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 Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 4:29 pm
Eight Mission time. Suit up in civs and meet me at the portals in 10minutes. Lance was waiting for Candace on the other side of the portal, sitting as comfortable as he could in his wheelchair. The runes on it were deactivated, completing the civilian look. He looked out of place without his hunter coat, and the way he kept his green eyes locked out the window betrayed how uncomfortable he was without his coat to cover up his legs. He turned when she approached, waving her over. "See that place right across the street? There's your target." It was a florist's shop. "I need you to go in there and get me three bouquets of roses. One red, one white, the other... The last one doesn't matter," he shrugged, pointing towards the front door. "That door's busted, so you'll need to use the side door in the alley to get in and out of here. The place is still open, so feel free to go in there and scope around for a bit." Lance paused, digging in his pocket and handing Candace a wallet. "There's your fake ID and a card. Act inconspicuous. Get a feel for the place and a look for the alley. There's a wall and several bins in the alley that you'll need to climb over, unless you go the longer back way. The florist's will be open for a couple hours still, so you have time." "When you come back here, we'll get started on some lock picking lessons. For now, go scout it out. Questions?" Quote: Phase 1: Roll 1d100 for mysterious GM purposes~
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Eight rolled 1 100-sided dice:
98
Total: 98 (1-100)
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:43 pm
Candace looked surprised by the text. Civs? Huh...not very often she was asked to do a mission in civs with no hunter coat. She'd done as told, simply changing out of her comfy workout clothes into something cute. A pair of jeans, sandals and a breezy white tanktop. Unlike Lance, she looked very comfortable without her hunter coat. It was strange, yes, but she was okay. Though she did reach up to adjust a phantom scarf every now and then as she walked to the portal, was informed that Lance had gone on ahead, and then joined him on the other side. Candace hummed cheerfully as she walked up behind him, draping her arms over his shoulders and resting her head atop of his. What was--oh hey! Candace blinked. "Did you get impatient about our challenge? I need a lock pick for that, I'm working on it." She pouted, listening to his next instructions. Oh, wait...roses? "Roses aren't very badass, Lance." Candace teased, raising a brow. A bouquet of red, a bouquet of white and then one that didn't matter? Hmmm. Who were they for? She drummed her fingers against his chest, humming thoughtfully. "And why doesn't the last one matter?" She asked as he handed her a wallet, standing straight to open it and look through. Who was she for this little venture? Daphne Miller. Not bad. "I'll take the alley. It's fine." She said absently, looking through the wallet for anything else. "Oooh! Lock picking lessons? Yes, please." Candace grinned, slipping the wallet into her back pocket and leaning down to press a kiss against Lance's temple. "Nah I'm good for the moment, I think. Go in, scope it out. So basically I want to know when it closes, if there's anything like a security system, cameras, when the shops around it close so I'll know how careful I'll have to be. Where the roses are, and every way to get in and out?" This was actually rather exciting! Candace had never stolen anything before! She straightened up again and looked out the window. "I have my phone, too. So I can always just text or call you while I'm out there if I have any issues."
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 7:25 pm
The arms over his shoulders made the assistant automatically shift backwards in his chair towards her. He began to shake his head, stopped, then lazily raised a hand to gesture towards the shop. "Nah. Our challenge is still on. This... This is for Cass." He turned his gaze towards the shop, brooding. "She's getting married, and guess who forgot to get the flowers? She's getting the red ones. Someone else needs the white, and the last? Hm. I guess you could say I've got someone in mind to receive them."
Lance playfully shooed Candace away after she kissed his temple. "Yeah, you've got the gist of it. Take your time. When you're comfortable with the layout of the place, come back then. You don't need to wait there until it closes unless you want to."
When Candace turned to leave, Lance reached out and shamelessly slapped her rear. "Good luck!" Pity he was sitting on his; getting revenge in the same fashion would be more trouble than it was worth.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The alleyway was wide enough for a car. Or it used to be until someone constructed a wall directly down the middle of it. Dumpsters and trash cans lined both ways. Candace could clear it if she took a running leap, however given that it was daylight there was a chance that she could be seen.
The other way was longer, but it kept to a sidewalk. There was a small cafe that looked rather cute with business that was starting to pick up. If Candace went that way, there was a high chance she would be seen.
