Log:Making a Hobby of It

2021/08/31 Dark Horse|Al Firefly|Sunny Gideon 1

If you didn't know that the club known as The Bunker really did originate as a bomb shelter, you might mistake it for an oversized subway tunnel. Bare, reinforced concrete walls form a continuous arch from the club's main stair to the bar at the far end with hanging incandescent lights regularly spaced along its length.

People stepping off the staircase find themselves immediately on the black and white checkerboard dance floor which fills over a third of the club. Past the dance floor and its elevated DJ stand, tables of various sizes stand in a seemingly haphazard pattern, each on a thick, shiny metal post. There are no chairs around the tables but the tables are also over three and a half feet tall - better for standing about than sitting. Those few that must sit can find a place at the long bar that stretches across the entire end on the club.

The bunker can be pretty empty during the day while the corporate world is active upstairs. But most nights, when the streets above are eerily quiet, the club is one long, loud swirling, faceless party.

It's Saturday night, and the club is packed, but the line wait wasn't too terrible. Music is thumping, and as it's date night, lots of women are dressed to impress and trying to attract attention with their looks.

This makes Sun-hee stand out a bit, as she doesn't seem to be trying to attract attention. She's sipping her drink quietly through a tiny straw. It's a midori sour with a cherry at the bottom. She's in a simple, short black dress and high heels, bronze eye shadow with dark eyeliner, and is trying to subtly eye some made men in the bottle service area. If one weren't experienced in telling the different, the Kkangpae she's eyeing could be mistaken for Triads.

Al has a Vodka Collins for a drink in hand. He makes his way through the crowd over to where Sunny is, "Hey there. You look...a little familiar to me, but I might be mistaken." He smiles, and sips his drink.

Sunny's a little surprised she was approached. She turns toward Al. "Hmmm. That's a classic," she smiles and pinches her straw as she brings her drink up to sip. "But...I was hoping for something a little more original. Got anymore?" She's being flirty enough to blend in case the Kkangpae notice she's been tailing them. If she refused to talk to Al, it would look weird.

Al chuckles, and he says quietly, "How about this? I noticed you watching that guy over there. Did he do something bad to you? Former boyfriend?"

Sunny is caught off guard from her little game. She figured this guy was just using a pickup line on her. Her lips slowly slide off of her straw as she now looks at Al more attentively. He got her attention. "No...and no." The latter 'no' was more firm than the first. Definitely not a former boyfriend. The former is a bit more vague sounding.

Al nods slightly. "I'd be cautious about the guy, based on what I know." He takes a sip of his drink, "I wonder why he's here? He's new in town, as far as I know."

Sunny drifts a halfstep closer to Al. "Oh? What is it you know?" She feigns being only mildly curious.

Al thinks about it. "Korean mobster. I've seen a few of them in Vegas. Not usually here in Colonial Bay, though. The Triads are more common here. Well, and the Italian families. We don't even tend to get the Russians in town, either."

"I read an article some time back about some deaths some people who were suspected of having Russian Mafia ties, but nothing else really about them." Sunny takes a sip of her drink. "So...you seem to know a lot about the families in town. Which one are you with?" she asks as she eyes him up and down more carefully. She's taking stock of his attire, watch, glasses, style, appearance, trying to size him up and guess. The only option she could think of is mafia, but he doesn't look like what she'd expect from mafia. "Hmmm. You don't strike me as someone from the Italian families. Maybe the Russians really are here and blending," she guesses. "And have really nailed an American accent, perhaps?"

Al shakes his head, "I'm not with any of them." He smiles, "I'm a statistician, and do work for casinos. But I...pay attention to people around me."

"I'm sure any of those families need a man that's good at running the numbers," Sunny replies and takes another tiny sip of her drink. She's really nursing it and making it last. "You're very observant. You seem to recognize me, but I don't recall having seen you. And you noticed me in a crowd," she smiles, trying to act confident, but she's guarded. Uneasy.

Al nods. "I've seen you before, I admit. I saw a fight that involved you and a guy in green?" He then takes a deep breath. "And I'm not lying about the fact that I'm not part of any of the families. I...had a friend who was killed by the Cangelosis." His smile fades a bit toward the end of the sentence.

Sunny is caught by surprise. "That is some memory. I was saved by a man in green a while back. I ran into trouble walking out late at night." She must be a sucker for a sad story, because his admission causes her to be less guarded and more sympathetic. "I'm really sorry to hear that. That's awful. Did the police at least catch the ones responsible?"

Al shakes his head, "The actual gunmen? Eventually, yes. Thankfully. But it took some involvment by a meta vigilante type."

