be asking you what exactly happened, here, but given the wooden stake through the heart, I'm guessing I already know the answer." There's a beat, then. "And _that_ is yours, now. I don't know, but if it's going to get me chased by vampires, I'm not touching it."

Then she nods towards the door.

"Come with me."

And then she's leading the way, back through a series of doors that failed to magnetically lock after she disabled them.