Lupin The Roleplay! The Official Thread. Sometimes NSFW

[DrFurball]

Well, it was worth a shot. 

Melon's wrist stung a bit from Lupin's kick.  The green-jacketed thief tossed his signature P-38 at the cop, but not before removing the clip.  Catching it with his good hand, Melon noticed a familiar form entering the room.  Black fedora, with a matching suit and Magnum...which happened to be pointed straight at him.  Daisuke Jigen wasn't too amused by his actions, it seemed. 

"Don't even think of tryin' anything, fucker."  Melon put on his signature crooked grin.  "You know my speed. Pops, call your dog off, we ain't got time for that shit."  Zenigata looked over at Jigen. "I gave him a warning earlier, but you know he wouldn't even listen to his grandmother."

As Jigen went to assist Lupin, Melon watched Zenigata as he made his way towards the injured. That's when he finally noticed the bodies strewn about.  His grin drooped into a concerned frown as he felt a sinking sensation in his chest.  I hate to admit it, but maybe Zeni-baby's right about this one.  Can't do much with my arm like this, though. 

He looked to his right and saw an officer on the ground near him.  It was a woman, with long brown hair spread across the floor.  She wasn't moving.  Neither was the mustached man a few feet in front of him.  That sinking feeling was getting stronger.
"...If any of you are able to walk, try to carry anyone who can't to the fire escape... we'll need to do it fast, since we don't know how much longer this place is going to keep still," barked Zenigata.  Melon looked down at his left arm, hanging uselessly at his side.
Sorry, guys...wish I could help. 

Shifting his gaze from his fallen comrades to the others heading towards the hall, he followed behind them, keeping a close eye on Lupin and Jigen, with his right hand clutching another hidden pair of handcuffs...just in case.

[Geist_MD]

Lupin was relieved to find Jigen at his side. Thankfully it was his bad side; Jigen yanked the sleeve tight and Lupin yowled.

"Gentle as a bowel movement. Thanks. " He moved towards the end of the hall, peering towards the fire escape. "You've got a point about this place. So, since we're all safe as milk, how about we get out of here, help some of these fine french fellows out?"

Jigen fell into step next to Lupin, close enough that his low murmur would carry only as far as his partner's ears. "You in shape to rappel? If we took a dive out that window over there right now, we could be hittin' the road before Melon gets another stupid idea."

Lupin shook his head, using his good hand to slick back a locke of hair to meet the rest of them. He, likewise, hit a low tone. "Look, I-I can't. This is my fault these people are hurt, or dead. I can't explain now, but even if I could do more than left a beercan, we can't just leave these people here."He glanced to Zenigata, who was momentarily preoccupied. Melon, however, was not. "If we're right and there's another bomb, everyone in here is dead. I can't leave without getting as many out as we can."

Jigen groaned, muttering a polyglot string of expletives under his breath. The idea of leaving these people to certain death turned his stomach too, but the idea of letting his partner risk his life getting them out churned him up even more. But one glance at the look on Lupin's face, and he knew he was not going to win this argument. He was hard-pressed to think of the last time he'd ever seen him so guilt-stricken.

"Okay," he growled. "We stay and help. But if this building starts to go up, I swear I'm gonna grab you by the scruff of yer neck and drag you out the nearest window."

"First Melon, now you. Everyone just wants a grope today..."

Lupin, not waiting for a response, hopped up on the nearest table, trying desperately to block out the imminent lightheadedness that the leap accompanied.

"OKAY! If you didn't hear Professor Asschin, it's time to get the hell out of here!"  Pausing, Lupin considered: They weren't just normal folk, they were cops. He could level with them and not worry about people eating each other. "There may or may not be another bomb here, so, we gotta go! If you need help, yell!" Lupin stepped down, looking to his partner.  "How was th--" Lupin crashed to his knees, undone and out cold.

"Shit." Jigen was at Lupin's side in a flash, catching him before he could complete the faceplant. He was sorely tempted to just scoop up his unconscious partner at this point and make good with his threat to ditch this scene and take off ... but no, he had as good as given his word, so he supposed he was there to stay.  "Okay, you heard the man," he roared like a drill seargent. "Fire escape. Out that window! Move it! Let's go, let's go!" Hoisting Lupin onto his back in a fireman's carry, and fixing Melon with another glare to indicate, yep, I can still plug you in a second, punk, so don't get ideas, he began scanning the room for any other stragglers.

