07.25.2014: A Working Vacation
- Name = A Working Vacation
- Cast= Emily and Castle as ST.
- Summary= Emily pulls a heist of an expensive painting while on vacation. It isn’t as easy as she’d hoped.
- Icdate= July 26, 2014
- Ictime= 12:00 A.M.
- Location= The Bahamas
- Prptp= N/A
- Spheres= World of Darkness: Mortal
So after their swim, Castle and Emily went sightseeing. The island is a tropical paradise, and the pair enjoy it to its fullest potential like a couple of tourists. Photos are snapped undoubtedly for scrapbooking at a later date, and memories are made! They manage to stumble across a club after lunch, which makes the to-do list. That evening they return to the bungalow, change, and then out for a lovely seafood dinner, followed by drinks and dancing at the club.
The atmosphere is electric, with a young hip-hop DJ spinning records and drinks flowing. Emily controls the drinks, order Castle Rum and Coke, and herself just Coke - although she plays tipsy fairly well. At around eleven, she calls their taxi and order the detective his last drink - this one she spikes. What's a little Rohypnol between friends?
Half way back to the bungalow, Castle is out. And I mean out! Completely and totally. It's to the point Emily has to tip the taxi driver really well for helping her carry his big ass inside and get him into a bed. It's not the romantic weekend getaway the ebon-skinned man was expecting - but he doesn't know Emily is on the job - She's got a painting to steal after all, and now she's free to pull the heist!
The painting is an abstract by a little known artist, rumored to have been bought for a little over 300K. The Client not only sent an image, but a blueprint of the residence and a security layout of the collector's home. It's just across the bay. From the Southern corner of the bungalow Emily can see the lights of the split level beach house across the water. All she need do is waterproof her gear and make the swim.
The latest text message she's received on 'Josie Black's' phone says only the owner is home. He had an island prostitute earlier, but he's an older man and finished up fairly quickly.
She was really enjoying the day of sightseeing, taking pictures, making memories. Knowing in the back of her mind the job she had to do tonight. She got the text message while he was in the bathroom, on 'Josie's' phone. Good thing she brings her work gear on vacation. She'd slip him a Mickey at the club - harmless. He'd be out long enough for her to do the job. She would definitely have to make it up to him later.
There's a little spot she had cut out of the floor, near the back of the small bungalow, where she could stash her stuff. Anyone looking wouldn't know the difference. The taxi driver is paid extremely well, thanking him profusely for his help. Once she makes sure Lincoln is undressed, and comfortable, she gets to work. Changing out of that slinky of a dress, she dons on the cat suit, scuba gear, whatever she'll need to swim across the island. She's expecting the older man to probably be as passed out as Lincoln is now. Stealing this painting should be easy as pie. She walks down to the beach, walking into the water until it's up to her waist, and starts the swim to the dotted lights across the water.
The swim isn’t bad. No more than Emily might do for exercise. The current makes the cat suit option less optimal than expected, so a bikini it is! At least for the swim. She can always change on the beach across the bay. Probably better that way, no wet foot prints.
Dark, open water is eerie. There is no changing that. No tell what’s passing just feet away from her – or inches. The crystal clear water is inky black beneath the moonlit sky. It takes fifteen minutes to cross the bay, and that’s her pushing herself hard. Likely due in no small part to her anxiety over what might be lurking in the deep, considering making her a meal.
Yet, she manages to make it. White sandy beach opens easily to the back yard of the split level vacation house. The back of which is nearly completely glass. Visibility is easy, but only one room still has a light on now – that’s the master bedroom. Both where the painting is located, and the most probable room in the house to contain the single occupant.
The doors are alarmed, and double locked – nothing she can’t handle.
Emily tries to keep her thoughts on more pleasant things during her swim. Not the murky, black water where anything could come up at anytime, and decide to take a bite out of her. This makes her push harder to get to those white sands - all while thinking of ways she might make it up to Lincoln. He'll most likely feel bad for 'having' too much to drink, never knowing the truth. It's better this way though. He's a cop. That makes things....complicated.
Once she reaches the beach, she begins summarizing the house from the outside. She begins slipping out of her bikini, letting the naked skin dry a bit while she watches the perimeter for any movement. A purse of her lips at the light, before she starts pulling up the cat suit. Quietly, she makes her way to the door, inspecting the locks and security. Not a problem for her. Hell, it's hardly even a challenge . She begins her process, going through any computer security first to dismantle it. Anything that might be wired to the doors before working on the locks.
<<DICE>> Emily rolls perception+larceny, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 4 successes (2 3 3 6 7 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+larceny, difficulty 7 <<DICE>> 5 successes (1 1 2 8 10 10 10, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+larceny, difficulty 7 <<DICE>> 2 successes (1 4 5 6 7 7 9, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+stealth, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 1 successes (1 3 5 5 8 9, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
The electric screwdriver spins in silence as the face-plate for the security junction box is removed. It’s fairly simple for a thief of Emily’s caliber. Nothing like that job she did in New York that time. Wire cutter, an alligator clamp jumper and the system is rendered inert – for all intent and purposes, the woman is invisible to it.