Sunny sips her drink as she listens, drinking a little more freely now. "I'm glad your friend got some justice, at least. I'm sure that's not much of a comfort." She looks toward the kkangpae. "Sometimes vigilantes can do some good, I suppose." Her eyes drift back to Al. "I've heard the name Cangelosi in the news here. I guess they have a pretty wide network if they're in business from Vegas to out here."

Al nods. "Wide enough. They're definitely here, though. The mayor is related to them, but as far as I know, he's clean."

Al smiles, "My name is Al, by the way." He offers a hand to shake. "Or...Albert, if you're being formal."

Sunny extends her hand and takes his to shake. She has a gentle touch. "Mine's Sunny," she goes with an Americanized version of her real name. She smiles amiably. And also realizes Al might be a useful source. "So, Al. Are you interested in dancing?"

Al smiles. "Sure, I'm happy to dance." He finishes off his drink...and sets his glass down.

Sunny hasn't really touched too much of her drink. Given her assets are frozen and she has to scrape cash together to even get into this place and order a drink to fit in, she sips the rest of it to finish and sets it down. Maybe she shouldn't have finished it so fast, but dancing will make her fit in.

Al gets up to head out onto the dance floor with Sunny. He smiles, seemingly at ease with the current situation.

Sunny follows him as he leads the way, staying a bit behind him. She tries to hide a few glances at the Kkangpae's direction. Her target of investigation is from Vegas, as is the man she's about to dance with. Cangelosi family has roots in both cities. Is there a connection? There's no such thing as coincidences. She keeps her attention to Al as they seem to get into a good place to dance and smiles. She's trying to project that she's at easy. Maybe trying a little too hard.

Al smiles as he starts to dance. He's comfortable enough...and nimble enough, to be pretty good. He also tries to keep an eye on the person that Sunny has been watching, and he's only...kind of subtle about it.

Once she's dancing, she's focused mostly on Al and avoids glancing at her target. The music is fast, and loud, and the lights cast colors but make the dance floor mostly dark with points of light on occasion. She pretends not to notice him looking toward her target too much. More theories. Maybe he's not a Cangelosi, but a hire working for them with plans for the person she's trying to investigate?

The target is drinking and some girls come over to flirt and try and get free bottle service. The Korean gangster is all too happy to share in exchange for their affections.

Al smiles, and just makes a point of looking up the guy later, at least if he can get a name. He focuses more on Sunny while they dance.

Sunny starts to forget a little bit about her investigation. She's been on the run and pursuing stories so long, she hasn't really done anything fun in...months. Or more. Hitmen can't dance like Al does. Do they?

The DJ set wraps and the music switches to remix radio dance hits as the next DJ starts setting up. The target whispers in the ears of two of the women with him, who are a little tipsy. The three rise up and begin to head for the bar so he can close out his tab.

Al steps in close to Sunny, and whispers, "Looks like your target is leaving. Did you want to follow? Did you have a plan yet?"

Sunny wasn't sure what he was going to stay as he steps close, but she wasn't expecting him to say that. She looks a little surprised. "I..." she starts, not used to someone like Al. The last person who collaborated with her on investigating stories like this...isn't around anymore. She hesitates, then makes a decision. "I don't have a plan," she admits. She risks a look to try and find the target, seeing him signing his bill. "If you hadn't approached me, I guess I would've followed him."

Al nods. "We can still do that, if you like. Are you just gathering information at this point?"

Sunny smiles softly. "We?" she asks if he's certain, staying close and whispering in his ear to be heard over the music. "I'm just...curious. But I'm also curious about your interest in it."

Al grins. "I'm a busybody at times. That's all. I stick my nose into things and get into trouble."

Sunny cracks a smile at that. "A kindred spirit." Then she remembers what happened one by one to her colleagues. Though this is a different story she's following. "Are you sure? It could be dangerous."

Al nods. "I'm sure."

Sunny looks impressed and smiles. "Alright, then." The target starts to head for the exit. "I suppose it would look less conspicuous to have two people tailing than one," she whispers in his ear. Her breath is warm against his skin. She draws back. "Shall we head out?" she asks as if they weren't just planning to tail someone.

Al nods, "I'm all set." He follows her out...attempting to follow the gangster in question.

Sunny is not a professional at this. In attempting to look like she's not focused on her target, she loses track of him. But Al is able to see the gangster and the girls decided to duck into an all night Korean BBQ joint.

Al smiles, "Looks like they're getting a bite to eat."

Sunny looks up at the sign for the Woo Hyang Korean BBQ restaurant. "Of course. What else would he do after hitting up the clubs?" she says as if she really should've expected it. "Good eye. I lost him there."

Al smiles. "Thanks." He thinks about it. "We could go inside...or wait out here, but it's going to be...probably an hour or two?"

