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 Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 1:11 pm
"Stop being so smug." Izzayne hissed, her face one of annoyance. She hadn't gotten that far, she'd just memorised the weak points and ways in and out, aswell as the schedule the occupants followed. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching him.
Izzayne grinned at the flinch and followed, breathing softly against his ear before pulling back. Her analysis stayed as it was, if anything he would be noisy when he ran, what with his armour and all. She flicked her gaze to his face and stared, watching him. She hadn't really taken note of his face before now. Might aswell memorise it if he tried to double-cross her. Keeping all options open was a good plan.
Izzayne surpressed a flush from her cheeks, still looking at him. Dammit! Why did he manage to make her even the slightest bit flustered? She didn't like it at all. "...Thank you." She said, about to retort when he commented on the weak points. "Of coarse I knew, idiot." She said, in the same honey sweet voice as before, laced with venom once again.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:13 pm
"Smug? Me? Pfft. Never." Phraktos replied with a rather bemused look on his face. He could tell by the annoyed look on her face that she hadn't gone through with as much work as he had. Thus..he had actually held more sway in the job than she did. Seriously...what were new thieves learning nowadays? One shouldn't just know the basics of the House, they should know every little bit that they could about their target House. Everything!
Phraktos felt her studying his face, and figured she was probably trying to memorize it in case he chose to double-cross her. Now would be a good time to make a pact, before they went any further with the job. Only..her suddenly flushed cheeks caused him to pause, and smile back at her. He however refrained from using his usual charm on her, this was a job after all.
"Right." Phraktos remarked dryly, and then held out his hand, cutting himself slightly across the thumb. "We shall make a pact, before this goes any further. There will be no double-crossing in there. For the duration of the job we will work together as a team. Also..feel free to steal anything else in the treasury, I know I am. Once the Narcotic has been sold and we have the money split evenly; then the pact is void and anything goes."
Then Phraktos extended his dagger and his hand out to her, hoping that she would agree to the pact.
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:22 pm
Izzayne surpressed a sarcastic expression at his bemusement. Her arms still tightly folded over her chest. She was going to kick him..or...something! Right in the face. Her lips broke into a satisfied smile at that thought. It was just enough to divert the anger and rid it enough so she could switch to thinking about the job. She knew as much as needed in her opinion.
Izzayne pursed her lips at the next set of thoughts to flow through her head and she quickly diverted her gaze, face holding a discomforted look. She sighed mutely and took a deep breath, focusing on what was at hand. The job. Getting in and out. She noted the smile and smiled a little back, before glancing away and letting the smile drop.
She flicked her gaze to him and gave him her full attention when he spoke. "A pact?" She certainly hadn't been expecting that one. Maybe she could trust him. No, she would trust him as much as needed today, just until this was over and the Narcotic sold. "Right, agreed." She murmured, taking the dagger and cutting along her thumb, placing her hand in his. This was it.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 2:22 pm
Phraktos was momentarily pleased when she smiled back at him in return, then he reverted back to full professional mode as he waited for her response. He was relieved when she agreed and cut a thin cut into her thumb and then placed her hand in his. Phraktos grasped it lightly...letting their blood mingle before he released her hand.
Then, he flipped his cloak inside out and proceeded to creep back to the side of the stone wall where the magical wards had weakened. He figured that she would follow him without any problems in keeping up, since she had gone as far in implying that she was faster than he was. This rather annoyed Phraktos.
Gods! This female thinks that she's better than me?! Me! The Master Locksmith in all of Undrek'Thoz and Guallidurth! She'll learn very quickly that her assumption is wrong, and I'm better.
Of course Phraktos was rather deluded in thinking he was better than most. What drow who had been given the name God's Fingers would not think that he was better than everyone else? His Matron had not been thinking straight when she had given him that name. Seriously. If anything he just needed a good smack to his ego every now and then to clear it of such...overindulgent thoughts. Otherwise his ego just got away from him too often.
Phraktos hunched down behind the stone fence, peering over the edge every now and then to make sure there were no guards present or anywhere where they could see the two of them. Thankfully there were no guards to be seen, and the outer court of the immense mansion was deathly still and quiet. Almost too quiet. They really needed to get a move on.
Phraktos cautiously moved his enchanted gauntlets near to the fence and waited to see if there were any telltale tings to his hands. The enchanted gauntlets had been a been a present from his older sister Iztheri. She had very painstakingly constructed them for him and entranced them with magic to be able to pick up any warding spells as well as to reveal when others were readying magical attacks on the wearer. They were also able to pick up and let him know where warding spells had weakened over time, as well as make them even less harmful to him. Phraktos never went anywhere without these guantlets, they were like a second skin to him. He never shed them unless it was absolutely necessary, and even then he never let them leave his line of sight.
