Difference between revisions of "Logs:Heist"

>---< Stores, Fort Weyr >----------------------------------------------------<

  Fort's Stores are made up of a series of caverns of differing sizes that  
  hold the vast majority of the Weyr's perishable and non-perishable        
  supplies. Accessible from both the Kitchen and the Tunnel to the outside  
  of the Weyr, these Stores are split into two levels, with the lower levels
  dug down deep along a sloping passageway where it's always chilly for     
  perishables and the upper level containing mostly dry goods.              
                                                                            
  Second-hand clothing and linens as well as cleaning supplies are kept in  
  open storerooms. Several 'junk' rooms are also left unlocked with a 'free 
  to take' policy on items that are not in good enough condition to         
  requisition but not broken enough to throw out. The rest of the caverns   
  are usually kept locked and require permission from the Headwoman or the  
  storeskeeper on duty for access.

The key turns in the lock with an anticlimactic click. Dee had insisted she be the one to make the first move, lest things go wrong from the start. The brunette lets out a held breath as she pulls the lock away and waves a hand to prompt the other hooded (or not) figures to slip through the first door, the easy door, from the tunnel leading out of the Weyr. Unfortunately, they'd agreed that they couldn't have just one exit, so a riskier door had to be unlocked, too. Riskier because it takes the wayward candidates closer to civilized life, or whatever remnants of it are out and about as the already late hour draws later. Neither Dee nor Eadgyd could've been thrilled when it was decided they would go together to that door while the others began within, running the agreed upon (and hopefully only the agreed upon) supplies out to the 'runners' who'll ferry them on swift feet to the waiting dragons in the bowl. (In theory.) Dee moves to where Eadgyd waits, nodding her silent readiness to go-- away from the group and into dangerous territory.

While Dee may be making the first move, Eadgyd is bringing up the rear, shooting death-glares at any of their fellows who dare to utter a whisper. Even steps that are a tinge too loud inspire her to stare the other Hoods down, challenging them to step too heavily again. (For the most part, they don't.) Once they're through the stores, Eadgyd almost completely shuts the door behind them, leaving it open just enough that it can be easily shoved open while not being immediately obvious from the outside. "Leave it like that," she instructs on a hiss, before offering a quiet reminder of where each and every one of them is meant to be, and what they're meant to be retrieving. Then she waves her hand in a dismissive gesture that instructs the rest to scatter and get on with it. As Dee approaches, her expression is decidedly sour - not that that's unusual - and she greets the other girl with, "You can still just give me the key and stick around here. It's not too late."

"You're not going it alone," Dee repeats her stalwart argument from when they agreed, and "You already agreed," read: couldn't talk Dee out of going herself or not letting Eadgyd go it alone. Surely, it's the time in which they're walking along, in the midst of a heist of the Weyr stores that Dee should be asking in a quiet voice, "Why are you always so determined to shove people away?" Emotionally. Mentally. Physically. It probably all applies?

For his part, Kaelige is resolved to be as uninvolved as possible. But he gave his word he would keep them from getting caught, and he would do as much as that. The usually hooded boy is not so much tonight. He wears a light tan tunic, a leather jacket and some black wherhide pants, all of which are clearly not his own. There's no hood, no gloves, and he sits beside the hearth just outside of the swinging kitchens door. His boots- though are they really his?- are propped up on a second chair as he reclines back with a stale, cold mug of what could be suspected to be klah set on the stone floor next to the fire that still, though weaker as the night draws on, crackles away. He's not sipping from it, or cares about it really, but it's a servable prop for him as he appears from a distance to be one ebbing in and out of slumber. A good vantage point, this. One where he could see any who have desires to enter the kitchens- the stores' primary entranceway. His secondary eyes have the other; the scrawny brown firelizard crawls- slithers really- around the entrance way after the few other included candidates manage to eek their way as quietly as possible (hopefully). The creature dubbed Chiv hisses intermittently, but stays out of foot traffic, orange whirling eyes simply that unfriendly.

Eadgyd heaves a dramatic sigh as Dee shockingly refuses to give in. Evidently, she was hoping the other girl's mind had changed since their last conversation. "Fine," she grunts out with one of those trademark eyerolls. "It's your funeral." With those words, she sets off for the other door to the stores, trying her best to ignore Dee's presence beside her. It becomes much harder to do so when the other girl insists on talking. "I'm not determined to shove people away," is her hissed answer, spoken in a tone that's undeniably meant to push the other candidate away.