[Ishikawa Goemon]

Aligning the brass mekugi-nuki with a keen eye, Goemon gave it a few taps with a plastic mallet to force the mounting-pin of his katana in, just far enough to pull it free from the back of the hilt. He dropped the rivet into the box as not to lose it and dismantled the sword from there, absorbed in the intricacies of a methodical routine; his unblinking eyes, sharply focused on his work, reflected flashes on the television screen, frantic media coverage of the bombing dimming in his ears.

Holding the blade upright, he gingerly powdered both sides with the uchiko pinched between his fingers, his pinkie uplifted; how amazing, he mused, while wiping off the excess with a new piece of crumpled nuguigami, that something of such grace, finesse and fearsome strength could so brittle and easily broken, much like the human body...

A good half-hour had passed before Goemon set aside his implements and was ready to examine his handiwork, slowly turning the blade in his hand. His reflection returned his pensive gaze. Six months – six months worth of debris had been lifted away at last, a thin, even coating of high-grade oil lending it an even finer sheen. As hazy sunlight spilled in through the window and set the edge alight, he felt his throat tighten, his eyes stinging fiercely. A sense of embarrassment was sudden and reflexive, though there was no one to watch.

No time for this, he reproached himself softly, but without the usual anger as he dried them with a brush of his sleeve.

To touch something that had passed between twelve hands, to hold it consciously and appreciate the weight of its significance and sentimentality made Zantetsuken much more than a formidable cutting edge set into wood, imitated but never duplicated. It was alive, charged with the indomitable will of those who had handled it before him. It was also the torch of his clan - beginning to sputter now as he approached the later years of his life, heirless. He took a breath through the squeezing ache in his chest.

Otou-sama; I promised you I would care for this and protect this with my own life, this sword which is as much yours as it is mine, this daisho without a wakizashi...

Goemon looked up to the ceiling for a moment, as if hopefully searching for some indication of approval. But the hush that suffused the safehouse only deepened. His eyes fell shut, a small, wry smile playing his lips.

Even if his fears were to one day be realized and someone would manage to gather the elements necessary to forge a second Zantetsuken, the end result could never be identical. Let them try, he thought, and toil by the fire, motivated by poisonous greed and a hunger for power; only cold, dead metal would be pulled from the forge. It would have no soul.

[LadyLupin]

Huojin followed close behind his father's swift pace as they maneuvered their way through the rubble. His ears picked the sound of voices still inside, a small group of them he decipherable. They must be trying to find a way out, but how? Something caught his attention, an iron stair attached to the side of the building-a fire escape! Common sense would be to assume they would be headed out that way.

Cheung poised himself beneath escape. His dark eyes gazed up at the window nearest to it. "How many of you are there?" he inquired in passable French, "I am a doctor. My son and I wish to assist any injured if we can." He hoped they would be able to comprehend, despite his thick accent.

"I can help lift any injured out," Huojin called out French, being more fluent than Cheung, "You can trust us. My father doesn't think this building is a safe place to be right now. I'm sure you're probably inclined to agree."

[angelidollinda]

'Professor Asschin'? Not funny. Zenigata felt his face twitch, but reminded himself that his main priority at the moment was getting everyone out of the building safely before it collapses (or before another bomb goes off, which he secretly hoped wouldn't happen). "Alright, we're going to try walking to the fire escape..." He coaxed the rookie cop that was hanging onto his shoulder. "Try to keep up with me." The rookie whined as they began to shuffle towards the fire escape, but tried to walk the best he could. While the glass in his leg put a strain on his walking, it was still functioning normally; however, he would definitely need to get to a hospital once they got out of the building with everyone else who managed to escape. Once they reached the ancient metal steps outside, Zenigata lifted the young man's arm over his head and placed it on the railing. "I still need to get the others, try to guide yourself down the steps with the rail." The rookie didn't like the idea of escaping by himself, but the Inspector seemed to have control of the situation and knew what he was doing. He nodded towards him. "P-Please be careful, Inspecteur!"

