Ask Plot Naboo Greedy Little Pigs

Ana DAmico

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Some nobles don’t care for petty feuds and instead worry about amassing their fortune by any means. Word through the grapevine is that House Veruna wants the deed to House Tapalo’s millaflower harvesting facilities. We will approach the elders of this House and offer our services to steal the deed, but there’s a catch: the matriarch of House Tapalo recently passed away, and her will stated that the deed goes up in an auction to be sold, for whatever reason. House Veruna doesn’t want to spend money on the deed but is willing to offer its political support to whomever can bring them the deed before it goes up on sale.

You have two options: break into the auction house on House Tapalo grounds, crack the vault, and take the deed before anyone notices you OR break into the House Tapalo estate, find the matriarch’s deed, forge it to say that House Veruna inherits the property, then return it to our benefactors.

Participants: @Ana DAmico (@Painus) & @The Arcanist (@Phoenix)
Opposition: @Hannibal Grayza (@Mr. Teatime) & @Noone Shabar (@Soverin)
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House Tapalo Estate, Naboo

The pale moon hung low in the sky, but the thick blanket of nightfall had already been thrown over the Naboo countryside. Nocturnal creatures chittered and yipped in the dark, and villas were beginning to turn on their lights for an enjoyable night, for the weather was pleasant. A low, hazy fog covered the hills of the estates and obfuscated some vision, but nothing overly major. A few clouds drifted lazily through the sky and occasionally obscured the moon, otherwise there were no disturbances. In all, it was the perfect night to go out, and Ana planned on taking advantage of that. In her quest to establish a cult cell on Naboo, she needed to garner the support of some of the Royal Houses of Naboo while simultaneously weakening their rivals. Having the aristocracy in her pocket would greatly help with her future plans, but there was work to do in order to secure this loyalty.

She managed to wrangle Talak into yet another adventure, which was becoming a more common occurrence, and he surprisingly agreed. Tonight’s heist was different than their usual escapades; they were hunting for the deed of the recently deceased matriarch of House Tapalo for their millaflower harvesting facilities so that they could return it to House Veruna and gain their loyalty and increase their power. Millaflower was one of Naboo’s chief exports thanks to its medicinal properties and House Tapalo was making a killing off of it. Naturally, this meant that their rivals wanted in on the action. Thus, with honeyed words and promises of power and prestige, Ana offered her support in exchange for House Veruna’s loyalty. The deal was agreeable, and soon both parties found themselves in a secret contract.

Ana wore a form-fitting, hooded, waterproof bodyglove, as well as gloves thick enough to not leave obvious fingerprints, but thin enough to keep her fingers dexterous and not inhibit motion. Finally, she had a blank, black mask that covered half of her face, leaving little to be revealed in the event this place had cameras. She carried a few items with her on a black utility belt, chief of which were a few security spikes. Her vibroknife sat in a sheath on her thigh while her lightsaber sat in a holster on the other thigh, both securely fastened, but available in case she needed them. They were meant to avoid confrontation, but if it came down to it, she came as prepared as she was willing to risk.

They came in speeders and halted some ways away from the estate for a quick getaway and traveled the rest of the way on foot. For the most part, they remained concealed, and it wasn’t until they breached the initial far outer wall of the estate before she crouched low in the shadows and looked at Talak.

”Deed’s probably inside some central study, a safe, or… perhaps a vault, if they’re paranoid enough,” she whispered, keeping an eye out for roving patrols, ”I’ve no idea how many guards are here, either, so we’ll have to take this slowly.” She smiled beneath her mask, though he’d never see it.

”This is exciting.”

@Phoenix @Mr. Teatime @Soverin

We’ll go at our speed until opposition joins, at which point it becomes 48 hours per side. If your 48 are up, you get skipped.
 

Talak Rand

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When Talak heard that their plans for taking over Naboo involved flowers, the expression on his face couldn't have been more judgmental. When he'd learned that the flowers had medicinal properties his mood had improved only slightly. But here he was, back on Naboo, stealing deeds to a flower shop.

Ana had wrangled up another bizarre plan, but with his own interest in setting up business on a handful of worlds, he didn't object to helping out the cause. An Empire had to start somewhere.