"At least I won't have to die alone," Dee answers sunnily in the face of Eadgyd's pronouncement. Fortunately that's all she feels the need to say until that question of hers. "Of course you do," is the younger girl's answer, eyes squinting in the relative dim of the stores to take in the older girl's expression. "You growl and grouse and bicker. Why are you so determined not to let me like you?" Really, this is clearly the perfect time for murmured conversations of this nature. Teenagers~

Eadgyd rolls her eyes yet again at Dee's chipper answer, muttering something under her breath that sounds very much like, "We'll see about that." But regardless of whether or not the other girl hears it she'll charge on, her gaze focused on her surroundings more than her companion. Her stare flits around the dim room, the slight narrowing of her eyes suggesting that whatever she's doing is taking some thought. "Did you ever considered that it's not my fault?" she asks, her attention divided. "Just because you think you're so sweet, you can't possibly be the problem?"

"Of course I can," Dee is modest, too! "And I don't think I'm sweet. I try to be nice, but-- obviously I don't always succeed." Especially where Eadgyd is concerned. "But you don't want to be friends. Why?" Fortunately, their goal is just around the next bend, so perhaps Eadgyd can be saved from answering as the brunette lapses into silence.

"Go get more cinnamon, Reiza." Comes a voice from across the kitchens themselves. A cook and her two assistants- a girl and boy of approximately 14 and 16 turns respectively- have been at the far end of the area unknowing of what's going on beyond the doors leading to the stores. The teens are, despite the hour, apparently excited about their undertaking. They take turns collecting ingredients from here or there, and utensils as needed. A large pot simmers, just coming to a boil over the fires. A sharp "Ok!" rings out at the instruction, and the short blonde clothed in an apron stained in a myraid of colors and tunic with coveralls beneath, skips towards the store's door to push it open without much thought of what might be beyond- it should be dark and empty at this hour, certainly!

A grey-haired woman, bent-backed and kind-faced passes within a foot of Kaelige to tend to the fire. The old woman draws Kaelige's half-lidded stare with a subdued interest. His arms unfold from across his chest as she reaches for his unused mug, and his boots slide off of the chair they'd been rested on. "I'll take it." The teen says with a mock-kindness said lowly to disguise its fake nature. He does get to it before she can, rising from his chair and nigh-snatching it from the floor beside him. A kind but confused "Thank you boy" follows after Kael as he pushes his way through into the kitchens themselves. Relinquishing his post makes him slightly uneasy, but knowing that a few linger still in the kitchens proper draws on his curiosity for a quick scouting. The moment he arrives in the kitchens, however, he realizes he's just a moment too late as the assistant is already at the store's door. Running to intercept her would be too obvious. The candidates on the other side are on their own, unless things just go that poorly.

"Obviously." That single word is all but dripping with sarcasm. "People like you," Eadgyd steps in front of the other girl in an attempt to cut her off just as they're reaching the door, jabbing a finger at the other girl's chest, "You're the most dangerous people in world, and you don't even know it." Any explanation of what she might mean by that will have to be saved for later, as there's the distinct sound of a key turning in the lock behind them - a key which seems to be coming from the wrong side of the door. She gives a quick whistle, one that's unlikely to be heard through the heavy door but may yet give fair warning to her fellows. And then... she shoves Dee out of the way, toward the protection of the shelves. Without waiting to see where the girl lands, she whirls around and drops to the ground, taking up a position lounging beside the door. She's just 'scrambling' to her feet again when it opens. "Oh, thank you, thank you, I've been locked in here for ages."

There's a lapse between when Reiza sees Eadgyd on the floor and when she processes those words. Her hand holds onto the door's handle with such a fierce, stunned grip her knuckles have gone about as white as her face. As if she'd seen a ghost, her eyes widen and her mouth parts as if to scream. Fortunately what manages to come out is a very high pitched squeak of "Who-" A swallow, a nervous look over her shoulder and back again. "How-" She seems to slowly manage to get her wits about her, at least enough to draw out some more words and not a shriek. "How.. how did you get in here?" Neither face nor tone are accusatory- yet- her expression still twisted in that immediate set of shock and fear.

