No Takebacks. Except…(Matias)
Date: 2025-10-08 20:42
(No Takebacks. Except…(Matias):Matias)
[Wed Oct 8 2025]
On Seraphina
The whole city of Rio to be used as needed.
It is night, about 58F(14C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. The mist is heaviest At Plymouth and Washington
There is a waning gibbous moon.
The latino professor leads Seraphina and Tessa through the mirrorgate on the dias within the heart of the Masque Theater. On the other side they step out the late evening in Brazil, the famous city of Rio de Janeiro with the most welcome Jesus statue you have ever seen and enough side streets and alley ways to put the Venetians to shame. It is noisey, it is humid, it is full of bustling people speaking spanish, portuguese, and english. The trio step out of what appears to be a street level mirror next to a modeling agency at one of the more modern skycrapers in the city center. The floor is empty and Matias pulls out his phone and checks it, “Do not worry this is the Illusium Court of all of Brazil. I used to be a courtier.” he explains to both women as he goes, “Alright so shall I brief you both on our evening adventure?”
Tessa distractedly listens to a nearby conversation, one of the ones in Spanish, before her eyes flick back to Matias, giving a soft nod. “Sure, let’s hear it, darling.”
Tightening up her ponytail to ensure that her hair does not stick to the back of of her neck, Seraphina nods to Matias. “That would be good, I think.”
The room is one of those painfully modern designs with see-through glass walls on everyside. This floor appears to be ground level and near one of the corners of the tower. There is no furniture here but the white and black monochromatic furnishings of other rooms are visible through the numerous glass walls. “So we are looking for three people throughout the city. Fernando Ruiz, a vagrant sort of sorceror who steals curios as often as buying them. No known address, he is probably wandering the city. Maria Delante is a collector obsessed with celestial events and predictions, she has a penthouse in the city. Finally we have Elio Fori who has a coastal palaza. The intention was for this to be a lesson for Lawson and Lopez on overcoming arcane wards with technology and the occult but since we are just getting it done the question is would you like to hunt down a vagrant first, penthouse first, or big estate first and is there any details that would make that decision easier?”
“I do not know that it matters which. Easiest target to hardest perhaps.” is the suggestion made from Seraphina after silently listening to Matias explain their targets, all whilst braiding up that pony. A side eye is sent to Tessa, “What do you think, Tessa?”
“Mmm, I’d think Maria would likely be the closest, given…” Tessa starts, trailing off as she considers with pursed lips. “Keep an ear out on the streets for anything that might lead us to our vagabond, keep things flexible, if we find a lead to him on the way to her?”
“I’m fluent in Spanish, and fairly good at maintaining a straight face, Matias, I assume it’s not an asshole move to presume you’re fluent in Portugese, so…. listen, follow threads, use what we can to… you know, find a few leads?” Tessa suggests, voice quiet, perhaps a touch unsure, embarrassed maybe about her efforts to steer them.
The latino professor nods as he taps taps something on his phone and then offers, “Frequency One One One Nine. If you want to switch your earpieces to that so we can communicate when we get separated which given there are only three of us we certainly will be.” he says in that resonating baritone of a voice and then sends some information from his phone. “Unfortunately Teagan was taken by the serpent monster so she managed to get all this information and share it with me, which will make this easy, but she is not here.” he sends some data to both Seraphina and Tessa’s phone: Maria Delante – Target: Lodestone – Has mundane security magnetic locks, computer home security, uses an RFID chip in a ring as a key – Has a keen interest in Astrology and Celestial ritualism – Address xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx! Once the data pushes Matias looks up and begins to lead them towards the street. “So penthouse, we need to get up to the top floor, stairs or elevator, skip or knock out any security. She is not using complex wards so we just have to worry about a police or private security response.”
“You two have the upperhand on me, I can only speak English and only have Google translate to help.” Seraphina says to Matias and Tessa, fishing out her phone when it buzzes at her one more time. Her eyes scan the details, mentioning, “I did bring my tools, and I have a little knowledge of hacking into systems. Even if I am a bit on the rusty side of the electronics.”
