[Riparia] A cold nights robbery (Jayden).

[Ogrim]

The tenth day of Kalendryas
Winter of Era II of the Celestine Mandate (current Pattern), Era XIV Post Fractum
Paradigm: Gala of Empress Michelle held in Alleria Prime

Ogrim hunched behind a low shrub, using it to shield himself against the chill winter wind

”Feth it’s cold.” he grumbled under his breath and glanced over at Jayden who was in his own little hiding place. The Orc couldn’t discern whether the human was as uncomfortable as he, however, Ogrim thought someone hailing from Arakmat would not be entirely familiar with these glacial conditions.

Look back towards the Merchants house he could see that candles still burned behind thick, heat conserving curtains. Shadows would flitter back and forth in front of the blinded windows every now and then but nothing that would suggest that the middle aged occupants had guests. Glancing over to the kitchens wing, Ogrim could see a thin trail of little grey smoke escape from the chimney. From the flue carried the unmistakable, and irresistible, scent of slow cooking mutton. The greenskin hardly noticed a thin trail of saliva drip from his maw and into the snow. ”I’m going to get me some of that!”, he thought with relish and it served to steel him against the cold.

Swivelling his massive head and shoulders back towards the window, he could see candle after candle slowly extinguished by a large amorphous shadow. They couple were finally heading to bed, and none to soon. Shuffling as quietly as possible so that he faced Jayden, Ogrim attempted a low whistle. His scarred facial features contorted in effort and something more akin to a low hum escaped his lips. Snorting in mock anger, he nevertheless affected some kind of communication with the newest member of the Brotherhood. As before it would fall to the dark skinned manling to make the first approach. It was his area of expertise after all, one that the Orc wouldn’t hesitate to make use of.

[Jayden Oroth]

Jayden hated winter. He scowled into the wind, stealing a quick glance at the house as he did so, before turning back behind the shelter of the tree. Rubbing his knuckles in a futile attempt to generate warmth, while at the same time cursing his poor choice of boots which were getting decidedly colder by the moment, the Nairu cast his gaze across the snow-laden ground towards Ogrim.

The slightest of grins came across Jayden's face at the sight of the orc salivating for both warmth and cooked meat. The human had expected the cold mountain weather to be the only aspect of Riparian life that he would have difficulty adjusting to, but the Brotherhood’s leader was proving to be a different proposition entirely. To the Arakmatan, Ogrim seemed to be almost as comical as he was fearsome.

The Nairu looked into the wind again, just as the last candles were silently snuffed out for the night. Cold fingers gripped the hilt of his weapon as he prepared himself for what was to inevitably follow.

And follow it did, as any humorous thoughts were quickly stripped away with Ogrim signalling his intent for Jayden to approach the house. Nodding his acknowledgment of the silent command, the Brotherhood recruit skirted towards the house, using whatever cover he could to minimise the exposed distance between himself and the house. The soft snow made a quiet crunching noise as each step was made, before Jayden gently planted his back against the side of the building as he reached it, and, ever so slowly, attempted to peer into the window, hoping to spy a view of the room through a part in the curtains.

[Ogrim]

Stalking through the snow blanketed garden Jayden resembled a dread shade, his dark clothing and skin blending seamlessly with the shadows cast by tree and shrub alike. Cocking his head to one side, Ogrim could only hear the faintest crunch of snow as the thin ice cap broke under each of the humans light footfalls. When there was no discernable cover, the orc watched with fascination as the manling would pause; scan his surroundings in what appeared to be an oft practised manner then nimbly scurry to safety behind suitable concealment. With surprisingly rapid progress Jayden soon gained the house without raising an alarm impressing the Brotherhoods leader. To Ogrim the Nairu was now merely a heat signature in an otherwise frigid landscape as he hunched lower to escape a chill wind blast.

From his own vantage, Jayden could not see through the thick curtain. With no candle to backlight the room the seemingly innocuous fabric had turned completely opaque and offered stout visual security. To his left the house stretched lengthways. If Jayden was to guess these were the living quarters, most likely a dining, lounge and sun room respectively. There were three large windows along the length, each stretched from waist to crown in height and locked from the inside. At the far end of the wall, away from Jayden, was a paved patio area, this was accessed from the house by a pair of large and expensive looking Jaedaxienne doors, their locking mechanism could not be identified from where the human stood but it seemed to lack the appearance of a complex design.

To his right was the kitchen and possibly the servant’s quarters. No servants had been spied though and their absence was conspicuous to the invading party. Closer to him than the far patio entrance, the kitchen door looked solid. It was bound in metal strips and had a sunken, well used key hole. Unconsciously Jayden brushed the lock picking kit Ogrim had given him hours earlier. He could attempt to gain entry through either door, though each had its own unique risk and reward.