Either way, the floral shop was located in a strip mall. It was a small place, possibly as big as four trainee dorm rooms combined and closed in approximately two hours and fifty-six minutes. Candace was hit by the sharp delicate scent of flowers the moment she walked in. There were shelves and displays bursting with colors. Lilies, carnations, tulips, daffodils, roses, daises -- there were flowers in just about every natural shape and natural size.
There were a couple cameras that Candace could see. She could even plot out a course that would take her through the store without being noticed. There was some sort of security alarm system. Or was that the air conditioning? They looked too similar to tell apart.
The florist was currently busy. She had heard Candace come in when the bells on the front door jangled and waved to her. "Let me know if you need anything, hun!" She called out before going back to trimming the daisies.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 8:23 pm
For Cass? Wait--what?! Cass was getting married?! Why didn't she tell her?! Holy s**t! Candace's eyes were wide with shock. Cass was getting married. Little Cass. Baby Cass.
Cass was getting married.
Candace was pulled from her thoughts by the hint of who would be receiving the last bouquet of roses. The white was intriguing. Who needed the white roses? Lance? Curious. But the surprise roses...oh, she had ideas. She was smiling as he shooed her away. "I'll be thorough as can be. I'll be back for those lock picking lessons, then. Be a good boy while I'm gone~." She turned to leave and received a slap on the a**. Candace squeaked with surprise, her cheeks flushing as she looked back at Lance. "You sneak!" She laughed, shaking her head and smiling. "Thanks, I'll see you in a bit."
She did as he suggested, sneaking out the side door only to meet with a wall. She hummed and stared up at it. Atropos would certainly be of use to her in this situation, but there were windows...and the other end of the alley. Candace looked back at the exit of the alley, toward the street. She could take the sidewalk now. It wouldn't matter. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Later she could scale the wall, when it was dark. But first she moved a few trashcans in a way that would let her climb later. Perfect. She'd just fix the other side if she had to. For now she had no reason to fear the sidewalk. Though she plucked a pair of sunglasses from the belt loop of her pants and put them on before stepping out in public. They had large, dark lenses. The kind that took up the majority of her face. Her eyes were a distinct color. Had to hide them.
Worst came to worst? She'd buy a hat while she was out. Or change her hair style for tonight.
The cameras were noted. She'd quietly watched for if they moved at all in the corner of her eye. The security system didn't surprise her.
Candace walked into the floral shop with no shame, no worry, no suspicion. She was just a potential customer. The florist was given a warm smile as she greeted her, nodding her head. "Thank you! I'll keep that in mind~." She chirped, looking all around. The flowers were lovely. She kept her 'focus' on the flowers, but in reality Candace was looking for places to enter from; windows, air ducts, side doors. She had to have a stock room, and that stock room had to have a way out. She knew how strip malls worked; the owners of the stores all had ways in and out of the mall from the back of their stores, for when they needed to get in and out and the mall wasn't open.
There was no way she could find that with the store open. Damn.
She looked at the time. Less than three hours until it closed. "These are so lovely." Candace sighed happily as she leaned in to sniff a bundle of tulips. So pretty! Ah, there were the roses! Red, white, yellow, pink..orange. Her eyes widened at the orange. Perfect.
"Ma'am?" Candace called out, gesturing to the roses. "Can I ask about these roses? I've always wondered how to, like, preserve them and stuff. You know, like if you want to get them early but don't intend to give them to someone for a few days?" She didn't know when Cass would need the roses. It'd be best to know how to keep the roses safe. The orange ones were nice..
Candace cast a subtle glance toward the ceiling, looking for places she could slip in from if the place had no back door. Cameras, too. The mall had them but did the store?
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 6:07 pm
Lance held his hands up, his innocence ruined by the wide smirk across his lips. "Sneak? I don't know what you're talkin' about," he drawled, resting his hands back onto the arm rest of his chair. His smile vanished when Candace left. The assistant turned his attention back towards the window, rolling back in order to better hide in the shadows. He would watch, and wait.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The windows were large store windows, built like secondary walls made out of thick panes of glass. In the corner, Candace could see the metal flexible fence-grating that would be pulled out when the shop was close, backing up the brick and concrete with crisscrossing metal.
The air ducts looked promising, however it was impossible to tell how large they were from where Candace was. Did they extend all the way to the roof? Was there enough room to maneuver through them? How was Candace going to get up there, anyway? It was a possibility, but getting up there and covering her tracks might be difficult.
