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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 28, 2022 12:12:19 GMT -5
It wasn’t often Fish the Sneak found themselves operation too far from Zeinav, but apparently this was a special mission. Given the bird’s abilities, they were dispatched to intercept some communications from a known ne’er-do-well that operated out of Darkveil. Fish wasn’t given much information about the target, just their destination - an old clock tower.
This would make infiltration easy to say the least, scaling a tall building was a regular routine for the kenku. Slowly and surely through the night they clamber up the side of the old building. Once at the actual face of the clock, Fish searched for the way in. Every clock tower should have a pane that allows outside access for cleaning aaaand success! They find the pane, shimmying their lock picks out to undo the lock and slipping inside.
Fish drops down to the floor, listening for any guards, spies, or traps, hoping they’ve done their due diligence in making sure this place wasn’t heavily guarded.
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 28, 2022 13:08:10 GMT -5
The top of the clock tower is dark, long having been inoperable and left as such even as the ownership of the property changed hands. The space at the very least has been cleaned out of the cobwebs, layers of ash and dust, and the various other critters that had moved in during its most recent period of vacancy.
Getting in is easy enough. There doesn't appear to be any guards on the rooftops at this time of night, nor were there any lights on in the building as a whole. Perhaps those that resided there were not present or were asleep. There was no way to know for certain without having spent a significant amount of time staking out the location.
Silence permeates the space beyond the glass of the clock's face. It's nearly pitch black inside, obscuring the stationary gears and cogs that make up the mechanisms of the clock. Under a heavier foot, the floorboards would be likely to creak from age, but luckily for Fish, their footsteps would go unnoticed for the time being.
Well.
Unnoticed by the eyes of most.
Mrrrrowr~
The sound comes from across the room, a soft, high pitched meow followed by a rattling purring. Two disc-like eyes with fully dilated pupils gleam in the dark, locked on Fish's form silhouetted by the soft glow of lantern light in the streets of Darkveil City below.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 28, 2022 14:16:47 GMT -5
Fish narrows their eyes at the cat, the little feline could create problems….Fish could dispose of them but that would cause more problems. For the moment, Fish chooses to duck behind some of the support beams. Their silent steps concealing where they were going. Fish keeps to the shadows, the pale moon didn’t cast much light in here, but the big window of a clock face let enough in to be troublesome.
With hope that the cat has lost track and interest, Fish skitters by and jumps down a level to get to where it looks like there are actual rooms to be investigated. They quietly peek through keyholes trying to see if there is a study of some sort, office, anything that looked like someone important lived here and they could slip in to find whatever communications were hidden inside.
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 28, 2022 14:58:25 GMT -5
Descending the tower, the stairwells and halls are even darker with a lack of windows to allow in any external light.
Fish first finds themselves outside a room midway up the tower. The door is locked and looking through the keyhole reveals...nothing. Oddly enough there appears to be some sort of stringy fabric covering the keyhole. It wasn't clear if it was worth investigating or not
Mrrrowr~
There's that noise again, this time from behind, coming down the stairs. The small black kitten sits on one of the steps, eyes wide and locked on Fish with its unusually large ears perked forward and a curious twitch of its short tail.
Seems getting rid of the tiny kitten wouldn't be so simple, but how it moved about so quietly and almost blended in with the shadows was unnerving to say the least.
A quick glance about the space suggested that there was only this one chamber in the tower itself, however the staircase did continue downwards and open up into the base of the tower where multiple halls extended out into other wings of the oddly constructed building.
The faint glow of lantern light emanates from one of these hallways which descends down another set of stairs, while the other hallways are lit only by the faint bit of moonlight peaking between the curtains of some tall windows. From what Fish could tell, the base of the tower served as a connecting point for all these various mismatched add-ons which formed the actual bulk of the building with various private chambers and the business attached to it.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 28, 2022 16:42:31 GMT -5
Fish whips around at the sound of the cat again, glaring even harder than the first time. Once more they consider throwing a knife but a miss would make noise and that was not ideal. They scanned around the hallway, finding a dusty rug. Fish creeps closer and throws the rug over the cat, quickly tying it up and throwing it back up the stairs. Fish is absolutely confident this has worked and begins making their way downstairs.
Fish can check that other door on their way back up and out if need be. They start checking keyholes again for the room they are after. Those documents would be theirs in no time.
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 28, 2022 21:32:08 GMT -5
The cat is surprisingly cooperative with its capture and discarding at the top of the stairs, barely making any sound or putting up any sort of resistance to the mistreatment.
Heading down one of the darkened halls and looking through the keyholes, Fish manages to find a few other rooms.
First is a room that is small but comfortable looking. There are a few visible knickknacks and decorations on the walls. The bed is piled with as many blankets and pillows as could be physically squished onto it. There are a few books scattered across the floor and the table beside the bed. On the bedside table also rests a small carving of a bird made of wood, and beside that there is a fine wooden box likely used to store some kind of jewelry.
