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[makehistoria]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, <MOIRAE>. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 44.78.67.42

• Stocke uses <swordpacts> and <moirae> interchangeably; the former especially for Devil's Nest business. Any of his friends/fellow Nest employees probably have his number.   • He's careful to use randomized names on the network the rest of the time; watch out for that if you want your character to contact him about something he said! (Basically just come up with an excuse for them to recognize his writing and all is good.)

Comments

[themasterthief]

[Garrett's chin dipped slightly as he went into a reply.]

...Occupied?

[Yes, that was where he looked. And yes, that was what interested him. And even more subtly implied, yes, that was where he had lived in Vandare, too.]

[makehistoria]

No. [Stocke is deeply resisting the urge to tease Garrett with a, "Not yet," but if the thief really is angling for it, you never know what might scare him off.]

...someone down in the city checks on it to keep it going. Not very often. [Which. There's probably been a couple times the poor thing just stopped and didn't get fixed for a couple hours, if not a couple days. Is it even always showing the right time?] Haven't seen another soul do anything else but pass underneath.

[themasterthief]

[He was silent for a moment.]

...they're not hard to maintain if you know how. But it's better if they're worked on a little every night. [Or day, but you know, he's a night person so it comes out that way. I mean, he's not volunteering to take over or anything. But he's completely volunteering to take over.]

[makehistoria]

Are you offering?

[Deliberately vague between whether he means "Offering to take over" or "Offering to teach me how." He can leave Garrett an out, either way.]

[themasterthief]

[Garrett hesitated, shifting his stance in the moment, before replying.]

Only if it's left alone. [aka: if it's his.]

[makehistoria]

That can be arranged.

[Oh no. Now one of Stocke's tendrils is twitching in restrained amusement.]

[themasterthief]

[Meanwhile, Garrett's face has gone beyond a mere line. There's too much effort in it. His eyes keep flicking to Stocke's tendrils and back.

This isn't funny. Stop that.]

Fine.

[makehistoria]

[On the contrary, Garrett, it's very funny. But Stocke is not going to say a word.]

[He huffs out a soft breath, making his tendrils still.] You want to take a look now?

[themasterthief]

[It takes a moment but the thief eventually settles slightly. He glances back up at the clocktower.]

Why not.

[makehistoria]

[Stocke dips his head. This way, then - it's not a bad goal to head toward, assuming Garrett doesn't quite want to deal with the Nest (and Greed) just yet. Give a view of the city down to the center.]

[The east city - deeper in than the outskirts, not quite the middle - is bustling at this time of night. Most businesses seem to still be open, and those few that have official hours listed do look to run from afternoon to the wee morning hours. Much of Djävulenstad is nocturnal.]

[There's also a layer of darkness and grime over much of it - not exactly unclean, but these definitely aren't the well-swept streets of Bavan's richer districts. It's not impossible to find little glittery things lying in the chinks between cobblestone - beads, pieces of glass.]

[Candles glimmer in many business's windows. Only white ones are lit, but some windowsills carry other colours for other days - yellow, red, green, purple.]

[themasterthief]

[Garrett's eyes roam over everything as they pass through the city streets. A number of shiny objects end up in his inner pockets as he dips down to pick up a coin here, a piece of metal wire there. He was scarily good at picking out the more useful items from the mere debris littering the ground. He never seemed to reach down when it was only a glittering bead or shard of misplaced glass.

There was a moment when the thief also had a small rest on top of an old wooden gate, his head cocked to one side as he stared at a nearby window with some interest. There didn't appear to be much worth stealing inside, not that could be seen from this window at least, but his focus seemed transfixed.

As they continued on a few seconds later, Garrett sidled up next to Stocke and walked close to him for a while. Eventually,]

What are those candles about?

[makehistoria]

[Stocke blinks, turning to look at the candles as if he's worried he's missed a lit colour. But no - they're all white, those that have them burning. After a moment he shakes his head.] Nothing tonight.

[His tendrils flick - after a moment, he adds,] They'll light different colours if something's happening. Most of them don't matter as much, or are easy to figure out. [At least, by Stocke's standards...]

...but red means there's something on the loose out in the city for us monsters to handle, and a purple light - there's someone dying inside who doesn't mind being fed on.

[themasterthief]

[Garrett considered that information for a silent moment. He kept pace with Stocke easily as he did so, sticking close if not too close to bump of course. ]

Interesting idea. Yours? ...Greed's? Or the city residents' idea?

[makehistoria]

[Stocke shakes his head. Not his.] ...Greed's the one who set it in place.

[He pauses.] Never did ask him if it was his idea or one of the humans he's fond of - but it wasn't any of the rest of us. [Us being monsters.]

[The city doesn't seem to quiet as they leave the eastern half and dive into the center. In fact, it only seems to be getting more busy, especially as they approach multicoloured neon. In the distance, even the windows and roofs dance - lights blocked and unveiled as people move in front of them.]

[Stocke considers for a moment, looks back at Garrett, then beckons them down a side street. Garrett can probably tell they're taking a more roundabout route to the clocktower now, but... while the shade doesn't mind crowds, he gets the feeling his thief companion won't be very happy with the press of people.]

