4th Turn [Action/Voice]

[redjacketthief]

[Residents of Community House 5 may have noticed a flurry of activity from a furtive man in red recently, predominantly in the wee hours of the morning or in the dead of night. The sounds of haphazard bumps and thwacks may have woken them up on ocassion, and the lingering scent of gunpowder may have made them wonder what the hell was going on in that room on the sixth level of the building.

Don't worry. It's just the resident master thief, Arsene Lupin III, finally moving out of Inspector Zenigata's apartment and into his own,  conducting a little mad science while in the process.

...and not everything is going as planned for him. A loud explosion bursts from room #30, breaking the peace of the wintery way. Smoke follows, billowing forth from the windows.

There's a lot of swearing in French.

More, smaller booms follow. The sound of doors slamming, bodies falling, and feet running through the corridors can be heard.

...

Sorry, Luceti. Lupin will stop trying to make smoke bombs for a while.]

Voice:

Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm just doing science here...

[A thud--something big has fallen.]

Don't worry--I have it under control. I'm a professional, you know!

...shimatta...

[The feed cuts out with more gratuitous swearing as another large something or other falls over.]

Comments

[redjacketthief]

((Dammit, now we need mood music!))

[The freezing cold is the first thing that registers to the thief. The second? A rampaging Zenigata. Backed into a corner as he is, he does the first thing that comes to mind--and barrels forward.

All lanky arms and legs, he easily twists passed the Inspector, and even moves to lift the signature brown fedora in the process. Grinning, he hops backward a few paces.]

You know what? I just remembered I had a date down at Seventh Heaven today. I have a relationship I need to ruin, you know!

[With that, Lupin is out the door.]

Lupin: "UMADBRO?" Pops: "I'M REAL MAD!"

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata skitters to a stop, almost slipping on the white foam, but it doesn't take him long to realize that bastard stole his hat.

Roaring with now rekindled fury, he whirls and starts the chase yet again. He manages to rip the door off its hinges on his way out somehow. Perhaps that yeti thing isn't QUITE under control just yet?]

GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!!

[redjacketthief]

[Already down the hall, the creaking and snapping of his door is very clearly audible. He spins, and running backward, looks askance at the Inspector.]

Hey!! YOU'RE RUINING MY ROOM!!!

[Forget running away--he barrels ahead toward Zenigata and makes a leap as he draws near, shoving his hat in his face in an attempt to blind him. Distraction complete, he races to the other end of the hall.]

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata fumbles with the hat, momentarily distracted indeed. He clumsily replaces it and charges off after Lupin]

OI! OI! GET BACK HERE YOU!!!

[redjacketthief]

[He's already on the stairs Pops, though he hears you roar. He can roar just as loud, you know.]

NEVEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata just charges off after the thief, twirling handcuffs from nowhere.]

GET BACK HERE! MATTE MATTE MATTEEEEEE!

[redjacketthief]

[Too bad--he's already down to the next level, and contemplating the ramifications of a window-leap.]

NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata barrels after Lupin. He's got a 50/50 chance of catching the thief on any given day, depending on various things. Down the stairs, around the corner. The old song and dance...]

[redjacketthief]

[Too bad, Pops. You're not catching him today. The window is within reach--residents should at least be glad that he wasted a few prescious seconds opening it.

He stops, looks back, and grins at the charging Inspector.]

See ya, Pops!

[And OUT HE GOES!!!]

[greatinspector]

[And out goes Pops. Yes, the old man jumped right out that window and into a nearby tree.]

NOT THIS TIME BUSTER!

[redjacketthief]

[Lupin completely missed the tree, and instead barrel-rolled on the ground as a means of softening his fall. He was fine however--COMPLETELY FINE--and took off toward town.]

BUH-BAAAIII~~~~!!!!!!

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata fireman slides down the tree, chasing off while twirling cuffs and dusting leaves out of his coat]

NUUUHH-UHHHH, NOT TODAY!

[redjacketthief]

[Still running like a madman, laughing between shouting.]

You'll never catch me!! NEVER!!!

[greatinspector]

[Here it comes. The windup, and the pitch! Zenigata hurls a pair of cuffs like a bola, straight at Lupin's legs!]

Dammit! I'll get you this time!

[redjacketthief]

[and SCORE!! Zenigata has cuffed One (1) Master Thief by the ankle!

Lupin's momentum keeps him moving regardless, and he ends up faceplanting in the dirt, not having made it very far. Now covered in soot and mud, he makes for a very sorry sight.]

Pops!? [Twisting around onto his feet as Zenigata comes barreling in.] What are you going to do with me now!?

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata trots up, and flashes the thief a grin]

Nothin'. Just this. [He reaches down and tap Lupin on the shoulder]

Tag. Your it.

[and then he begins to walk away, leaving his old nemesis trussed up in the mud]

1/2

[redjacketthief]

...Tag, huh...?

[redjacketthief]

THIS MEANS WAR!!!!!

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata waves casually over his shoulder]

Yea, yea. It's always so dramatic with you. See ya later, Lupin.

[redjacketthief]

[It takes little effort to unlatch the cuff around his ankle, and Lupin subsequently launches himself full force at the Inspector. He makes a mad, flying leap toward the bear of a man.]

NOT THIS TIME!!!

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata was expecting this, and being the master of Judo that he is, the bear of a man moves surprisingly fast, sidestepping the thief entirely.]

Nope.

[And then, he takes off, laughing]

[redjacketthief]

[Undeterred, Lupin touches down and leaps off after Zenigata, panting but giddy. This wasn't the game he was looking for, but it was a game.

Role reversal. Pops was a genius!]

Hey! Come back here!!!

[Yeah. He's getting into it.]

[greatinspector]

[Zenigata barreled across the open ground, heading towards town...]

You're not gonna catch me, you bastard!

[Give Lupin a new game...get his mind off blowing things up. He's not considered a genius cop for nothing!]

[redjacketthief]

[Pops had the advantage. He was taller, and more used to strenuous physical activity than Lupin. With no bolas and no vehicles, he was going to need to be clever about this.

Not that he would stop having fun.]

DAMMIT POPS!! MATTE MATTE!! [It was almost fun as roaring Zenigata's old standby of 'TAIHOU DAA!']

[greatinspector]

CAN'T CATCH ME YA BASTARD!

[and away he goes, working his arms and legs in that standard Zenigata fashion. ZENIGATA AWAY!!!!]