Pitiful Catwoman

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Her dress was a mess.

Her hair was wet.

Selina Kyle stood up in a sorry state, the elegance she had entered with completely gone.

She stared at Damon resentfully for a long moment before answering unwillingly.

"The Clean Slate program. Software that can erase criminal records. It is something I have wanted for a long time."

"Damon, help me once."

Selina looked at him pleadingly.

"Give me the things you photographed. I will owe you a favor."

"Are you sure that program really exists?" Damon asked.

Hearing a sliver of possibility, Selina hurried to explain.

"I heard rumors about it before and have been looking for it. I never found it, but this time is different. Wayne Enterprises must have it, or Miranda Tate would not be using it to trade with me. Help me this once, all right?"

Her pitiful, pleading look made her seem like an abandoned cat.

It made people want to feel sorry for her.

Damon was unmoved.

He shook his head cleanly.

"It has not played the role I want it to play, so I will not hand it over. But..."

Selina, who had been losing hope, immediately looked up.

Damon crooked a finger and beckoned her over.

Selina hesitated, then came to stand in front of him.

Damon smiled and gestured for her to crouch.

The moment she did, Damon flicked her hard on the forehead.

Smack.

The sound was crisp.

Selina yelped and sat down on the floor. Her forehead reddened instantly.

"What are you doing?" Selina shouted, covering her forehead.

"Are you stupid? If she really has the program, I can just ask her for it myself. Why would I give back the leverage?"

Damon scolded her with irritation.

Selina froze.

Right.

She was not actually trying to help Miranda Tate.

All she wanted was the program.

In that case...

Selina's eyes instantly widened as she looked at Damon with expectation.

"Do something for me. If it works, I will help erase your record."

"Name it."

"Come meet someone with me first."

Damon stood, picked up the bag, and left.

Selina hurried after him.

The two of them drew attention the whole way. After all, a woman that tall and beautiful walking down the street in such a sorry state was not something people saw often.

For a clean slate, Selina endured it.

About half an hour later, Damon brought her to an apartment building, went upstairs, and knocked on one of the doors.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Not long after, the door opened.

Laurel looked at the unfamiliar woman beside Damon in surprise. She was tall and beautiful, but she looked rather disheveled.

"Who is she?" Laurel asked Damon.

"Selina Kyle. Your new teacher."

Damon walked in and spoke casually.

"New teacher?"

Laurel and Selina both looked at him in surprise.

Damon went to the sofa, sat down lazily, and set the bag aside.

"This is the costume and basic gear I got for you. For the next while, you will keep training and learning combat with Selina Kyle."

"Selina Kyle, when you train her well enough, I will give you what you want."

"What counts as well enough?" Selina asked, frowning.

"At least enough to exchange blows with you and go out on missions alone."

Selina stopped talking.

Laurel could not help asking, "What about you? You... you are not teaching me anymore?"

"Do you have Stockholm syndrome?"

Damon glanced at Laurel and stood.

"I recently ran into something interesting. I will come back after you graduate."

"Work hard, both of you."

Damon walked between Laurel and Selina toward the door.

As he passed, he slapped each of them hard on the backside, then opened the door and left.

Laurel and Selina looked at each other.

An awkward silence spread through the room.

Selina might have looked pitiful and helpless in front of Damon, but her skills were more than enough to teach Laurel.

Damon could use this time to work on Helena.

Frank had already spoken to the guards at home, so when Damon went over, no one checked or stopped him. He went straight upstairs to Helena's room.

One night had passed, and Helena seemed to have thought things through.

She smiled and talked with him as if nothing had happened yesterday.

Damon was happy to see it. If Helena fell into numb despair this soon, it would be boring.

Damon had her take out the evidence she had collected before and looked through it.

There was a decent amount, but none of it was decisive. Frank held enough power in Starling City that even if he did not, those materials alone would not put him away for many years.

"As long as my father brings you to strike at his rivals, I will have chances to gather direct evidence. But he will not easily bring me to the scene."

As Helena spoke, she looked at Damon.

Damon chuckled.

"I will not help you gather evidence. I will only create chances for you."

"That is enough."

Helena spoke with certainty.

"As long as he and the others start seeing me as your woman instead of Frank Bertinelli's daughter, no one will care whether I appear at the scene with you. So... is there anything you want to try?"

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