Log:Learning Hex-perience 3: Sleight of Foot
Arcadia plants evidence the mark is cheating his criminal partner. Hijinks ensue.
OOC Date: April 28, 2016
Location: The Ethers
Participants: Javi Malek (as GM), Uli Gosse, Stavros, Zhu Yan, Arcadia
Long story short: A droid steals Uli's shoes, Stavros gets laid (offscreen!), and Yan steals a napkin. Also they plant evidence.
The whole story:
With a little fancy footwork, some fast talking and a good deal of schmoozing, Arcadia was able to get a hold of the plans for Sector 284 Building A, Subsection Sigma which turns out to be a high rise establishment of luxury condos otherwise known as The Ethers. Now that they are on site, there are three points of entry the team can choose from: roof access (though Anton Cepter does not have the Penthouse), the shuttle bay parking garage, or the guest lobby elevators that are monitored by a desk man.
The objective is to break into Cepter's condo, plant evidence in his personal computer and business ledger that he's skimming from his business partner and get out undetected with no sign that their presence was ever there else arouse suspicion to the entire rouse.
Easy, right? "You do realize I'm a safe cracker, not a cat burglar, right?" says Uli as he examines the schematics. He scans around with a flick of his finger. "Parking garage is no good. Roof access might be tricky because there'll be enhanced security for the penthouse clients. I say we try the elevator. If we can get in, I can try and hack the panel to get us on the right floor."
Stavros's eyes follow Uli's finger across the layout, like a cat eyeing a laser pointer. "Consider it cross-training. You're one of the closest we've got." He glances up at Zhu Yan, then over at Uli. "Okay. Problem: none of us are any good at hiding who we are. Are we?" The Zeltron is eschewing his usual bright colors, and while the sniper rifle is at hand, he has no anticipation of bringing it. Particularly if they're walking in the front door.
"Also I'm red." It's obvious, but maybe Stavros needs to state it.
"Oh, I am wounded. Slain, even," said Zhu Yan at the far end of the table, his tone utterly deadpan and his arms folded. Or was it really Zhu Yan? Who knew! Dun dun DUUUN! "You both missed my performance the other day so I'll give you a pass." Yes, posing as a Thyferran bacta baron isn't the easiest thing in the world. "Who do you need me to be?"
"If this place has a doorman, then we need to talk our way into the elevator. If not, then it might just be that the elevator's coded. That's what it suggests from these plans, but that only means that's what it was when the thing was built." Uli furrows his brow. "Either way, we should have a story in case someone stops us. House party?" he looks up at both of them, brow raised. "Once we're in the elevator, I can see if I can pull a name from the directory. Or one of you can. I'm much better at breaking encryption than poking around without breaking things."
Stavros looks down at himself. "Zeltron masseur. If they're busy thinking about whether that's a euphemism, they're not busy noticing any inconsistencies. I hope." He turns towards Zhu Yan. "Are we the night's entertainment, Yan? I think we might be. Is Uli a guest awkwardly sandwiched between us?" His head cranes to peer at Uli. "I'm not sure. But I've got a better shot of being written off if I'm an entertainer- and if the person at the desk knows massage, too, I can even talk shop."
"I can work with entertainer. I am pretty entertaining." Zhu Yan, Funniest Man on Nar Shaddaa. He was still looking thoughtfully at the table. "But I'm better as a manager for the entertainment. I can't do music, comedy, whathaveyou to save my life."
The trio is dropped off at one of the sky bridges that span across the city, making the short walk to the front door of The Ethers. It's a grand lobby for guests and tenants alike, boasting marbled floors and its own restaurant and bar. The bank of lifts is on the far end of the lobby, monitored by a desk agent who looks bored beyond bored. The female Cathar drums her claw like nails on the surface of the desk, staring at a potted plant. Maybe she needs to pee.
"I'd be best off posing as the one here to unplug the sink," drawls Uli. There's a self-awareness in that. He's not a high class guy, and has never pretended to be. There's lying, then there's deception - which is a subtle difference.
Just before they step in to the lobby, he looks to the other to. "I'm going to walk for the elevator like I know where I'm going. If she stops us, you two do the talking."
Dressed like a working professional, Stavros takes two steps into the lobby, looks to either side, showing a bit of professional interest in the bar before coming back to himself and walking up towards the desk. Instead of trying to be something he doesn't understand, he angles instead for sultry, walking on up to where his path will bypass the desk, but very obviously checking out the Cathar lady with self-assurance.