Sunny nods and thinks on it. "I doubt he saw us in the club. But you can't just go into an all you can eat barbecue place and not eat. That'd attract attention." So would waiting outside. That's a long time to wait.

Al nods. "We could head inside, and actually get some food, if you're up for that." He smiles. "Tell you what...my treat."

A short walk from the Bunker club, Al and Sunny are walking together and slowing down as they near the entrance the Woo Hyang Korean BBQ restaurant, a place that caters to the ultra late crowds. It's almost about 1am, and some of the late clubbing crowds are beginning to look for food to soak up all the alcohol they drank. Or get more alcohol. The pair met in a club while Sunny was eyeing a Kkangpae--a Korean gangster, and Al has since become a partner in crime (fighting) in tailing the guy as he left the club.

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It's noticeable to someone as alert and observant as Al is. A dark, expensive car slowed as the Korean gangster went into the restaurant. Vegas plates. The windows are tinted, but not enough that Al can't tell the driver is looking toward the restaurant. Once they pass, the driver looks ahead and resumes speed, then changes lanes quickly to make a turn up ahead into an alley on the same side of the street as the restaurant.

Al halts Sunny, "That car that just went past was looking at your mark. He's probably parking in that alleyway. I expect he'll at least come into the place. I don't know if he's intending to hit the guy, but there may very well be trouble."

Gideon pulls up in a sports car. The one his father forced on him last month, that's been sitting in his garage this whole time. He steps out and tosses the keys to a rando and says, "Keep it." as a leggy blonde steps out of the passenger seat, laughing. "Oh Giddy- you're too much."

Gideon bristles at the nickname, but recognizes the need to be seen out- not being a hero, living 'the ideal' to keep people from ever guessing he's also Epsilon- Psycho-Armored Hero.

"Oh you know me. Anything for... that guy over there." He says in reply, pointing to the man staring agape at Gideon adn then the keys.

Gideon and his 'friend' head inside the BBQ joint.

Al says to Sunny, "How do you want to play it? Head in, keep an eye on things, and have a good meal?"

Sunny hasn't had korean BBQ in ages. Can't afford it with her assets frozen. She smiles as he offers to treat her. "Well...you really are all in. I think that sounds like a good cover. Beats waiting out here." She stops as Al halts her, looking concerned. "Could be. You said it was weird the guy I was watching was in town," she says quietly, now looking contemplative as she tries to figure out what's going on. "This might end up a bit too dangerous for you to be involved," she says in genuine concern. Little does she know who she's actually talking to.

Sunny glances toward the restaurant, torn on what to do. Her eyes widen at the sighting of villain million/billionaire playboy Gideon Knight. "This just got...really strange. And even more dangerous."

Al smiles and takes a deep breath, "Oh...I suspect I'll be fine. Let's just keep our wits about us. No booze."

Sunny looks back at Al with some surprise and admiration in her eyes. But there's also...fear? It's brief. "Okay. We're just observing, after all," she tries to reason with herself more than for his benefit.

Al seems remarkably calm for someone who might be entering a potential shootout situation. He looks...quite happy, even. He leads the way over to the restaurant, and holds the door for Sunny.

Al adds, "I'm afraid I don't speak Korean. Hopefully that won't be an issue here."

Gideon finds himself a seat, totally unaware of any possible danger he might be walking into. In fact- he's turned off his empathic field because of the vacancy of his date this evening.

After getting inside, he navigates to a seat with a good line of sight on the room and he pulls the chair out opposite his choice for his date.

He's all smiles, since this was for all intents and purposes how he lived his life beofre his mother died.

Sunny can't help but find Al unusual and intriguing at that. She does give him an amused look as she passes by. And a soft laugh. "You won't need it. Unless you want the secret menu stuff. They have english on their menus, but don't worry. I can help translate," she says before stepping in and past him. "Thank you," she says of him holding the door open. The Korean Gangster they were following has been seated at one of the tables. All the booth tables here have 1 to 2 central grills, and large tabletops to hold a variety of condiments and side dishes that come with the meals. It's pretty packed, even at this time of night. Pop music is playing, there's a bar on the left side serving soju, beer, and a few cocktail items for the place. It all smells like wonderful grilled meat within. Most tables are filled by large groups of people together, but there's also smaller tables to accomodate smaller dates. The gangster, however, has taken a huge 6 person table all for himself.

Al nods and says to Sunny, "Thanks. I'm generally pretty good with languages, but...well, this one is a blind spot, so to speak." He waits until the wait staff beckons them over to a smaller table, and he leads the way over to it. At least it has a pretty good view of the room, more or less.