Phraktos grinned widely as the light danced through his eyes, it was now time to begin their invasion of the mansion! He slowly stood up; keeping his face and cloak out of any light sources and peered over the wall. He was grateful to see that all areas where clear and that everyone inside was sound asleep...well mostly everyone. He knew there were several guards outside of the treasury, who guarded it diligently night and day. In a few moments these guards would be switching out and that would give the him and Izzayne the perfect opportunity to slip inside the treasury unseen.
"This is the perfect spot..the wards are low enough and won't give off any alerts to those inside. Do exactly as I do..and try not to make too much noise."
Then he reached his long arms up and over the wall and took hold of the other side. Then he flipped over onto the other side so quickly that he was a blur of motion. He fell to the courtyard ground without the slightest sound, and immediately hunched over in shadows and whispered urgently:
"Your turn Izzy." He couldn't help but see just how she would manage to get over the wall.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:26 pm
Izzayne saw the pleased expression and diverted her gaze away, the same feeling from before causing disquiet in her normally calm and centered mind. She dropped her hand, careful not to smear too much blood on her clothing when it wasn't very necessary. Her own blood was precious.
She watched him go, calculating his moves and grace. She was amused to find that he wasn't as noisy as his clothing made him look all the time. His quietness was a good sign. This would work out, together they would be unstoppable. She kept up easily, keeping low and peering up every now and then, making sure they were still covered. Her eyes darted back to make sure they were not going to be stormed from behind either. Sneak attacks were not welcome.
Izzayne was not even trying to think on what Phraktos was thinking. The other's thoughts were completely foreign to her, she couldn't predict him well and it annoyed her. Generally beings thought along a baseline and very rarely strayed too far from it, but he was a whole nother species on it! It intrigued her as well as repelled her. She wasn't used to being conflicted on such things, especially when it came to someone else. She was a loner. Why was he going to make a difference? He wasn't, she would forget him soon enough. Or so she hoped. No need to tangle thoughts and cross hairs.
Izzayne stopped and knelt, body coiled up ready to spring or move at the slightest command. She watched him, her eyes greedily eyeing the gauntlets. She'd have no use for them personally...but....! She frowned internally at that thought, making sure to keep her face blank. No need to go thinking that. He'd already over-powered her once. Stupid man. Her tongue darted out to wet slightly dry lips while her blood thrummed with excitement and anticipation. Like it did before every big job. Her gaze drifted to his face once again and she studied him, idly wondering where the scar had come from. Hissing very quietly to herself in a self command to concentrate, she peeked carefully around. Her eyes darted back to him in time to see the wide grin. Sheesh, what a goofball.
The female drow kept low to the ground as Phraktos stood, only rising to her feet after a few more seconds of making sure it was a good idea. She could work with him, but her pace was needed at some points. "Okay." Izzayne murmured, voice tinged with childlike excitement. Her tone dropped to flat when the end of his sentence came and she glared. "Like you need to warn me, I am quiet." She hissed back, taking a step back as he hoisted and flipped himself over the wall.
She heard him, face blanking again at the use of a nickname. Uh..right. Her hands lay on her hips as she calculated the wall for a few seconds. Okay. She took a few steps back and ran at the wall, propelling herself up enough to grab the top of the wall. She hung for a second or two, feet placed against it before kicking off and flipping herself over the large brick barrier, landing with grace near Phraktos. She looked at him and grinned. She may have been dainty and all that, but it came with perks.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:10 pm
Phraktos was rather stunned at Izzayne's method of getting over the stone wall. She certainly was the athletic type, and despite his wanting to remain in the professional mode during the job he felt those unmistakable stirrings within him as he regarded her in silence. Finally, he turned his gaze away and slid silently through the courtyard towards the servant's entrance of the great House.
His eyes darted around, making sure that there were no watchful eyes. Then he slid in close to the door, eying the locks and then started to dig through the pockets on his belts to find the tool that he would need to unlock the door.
Finally the fingers of his left hand found the hooked tool and withdrew it from the pocket it had been in. He deftly worked the piece of metal in the lock, until the telltale click sounded, causing him to smile in satisfaction.
He turned to peer back at Izzayne, and motion for her to join him. He was about to open the door when the rusted hinges caught his eye. They would creak and give them away in second, so Phraktos grabbed some oil from his side pocket and doused the hinges with it. He worked the oil on the hinges with his fingers, and then tested the door out by moving it slightly open. The door slid smoothly without a hint of sound, like a knife sliding into water.
Phraktos grinned happily, and slid the door open a little more and then slid inside and held the door open for Izzayne to follow.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:28 pm
Izzayne stood staring at him, face calm while a hand rested on her hip. She smoothed her skirt down in agitation, again experiencing the want to do something stupid. Like look at his face. What a stupid thing to do. She kept her eyes on the area in front of them instead. He was obviously doing something to her. Obviously. Her lip twitched a little, melding into a slightly displeased shape. Stupid men.
