Private Heist of the Centuries

[Rextoret]

Kiyoshi put the phone down with a click, ending the call. He sighed heavily. Even if he never showed it, he didn't like Eldric. Something about the guy just ticked Kiyoshi off. But he paid good. And so Kiyoshi pretended that they were friends, or at least partners in crime. He sat back down on the bed, before rolling over to the left side, facing the wall. He heard Izumi locking up for the night, then heard her enter the room. After she took her shower, she crawled into the bed. "Night, Kiyoshi." He groggily turned around, attempting to fall asleep. "Yeah... Goodnight." He flipped over again, closing his eyes. He decided that he'd buy a new bed after this job, if he could clear enough room for one. 'Damn, too much trouble. Screw it.'

---​

​

Looking around the room, Kiyoshi noticed some familiar faces. Some brought up pleasant memories, others, not so much. He was leaned up against a wall, adorned in his typical full-black suit attire. Not only did it appeal to his tastes, it helped in case of a late night thievery run. He idly looked around the room as he listened to the others.​

​

"So what's the deal, Eldric? I know what these guys are thinking. There are a lot of us, and even a big job doesn't exactly divide into a big payout, what are you planning?"​

​

Kiyoshi had always felt that Kjan was overridden with greed. But then again, the majority of the people present were. But she did make a good point, considering how many people there were. He wondered how much they'd need to steal to get a decent payout for everyone.​

​

"That is Telvayn Manor, home to Relyn Telvayn, the richest bastard in all of Morrowind. He's not exactly one to fraternize with the lower classes, so most people don't even know what he looks like. What they do know, however, is that he keeps all of his most valuable possessions in a vault beneath his home. This is backed up by the fact that Telvayn Manor has security that makes the Tribunal High Temple look like a daycare center. No one's allowed in. At least, that's usually the case. Once every few years, the good Mr. Telvayn decides throw an extravagant party." He paused, before pulling six invitations out of his pocket. "And this time, we're going to be attending. I hope everyone here owns a nice suit. Or, in Kjan's case, a dress. If you don't, I'll be happy to set you up with one. Now, then. I'll take your questions, then move on to the plan. It's one my best, If I do say so myself. And trust me when I say that the Telvayn vault will have more than enough riches to go around." Eldric grinned greedily.​

​

Kiyoshi was intrigued. Seemed like a good enough job to him. If anything, he'd walk away with truckloads of cash. Or dead, in the worst case scenario. He highly doubted it though. He was about about to ask for the timeframe, but another man asked for him.​

​

"What's our timeframe here?" ​

 

[Farthlion]

"That is Telvayn Manor, home to Relyn Telvayn, the richest bastard in all of Morrowind. He's not exactly one to fraternize with the lower classes, so most people don't even know what he looks like. What they do know, however, is that he keeps all of his most valuable possessions in a vault beneath his home. This is backed up by the fact that Telvayn Manor has security that makes the Tribunal High Temple look like a daycare center. No one's allowed in. At least, that's usually the case. Once every few years, the good Mr. Telvayn decides throw an extravagant party." He paused, before pulling six invitations out of his pocket. "And this time, we're going to be attending. I hope everyone here owns a nice suit. Or, in Kjan's case, a dress. If you don't, I'll be happy to set you up with one. Now, then. I'll take your questions, then move on to the plan. It's one my best, If I do say so myself. And trust me when I say that the Telvayn vault will have more than enough riches to go around."

The locksmith had heard of Relyn Telvayn. Word was that he had personally customized the security within his vault, hiring a private company to manufacture a puzzle of a lock to keep the thing shut. Unfortunately, that was all the information anyone was able to pick up on the purchase. The grapevine of the locksmith world was more reliable and informative than one would expect. Usually, when a custom and challenging safe was manufactured, there was all sorts of information coming out about it from the makers. Everything from the price to even some of the mechanics would be leaked, but this particular safe was one that everyone was tight lipped about.

Kjan grinned as she thought of the challenge this could pose to her. It was just what she had been looking for. There was no doubt the reward would set her up for life. She'd never have to worry about rent or payments again. For that kind of money, she wouldn't even bitch about having to wear a dress.