Talak didn't have to see the excitement or smile on Ana's face to be able to tell she was ecstatic about this. Even he found that this particular job was more interesting than some of his others recently. It was a genuine infiltration.

Dressed in all black and a mask of his own - not his Arcanist one this time - he followed after her as they made their way inside. There was no sign of guards yet (because really, most rich people don't actually have their own guards unless they're Bond villains) and he started moving forward slowly along the perimeter of the building.

It is, he agreed. He almost added something about staying focused, but he decided he didn't need to be a kill-joy all the time.

We should skirt along the water to the lower docks. We can get into the basement from there, he suggested. It would lend them the lowest visibility and therefore the least chance of being spotted. @Painus
 

Ana DAmico

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Ana nodded affirmatively at Talak’s suggestion; the docks offered an easy access point, and the lower they were, the harder it would be to detect them. They could then move unimpeded through the basement and up through the rest of the villa. They just needed to get there first, though the cliff faces would make it difficult to just walk alongside the water; they’d need to cross along the edge of the villa and move down a few levels to enter. The fog, though light, offered them greater concealment, and the hedgerows that lined the various courtyards and gardens provided excellent means of breaking lines of sight. Without further word, Ana began stalking forward through the darkness towards the estate.

For the most part, there was minimal presence outside. She figured the occupants of this villa would be on the side of the water lounging, drinking, and generally enjoying the night because that was exactly what she would do, were she back on Serenno. This meant that, up until they needed to cross the threshold from the front of the estate to the back, there was little in the way of observant individuals. She pressed forward until she hit a low wall demarcating the next section of the villa, meaning that there was a drop below.

Quietly, she vaulted over the wall and hung low, sliding down just enough to grip onto the stone. Carefully and slowly, she scaled down the small rock face, keeping an eye out for wayward tenants or loose stones that might make noise. When she was a few feet above the grass, she let go and used the Force to muffle her landing. She hit the ground, flexed her knees, maintained a low posture, and looked for Talak to make sure that he was still with her. As she looked over, however, she heard the growing voice of someone on holo-call.

”Yes, yes, I understand that we don’t want to give up our assets,” the faint voice said, each word progressively getting louder as they walked out into the open from the house, ”But the law is the law, and we can’t exactly forge our own family’s deed… No, absolutely not… No- No- sigh We’ll just buy it back at the auction, simple as that…” As the man spoke, Ana maintained total stillness in the shadows. Almost reflexively, she began to bury her physical presence through the Force, and soon the light bent around her, making it even more difficult to see anything more than nothingness in the shadows. It was just like on Tatooine, only this time there were fewer people around who might kill her upon detection. She hoped.

The man continued to talk for a time and slowly moved to the low wall at the edge of the terrace to look out over the water. Ana groaned internally; this person was in the way of them getting inside. They’d need to find some way to lure him away from the low wall so they could get over and closer to the lower docks, sneak past him without him noticing, or simply wait for him to pass. He pulled out a cigarette and began lighting it, the small spark illuminating his face in the night.

@Phoenix
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Bored. Hannibal was bored. Nearly to tears, as he'd informed his companion at some point. He'd taken on the current work essentially out of obligation and familial pressure. House Tapalo happened to employ his father's security services, which mostly amounted to the electronic sort, but which had included a few live patrols ever since the incident with the dead noble, mostly in and around the main villa. The death of their matriarch required a certain amount of polite sympathy and Hannibal had gone along since he was visiting his family and how somehow or other been offered up as additional security for the deed and the auction. It got the Jedi a little positive publicity, which was nice, but also ew, nobility. His father's reputation as a security consultant was at least partly riding on Hannibal now, and while he was happy to help out, he was mildly annoyed for a few reasons.

For one, while he was perfectly capable of navigating social interactions with the upper crust of Naboo society, he really didn't feel like dealing with it. Second, there was nothing much to do around a noble's mansion that didn't involve scheming or looking for secret doorways or something, and he wasn't allowed to do either of those. Third, he had a very persistent feeling of discomfort that'd been around for a couple hours now. He recognized it as his intuition telling him something or other wasn't quite right, but it was incredibly vague and unhelpful. He couldn't tell if there was going to be a commando raid or he was destined by the Force to stub his toe on a doorway, and it was bothering him to no end.

