Log:A Pickpocket in Chinatown, Scene 5

A Pickpocket in Chinatown 2010/11/08 	 Jian Triple Sec One Man Army Weakspot|"the creepy guy" Gamma (sighting) 5

Leading on from the last scene, Jian and Triple Sec follow the creepy guy.

The creepy guy walks up to Ming St and turns onto it.

The creepy guy seems to have spotted Triple Sec on the rooftop. This may contribute to him not spotting the tail. He walks tight on the left side of Ming Street to stop Triple Sec from being able to see him.

Just for the sheer bravado of it, one of the forms Chen takes briefly during the following is that of a One Man Army clone.

Triple Sec looks down, frowning behind his helmet before he sighs and drops down into the nearest alley he can while following. Then assumes his 'civilian' form and pops out to look for the creepy guy again.

Creepy-guy doesn't seem to react to Chen much in this form at all, but for the slightest nod of greeting. However the nearest instance of One Many Army does notice Chen, it seems - at least he's coming this way.

Chen mentally debates facing off with the on-coming OMA and telling him that 'I quit!' but sadly the following job has to take priority. Ducking into a shop she quickly changes form again and leaves the shop as another Chinese woman, this time carrying apparently a large shopping bag.

Just as Chen is re-emerging creepy-guy stops in his tracks and looks about suddenly.

Michael stops to pick up a newspaper as his eyes keep track of the creepy guy to the best of his ability.

Luckily he doesn't seem to recognise Chen in the new form, and it's hard to identify Michael as anyone out of the ordinary.

Chen guesses that if Creepy guy is checking for followers he'll except anyone doing so to try and duck out of sight. So she ambles at the normal pace towards a market stall nearer him.

He starts on his way again, this time more obviously looking out.

Creepy Guy frowns and changes direction, heading into a restaurant.

Michael tilts his head, frowning as well before he looks to see if the restaurant has a bench or something he can sit on. If it does, he walks over to sit, looking at the paper while looking out the corner of his eye to try and spot the creepy guy.

Chen looks around for a small group of kids playing. If she spots a suitable group she goes and tells them she'll stand them all an ice cream if they play along as being her offspring while in the restaurant.

Unfortunately someone must have told these kids not to talk to strangers....

Creepy Guy just orders some lunch. He's looking about in just the way he did in the coffee shop, though. One Man Army - well, one of him - meanwhile approaches the restaurant.

Chen laughs and gives then $20 anyway. Then she hurriedly finds a spot to change form, becoming a teen girl rather than staying as a woman before entering the restaurant.

Creepy Guy watches everyone entering the restaurant carefully.

Chen enters the restaurant and rushes through it to the ladies room. There she changes form, knowing that Creepy hasn't been in the restaurant himself long enough to know who was already in there. Coming out she is powdering her face, a middle aged tourist not from Chinatown and not Chinese.

Creepy Guy watches tourist-Chen as well. But no more than he watches several other people, Michael included.

Otherwise, he just just waits for his lunch.

Michael hms as he reads the paper, eyes taking in some of the stories as he keeps an eye on the creepy guy waiting for his lunch.

Chen waits for the second of third time Creepy looks at her in the new guise, and stares straight back. "What's your problem, Mister? What are you looking at?" She says loudly, the idea being to do the things that a sneaky follower would never do to divert his suspicion.

Creepy Guy responds(?) by silently walking outside again abruptly without waiting for his food. One Man Army is by this point looking into the restaurant.

Chen stands and seems at first to be intent on going after the Creepy man. But then she turns and heads back into the ladies room. Once in there she morphs again back to the teenager and exits from the restaurant. After this, she switches to trying some actual stealth and sneaking, just like the monks taught her.

The change of tactics seems to work. At least, Creepy Guy still seems to be watching the restaurant's exit, not where Chen now is.

Creepy Guy makes his way further up Ming St then turns off down a side street.

Chen takes the next opportunity when she can to morph again. This time she'll take a leave from Bestiary's book and change into a large well groomed dog, complete with collar and name tag, 'Goldie'.

Chen reaches the corner of the side street just in time to see Creepy Guy being admitted into a house there.

Chen makes a mental note of the house, and phones the address to Ernst to be passed onto Lorelei. Then she checks for any OMA clone, and if none in her sight, morphs to a copy of one and goes knock on the door of the house.

As it happens, a One Man Army duplicate is in the side street.

Michael gets to following, hmming as he eyes one of the OMAs running around, but otherwise follows the creepy guy. Narrowing his eyes a bit as he sees the house, he begins to do something normally not done for a law abiding detective. Consider breaking and entering. He begins to look for exits among other things.

Chen goes over to Michael. "Hello again." comes from someone looking unlike anyone he's seen before. "Got any ideas about getting inside?"

Michael ignores Chen as he looks around. "... I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken with someone else."

One of Lee's metas is overlooking the place. Hard to tell who she is at this distance. [She is later discovered to be Gamma.]

Chen says, "No. I take you for the same obnoxious guy who was lecturing me at the coffee shop."

Subsequent investigation reveals the house is one Tim Lee's strongholds, where the Chinatown metas hang out.