Log:A Pickpocket in Chinatown, Scene 2

A Pickpocket in Chinatown 2010/11/03 	 Bestiary Dark Horse Jian Imaginary Girl Harlequin Trick (unseen) 2

Lorelei walks about Ming Street's market looking not at all like herself, but rather a slender brunette. She's perhaps no less striking for all that, but at least it lets her escape her fame. She looks about as she goes: generally looking out for any sign of trouble, and more particularly for the pickpocket to whom she fell victim a couple of days back.

Dark Horse is moving from rooftop to rooftop, as it's much easier to get around that way, with the way that the streets are clogged. He stops on the roof of the building across from the Dragon Palace, and looks around, checking the streets for any sign of the likely impending crime wave that's about to crash on the shores of this town.

Jian is seated cross-legged on a roof overlooking the marketplace. She's looking for the pickpocket who's been so elusive while operating in the area. Expecting that anyone who can escape detection by Ernst and Ungar is probably invisible by some means, Jian is watching especially for peripheral indicators.

Dark Horse is moving from rooftop to rooftop, as it's much easier to get around that way, in general. It also tends to get him shot at less often, at least in this area of town. He doesn't make any attempt to hide himself as he looks down at the street, surveying the area.

Along through the air flies Imaginary Girl, about three or four stories up - on her usual patrol over the city. She's not going out of her way to catch people's eyes, but it happens anyway, although seeing Imaginary Girl flying over Colonial Bay isn't such a big deal anymore - she's up there and in view, flying about on patrol, so often, it's almost getting to be 'old hat' for citizens of this fair city. Spotting someone on a rooftop, she swoops down to where Dark Horse is and comes to a hover overhead, hands on her hips. "Long time no see!", she calls down, from about ten feet above.

From Jian's perspective, a few things become clearer. Like how many instances of One Man Army seem to be about, between them keeping Ming St under surveillance - though at ground level he barely stands out.

Dark Horse looks up at Imaginary Girl, looking her over for a moment, "Hey there. Haven't seen you about in a while. How have you been?"

A dog of indeterminate breed, which has been making it's way down the street, looks up as Imaginary Girl calls out.

Lorelei also glances up at Dark Horse and Imaginary Girl, and wonders whether to discard her disguise and say hi.

Jian glances at Imaginary Gilr, with a hint of envy. It must be fantastic to be able to fly.

"I've been okay... but I forget your name... like Black Knight or something?", Imaginary Girl says, gesturing at Dark Horse's chest as she floats downwards until her feet are only inches off the rooftop on which Dark Horse stands.

Jian leaps down from the rooftop, and jumps from market stall top to top across the marketplace on her way to confront the dog at close range.

Dark Horse chuckles, "I get that reaction more often than I hope. Dark Horse."

The dog dodges away from Jian as she lands near it, taking advantage of the busy street: soon several pairs of legs separate them. It keeps its head low to the ground.

Lorelei turns in Jian's direction, trying to see what Jian has spotted.

Jian chases after the dog, bouncing off walls and leaping over stalls and shoppers in traditional Shaolin monk style.

Imaginary Girl's gaze shifts over to Jian as the girl tumbles and jumps off the rooftop... "Uh-oh", she says, flitting to the edge of the roof to be able to see down to the street. "Something's going on, I think!", she comments, trying to follow Jian's progress through the throng of people, below.

Dark Horse has his attention pulled away from IG as he notices Jian hopping around. "Huh. What's going on?" He remains where he is, looking down at the crowd, trying to figure out what Jian's intended target appears to be.

Jian bounces here, there and everywhere, but the dog is pretty agile too, dodging between the legs of the crowd, who for the most part are trying to avoid Jian. Not that they seem too surprised to see a meta bouncing around. In Chinatown, metas aren't that rare, and people know not to stare.

Jian continues the chase, sure now that is this no ordinary dog to avoid her for any length of time.

"... I don't think /that/'s a dog...", Imaginary Girl says, directing her words at Dark Horse, using her mega-ability of being able to state the obvious. "I dunno why that girl's chasing it, though..."

Dark Horse jumps off the building, and attaches his swingline to a nearby building as he arcs over the crowd...attempting to keep up with the chase.

Jian finally gets within a long reach of the dodging dog and still at a full run extends a hand out towards the fleeing canine. Then her hand morphs into a dog-catcher's loop which Jian attempts to lasso the dog with.

