[Job] What's Done in the Dark (Part I)

by **Nickolai Marin** on August 9th, 2014, 4:27 am

Summer 12, 514 AV

The hour was excessively late in the evening; so far that not even a single drunkard tarried in the tavern below. Indeed, this was the beginning of a rare set of hours in which the Traveler's Complex was completely sound asleep...and was the perfect hour for the young prowler to put his skills to the test. Although this marked the second evening of his stay within Kenash, Nickolai was not at all concerned about how sordid of a guest he was being at this very moment. For the vast majority of his life, he had spent his mornings and evenings filling his pockets with the belongings of others...and that would not cease until the day he drew his last breath. As such, with the utmost care and quiet, he arose from his bed and carefully stepped onto the floor of his shared quarters.

Across the room, slumbering in a bed of her own, was his beloved Cecilia...who was so deep into slumber that Nickolai was certain he could sneak out with minimal issue. Earlier that very same day, he had tread the floor of their room very carefully in order to identify any creaky spots; thereby giving him the knowledge of where to step when attempting to be quiet. In motions that were practiced countless times before, Nickolai took a moment to don the black, leather mask that had seen him through countless successful thefts. By now, the young prowler was beginning to consider this piece of aged hide lucky; and as such he made sure to put it on before even thinking of stepping out the door. He then raised his hood into place and began the careful, calculated steps out of the room.

Upon entering the hall, Nickolai was certain to make the closure of the door behind him as silent as possible. From there, he had a decision to make. Due to the hour, he knew that there would not be any significant number of potential targets downstairs; but perhaps there was a merchant or two passed out on the floor. More often that not, that sort of thing happened...but he was uncertain if he wanted to hinge the whole of his evening on this venture. On the other hand, he could select one of the rooms down the hall and attempt to break in; but of course this too had its own share of risk. The downstairs option carried less potential of getting into legal trouble, but also the potential of a diminished reward. Inhaling a deep, calming breath, Nickolai took a moment to consider his options...

...Before settling upon breaking and entering.

Now, the smart way to go about this was to select a room that was not anywhere remotely close to his own. This way, upon waking to discover that there was a certain sum of mizas missing from one's possessions, the resulting fiasco would possibly evade their room entirely. In fact, searches typically only involved the adjacent rooms on the same floor (at least in Nickolai's experience), so it might even be a better bet to ascend the next flight of stairs. However, the downside in this was twofold. One, he had not tested this particular staircase for creaks; and therefore had the potential of waking the dead whilst going and coming. Two, the way was lit by scones which were well out of reach. Normally, he could simply extinguish a candle with but a flick of his fingers...but not so the scones.

However, even with the associated risks, the young prowler decided that this would be an excellent test of his skills. After all, it was not everyday that he had the opportunity to break into the very establishment that he was staying within. As such, he opted to ascend the nearest flight of stairs with the intention of prowling at the next level. Now, as the old saying went, "a long journey was about to begin with a single step." First, Nickolai took a moment to examine the number of candles that illuminated the hall. As he and Cecilia's shared quarters was located towards the middle of the hall's length, there was a single candle which stood upon a table just outside their door. This candle was more than enough to cast pale rays of illumination along throughout the length of the hall; and was the first obstacle to Nickolai's advance.

Taking a cautious step forward, the young prowler took a second to lick his index finger and thumb before hovering them over the flame. At once, he then pinched the candle light between his moistened fingers, thereby extinguishing the whole of the light from the hall. Lowering himself to a half crouch, Nickolai took a few seconds to wait; as the difference in light had the potential to stir certain patrons from their rest. While this was a highly unlikely possibility, it was still a risk to the successful completion of Nickolai's goal; and he had to take all the necessary precautions if he was to succeed. Once satisfied that the light's extinguishment had not stirred anyone from their rest, the young prowler began to make his way down the hall.