A man who looked like he was already dressed for Relyn's party spoke up, "What's our timeframe here?"

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

And there was Eldric Fitzroy, all garbed in white the way he had always been. Truthfully, Claude didn't hold him in high regard, he felt this way about the majority of the group. Then reality set in, and Claude remembered that everyone in the room was a criminal, including himself.
Fitzroy cleared his throat, getting everybody's attention as he tossed a few black and white photographs on the coffee table. Pictures of an elaborate and luxurious manor, the kind you'd have to see to believe.

"That is Telvayn Manor," Fitzroy said as Claude studied the pictures. "Home to Relyn Telvayn, the richest bastard in all of Morrowind. He's not exactly one to fraternize with the lower classes, so most people don't even know what he looks like. What they do know, however, is that he keeps all of his most valuable possessions in a vault beneath his home. This is backed up by the fact that Telvayn Manor has security that makes the Tribunal High Temple look like a daycare center. No one's allowed in. At least, that's usually the case. Once every few years, the good Mr. Telvayn decides throw an extravagant party." There was a pause before Eldric went on. "And this time, we're going to be attending. I hope everyone here owns a nice suit. Or, in Kjan's case, a dress. If you don't, I'll be happy to set you up with one. Now, then. I'll take your questions, then move on to the plan. It's one of my best, If I do say so myself. And trust me when I say that the Telvayn vault will have more than enough riches to go around."

Claude furrowed his brow, looking over the pictures with skeptical eyes. He crossed his arms across his chest, keeping silent and waiting to hear what else Eldric had to say. The pictures didn't seem to show much of the surrounding roads or entrances, and Claude had no earthly idea where Relyn's manor was. Never mind the fact that the name Relyn Telvayn didn't seem to ring any bells.
One of the others, someone Claude definitely didn't recognize and wearing formal attire, asked "What's our timeframe here?"

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"What's our timeframe here?" Said Alain, of the group members that Eldric had had minimal dealings with in the past. They still worked together, but they had never done so face-to-face. He figured that there was a first time for everything.

"Four hours," He said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear his response. "Give or take. Telvayn Manor officially opens it's doors at seven. From what I've heard, the new arrivals start to come in droves at around eight, so that's when we're going to get there. We are to stop nowhere else, understand?" He glanced at Claude. "Good. I have cover identities prepared for each of us. All you need to do is memorize the name, location, and occupation of your alias. Nothing more, nothing less. Once we're all inside, everyone must follow their instructions (which I will give out shortly) to the letter. At one, the party ends and security will resume it's usual patrol routes. We have to be out of there by midnight."

 

[Farthlion]

"Alright, I think we all can put on a good act for Mr. Telvayn," Kjan smirked as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She took a quick glance at the others around the room. While she wasn't here to make friends, she'd be working with this odd cast long enough to have to learn to trust them, "I'm curious how you got those invitations. Doesn't sound like an easy ticket to find, much less 7 of them."

 

[Delusional]

When Mason arrives at the apartment complex of his employer, he was dripping wet and miserable. The engineer trudged up the stairs until he reached the man's living quarters and entered the small apartment, especially more anxious than he usually was--dreading the inevitability of being around more than two people at a given time.

Mason skulked back into a corner of the apartment and listened to the conversation around him regarding the job, which to be honest, he didn't particularly care about, as he only needed to know what he needed to blow up. Still, he payed attention to the well-dressed man who had gathered this group together detail the mission.

"That is Telvayn Manor, home to Relyn Telvayn, the richest bastard in all of Morrowind. He's not exactly one to fraternize with the lower classes, so most people don't even know what he looks like. What they do know, however, is that he keeps all of his most valuable possessions in a vault beneath his home. This is backed up by the fact that Telvayn Manor has security that makes the Tribunal High Temple look like a daycare center. No one's allowed in. At least, that's usually the case. Once every few years, the good Mr. Telvayn decides throw an extravagant party." He paused, before pulling six invitations out of his pocket. "And this time, we're going to be attending. I hope everyone here owns a nice suit. Or, in Kjan's case, a dress. If you don't, I'll be happy to set you up with one. Now, then. I'll take your questions, then move on to the plan. It's one my best, If I do say so myself. And trust me when I say that the Telvayn vault will have more than enough riches to go around."