"Really? Well...it's the only other language I know. Maybe you have me beat," Sunny smiles. She follows him and takes a seat, able to still spy on the now two targets they have. Unfortunately, her back is to the door with how the waitress situated them, but Al has a good view of it.

Gideon sees the menu and then his date. He leans in and begins discussing menu options.

He finally decides to 'get a feel' for the place- and he opens himself up to the empathic field. His goal is less heroic than some others here- he's just hoping to figure out what's good, though his empathy has certainly lead him into far more recently.

"The seasoned prime boneless short ribs sound great. I wonder how they are?" Gideon asks rhetorically.

He date says, "I don't know. I've never been here before."

He nods. "Me either." He says, doing the gentlemanly thing by not pointing out this is a subject they've touched on twice already.

"What do you think looks good?" He inquires, trying to keep things moving along.

Al leans over to Sunny, and whispers, "Good news, though. It's busy. I wouldn't expect any real trouble." His mood is...relatively calm, with a hint of perhaps excitement. Anticipation? Maybe it's the company he's with? Or the food he might be about to eat?

Sunny nods at that. "Hopefully. But crowds can also be used to create chaos and escape." Her feelings share somethings in common with Al. Minus the calm. There's more excitement and anticipation. Occasional bubbling of doubt and guilt in the back of her mind. Could be date jitters as well. And then a spark of joy as the waitress begins to set a variety of small dishes with various sides on them.

"What would you like to order?" the waitress asks. Sunny's stomach almost gurgles in excitement at getting to have all of the Korean BBQ after so long, but she is also trying to focus on the Mission.

Al smiles to Sunny, "I'll let you decide. I'm feeling adventurous, and I trust your judgement."

Gideon listens to his date drone on about something wholly unrelated to his question.

He nods, wondering if his secret identity is worth all this effort- but with the hindsight of growing up with his father regularly showing up on Most Wanted lists worldwide, well- he's learned the value of a little room to breath.

"Yeah- no, I get it. I'm not sure you could have picked another color. It really goes good with ... your eyes." He says absently before tapping the menu with his thumb gently. "So did you decide what you wanted to eat?"

She replies, "oh- ha! I forgot we came to a restaurant. Let me see..."

Gideon tries not to roll his eyes visibly- or hard enough to lock them into place at the back of his skull.

Sunny chuckles. "Oooo...adventurous. You...really are something," she smiles, finding him very interesting. The attitude and everything is not what she expected from a statistician. "I guess you're also trusting me with your wallet, but I'll try not to break the bank. Since you're feeling adventurous, let's skip the bulgogi. It's absolutely delicious, but also so...safe," she grins. She orders water for herself to stay clearheaded, and then orders the rest in Korean. There's a bit of back and forth and the waitress walks off. Sunny looks back to Al and smiles. "I'm making it a surprise."

Al chuckles. "Fair enough. I'm good with that."

Sunny opens up her chopsticks and subtly glances toward the gangster. He's being served some expensive cuts of meet. Wagyu, prime rib, etc. To impress his date, maybe. Or make himself feel better. Gideon can sense from the gangster emotions of lust. But also disdain.

Sunny looks down and reaches for one of the side dishes. She says quietly, "What do you know of Gideon Knight?"

Al shrugs, "I'm afraid...not much. I know the name. That's pretty much it."

From the gangster's date, Gideon senses...greed. And also disdain. But the greed overpowers it. There's no lust or desire there.

Gideon points out similarly 'top choice' cuts to his date before the heady mix of curiosity, greed & a low boiling disdain prompt him to pause and look around the room- trying to identify the sources of these emotions, though he tries to maintain his bored facade.

As for the rest of the restaurant. There's emotions of joy, comraderie, excitement, love, regret...a cornucopia of human emotions. Many of them drunken.

A man in an unassuming dark suit walks in, which makes him look out of place among the younger dating crowd. He's maybe late thirties, early fourties, and wearing sunglasses. He glances about, then bypasses the "Wait here to be seated" sign and heads straight for the bar corner. It gives him some cover and a view to the gangster.

Al leans over to whisper to Sunny, acting like he's being romantic. "End of the bar. That's the new guy."

Excitement and anxiety spike in Sunny. And a hint of alarm. Her face tries to hide it in the guised affections. She turns her head, lips close to his ear to look affectionate. "Is that the one from the car, you think? I can't look without being obvious," she whispers. "It...can't be a coincidence that Knight is here."

Al nods to Sunny, "I'm sure it's the guy from the car, yeah."

Gideon looks over Sunny's direction at the spike of concern, quirking an eyebrow as his date says something to him. He nods, but he looks like he's searching in Sunny & Al's direction for someone. It probably looks like he too is expecting soemone.