She followed after him, her mouth still set in slightly displeasure, though the job was at the forefront of her mind. She stayed close to him, turning her head back to peek behind them often. She pressed herself against the shadowed wall next to the door that Phraktos worked on, her eyes narrowing as she kept a silent watch. "Hurry up." She hissed, crouching to whisper this near his ear, a hand laying gently against his shoulder blade to support of herself. Her eyes darted to the hinges, watching him oil them up with a slightly aggravated look on her face.
She stood back from him when he moved into the door, casting another look around before going inside, passing by him to wait a little ways down the hall, now on full alert. She grabbed her daggers out of her belt, bracing herself against the wall.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:58 pm
Phraktos' shoulder burned warmly where Izzayne's hand had rested moments before, as did the words she had hissed at him. Who the hell did she think he was? Some hack who had just begun working as a lockpicker? Phraktos held back a snort of ill temper, knowing that would just give them away.
At least she had a nice form to look at, otherwise Phraktos might have never even made a deal with her to work as a team. Well..any female thief he would have worked with no matter her looks..he was one of the fellows to think more with appendages other than his mind after all.
He couldn't help but smirk when he realized that he was agitating her...ruffling her feathers as he liked to call it. If she wasn't so uptight it wouldn't be so much fun for him, and he probably would have quit by now. Since she was still uptight and not really happy about being stuck with working with him, he was going to take as much pleasure from messing with her as he could. It would make the whole ordeal that much more enjoyable for him...plus...perhaps he and Izzayne would work again with each other again. Though..he figured it would be highly unlikely.
He watched her as she entered through the door, and then passed him to go down a hallway. Phraktos frowned, biting his lower lip in frustration. Perhaps he should have told her how he was planning on getting to the treasure room so that she would have an idea of what was going on. Then again..perhaps he should allow her to figure out how to get there on her own.
In the end, Phraktos couldn't chance it. He didn't want Izzayne getting caught by the guards that wandered the halls that they would have to traverse through to get to the third floor. He joined Izz in the hallway and tapped her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention; and then whispered into her ear.
"There is a pulley system they use to get food from floor to floor..we're going to get the the third floor by using those." Then he jerked his head over to a rather small door nearby to indicate where it was.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:09 pm
Izzayne cast a look back to Phraktos when he failed to keep close to her, her eyes searching and curious. She was thinking, assessing the layout of the house she had been given. What was a good route? She had factored in the guards, but they were behind what she would have been if she had tried this on her own. Or so she thought, it was estimated. Phraktos had helped, but getting involved with him first off had slowed them down. She turned to peer down the hall still, eyes narrowed.
He was a big help, more so then what she wanted to admit. She'd have to pull him along on another job at some point, she supposed. She'd have to make him stop getting at her though. It pissed her off.
She could feel his eyes on her and her hands clenched, her head turning as she looked at him with a glare. Oh, if he kept that up she'd make sure he couldn't look again. She felt oddly vulnerable at the moment, more so when he walked over and whispered in her ear. Her cheeks burned and she quickly jerked her head away and walked over to the doorway when he motioned to it. "Fine." She whispered, closing her eyes and exhaling to calm herself. Stupid idiot! Why, oh why did he have to do this to her?
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:22 pm
"Allow me," Phraktos whispered, opening the door, and then somehow managed to pack his immense frame into the small space of the dumb waiter.
"If you'd like, I could climb up the rope to the third floor and then pull you up once I get there."
He didn't know why he offered, but for some reason it came out of his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying. He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled...trying to stave off the feelings threatening to mess with his mindset...yet again. He really needed to stop thinking of Izz in any other manner than that of a partner in crime. Especially from this point on. It was going to be hard...but it had to be done.
"Actually..if the two of us could fit in here we could just pull ourselves up without any wasted time."
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:32 pm
Izzayne watched him, silent and stunned when he managed to squeeze into the small space. She blinked a couple of times to clear it when he spoke, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes assessed the space, Lips set in thought.
"Uh..." She faltered at his offer, looking taken aback at it. She stared down, gnawing on her bottom lip. That was...stupid. It would take time but still..a part of her stupidly wanted him to help her. "No...I can get up quickly." She answered finally, looking up at him. She rested her hand on the ledge of the opened door, peering inside in a thoughtful way. Her eyes were brooding, a part of her wasn't thinking on the job at all. How had it degraded to this? Why was her focus going?! She shut her eyes and exhaled again, steadying herself.