Clinging to the far side of the wall, Nickolai moved in such a way as to minimize the whole of his form. If a door were opened, and someone squinted into the darkness, his being half crouched gave him a better chance of moving undetected as opposed to standing up. This was one of those things that came with sneaking about for many years; and honestly Nickolai was grateful that he had picked up this knowledge over time. After a few moments of excessively careful steps, the young prowler arrived at the base of the stairs...and inhaled a deep breath. As aforementioned, the way was lit with scones; a fact that would leave him completely vulnerable to the sight of any passersby. He would have to be quick, yet silent, ascending these stairs...

Steeling himself, the young prowler proceeded up the stairs in a relatively...comical manner. Remaining in his half-crouch, Nickolai took a moment to press his hand upon each and every step. Through this, he tested for potential spots that would creak when exposed to weight. When a step was cleared, he then cautiously moved forward and repeated the process. Out of the fourteen steps that obscruted his path to the next level, only six had creaks. This method, regardless of how ridiculous it may have looked, allowed him to move silently up the stairs; culminating with his successful reaching of the top. Coming down would be just as awkward, but backward...but he would cross that monumental bridge when he got there.
.

by **Nickolai Marin** on August 9th, 2014, 5:49 am

Now that he had successfully reached the apex of the stairs, the young prowler had yet another choice to make. By his estimation, there would be a similar number of rooms on this particular floor when compared to the one he had just ventured up from. The question now was: which room was the lucky winner tonight? This particular decision was not one that took a phenomenal sum of thought, but Nickolai made his choice in one of the most "romantic" ways possible. By counting the number of letters in the name of his beloved Cecilia (seven), he set his sights upon the seventh door down the hall. Of course, his procession would have to be just as careful, lest he wake the dead with a misplaced step upon a creaking floor board.

Setting one foot in front of the other with the utmost gingerness, Nickolai began to move down the hall. As before, he had lowered himself into a stealthy, half-crouch in order to better minimize his presence if a sleepy patron emerged. However, the first obstacle in his advance was the candle located in a similar location to that of the previous floor. However, unlike his home floor, the fixture that provided the light was a tri-candle stand that stood just a foot shy of his total height. Upon arriving at the front of this metal fixture, Nickolai quickly repeated his tactic from before: moistening his index finger and thumb with a quick flick of his tongue. He then rose and made a series of swift grabs; thereby extinguishing each and every candle with minimal effort.

Upon completion, the young prowler than resumed his crouch and continued on along the hall. After a few minutes of careful procession, Nickolai came to a halt outside of the door in question. He then lowered his face to the knob and gave it a ginger, slow turn...only to find that it was locked. Now this was a promising sign! While most would see this as an obstacle, Nickolai took this as a tell-tale sign that those within had something worth locking their door for. Now, whether or not this was mizas...or sexual activity...the young prowler could not tell; but at least he felt as though he'd find something behind the door! Now, there was also a problem, as part of him seriously did not count on there being a locked door. Having extinguished the light, there was nothing to aide him in the subsequent picking of the locks.

Therefore, he would have to wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

This was a process that did not happen instantly. In fact, it often took several chimes in order to accomplish. Now, the more bold larcenists would simply whip out a pick and begin fleshing out the lock, regardless of the inability to see...but Nickolai was cautious. Sure, he was confident in his skills, but capture for him meant more than the potential of being exiled or executed. It meant being separated from Cecilia; and as such, additional caution had to be taken. In the meantime, the young prowler delved his hand into the folds of his pocket and produced a single lockpick. Twirling the small piece of metal about in his offhand, Nickolai then placed two fingers upon the lock and began to feel his way around the surface. His bare fingertips were searching for nicks or the feeling of rust; attempting to estimate the total age of the lock.

