Owner	Pose
Jimmy Olsen	Gotham has a bad rep. This is nothing new, of course. And different parts of Gotham have even worse raps than the city as a whole. China Basin's is somewhere in the middle. It's touristy, in a way, being a very ethnic area and all, which in itself endorses a certain element of crime.. Because of the the touristy shopping, not being an ethnic neighbourhood. And of course there is some poverty as well, though it keeps of the main courseways. So why would an intrepid photojournalist be walking through CHina Basin anyways? That is something whch Jimmy olsen is asking himself right now. of course he /knows/ the reason. He is thinking of doing a peice on Knock-Off tech and fashion being smuggled into the countrr through the harbour and then the stores here. But there is more to it than that. Almost a second project, Jimmy is trying to capture the vibrant essence of the area, and the counterpoint image of the poverty in it. The relatively young ginger strolls down the streets, camera hanging on it's strap, looking very inconspicuous. He's not much better dressed then anyone here, almost blending in even being caucassian.. like he grew up in a place much like it. HE will stop sometimes at a storefront or a stall, chatting with someone, even speaking in Korean to an older lady. That gets him a smile and an apple. He thanks her and strolls off.. Taking a bite of the apple.. stopping to take an off the cuff shot of the woman from a distance..
Wu	There's a million stories in China Basin. Today's shaping up to be telling one of them. Jimmy looks very inconspicuous indeed ... until he breaks out the camera and takes a picture. That attracts unwelcome attention.     It's the sort of unwelcome attention that snowballs slowly. A couple of toughs spotting him and his expensive equipment. A couple more getting offended as they plant thoughts in his head in their imagination; imagining him finding the woman "quaint"; imagining him looking down on the "ethnics". And like young people anywhere, they get ready to act before thinking.     The increasing number of people congealing around Jimmy as he proceeds through the neighbourhood waits both critical mass and a trigger...     "Uh, son," Alice says to Jimmy, grasping him by the arm, "I don't know if you know this, but you've been attracting a bit of a fan club. Maybe you should ... get out of here for a bit until things cool."     The woman talking to him looks ... both out of place and yet somehow part of the place. Definite Han blood, but also definitely something else. And the red hair matches neither. (If it's a dye job, it's a very expensive one!) "Follow me if you want to remain uninjured," she adds, gently tugging him toward a more brightly-lit and populated street.
Jimmy Olsen	Contrary to popular belief, and maybe some propaganda informed by his youth (barely left behind as of yet), Jimmy Olsen is not a naive innocent. Even before he met Superman and other heroes, being involved (if peripherally) in their plots and mechaniations and seeing their sometimes terrible consequences, Jimmy was never as innocent as he let on. He is a child of Metropolis's worst neighborhood, Suicide Slum, and he has a nose for detecting troule as much as he has a talent for trouble finding him. So he /knows/ that some people are interested in him. It's not like he could ever be TOTALLY inconspicuous since, yeah, the camera and all. So he is not TOTALY surprised that some people are gathering, following him, though the reason may. Still, he isn't psychic and he /does/ try to be non chalant... That is until someone grabs his arm. HE quickly turns, looking ready (and surprisingly able) to defend himself, if his posture is any indication. But he freeeazes when he faces the woman and.. blinks... Then frowns and looksa round once, before again returning his eyes to her as she tugs him away. "Uh, okay.. So long as you don't pull the skin off your arm and show me a metal skeleton hand or something..." he quips. "Like the hair, though."
Wu	"Metal skeleton?" Alice asks, blinking in incomprehension. She shakes her head, dismissing the question. "Never mind. Let's get going. I don't have a rep in the neighbourhood yet, so I can't bluster this. Best way out for now without bloodshed is just being in a crowd.     She scans the route to the street, seemingly satisfied.     "Oh," she adds. "I forgot. Silly me. Alice Gulliver. Detective Alice Gulliver." She flips the lapel of her leather vest to briefly reveal the silver badge with the prominent GCPD initialization in the middle. "So, I'm not with them," she adds, hooking a thumb behind her vaguely at the toughs.     Jimmy would of course know that the GCPD badges are gold in colour...
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen follows her, sparing a few glances over his shoulder as she directs him to a less... tense.. and populated area. "Do you have no appreciation fo the classics?" he asks. "Terminator.. Come with me if you want to.. ah, forget it." he says with a sigh... He frowns as she introduces herself with her name.. and badge, then looks over his shoulder again as she thumbs... But he just as quickly looks back and nods. "Jimmy Olsen.. Freelance Photojournalist.." he introduces himself back., then points to her badge. "And are you sure you're a detective because, you know.. Detective badges are usually gold... Silver usually means uniformed cop so... Something isn't jiving here." he says, skeptically. And yes, he said Jiving.