Second is a rather plain room with only the bare necessities. A single bed has been shoved in the corner, a dresser on the far wall, a plain rug, and a wooden chair left next to the window. Decorations are sparse- though there seems to be a bird feeder outside the window, and a few small eclectic trinkets and books left on top of the dresser. The rug, bedsheets, and curtains are all equally as simple.
Doubling back, Fish can just make out the stairs that head down towards the light. It looks like the space opens up to the bar proper. While there is a light on, there's no noise currently coming from it suggesting that no one is likely down there.
Lastly, there's a room just off the side of the clocktower that is lined with bookcases and has a table with a few chairs as well. It appears to be a study of some description, though Fish can tell immediately that the door is locked from the inside which is strange. It seems like that room is the most promising.
Mrrrrrowr~
Somehow the cat had freed itself of the rug and has miraculously appeared behind Fish, eyes locked on the bird's tail feathers and body crouched in a pouncing position.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 29, 2022 0:02:55 GMT -5
Fish is very intrigued by the jewelry box, but shakes their head and refocus. Each room is given a diligent eye and is not so easily dismissed. If the cat is watching and taking notes, they could easily tell Zarius or whoever might listen that this is at least a professional. Someone young and inexperienced to be certain, but promising if one were some sort of criminal enterpriser. Of course, Zarius was no such thing.
Fish however was and was set about completing this mission. At the final door, they rummage around and pull out lock picking tools. Being locked from the inside makes it a bit more precarious to do, but Fish is confident they can pop the lock.[1]
The satisfying click of success is cut short by the annoying meow of the cat. Fish's new mortal enemy. They wheel around on a taloned heel, knife drawn. Fish locks eyes with the feline, ready to strike if it did deem it so necessary as to actually pounce the great Fish the Sneak.
1. lock pick
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 29, 2022 11:18:13 GMT -5
The tiny black kitten with the big goofy ears and short little tail stares aback at the tip of Fish's dagger. It carefully raises a paw and bats at the blade gently before flopping over on its side.
Mrrowr~
It rubs its fuzzy chin on the edge of the runner that lines this hallway and rolls upside-down onto its back. It's little paws knead biscuits in the air as it watches the strange home invader threaten it with a knife. Either the cat was used to such gestures, or simply did not understand that a knife was dangerous.
Behind Fish, the door remains closed, but successfully unlocked without having made too much noise. It did not sound like anyone, besides the cat, has taken notice of the bird's intrusion yet.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 29, 2022 11:25:30 GMT -5
Fish narrows beady little eyes at the cat. It didn’t seem to be a magical familiar or something special, just a very elusive cat it seemed. Clearly Fish would have to be more thorough, though they had no interest in hurting the cat. Fish was a criminal, not evil. The kenku takes hold of the runner and once again attempts to enclose the cat in a cloth prison. This time Fish puts their knife through the knot to hold it in place assuming the cat just wriggled out of the last carpet cage.
Hoping their mortal enemy is subdued, they slip into the next room locking it behind them. Surely the cat cannot also unlock doors. They are confident that now they can work in silence and find the letters they had been looking for. Fish crow hops over to the desk to begin looking through letters and writings.
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 29, 2022 11:48:47 GMT -5
Once again, the cat puts up no fight as it is burrito wrapped into submission. There is a little muffled meow from behind the door after Fish closes it and locks it, hopefully keeping the tiny terror at bay for the time being while they searched the room.
Now inside, Fish could get a better look around the space.
The main room is two stories tall with what appears to be some sort of loft. Beneath the loft is a sort of study space. Bookcases line the walls around a heavy desk and there is a matching chair tucked against it.
A ladder affixed to the side of one of the bookcases leads up to the loft. From the floor, Fish can just make out some furniture up there, though some draping fabric makes it a little harder to see.
Exposed beams run across the ceiling and there's a single large paned window covered by thick floor to ceiling curtains which are pulled closed. The walls are decorated with scenic paintings and wall sconces for lights that are currently darkened.
Opposite of the study is a fireplace, a small stack of wood, and a sitting area with a few chairs and a coffee table. There is the scent of freshly burned wood hanging in the air, as if only recently the fireplace was in use. Atop the mantle of the fireplace are a few odds and ends that appear to be knickknacks from someone's travels.
Taking a closer look at the desk in the study, Fish would find a few errant pieces of paper left on the surface of the desk along with a few ink wells, some sealing wax, and a few different nib pens. There is also a mysterious vial of some sort of greenish-translucent liquid near the nibs and a cloth dirtied with ink.
There is one book that has been left open on the desk. It appears to be a very old book with worn edges and sinew binding. The page it is open to depicts Mount Drakolt and describes some of the legends revolving around the landform.
