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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 8, 2017 2:30:43 GMT
She's almost late.
The thought, tinged slightly with annoyance, filled Pitch's mind as he watched and waited in silence from his position on the corner of a business section in the French Quarter. His new partner still hadn't arrived even though their assignment called for them to be at this location at exactly 0100 hours. And here it was, 0055 hours and Yang still wasn't present. The Demon let his face fall into a small frown as he stood concealed within the darkness, his gaze taking in the buildings and streets that surrounded him.
It was late at night and the streets were empty, the elegant streetlights that dotted the sidewalks creating small pools of light around them and the beautiful building fronts but illuminating little else. Normally and even at this late hour club-goers would be out beerily going from party to party, but this section of the French Quarter was as silent as the grave. No, this section didn't have any clubs, cafes or bars but was home to some of the most expensive and high-quality shopping in all of Bellerouge, the kind of shops where only the wealthiest and most prestigious of people could afford to come.
Even as the Demon looked, he could see the steel chains that covered each entrance, the security cameras slowly swinging from side to side, the red blinking lights of the lazer alarm systems. Yes, these stores had the money to protect the expensive goods they sold yet despite all their fancy equipment and the private guards they hired, someone had managed to break into this section of stores and others like it across the city and steal huge amounts of goods for nearly three months now. And no one had been caught, not a single suspect found.
Normally a case like this wouldn't have been given over to the BPD: Others Unit. However, when the idea came forward that the thief might be Other and using their abilities to steal the goods, the owners of the stores had used their flaunt and power to finally pressure the Mayor into getting the Others Unit on the case. And here entered Pitch and his missing partner.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 9, 2017 1:32:17 GMT
Life at the Others Unit was never slow, and just when the problem with Weiss and her shadow spirits was fixed, another one arose. Thankfully, it wasn't quite as serious, and it only required two members to solve the case: Yang and Pitch. This was her first real assignment with him. Anything they'd done together so far had been with the entire unit. And she wasn't sure how to feel about this. Pitch hadn't been outright rude to her, he wasn't petty enough for that. But he still seemed a bit...cold. Everyone had assured her that he was that way with everyone, although Yang wasn't sure about that. Regardless, she didn't want to fail on her first case with Pitch, which was why there was frantic air about her as she hurried to get to their meeting place on time. The car she drove wasn't her own, but belonged to the Others Unit itself. It was nice and all, although she preferred getting something of her own sometime, like a motorcycle. She'd been thinking about getting one for a while, she just hadn't had the time to really browse for anything. She put those thoughts out of her mind though as she parked the car and headed over to where Pitch was no doubt waiting for her. The shops here looked expensive, and she could see why they were a common target for this thief. She might have done something like it back in the day, if she had been ballsy enough. Most of her thieving experience though came from pick-pocketing, or dumpster diving. Actually breaking into a place like this wasn't her style. She wasn't the type to sneak around. Pitch looked solemn as ever as she approached, though she tried not to let it bother her. "Hey," she said, slightly out of breath.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 9, 2017 12:18:12 GMT
As Pitch continued to silently survey the storefronts from his position, he suddenly heard the distant sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. His yellow eyes glowed within the shadows as he spotted a figure he recognized even from a distance. After all, it wasn't easy to miss that long, blonde hair.
He allowed the darkness that concealed him to dissipate for a moment and immediately Yang spotted him before making her way over. He glanced down at the time display on his radio and saw that his partner was right on time. However, given her quick breathing and slightly disheveled look the Terror Demon could guess that the only reason she had gotten here on time was because she had rushed.
"Yang."
This and a small nod were all he offered in the way of a greeting to the young rookie. Instead, he returned his focus to the surroundings and motioned for the young woman to move next to him. Already the darkness was beginning to form around them, blurring their figures to anyone who might be watching until they themselves might have been nothing more then shadows.
"I take it you have been appraised of this case."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 10, 2017 1:10:22 GMT
Pitch's tone was even enough, although Yang had no idea what he was really thinking. The guy practically had a brick wall around his head that she couldn't see through. But was understanding Pitch terribly important? They just had to get along well enough to be partners. But Yang knew she'd never be satisfied with that. Pitch was the most mysterious person she knew, and she hated leaving a mystery unsolved. She stepped next to him, and she could tell that they were blending in with their surroundings, practically being unnoticeable to any passerby, or thieves for that matter. Pitch asked if she'd been given the information about this case, and she nodded. "Yup. This guy's been stealing from here for a while, might be an Other using their powers to get away with it." She squared her shoulders and cracked her knuckles. "So, once we spot him, what exactly do we do? Just jump in, bing bang boom, and throw on some handcuffs?" That was what she'd do, although she knew tracking the guy was also an option. Maybe he had a hideout where he was stashing all the stuff he nicked.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 10, 2017 10:09:45 GMT
Despite nearly being late on her first assignment with him, Yang didn't miss a beat and stepped up right beside him before quickly going over the basics of their case. While he didn't make any move to show it, he was relieved to know that she had taken the time to look at the case and study it. However, her eagerness was a bit much for Pitch.
