|
|
Post by Bee on Dec 13, 2007 3:51:55 GMT -5
Snook was in his office, as she thought he would be. He was a posh, sleek-looking bipedal margay, all polish and charm with a faint miasma of smarminess. Incongruously, he smelled like cheap perfume. For all that he liked to move in high-class circles, he didn't have any trouble frequenting the lower ones, either, for certain pleasures.
He looked startled. Good. That gave her an edge. "Mnemosyne!" he said, rising and gathering himself. "My dear! To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"I was hoping," Mnem told him, idly playing with a pen, "that you would be able to help me locate someone."
He looked momentarily uncomfortable. "You know I don't like to discuss my patrons, love. It's unprofessional."
"So is Checkmate. And back alley whores. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" She spied the small bowl of candy on his desk and plucked from it a small caramel. "Lovely!" she said.
"Do you habitually have your nose in everyone's business, Mnemosyne?" His words were harsh, but his tone was nervous. Mnem took a moment to savor her caramel. She was, after all, the one in charge.
"Only the people who matter, Mr. Snook," she replied brightly. "All I need is a small favor, really. Donathen Lindi. You might be familiar with him. He has a minion by the name of Asaph. Does he lodge here?"
Hesitantly, Snook said, "Yes."
"Where?"
"Third floor," Snook replied, looking even more anxious. He probably wanted this meeting to be over with. Mnem would keep it short. "Number 314."
"Thank you, Snook," Mnem said politely. "That's all I need to know."
"And you'll keep quiet about--"
"Of course."
Snook nodded, relieved, and straightened his tie. "If we're quite through, then, I would appreciate it if you and your rodent friend would take your leave."
Your rodent friend. How very rude. Mnem smiled at Aderlass. "Perhaps you'd like some candy before we go and visit Asaph?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Kasatsu on Dec 16, 2007 10:15:24 GMT -5
Rodent? One of his eyes twitched in slight agitation. He knew what he was and he was not about to take offense for that aspect, however the way he had said it called for all the offense he was willing to give. He wanted to have ‘words’ with the male, however, he doubted it would do any good at the moment and Mnem had already gotten all the information she needed from him it appeared.
“Candy sounds lovely.” Leaning forward he took a handful from the jar on the desk. Wrinkling his noise in detest to the smell that emanated from the man, he gave him a glare – a very pointed look. With a slight snort, you are not worth my time, he followed Mnem from the room, shutting the door behind them.
Sniffing the food, hesitant about if he really wanted to eat it, he turned his attention towards his partner. “We are heading up to his room then?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Bee on Dec 18, 2007 0:42:26 GMT -5
"Oh yes," said Mnem, leading them down the hall and to the ornate door of the elevator. Nothing but the best for the patrons of Snook's establishment. "Forthwith. Be on your guard, however. I'm not certain that Asaph will be entirely pleased to see me."
Nor would Mnem be very pleased to see him, considering what he had stolen, but that was neither here nor there really. She and his master Donathen had always been rivals--two apprentices under the same master; competition was expected and even promoted--but it had been somewhat friendly at the onset. Mnem had possessed the confident magnominity of someone who knew she had the advantage: she was a better botanist, and she was a girl. Perhaps enough time and determination would put Donathen on her level as far as plant-tending was concerned, but he would never be able to overcome the fact that he was not a woman. In the Gardens, at least, and in the eyes of their master.
They reached 314. Mnem listened for signs of activity. Nothing. She knocked, and when that yeilded no results. She looked down the hallway in both directions. No one.
She smiled at Aderlass. She should have asked Snook for a key, but locks could be forced. "Time to let ourselves in!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Kasatsu on Dec 25, 2007 17:41:17 GMT -5
“Let me do the honors.” he replied, giving a wink.
Reaching into the small bag that hanged at his side, he pulled out a small piece of thin metal. Kneeling he inserted the piece into the keyhole, and pausing took a deep breath to center himself on the task ahead. Breathing slowly he slowly worked on increasing the heat on the metal alone, causing it to melt in the keyhole. Once it had melted to the degree that he had wanted, he slowly cooled the heat, causing it to fit like a copy of the key.
Standing back up he turned the newly made key. He grinned happily when he heard the small ‘click’ sound. Stepping back he opened the newly unlocked door, motioning towards it with a swing of his arm. “Ladies first” He said, grinning from ear to ear. Oh how he loved his new skill.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bee on Dec 27, 2007 4:05:45 GMT -5
Mnem stepped gaily into the apartment. She had been up for a bit of good old-fashioned breaking and entering, but Aderlass's method was so much easier and less potentially attention-getting. He was getting better at his crafting. Much better. Good to have him by her side, then.
