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 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:41 am
Laughing softly, Kalends considered the prospect. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have done something like this, but his spirits were calmed by the whiskey and he was already feeling more like himself. Lockpicking was his bread and butter: it was the skill that had made him who he was and of all the tricks in his repertoire, he was most proud of it. It was rare that he got to show off his talents, and, whether encouraged by his drink or not, he was quite pleased for a change of pace, to stop feeling so helpless and to show himself as he truly was. Especially since this was one of his favorite skills. "Somewhere fairly safe. You wouldn't want to ruin your sterling reputation, after all."
He thought on it, trying to pick an easy enough target. If he'd had his druthers, he supposed that he would have tried training Drustan in basics, but that was also a bit boring and Kalends was aiming to impress. Then an idea hit him. "Somewhere with low stakes, I think, where it would not be out of the ordinary to see you at this hour. Happily, you have a house that will do nicely."
He took out his lockpicks and traced a finger fondly along an edge. Yes, this was definitely his area of expertise.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:09 pm
"You want to break into my house?" The idea of breaking into his own home initially had him nonplussed. For one thing it was cold and dark out and despite the whiskey bracing his spirits Drustan had never been the sort to get his hands dirty. But the boyish part of him that had been starved for mischief his entire life raised a fuss and the prospect began to look brighter. Nobody would catch them, it would be perfectly safe. And more than anything else, it would be fun. Drustan hadn't had an excess of fun in his life, especially since he'd moved to Prybridge where he'd been wasting away working and networking and trying to impress his parents. He could certainly use a night off... "Ok. So what do we do? Just lock ourselves outside and hope we can get back in?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:52 am
Rising from his chair, Kalends began to stride around the room, looking out the window and scoping out the doors. The house was fairly well-secured and would keep out most thieves, to be sure, but he was still fairly confident that would be able to get in. He was Artemis Kalends, after all, and there wasn't a lock that, without enough time, he couldn't crack.
"Have you forgotten who I am?" He laughed, softly, his eyes dancing with the prospect of a new challenge. "I am Kalends of Edgecrest, and there is no building in this city that could keep me out." He cocked his chin up as though to assert this more. It wasn't really true: Kalends was fairly sure that there were plenty of places both in Edgecrest and Prybridge that he wouldn't be able to crack into--that was part of what made his work challenging-- but his pride wasn't about to let him admit that. "But yes, that is how we'll go about this. If, after a hour of my tutelage, you're still unable to unlock your own door, then I'll just break us back in myself with no one the wiser." He shrugged it off. "It'll be child's play."
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:29 am
Drustan hesitated, his common sense warring with his intense desire to do something he knew his parents would never have approved of. The sleeping rebel within him won out. "Right. Well then, let me just change into something more appropriate and we can try this. I'll only be a moment." Drustan dashed out of the room, leaving Kalends alone with his valuables. He didn't even think twice, alcohol and barely suppressed excitement fogging his mind.
Several minutes later he walked back into the study, making a quite comical picture. He was dressed in black, though since he didn't own any clothes suited for hard work the fabric was spotless and expensive, though the man wearing it didn't seem to care. He had also used ash to blacken his face and his hands, and on top of that he carried two black domino masks for further costuming needs. "I have a cape too," he said. "If you think it would add to the effect. Here," he offered one of the masks to Kalends. "So we'll look the part." His white grin in his ridiculously blackish-grey face was so boyishly genuine and excited that it was clear he had no idea how stupid he looked.
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 8:36 am
There was a long pause.
The thief stared at the domino mask and then back at Drustan and then back at the mask. His upper lip twitched as though he was not entirely sure whether he ought to berate Drustan for his ridiculous get-up and sooty face or go along with it, but finally he settled on shaking his head with a hand pressed over his eyes in exasperation, and then swept down the hallway wordlessly and towards what he had discerned to be the back door, leading to the outside from the kitchen.
"Yes," he rolled his eyes sardonically, though there was a certain brightness, a levity in them that wasn't normally present, "you look like the most expensive thief to ever walk the south coast of Imisus, I will give you that. I'd say that you're already making a name for yourself, but I doubt anyone would recognize you as you are. I don't suppose you have a false name you'd like to go by?" Kalends bowed with great show as he held the door open for Drustan to exit through. "Since we're about to be partners in crime."
Half of him disapproved, because Kalends did not take kindly to perceived slights on his craft and profession, but the other half thought that this was all fairly ridiculous and saw no reason not to put on a good show. It had been a long time since Kalends had gotten to not be serious, and as he thought about it more, he decided he didn't mind Drustan's attempts at being more thief-like, choosing instead to take it as a compliment, even if it was rather silly. "Are you ready?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 10:27 am
Drustan followed Kalends out into the kitchen garden obediently. It was a small, walled in space with a half-gate that led to the back lawn which was also small, but big enough for a little lawn party and bowling. At present the garden lay fallow, though Mrs. Grint had big plans for it when the time came to plant. He closed the door firmly behind them, effectively locking both men out of the house.
