The next few days were a whirlwind of surveillance and reconnaissance. I frequented The Enchanted Veil, posing as a mere wealthy patron. Hair braided, classic red casino dress, and of course some of the jewels from my personal collection. I was fitting right in with the other wealthy patrons. I took in every detail as I played the various tables, the cliché eye bats that floated along their oversized wings, the bouncers who failed to suppress their auras, and the patrons whose fear was palpable under their cheerful acts. If this was a school play, I’d have fallen asleep by now. But I had a job to do, and each detail was a thread in the curtains of this stage. The rehearsal that would bring Vincent Stone to his knees.
Cadence had introduced me to the club’s staff as a new regular, someone who tipped well and asked no questions. Keeping true to my role, I was tossing money into the various machines and tables. It allowed me to blend into the background while I observed everything. I threw a few hands, mostly to keep those at the table happy and to avoid standing out too much. I wanted to blend into the crowd, so when I left the table for a time, no one would take much note.
Each night I kept an eye out for Stone. However, I never saw him come to the main room, assuming he was hiding in the back. Cadence, however, kept being a bit too obvious. He kept trying to talk to me, giving me any new insights. I played it off with the other patrons that he was making moves on me, I was an attractive young woman after all… Oh don’t give me that. Anyways, it got a few good laughs from my fellow ladies, the gents' laughter was a bit more subdued. Pretty sure one of them warned Cadence of me leading him on, as he told me that someone was suspicious of me. As if I was the suspicious one.
The next evening, Cadence and I slipped into the cafe. Sitting at our now regular table. After grabbing our usual drinks, Cadence with his sludge and me with oddly the best tea I’ve had in the city. We talked over our findings.
“Stone’s office is in the far back, accessible only through an enchanted door” Cadence started, keeping his voice low. “The door requires a keycard, and it’s guarded by two of Stone’s enforcers at all times.”
“Yeah, tomorrow it’ll be Jeffery and Leigh’s shift.” I added, my mind focusing on ways to get through an enchanted door. Enchantments weren’t my forte, but I had a little experience with it that I was confident I could brute force it… probably.
“H-how do you know who's going to be guarding the door? I don’t even know.”
I looked up, now focusing on the conversation proper. “Huh? Oh, I've been talking with them. Leigh hit me up and gave me her number. She mentioned she was on door duty tomorrow so we couldn’t grab drinks and I just assumed Jeffery will be there, since the two tend to work together.” It was obvious for anyone who was paying attention… And it also helped that the two weren’t particularly quiet when they were complaining about the worst job at the club.
“Miss Rin, you truly live up to your reputation. I believe we can do this.” Cadence said, his eyes full of hope. Such a change to the sad sack I met just a few nights ago.
“Of course. I am Rin Valesine, greatest sorceress and master thief in all of Aurorah.” I found myself out of my chair posing like some hero. My theatrics will be the death of me I swear. I sat back down and cleared my throat. I got back on track. “So, the wards on these doors? What kind of magical protections are we dealing with?”
Cadence hesitated, the light in his eyes dimming slightly. “I’m not entirely sure. I’ve seen the glyphs carved into the door frame when I delivered the enforcers their drinks, and sometimes I catch a faint shimmer go across the door itself. All I know is its strong magic, but I’m no sorcerer myself.”
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“Hmmm, I might be able to deal with it. But we’ll need some help to give me the time.”
“Who?” Cadence asked.
“Let me make a couple calls and I’ll show you.” I said, getting up and walking over to the café’s phone. Had to dart back to the table to grab a napkin really quick. The phone, much like the café itself, was gross.
Help came in the form of Cipher, a techno-mage hacker with a penchant for messing with the various bourgeoisie of the city. I met them briefly when we happened to hit the same manor of some rich asshat named Reinhart Stem. I won’t go into much detail, but let’s just say that the manor still doesn’t have any power and the asshat had to leave the city and move to his summer home.
We decided to meet Cipher in their dimly lit basement workshop, where the sounds of the machinery churning and cranking were nearly deafening. The various wires, pipes, and other junk I’d just call cords were strung about all leading into a large box with a door sitting smack dab in the center of the basement. I looked back at Cadence with a bright smile. He matched my smile with a wearier one. I chuckled as I knocked loudly on the door.