Wu	"I'm a detective, yes," Alice says with a weary sigh as they reach the relative safety of the bigger crowd and its higher tourist content. "I'm a detective in the Hong Kong Police Force. This badge is my deputization badge granting me law enforcement powers within limits in the jurisdiction of Gotham City."     Terse smile.     "Part of an international task force with officers from many jurisdictions mixed together. I lucked out and got Gotham." There's no trace of irony in the voice but...     She flips the other lapel to show the Hong Kong badge; a badge he's familiar with from his past work on corruption. "This is my proper badge, but it has no legal standing here and most people don't really know the local badges enough that I have to explain myself." A bit of an edge to the voice there, vanishing quickly. "Now if you don't mind, why were you taking a picture of sweet Mrs. Rang?"     She subconsciously runs her hand through her hair. "And yeah, the hair's OK I guess. Thanks."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen easily follows her to and trhough the crowd, like he is well versed (or maybe trained) in doing just that.. moving with a lazy casual grace thatm if examined, is really not as lazy as it seems.. he is on the ready, incase something happens, prepared.. "The International Active-Officer Exchange program.." he replies to her explaination. "I know of it. It's the next big thing, an evolution from the strictly US Active-Officer Exchange program.. Sort of like an Ad-Hoc interpol." his right hand rests on teh camera on his chest and he inconspiciusly snaps a picture of a few stalls without even lifting the camera... he's good like that. He peers over at her real badge andthen nods, accepting it as real since he has seen more thn a few of those before. "yeah, lucky you. Because Gotham is lovely at this time of year... And unless I am being officially questioned or there is reasonable suspicion I am doing something illegal, which I am not, you don't have a right to expect an answer to that." he tells her, though he smiles sweetly as he says it. He is NOT being condescending, just reminding her of his rights as any good journalist would. He takes a bite of his apple, grinning for all intents and purposes like an adult Tom Sawyer.
Wu	Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, Alice just shakes her head. "I'm not asking as a police officer. I ... really try to avoid getting involved in local matters whenever possible." A slightly sly look crosses her face. "And I cannot confirm, nor deny, my participation in the IAOE, I'm afraid, if you're trying to dig that out of me." The smile is beatific, and has more than a hint of 'two can play that game' behind it.     "No, I'm asking about Mrs. Rang because if you're doing a hatchet piece on the neighbourhood I'd prefer you not use someone as genuinely sweet as her to illustrate it. That's all. I can give you a thousand people more deserving of being the face of a hatchet piece. Of course if you're not doing a hatchet piece, it doesn't matter. But I think you might understand why you attracted the wrong attention given ... well ... past pieces in media about Gotham?"     Again she rubs her hand through her hair. "Look, there's a good place for baozi just down the road. Best I've found in the city so far. Better than a lot of places back home. Let's talk a while and let the wolves break up. Then you can go back to your work and I can go home stuffed to the gills with bready goodness."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen snorts but that charmingly goofy smile remains as he chuckles. "Well it it is not like you /need/ to confirm NOR deny cince, by the very fact you carry TWO badges means you /have/ to be part of it.. But since you haven't /officially/ confirmed NOR denied it, it would just be supposition." he jokes. He then relaxes and finishes teh apple, tossing it in the nearest refuse bin and not the street like someone else might. "And No, I'm not doing a 'hatchet peice', especially not on her. I am doing a hatchet poeice on someting ELSE, related to this area, but at the moment I am working on a more personal project. trying to show the world that Gotham's reputation is not always about clown freaks and flying rats... That there is other kinds of bad, and good, here. Especially good, if one knows where to look for it." He then perks up at th mention of food because if he has a superpower it's the ability to eat a LOT and not gain a freakin pound.. Really, he makes Lois lane jealous. It will probably be his downfall when he gets older, though. "Baozi sound great... Lead the way. I'll even buy, if you don't think it's a conflict of interest and all."
Wu	"I'm from Hong Kong," Alice says smugly. "Corruption is a way of life." Reference to a past piece or excessive cynicism? "Besides, it's not exactly as if we're paid well in our respective forces. I'll gladly accept the offer."     She winds her way through the crowd skillfully, Jimmy in tow, greeting a few people by name, exchanging pleasantries in Cantonese with some. From the 'knowing' glances of some of the latter, it's pretty clear she's answering speculations about relationships. It's probably the hair.     "OK," she says, standing before a small shack with Chinese characters aplenty, and a small amount of English declaring it the home of the "Baozi King". The English menu is significantly smaller than the Chinese side. A few more quiet pleasantries in Cantonese, and Alice nods, smiles at Jimmy and sits down on a rickety stool at a flimsy table.     "I told him you were a journalist. He's insisting on giving us two of everything so that you can experience, and I quote, 'real baozi from someone steeped in their lore'." Pause. "He's right, incidentally."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen grins as he takes the stool across from Alice. The walk over he had watched, andlistened, intently as she spoke to people they passed and while his cantonese is almost non-existance there are enough similar words between that and his rather fluent Korean that he picks up at least the gist of what is being discussed.. and has to grin at her. "I think the internet has given an unfair impression that any reporter that enters a restaurant is a food reporter.. Not that I haven't thought about doing food reporting, mind you. But Youube is full of enough amateur critques it doesn't need mine floating among them." he says. "Though if it gets me DOUBLE the free food today, I might have to reconsider." he also adds, though jokingly. He pulls the camera and it's strap froma round his neck and sets it on the table, lens /away/ from them.. a sign that he isn't recording themm at least not visually, but one could see the screen from this angle and see it's not. "So.. If corruption is a way of life in Homg Kong, and really I know it is though its a way of life EVERYWHERE, why didn't you bribe your way out of coming to Gotham. I mean, besides Newark and DC, it is the most hardcore place in the country.. at least regarding street level crime. And Insane street level crime at that."