As one survivor began to descend the fire escape, Zenigata returned to room, where he discovered Lupin was slung over Jigen's back, unconscious. 'Probably from blood loss,' He thought. 'That's what that idiot gets from pulling out that piece of glass by himself...' After helping up a woman from the corner of the room (who he was sure had a concussion, as well as a dislocated shoulder), he looked over at Jigen. "Make sure Lupin's alright. Tell him if he dies, I'll kick his ass."

[LadyLupin]

"Father," said Huojin, " I am going to fetch my first aid kit and our herbs. I shan't be too long, but we might need them until the authorities arrive."

"Very well. Take care, my son. I will assist the others until you return."

Huojin gave him a small bow. "Of course. If something happens...get out of here. I'll come back swiftly."

The younger Chinese sprinted towards his car. He disliked leaving his father alone when the person or persons who destroyed the police headquarters might still be lurking around. But he knew his father, the venerable Fu Cheung had survived through worse in his younger days. No doubt experience and cunning could protect him. For himself he would rely on rationality and his swift feet.

[Geist_MD]

Jackpot. He was rich.

Well, rich-er.

Lupin swam in a literal sea of gold, rays of light beaming through thick liquid. Those rays washed over his wet, submerged flesh and warmed him against chill. He dove, deeper into this aquatic ecstasy.

A current pushed against his chest as his feet paddled, kicking smoothly. He didn't need air. These waters were endless, and they would nourish. He dove.

Fujiko, brown hair flowing, untethered from gravity.

She pulled at his chest, grabbing the lapels of his suitjacket. She tugged him forward, pressing full lips to his. Under those deep waves, she was a mermaid; angelic.

He glanced down from her face, pleased with the view.

Until he saw scales.

That's some protection, all right.

Mermaid-jiko swam away, deep chestnut lockes shimmying as she swam away, ethereal.

Lupin, feeling clumsy in the water, swam after, into water darker all the time.

His irritated eyes began fuzzing out, as the golden sea deepened, hue changing and morphing into deep blue.

Reaching up to rub his eyes, Lupin reopened them to stare into a deep black marble.

No, not a marble. An eye.

I hate squid.

The squid, frightened, jetted off, and Lupin's vision went black. Again.

---

Deep, inky darkness met patterned obsidian, finding a middleground.

Where--

Lupin was staring into Jigen's blazer, body thrown over his shoulder.

Still feeling cold from the water, Lupin looked around, shivering a moment.

Smoke trailed up from smoldering embers and burning plastic, a computer's monitor broken and burning. Somewhere nearby, he heard the tink-tink-crunch of broken glass underfoot.

The memories rushed in after that, not flooding but not loafing, and Lupin slid himself off of Jigen's shoulder, disinterested in the cold provided by blood loss or the pain his movement caused the injury.

This is my fault.

Deciding without thinking, Lupin leapt onto a nearby desk for the second time that day, ignoring the motionsickness it caused. He needed to boost the morale of those around him, as well as his own.

"Okay! Let's get out of here! If no one needs any help around you, and you've got your running shoes on, head on up with this guy," Lupin patted Jigen's hat, flicking the brim. " and I. We're gonna get everyone outta here!"

Lupin stepped down, more slowly than last time, careful to maintain consciousness as if it were the most daring of feats. He looked to Jigen, asking with a glance:

You ready?

[angelidollinda]

Returning from the fire escape, Zenigata directed the other officers and staff to carry themselves, the wounded and casualties down the metal stairs. His head was bothering him again, possibly from breathing in the dust that was wafting in the air (and the filing cabinet that he collided into earlier). What also bothered him was the thought of the casualties that were being carried off; men and women who had families, or were planning for them. People that didn't deserve death. While he would curse about how it wasn't fair, Zenigata had already learned earlier on in his career that fairness in this world was unbalanced. Sometimes malicious people walk away unscathed, while innocent people have to suffer terrible consequences. He knew that was how the real world worked... yet, he couldn't help but childishly feel that he could save everyone. That even the greatest of evil would be punished, as long as he pushed himself hard enough and followed what he felt was the real law.