“I’m still getting used to the arcane,” Tessa murmurs, that soft blush darkening as she fidgets with her ring. “Stairs are more likely to avoid directly showing our faces on cameras, how many floors? I know how athletic I am, I don’t know about either of you two, how many floors is the building?”
“Oh good.” Matias says when Seraphina mentions she has some computer knowledge. “So it is forty floors up and the penthouse takes up three floors. It has a private elevator of course and two of the public stairwells connect for fire code reasons but it also has a private stairwell leading up.” Matias conveys to Tessa as the group hits the street and the noise, traffic, humidity. Whew! It is not unbearably hot but within minutes they will have a thin sheen of sweat to be sure especially the latino with the blazer. Fortunately for such a major city the non-natives do not stand out as there are tourists abound downtown. The Professor begins leading them northbound to a residential skyscraper One Tower. “So if Sera has her tools perhaps she can find something to spoof the RFID in Maria’s ring. Then Tessa you get close enough either unseen or posing as a guest or someone wanting their fortune read by the Great Maria. Spoof it, send the data on to me and I will see if I can remove the lodestone with Sera and we all exit at the same time. Unless someone else has a pitch?”
Matias says “Remember we have two more of these to do, so semi-direct is best. If they follow us back to New Haven for revenge later we can deal with them there.“
“A non-issue for me,” Seraphina assures Tessa, even though she may not have the outward physical appearance of someone it’d be a non-issue with. She winks at Matias, “Worse case scenario, I can carry Matias.”
“I was just going to wedding carry you,” Seraphina says to Matias, with a little smirkish grin.
“I’m pretty comfortable pretending to be an astrology girlie,” Tessa says to Matias, stifling a soft giggle. “American, on pilgrimage to find a woowoo astrologer, flatter her, it’s… not far off of my general work, astrology,” Tessa murmurs, slipping a ring from her finger, and tucking it into a tote. “No obvious symbols on me now… Just looking like a rich tourist.”
“Alright so…” Matias begins to say as they are about ten minutes out from One Tower and the first target. “Tessa you mentioned you were new to the arcane, any pscyhic persuasion abilities or are you good enough at rituals to imprint Maria to want to take unexpected guests? While you do that, Sera and I will hoof it up the stairs. Signal when we are in position and ideally you will be in with Maria by then.” and then he looks to Seraphina, “Can you make her an RFID reader and copier, is that something you have parts for or do we have to find the last Radio Shack in the world?”
“All joking aside, I can try to get into her systems, but there’s no guarantee if she has advanced tools.” Seraphina remarks, keeping her own jewelry on, without much worry to etch her features for them being exposed. “Worse case, we try to coax her out with a knock on her door, and then lop her ring off… Or less violently, I slip it off her finger with a little shake and a little mezmerizing.”
Seraphina laughs softly at Matias. “I’m going to ignore your incessant teasing about my misfortune at purchasing a place in the mall.”
“I’m more studying theory versus practicing, it’s best someone who’s familiar with it does it. I’m more familiar with social engineering,” Tessa murmurs to Matias.
“You do realize that as part of my tools, I do have a reader. Generally its more for cards, but it can be finangled, I’m sure.” Seraphina replies to Matias. “However, we may just need to get personal, because its hard to say just how ‘advanced’ her tech is. I cannot disrupt it, afterall.”
“Well we will try the ol’ Tessa goes in, social engineers, gets all close, reader, sends us the RFID signal, we break in. See how far we get. If all goes to hell, Tessa beats Maria up, we cause a ruckus and we just make sure we get out of town before the private security catches up with us. So it will put a clock on the other heists.” Matias says to Seraphina as they arrive at One Tower. Standing outside the man puts his phone into his pocket and brushes a hand through his messy and semi-sweat dampened hair. “Okay. So give her the reader. Tessa get ready to start acting. I will signal you when the rite is complete. Sera prepare to flirt with the guard or just hypno them and we will hit a stairwell and start hiking up? Anything before we go?”
“I am curious though, why would you not just cast some hex on her?” Seraphina asks Matias. “That would help some.” She already has pulled out some of her tools, specifically that of her lockpicks, unraveling the soft velvet to expose them. She shrugs. “Whatever you decide. I’m here to help you.