Wu	"I didn't correct Uncle Kong's misapprehension. I didn't have to. He knows who you are. Apparently he's a fan of the Bugle and recognizes you from somewhere. Something about Superman?"     Faint smile. Perhaps she's teasing?     "He just likes journalists, coming as he does from a place where the press is more tightly controlled. He wants you to feel comfortable. Welcome to Chinese hospitality."     Alice leaves a long, verging on uncomfortable, silence before answering the question. "Several reasons, really. First, I don't have the resources to bribe as high up the chain as I would have to. Second, I've made more than a few people ... how shall I say? ... uncomfortable with my work. This is my reward. Third, and this is the main one, I'm a rarity: I believe in what I do. And when I have the chance to fight a tiger from its tail as well as its head, I'm going to take it."     She doesn't expand on the tiger. She instead raises an eyebrow as Uncle Kong arrives to great fanfare--his own--with a tray stacked high with bamboo steamers.     "This ... may take a while."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen looks flattered that he has been recognized, his freckled cheeks reddening ever so slightly.. though he looks a bit.. uncomfortable as well. "Well.. then please tell Uncle Kong that I appreciate him ever the more so, then, and I hope my appetite will do him and his wonderful fare justice.." he says, then smiles awkwardly. "Yeah.. the Bugle.. Superman..." he says softly. "Good times.. It's.. been almost two years since I left the Bugle... Haven't seen Superman in almosy that much time either.." he isn't sure she /is/ teasing and doesn't say anything else.. But looks so relieved when she changes the subject to her reasons for being here. "Well, I wouldn't say you are THAT rare.. Not that it sstill doesn't make you special.." he quickly ammends, blushing more because he realizes that the first part could have come off as an insult andthe second.. maybe a flirt. He clears his throat. "It speaks highly of your dedication... And your beliefs.. I wish I was as clear headed about things like that.." he admits, if to himself more than her.. And then the tower arrives. "Jee..pers.." he quickly corrects himself.
Wu	"You have a gift, Mr. Olsen," Alice says quietly, amused, "for saying precisely the right thing to foster misinterpretation. Or is that a studied skill?" Deadpan delivery again, but eyes are twinkling. This is definitely teasing. "You also have a distinct tendency to turn red that's quite interesting. I'm glad I didn't mention that most people I talked to guessed you were either my brother or my boyfriend."     She picks up one of the baozi from a top tray and bites into it, chewing it almost sinfully as she watches Jimmy turn even redder. "I do have to apologize on behalf of them," she adds after finishing her bite and letting him stew. "It's the Chinese way to speculate on relationships."     Her face turns serious. "There is a story worth doing on Gotham," she continues. "There's millions of them. The problem is that the narratives tend to be tangled and inconclusive. This isn't what people want to hear. They want nice tidy stories with clear good guys and bad."     She gestures outside the shack. "The wolves howling for your blood, for example: good or bad? Typical narrative: bad. But in reality, some of them are desperately poor. That camera of yours could feed them for a month. Can you blame them? The others think they're defending a neighbourhood that gets a bad rap; lazy journalists--not you, obviously, but you've worked with some, no?--figure they can dive into Gotham and tell a story of degradation with a thin veneer of pious hope."     Another bite. A long period of chewing.     "This is not taken well by their victims. And sometimes they want to strike back. The narrative is complicated, isn't it?"
