redjacketthief | 2nd Turn: [Video/Action]

[The video feed opens to a slightly manic grin on the face of the (in)famous thief, Arsene Lupin III. He is dressed in his usual attire of a brilliant red suit jacket and--mysteriously--is carrying a jitte that definitely does not belong to him. The only other thing that seems out of order is his hair which, although hastily shoved into place with the aid of water, appears intent on not staying in its usual slicked back style. That is not what draws the viewer's attention--it's the high energy, mischievous look in his eyes.

The camera wobbles slightly. He's at the fountain, and very obviously walking circles around the perimeter of it. He starts to speak, brandishing the jitte around as he makes his points.]

Good Morning, People of Luceti!! I've been here for a couple of weeks now, and I thought it was high time I made my official introduction to the rest of you. You may have heard mentions of me from a certain Sassy Little Kitten, Mine Fujiko, or from a certain determined Old Man, Inspector Zenigata Koichi--rest assured. I am here now. Any complaints you may have heard about me from them is now, from this day forward, thus alleviated.

Oh, but you'll be wanting my name, won't you? I am the One, the Only, Arsene Lupin III--international man of mischief and connoisseur of fine art and wine! Ladies, ladies. Take your time. You'll get your turn soon enough!

Now, now. Since we're all trapped in this place, and since I'm sure my reputation has preceeded me, feel free to contact me if you need a partner for a job or just someone to ease your lonliness. I may be a rogue, but I don't bite.

Hard.

[His tone hardens at this point, taking on an edge of knife-like severity. Underneath the mischief in his eyes lies a bold determination and aura of command.]

And, to any unseen and unheard audiences out there who may be listening in, I warn you: I won't stop at anything, I won't be quiet, and I won't make your job easy. I don't know what you were thinking in bringing me here, and I don't think I want to know. Keep in mind, though, that I'm very capable of making your lives miserable.

[He lets the words hang in the air for a lengthy beat, staring hard into the camera. Then, as quickly as it came, the mood vanished.]

Oh. Pops. I think I kinda grabbed your Jitte there. You can have it back when you want it--but I can see why you bring it around some times. It's pretty fun to wave around! [He grins like an idiot as he ends his announcement.]

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"That's a TRADE SECRET you know!" There was more laughter. He was higher than the moon, riding the adrenaline that surged through his veins.

Lupin broke through the next nearest window and into an unoccupied bedroom.
He nicked a feather filled pilllow and slammed the door behind him, darting once more for the staircase.

"MATTE!"

Zenigata leaped through the window as well, landing in a crouch and bursting through the door. This time, he took a chance and threw his long-rope cuffs at the thief, not expecting a hit but one never knew...

Lupin met the floor face first, and realized in that moment that he'd been cuffed around the ankle.

The thief rolled on to his back, holding onto the feather pillow as if it were a shield. "Just this one time then, kay? Please don't be too rough!"

He smiled prettily at the Inspector from underneath the lady's hat, and drove his taunting home with a mockingly flirtatious wink.

Zenigata made an irritated face, and yanked hard on the cuffs, hoping to reel in the lascivious thief.

"Get over here goddammit!"

Lupin allowed himself to be reeled in for the moment--his manic grin and the mischievous gleam in his eyes should have been warning enough.

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay~" The sugary sweetness of his tone should also have been a warning sign.

The poor, innocent feather pillow that had done nothing wrong in the entirety of its existance was suddenly ripped asunder and thrown at the detective's face with the intent to distract.

Zenigata is very much distracted by the cloud of feathers. He swats them away, momentarily loosening his grip.

"Uhhhwaaah?" he kind of grunts, confused.

That second is all Lupin needed to free is bound ankle. He flips over onto his feet and make a mad dash for the stairwell again, grinning cheerfully and waving.

"ABAYO TOTT-SAAAAAAN!!!"

Zenigata roars and charges after the thief, leaping up the first few stairs and continuing on without a hitch.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!!!!"

He began to gain on Lupin, the bounding strides his long legs giving him a bit of an edge on an upstairs chase.

"MATTE!!!!!"

Lupin continues his mad dash up the steps, admittedly feeling the dull pain of exertion at this point. His muscles were tiring, his lungs were starting to burn.

Usually there was a car, or a bike, or something he could catch a ride on to make a clean get away. Not in this case.

He scrambled around the corners and onto the third level, making a beeline toward Zenigata's apartment and for the pile. Maybe he unconsciously stole something that would be useful--he was hoping for that, anyway. Judging by the pile, it was likely so much junk of the sort that a child would nick from a grocery store.

Zenigata charges onward, his legs moving like a pistons. He's not letting this one get away. But every time he gets close, the thief put on a burst of speed and slipped just out of his grasp. Eventually, the chase led the pair back to Zenigata's apartment. Lupin dashed inside, and the Inspector slowed, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Wonder what he's up to..."

Lupin dives for the pile in a desperate move, and starts digging through the rubbish for something--anything--that he could use to throw Zenigata off of his guard. Even an octopus was welcome, although Lupin would regret ever picking it up and throwing at the inspector very quickly.

The stuffed kangaroos, books, assortment of panties, and wooden spoons offer him nothing. He sighs, hangs his head, and knows what he has to do.

He grabs a stuffed panda and approaches the door. "Pops? We both know I can't get anywhere. Want to call a truce for now?"

Zenigata, having taken his momentary breather, opens the door slowly and nods. The only reason he chased was that Lupin ran. Sort of a reflex at this point.
"Yea, we can. That whole barrier thing kinda takes away a bit of the fun after all," Zenigata grins, indicating that he's not really angry. The chase was something they both lived for, despite their different perspectives.

"But we gotta return this junk, and its harder since you were sleep-thieving. Only thing I can think of is that we have a yard sale or something. Blame it on the Shift and nobody will be mad that you took their...pandas, or panties."

Lupin doesn't want to admit to the sleep-thieving but, as much as it hurts his pride, he has to admit that Zenigata is right. He smiles sheepishly himself, and offers the stuffed panda as a gesture of his truce.

"So I don't need to tell you that I don't remember taking any of this then? Good--that's a load off. I, uh...don't know how to justify this myself."

He grinned, not without irony. "You are aware that this means war, right?"

Zenigata accepts the panda, giving it a little squeeze. *Squeak!*

"War with who? Our ever so generous hosts?"

The inspector's tone is low, as though he wants to be sure it stays just between the two of them. He's fairly certain there are no Malnosso allies among the villagers, but one never knows.

Lupin rolls his eyes, as if the answer were obvious. "Of course. I don't like having my brain messed with Pops."

He didn't know how, and he didn't know when, but he now had more fuel driving him to try.

"You and me both, Lupin."

Zenigata didn't know what else to say, he just flops down in a recliner, tossing his hat onto a table. It'd been a long time since he'd run like that. Nearly 6 months in fact. He would never admit it, but he enjoyed the chase. It was always exciting, and Luceti just didn't offer enough of that...

"Good to hear," Lupin said. He sets to work himself at pushing the pile of junk to the side so that the apartment is livable again. He casually tosses some items to the side, ordering like items with like in an informal method of organization. Though he doesn't say it, he's still searching for something that could be useful--lock picks, tension wrenches, cameras, paper goods that aren't monitored by the Malnosso...

"I miss New York," he muttered at length. "I miss Paris. I miss Tokyo. I miss Sao Paulo. This place...is too quiet. I don't like it."

He hadn't even been there for a month; he could only imagine how Pops, Goemon, and especially Fujiko must have felt.

2nd Turn: [Video/Action]

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