Kitten

Chapter Three: Diamond

After some intense training and a few late nights trying to picklock his way out of a room for practice, Dick was ready for his first-ever robbery. Well, that's if you didn't count the great robbery of cookies he did when he was five. His parents never did work out how he got on top of the fridge in five minutes but they were oddly impressed. Who would've thought his natural ability to get himself in places he definitely shouldn't be would come in handy? Selina had made him his very own suit from the best materials she could her hands on. She'd dare say it was made out of better stuff than her own. It was all black of course but had accents of red here and there upon his request. She made him a belt akin to the utility belt Batman wore and packed it with everything he'd need. It would take some tweaking to get the suit perfect but it was much better than what she first went out in. Admittedly, she'd gotten excited when she'd seen the boy progress through training and had already imagined all the trouble they could get into. Of course, she'd have to make sure he was ready for the big leagues but a little daydreaming wouldn't hurt anyone. 

When Selina saw her new protege in his suit, she couldn't help but smile with pride. Dick matched her smile and could hardly stand still thanks to his excitement. He hopped up and down, his tail twitching and thrashing. He'd worked so hard for this evening to go well and he couldn't wait to prove it was all worth it. "You look great! Maybe in another life, I could've been a fashion designer," she complimented. She fiddled with a few things to make sure they sat right. There were parts she still needed to fix but it would do for their first outing. "How're you feeling?"

"Excited!" he squealed back. 

"Great! Oh, your very first robbery. I should take a picture but that's potentially incriminating."

"Isn't the child suit already incriminating?" She laughed and nodded.

"I suppose. Here let me clean your goggles. You've already got fingerprints on them," she commented, taking them off. She grabbed a cloth and scrubbed at the glass as he fetched his belt. He clipped it on and patted the pockets of it to make sure each was filled with what he needed. 

"Why don't I get a weapon like yours?" he asked innocently, spotting the whip on her waist.

"I never use a weapon that doesn't take skill to master so neither will you. If tonight goes well, I'll teach you," she responded. 

"But why not just use something simple?"

"Because I don't want my weapon used against me. I'd rather turn to my claws than have my weapon turned on me," she explained. 

"I never got to play with the whips in the circus. Said I'd hurt myself," he commented. He messed with the fastening of his gloves as he spoke about it. He tried to keep all those memories positive but his parent's death had shrouded them in misery. She noticed his frown and put his goggles back on. 

"Well, I'll make sure you learn then. Can you see through those?" she asked, quick to change the topic.

"Clear as day. Why do I need the goggles again?" 

"The wind gets in your eyes when you're so high up. These goggles make sure you can keep your eyes open," she explained. "Now, have you got everything?" He nodded, getting his bright smile back. "I'm trusting you. If this becomes permanent, I can't always make sure you have everything."

"I promise, Selina. I triple checked everything before."

"Good. We best be on our way. Tell me if you need anything okay?" He nodded and she chuckled. She couldn't help but enjoy this. Having a little kid around to boss about. She doubted it'd be this easy once he got to the dreaded teen years but she wouldn't let that sour the moment. A little protege of her own? Who would've thought?