"Our orders are to observe the situation and gather as much information as possible. Despite having stolen large quantities of money from several business and private homes across the city, little is known of the burglar. And the sole eyewitness to the crimes managed to get only a brief look at the culprit."
As the Terror Demon continued to watch the buildings from top to bottom intently, he could remember the report that come out after interviewing the witness, a private guard that had been working at one of the jewelry stores hit. His statement had given the BPD little to go on and the only thing of note that had come out of it was the description the man had given.
The guy moved so fast I couldn't get close with my taser. But there was a sec where he slowed down. He'd managed to roll under a gate that dropped when I hit the alarm and when he looked up I saw him for just a moment. And I swear I'm not crazy or nuthin' but the bastard.... he looked like he had a skull for a face.
And it was this description that the newspapers had used to name the thief when the story broke, the Calavera Thief. Wasn't it enough for the Others unit to have to deal with a string of thefts without the papers getting involved and making what was only a small crime into something huge?
Plenty of officers had echoed this belief and their ensuing annoyance back and the department, but Pitch had kept his silence on the topic. And now he found himself assigned to the task of finding this bothersome thief all while dealing with the new partner that he hadn't wanted.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 11, 2017 17:47:09 GMT
Yang flexed her fingers. She knew sitting around and observing was part of her job, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She felt jittery enough, with this being her first case with just her and Pitch. She wanted to show that nothing was holding her back now, that she could fight even better than before. Sure, she wasn't about to rush in without thinking like she used to, but she could enter a brawl now without having painful flashbacks or seeing something that wasn't there. These days, the worst that happened was her left arm getting a little shaky and feeling totally drained afterwards. "You think he might have different motives than a regular thief?" she asked. Most thieves she knew stole for themselves, or somebody they were working for. That was pretty straightforward. Was this guy a bit more complicated? It was possible. Adrien himself had stolen for non-typical reasons during his days as Chat Noir. Instead of stealing for himself, he stole to help others, taking from the rich and helping those who were less fortunate. Yang doubted this guy had such a noble cause though. Not everyone could be a Robin Hood-type thief.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 14, 2017 3:22:47 GMT
"That is a possibility. The thief has targeted some of the wealthiest homes and businesses within the city and nothing else. Most thieves know better then to target one group as it makes it easier to predict their next move and capture them. And while it wouldn't be unusual for a thief to target one or two of these for a large payoff, this individual has continued to prey exclusively on those areas of the highest monetary value."
Pitch said this all in a quiet tone, his eyes not on Yang but still searching the surroundings and listening to the thoughts of his Nightmares. He had positioned several around the block, mostly along rooftops, so that they could report any unusual activity to him. Thus far they had remained silent, indicating they had found nothing.
Still, the Demon remained alert and ready. He could sense Yang's own pent up energy as she moved about restlessly, but he didn't let it distract him. Instead, he answered the last part of his partner's question.
"As for engaging the thief, we are to attempt an arrest only if the opportunity presents itself."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 15, 2017 2:01:41 GMT
"Maybe he's got a grudge," Yang said, thinking out loud for a moment. "Against rich people or whatever. I used to." Granted, most rich people were still jerks, like Weiss's parents, but for a while, Yang had distrusted them all, feeling like they only thought about themselves and only helped others to make a good impression. She'd practically blown up at Adrien when she'd found out he was Chat Noir, thinking he was just stringing her along for the hell of it. Luckily, people like him and Elsa had proved her wrong about her assumptions. Still, if this guy was keeping his target the same, even if he knew it meant the police would have an easier time tracking him down, it certainly meant he was cocky. He was confident enough in his abilities that he could keep up his predictable pattern, regardless if the police were closing in on him.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 15, 2017 2:44:59 GMT
"Possibly. However, until we apprehend the target we cannot be certain of his motivation. And that will take an unknown length of time."