He snorted to himself, glancing downward at the floor. 'No wonder everyone at Interpol thinks I'm a lunatic.' He mumbled, humoring himself for the moment. As he was about to leave the room to go off to look for any other survivors, Lupin suddenly regained consciousness and jumped onto a desk like a chimp to a tree branch. The Inspector looked over. 'What the hell is he up to now?' He thought.

[mizducky]

Jigen was far from convinced that his partner was steady enough to be trying to move under his own steam again, but he also knew there was no arguing with the man when he got himself into action mode. He met Lupin's glance with a smirk: you know I was born ready, dude.

Keeping his eye peeled for any further stupid moves from Melon, he joined Zenigata in scanning the wreckage for any other casualties alive but needing help to free themselves. He hadda hand it to these cops--in this day and age, sadly, they'd probably all gotten anti-terrorism training, so once the initial shock had worn off, they were picking themselves and each other up and moving out pretty briskly. Already several of them had started down the fire-escape, and a queue was formed by the window to carry down those too wounded to climb down under their own power. And ol' Pops, unlike his asshole comrade Melon, was in the thick of it--even though he had looked up, startled, when Lupin had leapt up on another desk, the ol' bloodhound had the decency to put saving lives ahead of his age-old pursuit of the thief. In fact, the way he, Lupin, and Pops were busy getting everyone else down the fire escape, it looked like they could wind up being last out of the building ...

Which led his thoughts to the little matter of what would happen once he and Lupin followed everyone down onto the ground and clear of the building, and the cops had time to draw breath and realize there were a couple of wanted criminals among them. Guess they'd cross that bridge when they got to it ... or maybe he'd still make good on his threat to grab Lupin by the scruff of the neck and rappel the fuck outta there by a different route.

[LadyLupin]

Upon reaching the Jetta, a man running with great haste caught Huojin's eye. He realized the person had come from the same direction as the police station. Huojin considered the possibility that the man could have escaped ahead of the others and went to find additional help, but he couldn't be sure of it. There was something about him that kept his  mind conflicted on the matter.

"Where are you off to so fast?" he shouted out to the man in French. Either the man was in pursuit of assistance or could he be fleeing from something?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheung approached the escape as people begun to emerge. He tried to speak in legible French, in psite of his thick Manchurian accent.

"Hello! I am a doctor. My son and I wish to help you. How badly injured are those amongst you?"

[Geist_MD]

First a sprinkle, then a drizzle. The soapy ash mixed with the dirt as raindrops began to tumble and fly, falling without interest in lingering.

Shit.

Gavin's feet began to slip as he ran, and he had to focus increasingly on the movement of staying rightside-up.

From behind him, a shout. A question.

I don't have time to waste.

He slowed to a stop, and spun, drawing his weapon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Jigen, think you can outrun an injured man?"

Lupin spun, feet smashing up the stairs, first stop to fourth, then fifth.

------

Jigen, opposite Lupin's position, was down the hall, helping someone under a desk.

Lupin was aiding a man covered in glass shards, his computer's monitor having exploded outwards at him. He was lucky to still have both eyes. Where his shoulder met his neck, there was a thin, long sliver of it wedged, red trickling from it. Lupin plucked it out.

"OW!"

"Sorry, I'll put it back."

------

The fire escape was flooded with people, each man wounded in some way. Fourth had been hit the lightest, but the floor had been cramped to begin with. Combined with offices of exceptionally large glass windows, almost all of them were injured in some manner. Either way, everyone had been

"Don't forget to tip your waiters!"

Spying Zenigata on the fire escape, still helping others where needed, and making sure everything was as orderly as it could be considering the much-needed brisk pace, Lupin yelled again:

"Two casualties, but they're pinned, and we don't have time to pull 'em out!  That's all for this floor! We'll be hitting fifth next, Pops! "

------

Limber legs sprung forward, skipping steps by twos, Jigen ahead of him. He blinked, then snatched at the rail, world tilting. His vision fuzzed, then focused itself.

Can't black out. Not here, not now. Have to keep moving.

------

Fifth was almost half recreation. There was a kitchenette, and accompanying that, a room with a small TV, a couch, and a small pingpong table, long unused. Down the hall, there were archives, file cabinets stacked maybe ten feet high. It was neat.