A waiter comes and drops off the side dishes at Gideon's table, the same that are already on Al and Sunny's. A variety of Korean sides, such as Korean potato salad, seaweed salad, kimchi, pickled spicy lotus root, a cold noodle dish, pickled cucumbers, seasoned soy bean sprouts, spicy radish salad, fish cakes, braised potatoes...the plates are tiny, but also unlimited refills. Gideon can sense the disdain at the Kkangpae's table. The curiosity and anticipation is from a few tables, but it seems heigthened and just spiked at Al and Sunny's table.

There's other emotions that prickly Gideon's senses. Calm. Cold. Actually, it's the lack of emotion that's so...odd. The older man who looks like a made man standing at the bar, ordering a beer, feels like an emotional dead zone.

Gideon thanks the waiter for the apps & then looks over them, offering his date first choice.

"You pick, and we can try whatever you'd like together." He says, trusting her eyes are on the food while he shifts in his seat subtly to eye the iceman at the bar.

He purses his lips at the lack of emotion coming from the man.

Al whispers to Sunny, "It's still unlikely that he'll do anything in here. Too many witnesses. He'll wait until the mark goes to leave. I suspect he came in to confirm who it is."

Sunny nods. They seem to be pretty close to the outsider perspective. "So then...I guess we wait," she whispers. "That other guy I was worried about is the son of J.T. Knight. Rumor has it he has ties with organized crime. Odd that he's here as well."

The waitress for Al and Sunny's table finally comes with a variety of dishes, assisted by another of the wait staff. She sets down a plate with a few sliced meats, a small dish with what looks liked spiced chicken feet, and a small plate of raw octopus tentacles with sesame oil and seeds. Sunny points out the dishes and explains, "I stayed away from the extreme stuff. But there's

chicken feet, which are a bit spicy but cooked." She motions to the meat platter with her chopsticks, "That's beef tongue, prime rib, and spicy pork." She saves the octopus for last. "This...is an odd one. Raw octopus. If you add soy sauce, the legs will wriggle. Even I don't really eat this. But it's great if you grill it and then add the soy sauce. No weird wriggling."

Al chuckles. "You're trying to mess with me. I can tell." He goes right for the octopus, though. And he seems to be pretty good with chopsticks. Clearly he's used to using them. "Let's try it wihtout the soy first. Just straight up." He takes a bite, and makes a bit of a face. "Texture's a bit...weird, I have to admit."

Gideon smiles and excuses himself after having a very brief back and forth with his date.

He gets up and heads to the bar directly, where he narrows the icy spot in his senses to the man.

Naturally he says hello as he waits for the barkeeper. "Morning." He says with a smirk. "What are you drinking on tonight?" He asks the man as he leans on the bar.

Al raises a brow as Gideon walks over to the mystery man, and he glances to Sunny.

Sunny's eyes widen as Al goes for it. It's chewy. Not bad tasting. Just...odd. "Wow, you...you went for it. I wasn't trying to mess with you. If I really was, I would've ordered the fermented crab stew or worse. Still...I'm impressed. It'll taste better grilled. And really, don't add the soy sauce. People eat it while it's wriggling to show off that they're fearless, but it can also risk choking you."

"Beer," the Italian man says gruffly. He doesn't sound at all like he was born here.

Sunny raises her eyebrows as she sees Al watch Gideon disappear out of her vision, as Gideon and the other man are behind her at the bar. "What's going on?" she whispers.

Al whispers to Sunny, "They're chatting." He finishes the tentacle he started...and then he tries one of the chicken feet. No real hesitation, either.

"Ah- I didn't take you for a beer man." Gideon says as he waits for service.

"Didn't mean to bother you, just was hoping to shake things up a bit and you look like you've got pretty decent taste. Especially in this crowd. Oh well. Enjoy the sunset." He says, content on confirming the Iceman as the coldest man in the room, and the gangster as every bit as callous & greedy as he looks.

He waits anyway, since he doesn't want to look suspicious. Just like a rich guy who doesn't know not to talk to monsters.

Irritation bubbles around the man's mind. He doesn't say anything back to Gideon. He just drinks his beer.

Sunny is about to say something when she's amazed at him going for the chicken feet. It's good also, but the texture is weird. Gelatinous, almost, which doesn't seem right for meat. There's bones in them, too, but they're easy enough to eat around and spit out. His willingness to go for it has her impressed. She grasps one with her chopsticks, too. "Do you think he's giving him orders?" she whispers, then nibbles on her chicken foot daintily.

Al chuckles, and whispers to Sunny, "Based on the look on the face of the mystery guy? Maybe. He just looks...annoyed, really."

