|
Post by indeath on Feb 19, 2023 0:50:17 GMT -6
The underground was never completely quiet but the shop was closed for the night and no one was paying any real attention. Too busy trying to avoid attention themselves or too drunk to care.
Grim had found a dark part of the street with a window leading into the basement which was perfect. The store was practically begging to be broken into. Inside was a treasure trove of magical trinkets, jewelry and the odd ‘ceremonial’ weapon.
The owner was a large Orc called Ribcarver, so Grim guessed that was considered enough to deter most thieves. For what security it did have, Grim had his new magic viewing goggles and his knife. Just a quick cut at the right point and the magic was gone.
He wasn’t here to rob the place, just pick up Ribcarver’s ex’s things which in some respects felt worse. His client had been too much of a coward to get them herself. If a few things went missing at the same time who was to say?
The latch gave way and Grim slipped into the dark basement, eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. The lines of shelves and inventory like a maze. Still he began carefully making his way to the stairs, eyes grazing the shelves.
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Feb 19, 2023 22:41:15 GMT -6
Ten or so minutes after Grim had broken in, a lean form cracked the basement window open and slipped through after him. Kail’s boots pressed silently against the floor, and as he straightened from his crouch he scented the air. Cigarette smoke, cologne and the faint tang of alcohol mingled among the metallic scent of jewellery and weapons. Nothing to worry about. There was a musty non-human scent that must have been the orcs, still fresh in the room.
But he’d watched the owner leave earlier in the night, and so he stalked further into the shop, pale gaze piercing through the dark as easily as any nocturnal animals would. Robbing the store was more for the thrill of it than any actual need for money. He wouldn’t say no to a nice dagger or two, and Sjira always liked more gold.
He ran a claw over a large, intricately made sword, pupils blown wide in the dark. Beautiful. Hard to carry. He was here for something more discreet, stuff he could pawn easily.
His ears twitched beneath his balaclava at the faint creak of a floorboard, and his hand rested on the hilt of the gun he’d bought off Yoshio. He’d bought a dagger, too, but a levelled gun was always a more effective threat. He paused, listening intently.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on Feb 21, 2023 18:20:30 GMT -6
Grim had got a little distracted looking for his client’s things. There were so many shiny things that clearly needed a new home, with him. Surely this one indiscretion wouldn’t count against his attempts to become a better person and the itch was too strong. Recovery was a bell curve or something. That’s what they’d said at AA. At least he’d have something to talk about next week. Besides his new bag of holding needed testing out.
He stopped for moment as a noise caught his attention, he stayed on alert, eyes tracking the darkness until there seemed to be no other sounds. Probably a rat or something. He continued ‘window shopping’. This would just add credence to his client, Ribcarver was much less likely to think it was his ex if other things were missing. His eyes fell on a gem that seemed to glow in the darkness, its dark green hues shifting underneath the crystalline surface.
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Feb 23, 2023 15:58:55 GMT -6
Kail slunk up the stairs leading out of the basement. His ascent was entirely silent, without the pad of footsteps or the creak of wood to mark his progress. He’d grab items from the inventory on his way out.
He heard Grim a second before seeing him, a dark silhouette near the counter of the store. The wendigo felt his heartbeat accelerate - from shock or anticipation he couldn’t tell. Not the owner, an employee? Whoever he was, he should have noticed him earlier.
In the darkness Kails eyes were almost luminous, the rest of his face obscured by the balaclava. He paused at the threshold, planning to prowl close enough to threaten him with the gun if he hadn’t been spotted.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on Feb 26, 2023 19:35:45 GMT -6
Grim was utterly mesmerized by the glow of the gem in his hands, his eyes reflecting its green glow in orange. How much was it worth and would it draw to much attention on him? He needed to take things that wouldn’t be missed. He reluctantly returned the gem to its pillow and turned around staring directly at the figure lurking behind him. His own orange eyes reflecting back at Kail’s. Shit. It was meant to be empty. He was embarrassed to have been snuck up on. He hadn’t counted on a sleep in guard. Still something felt off about the figure. He could make out something obscuring its face. Perhaps whoever it was had a face that needed covering but Grim doubted it.