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen ois and turns even MORE red now, not really able to make eye contact with ALice for a moment.. instead quickly picking up a bun. "I got some of the.. gist.. fo what they were implying but.. I wasn't gonna say anything..." because some jokes are funny until you put them to words.. and speaking fo words, he finally swings his blue-green eyes on her and grimaces. "I can say the right thing just fine.. when I am putting them down on paper.. It's just when I use my big mouth that I get into trouble." he depreciates himself with deadpan humor, then takes a bit of the bun.. And boy is it good.. sooo good.. but the topic... well... He swallows, making an appreciative soud but like her his face schools itself more serioulsy."There are millions of stories worth telling /everywhere/, Detective. And only so many of us who are willing to tell them to go around. The vast amount of them threaten to drown a reporter every single day and we need to be carefully pick and choose because we need to be duely diligent..." he takes another bite, finishing teh first bun, and savors the flavour before continuing. And tehre is no such thing as a neat and tidy story, with a truly defined beginning or end.. nor ones that end heppily for /everyone/, though it could be said that no story ends /badly/ for everyone, either." he sighs and leans on teh table, picking another bun. "And I don't think that those guys were 'bad'.. oh maybe a few were, but.. It's not like they are much diffeent than me.." and before she can say disagree. "No, it's true. I grew up in a worse neighbourghood than this one. Literally. Suicide Slum. You think I don't know what poor was? I was raised by a mostly unemplyed single mother. My father died in the gulf war literally weeks before I was born. We were just as desperate as many people here. But Suicide Slum was still /home/. So I can also understand why they would defend it, in their way at least. This can be a very rough place. I know that. But unlike a lazy reporter, which I thank you for not lumping me in withm I am not here to villify OR glorify the degredation or the poverty or the violence here.. Just to give it a face, if I can. That /isn't/ complicated.. unless we make it to be." He motions to the camera. "And yes, that camera costs more than many months of rent for a lot of these people. That isn't lost on me. But I don't have to feel bad for having it, just because others don't. Because I /earned/ this camera. Or..." And now he looks uncertain for a moment... "Or at least I hope I did..."
Wu	"This is where being a Buddhist helps," Alice says gently. "I don't concern myself with what could have been or what should be. I concern myself with what is. And with seeing what's beyond it into the illusion that causes us all so much pain." She gestures to the camera. "Earned. Not earned. What's the difference? When you die it doesn't matter. And while you live it doesn't matter much; it only matters in that you give it value. There is nothing there that isn't what you bring to it."     She finishes the bun she's on and selects another, seemingly able to decode the strange foldings and closings to discern which is which.     "Watch out for these," she says warningly. "Pickled mustard leaves laced with chilis and garlic. These will hurt if you're not used to spice."     She takes a bit of it, laughing into the bun as juice dribbles down her chin. She paws around for a tissue and quickly catches the drop before it goes too far. Then, after thoroughly savouring the bite, she continues.     "For what it's worth, the piece you did on my home town was fair. Brutal, but fair. And it took down a few who needed it. From my stance, Buddhist thought aside, you earned that toy of yours."     And there it is. She knows who he is and about his work abroad.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen fidgets a bit where he sits, nodding as she talks.. munching on his second bun (the next one wil be the spicy one).. and still looks uncomfortable. "Well no offense to you or your philosophy but.. That's sorta nuts." he tells her, sighing. "The difference is it /does/ matter. Because if it didn't matter, then what would be the point of doing /anything/. If it didn't matter then it wouldn't matter if we /didnt/ see 'beyond' or whatever to the truth. Hell, the /truth/ wouldn't matter.. and it does. And truth isn't linear, nor just about the now.." He then looks up. "I mean, I could just be spouting bullcrap I don't understand, that is so entirely possible. But value isn't determined by just one person. Value is something decided on by a NUMBER of people, usally at a compromise. So how do I know that I haven't overvalued myself, or my work?" he takes a deep breath. "You know why I am 'famous', right? Because I took the first real picture of Superman. And I will admit, it was a damned fine picture.. and over the first few years I helped Lois and other reporters, even myself, define superman's story and the story of other heroes.. and villians.. But.. Was my contribution really that valuable? Or was it all started by one peice of unbelievale luck that continued to snowball....?" He looks to his camera again.. silent... blush coming back.. then nods. "Uh.. Thanks... I tried to be fair. I mean.. There was a lot of commendable things about Hong Kong local government as well as bad. But it's hard to sound equally as brutal about good things..." he says, then looks at the roll and a ghost of a smile returns. "Oh don't worry about spice. I grew up eating Korean, and not the 'americanized' menu either." he says, and pops it into his mouth...