Sunny chews around the bones of her chicken foot and grabs a napkin. She puts it over her mouth to discretly get rid of the bones and wraps it up, setting it aside. She uses some metal tongs to start putting some of the meat on the barbecue. "Hmm. Well. Some bosses -can- be annoying," she supposes, but is still thinking on what this could mean.

Gideon hangs out a second or two longer before saying aloud, "Op- it looks like my waiter is right there. Hard getting good help." Then he goes back to his table.

"Slow service- and I think our waiter is almost done with that table. I'll flag 'em once I catch his eye." He says to her, trying to shake the dead zone that man put off around emotionally. Even annoyance was muted. It made mauve aura here at his table look like the most interesting, deep, spiritual woman in the world- which is laughable.

He chuckles at the thought and then lifts & waves his hand to get the waiter's attention.

Al smiles and tries some of the safer fare at his table. The meat. He whispers to Sunny, "Actually, I'd say he as the look of someone who didn't want to be chatting...being forced to chat. That's all."

"I...suppose. But it's weird that Knight went to speak with him. That can't be random," Sunny is still trying to connect the dots.

Al shrugs, "Mmm...I'm sure there's a reason, but...I suspect it might be something other than 'giving orders'."

"Any ideas?" Sunny asks, open to suggestions. She turns the meat.

Al shrugs, and whispers, "Not yet. Let's just...keep alert."

Sunny nods and smiles, reaching for a cooked piece of spicy pork with a clean tongs. There's rice balls and dipping sauces to enjoy the meat with.

Alert is exactly what Gideon becomes after coming face to face with that man and the gangster- both dark emotionally. So much so, ignoring them almost seems hazardous to his health.

He continues to make small talk with his date.

"So, Vicki. How long have you been living at the Model House?" He inquires absently as he starts to visualize a web of hidden connections based off the emotions he's picking up on.

He can't tell a story, but he knows there's one here.

He looks around the room again.

Al keeps eating...but does try to keep an eye on things, especially the guy at the bar. Either the guy's going to try something...or he isn't. His money is still on the latter. At least with a crowded room of people. But after the mark leaves...that's another matter entirely.

Sunny watches the kkangpae they originally came to watch. She tries not to be tense and fit in with their cover. She's uneasy because she hasn't been able to take a look at the person who's at the bar. It makes it hard to really enjoy the first full-sized meal she's had in a while. "I think you're braver than I am," she breaks the silence as she relents and puts some of the octopus on the grill.

Al chuckles. "Why's that? Since I ate the octopus raw?"

"Yeah," Sunny chuckles. "-That's- what impressed me," she grins. "Well...another thing that did. It's a delicacy, but one I'm not brave enough for." She thinks on it. She's been tracking down corruption, faced life threatening situations, and THEN got powers and is trying to be a hero. "Well. Maybe. I guess I can't make you do it if I won't." She takes a deep breath, snatches a leg with her chopsticks and pops it in her mouth, trying to do so quickly enough that she can't back out.

Al chuckles quietly, and watches her reaction. "It's probably better grilled, I suspect."

"Mmhmm." It sounds like a whimper. Higher pitched than it probably should be. Sunny's eyes squint as she chews vigorously to get through the rubbery bite. They're not quite watering, but she does look like she's struggling. Eventually she swallows it down and makes a throat clearing noise. "Maybe it'd be better with some chilis and soy sauce, but then it might wriggle. Grilled is way better." She can't understand how her grandfather loved raw octopus.

Al chuckles quietly. "It reminded me a bit of calamari. Have you tried it?"

Gideon offers his date a peice of Hobak Jeon since she's not very adventurous.

He tries to coax her by saying, "I think this is some kind of fried zucchini. Its been a while since I've had it. They're really good."

He waits a few seconds before eating it himself, chewing and saying, "See? Its really good."

His date tentatively reaches out and picks one up. Gideon smiles.

Sunny nods. "I love calamari. I think that's my problem...I have that expectation of it, and then this...doesn't taste anything like that," she chuckles.

The Kkangpae is ordering more soju and getting more handsy with his date. There's emotions of repulsion being fought down by the woman getting a free meal.

Al nods. "Similar texture, though. Rubbery. Kind of squicky."

Gideon makes a face at the revulsion he senses.

He turns and gives the Kkangpae & his 'date' an annoyed look, before his gaze turns sympathetic towards the woman.

He turns back to his own date in time to see her begin chewing.

He gives her an expectant look as if to ask, "Sooooo how is it?"

Sunny chuckles at Al's description. "Squicky. That sounds like a perfectly fitting made up word for it." She catches Gideon's look at the kkangpae and the annoyance. "Did you catch that look?" she whispers to Al.