She surveyed the apartment. It looked scarcely lived in. There were extremely few personal effects. Everything was entirely tidy, neatly arranged. Mnem was a big fan of cleanliness, but this looked...sterile. Lifeless. The relentless tidiness also meant that there were fewer places to look, which gave Mnem the sinking feeling that perhaps Asaph had hidden the plant elsewhere. Damn it all to hell. She had hoped this would be the end of the line.
"Excellent job with the lock, Aderlass. That was quite impressive." She surveyed the starkly bare living room again. "We'd best get searching," she told him with a small sigh. Probably they would need to wait until Asaph came back, which meant a confrontation. She rifled through the coldly impersonal room, and mentally steeled herself for Asaph's return. Things were going to get very interesting.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kasatsu on Dec 27, 2007 21:09:02 GMT -5
The room did indeed look bleakly clean. He almost wanted to doubt that Asaph had been in these rooms recently, which if was true then their chances of finding anything or him were close to naught.
He nodded at her compliment and began to search the room as well, being careful to put things back in their place so as not to leave any traces that they had been there. Searching through a few of the drawers he discovered nothing out of the ordinary but the man’s clothing, suggesting that, even though the place looked uninhabited, it had indeed been at one point and he had left without taking his clothes. They would just have to hope that he had plans on coming back for them.
Making his way over to the closet to begin searching there, he decided to fill the silence with small talk, though nothing that would cause them to lose focus or not hear Asaph if he returned. “Wot exactly should we be searching for, other then the plant?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Bee on Dec 28, 2007 2:43:03 GMT -5
Mnem took a frustrated seat on the couch. So odd, to be sitting on furniture that wasn't overturned or mauled beyond any semblance of attractiveness by bander experiments gone wrong. Even more odd to think that she would rather be sitting on a hideous mockery of living room furniture that bled stuffing and poked one in the arse with who-knew-what. It had character, at least, if not any discernable level of comfort.
"I would say clues," she said, "but there really doesn't appear to be anything to find, does there? I suppose all we can do is wait for Asaph to return, and hope he does it soon. You're more than welcome to keep looking but I fear we'll turn up empty-handed." Trying to quell her own irritation, she said, "Ah! I say we investigate the fridge and see what Asaph has for alcohol. I hope it's good."
|
|
|
|
Post by Kasatsu on Dec 30, 2007 16:13:00 GMT -5
Seeing that there was not much in the closet to be offered as clues other then that their ‘friend’ Asaph was still rooming here, he closed it listening to the small click as it shut. Glancing around the room he saw that there was not much that he would consider worth his time to look through for clues, not if they were just going to sit and wait for the blasted male to show himself.
At her mention of searching through the icebox, however, he lifted his eyebrows and swiftly made his way over to its location. Opening it up he saw that there was not much in there, much like the rest of the room. Shifting through what did occupy the small space he spied the alcohol. Grabbing the container he found two mugs in one of the cabinets and made his way back over to where Mnem sat.
Taking a seat next to her he was pleased to find that it was nothing like the cushion device, which according to Mnem was a couch, which occupied Mnem and Minh’s living quarters. Handing her one of the mugs, keeping the other for himself, he quickly unstopped the container and poured her a glass. He figured that he would keep a hold of the container, just incase, so that he could keep in control of how much she consumed. He did not need her getting too drunk to deal with their thief whenever he decided to make his grand appearance.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bee on Dec 30, 2007 18:16:19 GMT -5
Aderlass was keeping a hand on the alcohol, which was probably a wise decision in the grand scheme of things. Mnem held her drink well, but occasionally she just started in on it and didn't stop. She fully planned on being at her mental best when Asaph came walking through the door, which meant that she was only going to have a little bit of the better-than-decent wine that Asaph kept handy. Just to relax.
Because at the moment she just about wanted to punch something. She did not handle anticipation well; when forced to wait, she usually seized the opportunity to take charge, but that wasn't really possible, here. She detested waiting.
They sat in relative silence for a few minutes as Mnem sipped at the wine and resisted the urge to visibly figdet. She should have asked Snook when Asaph was expected to return.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kasatsu on Dec 30, 2007 18:37:46 GMT -5
Taking a sip from the mug, he tried to resist making a face at the taste of the cheep alcohol. How did this guy drink such a vile thing? Giving a shudder he reminded himself that it was not him paying for the drink, and any alcohol at this point in time was better then none.
There was an awkward silence between the two of them as they drank. He could sense that Mnem was brimming with impatient from having to deal with her as a business partner. She never really had taken to waiting well.
He was okay with waiting, though he did admit that he could probably find something a little more productive to do with this moment of his time. Like maybe spending time with Minh and gaining back on the pain she had caused him with the blood donation.
After a while the silence did get to him, though. He was used to spending time alone in silence, not spending it with other people in silence. Not sure what to say to make the wait go by faster, the mouse just continued to sit there hoping that Mnem might take the chance and start a conversation.
|
|