This piqued the shifty engineer's interest. Telvayn Manor? He had heard about the rumored riches that this man held from small talk between mobsters who consistently came to Mason with explosive orders. This detail got the bomb technician thinking, already envisioning how he could modify his mechanisms to specialize the blast. Suddenly, a second man piped in, also well dressed.

"What's our timeframe here?"

"Four hours," The mobster said, raising his voice. "Give or take. Telvayn Manor officially opens it's doors at seven. From what I've heard, the new arrivals start to come in droves at around eight, so that's when we're going to get there. We are to stop nowhere else, understand?" He glanced at yet another man who stood around the employer, whom Mason suspected to be their method of transportation. "Good. I have cover identities prepared for each of us. All you need to do is memorize the name, location, and occupation of your alias. Nothing more, nothing less. Once we're all inside, everyone must follow their instructions (which I will give out shortly) to the letter. At one, the party ends and security will resume it's usual patrol routes. We have to be out of there by midnight."

Mason was even deeper in thought, his mind working fast at planning out improved designs to many of his already existing models of pipe bombs, satchel charges and much more. Suddenly, Mason felt the unexpected impulse to blurt out a question, voice shaky, yet clear.

"Um, what are the, uh, dimensions of the vault? Also, what is it, er, constructed with?"

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

"Four hours," Eldric said, raising his voice and putting emphasis on his words. "Give or take. Telvayn Manor officially opens it's doors at seven. From what I've heard, the new arrivals start to come in droves at around eight, so that's when we're going to get there. We are to stop nowhere else, understand?" He glanced at Claude, who nodded knowingly. "Good. I have cover identities prepared for each of us. All you need to do is memorize the name, location, and occupation of your alias. Nothing more, nothing less. Once we're all inside, everyone must follow their instructions (which I will give out shortly) to the letter. At one, the party ends and security will resume it's usual patrol routes. We have to be out of there by midnight."

Seemed like Eldric had put some thought into this, Claude had come to know him as very meticulous and methodical in his plans and this job seemed no different. Claude began thinking of different scenarios, considering the possibility that Eldric would have him work under the guise of a valet. Still, Claude remained silent and waited for Eldric's individual instructions.

"Um, what are the, uh, dimensions of the vault? Also, what is it, er, constructed with?" Someone shakily blurted out, the disheveled and ragged looking man who was soaking wet. Claude raised an eyebrow, looking over the strange looking individual with skepticism. Claude sure as hell didn't recognize him.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"Um, what are the, uh, dimensions of the vault? Also, what is it, er, constructed with?" Mason squeaked, looking practically terrified by the people around him. Or maybe just the fact there were people around, rather than the people themselves.

Eldric sighed a little. "I have no idea of the dimensions of the vault or the materials from which it is constructed. All I know is that it's massive, and it's resilient. That's why I need the two of you," He gestured and Mason and Kjan. "To go down there together. We don't know if we're going to have to blow the door off it's hinges or not. Again, this will be explained further once questions have concluded and I present the full details of the plan to you."

He straightened his tie a little further, cracking his knuckles afterword. His eyes swept the room, surveying his crew once again. "Does anyone else have a question?"

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Everyone else looked void of questions, so Alain spoke up and said, "I think we're ready for the plan, Eldric. This isn't going to be a cakewalk, so the sooner we're ready, the better."

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"You're right," Eldric said, twirling his hat around in his hands as he spoke. "I suppose, if there are no further questions to be asked...?" There was a brief period of silence as he looked over the assembled group. No one spoke up, raised their hands, or did anything else to signal that they weren't ready to receive their instructions.

"Very well."

Pulling a map of the city from his back pocket and laying it down on the table, Eldric began.

"Claude." He turned to face their driver. "You'll be posing as our chauffeur for the evening. You're going to drive the group to Telvayn manor, hand the car off to the valet, then enter after us. I would prefer you stick by the exit, in case we need to make a hasty departure."