While Eadgyd may not fare too well when it comes to keeping her true emotions from her face, acting seems to come far more easily to her. The girl doesn't miss a beat, taking advantage of Reiza's confusion slap on her most contrite look. "I'm a candidate," she admits, with just enough of a pause before she speaks the words to suggest reluctance. "I was helping with the prep work for the feast, and they didn't seem to really need me and this place was open..." A glance goes over her shoulder in what might seem to be a gesture to the room at large, but what is really a check to make sure no other candidates are visible. "I've been so tired, I just wanted a little nap and when I woke up it was locked. Please, please don't report me. Can I just get whatever you need for you and then I'll leave and we'll pretend this never happened?" Although it undoubtedly would look out of place to anyone who knows her, she gives Reiza her most imploring look.

Dee may have made some small noise of surprise as she got physically shoved away from Eadgyd, but things happen too quickly for the brunette to do anything but draw herself into the safety of the shelves. She remains still and silent, barely daring to breathe. She listens, but doesn't appear to try to play hero. Perhaps she has some sense after all!

The short blonde looks disbelieving as the fear starts to melt away, but there's an innocence, an indecisiveness about her that also may be persuaded easily. "I think.. I think you should talk to cook." She manages to unglue her fingers from the handle to gesture hesitantly behind her. "She would know what to do." As if Reiza doesn't want to make such a decision. Maybe she heard the small noise, or maybe she's just that curious, but she leans forwards as if to look beyond the entranceway for other bodies lingering in the dark, "..is someone with you?"

Pale eyes watch the blonde shrewdly, waiting for an indication that her lies have hit their mark - or haven't. "Oh, I-" Eadgyd begins at the suggestion of speaking to a higher authority, darting a glance through the opening in the doorway to try to see this 'cook'. There's a choking sort of cough as the blonde leans in, and Eadgyd pales slightly when it seems her lies haven't been as successful as she'd hoped. Which means, Plan B. "Yes," she admits with a grimace, dragging the word out as though it pains her to say it. "I just didn't want-" A glance goes over her shoulder, toward where Dee presumably hides. "Come on out." Then back to Reiza, "Look, I don't want anyone to know, my family would kill me and I'm afraid the other candidates would talk, and I just..." The hint of desperation in her tone is genuine, even if the words are completely false. She holds out her hand in Dee's direction, willing her to take the hint if she's out of hiding. "Please let us go, I swear we'll find a better place to..." The flush to her cheeks is genuine, even lying about such things. "Spend some time together."

There's a gasp from the shadows, but perhaps that can be chalked up to Dee's girlfriend outing her (twice in one phrase~). At least the blush touching Dee's cheeks should help sell the story as she moves toward the other girl, initially uncertain, her reach to take Eadgyd's hand timid. She does manage to have an apologetic look for the girl. "Please?" she adds her own plea softly, going so far as to pull herself in toward Eadgyd so that their arms are really the only space between them and even so, their fingers are laced together.

The previously fear-induced paleness of the assistant cook's face instantly turns pink, and both hands are drawn to her mouth as there's a collected, subdued giggle. Those eyes of hers sparkle now with humor. "Is this where the candidates go for that?" She may be 14 turns, but there's still a childishness about this one that's absolutely tickled by the idea. This changes everything! "I still think cook should know you were in here but.." A little bit of seriousness comes to her, now entrusted with such an important secret. The revealing of Dee brings a near bounciness to the girl and green eyes dart between the two. "Your secret is safe with me!" And probably her brother. She turns as if to leave them be, delighted in herself, but as soon as she's almost, almost shut the door all the way, it's quickly re-swung open, "I forgot, I need cinnamon!"

Kaelige takes slow, deliberate strides towards the washing basins, placing his mug into the bin of dirtied dishes. He stops there for a moment, listening, waiting. He's close enough to hear some of the murmurings, though around the corner enough to not be an obvious presence. The carefully crafted neutral, psuedo-tired expression he'd had in place gives slightly, the edges there not at all humored by the interaction in the least. But a word on that, that, will come later. A hand lifts as it to draw his hood. Lacking one, the idle motion falls to running his fingers through his black spikey hair before he turns back towards the doorway, though not yet passing through it.