“So… this is awkward, look I just need a small bag of belongings and a couple of shiny things. Surely we can work something out?”
One of his hands slipped quickly into a pocket to where his knife sat, just in case. A part of him wished he didn’t have the habit of giving away his guns but there’d been too many accidents. It was safer not to carry one.
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Feb 27, 2023 1:33:26 GMT -6
Kail almost lunged when their eyes met, an instinctive urge to attack now he’d been spotted. But all he did was prowl forward, slowly, watching the strangers hand slip into his pocket. He couldn’t scent if he had a gun, not with all the other items in the room muddling the air.
The others demeanour was guilty, nervous. Not how a night-guard would speak or act. Kail didn’t blink as he listened to Grim, and there was a long pause after he fell silent.
“Y’aint work here?” Kail said, his rough voice muffled from behind the fabric. He cast a suspicious glance around the room, and took another step forwards.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on Mar 15, 2023 23:14:24 GMT -6
Grim stood steadfast as the masked being tried to intimidate him through the mask. Though he was a little annoyed with himself for not thinking of pretending to work here. Great cover but his brain hadn’t been quick enough. Still the guy would have worked it out eventually if he wasn’t a complete haystack.
“No I don’t… Just here to get another person’s belongings back to em. What the heck are you doing here? Sure as shit don’t work here either…”
His hand grasp the hilt of the dagger, tightening when the man stepped closer. The man certainly wasn’t scared of him which was a shame.
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Mar 27, 2023 20:18:02 GMT -6
"Another persons belongings?" Kail echoed, and there was a trace of amusement in his voice. "I haven't heard that one before. And hey, maybe I'm night security."
He considered Grim for a long moment, pale eyes narrowed in scrutiny. And then as suddenly as it had come, some of the aggression faded from his posture. He pulled the balaclava down, dark hair falling around his face in an unruly mane.
"I'm gonna rob the place blind. If you keep outta my way, I'll keep outta yours." Kail drawled, reaching out to grab the gem Grim had just placed down. He shoved it into his bag, and then grabbed a messy handful of the wares next to the empty pillow. The precious items clinked loudly against each other as he dumped them in, and then he was stalking past the goblin and towards a glittering glass cabinet full of jewelry.
The door rattled - locked - as Kail pulled at it, and he hissed under his breath. At least that meant whatever was within would be worth the effort.
He stooped, fishing out a bent hairpin from the depths of his jacket, and began to work at the lock. Something as fine-tuned as picking a lock wasn't really his style, but he was loathe to smash the glass just yet. As casual as he seemed, the wendigo still side-eyed the goblin every so often, trying to track his progress, watch what he was doing.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on Apr 15, 2023 4:16:31 GMT -6
Grim’s face wasn’t pretty as the long haired lout took the gem right from under him. His hands curled tightly, teeth clenched tightly. It took a lot not to grab it back. It had been rightfully his to steal.
“Sure… Same to you. “
Grim began filling his own bag with valuables. He hadn’t intended to take anything noticeable but he felt suddenly competitive with another thief in the room. He glanced over as the kid attempted to pick the lock. He made a disapproving clucking sound with his tongue. A hairpin?
“Do this often? Because you should really get some better tools. You wanna be quicker with something that doesn’t bend so easily.”
Then Grim took himself to the till, hit it hard until it sprung open to reveal its goods. It wasn’t exactly full but it was still better than nothing.
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on May 29, 2023 22:57:10 GMT -6
Kail side-eyed the goblin as he ransacked the till. He should've gone for that first. He raised an eyebrow at the comment, and then scowled as the hairpin bent.
"I usually just smash the glass." He groused, flicking the hairpin to the ground. He'd never liked the precise, fiddly method of lock-picking. It wasn't the same thrill as pickpocketing, or straight up mugging someone. Took too long. He stood back, and was evidently considering if he wanted to throw something through the glass.