He moved on to the next member. "Mason. You have two parts in this. One is designing and building me an explosive device that will cause just enough damage to get people's attention, but not enough that they suspect foul play. I want 'ruptured gas main', not 'terrorist cell', got it? Once you're in the party you'll be teaming with Kjan. I'll talk more about that soon enough."

Eldric turned again. "Kiyoshi. You're going to be one of the first to head into the vault. You'll be there to provide help to Mason and Kjan by disabling the security systems and watching their backs when they work. If you are caught by a guard, don't hesitate to do what you have to. This is our lives or theirs."

"Alain. I want you to stay upstairs with the party guests. You have other identities, use as many as you have to. Keep people talking, and keep them distracted. Especially if they're guards. If you manage to find Telvayn, do not let him out of your sight. Not even if you happen to find some drunken Bosmer girl willing to find a room with you."

"Kjan. As I said earlier, you'll be with Mason for the duration of the heist. Posing as his date, in fact." He gave the girl a look of sincere apology. "Once the distraction has kicked into place, you and Mason will follow Kiyoshi down into the basement where the vault is located. When you find the door, the two of you will have to use the best of your skill sets to get it open. Whether you have to pick a lock or blow the damn door off it's hinges, I don't care."

"Finally, I will be the cause of the distraction. I'll set the explosion off and alert the party goers to exactly where it originated, drawing them and the security staff away from the entrance to the vault. Thomas will be posing as my bodyguard, and if all goes well, he'll only have to stand around and look intimidating. A set amount of time after the distraction, everyone is to meet with Kjan, Mason, and Kiyoshi in the vault. I've checked out the maps, and Relyn's basement sits directly on top of an abandoned network of subway tunnels. We use those to get out of the mansion with the loot. Then we load them into the limo and drive away before anyone notices we're there. Simple."

 

[Rextoret]

Kiyoshi listened intently as Eldric began his list of roles, taking mental notes of who was doing what. It was only a matter of time before Eldric got to Kiyoshi's role.

"Kiyoshi. You're going to be one of the first to head into the vault. You'll be there to provide help to Mason and Kjan by disabling the security systems and watching their backs when they work. If you are caught by a guard, don't hesitate to do what you have to. This is our lives or theirs."

He gave a subtle nod to Eldric after he finished. While he hated having to kill, he understood it was sometimes necessary. It wasn't as if his hands weren't already dirty. He only wished to keep them from getting dirtier. "Right. I'll do what I have to do."

Kiyoshi listened in while Eldric went through the rest of the plan. Everything seemed golden, as far the verbal walkthrough went. But as always, it's far easier said than done. As to how true that would be, only time would tell.

"I've checked out the maps, and Relyn's basement sits directly on top of an abandoned network of subway tunnels. We use those to get out of the mansion with the loot. Then we load them into the limo and drive away before anyone notices we're there. Simple."

Kiyoshi momentarily rubbed his eyes, as if to wipe the feeling of grogginess out of them. He spoke up. "Yeah, seems simple enough. Can't say I've done something this big, although things should go fine if we just stick to the plan." He mentally went over everything he'd need for the job, which included quite a bit of whiskey after the job. "Anywhere specific we're going to meet at to head to the job? Or is Claude just going to pick us up one by one and head over there?"

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

"Claude." He turned to face their driver. "You'll be posing as our chauffeur for the evening. You're going to drive the group to Telvayn manor, hand the car off to the valet, then enter after us. I would prefer you stick by the exit, in case we need to make a hasty departure."

Claude nodded knowingly and folded his arms across his chest. This job was going to require a lot more pizzazz then Claude was used to, still, he was confident he could pull it off. Normally Claude's obligations ended at the wheel, he told this to his clients before each job; Claude did one thing, and that was driving. Still, considering the payday he was being promised to stand around in a suit and drive a limo back and forth, he had no objections.

But there was a potential problem Claude took note of, if the cops caught wind of the limo it'd likely be over. No way in oblivion would he'd be able to get outrace a police cruiser, and trying to lose them in a luxury class limo would be difficult to say the least. But if it came down to that, Claude would find a way, he was known in Blacklight as the best get away driver in the city and throughout his career he'd had more close calls then he was comfortable with. If everything went well, he wouldn't even need to worry about eluding the police.