Al nods to Sunny, and he whispers back, "So..Gideon's not a fan of the guy either. Maybe Gideon IS connected to the guy at the bar after all."

Gideon's date nods in approval and he gives her a thumbs up before moving on to try somehting else.

Both Gideon and Al know the Korean mafia and the Italian mob have no love for each other. And that the Korean mafia isn't all that present in Colonial Bay except maybe in passing. The kkangpae at the table, after some obersvation, may be Hyun Yoo, an out of towner rumored to be from Las Vegas.

Gideon stops midchew, forced to pause after his mind subconsciously puts together the various peices of data floating around his mind.

"There isn't a steady Korean gangbanger faction in this part of the state...so this guy must be that out of towner I've heard about..." He thinks to himself as he turns towards the Korean gangster.

His pupils dialate as he remembers Mr. Iceman - and just how out of place he is, here.

He turns slightly to keep an eye on the latter, in hopes of being able to prevent anyone from loosing their life here today.

Al furrows his brow, and whispers to Sunny, "I think I recognize the guy at the bar. Last name of Ardito. Hit man from the Vegas area. Might have been in town to meet with some of the Cangelosis."

Sunny stops eating some grilled beef mid bite at that and stares at Al in surprise. There's a feeling of dread coming from her that Gideon can sense. "And he's here. Just...having a beer? Right. This is bad."

The kkangpae is finishing up his meal, and even though the woman hasn't, he asks for his check, then puts an arm around the woman and whispers in her ear.

Al shrugs, and whispers to Sunny, "I think my guess still stands. This guy's a pro. He wouldn't hit the guy here."

Gideon lifts his glass of water, saying to his date, "Where is that waiter? I'm so thirsty."

He guzzles the water, hoping to give himself an excuse to - well to excuse himself shortly.

Sunny nods. "So...he'll wait for his target to be more isolated? Like...when he leaves this place?" she asks. A waiter clears some dishes from the kkangpae's table and another brings his check.

Al nods to Sunny, "Yeah, probably. That'd be my guess. He's taking his target's measure."

"You...seem to know a lot about this stuff," Sunny observes.

Al smiles and shrugs, and eats some more food. "It's a hobby."

Gideon's date laughs absently before saying, "Oh Giddy- you're too much. I'm pretty sure I can get the waiter."

She turns and lifts her arm, waving it toward the waiter.

He shrugs and sets his glass down.

"That's an interesting hobby. What do you call it exactly?" Sunny says as reaches for a choice piece of meat on the grill with her chopsticks. She can't quite figure Al out in all of this, but he definitely has her interest.

A waiter is flagged down by Gideon's date. The kkangpae signs his check and starts to slide out of his booth with his pick up date.

Al grins, "I call it 'sticking my nose into things where I shouldn't'."

Gideon smiles and says, "Thanks Candy."

She smiles proudly.

Gideon says, "I'll take a whiskey sour- since I'm not driving, and whatever the lady wants."

'Candy' says, "Oooh Giddy, ya mean it? Anything?"

Gideon replies, "That's what I said. A top flagdown like that deserves top shelf libation. You finish uup the order- I've got to excuse myself a moment."

He stands up and slides out of his seat too, heading for the bathroom.

"Hmmm. Sounds like one of my hobbies," Sunny smiles in amusement. Her eyes subtly shift to the kkangpae helping his date get up from the booth. "Looks like someone's moving on to the next part of their date," she says quietly. Not wanting to waste what could be the last KBBQ meal she'll have in a while, since she doesn't know how long she'll remain full sized, she takes a few more quick bites of meat.

Al nods to Sunny, "They're moving on quicker than I expected. I'm ready whenever you are."

Gideon makes his way towards the bathroom, and once inside, he ducks into a bathroom stall and then teleports to the roof, so he can try to get ahead of the would be assassin.

"What about the check?" Sunny asks. From behind her, Al can see that the lone man at the bar is starting to shift and become more alert as their target prepares to leave.

Al nods, "Good point." He waves over the waitress, "Can we get the check, please?"

The waitress sees this and nods. She walks over with the check on a small tablet that she leaves behind. It's the type of one where you tap your card to pay for the bill.

The Kkangpae and his woman for the evening begin to walk out of the restaurant. Ardito waits for them to pass, and leaves his beer half consumed before he starts to depart as well.

Al quickly pays the bill with his card...and tips well. He smiles to Sunny, "All set."

Sunny nods and smiles back. "Thanks." She gets up and tugs her little dress down, trying to act casual.

Outside, Gideon teleports onto the roof. From there, he can see the kkangpae and his gal exit first.

Ardito walks out of the restaurant shortly after giving them a bit of a lead.

Al smiles, and heads outside with Sunny, intending to follow Ardito specifically.