Matias says “The cleaner this is, the more time we have to deal with the other two heists.“
Seraphina raises a brow at Matias. “I have the reader, Matias. You aren’t much of a hacker if you don’t have one.” She looks to Tessa, “I am likely a bit stronger than Tessa, but I think this can all be done without going to that level,” despite that she had, perhaps jokingly, mentioned the loss of a finger.
“Lets get to walking,” Seraphina suggests, hipchecking Matias and nodding to Tessa. “I’m ready to see Tess in action.”
Tessa bumps her shoulder into Matias’ gently, voice quiet as she says, “I literally exist as a socialite, we ignore my other skills and interests. Chatting up someone, flattering her, I could do that before I got famous in my circles. We push towards letting me get in close, a hug, a selfie, praise, bringing me in close enough to skim her ring.”
The professor points at Seraphina, “You give the reader to Tessa.” he then points to Tessa. “She is going to go up as a guest to meet Maria and chat chat chat astrology. While using the reader on her ring.” and then pointing to Seraphina and himself. “We are going to be in a stairwell with access to the Penthouse. Once we get the code from Tessa, you and I start pushing through the security whatever it is… If we get stuck Tessa knocks Maria out and we just get all pushy. If we do not get stuck, we leave the same time as Tessa. Make sense?”
The poor academic is now being bullied by Tessa and Seraphina with hip and shoulder checks as he lets out a big sigh and begins walking with a weaving path. “Yes yes, just make sure she has the reader.” he heads towards the lobby with Seraphina to reach the stairwell and get past whatever lobby doorman (or woman) is there.
Seraphina passes a tiny unit off to Tessa, by slipping her fingers across the other woman’s palms. Its something she likely bought off some now defunct website, or one that is deep and dark and hard to find through simple searches. Likely the former. Some company caught by the Feds for selling the very item. Following alongside of Matias. “We have this, Matias. It’ll be fine.” Someone has rubbed off on her.
As Seraphina and Matias enter the lobby they are certainly under dressed but not entirely abnormal from the normal residents or their guests they are just not recognize. There is a woman behind a big marble desk that waves them over with a big smile, “Here to see someone?” she asks in Portuguese but Matias replies in english, “English please.” and then the woman repeats, “Hi yes, how can I help you?” she looks to Seraphina curiously with that service worker smile. Meanwhile Tessa is left with a device that is almost certainly illegal in a country she has no passport documentation entering looking like a kidnappers wet dream (in more ways than one) what a life.
While walking, Seraphina does something with her phone, approaching the woman at the desk and flashing a big, beautiful smile, still poking at her phone, like a tourist, a guest of someone in the building would, if they were a millenial.
As Seraphina is playing the mute millenial Matias is forced to reply, “We are going up to see a friend. You should let us surprise them.” he says in the kind of insistent voice that one might use when trying to cajole. “What was their name?” he asks Seraphina while looping his arm around the tomb raider looking woman’s waist, it is south America the perfect spot to cosplay in short shorts.
Seraphina gets several names, some are marked out on vacation until a certain date but that is easy enough to change: Fernando, Aluiz, Ruiz, Lopz, Hernandez
Between the power of two good looking supernaturals and a little psychic mojo Seraphina and Matias manages to obtain a keycard and a flush desk worker for their trouble. One hopes she is not a stalker as the duo walk further into the building with a keycard that will let them use an elevator and save them stair flights. Once they are out of ear shot Matias says on the frequency 1119 he suggested, “Alright Tessa just wait ten minutes and make your approach.” and with that he starts a walking ritual letting Seraphina navigate them upwards with the card and the general plan.
“Hernandez.” Seraphina says to Matias, then to the woman behind the counter. “They’re on vacation, but they said that they would leave a notice here with you that we were coming and we could use their residency as our own to help save us some money.” She leans onto the counter, pressing herself in so she can get closer to the woman, all smiles, and all cleavage.
The 20 something year old finger waves to Seraphina after passing off the keycard!