Wu	"This one also has ..." Alice winces as her warning comes too late. "Sichuan peppercorns," she adds lamely. "Your mouth may go numb if you're not used to them. No cause for alarm."     She shakes her head.     "Well, the thing is that in Buddhism literally nothing exists. Well, OK, that's the simplistic stance. The reality is far more nuanced than that, but it's good enough for now." She muses a bit. "If you're familiar with the philosophy of the Stoics, that's probably the closest you'll find to Buddhist thought in the West. If you're not, perhaps you're familiar with the more religious existentialists like Kierkegaard. That's not as close, but still similar enough that the gist gets through."     She purses her lips as she chews and thinks.     "I think, however, that I disagree with you on the nature of value. It is ONE definition of value that requires a number of people to decide. But perversely and quite ironically this is only true if you value the opinions of others."     Some shouting down the street briefly catches her attention, and from the expression on her face, perhaps a bit of her ire. She dismisses it and turns her attention back to Jimmy. About to speak, the shouting is supplemented by a scream. Then a gunshot.     This quite definitely grabs her attention.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen is really trying to follow her.. because it is interesting and sort of helping him get his mind off of himself.. sorta.. but.. damn, it is not easy. He is a smart guy but she is, like.. Zen smart. Something he only every attains behind thelens and only for fleeting moments so it is really hard to keep up.. But he TRIES.. "Yah I.. don't know much about a lot of what you just said.." he finally admits, being completely truthful. "Not the names you are dropping anyways.. But I still can't hack the value thing. i GET what you are truying to say, or ARE saying but that /I/ am apparently not getting. But Value /is/ something determined by at least two people. or what is the point? And if there is no point, then.. what is the /point/?" he asks.. But the answer he gets is a sharp crack of a gunshot outside and by complete reflex he grabs his camer.... "I think work is beconing, Detective."
Wu	"Damn!" Alice says, stopping dead in her tracks, as the pair reach the outdoors. Over the heads of the crowds can be seen a towering creature, slavering jaws, tufts of hair sprouting from its naked body randomly. Its disproportionately long arms end in clawed hands. Claws that are dripping blood.     "Mr. Olsen you should probably stand back," she says, almost turning to address him before her eye catches something that makes them widen in disbelief. Following her gaze, a GCPD patrolman can be seen, gun out, pointing shakily at the creature.     "GET BACK YOU FOOL!" she calls out, running forward as the officer fires, attracting the creature's attention. To his unfortunate detriment as the being leaps a surprising distance forward, sinking its claws into the torso of the hapless cop.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen is out and behind Alice, as quickly as he canm, pushing through the crowd taht is fleeing in the opposite direction of the.. monster. Helpd an older woman up, and hands her off to a younger man, then clsoes teh distance between himself and the Han detecive. I'll stand back, but don't expect me to stand back /too/ far..." eh says, camera already up and focused and he is snapping away as fast as the camera will let him.
Wu	Olsen warned, Alice plunges headlong into the crowd in the direction of the creature. A small hand radio that practically leaped into her hands gets the chill words "Officer down!" followed by a jumble of codes and addresses shouted into it as she works her way to said officer. Not that she's going to be able to render much aid given the unpleasant angle the neck is at, and the fact that the creature is now standing in what remains of his torso.     Alice stops at the edge of the panicking crowd, pushing some people out of danger, shouting at others with very bad priorities to leave their stuff behind and RUN. At the same time she appears to be exchanging magazines in her guns, pulling a cluster of them out of her pocket and picking one from the cluster to go into each pistol.     "Hey, you!" she calls out, then in Cantonese says something that catches the creature's attention. As it swivels its head to find the person addressing it, she adds something more, with a great deal of venom behind it.     "Let's dance," she finally mutters in English as Jimmy catches up.     The monster obliges.
Jimmy Olsen	There is nothing that Jimmy can do to help the downed cop.. Nothing.. He actually got the entire attack on film as he was running foreward, not that he will know until later.. The camera was on autoshot and he was helping pick up tripped runners from the fleeing mob. This isn't the first time Jimmy has been on the nearest edge of a monster fray. Not by a long shot. And one would think he had would have learened to run AWAY from them.. But he /is/ a reporter, damnit, and the story MUST BE TOLD. And Thats what he does, bringing the camera up again and snapping off shots like a photographic sniper, the camera making that rapidfire *CLICK*CLICK*CLICK*CLICK*CLICK*... Catching the creature.. Alice.. seperately and then in the same shot.. HE keeps back a dozen feet from the detective, trying to not be noticed and to keep as much out of the way as he can... within reason, of course. Photographer reason.
Wu	Alice takes an almost relaxed stance as the creature regards her. Her behaviour a bit confusing, he tests her nerve by bellowing at her. (A few glass items nearby shake and threaten to shatter.) She shakes out her shoulders, then raises one of her guns, taking careful aim. The monster openly laughs, confident in its ability to take the bullets, as it recently just demonstrated. The laughter does actually knock something off a table which hits the ground and shatters, momentarily breaking Alice's concentration and aim. The bullet, carefully aimed to shoot the creature between the eyes instead hits its shoulder.     And penetrates.     And exits, showering the wall behind it in purple ichor.     The creature lets out a shocked roar of anguish, then of anger. Quicker than should be possible it's in the air, sailing toward Alice, vengeful claws out.
