Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

“It’s the stuff football players use—you know, those warpaint lines they make on their faces. Especially the quarterbacks. Do you realize that war paint and camouflage are essentially the same thing? Anyway, I got it from my roommate’s boyfriend. He thought it was funny that I’d want to use it while I was hiking, so he stole a whole thing of it from the locker room. Wow—that’s special! He stole it from the locker room, now I’m using it to steal from this Eddie-guy—“

“We’re not going to steal anything,” Catwoman heard herself say. “We’re just going to take a few pictures and get out.”

Bonnie gave a final swipe to her cheek and turned around. “We’re stealing his secrets, Selina. What more could we take? Things can be replaced, but not secrets.”

They stared at each other. Catwoman blinked first.

“Why do you keep calling me Selina? I’m not Selina Kyle. She’s just someone . . . someone I know.”

A long silent moment passed while Bonnie examined the black-clad woman facing her. Except for her eyes, no part of her moved. But the green eyes took everything in, slowly, methodically, and when they were done Catwoman had an entirely different opinion of innocence.

Bonnie swallowed everything she had seen. “Yeah, I understand now.” She nodded several times, affirming something to herself. “Catwoman. Not Selina. My mistake. We don’t have people like you out in Indiana, you know,” she said, as if that explained something important. “I mean, we see the news on television and all, but nothing interesting enough happens in Bloomington to make it worth your while. So I had no idea how you do what you do. I thought it was like acting, playing a part—but I see I was wrong. You’re not anything like Selina Kyle. You’re Catwoman, pure and simple, right? And I better not forget it if I know what’s good for me, also right?”