That assurance might vanish when spoken to.
Zhu Yan, on the other hand, was businesslike. Following slightly behind the other two, he wore glasses, a suit, cheap but not too cheap, and carried a briefcase. He was checking a watch as he walked in. From here, he could adjust however he was needed. Business was something he got, and it was a role he fell into easily.
Tillani, according to her name tag, doesn't seem to give a fig about Yan or Uli as they move to the elevator, but a good looking Zeltron giving her a once over is sure to garner her attention. It doesn't happen every day, after all. "Excuse me, sir. Sir!" She perks up, even her ears swiveling. "And just where do you think you're going?" But she's smiling and sliding over a digital guest book. "You forgot to sign in..."
The lift is a simple affair, requiring a four digit code for guests or a pass key for residents.
Uli's way of keeping a low profile is to look down at a datapad as he walks. He'll just look like he belongs here and hope that Stavros dazzles the desk girl enough to ignore him and Zhu Yan. He exchanges a look with the other as they step into the elevator. Once they're inside, he pokes repeatedly at the 'close door' button.
Stavros pauses when addressed, for a moment. He's still looking forward, where the others are. But then he turns to face the Cathar, with a small smile for her alone. After all, no one else worth noticing is here, right?" "Oh?" At the explanation he smiles a little wider. "Of course, Tillani." He leans over slightly, tracing a name onto the pad.
Before sliding it back around, he looks into the Cathar's eyes. He leans over a little further, hatching a small conspiracy: "I don't suppose you have a ... business datacard? I might need assistance."
Zhu Yan stepped in the elevator following Uli and immediately turned to the keypad. "SysNet T-20 keypad," he explained quietly. "Pretty standard issue. They have a hidden admin pass that no one ever remembers to change." He quickly punched in a six digit code and listened for the beep... the beep that never came. "Except these guys did." Balls. "Thoughts?"
Zhu Yan's punching in an incorrect code makes the elevator give a short angry buzz. The noise momentarily distracts the Cathar but then Stavros is leaning in with his voice going all quiet as he surreptitiously asks for Tillani's contact information. She's skittish now though, nervous that she should be paying attention to her job but she's still focusing on the Zeltron. For the moment. "Um, yeah." Her eyes fluttered. "I don't have a card, but." She pulls out a pen and motions for his hand.
"Yeah, do me a favor and cough loudly." Uli holds up a small laser cutter. It's going to make a buzzing sound and that's what he wants Yan to cover up. He's trying to access the guts of the things so he can bypass the locking mechanism and get the elevator to move without a code. He palms the device, then gives a slight nod to signal it's time to have a throat tickle.
All things being well, he manages to acces the admin code and do a little hack job. The elevator makes the happy-go-now sound.
Stavros extends his hand to within Tillani's reach- reaching to put his hand over her _other_ hand, in fact. Intimate? Maybe! It also will make her write her contact information on the _back_ of his hand, hopefully, and not the palm, where it might smear everything he touched for the rest of the break-in. "Of course," he says softly. Are there pheromones in the air? There probably are. This is going way too smoothly.
Cough! Cough. The muttering of "Oh, right, that code." Yan was loud enough to cover Uli's noise, but quiet enough to not sound suspicious. All part of the role.
"This." The lady desk clerk tells Stavros as she starts writing stuff on the back of his hand. "Is the code to the pool deck. Whenever you're done visiting whoever it is you're visiting, meet me there. I get off at ten. Save something for me." The coughing is enough to cover Uli's tracks, probably because Stavros has pumped the only roadblock full of happy good time pheromones. The elevator is functional. Floor 98 is their destination. Going up!
Stavros walks to the elevator and, as the door closes, if Tillani is looking, winks. When the doors close, he lets out a huge, shoulder-dropping sigh. "How do you guys do this? I feel so guilty!" He looks back at the door. If it's reflective, he's looking at himself and judging. "I gave her a false name."
Zhu Yan made a scoffing sound. "I give everyone false names. Everyone." He was buffing his fingernails and eyeing them suspiciously as the elevator went up. "But you know what they say. The first time is the worst. After that, it gets easier." A lot easier.
The lift rises without further incident at the moment, and when it quietly chimes the 98th floor, the doors open into an opulent condo with walls of glass overlooking the city and rich appointments. All of floors are pretty much set up the same according to the schematics with three bedrooms, the same number of bathrooms and posh living quarters and kitchen. One of those bedrooms must have been turned into an office.