Pitch then fell silent and continued his silent vigil of the shopping district. The shadows continued to swirl lazily around them almost like a fog, keeping them concealed from any eyes that might turn in their direction.
As time passed, the Terror Demon had to admit that he was somewhat impressed by Yang's theory on the motivation behind the thief's targeting the highly wealthy. And while he was mildly put out by the fact that he had been given a partner despite his request to work alone, he held no negative feelings for the young blonde woman. Indeed, he could see that despite her being so new to this type of work, she had the instinct and skill to become a truly impressive detective. However, before she could do that she would have to learn many things about the job and herself.
Later
The hours had moved by at a snail's pace as the two of them continued to observe the area. Nothing had happened during that time and there had been no signs of movement other then an owl flying overhead and moths circling the lamps. His Nightmares had nothing to report and the time was slowly turning towards 4:00am. In other words, it was an incredibly dull night.
Despite this, Pitch had remained alert and kept his focus sharp. To anyone else it would seem as though the thief would not make an appearance in this area tonight, but there were still two hours left until sunrise and he wasn't about to let his guard down.
His yellow eyes roved over the sidewalk and looked up to where several moths were bumping lightly against the bulb. As he watched the insects, he suddenly became aware that the light was growing muted and blurred. He turned his gaze down towards the ground and saw that a low-lying fog was creeping across the grass and sidewalk, crowding up against buildings and casting the whole night in a milky haze that obscured everything. Immdeiately, Pitch felt his body tense. Something about the fog wasn't right....
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 15, 2017 3:24:15 GMT
Pitch had a point. Yang could guess all she wanted, but nothing could be confirmed until they caught the guy. It was like Sherlock Holmes always said in the stories: you couldn't theorize until you had all the facts, or you could end up twisting the facts to suit your theories. Not much else was said between the two, and Yang felt like the hours were dragging by incredibly slowly. Often, she found her foot tapping or her fingers unconsciously snapping before reminding herself to be a little more still and patient. Something had to happen, she had a feeling. And while the thief still didn't show up, an out-of-nowhere fog did. Yang's brow furrowed. Wasn't it supposed to be a clear night? She glanced around, the objects and stories around her getting fuzzier all the while. Lighting a flame might help clear away some of the fog, but would it give away her and Pitch's position? She glanced at him, hoping he could see in the dark better than she could.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 15, 2017 5:19:35 GMT
In fact, Pitch could see in the dark and normally had no trouble navigating even the blackest of places. However, this fog wasn't like the kind that regularly rolled through the streets and bayous of the city. No, as he tried to peer through the hazy whiteness that now filled the entire street, he felt something in the fog that made his skin tingle and his muscles tense. Magic.
"This fog isn't nature. Someone is conjuring it."
Almost directly after he said this, he caught the slightest hint of movement near a luxury department store out of the corner of his eye. Immediately he turned towards it but whatever had been there was gone. It could have been a cat or raccoon going about its business that night and his Nightmares had given off no alarm as they stood on the roof of the store.
However, he didn't relax and instead started to move towards the store, using corners and the shadows to keep himself concealed.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 16, 2017 1:27:51 GMT
Yang blinked. Conjuring fog? That was a power she hadn't heard of yet. Then again, it was relatively normal compared to some of the other ones she'd heard about. If the fog was coming from a source of magic, then any flames she made wouldn't do any good. She peered hard, trying to make out what was going on, if something was even going on. However, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she whipped around, her muscles tensing. She didn't see anything else though, and she wondered if she had just imagined it. "Hey, did you see...?" Her voice trailed off when she looked at Pitch. He'd seen it too, and was already moving towards it. She stayed close behind him, fists raised up, ready to start wailing if whatever was out there decided to attack.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 16, 2017 7:28:02 GMT
Pitch didn't pause when Yang began to speak but continued to move forward. Soon enough the young woman was following him over to the side of the building that housed a store by the name of Oscar de la Renta. He moved silently passed the front and a quick glanced showed him nothing out of the ordinary. It was the same display of insanely expensive clothing and jewelry worn by faceless mannequins as before. There were no marks on the glass, the camera was still turning slowly and the metal latticework gate was down over the doorway.
However, as he moved along the side of the building he went by a much smaller window display of purses that would cost most people a whole month's paycheck. At first glance nothing seemed wrong with this either but as he made to go by it and circle behind the building, something brought him up short. Pausing, he turned back towards the display and walked towards it. The glass seemed perfectly fine but there was a look to it that wasn't quite right. As he moved closer, it was as if his movement caused the glass to distort ever so slightly like a reflection on water might do when the surface is disturbed.