When Dark Horse heads off to follow the chase, Imaginary Girl does the same... although, in her case, it's just flying along at the leve of the rooftop where she'd just been.

The dog dodge away from Jian - and jumps into the air for some reason.

Jian leaps after the dog.

Dark Horse continues following, landing on a streetlight before lashing out with his swing line again...now heading directly for where the dog is. "Huh...that's weird."

Dark Horse completes his last swing...intending to land where the dog seemed to change direction. Perhaps colliding with something. He leads with his feet, half expecting to hit something there...and prepares to use the defense of 'Dude...couldn't see you there. Sorry'.

Dark Horse swings through that area and lands on the pavement, skidding to a stop. He turns to look around, like...he's looking for something. And the dog chase is just...nearby.

Jian says, "Passes close to the dog omher way through the air in her leap and flicks out an extended foot at the dog intending to unbalance it and cause it to tumble and land awkwardly, thus giving her another chance to get hold of it."

Jian succeeds, one foot tucked in beneath her, the other extended out to nudge the dog in its flank and cause it to tumble and lose balance.

The dog scrambles to its feet, abruptly grows, becoming more golden in colour, until it's a lion, and roars at Jian.

Jian shifts into a near identical loin and roars back at the transformed dog.

The lion pounces at Jian, since the roar didn't seem to be enough to scare her off.

Jian smirks, which by the way is a very off expression to see on the face of a lion.

The lion gets its teeth onto, but not into, Jian.

There are screams and yells as the crowd pushes to get away from the two lions, upsetting several stalls.

The other lion, no less agile, jumps aside to avoid the blow.

Jian loses the smirky expression as her tail misses and hammers a dent into the roadway.

The lion takes the opportunity to try to get it's teeth into Jian again.

Jian leaves a patach of hair in the other lion's teeth as she is knocked back by the bite, rolling over once before coming, catlike of course, back to her feet.

Dark Horse looks at the two animals fighting, considering his options. . o O (Great...TWO shapeshifting lion things. What the heck is the name of those again? Probably some Chinese spirit thing. I'll sort it out when there's only one up.) Instead...he waves his arms where he thinks the invisible thing might be. But he keeps an eye on the two lions fighting.

Dark Horse soon comes to the conclusion that whatever it was, it's no longer there.

Dark Horse furrows his brow as he doesn't find anything. He thinks about it, considering his options again. . o O (Was it my imagination? Maybe. There are more immediate problems, though.)

Jian says, "straightens up, changing back to Jian as she does so. She smiles and gives the lion the classic Bruce Lee 'come on then' hand gesture, a beckoning with the fingers of her right hand. Then she moves into a dragon style martial arts stance, transforms into a sinuous snake like chinese dragon and strikes with her head."

This time the lion is caught by surprise - and is momentarily dazed by the blow.

On the left flank of the dragon a ragged tear from the tiger's teeth is showing missing scales and ripped muscle tissue.

Dark Horse just keeps an eye on the two 'lion-spirit-things', and gets ready to spring into action if they move into the crowd.

Dark Horse looks around cautiously...all of the sudden feeling a bit exposed. After all, a lot of goons in the area wouldn't mind him being deceased. He quickly springs up onto a streetlamp, to get a better view of the area...and intending to keep moving after that.

Dark Horse slips as he tries to grab onto the lamppost, and ends up on the ground, grumbling. "Hah. Must have run out of karma."

Dark Horse's sense of danger is now less immediate, anyway.

Jian reverts to her metahuman form. And once back in human form she can activate her defences. To anyone who was around the twins in the early days or has encountered Wolfguard, the force armor that appears around Jian is distinctively and unmistakably standard Wolfguard gear. Turning to the side the chinese girl whips out a knife hand strike, her hand forming into a knife shape, albeit a blunt one, as the attack is launched.

Jian's target, however, shrinks even as the hand comes toward her.

Jian strikes ture for where the loin's head was, but 'was' is the important word. She misses the hornet that takes the lion's place.

Dark Horse says, "Gets to his feet, and tries to get back up on the streetlamp, making a more concerted effort this time."

Dark Horse deftly vaults up onto the streetlamp, and looks around, assessing the situation.

Sasha enters from MagLev System.

Jian laughs, "Master Lung could pick you out of the air with his chopsticks. However I don't seem to have a pair on me. Lets play dodge and spatter then." she says after laughing, and claps her hands together, trying to get the hornet between them.