To avoid two thirds of these problems, he'd whisked away a chair from some fancy room or other and planted it next to the door leading to the the 'master's study' inside the villa, which contained a locked safe, which contained the deed. He'd been told not to let anyone in or enter himself or acquire the deed, not to patrol the grounds, so he decided on this instead. Besides, other people could wander about all they wanted. They were getting paid for it. In an effort to at least look like he was trying, he'd connected his datapad to his Seeker droid's sensors, idly checking the feed every few minutes as it floated through the halls around the study. There was only one door to the place, an ostentatiously decorated set of wooden double doors decorated with the house's crest in chrome and gold. Ego would inform him if he saw anything suspicious, but it didn't hurt to check.

To look the part, Hannibal was wearing his nicer robes in blue, yellow, and purple, along with his usual pair of leather gloves. Clipped to the left side of his belt were his primary lightsaber along with his much newer shoto, his right hip bearing the weight of his freshly polished DE-10 blaster pistol just below his comm, set to stun as it always was. Various other belt pouches contained things like his cigarras, lighter, very basic first aid, the usual utility belt assortment for Jedi. He had deployed an ashtray, sat on top of a wooden end table he'd taken along with the chair. Noone was around somewhere, Hannibal didn't know precisely, but he had informed the other Knight of the clicking comm signals Hannibal used with his droids in the event of something actually happening.

His mind was preoccupied by the recent events over the Holonet and his prior conversation with the Arcanist, as well as busying himself with coming up with new and fun ways to greet and/or annoy the piss out of the masked vigilante on their next meeting. He barely noticed when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, as if a cold breeze had run over it. He looked around. Nothing of note.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Half the nobles on this planet gave Hannibal's danger sense a workout, scheming and backstabbing as nobles were wont to do, so intent on climbing the social an economic ladder on the backs of others. He shrugged it off and went back to his thoughts, idly watching the datapad screen, sure he'd pick up something really important with a little more oomph. It was quiet here in the hall, making the sound of the burning cigarra and the transmitted sound from Ego seem even louder.

Hannibal was bored, but he supposed it was better than something exciting happening in this case. With any luck it would stay boring until the auction.


@Soverin @Painus @Phoenix
 

Noone Shabar

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Fingers interwoven in his lap, slouched to rest against the wall at his back, Noone sat upon a cushioned bench lining the hall he and Hannibal had posted up in. He reached out in meditation, while not of great ease, and dispersed beyond where he sat to seek out disturbances in the force. Theed's natives lavished in the warm season, setting out upon the verandas and canals of the city to drink and celebrate into the night. As he reached out and joined them in their homes and in the marble streets of the city to share in a moment of peace, he found himself smiling.

His image was a sharp contrast to not only the bright decorum of Naboo, but also his usual rustic choices of linens, opting for a comfortable and sleak all black getup. He wore no armor, possibly in anticipation of what he projected would be a quiet night, despite their little security detail. It was a strange task, he thought, what importance the deed for which they stood guard had was lost on him, but—he had come to like Naboo. His mind wandered to think of what it would be like to live among the farmers, to lay down his blade and tend the land, to have a home...

Nah, he thought, opening his eyes to make sure the hall was still in the same condition he'd left it half an hour ago. Sharp alien irises reflected the faintest light in the room and illuminated a spectral shade of blue, clicking sidelong to look down at one end of the hall, and then blinking to peer down to the other. His gaze lowered to regard the vibroblade propped against the bench just next to him, an old and dear friend, which he cherished just as much as the personalized lightsaber hanging from the side of his belt, snuggled against a holstered DC-17.

If the job were to simply be patient, then so far, he was doing well enough. He looked across the hall at his fellow knight for a moment before deeming the area secure and once again closing his eyes; once again in communion with the force.


"You were born on this world?"

 
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Talak Rand

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Talak followed along with Ana as they moved along the edge of the estate. The climb down was by far the most difficult part, but with the strength and agility of the Force, it was doable. Such an approach could have only been taken by the most skilled of thieves, but such was the role of being a Sith assassin.