He listened to the rest of the plan, and had to give it to Eldric, the man had clearly thought this out. Still, there would always be the chance of something going wrong; someone seeing something they aren't supposed to, an unexpected guard showing up, the list went on. If they were going to pull this off, they were going to need to act fast and deliberately.

 

[Skyrimosity]

Thomas looked around at the group of people. He had seen a few of them in the gang before but Thomas was a hired killer so the less people knew your face in the criminal world, the better. One person wants to be a killer and your in their way, they'll just rat you out. The assassin business sure is cutthroat... Thomas smiled evilly.

Thomas silently listened to Eldric's plans. Crack the safe, rob the mansion, get out. Four hours. This didn't exactly sound like a job that a hired killer such as Thomas would be needed. Still, he listened to Eldric hand out assignments for the newly-invited party guests.

This was obviously a job Eldric had focused on for a long time. He had it planned out and he hired all these professionals in order to ensure its success. Eldric was always meticulous but never quite this much. Finally, Eldric mentioned that Thomas would be his bodyguard after he set off the explosion.

Thomas finally spoke out to Eldric, in a smooth voice pleasing to the ears "So Eldric, I'm playing bodyguard? Maybe if I'm lucky there'll be a little action. Sometimes it gets too easy just sneaking up on people."

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

Eldric gave an uneasy nod in response to Thomas' words. "If we're lucky, there won't be any 'action' at all. This is supposed to be a clean job, Thomas. Killing is only to be done in the event of discovery, and even then, it should be quick. That's why I hired you, of course." Eldric felt rather uncomfortable discussing his more violent backup plans in front of the others. He knew most of them had probably shied away from killing when on a job. Hell, he did too, once. But sacrifices had to be made, and if a few guards died the process of him getting rich, he wouldn't lose any sleep.

He stood, and waited to see if anyone else had any comments, or, gods forbid, objections.

 

[Farthlion]

"Kjan. As I said earlier, you'll be with Mason for the duration of the heist. Posing as his date, in fact." He gave the girl a look of sincere apology. "Once the distraction has kicked into place, you and Mason will follow Kiyoshi down into the basement where the vault is located. When you find the door, the two of you will have to use the best of your skill sets to get it open. Whether you have to pick a lock or blow the damn door off it's hinges, I don't care."

Kjan gave Mason a weary glance. This was not going to work. No way she'd get through the night without killing the man. She didn't work well with others - it was as simple at that. Kjan took jobs which required her to pick locks, and breaking into things was not a team effort. This was simply not in her job description

The locksmith clenched her jaw before speaking, "What do you mean I have to pose as his date? I don't know if you've noticed, but this guy isn't exactly stable. Maybe I should pose as the fl*ffing nurse who escorted him outside of the loony-bin," the Nord took a deep breath, realizing she wasn't exactly in the best position to judge the mental stability of others. Kjan herself was about to snap any second now after hearing the plans, "And what about my equipment? I have a suitcase full of tools. Not sure how that'll get past anyone at the party."

 

[Delusional]

No dimensions, no plans, no information on the vault... What have I gotten myself into? Mason began to worry, unsure of his ability to jury-rig an explosive on the spot, in the basement of a heavily guarded manor. It was enough pressure on the unstable man to have to appear in public, much less not provide any information on his target, leaving him to guess what type of blast is needed.

Eldric soon launched right into the plan for the heist. Mason listened intently, all the while scratching the back of his neck.

"Mason. You have two parts in this. One is designing and building me an explosive device that will cause just enough damage to get people's attention, but not enough that they suspect foul play. I want 'ruptured gas main', not 'terrorist cell', got it? Once you're in the party you'll be teaming with Kjan. I'll talk more about that soon enough."

It seemed near-impossible to the engineer. An explosive device with a low profile, designed without knowing the dimensions for the vault or the surrounding area? Mason began to doubt himself; his nervous ticks became more and more numerous as he was deep in thought.

