Description: Katelynn is accosted by some meanies in Chinatown, and interrupts some shady goings on involving Vince and someone else.
Another night, another need for raw components. Creating his own series of daggers has a tax of its own - it requires raw steel. Raw steel isn't exactly common merchandise, unless one knows where to look. Shipping industries don't like sending raw steel to minors, either. Go figure. Fortunately for Vince, he's found a rather cheap, discreet dealer to provide him with all the steel he needs on a regular basis. The guy might not be the up and up on the legal side, but Vince doesn't really care. He gets steel whenever he needs it at a low rate - that's what matters.
So the young noble is making his way discretely to the Chinese vendor, skulking along alleyways and sticking primarily to shadows. His black gear helps to camoflouge him in this way, and the eyewear - so far as he's concerned - is enough mask to keep people from immediately connecting him with any dealings here. Or maybe it'll do the opposite. Who knows?
Okay, so Vince just likes the outfit. It makes him look roguish and rakish.
Southtown is like New York City or one of those other big cities of the world, in that the city never sleeps, both literally and actually. There are always places open, like diners for a bite to eat, bookstores and coffee shops where you can read a book and/or grab a cup of coffee, movie theaters where you can catch a flick, and, of course, there's public transportation running as well in case you don't have a ride, although majority of the transit in Southtown seems to be rail based, although some bus lines still run. Nonetheless, it's a city that never sleeps. Unfortunately, that's not always a good thing.
Chinatown, while a great tourist attraction and a fun place to check out by day, is known to have some rather dangerous spots and individuals lurking at night. Gangs, muggers, and thugs tend to hang out in alleyways ready to strike at innocent passersby, while shady dealers tend to deal their wares in the darkness where the public won't exactly see them that easily. As a result, those who have to pass through Chinatown on foot usually do so rather quickly, and in groups rather than alone.
So one might think it strange to see Katie Molina, a.k.a. Katelynn, walking through Chinatown on her own at this hour of night, casually striding along like it's nothing to her. Seeing how she's young and rather attractive, it could easily attract unwanted attention. And in fact, there's already some unwanted attention possibly nearby, as a scroungy looking man steps out of the shadows and approaches Katelynn from the side. "Hey, little girl, it's kinda dark out here. Why don't you and I--"
BAM!
The thug is abruptly cut off by a sideways elbow strike, smashing him directly in the windpipe, causing him to stagger backwards and tumble over a nearby newspaper vending machine. It draws the attention of some people inside of an all-night Chinese food restaurant, who rush outside to see what the commotion is all about, but Katelynn is nowhere to be found, as she simply shrugged it off and continued on her way. She doesn't realize it, though, but she's approaching the general area where Vince and his dealer are.
The brief would-be fight is of no concern to Vince. It ended pretty quick, and that area is populated enough to not warrant his intervention. The commotion gets a brief glance over his shoulder, though.
That, however, is about it.
Vince scurries the remainder of the way to the vendor, an elderly Chinese man with a Fu Manchu deal going on. Long beard, droopy moustache, eyes squinted with age, and head balding. He brightens a little as the young man approaches - distinctly recognizable, not only by his odd outfits but by the number of times he's been by.
Vince, once he's arrived at the small, disheveled vendor stand, inclines his head in greeting to the old man. "It is time again."
When you're in a dangerous spot like this, especially when it's night time out, the best course of action would not to stop to stare at anyone or anything, especially the former, nor should you take out your wallet or stop to tie your shoe (the latter not applying to Katelynn since she's wearing boots with a slight heel to them, so they zip up instead of lace up,) but you just keep walking instead. And that's exactly what Katelynn seems to be doing for the most part, just walking along and not paying heed to anyone. The poor thug who accosted her is being tended to by the patrons of the restaurant, who is in disbelief as to what just happened. Most of the patrons would only catch a faint glimpse of Katelynn as she walks away.
"OK," The woman thinks to herself as she gets closer to the alleyway where Vince and his business partner are doing their exchange, "The subway station is across the street. Once I get there, I can head back to my hotel." She starts towards it, her boots clicking on the pavement as she approaches the station. She doesn't take heed of the alleyway that Vince is in, because at this time, a biker thug comes up from behind her and grabs her in a chokehold, pressing a knife to her neck.
"You resist and you die! Now do as I tell you or--"
"YAAH!" *WHAM*
The biker thug is caught off-guard by Katelynn's karate prowess, and finds himself not only losing the grip on his victim, but also getting a roundhouse kick to the side of the face, sending him into a nearby parked car. Unfortunately, its alarm immediately begins to blare, breaking the silence of the night almost immediately.
"Oh $#!%, of all the times," Katelynn thinks to herself, watching the helpless thug slump to the ground. She looks between the subway station and here, wondering if she should run or just wait and try to explain what just happened here.
She doesn't know about Vince and the dealer in the alley, which means she has no idea about what could happen next.