"I can fit." She whispered, well she could if she squeezed against him. She got in, around him. Her hands placed on his shoulders for grip as she steadied herself, before a hand reached out and grabbed the pulley in an effort to help.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:00 pm
Phraktos couldn't help but be drawn in by her response to his question. Oh lord...she was biting her lip! Damn was she sexy when she did that! Phraktos wanted to grab her and press his lips hot and tight against hers. Gods...what was this female doing to him? He held back a groan when she finally answered, staring up at him with large doe like eyes. Gods..her eyes were so beautiful. He gulped as she edged closer to him and peered into the opened door.
Brooding wistful eyes took in the remaining space and his large frame wedged inside. Oh lord. She was going to join him! He watched her shut her eyes and exhale, was she trying to steady her nerves? Was she actually into him that much that she had to deal with the fact that she'd be in confined quarters with him? Oh lord. She was going to know how he felt about her after this trip to the top.
He stilled himself as she slid inside the remaining space, and placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. Oh good gods! She smelled amazing! His shoulders began to burn, and his stomach began to churn from nervousness. And other anatomical parts of his body started to respond to her touch. Phraktos nearly whimpered, but was able to hold it in..not wanting Izzayne to realize just how much he was responding to her closeness.
He reached his large hands up to work the pulley only to find one of her hands already there. He released a shuddering sigh, and then pulled her hand away gently, saying simply.
"I've got this."
Then with muscles straining in his arms and shoulders he began to work the pulley in several feet at a time rises towards the third floor. He didn't work out for hours everyday just for looks...he was actually pretty strong and capable of feats most drow didn't think were possible.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:09 pm
The space was tight, and charged with something. It was stuffy and she felt light-headed. Dear god, just the thought of having to do this again made her stomach churn. She was understanding what was happening, but she needed to ignore it. Both for the sake of the job and for the fact she wasn't just going to throw herself at the first male she had really interacted with. She wasn't that easy, that was for sure.
She resumed gnawing on her bottom lip in thought when he finally started moving after she had climbed in, her grip tightening on his shoulder when he gripped the pulley. She heard the sigh, cocking an eyebrow up. What was going on with them, she wondered. He must have been feeling this cooped up too.
"Fine." She murmured calmly, steadying her nerves once again. If working with him made her like this, maybe it was a bad idea to resume doing so. Though that thought troubled her more then necessary. She moved her hand onto his shoulder, bracing against him when the platform started moving. She did not need to lean back against the wall and be scraped up it when they were pulled up again. She watched him, noting how easily he did this. It was obvious this was probably sort of easy for him to do, she supposed. "Collect yourself before you move out of here, Phraxtos. That sigh wasn't a weary one." She murmured in his ear, before pulling back a little, trying to put space between them. Even if just a few inches more.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:46 pm
Phraktos tried to keep his mind focused on the continuous movement of hefting them closer and closer to the third floor and off of her nearness. It didn't work as well as he thought it would. It was probably the enclosed space, and how close their bodies were to each other. It was throwing him off of his normal professional mindset, and that was not a good thing. He got more reckless when he was around females..not to mention ten times more daring.
He kept the pace quick and rhythmic so to not draw out the time anymore than they already had with all their glances and exchange of words from before. If the job was to go without a hitch they needed to get to the third floor right as the opposing House attacked.
They were about half way to the third floor...he had attempted this before and figured out how many pulls it took to get to the third floor...when she murmured into his ear, almost causing him to let go of the rope in shock.
Phraktos gritted his teeth, as he tried to regain composure as well as his rhythm as he retorted. "Don't worry about me. See to yourself Izzayne. You very nearly caused me to let go...which would not be a good thing. Next time..don't startle me. It's time to be professionals."
And despite the fact that the shock at her knowledge of how he was responding to her was rather embarrassing it had also served as a good wake up call to him. It had gotten him out of his, "I'm the gods' greatest gift to women" state of mind. So..from here on out, he would be completely in his professional state and wouldn't have any problem with being in close quarters with her.
"Oh..our retreat will not be down this way. We will be repelling out the window and then dashing away, it will help us get away faster with the fight going on below."
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:54 pm
She was growing accustomed to this awkwardness. It wasn't so hard to fight off now. She kept her eyes above, eyeing the door through which they had to climb through to get to the Narcotic. Keeping her mind on this worked. She flicked her gaze to him when he answered her, frowning lightly. Oh.
".........my apologies." She murmured grumpily, leaning away from him as much as she could do. The air was clearing, so whatever was there was gone. Perhaps it was something in the air, a side effect of the Narcotic? She felt stupid for thinking they'd permeate the house with it. That was a no. She pursed her lips. She was damn professional! He was the one who had been goofing off. She felt annoyance replace whatever the hell had gripped her before.
Hearing that gave her a sense of relief. "Good." She murmured in a relieved tone, shifting her weight to her other leg while in a crouch. She didn't need a cramped leg or a numb one. Not at all. "Is there a meeting point if we get split up?" Heck if she knew how pairs worked.
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