It takes quite a bit of effort for Eadgyd not to pull her hand away as soon as her fingers twine with Dee's, but luckily that discomfort can explained away by the awkwardness of their apparent situation. "We have to go wherever we can," is answered with nervous laugh. But her slightly troubled expression breaks into a genuine grin when Reiza relents. "Thank you," she says gratefully, some of the tension leaving her shoulders with a sigh. She's just turning to speak in Dee's ear - or whisper sweet nothings? - when the assistant cook returns. "Cinnamon? I know where that is. Let me get it for you, as a thank you." Without waiting for agreement, she gently disentangles her hand from Dee's and heads off to retrieve the cinnamon, and perhaps shoo the other Hoods from the stores until the coast is clear.

If Eadgyd is uncomfortable with the physical contact, Dee is anything but. (Does that make Eadgyd more uncomfortable?) At least this much should aid their lie, the teen even managing a shy smile as she looks between the assistant and the her would-be partner in romantic crime, then settles for lacing her hands together and looking demure while she awaits the coming of the cinnamon.

The short assistant takes the cinnamon once handed over, and gives both of the candidates a 'knowing', overly-excited toothy smile. Her green eyes look between the two one more time, and a hand raises in a little 'goodbye' and she quite nearly jogs back to the cook and her brother to continue as they'd been. If anyone's watching, she doesn't appear to spill the beans right off the bat, there only being a short "What took you so long?" from the cook that is dismissed before it's answered in favor of adding the ingredient she'd been waiting for.

Kaelige lingers only long enough with a sidelong look over his shoulder to see the assistant return without sounding an obvious alarm. He's then back out into the living cavern to resume his reclined post near the swinging door. Chiv has crawled further into the stores themselves, a small amount of irritated clicking apparent- is something amiss? Kael didn't seem to be alarmed. Perhaps it's nothing.

Once the cinnamon has been safely delivered to Reiza's waiting hands and one of the Hoods urged to make haste once the door is closed (and pass on the message), Eadgyd offers the younger girl a goodbye with wiggling fingers and a smile. That smile fades as soon as the door has shut and two solid beats have passed. "Come on," she says gruffly, putting an extra arm's length between herself and Dee. "We should hurry. It's only a matter of time before she admits what she saw and we're caught." Which is apparently her cue to begin gathering as much as she can.

Dee lets out a breath as the door closes, swallows down her anxiety and nods quickly in answer to Eadgyd. The brunette is careful not to leave a mess, working fast and silent, but she gathers what would be most useful that she can carry herself and starts heading back the way they came. Certainly, it's not the haul they hoped to get from the kitchen stores, but it's something. Dee can almost feel good(?) or at least hopeful about that much. Almost. Until her stomach hits the floor and her arms tighten around the jars in her arms. The tunnel is vibrating with a sound that must have been building without long before the unmistakable sound of dragons humming to announce impending hatching. Dee freezes and looks to Eadgyd.

And in that instant, a fluttering of brown wings is apparent as Chiv is airborne irregardless of whoever is quite near him, and then abruptly gone. Betweened. Kaelige doesn't need the firelizard's Alert! to know the change in atmosphere has nothing to do with petty thievery. Uncharacteristically, he stands with such haste that the chair clatters backwards into the rock wall and then tumbles onto its side. Too much chaos would ensue, he determined on the spot, for anyone to notice them running now. But it would be up to them to remember to relock the stores. He'd not reveal himself for the sake of double-checking. Not now, not when they'd be expected at the barracks and that would require too significant an amount of time. Without turning again, he's headed for the barracks.

Picking out staples that will likely last some time is easy. This is something Eadgyd knows, something that's ingrained in her. She splits from Dee to pick up a couple of items, even managing to find a couple of near-empty sacks that she can use to carry things more easily. One is offered to the other girl - dumped at her feet, really - when she swings back around. She's just shifting the last of the load she can carry on those skinny shoulders when sonorous hum hits them. "Shit." That seems to be the most eloquence Eadgyd can muster as she looks wide-eyed at Dee. And then, a beat later, "We have to go. The tunnels. Run. Now."

Dee runs. She's not the only one. Feet hitting stone rapidly comes from all quarters soon enough. There are Hoods (some hooded, some not) scattering as they dart out into the fray of the sleep-interrupted who are already out in the corridors. Some of the Hoods will be on their own to stash the goods in known or unknown hiding places, others might try to finish the trip to the bowl to deliver to the waiting-- er, no longer waiting riders and have to double-back. No one seems to take much note of the small group going pell-mell, but everyone has somewhere to be right now and something better to pay attention to. Though perhaps not wholly successful in their heist, luck may be on their side. Only time will tell.