It was not rusted, but had plenty of dings upon its surface. By his guess, the lock would be of average difficulty to crack. After all, this was not exactly a palace that he was infiltrating, but the hovel that Kenash threw all of its passersby into. Once he had gauged the lock, Nickolai set about blinking rapidly for a few moments in an attempt to expedite the process of ocular adjustment. However, this action was not necessarily helpful; but it did delude the young man into not feeling the creeping passage of time. When it was all said and done, Nickolai began to see clearly in the darkness; a fact which caused the beginnings of a smile to form upon his lips. With the utmost confidence, he swapped the lockpick's placement in his hands and gently slid the metal tool into the lock.

He then reached for his belt and produced a small, shiv-like pry. Giving it a playful flip into his offhand, the young prowler then began the process of picking the lock. First, he angled the pick at the top of the lock, attempting to raise the mechanism inside. He then inserted the pry in order to guide the lock sideways, mimicking the turning motion of a key. Of course, Nickolai had to be meticulously exact about the placement of the pick; for he could potentially snap it if he turned at the wrong spot. As such, he gave the lock a few test turns before finding the so-called "sweet spot" of the lock. This was evidenced by an almost inaudible "click" that only an ear inches away from the metal could pick up. "Jackpot." whispered the larcenist, slowly but surely turning the lock into the open position.

Once this was accomplished, Nickolai retrieved the lockpick from within the lock and stowed both of his tools back upon his person. He then reached forward and wrapped his fingers about the knob, once more giving it a ginger turn. This time, it gave way to his touch and allowed the door to open forward. Apparently, there was some sort of luck boiling within the young prowler, for there was no creak when the door opened approximately six inches by his touch. This was just enough of an opening to afford the young larcenist an opportunity to gauge the difficulty of robbing the occupant blind. Having, as aforementioned, adjusted to the darkness, it was easy for Nickolai to see the features of the room...which were not that impressive.

There was a chair, a dresser, and most obviously a bed.

Giving the air a whiff with his nose, the young prowler was greeted with the unholy stench of alcohol and sex: a fact that, while offensive to his nostrils, would work well in his favor. After all, not only would his victims be drunk, but exhausted from a night full of romping about. Casting his gaze upon the bed, he was greeted with the sight of two distinct lumps covered by a single blanket. What's more, one of the two was the source of relatively heavy breathing; but it was not loud enough to wake the dead, nor the other in the bed. These conditions were more than ideal for the young larcenist, who then began to look about the room for any source of coin. What he found were articles of clothing strewn about here and there, but mostly congregated atop the dresser.

This was his target, as no doubt the two in bed were barely clothed (or nude).
.

by **Nickolai Marin** on August 9th, 2014, 7:06 am

Due to the fact that there were two circumstances in play...the young prowler afforded himself the opportunity to flex his muscles a little bit. While it would take minimal effort to carefully waltz over to the dresser, search the clothes, and leave, Nickolai decided to have a little fun. This, of course, was due to the fact that the light of day was several hours away; and the fact that the slumbering couple would not be the wiser. Having learned and utilized the art of Shielding sparingly throughout his youth, Nickolai had come up with the "genius" idea of utilizing the magic in order to aide in his larceny. However, he had not yet achieved a level of proficiency that would afford him the ability to make a shield in seconds...but in time he'd get there.

Drawing a slow, quiet breath, the young prowler carefully placed his dominant hand upon the pouch hanging from his belt. Fortunately enough, the couple had decided to blow out their candles before falling asleep: a fact which meant that they would not witness the pending "trick". He then began the slow, laborious process of summoning the enigmatic energies that laid within. Known as Djed, this power was apparently an extension of his will...or something to that effect. The exact nature of the energy was the subject of a lesson years ago, but at present Nickolai could only recall bits and pieces. However, what he did remember was how to muster this power into the form of a shield. Now, the trick was creating one that would stretch across the small span of cloth that made up the pouch.