"His real name's Skip Gaston," drawls Uli in a deeply deadpan manner. "As long as you didn't give her one of our names, I don't see the problem," he says, patting Stavros on the shoulder. When the door opens, he pauses for a moment, takes a depe breath, then walks slowly inside. "Nice digs. We should get a place in this building."
"I try not to live in places where I might have to screw the neighbors." Stavros eases out of the elevator, looking for any security systems. He might not know them even if he saw them, though it there's a console on the wall nearby, that would be a pretty solid indicator. "In a bad way, I mean."
He creeps, walking as quietly as he can, to find the nearest bedroom, and then listen from right outside it. "We clear?" he calls back.
"You're the one listening," Yan said back to Stavros, quietly though. He risked being inaudible to the man. "And yelling." First order of business. Security system. There was a console on the nearby wall and Yan peered at it. "Sneaky buddy," he said in Uli's direction. "You reckon Interceptor has his security setup on this terminal?"
Having the correct code for the floor must have deactivated any security system on the condo, as there are no blips and blares of a siren indicating otherwise. The place seems empty, only the gentle hum of the climate control in the background. A few doors may need to be opened, but the office is just off the kitchen and laid out pretty simply with a wall of cabinets, a desk and matching chair. But no apparent safe.
"Depends on the neighbour," says Uli with a head-wobble. He checks the perimeter, then eyes the wall readout. "I think we're all right. On second thought, let's not get a place here." A beat, "Too easy to break in to."
He finds the office and makes a very careful examination of the room. He knows how to look for safes, and he also knows how to creep through someone else's house without looking like it's been creeped through. Before he touches anything, he pulls on a pair of gloves. After some feeling around, he finds a switch that reveals a wall safe. A very lovely portrait of some kind of pet creature swivels aside to reveal a safe. He grunts softly. "That's the most cliche' place in the world to put a safe. If we ---" and then he pauses, listening for a moment. Then he whispers harshly, "Everyone, get down!" He reaches up to gently push the picture back into place, then drops to hide behind the desk.
Stavros follows Uli into the office, looking around but trying to stay out of the professional's way. At Uli's words, though, combat training kicks in. You hear GET DOWN when grenades are going off and snipers fire. He drops instantly to the floor and quick-crawls his way around the desk's corner and leans back against it, fingers suddenly itching for a weapon. He listens.
Zhu Yan was an absolute master of searching a room. After all, the napkins in the kitchen (don't ask how he ended up in the kitchen) looked mighty suspicious, and he was peering at one that had exhibited particularly nefarious intent when the command to get down came a'knockin'. He ducked behind the kitchen counter, safely tucked away, but far from Uli and Stav. Whoops!
Just moments after everyone dives into a hiding space, a little cleaning droid comes rolling down the hallway making little beeps and bops to itself that seem to be grumbling of some sort while his brush attachment vacuums the carpet. His little tracks stop, however, when he notices the door to the office is open. Surely he closed that? He chitters excitedly and rolls into the room. Is that...a shoe?!
<For Those Who Understand Binary: 'The little droid is actually complaining about his 'boss', how he throws parties and he finds things like used condoms and random bras. He has stripper glitter in his motherboard and..and! Oh shit, I'm losing my mind, didn't I already clean this room?'>
Uli realizes too late that his foot is visible from the doorway. He grits his teeth and reaches for his little microlathe. Destroying a cleaning droid is not an optimal thing to do. That'll probably make a mess, and the thing'll probably be missed. They're supposed to be doing this without a trace.
Suddenly, he gets an idea. Very, very carefully, he tries to slide his feet out of his shoes without moving them much. He manages to do so, then scoots aside, sock-footed, to make sure his entire body is out of view. It's a goofy plan, but...not all droids are that bright.
There is a whistle and a beep, the droid rolling over to examine the shoes with a little swivel ocularesque movement coming from the center of his 'forehead'. Binary noises continue as a hatch opens and the pair of shoes are swept in before he spins and heads back out into the hallway and off to clean the master bedroom.
<In Binary: 'His guests even have shitty taste. What, did they skin a bantha for these? Sorry mister, if you're too drunk to remember your shoes, you can dig the ashes out of the incinerator along with the madam's false set of teeth I found in the fruit bowl. Haha! I'm hilarious.'>
Uli just //stares// as the droid rolls off with his shoes. "I can't believe that just happened," he murmurs as he looks down at his sock feet. He gets up and pushes the painting aside again to reveal the safe at the keypad. Once it's revealed, he grins fiercely to himself. "It's a Dex-723. Yeah. This building has shit security." He sets to work, then mutters, "You two don't see any extra shoes around, do you?"