He reached towards the glass just as Yang joined him, but when his fingertips reached what should have been solid glass they didn't stop and instead continued into the display. As they passed through, they seemed to disappear altogether and left the display looking exactly the same. With his hand still halfway through the illusion, he brought it down to the windowsill and made a sweeping motion. Immediately a fine, slightly luminous turquoise powder fell to the ground and the illusion disappeared, showing them the actual display. The glass of the front had been carefully broken, simple tape used to keep it clean and silent. The security camera had been disabled with a black plastic bag and the metal curtain cut.
As Pitch looked at the result of a combination of powerful magic, simple knowledge and amazing skill, he spoke softly to Yang.
"I do believe our thief has made his move."
______
Inside of the store, a skeleton face grinned as it paused in front of the giant safe that lay at the back of Oscar de la Renta. The safe was huge and built directly into the wall, the steel door six inches thick and equipped with a biometric thumb scanner to allow access. Many might have been daunted by the sheer size and difficulty of the safe, but not the Calavera Thief.
The skeleton burglar flashed his smile as he examined the safe, the security cameras around the room already disarmed. Although his skeletal appearance was only a glamor, it had served him well. His figure appeared completely fleshless where it showed, the white bone of his skull and hands marked with intricate black designs. His black hair was tied back in a ponytail and his clothes were clothes were black and unadorned. The only color that seemed to be present was a glowing yellow light in the empty sockets of his eyes.
It was the perfect disguise. After all, who in their wildest dreams would be able to guess who lay beneath the skull and bones?
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 19, 2017 3:57:25 GMT
Yang's brow furrowed. This was getting weird. First a fog that couldn't be penetrated, and now this? The store seemed perfectly ordinary at first glance, like nothing out of the ordinary was going on at all. It was thanks to Pitch's sharp eyes that he was able to see that it was actually an illusion. The store had definitely been broken into. However, that left one important question. "Where is he?" Yang asked, more to herself than to Pitch. She couldn't see anybody near the front of the store. Was the thief in the back of the store? She took a few steps inside, craning her head in an effort to try and spot him. If she was going to be letting loose some fireballs, she'd like to at least know where exactly to fire them. She had to be precise with her aim, or she could end up damaging the store, or accidentally burning Pitch. Granted, he'd probably have reflexes fast enough to dodge any crazy blows she threw, but still.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Nov 23, 2017 5:05:32 GMT
Pitch answered Yang's words only by making a small motion towards the store. Without another word, the Terror Demon consolidated his shadows around him before stepping into the store. He moved slowly and in utter silence, his passage as light as one of the shadows that followed in his wake.
Stepping down from the display, his yellow eyes quickly took in the dark interior of the store, the motionless mannequins that stood in various poses, the racks of top fashion clothes that created ideal hiding spots, the counters that held the most expensive of purses, perfumes, and jewelry.
After surveying the surroundings a moment longer, Pitch motioned with a single pale hand for Yang to follow him before making his way deeper into the store. One thing was certain, the thief had left all the store's merchandise untouched. And if he was following the same pattern from the pervious break-ins, it meant he was going directly for the safe and the cash.
____
Manolo smiled at the safe a moment longer before setting to work with a skill that spoke of experience. Removing a small unmarked bag from his back, he knelt down on the floor as he shifted through his supplies of magical and mundane burglary tools. Soon, he pulled out what at first appeared to be a compact before moving over to the safe and its scanner.
Still smiling his skeleton grin, he opened the top to reveal what appeared to be skin powder but was an odd yellowish color. He gave the case a small shake so that the powder loosened before kneeling directly in front of the thumb pad. Taking in a small breath, he blew gently over the powder so that it flew into the air and landed against the pad. Once the powder had settled, he closed the compact before blowing once more directly on the pad. Immediately most of the powder flew away into the air but the outline of a thumbprint with all its ridges and patterns remained, faintly outlined by the golden dust.
He paused and waited, watching. There was a moment or two of complete silence and then the scanner activated, running across the thumbprint before glowing green. The mechanisms locking the safe whirred into action and with a loud clunk that seemed to echo through the store, the door of the safe swung ponderously forward to reveal the money inside.
"Sometimes it's just too easy."
Chuckling lightly under his breath, Manolo moved forward and began to place the large wads of bills into his bag, unaware that the sound of the safe unlocking had echoed back into the front of the store and that he was no longer alone.
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