[Jayden Oroth]

Ebony fingers lightly traced the outline of the lock picking set that hung, half concealed, from Jayden’s belt, as dark brown eyes patiently but determinedly examined the options presented. This was not the first time the dark skinned human had broken into a house, but it was easily the wealthiest of any home he’d entered under the cover of darkness, and great wealth was often accompanied by stiff security. The route he initially chose, (and, indubitably, the one Ogrim had chosen as soon as the pair caught sight – and scent – of the house), was to go through the kitchen. Jayden found it to be a tempting proposition to simply rush in, even if by force, just to regain some warmth into his gradually numbing body. But he knew all too well that servants could often be found in the kitchen area. Unsure as to whether or not this was one such occasion, the Nairu decided to find out before he went through the door, rather than after.

Quietly swivelling in his stance, he crept past the kitchen door as carefully as he could, making sure to stay crouched low enough to remain hidden from the windows as he went. When he reached the corner of the house, he took a few moments to look back towards where he last remembered Ogrim’s hulking form to be located, but a combination of creeping shadows and the sheer cold he felt meant the Arakmatan was unable to see the orc’s form.

Crouching down, Jayden used his hands to pull some nearby snow into a small pile, moulding it in his palms to form a small, fairly compact ball. Rising to his feet, the Nairu paused briefly, before stepping forward, and throwing the newly created missile at the kitchen door, hopeful that it would explode against the solid entrance. As soon as his hand was empty, Jayden ducked back behind the corner, before peering around it with a single eye, waiting for a response from within the house.

[Ogrim]

From his vantage, Ogrim watched the human curiously. ”What in the gods’ names is he doing?” he thought to himself though he didn’t bother to question Jayden, for obvious reasons. Patiently waiting to put reason to the strange actions, Ogrim was soon rewarded as the manling lobbed (or more accurately hurled) a ball of snow against what they had both surmised was the kitchen door.

Striking home true, the ball crumpled and then exploded in a cloud of white powder silently. Ogrim was not entirely aware why Jayden had decided to do this but only wished he would hurry up so they could at least get into the house and the warmth contained within.

Waiting for several moments, there was no reaction from the house. The door was too stout a thing for a snow ball to worry it, no matter how hard or accurately thrown it was. Jayden could of course find something else, a stone or a pine cone perhaps, though the choice was entirely his. As he thought on the problem, not a thing stirred besides the clouds as they drifted across the moons and extinguished what little light they cast. This was both a benefit and a hindrance to the less than lawful duo, perhaps more so for the Nairu who lacked the Orcs ability to see in near total darkness.

[Jayden Oroth]

Jayden almost laughed at himself under his breath for making such a rudimentary error. Of course snow wouldn't make much noise - but being a sand dweller with a somewhat romanticised perception of the Empire's colder regions, he had assumed otherwise.

Quickly wiping away any trace of a smile lest Ogrim be keeping an eye on him, Jayden moved back along the front of the building, still crouched, dark skinned fingers brushing over the lock picking set. At a painstakingly slow pace, he approached the patio door, having reasoned that the cold darkening air would be too easily noticed if he was to enter the warm kitchen.

After silently running a pair of fingers over the keyhole, the Arakmatan went through each lock pick, feeling its shape to ascertain which one would most suitably perform the task requested of it.

And then, ever so carefully, he slid the chosen lock pick into the lock and turned, nudged, and twisted it in an attempt to gain entry to the wealthy home.

[Ogrim]

Manipulating the pick deftly, soon the mechanism began to succumb to the dark skinned humans urging. At times it would halt and Jayden would readjust the tool to facilitate the process further but after a minute or two from inside the door could be heard a dull click as the bolt retracted into its metallic sheath. As if it were testing it new found freedom, the door inched open slightly, though this was merely the cold breeze forcing its way inside and not the work of a sentient building.

Once inside, Jayden could see that a fire still burned in the hearth. Though it was a low flame it still cast a waxy yellow light that only seemed to magnify the dark and meticulously cared for wooden walls of which the house was clad. Above the hearth, on a jutting mantel sat a collection of fine vases, each was different though complimentary to the other and if he had to hazard a guess, Jayden would conclude these delicate pieces of pottery were from a Baijani kiln.

Taking a couple of steps further into the room, the native Arakmatian saw richly brocaded furniture, their padding a rich red with gold trim, the frames were a dark hard wood and they were lustrously polished. Past the furniture, to his left was a staircase that led upstairs, behind it, rather than an obligatory under-stairs storage area, was another staircase, this one leading down to what could only be assumed was a basement. To his right were two doors, one large and glass the other small and wooden. The wooden door was logically the servant’s entrance to the kitchen; the glass door could possibly lead to the main entrance chamber, though it was not definite.

Unmoving and holding his breath, Jayden could detect no sound that would give him concern. Everything was fine, for the moment.