They came upon a low wall several moments later, and a man speaking in a concerned tone. It started out quiet but grew louder as he became more intense. They could simply wait him out, but Talak had another idea forming in his mind.

He reached out to the man's mind and rather than doing some fancy manipulation, he simply made him hear something. It was across the hard like someone calling out to him, and he turned.

He frowned a moment, called back, and began to search for the family member who had called him. It was a simple enough trick, but it gave them their opening.

He moved quickly and quietly, staying close to the wall and kept an eye out for any cameras that might be in their way as he headed toward the stairs leading to the small basement door. It would be the next obstacle to overcome, and although a lightsaber was an option, if they had a different choice that didn't leave such permanent marks that'd be better. Or perhaps they'd be fortunate enough that it'd simply be unlocked. Or they could try to liberate a key from the man who was now wandering away. So many options.
 

Ana DAmico

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Ana let her concentration drop when Talak played his trick on the man’s mind and she reappeared, the cloak around her having lasted for only a few moments. It was simple enough, but the confused man had fallen fully into its clutches. He spent some time looking for whoever called him, and the frustration of not finding them provided the two infiltrators with ample time to move past him and down the stairs. The blanket of fog, cover of darkness, and dark clothing they wore made it all but impossible to be detected unless someone was actively looking for them, so their efforts to remain hidden went unimpeded.

Ana gave a quick glance around to see if there were any keys hanging on a hook near the basement door, but found none. She reached up and gently tugged on the handle to no avail, so she withdrew and pulled out her vibroknife. Keep an eye out, she projected into his mind before sticking the knife into the plug far enough to apply some slight tension to it. With her free hand, she reached out with the Force into the lock and concentrated on raising the pins enough that the plug would turn and force the driver pins to get caught on the rotated plug.

It took some time, and she wished she had some way to see better but feeling for the pins raising above the shear line was easy enough thanks to the preternatural senses offered to her by the Force. Eventually it “clicked,” and soon she was able to rotate the plug with her knife. She turned it slowly to avoid making much noise and turned the handle, opening the basement door with a slight metallic groan. She smiled to herself and sheathed the knife before sliding through the doorway and into the dark basement.

The musty smell of the cellar was a stark change compared to the fresh lake air, but they were finally inside their mark. She peered through the darkness and noted the many, many rows of wine barrels and bottle racks. At the end of the basement was a dimly lit staircase leading upwards to the rest of the estate. When Talak entered the basement, she made certain the door closed behind them, then began to head towards the house.

The muffled sounds of conversation could be heard above them, but she couldn’t be sure if it was in the room connected to the stairs here or if it was somewhere else in the house. Ana remained close to the barrels and in the shadows, just in case she needed to vanish quickly. She moved slowly and methodically, making sure that she wasn’t making much noise. Getting in was the easy part; getting the deed and getting out would be much, much harder. She halted near the base of the stairs and peered upwards and around the corner, checking to make sure nobody was coming down or would notice them.

@Phoenix @Mr. Teatime @Soverin
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Hannibal looked up at this darkly dressed companion, blinking once in response to the question he posed, smirk reasserting itself on his face now that he was being spoken to. "I was indeed! Isn't it just the fanciest swamp you ever did see?" He adjusted how he was arranged in his seat, lifting up the datapad and resting his left leg overtop his right. He was certainly born on Naboo, his accent at least partly giving it away to some. "Although neither of my parents were. Dad settled down here, mom's out doing something or other in some corner of the galaxy." he elaborated, glancing briefly down at the datapad before getting back to Noone.

So far as Hannibal could tell, the long-lived Jedi seemed one of the more spiritual types if his closed eyes were any indication. He could feel Noone reaching out through the Force to spread his awareness, a relatively common Jedi trick. Hannibal preferred not to rely on that sort of thing, having found that doing it he sometimes missed important details or his intuition dulled, like paying attention to too many things at once. His attunement to the Living Force tended to draw him to where he was needed one way or another, and he'd long ago learned to trust his instincts when they gave him a hint in the right direction.