"A false name?" Well this was another unexpected perk as far and the inebriated Drustan was considered. "I don't know... can I be The Dreadful? I'm not sure how false names work. Perhaps I could go as The Dreadful Crow. Crows are thieves." His logic was clearly muddled but he did seem to be enjoying himself. "Or maybe you could give me a false name. I'm sure you have better ideas than I do."
He gave Kalends a giddy grin. "I'm ready!"
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:23 pm
The garden was about as he had expected-- small, but well-hidden-- and it would be a good place for them to attempt to break in without being seen. Kalends had his favorite lockpicks hidden up his bracers as usual, but since Drustan was still fairly new at this, he opted to use a sturdier pair from one of his cloak's pockets instead. That way if the merchant broke one then he wouldn't be inconvenienced. Lockpicking was a careful art, but not one without its casualties.
Kalends had been facetious when he'd asked, but now that Drustan had replied, the thief raised a half-amused, half-baffled eyebrow. "All things come back to crows with you." He breathed, moving forward to assess the lock. Yes, the lockpicks he had should be sufficient. He looked up into the sky, checking the phase of the moon. "It's half-full. How about Nones? I am Kalends, after all." He was referring to the port city practice of giving orphans surnames based on the time of the month in which they were found: the kalends, ides, nones, or pridie. "Nones Corvus, the Half-Moon Crow."
He focused on the lock, inserting the lockpicks and then testing for strength, partially to begin their lesson but also because even when slightly tipsy the prospect of friendship, of partnership seemed a little daunting, though no longer quite as unwelcome. Had he truly craved companionship so badly?
"Perhaps," he whispered, "now we can begin. Take one pickpick in each hand like this." He demonstrated, holding his hands open so Drustan could see how he was gripping them. "A lock is like a living thing. Don't be too rough, otherwise you'll break the pick. But don't be too lenient either, or else we'll be out here until sunrise. All you have to do is move hold one pick steady into the tumbler, and then move the other, see where the lock wants you to go."
Maybe it was just him being over-anxious and made silly by drink, but picking locks was possibly one of the most private subjects that Kalends knew. He was thankful for the half-moon's shadow in the semidark; though he could probably have passed it off as the effects of drink, it would have been difficult to explain the small smile on his face.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 12:54 pm
"Nones Corvus." Drustan repeated softly, smiling at the thought. "It's perfect." He turned his gaze briefly upwards, glancing at the moon, and then returned his attention to the task at hand. Watching Kalends testing the lock and the lockpicks, he took the tools doubtfully when they were offered.
"Hold them like this." Drustan repeated, more to himself than to Kalends as he carefully gripped them properly. "Ok. And then treat the lock like a lady." He slid the first pick in, holding it steady and then the other pick, moving it around and trying to listen to it. He jiggled it one way, then another. "Nothings happening." Drustan finally stated with the downtrodden tone of someone who expected to immediately succeed wildly and without any effort.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 5:08 pm
Kalends rolled his eyes. "Honestly. You upper classes are all the same, you want everything right away." He gestured for Drustan to keep his hands on the lock and to keep at it. "Be careful with it. Think of it like..." He groped for a suitable metaphor. "Like you're trying to balance a lot of things on top of each other and you're testing to see if the block you add to the top will topple the tower. Persistence," he smirked, "is what sets a good thief apart from a street beggar. You don't give up."
Because if you gave up, you probably wouldn't eat. It was an unspoken statement, but it when your life was on the line, people tended to perform better. Kalends had an inspiration. "Imagine that this lock is an important deal you want to make, but that if you let one thing slip or come out wrong, this whole city will see you as a failure and you'll never do business again." It seemed a little bleak, but this was the way Kalends had learned, so he hardly knew better. "You either do it right, or you learn other things to do. Hold that more straight." He corrected Drustan's hand slightly.
It was so strange watching a beginner do this. Kalends unfortunately was not long on patience and while drink made him somewhat less caustic, it also made him more conscious of how long this was taking. Still, he was by no means at the end of his rope yet. If Drustan was unable to crack the lock, then Kalends would get to show off his own abilities, after all.
"You should probably be happy that it's not easy. I doubt you'd want vandals such as myself dropping in on you unexpectedly every night."
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 5:44 pm
Drustan made the recommended adjustments, biting his lower lip in concentration. What Kalends was saying made sense in an almost alarming way. His entire life, Drustan had been walking a cautious balancing act. As a child, his parents had often used him as a pawn in their subtle power struggles against each other. Drustan always had to walk the line between obedience to one or the other without giving offense. And now he was trying so desperately to please them both by growing the family business here in Prybridge... He understood desperation, though of a different sort than Kalends. There was a soft clicking sound, and Drustan froze. "Did it... I think I got it..." He said softly.