Jimmy Olsen	It's like The Showdown at the OK Corral... but with an asian detective facing down a giant monster looking for all intents and purposes like a bad-ass gunslinger right out of an old spaghetti western... or maybe a lo-mein western in this case.. is that rascist? Gah! As the creature laughs, he almost misses the subtle shift of the detective.. BUt as luck (and skill) would have it he catches the entire sequence in a whir of rapidfire shots... all to capture a single shot fired by her..
Wu	"Shit." Stated deadpan like that as the bullet whirrs off-target and penetrates a shoulder instead. Alice throws herself to one side, saving her life, as the claws meant to simultaneously decapitate and eviscerate miss. Instead an elbow catches her a glancing blow on her shoulder, numbing her arm and sending the gun in that hand flying. On the ground, spinning in place, without even trying to get up, Alice desperately tries to get her sights on the creature with her remaining gun, then just gives up and fires a fusilade at it, blowing half her magazine in a desperate "spray and pray" bid. A window shatters. Several rounds ricochet off concrete walls. Two, however, get the creature, one in a knee, shattering it and bringing it to earth, the other in the torso, sending it into a frenzy and then into shock.     It falls to the ground, screaming, now, in rage and in pain, struggling to move and failing. The detective momentarily flops back onto the ground, winded and dazed, then painfully gets to her feet.     One stagger. Two staggers. She's next to the creature, carefully avoiding its flailing arm. Her hand slips into a pocket and comes out with what looks like a piece of paper.     "You have the right..." she pants "...to stay quiet." Painful breath. "Use it."     Crumpling the paper as she talks, she tosses the ensuing white ball into its mouth.
Jimmy Olsen	He got it. Jimmy got the WHOLE FREAKIN THING!. And it was freakin AMAZING! Or at least he THINKS it will be amazing. A lone cop facing down a supernatural-like monster... The monster attacking her, a sight that made hs stomach feel like it wwas full of lead.. HEr down, then up again.. and the whole strut over to the now mostly incapacitated monster and tossing the paper in it's mouth.. Huh.. must be the Miranda or something.. But It was TOTALY BAD ass.
Wu	The creature convulses as the paper goes into its mouth. A swirling purple and green glow emanates from it, along with a horrifying scream that rends the air (and several people's souls, if facial expressions are anything to go by). Alice stares dispassionately down as this happens, squinting only as the light reaches a sudden crescendo, pairing with a sudden burst of very hot wind.     In the aftermath the body is gone, only purple stains and fluids leaving any proof it was ever there in the first place.     And the body of one very brave, very foolish, and now very dead patrolman.     "That wasn't quiet," Alice remarks. Then, remembering who she had with her, she looks up at Jimmy. "Tell me your camera malfunctioned?" she asks, then shakes her head quickly. "I mean, that was odd. I wonder why that happened."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen lets out a gasp, camera at his chest still autoclicking as he gapes... and the monster seems to.. be... wellw hatever the hell just happened to him.. Thats what seems to happen. Jimmy has seen out of this world things (very very literally too) but this is definately something new to him. When the creature is gone he blinks and slowly steps towards where it was, and where Alice /is/, and stares down at the empty space. "What the hell..." he asks, then fixes a look at her... His expression, despite the adrenaline, seems rather neutral. "My camera never malfunctions.." he tells her, evenly. "I dont knwo WHAT I saw but.. Whetever it was, the camera saw it too.." And yeah.. there is a HINT fo suspicion in his vioce.. but just a hint.. he's not going to push.. Besides.... HE looks over at the downed Cop, wose body is being surrounded by a few returning people. "Damn.."
Wu	Alice, after standing, staring at the place the monster disappeared from for a few moments, painfully joins Jimmy, snagging her fallen gun along the way. Her right arm hangs uselessly.     "Damn. Indeed," she says, her voice level, but dark. She crouches down next to what's left of the man, murmuring something to herself as she closes the wide-open, terror-stricken eyes. "He was a fool to go after it alone, but a brave one," she says upon standing. "He saved lives as it went after him instead of civilians."     She frowns as she sees the crowd building. "Look, Mr. Olsen, we need some crowd control until the backup arrives." She gestures to her dangling arm. "Would you mind assisting until I can get a proper officer to do it? I'm not really able to do this myself at the moment."     She looks wearier than a fight this should really should have made her. Probably just the adrenaline come-down.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen blinks again, finally tearing himself from the grisly sight of the dead officer and then gets a guilty expression... He releases the camera, letting it hang from the strap around his neck, and lifts his left hand and stares at his wrist.. at the old fashioned seeming watch with it's blue wriststrap... he stares at it long and hard... Like he had forgotten it was there. It looks a little worse for wear and the face looks cracked slightly, though the hands still seem to work.. He takes a deep breath and rubs his wrist, hiding the watch with his other hand. "Brave and Foolish are usually the same thing, people say.. I don't think so. He wasn't a fool. He was just a guy.. A guy doing his duty..." he says, his voice a bit raspier than earlier.. He then draws his hands down his face and quickly nods, looking shaken.. The adrenaline probably filtering out of his system like it probably is in hers. "I can help..." he says woodenly, then notes her arm. "Are you okay?"