Another small shiver ran down his spine and pure reflex made him look around down both sides of the hall, first left towards the hallway leading in the general direction of the dockside, then to the right towards the front side of the villa. Still nothing. Where these damned nobles planning a murder or something? Wryly he noted that even if his intuition was sharp, it sure would be nice if it gave him a little vision or something once in a while. Whatever it was, it was either not close enough or big enough of a problem to draw forth a stronger sense of trouble, which was typically the reaction he got from scheming nobles.

He looked at Noone again.
"Find anything interesting?" he asked conversationally in reference to the other man's expanded sensory awareness. Hannibal doubted it, but he was just trying to fill the silent air at this point. He ashed his cigarra in the metal tray and took a drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke that drifted lazily through the air like gray fog.

In the distance, Ego was approaching a pair consisting of two servants, an older man and a young woman. A sommelier, the middle aged man was giving the other servant instructions to get new glasses from the kitchens on his way past, elaborately explaining what they looked like and what they were for, and for whom. Ego floated lazily up to them just as they separated, the young woman dashing off somewhere else and the sommelier moving to the entrance of the wine cellar in the basement.

Ego double-beeped a polite greeting from down the hall and continued to float on, quite certain a wine servant going into a wine cellar was nothing of note that needed reporting to his master. He'd pass through the hallway in a few minutes with his current pace and turn a corner left to resume his route, assuming nothing drew the attention of his sensors that needed his attention in the meantime.


@Soverin @Painus @Phoenix
 

Talak Rand

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Talak turned and watched behind them in the direction of the man that he had tricked away as Ana started to pick at the lock. There was no sign of the man returning and he quickly followed Ana inside the building and the door closed behind them. The Force was a powerful ally for the two to use to evade detection.

He could hear someone speaking and then heading into the basement, and he hid behind one of the cellar's aisles. Talak was much lighter on his feet and had much more capacity for evasion than a normal person. Such was the nature of the Force, and as the man came around one way, the world's highest stakes game of hide and go seek began.

He passed to the other side of the aisle and slipped up into the upper portion of the building. The stairs weren't long and they dumped Talak out into a hallway with long, red carpet running down the middle of tile floors. At the far end of the hall and just around the corner was another small stairwell that led up, and without anyone in sight, Talak made for the corner quickly, the carpet covering his footfalls.
 

Noone Shabar

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Noone quietly listened as Hannibal spoke, every once in a while letting a smirk or quirk of the brow break his tranquil expression. The night was alive and there was much to feel, but none of it enough to raise suspicion more than curiosity.

"
I sense that a great darkness was here once... washed away but... I can still see the stain. This place..." He was for a moment taken in awe, "the force is deeply bound here." He searched the darkness, eyes flickering behind closed lids as his brows began to slant. The night was alive and there was much to feel, but none of it enough to raise suspicion more than curiosity. He opened those fierce eyes again, exhaling deeply, impatiently perhaps. "But no, nothing useful anyway."

His hand found the grip of his vibroblade as he eased from his meditation and rose to stand. "Still, I can think of worse ways to spend my night than on a paradise world, sitting around in some random person's expensive palace," he gave his blade a few idle twirls, starting a short pace back and forth in the hallway.


 

Ana DAmico

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Ana heard the sommelier speaking before she saw him, and, rather than wait at the bottom of the stairs to be spotted, she slunk back into the shadows behind a wine barrel. The darkness, her dark clothing, and, perhaps, a little bit of Force usage kept her unseen by the eyes of the man as he traveled down to check the wine. As soon as he had passed by her hiding spot, she slipped by and swooped up the stairs quietly, keeping an eye out for watchful inhabitants. She trailed behind Talak into the long hallway, the thick carpet muffling her steps as well.

She heard people conversing in another room far behind them; dinner, perhaps, but she wasn’t sure. Either way, it seemed that they would be occupied with each other for some time while their servants ran around ensuring their evening wouldn’t be ruined. She remembered what that was like; though she was personally unaware of her bastard noble blood, she is fully aware of the awful life of servitude, having been a scullery maid for her house on Serenno. She felt for them, but she also had elevated herself above their station, and this was not the time to lament on indentured servitude.