One man lay crushed under a wave of metal cabinets, their doors thrown open, papers laying on the ground underneath pooling blood.

Two female officers were under the vending machines in the lounge.

If one could call it luck, there were no more than ten people, at most.

Lupin placed his forearm against plaster wall, leaning his head against it. He felt thick; exhausted.

"Nothing here. Let's head back, meet up with Zenigata. It might not be the best thing to do, but we have to make sure there's nothing else that needs doing."

[LadyLupin]

'Shit!' Huojin thought as he the flash of a steel pistol in the man's hand, 'Now I know you're not looking for help.' The Chinese man stood there with his hands tucked into his sport jacket. His dark eyes stayed upon Gavin the entire time. His gut instinct told him the man would shoot first and ask questions later. Better to prepare himself if it came to that.

"Is that really necessary?" Huojin asked in French. 'Yeah, you're going to shoot aren't you, bastard?' he pondered the rest in his mind, 'Just try and you'll regret it.'

-------------------------------------------------

Cheung began climbing up the escape from the ground floor. His eyes shifted to the injured being helped outside from one of the upper stories. He gathered his robed and fleetingly raced up to meet them. He identified a man in a trenchcoat as a dominant figure.

"How badly are they?" he shouted from the third floor.

[Geist_MD]

Gavin opened fire, thick pistol report  booming across concrete canyons. Nearby, rescue workers recoiled at the sound, and civilians jerked reactively at such a sound. No time for a silencer. This is getting messy, he thought.

The other man pivoted his body as if he and the shooter had rehearsed  the scene for a film. The swiftness of his movements and his reaction time were uncanny. it wasn't the first time Huojin had come across gunfire. Great, he thought, You just attracted unwanted attention!

I missed, Gavin thought.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

Each report was accompanied by another muzzle flash, barrel spitting fire and lead. Four shots climbed to five, five rebounding to six, six to seven. His opponent's movements were impossibly quick. His eyes flicked towards a police car rounding the bend, coming through the clouds of dust like a sentry. Gavin did not speak French, he spat it like a curse.

"Stay out of my way!"

"Too late for that, Asshole!" Huojin shouted in his native tongue. He had an idea that this punk might have had something to do with the explosion earlier. Can't waste time thinking about that right now. The other man had a gun. Huojin had his ready to go, but decided it would be best to try to disengage the him and save it as a last resort. He crouched low and started coming toward Gavin.   

Gavin tried to fire a last time, and no sooner had his finger pressed the trigger did he hear the dull click of the hammer failing to find a round. He was empty, and the dryfire was a death sentence. As he reached into his jacket for his ancillary clip, he shot his eyes back to the Asian man and found him rushing him. 

Huojin went first for the gun. His right foot swept upward and over in a crescent kick with the intention of kicking it out of his attacker's hand. He was relying on the element of surprise to work in his favor and take the control of the other man.

Gavin yanked at his hand, trying to draw it away before his arm collided with the foot, and found his reaction too slow by milliseconds. The gun flew off behind him, first climbing up, then tumbling down and skidding across the concrete. Still surprised, Gavin shot an arm out, more jab than real swing, but something to be able to even the odds.

The Chinese man angled his body to the outside of the punch. "You're way too linear," he scoffed. He tried to stay in close to Gavin, thrusting his elbow into the armpit. His plan was to thrust in deep and upward to break the arm at the shoulder.

Gavin shot back, body first, legs following suit, finding fluidity in the barest of gestures. He watched the elbow stab at where he had been, meet thin cloth. Again, the closest of calls: Had he reacted a moment slower, Gavin's bone might have shattered. Long dexterous fingers dug in the suit's inner breast pocket, and finding cold steel, he drew it.  His wrist flicked out, metal arcing in a single motion, and butterfly knife at the ready. He had to wrap this up before it got worse. This had already been a disaster.

Damn it! So this asshole knew a few tricks of his own! Huojin shifted himself again, preparing for the offensive. He couldn't see what the other man was reaching for, but he couldn't afford to take chances. He thought he could see a flash of metal.

Gavin darted outward, thrust thin and quick as the blade itself. First, a slash, then a stab, aiming for a throat, his chest, something center-mass and important. He didn't have time to afford simple wounds. Already in the background, they had attracted attention.