THe hornet buzzes angrily and flies upward, over Jian's head and out of reach.

Harlequin comes walking along towards the commotion as if he hasn't a care in the world. He seems to be ignoring the flow of the crowd away from the area. Of course, the fact that he is walking along the walls of buildings as if they are streets could account for that.

Jian stands with her left hand on her hip, holding her torn side together where she was ripped open by the tiger's teeth. She continues to watch the hornet, not wanting to lose track of it and ready to chase after it should it start flying out of the area.

The hornet flies further up, past what it judges is the range of the whip, and turns into a parrot. "You have helped the thief escape, but you won't escape!" it squawks.

Dark Horse furrows his brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Thief," squawks the parrot. "Pickpocket." It seems to have a Chinese accent.

Harlequin stops next to an open window on an apartment building and looks over at where the ruckus seems to be originating. While he stands tapping a foot and observing the scene, first silver then blue disks whirl into orbit around him with a flick of his hands.

Jian looks up at the parrot. "Oh. Oops. I thought you were the pickpocket."

The parrot mutters about amateurs in Mandarin.

"The thief cannot be seen," it then deigns to explain.

Harlequin looks around then up at the sky. He murmurs, "A rain of paint, perhaps?"

Dark Horse raises a brow, "I wasn't imagining it."

Jian stares up at the parrot, "Well this amateur was kicking your furry lion butt. If you sneak around behaving suspicious then people are going to think you are up to no good.

Dark Horse looks around in the area...in a likely vain attempt to spot someone invisible among them.

Harlequin walks down the wall and then steps down onto the street. The disks continue to swirl about him as he walks to where Jian and the parrot are conversing. He waves to Dark Horse in greeting.

Dark Horse waves to Harlequin as he continues to look around.

The parrot lands and transforms into human form: a middle-aged woman. And Jian, despite the lack of costume, recognises her as the Chinese hero, Bestiary. "How was I to find someone who cannot be seen and cannot be heard except by smell?" she asks, with something of the air of a teacher.

Dark Horse drops down to street level, landing on his feet.

Harlequin stops and bows politely to Bestiary. "A pleasure to meet you, madame." As he straightens he murmurs, "So, what did this will o the wisp thief smell like? If one may ask?"

Jian frowns, "Cannot be heard? That's definitely not fair. Hey, I know about you. I'll have to tell my mother I've met you next time I speak to her."

Bestiary nods. "That is why I am hunting him: not many people can. He's human, and male, and young, I think. He does not wash as much as he should."

Dark Horse nods slowly as he takes all of this in. "I take it he's been plaguing the area for a while?"

Harlequin idly flicks his fingers against the disks as they swirl. After a moment, he says, "Then it is likely he is child of the streets, no? A runaway perhaps. He seems to be stealing for survival rather than mere greed at this point. Or so one might speculate."

Dark Horse nods. "Seems likely a likely guess."

Dark Horse chuckles at his own words. "I'm repetitive today, I guess."

Jian says, "Listen, then, Bestiary. If he's a child don't go all lion claws on him. I'll live. Many others would have been disemboweled by your attack."

"Only for a week, maybe two. But he is too brave in choosing his targets. And he steals more than he needs just to live."

Harlequin glances around at the milling crowd. "Yes, I suppose he thinks his abilities render him immune to detection. When a hit with a bag of chalk dust would likely render him somewhat visible." He chuckles. "The arrogance of youth is responsible for that probably. His brazenness that is."

Bestiary looks as Jian disapprovingly. "I do not need to be told my business. I had already seen you were strong. And you smeelled - yes. Who is your mother?"

Bestiary nods to Harlequin. "Yes. A child, becoming a youth, trying to be a man."

Harlequin reaches into his cloak and rummages around for a moment. He then pulls out sock that lets out little puffs of dust as he gently swings it. "Chalk anyone?"

Dark Horse raises a brow. "You carry that kind of thing around all the time?"

Jian says, "Silk Dragon. At least she claims to be. I've hardly seen her while in China and when the war started and there was some good fun to be had I was packed off to my father in Germany."

Harlequin shakes his head. "No, I do not. It is possible that my cloak is made from the famous Felix's bag. Its amazing what I can pull out of it when needed."