Tessa strides in only once Seraphina and Matias are out of the way, filming herself on her phone in a way that just cannot really be faked, the comfort, the ease, how she doesn’t walk into anything while narcissistically staring at herself, entirely trusting that she will be fine using her peripheral vision. That Bostonian accent she tries to crush down is played up, and she really, truly white woman mangles the name as she narrates for the video, “SO! We know, like, I’m a big fan of astrological readings, and my babies’ birthday is coming up, so like, what better way to ensure I’m doing everything I can than going to Reee-oh, right? My hair is NOT loving the humidity, babes, but I was sent a few links talking about this, ummmmm… Maria… Maria Del-lanty? So I had my agent reach out, make a few calls, you know how it goes,” she winks at the camera, “And we’re gonna make SURE the twins are gonna have the best sixteenth year they can.” With that, she’s at the desk, and with all the confidence of a rich white woman, she asks, “I don’t need a key card for the elevator, right?”
The desk service worker looks at Tessa like she is the BBEG of the day. “Um. You are here to see Miss Delante?” she asks nervously as she looks to the phone and the brand names and is already reaching for that black phone on her side of the marble desk to call up. “Is she expecting you, what name can I give her?” he offers in the most polite brazilian accented english a nervous 20 something can manage.
There is a little bzzt in Tessa’s ear as Matias is still being led along by Seraphina and he keys up, “All done. We will let you know when the reader sends us the code. Just stay close until then.”
Tessa leans against the desk in an outfit that probably costs more than this woman lives off of, pausing the recording, and pulling up her email, holding her phone to let the woman see it, “Ummmm, let me see what my agent said, I don’t know if he gave my professional name, my stage name, my channel name, uggggh….” She trails off, sighing as though put upon. “Like, you could just answer me, I can head up, she should know who I am. I assume you don’t, like… why would you, you don’t watch English health and fitness content, probably…” she murmurs. She’s still scrolling her emails, close enough to obviously be her email client, far enough to not be readable.
Seraphina calls out to the 20-something, “She’s with us! But she is out here to also record her trip. We have heard of this Miss Delante. Is she in this building?” She bites her lip lightly and bounces on her toes at this, in an excited manner. “How exciting!” She is by the elevator, and punching in a number that is not on the card. “We’ll be sure to not harange her! But –” She asks, “Give her a keycard for Hernandez too?”
“The Penthouse elevator needs a keycode.” the desk service woman replies after being barraged by Tessa’s influencer persona and looking a little abashed at the possibility there is some planned meetup she might be delaying some pre-staged meet and greet. Some nice One Tower stationary is torn off a pad and the password 3258 is scribbled for Tessa and slide over. Then the young woman is walking around the big marble desk and beckoning to Tessa, “Let me um, show you the private elevator. You know One Tower is the tallest residential building in all of Latin America.” she says in that kind of helpful manner of someone being recorded and trying to perform well. Then Seraphina is chiming in and she goes, “Oh um… Of course?” and she produces a key card for the Hernandez rooms too for before for after, this woman is not paid enough to worry about that.
While the woman is getting the keycard for Tessa to also just randomly break into whomever the Hernandez are Matias gets the duo walking, up an elevator and then while they are waiting in the elevator ding ding going up thirty out of the forty floors. “So we just go to the stairwell, hike up the last ten and then we wait, break in, code code code, you might have to avoid some lasers and carry a lodestone for me because I am delicate.” he informs Seraphina ding ding and the elvator opens up onto the thirtieth floor for them and Matias begins to lead Seraphina towards the stairwell.
Seraphina smirks at Matias. “You just want to see me Catherine Zeta-Jones laser beams.”
“Ohmigosh, you’re SO great,” Tessa gushes to the woman, slipping a hand into her waistband and tugging out a billclip, handing over an American $20. She presses it into the woman’s hand, purposefully not half as stealthy as the passoff from Seraphina was earlier, and she says, “For your excellent service. I’m SO excited to meet her, I’ve heard like, the best things. I bet she could make the most complete star chart for them,” she rambles, absolutely yammering this poor woman’s ear off.
The desk worker has that omg help me please God let this end quickly smile plastered on her face, her eyes beacons of save me… no one saves her but the private elevator is shown to Tessa and the woman says, “It has air conditioning, also we got Kanye West to do a private mix of Graduation for the elevator music with Daddy Yankee as a guest on the mix.” and indeed that song and duo are playing in the elevator… Wild… Completely insane. She does not get into the elevator with Tessa who has the code and can get upstairs to Maria in a jiffy.