Wu	"I'll be fine," Alice smoothly lies. "I've had worse," she amplifies truthfully. "This one won't scar at least."     Lopsided, exhausted grin.     "I'm guessing this isn't your first time at a bloody scene?" she asks gently, continuing, "But you're not used to it yet? Good. Keep it that way. Better for the soul not to get used to this."     Her own eyes avoid looking at the body after she stands up from her grisly eye-closing. Instead she puts on the gruff cop voice that police the world over seem to be trained in and starts to cajole, warn, and occasionally bully bystanders to stay away from the body. She nearly--but not quite--loses it when someone seems insistent on getting close with their iPhone for a selfie...
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen tries to return her grin, but his heart isn't in it. He's been in worse situations. Aliens. Gods. Wars. Invasions. Though this ws the frst super realted thing he's been part of in.. a long time. And It's not that he /isn't/ used to it, it's that it will always hit him this way after the rush fades.. Because he is human.. and a human that cares. "Right.. You're fine and dandy because.. of course you are." he states. "And No.. no it isn't my first time.." and with that he steps a different direction and begins coralling people away from the body and the place where the monster dissapeared.. His mood subdued, always glancing at the detective, frowning a bit...
Wu	The sirens presage the arrival of the main force. A cigar-chomping lieutenant grills the detective who calmly and dispassionately reports the events. Well, leaving out key things that Jimmy's reporter's "aerial ears" would catch, to wit:     1. No mention whatsoever of her changing magazines before wading into the conflict.     2.No mention of the piece of paper she threw into the thing's mouth.     There's probably perfectly innocent explanations for the oversights, though, right? She does look, after all, like she's about to collapse from sheer fatigue.     After the grilling, the lieutenant gruffly inquires after the arm, then signals a paramedic over who immediately starts to argue with the detective about going to hospital. She declines. Vociferously. In the end, however, she accepts her arm being slung. And a shot for pain.     Another thing not mentioned in her report was Jimmy. She glances at him warily, however, when the lieutenant looks elsewhere, raising an eyebrow questioningly, tilting her head toward said superior.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen kept off to the side, allowing the police and the EMT's and firemen and whoever else showed up get past and allowing them t deal with anyone else who may have been hurt when the mob was fleeing... But off to the side is not far THAt away and while he is a bit... numb looking.. he still keeps his ears open and eyes peeled, taking small mental notes almost subconciously as he was taught by his two greatest mentors.. Lois Land and Clark Kent... When Alice is trotted to teh ambulance to be looked at, the young photographer flicks on his camera and taps on the screen a few times, like he is checking something out. Which he is, of course.. and more. His camera is a full featured digital device crammed into an SLR chasis, with many capabilities.. and he sifts through the hundreds of photos like a speed reader, eyes flickering.. fingers sliding around teh thumbnails.... So casual is his movements one would have to be studying him very carefully to note he has palmed the original flash card with a full back up of the internal memory and slides in another, quickly deleteing a bunch of photos off the internal memory and transfering what remains to the newer card..." When he looks up he notices Alice motioning... and he nods once,, walking over to her superior. "Sir...?" he asks, and holds up his camera. "James Olsen.. Journalist." he introduces himself. "I was nearby working on a fluff peice and happened across the incident. I think I got everything..." he flips open the camera's slot and extricates the new card (missing some key photos.. key to HIM anyways, and probably her) and offers it to the man. "I know it's not very reporter like just giving over my pictures.. But.." he looks to where the dead cop is being goine over by the foresnsics team and the coroner now and shakes his head. "He was a brave man, sir."
Wu	Alice actually smiles. A proper, genuine one. She groans to her feet and shuffles over.     "That he was indeed, Lieutenant." She pronounces it with "left" and an odd lilt on the vowels. "I think he should be given posthumous citation for bravery. I'm absolutely certain that he saved lives with his intervention, at the price of his own."     She gestures down, eyes flicking down to the body and then recoiling, indicating his hand.     "His widow will appreciate the pension, don't you think?" she asks, a light touch of acid in her voice.     The Lieutenant in question glances sharply at the Chinese detective, seems about to say something, remembers that a journalist is present, then closes his mouth around his cigar. "I'll talk to the Captain about it," is all he actually chokes out. "You'd best get some rest there, Detective Gulliver," he adds, not entirely unkindly. "Just be in at the station tomorrow morning with the paperwork."     Alice nods and starts off, surreptitiously and briefly tugging on Jimmy's sleeve as she goes.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen huhs... well it seems he may have been a bit more useful than he thought, considering that Alice just used him to railroad the lieutenant. How can the officer NOT take what she said to teh captian, now that a journalist had overheard the whole thing. As the officer walks off with the flash card in hand, and probably muttering, , Jimmy turns his attention to Alice.. because the tug wasn't THAt subtle.. He waits a few seconds then follows after her, not catching up until they are out of sight of the lieutenant and his minions. His hands are shoved in his jacket's pockets and his shoulders are hunched. "That was...." he tries to think of something to say but can't... and sighs. He shoots her and her arm a look. "You sure you are okay?" he asks, softly.
