Cammie & Catseye

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Catseye runs into Cammie in the city and Sneaky Lessons are discussed over burgers.

New York was one big, fucking city. Cammie liked it. She liked having her jobs downtown and on her days off she liked wandering around when she wasn’t in one of her more destructive shut in moods. Shopping was… a normal girl activity, but she managed to put her own spin on things. She saw someone shop lifting, she lifted their wallets. And took the stuff to put it back. This was a public service that she offered, sliding another stupid rich looking kid’s wallet into her bag.

Catseye had been practicing her tracking on Cammie all afternoon, following her friend through the shops at a safe distance, watching her steal from people who were stealing. It was a good thing she was stealing, because it gave Catseye good practice at tracking bad guys. Not that Cammie was really a bad guy because she was stealing from bad people who were stealing, but stealing was a bad thing wasn't it so she should be tracked and stopped shouldn't she?

The catgirl ducked into an alley to shift into catform, then dashed out, running up behind Cammie before she could enter another shop, leaping up onto her friend's shoulder and licking her cheek. "Mrrrrrrrrt!" Caught you! she extolled happily.

Cammie almost jumped ten feet in the air. When the sudden Cat on her Shoulder was purple though she relaxed a bit, “Jesus fucking Christ,” she said, pausing to pet the purple cat with her right hand, “You just scared the hell out of me.”

Purring, Catseye headbutted Cammie's cheek before leaping down off her shoulder, running into an alley, shifting back into girlform, and returning to Cammie. "If I scared you that means you did not know I was there yes?" she asked excitedly. "I was tracking you like you were a bad guy and I caught you!"

“Yeah, that’s what it means,” Cammie said, “So, I’m a bad guy, huh? Someone needs to tell me these things,” she said lightly.

Catseye made a face. "I said I was tracking you like you were a bad guy not that you were a bad guy!" she corrected. She knew Cammie wouldn't be upset even if Catseye had said she was a bad guy though, since Cammie thought Cammie was bad. "Is stealing bad if you are stealing from people who steal and you are putting the things they stole back?"

“Sure. Most of them are bored rich assholes anyway,” Cammie reasoned, “Losing a wallet AND their catch will teach them to pay a bit more of attention to shit.” A few extra dollars in cash was always nice, she wasn’t enough of a jerk to start using credit cards. Likely was most of the people she targeted never saw the bill anyway. “After all, only jerks shoplift when they don’t need something to live.”

"So..." Catseye wrinkled her nose, trying to follow Cammie's logic. "That means you are bad? Because you do not need something to live? Even though you are putting the things other people stole back?"

“I don’t keep the cards. Most time I don’t even bother with the money. They were willing to steal something they could’ve paid for, now they’ll spend time wondering where their wallets went while I decide if they’re worth turning into the stores’ lost and found, if that makes any sense. No, I don’t need the wallets, but they obviously didn’t need them either if they weren’t buying crap with them.”

"Then you are not bad!" the catgirl announced happily, as if the realization had just dawned on her. "Is this a fun game you are playing, stealing from bad people? Because playing Tracking Cammie is fun but is it more fun than playing Stealing From Bad People?" Catseye asked curiously, sounding as if she was thinking about playing the game Cammie was playing.

“Well, I like it,” Cammie said, “Keeps the thieves on their toes. The smart ones anyway. Why, do you want to play?”

"I do not know how to steal but I can watch and track and if I see someone stealing I can tell you?" Catseye suggested. "And then can I watch you steal so I learn how to do it?" It seemed like something she should observe before she tried for herself, since it had the potential to make people very angry if she was caught.

“Sure. It is pretty tricky business. People willing to rip off from others are always so damn protective of their wallets,” she said with a short laugh.

Catseye beamed back at Cammie. "I can be tricky! Tricky is like sneaky yes? Can I have a burger before we start playing the game together?"

“Yeah, tricky is like sneaky. Sure, where do you want to go for a burger before I make you a leet ninja like me?”

"What is a leet ninja?" the catgirl asked excitedly, anxious to become one.

“The simply best and awesome thing to be,” Cammie promised, “I’m sure you’ll be a better one than I am even.”

Preening at the comment, Catseye led the way through the mall to the food court and ordered two burgers. While in line, she grabbed a handful of wetnaps and held one up to Cammie. "If you put these on your burger would it taste better to you?" She didn't have any bleach or rat poison or anything like that with her to make Cammie's food more appealing to her friend.

“No, not really. It’s mostly water and soap and soap generally doesn’t taste like much of anything,” Cammie said, “Unless they’re the alcohol ones and then maybe.”

"Alcohol," Catseye answered, squinting at the package. She took the burgers to an empty table and took the top bun off one, spreading the wet nap out over the beef patty as if it were a cheese slice, then replacing the bun. She pushed the burger towards Cammie. "Alcohol cheese slice!" she crowed happily. "Try it?"

“Why the hell not,” Cammie said, taking a bite out of it and chewing, “A little on the papery side, but okay.”

Clapping her hands together happily, Catseye began to devour her own burger. "That is good! I am learning how to cook so I will try more recipes for you to see if you like them yes?"

“Well, as long as it isn’t broken glass, it ain’t going to kill me so bring it on,” Cammie said happily. It was for a good cause, and again, what the hell.