Bestiary frowns just a touch at the name but makes no comment. To Harlequin she says, "I do not think he will still be here. He is brave, too brave, but not stupid."

Harlequin continues to hold the chalk out. "I did not think he was. But if you run across him in the near future? Well, better prepared than not, no?"

Dark Horse tilts his head, thinking about it. "He was considering blind siding me when I was looking for him. At least I think so, now that I replay things in my head."

Bestiary looks at Dark Horse. "Or stealing from your pockets? The pockets of a meta, I think, are just what could tempt him to be too brave."

Harlequin shakes his head. "Not all metas would take that well. Think if he tried to pick of Dr Destroyer for instance."

Jian says, "He doesn't have any."

Dark Horse chuckles. "Then he's an idiot. Especially if I nearly spotted him in the first place."

Harlequin looks over at Jian. "He doesn't? No wonder he is so out of sorts. One needs pockets." His tone is deadpan.

Jian says, "I'll tell him for you."

Harlequin chuckles. "As you will." His attention turns back to Bestiary. "May one ask what you planned to do with the thief if you caught him, Madame bestiary?"

Bestiary looks at Jian, her eyes flickering to Jian's equipment. She clearly understood the connection.

Jian sees the glance from Bestiary, "What?!" She asks irritatedly.

Bestiary says to Harlequin, "I intended to give him to the police, after he returned some things. The owners of those things might have done worse."

Harlequin sighs. "Has he been stealing from the Triads?"

Bestiary answers Jian plainly, since she asks. "You mother is a villain, your father is Wolfguard, you know Doctor Destroyer. I am surprised that you thought *me* to be a thief."

Dark Horse raises a brow again...but doesn't interject. Instead, he just...keeps quiet.

Jian says, "So my mother is a villain. So what. I didn't have any choice in who my mother is. Nobody asked me while I was in the womb if I wanted a change of location. And my father is a good man. I don't know what this Wolfguard you spoke of is but insult my father and I'll finish the ass kicking I was giving you.""

Harlequin listens to the exchange between Bestiary and Jian with open curiosity as his head turns back and forth like he's watching a tennis match. But he does remain silent.

Dark Horse coughs. "Wolfguard is a society of assassins. Your equipment bears an uncanny resemblance to their equipment." He then adds..."Umm...just so you know."

Bestiary says, in a softer tone, "I made no accusations against you. But you wanted to know why I was looking at you so."

Jian sputters for a moment, her face showing anger and confusion. Then she whirls on her heels and storms off.

Bestiary frowns. "I'm sorry. I have offended your friend."

Harlequin watches Jian turn and storm off, then looks back to Bestiary. "I imagine the young woman did not know. A hard way to find out, no?" He follows up with the question, "So, who is Silk Dragon?"

Dark Horse nods. "I'm not familiar with her, I don't think.

Bestiary shakes her head. "Perhaps I should say no more. She is, or was, what you would call a supervillain, in China. We met when I was a young and foolish hero."

Dark Horse folds his arms. "If it's a matter of public records, we're likely to find out anyway, you know."

"Then find out. THe records, no doubt, can tell you more than I could, anyway. But I have no wish to upset your friend further."

Harlequin shrugs. "Well, she is not really my friend when one gets down to brass tacks as they say. Never met her, but she seems a nice enough sort. For a hero." He holds out a gloved hand, "Ah, and that reminds me: I am Harlequin. Nice to meet you."

Harlequin the disks fade away as he raises his hand.

Lorelei shakes Harlequin's hand. "They call me, in English, Bestiary."

Bestiary shakes Harlequin's hand. "They call me, in English, Bestiary."

Dark Horse extends his hand as well to Bestiary. "Dark Horse."

Lorelei shakes Dark Horse's hand too. To judge by her face, she recognises the name.

Harlequin glances over Dark Horse. "The famous Dark Horse? The urban legend?" One can hear the smile in his voice. "I thought you'd be moodier."

Dark Horse raises a brow. "Moodier? Why would you think that?"

Harlequin tilts his head. "Well, one expects urban legends to be brooding figures only half seen in the shadows. Of course, I read the National Questioner and Knox Pooley /could/ be biased."

Dark Horse chuckles. "Ah. So I've heard, yes. Silver Spider can't shut up about him."

Bestiary refrains from commenting. She's found that people can be touchy when one suggests that the free press can be as biased as a state-run press.