Cause just enough damage... how? With no knowledge of the vault... that's more than a challenge... and who is this Kjan? Mason's question was soon answered as Eldric continued with the plan.

"Kjan. As I said earlier, you'll be with Mason for the duration of the heist. Posing as his date, in fact." He looked at the single female in the room with an expression of pity. "Once the distraction has kicked into place, you and Mason will follow Kiyoshi down into the basement where the vault is located. When you find the door, the two of you will have to use the best of your skill sets to get it open. Whether you have to pick a lock or blow the damn door off it's hinges, I don't care."

Mason's eyes widened. A... a date? I'm not good around people... but a date...? Mason glanced frantically around the small apartment as he felt an anxiety attack approaching. He had to get out of the room; fast.

"Um, can I... uh... leave now?" His words were rushed; his voice wavered as he stood motionless in the corner, waiting for a rapid response from someone, anyone. It didn't matter--only escaping this crowded hell mattered now.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"Um, can I... uh... leave now?" Mason asked, stammering slightly as he gave a nervous glance towards the door.

Eldric waved him away. "Yes, yes. You can wait in the other room." It was just as well that he left. Kjan would no doubt have some less than pleasant words to say about him.

Sure enough, the moment Mason had left the room, Kjan exploded in a fit of anger. "What do you mean I have to pose as his date? I don't know if you've noticed, but this guy isn't exactly stable. Maybe I should pose as the fl*ffing nurse who escorted him outside of the loony-bin," The locksmith paused, seemingly realizing the hint of hypocrisy in her words. Changing the subject, she continued, "And what about my equipment? I have a suitcase full of tools. Not sure how that'll get past anyone at the party."

Good gods, she's impossible to please. Eldric exhaled deeply before making eye contact with the Nordic woman. "You won't be able to get all of your tools past the guards. But they won't check the purse of a Skyrim noblewoman." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "You should be able to fit the essentials in a large handbag. As for Mason, well..." Eldric lowered his voice slightly, trying not to let the madman in the other room hear him speak. "I am sorry about that. But if any of us are going to stick close together, we need an excuse. A group of three or more leaving right after a heist seems more than suspicious. And since the two of you are going to be heading down into the vault before most of us, we need to make sure the guards aren't already onto you. For the record, he probably hates it just as much as you do."

 

[The OP3RaT0R]

Alain was disappointed at the lack of some kind of acrobatic obstacle for him to beat, but decided against voicing his disappointment. At least that made the money easier. "What do you mean I have to pose as his date? I don't know if you've noticed, but this guy isn't exactly stable. Maybe I should pose as the fl*ffing nurse who escorted him outside of the loony-bin," the plainly-dressed woman Eldric had called Kjan said, complaining about her role, one which Alain did not envy her for. "And what about my equipment? I have a suitcase full of tools. Not sure how that'll get past anyone at the party."

Eldric offered an explanation, which Kjan grudgingly accepted, and the group began to disperse. Many of the members appeared to know one another, unlike Alain, who was a stranger and had only worked indirectly for Eldric. The Imperial decided he might change that, and headed nonchalantly for the Nord woman. "You sure drew the short straw on this one," he started in. Kjan did not look much in the mood for humor. "Alain Ancharia," he said, extending a hand. "Buy you a drink? There's a place I know a couple blocks away, and you look like you need one."

 

[Farthlion]

"You sure drew the short straw on this one," a man, one who she hadn't met before when participating in Eldric's schemes, spoke. Kjan looked at him with a humorless look, "Alain Ancharia," he said, extending a hand. "Buy you a drink? There's a place I know a couple blocks away, and you look like you need one."

Kjan narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She had been asked to go to dinner or go out for a drink by clients before, even associates. Never had she accepted. It was just her nature to suspicious and untrusting of anyone... especially men. Alain didn't exactly look like the most reliable person to hang around with.

"I don't drink," she firmly answered, staring at Alain for several moments before grabbing the briefcase at her feet, "However, after we finish this job and I'm good and fluffing rich, I'll take you up on your offer. I'll need it more after I do this whole cover story anyways." He'd be easy to rob after she got him too drunk to string a sentence together.