Sunny says softly to Al, turning her head to his ear. She whispers, "This could end up getting really dangerous if what you said about that other guy is right. It's not too late for you to reconsider backing out." Above, Gideon sees the apparent couple of Al and Sunny walking out of the restaurant next.

Al nods and puts an arm around Sunny's waist, as if they're on a date. He whispers back, "I know. Don't worry."

But Sunny does worry. It comes across in her features briefly. When Al put shis arm around her waist, she gets her head back onto the task at hand. She whispers. "Alright. Let's see where this leads." From Gideon's perspective...The Jjangpae is walking ahead with his date. There's the potential hitman keeping his distance. And then another couple getting close to each other as they follow the hitman.

Gideon moves across the roof, and in turn, moves to follow the varied band of Korean BBQ goers. Seeing Sunny & Al come out does give him pause though- enough to take a longer route to the ground and opposite any obstacles between them.

With his experience, Al makes it all look so natural. Sunny isn't so used to getting this close to the action in her career. Or putting up this sort of act to be unnoticed. She's paying a little too much attention to what's going on ahead, and her high heels click along the sidewalk enough that Ardito begins to feel like he might be followed. He starts to look over his shoulder.

Al makes a point of looking at Sunny, rather than directly ahead, to try to make it seem like maybe they're just walking the same way, out of coincidence.

Their cover is saved by Al's exceptional shadowing and acting skills, which cover for Sunny's lack in them. It comes off as Sunny maybe not being as interested in her date as her date is with her. Ardito thinks nothing of it and continues ahead to follow the Jjangpae as he turns to a parking lot. It's a cheap open lot, with only a few lights, and nestled between two buildings so it obscures line of sight the further you get in. There could be an opportunity here.

Al nods to Sunny, and whispers, "This might be the place." He picks up the pace a little bit to try to make sure they can get a line of sight before any shooting starts.

Gideon looks suspiciously as he maintains an askew viewpoint on the goings on. The feelings he was sensing in the restaurant seem to make more sense to him now- though he still has no idea his very presence stirred the pot a bit.

"Why are those two following a hitman? To make sure the job is done? To stop him? Serial Killer fans?" He inquires silently to himself as he observes.

He too tries to get into a position where he cna be out of sight, but still see the goings on.

He looks up to the rooftop and wills himself up there, hoping to stun the Iceman before he can hurt anyone.

Sunny nods and swallows at what Al says. She moves quicker, too. Al is able to guide them to a spot to see. There are enough cars to provide cover, and some of the lights are out in this parking lot. While the Kkangpae stops at his BMW and struggles to find his keys in his pocket--especially with the woman getting handsy with him--Ardito draws in closer and reaches inside his coat, coming up silently behind the pair.

Al slips away from Sunny, and tries to sneak up on Ardito, moving as swiftly as he can manage while remaining quiet.

Al realizes he's about to strike a normal...so he holds back a little bit, not using his full strength. He sneaks up behidn Ardito, and attempts to strike him with an open palm with a quick hit.

Al strikes Ardito, and sends the hit man sprawling...landing unconscious. He looks to the mark, and says, "Sorry about the disturbance."

It all happens so fast. Sunny gasps at the speed and efficiency in which Al takes down the hitman before he can even draw his weapon. Having been drinking a bit, the Jjangpae is startled, and his date shrieks in surprise and hides behind him. "Who are you?" the Korean gangster demands. His eyes fall to Ardito.

Al smiles slightly, "No one of consequence." He goes ahead and walks over to where Ardito is down, to check on his status, though he keeps an eye on the mark and his date, just in case.

That palm strike knocked Ardito into the pavement pretty hard. He might have broken his nose in the fall, of suffered a concussion from the swift strike. He'll live, even without medical care.

The gangster's date tugs on his arm. "Let's get in the car and get out of here," she insists hastily. The man tries to assess the situation and gives a single nod to Al, deciding not to ask questions. But he realizes the danger he was in. "Thanks." He finally gets his keys out and unlocks the car. His date piles in, and he gets into the driver's seat swiftly.

Al makes a note of the license plate. They're not likely to be able to follow now. At least he won't be able to. But he can look up details later. Or get one of his contacts to do so.

The license plate is memorized for now as they pull out of their parking spot and drive off. Sunny is trotting behind as best she can in high heels. "That...that was amazing. Where'd you learn to do -that-?"

Al grins, "Would you believe...in Vegas?"

"Right," Sunny says, not sounding entirely sold on that reply, but she finds herself grinning anyway.

Sunny looks down at the unconscious man. "I guess...we call the cops and get out of here."

Al nods. "Yeah, I think that's the plan."