[Volker]

You can.

It takes a couple of hours until the man leaves the temple again. His expression is light, but he seems to be focussed. That is, his pupils have the right size. He is alone when he dives into the streets of Kathmandu.

[luckace]

Scarcrow had been casually chatting with some of the street vendors while watching the exit and was now munching some roasted peanuts he had bought.
When he saw the man leave, he immediately called his comrades.
"He's heading south-west, direction Durbar Square. Mark, can you track his comlink? Just as a back-up, should we lose him in one of the small alleyways.

Cinder, you wanna stay behind him and I try to get to his front through a parallel street? Might be less suspicious that way."

[Volker]

Heavy clouds are gathering in the sky. Before too long, monsoon will once again unleash its water upon the people of Kathmandu.

[Jack_Spade]

"Acknowledged" replied Cinder, "I'll make sure to cause a distraction when you make the snatch. Just give me a sign and I'll ask for a vendors license - that usually gets loud quickly."

[luckace]

"Roger that.", and Scarcrow turned towards a smaller lane left of the street the templeman took. The alleyways were far less crowded and the big troll quickly made his way past shady bars and even shadier butchers.

He had dropped his peanuts, flexed his wrists and made sure that his shockgloves were lying loosely in his left and right pocket so he could easily put them on.

After 150 meters or so, he turned right so that he would arrive at the street before the weedman reached that point.

This of course very heavily depends on multiple variables like the starting-speed of the German, the crowd-density in his street, the amount of abrupt turns I have to make and eventual circumstances that could influence the safety of the mission (like high-security-facilities in the closer area or especially crowded areas).

[Volker]

Totally unaware of the trap he is running into, the bearded man strolls down the street, right into Scarcrow's arms. Instinctively, he makes a bow around the huge, scarred monster.

Nothing of the sort. The area is busy, but with a little force and grunting you manage to shove your way through the crowd. Please roll for Con. If you fail, you don't manage to look as unsuspicious as a figure like you can, and alarm him before you come close to him.

[luckace]

<<Now>>, Scarcrow texted as soon as he entered the street and saw the bearded man.

DefaultCon: 2d6t5 0
Man, I miss the improved charisma... 

[Volker]

The man casts you a suspicious look. You were staring at him too directly, eyeing him too suspiciously. He draws a large circle around you. He turns into a sidealley and speeds up, hurrying to get away from a threat he can't yet classify.

[Jack_Spade]

Cinder had waited for the moment. A little street vendor had his wares out - knock offs of popular commlinks and other electronics. Cinder stepped towards him and said in a quite aggressive tone: "Show me your license."
Immediately the small man began to shout and swear, alerting everyone around him to the presence of the policeman.
Cinder knew what came next. People began to crowd in to add their voices to the man's and those further back crowded in to see what was going on. Before a real mob could enclose him, Cinder moved away and started the siren on his bike.

He completely missed the fact that Scarcrow hadn't yet caught his target

[luckace]

"Sir, wait! ", Scarcrow called out after the man, his empty hands raised placating, showing that he had no arms or bad intentions. "Manisha hired me, she's in trouble. We gotta talk."

Con+edge: 8d6t5 3
If this makes the man hesitate, Scarcrow adds more information to back his lie up, but that of course depends on the weedman's reaction.

But apart from that : what time of the day is it? How many people - and what kind of folk - surround us?
And I'm a little confused about what Scarcrow knows IC, and what I know OOC: does Scarcrow know that Manisha tends to use the name Rai instead of Hatsumoto?
Oh, and if the following speech gives me a bonus for seemingly plausible evidence:
 If Scarcrow has his attention, he continues in a lower voice so that only the bearded man can hear him:
"I'm Patch, private investigator. Miss Hatsumoto hired me after the disappearance of... you know him as Frozen Yoghurt, I think? Listen... it seems he got killed by an angry street-gang. Sorry to tell ya that. Now, these nasty fellas apparently also have quite a grudge against the Miss Hatsumoto. In fact, I have strong reason to believe that she's gonna be their next target - if we let that happen, which I'm personally not planning to. Do I have your cooperation with that, Sir?.

[Volker]

Opposed Roll: 5d6t5 0

"He, Darius?"
"What's up?"
"There's a gobbo sneaking up at you."
"So?"
"Just wanted to have it mentioned..."

It is afternoon, so the streets are as crowded as they can get. That is, they are as crowded as they can get with someone like Scarcrow in da hood.
The kind of folk is difficult to classify: street vendors, business men, kids, pop corn roasters, chicken farmers, bodyguards, neuroscientists. That kind of people.
Yes, IIRC you know the detail about her name. I think Mark found that out before he developed these heavy depressions that keep him from going to work ^^
I assume you talk in English, do you not?


Completely oblivious of the possibilit somebody might actually factually really lie to him, the young if somewhat naive German turns around. An upcoming smile dies in his throat when he sees Scarcrow's face, yet he remains friendly and says with a thick accent:
"I have no idead what you are talking about, Patch, sir, but if you are a private investigator - do you have a batch or something? - I sure will cooperate. Especially if I can save a life. Who are we talking about?"

[luckace]

Scarcrow nodded a thank-you. "Ah, my bad. She might be usin' the name Manisha Rai, she works for the Sai-Baba-temple, with some of the children. You ain't familiar with her or her colleague Frozen Yoghurt?"

@Cinder:
<< Got him talking right here. He seems to be a dud, though, apparently knows neither Hatsumoto nor FY.
If not, I might need your official authority to recognize me as Patch, the private investigator. >>

He also sends a signal to Mark, telling him to get the van in position.
Phew, I thank the dice-god and shall give him a sacrificial offering tonight! If the man indeed knows nothing, I guess we... um... leave him alone? We could try to ask Bikki for the whereabouts of the other kids then?

[Jack_Spade]

<<Try to confirm that he doesn't know anything about the lab. If that's the case we won't take him. I'll be with you in a minute when I manage to get out of this mob.>>
Replied Cinder while he steadily retreated from the mass off angry street vendors.

[Volker]

Der Mann hebt die Schultern. "Uhm, really, Sir, I'm sorry. Is she from the temple? Uhm, maybe, wait - Hatsumoto you say? That sounds Japanese, doesn't it, Sir? Yah, uh, I saw her, I guess, sometimes. She always busy, you know. Is she in danger?"

Es ist schwer zu sagen, ob er gut spielt oder wirklich keine Ahnung hat. Jedenfalls könnte er sich mal wieder rasieren.

[luckace]

Scacrows Augen verengten sich und er verscuhte, den Mann in Erklärungsnot zu bringen. "What do ya mean, sometimes? Do ya know her - yes or no? At what occasions did ya see her?"

Sorry, rl ziemlich hektisch zur Zeit, ab Montag komm ich wieder zu häufigeren und längeren posts.