The stairwell deposited them upstairs in one of many long hallways with numerous doors leading to bedrooms, studies, entertainment rooms, storage closets, and all other sorts of things that nobles spent their time in faffing about. For the most part, the coast was clear. She headed up another nearby small staircase to put them on the same floor as the master study, keeping her senses open and alert for wandering people. The building was arranged such that the hallway containing the master study was on the opposite side of the house from Talak and Ana, giving them some room to maneuver before having to worry about breaking into the room to get the deed. This also meant that they had a plethora of rooms to poke around in before they got to their goal.

Ana quietly advanced along the carpet to the nearest corner and poked her head around it, seeing nothing but a long hallway with rooms that, presumably, had views overlooking the bay. At the end of the hallway and around the corner was their goal, and she began to grow paranoid that things had been too simple getting to it. The back of her neck itched the same way it always did whenever the Force was trying to warn her, but she focused on the here and now. Luckily, the hallway was lined with numerous large potted plants at random intervals, walls that jutted out slightly as structural supports, and had no shortage of rooms to dive into in case it was needed.

She slowly began picking her way down this hall, making certain that her footsteps would be quiet and that nobody was going to sneak up on her.

@Phoenix @Mr. Teatime @Soverin
 

Talak Rand

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Talak followed Ana and advanced to the level of the master bedroom, but there was a great deal of house still in play. He followed her down the hall and along the carpet. He felt something unusual and "out of place" and decided that perhaps now was a time to smother his own presence in the Force. He didn't know who or what it was, but if it was someone sensitive to the Force, he didn't want to advertise it.

He crept down the hall overlooking the bay and came to the end without any issue. He could hear voice around the corner, but nothing that seemed to indicate that whoever was there had noted them. Instead, Talak took several steps back from the carpeted hall and opened a door along the side of the hall.

If they couldn't get into their target through the front door, there were other ways. One was to wait them out, and the other was to make your own door.

The room he entered was large and followed the path of the hall, attaching to the master bedroom on the far side. It appeared to be some sort of large living quarters, split into several smaller cubicle-type rooms. Perhaps servant rooms for easy access to the "masters" if they needed something. Talak didn't know nor did he care. Figuring out the social customs of Naboo wasn't his job at the moment.
 

Ana DAmico

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Ana felt the same disturbance that Talak had felt. It wasn’t mundane like the lives below them enjoying dinner, but rather something more “unusual.” Acting out of instinct, she began concentrating on suppressing her presence in the Force to avoid unpleasantness from someone or something unexpected. Nothing could go wrong tonight, especially with the cult’s influence on Naboo at stake, so she refused to take any risks. Together with Talak, they traveled down the carpeted hall, the sounds of their footsteps muffled by the discussion downstairs and the thick, plush flooring.

They ducked into a side room once they realized that going right through the front door would likely be a mistake. Instead, they traveled down a sort of servant’s living quarters that connected with the master bedroom, which was situated next to the study that held their prize. They passed by row after row of tiny dorms, all of which were unoccupied as the servants around the estate busied themselves with the evening’s duties, like the sommelier and his worrisome assistant. Moving down the quarters took almost no time at all, and soon they arrived at the door connecting to the master bedroom.

Quiet as a mouse, Ana listened for conversation and movement on the other side of the door. There was no sound that she immediately identified, so she quickly set about opening the door. Slowly, very slowly, she turned the handle and began inching the door open so as to not make any squeaky noises from hinges that were past due for an oiling. After a few moments, she slipped through the crack into a dark room, allowing for just enough room so Talak could trail behind her before closing the door himself.

The master bedroom was impressively large and extremely ornamental. The ceiling was vaulted, and all manner of paintings, flowers, and statues lined the walls, depicting the family’s rich history. It was almost laughably ostentatious, but she didn’t pay much attention to it all. In the bed, a covered figure sat curled up in the fetal position and snored gently. It surprised her, and she quickly tilted her head towards the person to warn Talak that they were not alone in here.