Wu	"I'm as good as I usually am," Alice says wearily, "after battling the underworld. This was messy. I wasn't expecting a Chimei in America. I didn't have the right tools readied, and the ones I did have take a lot out of me when I use them."     She looks around warily, then stares at Jimmy's eyes, black irises concealing her pupils in this life, giving her the look of something not quite natural.     Which she may not be.     "Please," she says hoarsely, "do not show anybody the paper at the end. Everything else will look like I was just a cop who got lucky with her guns. That last piece will not, and in the wrong hands it will lead to bad things. Terrible things. A few will suspect already; a Chimei should not go down as easily as I took it down, but it's plausibly deniable. The dispelling is not."
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen looks like he knew that she was ging to ask him not to show anyone those very specific shots. He is /not/ naive, after all. He's been involved in a lot of supernormal activities in his almost 24 years on this planet and he knew the moment the creature discomboobulated that something supernormal, or paranormal as teh case may be, was up. "Why do you think I /didn't' give the 'nice' Lieutenant the realy card in the first place?" he asks, though it comes out more as a statement. He wheels around in fromnt of her, keeping her from moving on. "I knew something was up.. You're, what, a wizard or something?" he asks. "I mean, it's fairly obvious when you say 'Dispelling', right. So you had, what, a prepared spell or something? Like some old time chinese magic you see in the old movies?" he sighs deeply. "I won't show anyone. Because obviously you're hiding what you are. I get it. I really do. if people found out your loved ones would be in danger.. I've heard it hundreds of times before. So you can trust me to keep it secret. But I am /keeping/ the picteres, not erasing them." he holds up a hand before she can respond. "Not for blackmail purposes... I don't do that. But someday, maybe far in the future, the truth will have to be known. The story will have to be told. NOt today.. Not tomorrow.. but someday. We owe the world that. We owe that dead cop that.." he then steps back a bit. "And a Chimei, huh?"
Wu	"I have no loved ones to threaten. My mother is dead; it's why I have this." She gestures to her hair. "She was killed fighting these kinds of things. We always get killed by them in the end."     Fatigue is very obviously not only catching up with her, but has caught up and is doing a dance on her brain. She continues babbling.     "Not a wizard; not like my mother. Too showy. To easy to find. I keep it low key as possible." She laughs bitterly. "Then I bring my very own photographer for PR with me." She pauses, trying to put her train of thought back on the rails. "My father is dead too. Natural causes, though. Just ... heart stopped working one day. It's natural for that to happen when a bullet goes in."     Her face is an iron mask as something very ugly is clamped down upon.     "But if I go, so do quite a few others. Nobody to take up the job that I know of. I don't know what the deal is when there's no progeny. Does the line end? Does it just jump somewhere? I don't know. Not so eager to find out yet."     She buries her face in her hands.     "I need a drink," she says, voice muffled.
Jimmy Olsen	Jimmy Olsen doesn't look like he knows what to say... yet again. He wasn't expecting her to spill everything so freely even if he had (sort of) guessed what she was. The pain in her words, in her eyes, are to genuine to be faked. And he likes to think he is a god judge of character as well so... He reaches out, tentaively, and rests a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." he says softly. "I'm sorry you have gone through all that.. that crap. I'm sorry you hae this.. this legacy you don't know if, or how, you will fulfill. But legacy is not just for you more-than mortal types, Detective. Even us ordinary joes and josephines have to worry about it. About who will carry on for us after we are gone. If you go, /someone/ will take up the fight. They alaways do. The world has a way of surprising you, that way." he assures her. "You can't worry about the future or the past, right?" he says, paraphrasing her from eaelier when things were a bit brighter.. and there were dumplings. He pull back his hand and offers a crooked, if slightly forced, smile. "A drink sounds great. C'mon. My treat." he says, and offers her his arm.
Wu	Alice slumps as Jimmy's hand reaches her shoulders, like the weight of everything she's revealed is crushing her slowly. She lowers her hands from her face, then, and straightens up, slowly, painfully. The expression in her eyes positively dares him to mention the tears.     "I hope you're right, Mr. Olsen," she says, her eyes not quite meeting his. "While it's nice to think you're important in the grand scheme of things, it's nicer to know someone else will be there to step up to your place in the line. Thank you."     She winces as she shifts her injured shoulder.     "Yes," she says, fake bravado flaring, "a drink or ten should numb that nicely. Thank you again."