Huojin just barely moved enough for only a small cut of flesh. He followed his instinct and dropped into a low, layout position. He could try to kick the knife away, but being in this close, he would go for sweeping the man's feet and trip him. He spun his leg around, aiming for the where the ankle and foot connect.

Elbows smashing against concrete, skin peeling and stinging from the impact against the ground. The rest of his body likewise followed his center of gravity, and met with harsh pavement. Pebbles of debris clung to his scraped arms. Laying on the ground and glaring up at his opponent, he smiled.

In no uncertain terms, Gavin had lost.

But he was not beaten. Not yet.
 
"Twenty pounds of C4 strapped to the basement's secondary support pillar. You can go tell someone and try and disarm the bomb, or you can haul me in. Time's awasting." Again, Gavin made his french sound like venom from a snake's fang.

 "F***ing bastard!" Huojin retorted in French, "This is all a joke to you?!" As much as he wanted to take the man's lights out, he feared those icy words to be true. He had no choice, but to trust them. Not just for innocent lives, but his own father was at that very building.

 "If we ever cross paths again," Houjin said, "I swear I will kill you!"

[DrFurball]

"You're new to this, aren't you?"

Melon grimaced with mild pain as the EMT wrapped his splinted left arm in layers of bandages.  The blond, clean-shaven EMT looked up at Melon with nervous eyes.  "How can you tell?" 
The detective scoffed.  "When you noticed my arm, you grabbed it and moved it around to see if it was broken.  Then, after looking for a splint, your hands shook as you applied it.  You lack experience and are incredibly nervous."
"Sorry."

He frowned. I need to meet up with Zeni-baby to see what the hell Lupin was talking to him about.
Melon felt something cold and tiny hit his exposed forearm.  Something else dropped onto his right hand. Rain?
He looked at the Star of Life on the side of the ambulance.  Small droplets of water were forming on it.
Yep.  Rain.

He glanced around to see any signs of Zenigata and the others.  He caught what looked like Jigen running after Lupin up the steps of the fire escape.  Better keep an eye on 'em...  He swiftly turned his head back towards the shaky paramedic, only to be greeted by an cold, hard icepack to the face.  More specifically, to the nose. The broken nose.
"GYAHHH!"  Melon's head reeled back and took a few steps back, holding his now-bleeding nose with his free hand.
With the same volume as his scream, he heard the sound of a pistol being fired.  Turning around, he saw a man armed with a pistol fighting with another man, who kicked the gun out of his hand with a surprisingly fast kick.  Some more swinging...wait, was that a knife? The rain and tears of pain his eyes made it hard to see...never mind.  It was over.
The attacker was lying on the ground.  Melon ignored the EMT and rushed towards the were the action was happening.  He pushed through the onlookers and heard...something...

"...C4 strapped to the basement's secondary support pillar. You can go tell someone and try and disarm the bomb, or you can haul me in--"

Oh, nuts.

Melon rushed towards what was left of the building, ignoring the pain from his dangling arm smacking up against his body. Stupid kid didn't even remember to give me a freakin' sling!  Dodging debris and sparks from electrical wires, Melon frantically searched for a way into the basement.

[LadyLupin]

Cheung finally reached them. He introduced himself to the injured and began examining the more critical of them. A mixture of infuriation and compassion filled his heart. Too many innocent persons caught in the line of fire of some madman's scheme.  

Huojin ran between the authorities and EMTs. "There's another bomb!" he shouted.

A horrid chill shivered down Cheung's spine; he could hear his son's words. He prayed they would find it in time before more suffering would be caused. In the meantime, he would not flee from his duty as a doctor. Helping the injured was paramount to him at that moment.

Finally there! There was no time to waste. Huojin tried to find a way inside the building. Have to find that bomb before all shit hits the fan! He had no idea how to disengage a bomb, but at least he could locate it and...why did he suddenly feel dizzy? The world around him blurred in and out. Huojin became aware his jacket was streaked with red blood-his blood! How did that happen? The knife barely cut him-or so he thought. Though light-headed, he tried to fight it to apply pressure to the nape of his neck. He realized then how deep the cut actually was. One problem after another...