Side door? Candace could see a door in the backroom where the shopworker was at. Perhaps that was where the deliveries came in. Or perhaps that was where the closet was located. What matters is that there is at least one door that leads somewhere back there.
As far as a stockroom went, it appeared that the workroom behind the cash registered was stocked with many types of flowers in various containers.
When Candace called out, the florist stopped what she was doing and busily wiped her hands on a towel, moving towards Candace. "Well hun, we have a packet of plant food you can add to your flowers once you get'em home. You'll want to put them in water as soon as you can and add this to'em, and you'll wanna cut their stems every day or two. You can also hang'em out to dry, press'em, or submerge them in glycerine if you really want to preserve them..."
The helpful florist goes on for a bit in great detail about how to preserve flowers. She was oblivious as Candace looked around. From what Candace could see, she could use the store to her advantage. The florist seemed to be a believer of tables and open spaces. While there were a couple shelves, they were dedicated more to displaying various baskets, vases, and plush animals to present with the fresh flowers.
There were a couple cameras in the store, however they were trained on the cash register from what Candace could see.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 12:50 pm
A very nice place. The fence grating could be noisy if she tried to open and close it. It could draw attention to any nighttime security guards. That was a definite last resort only. She glanced up at the air ducts and then around for some kind of seating. If the florist had a stool behind her counter, one to sit on while she arranged flowers, then Candace could climb up on it and pull herself into the air duct. This was certainly going to be a learning experience, one that she wouldn't have much room to play with. She couldn't ******** up, or she'd be arrested.
She'd never hear the end of that, she was sure of it.
The stockroom...did it have refrigerators to store the plants in at the end of the night? She'd have to sneak around back to see if there were doors that actually lead into this place. She hoped there were, it would make things so much less complicated. She was just glad she didn't have to worry about the cameras. Candace wasn't after money so there was no reason for her to go near the cash register.
The tables. She could use the tables to get into the air vents if she couldn't use a stool. Did she need a vase? A vase could be risky to transport. It would look too suspicious to buy a vase but not by the flowers, only for a bunch of flowers to disappear later tonight. Hm. "That doesn't sound very hard." She smiled. "My little sister's boyfriend is asking her to marry him soon. He's too 'manly' to come into a flower shop himself so he sent me instead. I don't know anything about flowers though." Candace laughed, sighing and shaking her head. She also rolled her eyes, though she knew the florist wouldn't see it behind her sunglasses. "Do you do deliveries? I imagine it must be awkward to carry flower arrangements through the strip.." She glanced toward the interior of the mall outside of the store's entrance, lips pouted. "I'd hate to get a bouquet and then someone crashes into me and ruins it."
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 3:45 pm
Yep, there was a stool. It looked like the table in the back room could be moved also if that was too short, though there was also the possibility that there may or may not be an air duct in that room as well.
Candace couldn't see the stockroom very well from where she was at. The most she could see was a table and the flowers on the table that the florist was working with before Candace called her out of it. She could catch glimpses of flowers waiting to be arranged in bouquets, along with other flowers that were being trimmed. Aside from that... the stockroom was a mystery.
The woman laughed. "Gutsy enough to propose but not enough to buy flowers, hm? He's going to be in for a lot of trouble down the road," she added with the shake of her head. "Otherwise, we currently don't do deliveries. My nephew's finishing up school, but once he's out for the summer he'll be our delivery service. The boy's so environmentally friendly too -- if it's nearby he'll bike'em, far away he'll transport'em by car. If people are too worried about the flowers getting ruined when he bikes'em, he can drive'em by car too." And possibly pay for it via an I'm-insensitive-to-the-environment-and-am-way-too-concerned-over-petals fee.
"Otherwise, hun, at this time of night I don't think that'll happen. If someone does ruin'em, you come right back here with'em and I'll bet they'll be more than happy to assist you gettin' replacements." There was a firmness to her voice and -- did she just crack her knuckles?
The old lady just cracked her knuckles. She meant business in more ways than one.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 6:57 pm
Candace grinned. "I know, right? And he didn't even tell me. He made our older brother send me. Men are strange." She liked this lady. She had spunk for someone so old. Damn, unfortunate that they didn't do deliveries. School, huh? And a bike? Candace raised a brow. "Sounds cute~. Gotta like a guy who values education and the environment."