"If you're such an expert, why don't you do it?" He said instead, a teasing bet you can't inflection in his voice. The other seemed a little competitive, which he could appreciate - and use to his advantage.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on May 30, 2023 4:41:26 GMT -6
Grim didn’t hide a smirk at the idea of this guy being a glass smasher. So messy. Making noise was how you get caught. His smile widened at the wendigo’s challenge.
“Alright… I’ll show what an expert does. I’m sure you can teach me the art of glass smashing if I fail.”
He sauntered over, bringing out his lock picks in his long pointed fingers. They were long thin stick like pieces attached to a key ring. He made a big show of it and when he heard the click, he couldn’t help his look of satisfaction.
“First in, first served right?” He stuck his hand in and took a box of shiny rings, stuffing it into his pocket.
“So are you a junky, part of a gang or just sticky-fingered?”
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on May 30, 2023 7:14:59 GMT -6
Kail kissed his teeth as the goblin effortlessly picked the lock, watching closely all the while. Dude made it look easy.
“Junky!?” He said with mock incredulity, grinning down at Grim. “That’s rich coming from you. And nah. Was bored. Came in here earlier and the owner was a dickhead, so.”
He turned a bracelet over in his palm as he spoke, before dumping it in his backpack with a loud clack of metal against metal.
“Ya gonna tell me why ya really here? Your person sure got a lotta belongings to collect.” He drawled, with a pointed look at his handful of rings.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on May 30, 2023 19:32:45 GMT -6
Grin returned the mock incredulity with a large grin. He couldn’t help warming a little to this fellow. He reminded Grim of his younger self, which if he was honest wasn’t as far as he’d like from his regular self.
“How dare you?! I prefer the term ‘Drug fiend’ thank you very much.Yeeah I get that a lot. No idea where it comes from. I can’t afford a habit like that.”
He shoved the rings into his pockets and his hand dove for a particularly sparkly watch. Then studied his companion, how much attention was he really paying to the backpack.
“Well uh… I have kids… to get.. through clown college. Bills. A sick grandma.. I consider this a bonus on whatever they pay me. They didn’t say I couldn’t help myself. Now do you reckon he seemed the type to have a naughty drink after work? Because I wouldn’t say no if he had something in the back.”
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Jun 2, 2023 23:53:41 GMT -6
With all the distractions in the store, Kail was not paying a particular amount of attention to his backpack, slung over his shoulder with one strap. It was evident he didn’t consider Grim a threat, and the goblin’s jokes all but disarmed any lingering suspicions he might have had.
His fangs gleamed razor-sharp in the dim light of the store when he laughed.
“Clown college. You must be real proud they’re following in ya footsteps.” He said, wandering slowly down the aisle and towards the small back-office.
“And sure.“ He shrugged, glancing back at Grim. “I don’t really drink but I’ll take a bottle or two.”
It was good for disinfecting wounds and starting a fire - two things Kail frequently found himself doing.
“So, you a professional thief or something? You sure knew your way ‘round that lock.”
His tone was conversational as he swung the door open, moseying on in and sweeping a large pile of paperwork onto the floor for no reason other than to make a mess.
|
|
|
Post by indeath on Jun 3, 2023 5:16:57 GMT -6
“Well they are quite large shoes to fill…”
Grim followed behind Kail, waiting for the right moment… No. As much as he wanted to, it wasn’t worth potentially alienating a new friend. What would Charlotte say? Though he didn’t really drink? Grim was a little disappointed if he was honest. Still more for him.
Grim kicked the paperwork aside. The owner treated their ex like shit. It was what he deserved. His eyes began scouring the place for anything resembling alcohol.
“Nah… Used to run in a gang but these days I work as a PI. I just don’t prescribe to anyone else’s rules but my own. I could teach you a few tricks… for a price.”
Then he spotted it, from the outside it looked like an ordinary medicine cabinet… but Orc’s like Ribcarver didn’t believe in first aid. He opened it and a smile grew on his face. Ribcarver didn’t disappoint, it was full of different bottles of alcohol from vodka to whiskey. Grim handed the vodka to Kail.
“So is it really just boredom? What motivates a guy like you?”
|
|