The Case of the Stolen Stopwatch

[Whatevr89532]

A little after noon. The Danube night club, a place which primarily caters to blue girls and serves cocomelons in well over half their drinks, is still very much closed. Tonight there's a special performance scheduled by a moderately well-known rock group, the Fates. Their lead guitarist Orphea Turner is just inside the staff entrance in the back waiting for someone.

[Ookalf]

*Orphea doesn't have to wait long before Yoko comes in through the back door.* I was told to meet you here...

[Whatevr89532]

The door's locked but of course Orphea hears Yoko coming and opens it to let her in. "Yeah, how you doin'. I guess yer.." She makes a piece of paper appear in her hand with a small puff of blue fire and examines it briefly. "..Yoko, right. Related to that Ookalf feller?"

[Ookalf]

*Yoko nods as Orphea lets her in.* Yes, that's right. Ookalf is my father. You know him?

[Whatevr89532]

"Not personally. Heard of 'im," she says, dismissing the paper the same way it was summoned. "Well, ter introduce formally, I'm Orphea Turner. Guess we're workin' together tonight, at least loosely speakin'." She offers a hand to shake.

[Ookalf]

*Yoko takes Orphea's hand and shakes it.* Yoko Ookalf. I look forward to working with you, Miss Turner.

[Whatevr89532]

"Same, same." Once the handshake concludes, Orphea summons up another piece of paper. "Guess I oughta lead with what we're after.." This one she shows to Yoko; it has a picture of what looks like a gold-plated pocketwatch inside of a display case. "This is the Stop Watch, in its usual spot in the Museum of Artifacts Nobody Should Have. It speeds up time fer whoever presses the button on it so it's like everyone else stopped for a little while. Well, someone stole it and they want it back."

[Ookalf]

I see. *Yoko looks carefully at the picture so she can memorize the look of the watch.* Do we have any leads on who took it?

[Whatevr89532]

"Well, we know it's someone who's.." Orphea makes a vague gesture, and then says, "well, someone who'd fit in around this club. And we know exactly what they're doin' with it. Nabbing...uh, let's say certain cloth, from famous folk. Which is why I'm involved."

[Ookalf]

So we're dealing with a pervert, basically. Lovely... *Yoko shakes her head.* I think I see what you're getting at though. You want me to stand by while you perform, so I catch the thief when she goes after you. Am I right?

[Whatevr89532]

The kitsune nods. "That's the basic idear, yeah. Ter be fair, it could be a lot worse: Someone who wanted to use it ter kill or steal a lot of more dangerous artifacts. That's why they want it back quick, before someone with that kinda ambition takes it offa the first thief. Only, it ain't so easy to just see her go after me, 'cause she can stop time with the watch; an' with this place's clientele 'pervert' don't even start to narrow the list. That's how she's got away with it so far. And someone just standin' there watchin' might scare her off. So..."
Orphea produces a small square touchscreen device and taps the front, offering it to Yoko. It shows a grid with a gray dot in the center and a brighter blue dot just next to it, "up" on the grid after Yoko takes it. "The plan in more detail, is The Business and I set up to have a coupla extra workers here tonight--you as a waitress and another in the kitchen in case it's actually one a' the employees. And..what I'm wearin' has a tracking enchant woven in. In case you don't notice someone disappearin'--and in case someone just has the power to do that and ain't our thief, I've arranged a signal to let you an' the other one know when it's happened. You know how 'Sharp Dressed Man' goes?"

[Ookalf]

*Yoko nods.* I know the song, yes. Is there a specific lyric you want me to listen for?

[Whatevr89532]

"The Muses have a cover version," says Orphea (that being the name of the band she's working with at the moment). "I just figured the startin' guitar lick is distinct enough to hear even over a crowd, so we'd play that to let you an' the other one know it's happened."
"Lessee, what else...that Stop Watch has about a half hour cooldown--so if you can catch her quick enough she won't be able to use it again to get away. But if it's a half hour since it was used, you'll have to either get it off her before she can touch it, or push the button before she can so time stops fer you instead. That's why you should try not to be noticed until the watch is already in your hand, half hour or not."

[Ookalf]

Half-hour cooldown, got it. Anything else I should know when dealing with this watch?

[Whatevr89532]

"Well..the museum don't know how it was made exactly, so they couldn't tell us what'd happen if it was to break. With th'power over time it has, probably nothin' good. So, try not to drop or crush it or whatever." Orphea speaks rather casually about something that could potentially totally screw up local spacetime. "Now, I'm also supposed to give you some gen'ral tips for investigating. I seem to remember, you're some kinda shapeshifter?"