The door swung outward, making me jump back to dodge getting hit. Cipher poking their head out, looking us over. They were a wiry young elf with a shock of blue hair, their grin reaching their long-pointed ears that sagged from their weight. They waved us in and quickly slid back to their desk filled with glowing monitors, the only thing lighting up the room. Their hands danced over the keyboard and a few spell books laying across the messy desk, which I swore was made of energy drinks and pizza boxes.
“Rin! How is my favorite country bumpkin?” Cipher greeted, adjusting their thick frames, not turning away from their screens. “And friend. I hear you’ve got a job that requires fucking over Vincent Stooge?”
I chuckled a bit, Cipher was a breath of fresh air from the more serious peers I’ve dealt with. I bumped Cadence in the shoulder, encouraging him to speak up.
Cadence clears his throat. “T-That’s right. We need you to… uh… get into…” Cadence began to falter, his nerves getting the best of him
Which is no surprise. Cipher’s reputation isn’t the best. They are known to drain people’s accounts and change their names to things like Protractor Tomas in every city record, though I think those are mere rumors. But I wouldn’t test it, I don’t need to go through that sort of hassle again. Especially with a name like Protractor Tomas. So, I decided to save the poor guy and chime in.
“Yeah, we need you to bypass the security and deal with the alarms and such” I said, taking a seat on what I hoped was a bean bag and not a trash bag.
“That’s it?” Cipher asked, seeming a bit annoyed.
“What? Can’t handle it?”
“Can I handle it? This is what I live for. Fucking over Stone would be a riot. I’ll need a day to craft up some counter spells, might even make his machines just give out jackpots. That’ll be hilarious.” Cipher began to laugh a bit maniacally.
“Well, we will leave you to it, Cipher. Just don’t take down the place, at least not till we get our prize.” I said, jumping off the bean bag and leading Cadence out. “We got someone else to meet.”
We left Cipher to their evil cackling and headed off to my dear friend Vex, a gorgeous changeling and a master of disguise. We walked to a secluded park not too far from Cipher’s place, the moon casting a silvery light between the glowing sigils in the sky. The lack of neon lights and the bustling crowds was a nice refrain from the past few nights. I soaked it all in till I noticed Vex walking down the dimly lit path.
Vex was striking, her features constantly shifting, never quite settling into one form. Most found it unsettling, I found it enchanting. Cadence was clearly the former, as he clearly took a step back and was obviously hiding behind me. As if I was his shield or something. I sighed deeply and waved over to Vex.
“Rin,” she greeted me with a smile that was both familiar and foreign. “What’s this job you’d like for me to participate in?” Her voice was a haunting choir, her rhythmic cadence mesmerizing.
After an awkward moment of me just goofily smiling at Vex, I quickly gave her the run down and explained the plan I had for her. “So, you see, we need you to create that distraction with Cipher. While giving me and Cadence enough time to get into Stone’s office, take his computer, and dip. Think you can handle it?”
“I believe I can handle it easily. With Cipher aiding in this quest, you both can consider this done.” Her confidence gave me no doubt she could do it.
“Perfect.” I said, slapping Cadence on the back. His yelp of surprise caused Vex to chuckle. “And maybe afterwards we can perhaps grab some dinner?” My question sounded more like a desperate plea. I felt like such a fool.
“Perhaps.” She said simply, my heart jumping around. Clearly, I was no fool, but the greatest.
We soon took off on our separate ways. Vex further into the park, Cadence headed home, and I headed back to my hideout with a skip in my step. I was brimming with the excitement tomorrow would bring. The anticipation roiling inside, intertwining with the arcane energies of the city. I had a perhaps date with Vex coming up… And of course, the job. I didn’t forget about the job.
My actors were assembled, the playbook was mostly written. Vex, using her charms and shifting appearance, will gain entry as a high-profile guest to create a diversion. Cipher will remotely disable key security systems, creating blind spots and disabling alarms at crucial moments. Cadence, familiar with every nook and cranny of the club, will guide me through the interior of the back. Tomorrow’s performance will be one to remember.