Harlequin looks between Dark Horse and Bestiary. "So, invisbile, inaudible youth who needs a bath. Any more details? Any sense of his size for instance?"

Bestiary says, "Not yet... grown to a man. He is still thin, with the muscles of a boy." She speaks slowly, seeming to he having a bit of difficulty finding the exact English words. "I cannot be certain though: I was on him only briefly."

Dark Horse nods. "So, not very strong, then?"

"No."

Harlequin nods. "Long hair? Did you feel it brush against you?"

"I do not know."

Harlequin hmms. "Clothed I am assuming?"

"Yes. But as I said, I touched him only for a moment."

Dark Horse nods. "Hmm. Well, I'll keep an eye out, now that I know what kind of thing I'm looking for."

Harlequin murmurs, "And I am certain he will cherish that moment, madame." He then muses, "I wonder if he speaks Cantonese or Mandarin. Or if he selected this area because of the high density of foot traffic." He glances around. "A good area to be a dip I imagine. Although easier if one is Chinese..or invisible."

"I think... not Chinese," says Bestiary, hesitantly. "It is hard to say the reason. The smell... maybe what he eats."

Harlequin murmurs absently as he looks down the street. "Dairy products. It makes the sweat smell different."

Dark Horse tilts his head a little bit. "Curious. I didn't know that."

Harlequin waves a hand. "I am a fount of the trivial."

Dark Horse nods. "That...could mean any number of things, really. Perhaps he hits stores around town."

Bestiary remarks, "I could perhaps tell you more, if I lived as a dog all the time. But I do not know what all the smells mean!"

Harlequin shrugs. "Or that he is not Chinese as Bestiary's nose tells her. Of course, that just broadens the field." He sighs. "I will have to rustle grasses I suppose. I don't want the young idiot to get himself hurt."

Bestiary says, "There is someone I could ask about him, if I can think of the right questions."

Harlequin looks over at Bestiary. "A seer?"

Bestiary seems unsure of the word. "A... speaker of the truth."

Harlequin tilts his head. "That is even more rare. My sympathies to your friend."

Dark Horse raises a brow as he listens. "Hmm.

Bestiary nods. "It is a curse - a real curse - he does not say much."

Harlequin murmurs, "Hard to know what to ask someone who speaks the truth. I suppose if the youth is in immediate danger of losing his life, but that does not help find him."

Bestiary nods. "I could get a description, if he is not always invisible. Perhaps where he lives, by ... trying many places."

Dark Horse nods again slowly. "Anything I would try would be much more...mundane."

Bestiary nods again. "I will ask. He may say nothing. Sometimes he is afraid to speak, I think."

Harlequin nods. "His description and a general area would likely be enough, yes. I could scry for him then." He nods at Bestiary's words. "I understand. And if he does not, well, there are other ways. Traps can be set."

Bestiary nods. "Yes. But if we are too slow, he may walk into someone else's trap."

Harlequin sighs. "Has he shown a preference for a certain type of mark?"

Dark Horse says, "And who is looking for him? You've mentioned this 'someone else' a couple of times now."

Bestiary says, "Sometimes he seems just to take from anyone. Sometimes he chooses people who might have interesting things, or powerful people." She remains rather vague about this.

Dark Horse raises a brow, "And since this is Chinatown, should I assume you're referring to someone working for Lee?"

Harlequin glances over at Bestiary. "Sometimes he choses people with a gerat deal of pride?"

Bestiary says, "Most likely both."

Harlequin shakes his head with a muttered, "Idiot."

Dark Horse nods slowly, looking around again at the crowd now moving around.

"But I don't think he's taken anything... important. Yet."

Harlequin shrugs. "I agree that time is of the essence. He needs to be reined in before he outruns his luck." He glances around. "Well, I cannot do anything here. So I will be off." He bows to Bestiary then nods to Dark Horse.

Bestiary nods. "I should also go." And she turns into a swift on the spot.

Dark Horse nods to both. "Hmm. Catch you both another time."

Bestiary flies off quickly.

Harlequin murmurs, " I be reached through HeroNet or a message left at Past Times, Dark Horse. Not that I expect you will need my help."

Dark Horse nods. "One never knows...it's good to know people."

Harlequin chuckles. "Quite true. Be safe, Dark Horse." He then fades from sight with a brief burst of dispalced air.

Dark Horse uses his swingline to climb back up to the rooftops, and recoils it.