She thanked the darkness of the room for the concealment it provided and for a nearby open window for the gentle sounds of the bay to keep the figure lulled to sleep and to help muffle sounds they might make as they moved through the room. To her chagrin, there was no door connecting the bedroom to the study, so they needed to improvise. She looked at the ajar window, then at Talak, nodding her head towards it in suggestion. If they couldn’t go through the front door, why not go through the window to the study? Nobody could possibly see that coming.
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Frowning softly, Hannibal swapped his half-gone cigarra for a fresh one, the snap of the lighter briefly interrupting the quiet of the hall. Something still didn't feel right. Noone had started pacing around, and Hannibal was beginning to get restless as well. Noone had said something about a great darkness that had passed a moment ago, but Hannibal wasn't much for the Jedi default spiritual talk most of the time and was too distracted to make fun of him for it.

So he went with staring down the leftmost hallway, having felt a slow and subtle sense of danger approaching from that general direction. It remained vague and unhelpful despite Hannibal glaring at it, however. Thanks, Force powers, real helpful. It wasn't a strong enough reaction on this scheming planet to do anything about yet, so he went back to checking Ego's route.

Nothing new. Big surprise there. No strange sightings, no obviously open doors, no window or door alarms going off. As boring as the last three hours had been. Noble obligation was such a damn pain.

Naturally the study had all possible entrances alarmed, being as nobles didn't enjoy people sneaking into their private places. Hannibal personally thought they should just install some damn cameras, but according his father they didn't match the decor. So alarms it is. Archaic of an idea as it was, the alarms were at least a modern model. Concealed behind window and door frames, they would set off a silent signal to the (few) security forces patrolling the place, the Jedi presently included.

Hannibal turned away from the datapad in his hands and sighed. Maybe he'd find something if he actually tried?

Taking a deep breath and focusing on the Force, he stretched out his senses through the villa, trying to find the source of his unease. It could work, right?


@Soverin @Phoenix @Painus
 

Talak Rand

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Jedi Order
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Jedi Knight

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Phoenix
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Talak snuck in after Ana, careful footfalls ensuring he didn't make noise as he closed the door behind them. He had a long history of training in being light on his feet - his initial training was as an assassin after all - and he saw Ana's nod toward the window in the darkness.

He climbed outside and into the cool night air. The moon cast some eery light through the clouds that seemed very fitting of what they were here to do. He set his feet on the ledge, reaching up to the ledge above with his hands to stabilize himself before climbing along the outside.

He edged along the ledge and came to the window. He reached out with the Force to lift the latch he could see just through the window and it swung smoothly open. It was one of the many, many benefits to the Force.
 

Hannibal Grayza

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Jedi Order
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Mr. Teatime
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Partway through his newest Cigarra, Hannibal was beginning to wonder if anything interesting was actually going to happen or if he was just going to get this anxious feeling all damn night. It was really getting old at this point, and Hannibal wasn't allowed to drink to alleviate his boredom while guarding the door. For a moment the feeling of anxiety intensified and he looked around again, then at the door he was next to. Hannibal frowned in the direction of the door, but he was really frowning at the Force itself. A less subtle hint would be great, thanks.

Then his datapad pinged an alert. Did Ego find something? He looked down to check the 'pad. It was informing him very quietly that an alert had been triggered for a window. A study window. A window inside the study. The study that had the safe. The safe that contained the deed. The deed he was guarding. The deed for the Mila flowers.

For kark's sake. At least tonight wouldn't be boring anymore.


"Shabar, trouble." he said shortly, standing up out of his chair and moving in front of the door. He reached to pull it open and- It rattled loudly and refused to move. It was locked. Of course it was locked. Who wouldn't lock the door? All the same, Hannibal didn't have a key. The high and mighty nobles hadn't bothered to foster him with one. If he followed procedure, he'd wait for one of the proper security officers to show up and unlock it. But then again, procedure was for squares.

Hannibal drew his lightsaber into his left hand, pointed the saber at the door lock, and promptly burned directly through it. Not like the richies couldn't just buy a new one, anyway. His free hand pulled the door open with a shout of
"Surprise!" directed at no one in particular as he stepped into the room and faced the open window and whatever may or may not be there, ready to fight if he needed to.


@Soverin @Phoenix @Painus
 
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