"If I had to guess, they'd be in the master bedroom," Stavros whispers as he rises back to his feet slowly. "And that's where the footwear bandit is going to clean right now, so- sorry, buddy." He peeks out the door. "Also-" Still a whisper. "The droid thinks your shoes are Cepter's, and he's going to incinerate them."
Zhu Yan thought he was very clever hiding in the kitchen from the cleaning bot. Problem was, there was a hallway between him and the rest of them. The good news is, the droid was still bitching, making it easy to hear where it'd gone. Master Bedroom. Whoop! Yan's first step was on to carpet. Then a couple more led him across into the office. Phew. "That droid is far from the happiest of chaps right about now," the man quietly added.
Uli has magic fingers when it comes to the safe, because if it had vocal chords it would sing. Eventually the door swings open and within it are credit chits, a hand bound old fashioned ledger with digipages and a computer unit. Thankfully all it will take is for them to plug in the transfer units that Siya hand prepared to alter the data. And then they have to get out of here.
Uli doesn't mess around. This part, they planned on. He touches as little as possible and plugs in what needs plugging in. He whispers as he works, "Where's that little bastard at now?" His jaw is clenched. Later, this will be funny. But right now, he's stuck in sock feet in the middle of a job. Muttermutter.
Stavros is listening. "Still master bedroom, I think. Maybe it's very dirty in there." He's still whispering. "Did you finish making it dirtier in there?" He glances down at Uli's socks. "We need to get you some new socks, too, but let's be honest, the socks are definitely an improvement. Your shoes are going to a better place, man, and you can take your first steps into a more fashionable world." He's stage-whispering by now. Get it? Steps? In his shoes?! "Yan, can you check the elevator? It's going to look tampered with."
"Prrrrrrrrrrobably because we tampered with it. Okay. We need to go down separately though. Otherwise we'll look even more suspicious." Zhu Yan, Tactical Genius. He poked his head out of the office, looked left and right, listened for Little Complainer Buddy, and trotted off to the elevator. For some reason, it was still here. He held the door open, like a legend.
Uli gives Stavros a //look//, then reaches up to mash his hand against the other man's face, then shove to once side in a way that is one part annoyed, another part affectionate. He rolls his eyes, then returns his attention to the problem at hand. "You just have to reset the circuit and snap the panel closed. I can rough up another panel. It'll look like someone jammed a piece of furniture against it." A beat, and he makes a low sound, "...maybe."
"Beautiful," Stavros says. "Good thing it's in an obvious place." Since the whole plan is that someone else break in here and find what they've altered!
"What time is it?" he asks abruptly. The Zeltron doesn't have a watch on. One of his many failures as a criminal mastermind. "It better be after ten." He looks down at the back of his hand before walking back over to the elevator. "Tell me it's after ten, Yan."
"Nine fourty five," said Yan, not even bothering to look at his watch. Either he had timekeeping skills bordering on the supernatural, or he was making shit up. "You have plenty of time for your date." Judging from the shit-eating grin on his face, it was probably the latter.
Uli sighs, then grumpily makes his way to the elevator. He snaps the panel back into place and scuffs up the elevator door. "Are you two coming, or what?" Here's hoping the cat lady is blinded by Stavros' charm enough not to notice he's walking out with no shoes.
Stavros looks suspiciously at Zhu Yan, then takes a few steps over into the swanky kitchen - complete with its wall clock. He looks at the clock, then stares at Zhu Yan evenly. "You are a prat." Of course it's after ten.
He heads to the elevator after Uli. "Sure, but I'm going to a different floor once you guys are out." He grins. "I have to 'complete the deception,' right? She's off-duty now, and-" he taps his hand. "I've got a code to the pool floor." He winks at Zhu Yan. "I'm going to 'stagger my exit.'" He's got all sorts of justifications for why it's good tradecraft to go see if the kitty has claws.
"You sicken me," said Yan, big-ass smile on his face. Uli's departure was noted, and Yan called the elevator again. "Go have fun, and remember, if you get... scratches, I'll have Siya disinfect them with iodine." Jackass. The elevator arrived, and like that, Zhu Yan was gone.