None of the loose pages have anything written on them and every drawer of the desk appears to be locked as well.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 29, 2022 12:05:46 GMT -5
The tiny vial of liquid is stashed away in a pocket, the burgeoning alchemist always curious about unfamiliar substances and tinctures. They could investigate that later. The book is quickly glossed over…..no code or cipher seemingly hidden in the words. Useless. Fish hopped over to the desk to begin working the locks.
Careful eyes and steady hands worked through the locks, waiting for any trap or alarm they might run into and have to circumvent. They would patiently take their time so as not to rush and make a mistake. The owner of this place seemed to be out so Fish had time.
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 29, 2022 12:17:49 GMT -5
Luckily for Fish, the locks on the desk are not overly complex and they are able to pop open the first few fairly easily. Inside each appears to be mostly extra materials for writing letters. Various bottles of colored inks, a bundle of different types of sealing wax, numerous di-cast seal stamps, extra nibs, and a few drawers are filled with nothing but parchment, paper, and vellum of various textures, quality, and color.
To the untrained eye, it would just appear as an eclectic selection of materials for making fancy letters. But, running in the circles that Fish did, Fish could discern that these were all necessary in crafting convincing forgeries of letter and documents ranging from personal letters to more official documents.
Surely there had to be more in this desk than just stationary. Another thorough pass and Fish would find that one of the drawers is more shallow than it should be. Perhaps a secret compartment? Further investigation would be required.
Mrrrowr~
The sound came from inside the room, but a quick glance around did not reveal where the cat had appeared from.
Mrrrrowr~
Again, from above. Surely, enough, climbing across one of the ceiling's beams is the tiny black kitten with the saucer eyes and disproportionate ears and tail.
Somehow, the cat had escaped yet again and found its way into the room from above. It stalks across the beam until it is over the loft and then it carefully drops down onto one of the pieces of taller furniture, then it drops down again, disappearing from sight.
A grunt responds.
"Ugh, Ebby, get off."
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 29, 2022 12:37:57 GMT -5
Fish was starting to lose their soft spot for not harming the cat. They glare up to the ceiling, following the cat down when suddenly another voice was heard. That isn’t good. The kenku tries to pop open the secret compartment and stash anything inside as fast as they can. They did not stop to first check on the contents if they can get access to them.
Fish attempts to gather the items then silently start making their way to the door. The person seemed to have been asleep, so Fish may yet have a chance to sneak out so long as the panicked rummaging didn’t wake them further. The sound could be pawned of on the mischevious cat. The bird would have to bank on that being the case to escape here.
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Ash Rose Jackals
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Post by Eameia (Zarius unavailable) on Dec 29, 2022 13:24:40 GMT -5
The secret compartment gives Fish a little bit of a hard time but they do manage to wrench it open and toss the contents into their bag which included a few sealed letters and a small leather bound book.
From the loft, Zarius sits up from bed and stretches, the small kitten which had landed on his face rolls down onto his lap.
Mrrrowr~
"What? Eameia fed you already." The tiefling grumbles and gives the kitten a pat.
A mistake he would quickly regret as the kitten twists around and latches its tiny claws and teeth onto his hand. Zarius just looks down at it unimpressed. He gets up, ignoring the tiny kitten attempting to murder his hand and throws on a robe. He knew better than to try and negotiate with the creacher. Only food would satiate it.
Just as Fish is about to make it to the door, there's the sound of a wooden pen rolling off the desk and clattering to the floor. Seems it was jostled during Fish's hasty rummaging.
Zarius pauses, having taken notice of the noise. A veil of invisibility falls over him and he silently walks over to the edge of the loft and peers down through the darkened room for the source of the noise.[1,2,3]
He spots the intruder at his door and he wasn't about to let them just walk out. Luckily for him, Fish had relocked the door on their way in. The tiefling jumps down from the loft, landing quietly and then quickly closes the gap.[4] Fish would be none the wiser...if the invisibility had at all obscured the tiny kitten still clinging to Zarius' arm, appearing to be floating in the air unnaturally.
[1] Invisibility [2] Silent Step [3] Dark Vision [4] Cats Grace
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Dec 29, 2022 13:45:30 GMT -5
There might be a part of Zarius that is slightly impressed at the nerve and skill of the would be bird thief. Fish had made it this far without being noticed by him and had seemingly got halfway through their mission. Now all that was left was the escape. The locked door does provide just enough of a delay to prevent a clean escape.
Fish looks back hearing the muttering suddenly go quiet. Then they see the cat, the inky little void that had harassed them through this sojourn through someone else’s hous. Fish had had enough and would now attempt to dispatch the cat. A pair of throwing knives are quickly tossed out towards the cat, potentially connecting with Zarius himself if the cat moves out of the way.
The moment after the knives leave their hands, Fish turns to unlock the door and begin a mad dash up the stairs and towards the clock face exit they left for themselves.
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