Manifesting as a thin, cloudy substance, the Shield began to take form...after what seemed a small eternity of absolute concentration. However, the relative quiet (save for the aforementioned heavy breathing), was enough to allow Nickolai to muster the focus required for this task. Stretching forth at an agonizingly slow pace, the Shield eventually came to encompass the vast majority of the pouch's form. Now the kicker here was that Nickolai's intent was to task the Djed with screening out sound, thereby preventing noise from whatever coin he placed in it from escaping. However, due to the fact that, frankly, he was as learned in the art as an infant was at walking, there were more than several holes in this tasking. For one, the shield's consistency was jumbled and the resulting task was only...a fanciful buffer to sound.

Sure, technically the resulting sound would be quieter, but overall it wasn't going to make a world of difference.

Still, as the opportunity had presented itself, Nickolai had dedicated the time and effort to form a shield, frankly because his targets were intoxicated (at least, judging by the smell of the air). Now that the shield was in place, the young prowler estimated that it would only last a few minutes before fizzling out; for after all, it wasn't even remotely close to being a decent casting...But that was plenty of time to get the job done. Gingerly, the young larcenist pushed the door open several more inches; but just enough so that he could slide his form through the gap. Once within the space, Nickolai began the slow process of moving forward. There was no hurry on his part, lest his inadvertently wake the slumbering couple with rapid footsteps upon the wooden floor.

As such, he moved with the utmost caution and tested the floorboards before placing his foot down. Eventually, after a series of well placed steps, he reached the dresser and the theft could begin. Gingerly, he placed his hands upon the garments and pressed down; attempting to feel the obvious form of a purse or otherwise. What he felt were a few lumps which warranted careful investigation. He peeled the garments away from the pile, one after another, whilst being careful not to rustle the underlying coins. Eventually, he came upon a small coin purse and, strangely enough, an earring. Apparently the rush to get the clothes off also took something precious along for the ride. His first step was prying upon the coin purse, wherein laid several coins.

Against the darkness, it was next to impossible to make out the denomination of each coin, so the young prowler was essentially flying blind. Opening up the mouth of his shielded pouch, Nickolai then proceeded to grab a total of eight coins, one by one, out of the purse. He then, with the utmost care, gently placed each within the pouch before closing the coin purse once again. He then swiped the earring as well and carefully added it to his pouch before closing the mouth of it. Then came the fun part of covering his tracks...First, Nickolai proceeded to lay the garments back atop one another; essentially re-burying the lightened coin purse. He then lowered himself into a half-crouch and made for the door once more, repeating his path as quiety and carefully as before.

Upon arrival, the young larcenist reached for the door and slowly turned the lock. It gave a light click, which caused Nickolai to flinch...However, there was no rustling in the bed in response: a sign that he had not woken the sleeping pair through this act. Nickolai then resumed his path out of the room: gingerly slipping through the space in the door. He then closed the door as quietly as possible before resuming his voyage down the hall. Like before, it took ginger steps and the utmost care not to announce his presence to those who slumbered. Upon reaching the end of the hall, Nickolai then took a very awkward stance: essentially crawling backwards downstairs. As previously, he tested each step for potential creaks before stepping.

Finally, after a small eternity of awkward movement, the young prowler reached the base of the stairs. Standing in his half-crouch, Nickolai moved silently forward through the hall. Upon returning to his door, he quietly opened it and slipped within; before giving the lock a turn. Closing the door behind him, Nickolai then removed his shielded pouch from his belt and set it upon his dresser. Opening it, the young prowler then set about quietly procuring his ill-gotten gains and depositing them into his coin purse. As for the earring, he promptly slipped off his boot and dropped it within; before placing both socks inside of it. Finally, Nickolai stripped down to his bare essentials before climbing into bed...another job complete.
.

by **Vice** on August 15th, 2014, 6:29 pm

Nickolai Marin :

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a PM, and we'll discuss my reasoning behind why the grade given was received. Please make sure to edit any posts in the grading queue to 'graded' and update your CS as soon as possible. Enjoy! ^.^

Solo [Job] What's Done in the Dark (Part I)