She suddenly pursed her lips, looking deep in thought even with the large sunglasses covering most of her expression. Though Candace couldn't help but crack a smile and snicker at the old lady's threat, especially when she heard the distinct popping of cracking knuckles. This woman was a delight! "You are awesome! Actually, though...could I order a couple bouquets to pick up tomorrow first thing in the morning? Since I get the feeling they'll survive longer if I do that than if I take them home and then take them to my brother-in-law-to-be, you know?" This woman would see her again if all things went well. Order the bouquets, let her arrange them and then pick them up to bring them already made back to Lance and then Marcus. It would save her time later.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 7:48 pm
"Huh! Men. They act as if one little flower would threaten their masculinity," the florist tsk'd. "Hun, your sister's gonna have one hell of a time askin' him to swing by the store to pick up some pads. The poor boy might unmanly faint at the very thought! And tampons. Those might send the poor boy into a coma."
As the topic changed, the florist nodded. "Sure thing, hun. I can go ahead and get'em all arranged pretty-like for ya while you're here so you can tell me what you like and don't like. Now, I normally don't do this but considerin' how slow today is and how much of a pickle your brothers have gotten you into..." She waggled her finger at Candace, adding, "And you better make sure those boys pay for these, too! Now, what can I get for you dear?"
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:43 pm
"I know, right?" Candace chuckled. She was really loving this woman. She was so sweet! She almost felt bad for what she was going to be doing. "It'll certainly be interesting seeing her train him." Ha! A play on words. Nice.
The change of topic was pleasing. A productive one that would make her life easier later tonight. At the woman's agreement to do the arrangements right in front of her Candace gasped with delight, clapping her hands together underneath her chin and grinning from ear to ear. "Really? Oh, thank you so much! That would be great! And yeah, they can be pretty annoying sometimes." Heh. Make them pay. Yes, she really should...but this was a fun part of her training. If it went badly? Then she'd make them pay.
"I actually need a couple. My brother demanded two of them for his own secret reasons~. Let's seeee..he saaaaid a dozen red for my sister, a dozen white, and then a dozen of 'whatever' for reasons he wouldn't specify. But I think I know what he wants them for." She grinned, giving a wink that the woman couldn't see. "So a dozen red roses with some orange mixed in? Not half and half, just like...a splash of orange? If..that makes sense."
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 9:46 pm
"Don't we all need to, dear?" The florist returned with a chuckle. "The poor daft things can't do much for themselves without a woman's hand to push'em in the right direction either."
The florist considered. "Hm, dozen red and white... Rather traditional, isn't he? Y'know, I had a couple once who had a cute little Alice in Wonderland themed wedding that cleared out my stock of white and red roses for awhile. Word was that they took the white roses and actually had the guests paint'em red before they could play croquet too!" The lady shook her head, as if thinking the idea was absurd.
She bustled into the back room, her voice wafting out to Candace as she selected various flowers. She regaled Candace with tales of misfortune, misflowers, and what various couples did to propose to one another. All in all it could have been interesting, or pretty trying as the lady went on full steam ahead. She would stop long enough to present Candace with a selection of flowers, turning them so the trainee could see before whisking them off again to replace a flower here, trip a leaf there. Candace also got a quick lesson on the language of roses too.
"Now you said you wanted a dozen red roses with a couple orange ones too, huh? Hmm, that's a pretty interesting mix for some 'whatever' flowers," the florist said, even doing the finger-quotes for the word 'whatever.' "See, red roses are the simple I love you sort of flowers. You give'em to those you love to show that you love them, right? They also mean courage and respect, but more often then not they just stand for love. Orange? Now that's interesting. Usually it means I'm proud of you so sometimes you'll see them around graduation. Other times? Desire. So it seems to me that your brother is going to send someone a message that he really, really likes and admires them." She gave Candace a piercing look over her glasses. "And considering that this is for your brother, I do hope that whoever's getting them doesn't look too much beyond them aside from looking at their colors. Don't wanna give any false pretenses, do we now?" The florist seemed to pause, lingering for a moment before bustling off to assemble it.