[themasterthief]

I'd say I'm surprised...

[But he can't completely dismiss the fact that Greed protected his own. Even if it was fir selfish reasons at least the devil did it. It was more than could be said for most.

Besides, he could always convince himself it was someone else's idea that Greed merely approved and set into motion.

Garrett doesn't say anything as they head off the main road. The thief always had his own way to travel less beaten paths. It kept him out of sight and out of touching distance. He could navigate a crowd if caught within one; but when there was no need, why bother.]

[makehistoria]

[Even going sideways and around, it doesn't take them long to reach the clocktower. Stocke halts underneath it, shading his eyes with one hand as he stares up, even at night.]

[The face of the clock is lit, just enough to make out the time at night. As is the top, with extra lights at each corner. But while it's still ticking away (this time), the outside looks a tad beaten-up - much like a lot of the rest of the city - and... it's twenty minutes behind.]

[Please save this poor clock, Garrett.]

[themasterthief]

Huh.

[The noncommittal sound escaped Garrett as he, too, squinted up at the clocktower. There was a moment of typical silence as the thief took everything and considered all the options.]

Needs some work.

[The outside he didn't care about nor was there anything he could do about its state of slow decay. But the mechanisms inside he could tune up, adjust and fix so it ran properly and smoothly and told the correct time.

Without another word, he began to make his way up the clocktower. Scaling straight up the outside wall, of course.]

[makehistoria]

Some work, [Stocke echoes quietly, amused. That might be too generous a way to put it...]

[Straight up the outside wall it is. Stocke gives himself a bit of a jump-start chasing after Garrett - a literal one, a jump aided by levitation until he hits his height limit. Then he digs his claws in and stares scaling the brick as it should be climbed.]

[He's nowhere near as fast as an arachne; Garrett shouldn't have any problems reaching the top a notable time before Stocke. But his half-smoke weight, and those claws, mean he's still pretty fast - he'll hop up to the face within a few minutes.]

[themasterthief]

[At this point in time, Garrett didn't expect any less from Stocke. He knew the other had probably been capable of keeping up with him before the monster changes, or at least very nearly. He knew the added abilities skewed some of their skills but Garrett tried not to think about it really.

He didn't wait for Stocke to join him, just expecting it would happen whenever the shade caught up. Garrett ducked inside through a high window and began his inspection of the interior layout and clock mechanisms. ]

[makehistoria]

[Dust swirls in the lights projected through the clock face and hangs on all available surfaces. There's a trail of footsteps in it up the stairs, so someone clearly does go through here, but not nearly as often as Garrett's recommended 'every night.']

[There's only one room up here, but it's tall and wide - it could be separated into sections, or platforms could be hung from the ceiling. It's also mostly empty - there are some crates piled in one corner, and a closet full of maintenance supplies in another, but nothing else.]

[The clock ticks away, slowly. The face is made of clouded glass - clear enough to let the light through, but not enough to see through.]

[The mechanisms... well. All are working, more or less. But there are certain things lashed together with cord or rubber bands where they've snapped and should be welded straight, and things squeak against each other as if they're rarely oiled.]

[Stocke ducks through the window himself, dropping to the floor silently despite the height.]

[themasterthief]

[The look on Garrett's face said enough about what he thought of the current tenant and his lackluster job on the clock mechanisms. For Garrett fixing his clocktower had never been about a job though. He had first learned how to maintain the mechanisms to keep anyone from noticing the original caretaker was absent. It had eventually evolved into a habit that was repetitious enough to be relaxing and calming.

Clearly the person keeping up with this clocktower found it only to be a job and nothing more. Either that or he was entirely too busy to properly maintain it but Garrett doubted that just by looking at the lesser fixings. Had it simply been time constraint by someone who loved the work he felt the fixes present would be obvious but well intentioned, rather than quick and dirty.

It didn't matter. Garrett turned back to Stocke and made a noncommittal gesture. He shook his head silently.]

[makehistoria]

[Both? Probably both. Someone who counted it nothing more than a job and was too busy to bother putting more time into it.]

[Stocke tilts his head, wry quirk to his mouth.] That bad?

[The shade hasn't actually been up here himself yet - his tendrils flinch at a particularly loud screech of un-oiled metal, and he glances at the mechanisms. Yeah, alright, definitely that bad.]

...if you think it's salvageable, [and are still interested in taking it up, left unsaid,] let me know what I should get you. [Not that Stocke doubts Garrett's ability to "obtain" anything for himself, but he can get stuff in bulk and save the arachne the trouble. Devil's Nest privileges!]

[Other things he doesn't voice but figures Garrett will pick up on: his help included, if the arachne wants it.]

[themasterthief]

That bad.

[Garrett glanced around. There wasn't much in the way of useful here. It wasn't set up to be a hole in the wall. Not like back home. Garrett would change that, with time to gather and set up.

But for now it just meant he didn't have anything to write on.]

I'll write a list. When I get around to it.