After trading her tool for picks, she makes short work of the door lock and the dead bolt. Within a span of a minute thirty she’s ready to crack open the door. It barely creaks. Inside the air of conditioned and kept at a cool seventy degrees. Her think climbing shoes don’t even whispers on the thick carpet.
As expected, downstairs is vacant. Remnants of a small private party are visible. A couple wine glasses, one with lipstick along the rim, and a round mirror with a little pile of Cocaine and a couple chopped line still present. In addition to the rolled hundred dollar bill they must have used as a snort.
As expected, downstairs is vacant. Remnants of a small private party are visible. A couple wine glasses, one with lipstick along the rim, and a round mirror with a little pile of Cocaine and a couple chopped line still present. In addition to the rolled hundred dollar bill they must have used as a snort.
The stairs headed up are dimly lit.
Piece of cake. Emily sneaks inside, her footfalls silent, light against the soft, high-piled carpet. She takes in the scene of the little private party. She could be having her own private party right now, if she didn't have to do this job. But she clears her head of those soured thoughts. Focus is her best advantage. She does take that rolled up hundred dollar bill though. Call it a memento.
She walks quietly up the dimly lit stairs, careful of her footfalls. Watching as she steps, hugging herself close to the wall or railing - whichever might be present. As she rises to the second floor, she pauses, listening for any sounds of movement. If there are none, she'll take a cautious peek into the room.
At the top of the stairs, the hall opens up into a landing that curves around the entire lower level. It give the vacation home an extremely open an arid feel. Numerous door branch off of the landing, some open while others are closed. Only one holds particular interest. The master suite.
The door there is ajar, with a minuscule light radiating from within. The home is soundless accept for the occasional mechanical sound from the air conditioning vents. Otherwise nothing stirs at all.
Keeping close to the wall, yet not touching it, she makes her way down the hallway, letting hazel eyes scan the interior. Looking for any traps or signs of sophisticated alarms. It wasn't on the blueprints, but one never knows. It's just a simple, short walk to the master suite, where she peeks in the door as it is ajar. Surveying the room and more importantly, the occupant. She watches for any movement, or to see if the homeowner is passed out in the bed, if she can see it from her point of view.
<<DICE>> Emily rolls perception+alertness, difficulty 7 <<DICE>> 4 successes (2 4 5 8 9 10 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
The interior is dark accept for accent lighting that displays her prize. The painting is lit. Beyond, deeper in the shadows is the master bed, which she can tell isn’t occupied by anyone. Though the bedding is crumpled, the lone occupant doesn’t appear to be in the bed.
A flicker of movement draws her attention. A curtain moves, drifting lightly with the breeze. The sliding glass door it masks seems to be cracked open.
She notices there's nobody occupying the bed. They did previously, but not now. Hazel eyes flick to the painting. It would be easy enough to take if from the wall, after checking that it isn't wired to anything, naturally. But then she notices the curtains drifting lightly. This gets her attention. She pauses, using the darkness of the room while she slinks down the wall, away from the painting and towards the sliding glass door. Footsteps ever so quiet, she doesn't make a sound. Stopping about a foot away, she takes advantage of the drifting curtain to view beyond the glass door, to see if there may be anyone beyond.
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+stealth, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 3 successes (3 3 3 6 8 8, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 5 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 4 successes (5 7 8 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls perception+alertness, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 0 successes (1 1 3 3 5 9 9, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 3 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 0 successes (3 3 4, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 4 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (2 5 8 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls stamina, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> -1 successes (1 4, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
[HEALTH] Emily takes 2 Bashing damage! She is Hurt!
Thwack! The curved end of the cane lands squarely against the back of the burglar’s head. In a Cocaine induced fury, the old man steps from the shadows, both wild eyed and buck naked! He short, heavy set, with gray hair and bald on top. “You can’t have any ice cream,” he screams at the top of his lungs. “No fucking ice cream for you!” When one has the opportunity to actually get a good look, they might notice he’s half covered in smeared chocolate and a half gallon of ice cream has been left to melt behind him.
Bam! She did /not/ see that one coming. That bang on the head from the cane was enough to make her see stars, and she falls to the floor, losing her balance. The old man's accusations ring in her ears while she shakes her head to clear it, before looking up to see the naked man in all his painted, chocolate ice-cream glory. She grimaces, before backtracking across the floor, putting as much distance between her and the cocaine-crazed lunatic that screams at the top of his lungs. She says nothing, just scrambles, or at least tries to, out of his reach. He's got a wicked swing of the cane going on here.
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 1 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 1 successes (10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<Initiative>> Old man 15 <<Initiative>> Emily 7
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 3 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (5 6 7, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+athletics (-2 from Wounds), difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (3 3 5 5 7 7, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: No)
Panicked utterly that some intruder has broken into his house to steal his ice cream, the Old man lashes out a second time. He’s actually fairly accurate with that cane of his. “Mine! Mine! Mine!” He’s yelling like Dori in Finding Nemo – thankfully the beach house is secluded, and there isn’t anyone in ear-shot to hear his insane shouting.