Vince is about to carry on with the deal, as is the old man, until voices are heard at the end of the alley. A rosette is slid half into his gloved hand immediately, and a look is shot back to spy Katelynn. But apparently, things are handled well enough. It's, at most, an inconvenient bout of noise pollution. So Vince slides the dagger back into his belt and he looks back to the dealer.
The Chinaman doesn't look terribly thrilled, however. And it only grows worse when the sirens sound in the area. "<Go! Go away!>," he fusses in Mandarin. "<Come back when the police are away!>" Boney fingers wave, shooing the masked rogue back.
Vince does as bidded, inching back a few steps at first, then turning to move out of the alleyway in full, heedless of Katelynn. If he intends to keep his steel income, he'll pretty much have to find somewhere to lay low until the fuzz leaves. And steel is necessary.
As Katelynn dusts her hands off, she looks around to make sure she's not being spied upon by anyone else, like those from the biker gang or maybe someone who's not too thrilled about having their car alarm set off late at night. Of course, it's a surprise nobody's coming to investigate right away, but then again people are used to the sound of car alarms a lot of the time it seems. But that still doesn't mean Katelynn's not suspicious.
"If anybody's around here," Katelynn yells out with a voice of authority and sternness, "Then come out and show yourself! I'm not gonna kill you... Unless you try to kill me first." Hopefully, the half-conscious thug that's now starting to regain full consciousness will serve as a backup to that statement.
Vince pauses on the edge of the alleyway and squints at the woman. He recognizes her. She helped at Pacific. Has a bit of an ego, if his memory serves him.. and apparently cocky as sin. Considering how close he now is to her, and her question.. well..
"I don't think you would be awarded the luxury of even starting to kill someone, if you've not even noticed -me-," Vince states plainly, a hint of agitation on his face. She's interrupted his exchange, shady as they might be! "Now if you're finished making a spectacle of yourself, might I suggest you move along before someone accuses you of car jacking?"
Regardless of her answer, the young man turns curtly on heel and begins moving down the sidewalk, specifically away from the alley.
Cocky? Spectacle? Is that how Vince considers Katelynn to be acting? Wait, that's supposed to be Vince?!
Katelynn can't believe it, that's the person who she worked alongside at Pacific High to defeat Aprile, but now listen to him and look at the way HE is acting. He's acting all stealthy and stuff, hanging around in alleyways and stuff. And Katelynn carjacking stuff? What is this guy on?
"You think I'm being making a spectacle of myself, huh? I doubt you'd say that again to my face, you punk! In fact, I don't even think I wanna know what you were doing in that alley, but I'm sure the police might," Katelynn says, sneering and folding her arms. She pauses, watching Vince to see what he does next. She wasn't exactly hoping for a fight, but now that Vince has gotten her motor revved, things could change. It's all up to Vince though.
Vince seems utterly disinterested in a fight, instead opting to just continue on his way and keep his head clear. But he does pause long enough to shoot an annoyed look over his shoulder at her. His right hand lifts to twiddle carelessly in the air in a 'whooptie-doo' gesture. "You never get tired of hearing yourself talk, do you? -I- am minding my own business and not causing trouble. Can't say the same for you."
And then he continues, moving into a separate alley in the next block. As soon as he's out of sight in the cover of darkness, he hops against one brick wall to spring back in the opposite direction. A little technique he's been working on for quick ascension, and it pays off well enough, leaving him soon atop a building.
Seeing Vince run away the way he is, Katelynn ponders following him, but then she remembers just how agile he is, based on what he did just now, and given that it's late at night and there could be other people watching who might get the wrong idea, she decides it's best not to pursue him. Besides, there's still that thug getting up who might want her attention. So Katelynn turns to face him, scowling hard as she assumes a fighting stance as the biker, who's a bit dazed and slightly bloodied, gets onto his feet.
"Unh... ohhh..." The biker says as he looks up, not sure what to make of the woman standing in front of him. As he shakes the stars out of his head, though, he realizes just who he's up against. His eyes go wide and his hands go up beside him. "N-no, stay away from me, please!" He says, obviously trembling at the thought of being beaten up by a woman again. He takes a few steps back and then turns around and runs away, muttering something about, "Beaten by a girl, what're the guys gonna think?!"
As soon as he's out of sight, Katelynn smirks and kicks a rock into the street with the toe of her boot. "What a wimp, probably going home to cry to mommy, who's gonna yell at him for being out late, and then ground him for a week!" Her smirk fades, though, as she remembers Vince, who was eccentric enough as is, but what the hell was he doing in an alleyway like that? And what's up with his act?
Shrugging, Katelynn decides that's something for another night, since it's late and she doesn't want to be giving people the wrong impressions. She heads across the street and down the stairs into the subway station. She sighs a little as the well lit atmosphere replaces the barely-lit streets of the night. She heads for the platforom to get the train that will take her back to her hotel. A shower and a good night's sleep should take care of what's happened tonight.
Log created on 21:27:56 07/08/2008 by Katelynn, and last modified on 23:03:29 07/08/2008.