The scratching noises and whisperings outside the back door had not, however, gone unnoticed. Gideon had woken up and heard the quiet noise. The little boy had proved to often be hyper-vigilant out of residual fear and, finding Drustan not in his room or his study he made a beeline up the stairs to wake Mrs. Grint who was, after all, the most fearsome person who lived in the house.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 1:48 pm
With somewhat tepid approval, Kalends closed his eyes and nodded, giving Drustan a pat on the bat. "And that is the first of many steps in learning how to become a thief. You're not too bad." He adopted a mock-thinking pose and continued, jokingly. "The distance would be a problem, but I'll keep you in mind if I ever decide to take an apprentice."
Though, he figured Drustan was closer to his own age than younger, so a partnership would have been the more correct offer. But Kalends was prideful and only teasing, so the thought did not cross his mind.
"Well, now that you've succeeded, finally," Kalends could not resist but the smile that followed wasn't as condescending as his words, more like the playful ribbing of an expert to a novice. "let's go back. Exciting as the moon and your garden are, I would prefer to be back inside."
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 8:00 pm
Drustan grinned. "Apprentice?" For some reason the thought rather appealed to the privileged young man. "I'd appreciate the consideration." Drustan chuckled a little as he stood and opened the door, not nearly as quietly as a good thief ought to. "Perhaps I'd make quite a good thief with the proper..."
Drustan did not get the opportunity to finish his sentence, because as soon as he came through the door into the dark house there was a terrifying cry of fury and he found himself being laid about with something hard. "AUUUUGH! Get outta my house ye BEAST!" Came the vengeful voice of... Mrs. Grint? Could that possibly be Mrs. Grint hitting him over the shoulders with what could only be a frying pan?
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 12:17 pm
Kalends wasted no time with exclamations. Something had gone wrong, and it was now the time for action rather than mincing words. He skirted into the kitchen and grabbed an implement hanging from one of the racks. Drustan already appeared to be directly in the line of fire, and though Kalends was not very good at hand to hand combat he made up for his lack of skill with his speed and dexterity.
Still, he head wasn't quite in the right place after all the alcohol, which perhaps might explain why he was raising a ladle (as opposed to his dagger) to match the frying pan in a duel of mortal combat with a very fearsome woman. As the two kitchen utensils clashed as the thief entered the fray and the battle began in earnest, Kalends realized that he probably should have gone for the knife. But there was no turning back now-- it was already a struggle to keep his focus on blocking the woman's wild swings and Kalends, though possessed of average strength, could feel the ladle yielding.
"Run!" He yelped, before the ladle crumpled in his hands under the sustained abuse, leaving him defenseless.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 5:20 pm
Drustan had begun shouting when he realized it was Mrs. Grint who was attacking him, though between her raised voice and Kalend's brave defense his voice was rather lost. "Mrs. Grint! It's me! For heaven's sake!" He tried, and failed, to duck. "Mrs. Grint stop it! It's alright!" The enraged and frightened woman continued to alternately beat at him and Kalends with all of the ferocity of a mother wolf until without warning, a light came on.
Gideon stood in the doorway wearing his long night shirt and holding a lit lamp, peering at the carnage. The candle in the lamp threw long shadows across the kitchen making the little boy seem more strange and spectral than he appeared under normal circumstances. His eyes were round as plates as he watched the adults behaving so strangely.
"Mrs. Grint!" Drustan shouted again, and this time the woman paused, her face tight and pale with fear. But she recognized Drustan and apparently Kalends as well.
"Sir? Is it truly you? I thought..." Her voice trailed off and then her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. "You've been drinking. You've both been drinking!" Mrs. Grint accused. "You foolish men got drunk and broke into your own house!"
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 4:10 pm
Arm still raised against the assault, Kalends was in a most sorry state. His proficiency at combat had spiraled downwards with every blow of the ladle, and in the end he'd just adopted the best defensive posture he could in the onslaught. Unfortunately, his retreat had pushed him into rows of cups and silverware that had been let out to dry and while his injuries appeared to be minor, Artemis Kalends looked quite the sight sitting in a corner of broken crockery.
His green eyes flashed over to the boy, taking him in skeptically. He could not recall either Drustan or his housekeeper mentioning that they had a young child in the household recently, and while Kalends supposed that it would not have been outside the realm of possibility for such a child to be present without his knowledge, the thief hadn't pegged Drustan as a family man. Kalends felt slightly awkward, and beyond a glower at the child as though to scare a ghost, he largely tried to ignore the boy.
In regards to the raging housekeeper, Kalends rolled his eyes and waved the barb away. "In all fairness, it's not my house."
Perhaps if he had sobered up more, he would have recognized the gravity of the situation.
But still not quite recovered, Kalends turned to Drustan, feeling slightly betrayed, though for the life of him he could not explain why. Perhaps it had been the feeling of companionship he'd experienced with the merchant only moments before, but the fact that the young boy still stood there, quietly holding a lamp, grated on Kalends. "And you," he looked from the boy and back to Drustan, trying to grasp the resemblance, but the dim lighting made it difficult, "you never told me you had a son."
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