In the end, Candace wound up with the three bouquets of flowers like she asked... but in vases. "There we go, my dear!" The florist beamed. "They're in vases for now in order to soak up the water, but did you want them as bouquets or in vases or in baskets? Any accessories, gift cards?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 3:58 am
At the talk of weddings Candace was glad for the sunglasses. That idea sounded adorable. If Candace were that type of woman she'd do it at her own wedding if...well..if she ever had one. She sniffed, pursing her lips and rubbing them together as she fixed her sunglasses a moment. Marriage wasn't for her. Something fun to fantasize about, maybe...a loving husband, a happy house, maybe even a pet of some kind. Children? Eh, she wasn't really a fan of children. She was too selfish to raise a child. And the only person who she could possibly ever consider--the woman was gone. What. Where was-- Oh! Oops. She'd let her mind wander. Candace was blushing as the woman gave her the flower lesson, smiling and leaning against the counter. "If those're the meanings of red and orange they're definitely the perfect colors if this bouquet is who I think it's for." She grinned. That's right, Lance. Candace is on to you. She's not stupid. "I have no idea who the white's for though. That one's really a mystery to me..." She was very curious though. Once the bouquets were finished Candace gasped with delight, eyes wide behind her sunglasses. "These are gorgeous! Umm..! I don't think they need cards. As for accessories..no, they shouldn't need them." She reached out to very lightly brush her fingers along the underside of a rose petal. So soft. She wasn't much for flowers but she did love the feel of rose petals. "My sister is very...hm..I don't want to call her simple, but you don't need fancy bells and whistles to make her happy, you know? The flowers alone will be enough. As for the other...hm..that...should be fine as well. I'll ask the boys about vases or baskets when I see them later and let you know tomorrow."Lance had said get flowers...he technically hadn't said steal them but considering the nature of their challenge it was easy to assume. Plus, the lockpicking lessons...and well..she was actually kind of excited to be doing something like this. She was being a bad girl and no one could stop her unless she ******** up, and even then she had a feeling she wouldn't be in trouble for very long. "This should do for now. I'll ask them about last minute additions like cards and accessories tonight, even bring them with me tomorrow to see." It felt so easy to lie to this woman despite how much she liked her just from their brief meeting. It was probably because this woman would never see her again. She could hate Miss Daphne Miller. "Ohh! I know~ I should show him.." Candace grinned, reaching into her pocket for her phone and carefully holding it up to take pictures of the three bouquets. Marushii Text to Lance:Three bouquets~! Red, white and 'it doesn't matter'. The three pictures came after the text, pocketing the phone again after. "Thank you very much, ma'am! I'll be by first thing tomorrow with the idio--boys to pick them up. I'll make them pay, too."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:10 pm
Back in the abandoned house, Lance sneezed. Back in the store, the florist shrugged. "White... Hm. White's usually a symbol for purity and innocence. Could be that your brother's unsure about whether to give red or white roses, and I know that brides usually carry a bouquet of white roses. But..." The florist shrugged. "It's a big early to get those, I think. As nice as flowers are, she'll definitely want fresh ones for the event. Wouldn't to her any good to have'em wilted and the petals fallin' off as she goes down the aisle, wouldn't it?" She shook her head, then moved onto business. "Right then, I'll go ahead and take these into the back to keep'em out of the way and so that nobody else comes to get'em. We'll discuss price tomorrow when you and your brothers come back, hey?" And with that the flowers were whisked away, somewhere into the back room and out of sight. "Now that that's done with, can I help you with anything else hun?" Candace's phone beeped. Eight Text to Candace:Nice, but I see they're on the counter next to a florist and not here. You've made some progress, at least!
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:23 pm
Candace watched the woman leave with her flowers, casually stepping to one side and leaning on the counter to try and watch her. She wanted to see where the woman put her flowers. It was then she got the text from Lance, smirking as she sent one back. Marushii Text to Lance:It's easier for her to arrange them now than have me waste time doing it later. Text to Lance:I'm curious about the white one, you know. Text to Lance:By the way she says you and Marcus are chickens. <3 With the last text sent she pocketed the phone again just in time for the florist to return. Candace smiled, shaking her head. "That should be all! Umm..oh! When do you open tomorrow? So I know when to stop by." And how long she would have tonight.
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:47 pm
Eight Text to Candace:The white ones are a mystery. Text to Candace:Better a chicken than a gopher, gopher. The woman disappeared back into the storeroom, out of sight. When she reappeared, she gestured towards the door. "I open bright'n'early at seven. Used to get up at five and come in for two hours ahead of time to prep'n'whatnot, now a'days I just come in at six."
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