This was not something she bargained for, and quickly grows tired of. Listening to the drug-induced madness from the old man and his ice cream, she decides to end this right here. It's not hard, really. That target is dangling just a few feet away. Closer than she feels comfortable with. She moves to her feet, twisting to position a kick - right at his ball sac. That should bring him down for the count - /if/ she's successful.
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+brawl (-1 from Wounds), difficulty 9 <<DICE>> 3 successes (3 5 7 10, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: Yes) [POOL] Emily spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Emily rolls strength+5 (-1 from Wounds), difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (2 3 4 5 6 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 2 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (7 9, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 3 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 0 successes (2 2 4, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
The kick lands squarely where Emily intended it to. She can almost feel the grapes pop under the face of her small foot. Driven home by those incredible gymnast legs of hers. However, Cocaine plays a part in the fact he doesn’t even notice – not yet anyway. He growls, “Ice cream thief,” and swings wildly at her again. Missing completely.
And this is why we don't do drugs folks! The cat burglar just blinks as he keeps coming, but she's diligent. She lunges closer, twisting so that she can get a better stance, putting her full force into the next kick to the man's scrotum. How many times will he be able to take this?
<<DICE>> Emily rolls dexterity+brawl (-1 from Wounds), difficulty 9 <<DICE>> 1 successes (2 3 5 8, Specialty: Yes, Willpower: Yes) [POOL] Emily spends 1 points of Willpower. Reason: Automatic Success
<<DICE>> Emily rolls strength+3 (-1 from Wounds), difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 3 successes (2 6 7 8, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 2 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> -1 successes (1 4, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
<<DICE>> Castle rolls 2 dice, difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 0 successes (5 3, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
This time, the eggs break. Emily’s foot creates a wet smacking sound upon impact with the old man’s naked flesh. He pauses in mid swing and begins to turn colors. First red, then a shade of yellow that borders on sickly. He wobbles in place, then drops to his knees. She has to move fast to avoid the sudden free-flow of vomit that ejects in projectile fashion from between his lips. He pukes three times before collapsing in an unmoving heap. Only the groaning sounds he makes assures her she didn’t kill him outright!
Of course she moves fast enough to get out of the way of the aftermath. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. She watches him a moment, only slightly remorseful - but she has a job to do. And she's wasted enough time already. The cat burglar moves with swift, fluid motion to the painting, pausing to check - making sure there are no separate alarms attached.
<<DICE>> Emily rolls perception+larcenty (-1 from Wounds), difficulty 6 <<DICE>> 2 successes (5 8 10, Specialty: No, Willpower: No)
Obviously the old man invested too much in his bad habits, and not enough in his home security. He’s completely reliant on the alarm system. The painting isn’t wired like it should be. It’s just hanging there. Behind her, the old man lays still, his breathing quickly becoming a drunken snore. How quickly things change.
Good. This should be easy enough. She picks up the painting from each end off the easel, or whatever it is attached to, carefully. Having it in her possession, she begins to make her way out of the master suite, passing by the man that writhes on the floor. "Sorry...." she mutters, softly, before making her way out of the room and down the stairs. Her steps quiet, swift, and certain.
The cat burglar begins to slowly roll the canvas up, placing it in the watertight tube she has handy with her. Prepare for anything. She walks out of the vacation home, closing the door behind her. A quick slinking out of her cat suit, placing all the necessities in a watertight bag she had specially made, before she dons on the bikini for the swim back to her little bungalow. And Lincoln. She takes a bit more time on the return trip, enjoying the moonlight over the black water. Turning to float on her back for a moment, looking up at the star-filled sky. Then the idea of unseen things creep into her head again, before she begins swimming at a healthy pace.
Twenty minutes later, Emily’s pulling herself out of the sea and treading the white sand back up to her bungalow. It was an interesting night. The knot on the back of her head will serve as a reminder of it for the next few hours. If not the knot, then the C-note she took as a souvenir. The little beach pad is dark, only the light she left on in the bathroom illuminate the place. Castle snores in his Rohypnol induced slumber, still unmoved from where Emily and the taxi driver left him.
She made it. Stopping just shy of the back deck of the bungalow, she rechecks the canister, making sure everything is intact and dry. Good. She begins stripping down until only the moonlight bathes her, using the little shack-style shower to wash off the smell of the ocean from her skin. Towels are nearby, in which she snags one to dry off, before wrapping around her. Making sure the door is securely closed, she tip-toes over towards the bedroom, gear still slung over a shoulder, to make sure Castle is sleeping comfortably. Smiling at his induced slumber, she moves to put all the goodies and gear back into that little hidey hole, making sure everything is secure and casual. Once that is done, she moves quietly back to the bedroom, slinking out of the towel only to crawl into bed beside the dreaming detective. If he only knew. Emily wraps one arm around his waist, snuggling against him, before she closes her eyes. Sleep quickly claims her, and they dream together.