Once on the floor that they are directed to, thanks to the keycard, Seraphina dips into the stairwell, waiting from time to time out of any line of sight of cameras before indicating that Matias and her can go. “I don’t think that in real life it works like that, but I’ll do my best.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Seraphina asks, in a whisper though in the stairwell, it does echo. Wait, move, wait, move. “There will probably be an alarm on the door to the penthouse floor, but I can try to disable it, if so. Blue or red wire. I forget.” Maybe that is just bombs. “Hopefully Tessa can get up there without the worker alerting Miss Delante. But even if, i think the woman has it in her pocket.
Tessa presumes there are cameras, so that social media personality does not drop how it normally does behind closed doors, or out in New Haven. She leans against the back wall, eyes watching the numbers climb, humming along to the music, and filming a few more clips, sort of B-roll footage, maintaining that bubbly thirty-something mom personality, pointedly looking around in interest, hiding that she’s checking for cameras.
“I imprinted Delante to want to meet a stranger and be inviting to them.” Matias says to Seraphina while waiting for each signal to proceed ahead. It is not terrible hard to avoid the cameras and soon enough they arrive at the stairwell top where the penthouse door is likely for service workers entering into a kitchen or house staff dressing room type of situation. There is no one else in the stairwell as Matias says, “Nothing is wrong with the outfit, I like this one. It is at least kind of practical!”
Meanwhile the private elevator is one of those express ones and is going whoooooooooosh up forty floors with a little downward pressure on Tessa. There is a camera in the left corner on the side of the door so the blind spot would be hugging the elevator door. There must have been a little door bell or notice the elevator was heading up because the door slides open and a sunkissed latina with blonde hair, in her 30s or at least looking like she is in her thirties wearing an airy blue blouse with star pattern and split skirts is standing in a marble hallway waiting for Tessa. She has big hoop earrings, several golden necklaces, and half a dozen rings on her fingers. Spotting the hip yoga influencer she goes speaks in a brazilian accented english, “Surprise! The stars said I should expect an unexpected travel and take them into my home today and here you are… Tell me everything you are about dear.” and it seems Tessa has run into someone worse than an influencer… The one that talks like that for no viewers or sponsors. Can she out diva an actual diva?
Pulling her phone out, she’s got it opened to an app that relates to the little utility device that she had passed on to Tessa earlier. “I vote for waiting until we have the code, so I can silently shut everything down.” Confidence. Is that not what it takes. Nevermind the possible skill, or possibility of failure. “Camera…” Seraphina notes to Matias, stepping out of the way of the angle and pulling him back with her. It is in a way that if they do get caught, he’s up against her and they merely look like they are lovers trying to be sneaky and a little risque by ‘making out,’ without actually doing so, in a camera heavy stairwell.
Seraphina says “When did you manage to imprint her?“
“For that matter, why couldn’t we have just acted like part of her crew!” Seraphina wonders, whispery.
The blazer wearing latino is pressed up against Seraphina waiting for the signal when he holds up the tin minted coin with the saint on it. “Took a few minutes. Just mumbling under my breath… Well she knows me.” he points out to Seraphina with a bit of a shifty look. “Besides if we break in and it goes missing and she is with Tessa the entire time, than she will no go looking for it at Tessa. If we all show up together- Listen it just seemed easier to split into two. Also you have never met Maria she is extremely -extra-. I cannot even form coherent thoughts in her presence.”
Tessa looks the woman up and down, absolutely beaming, a slight bounce on her toes before she says, “Oh my GOD you are everything, this is amazing! I’m Tessa, I’m sure you’ve heard of me in the whispers of the stars,” she says, “I was drawn to them more recently, I even got a new tattoo,” she says, lifting her shirt ever so slightly to flash her pelvis, and the sun and moon tattoo marking her there, a dull goldish color outside of New Haven, just practical ink. “I heard you could like, use the stars and my babies’ birth charts to like, ensure I can…” she keeps yammering, following out Maria, trying to stay close to her. “Would you be willing to take a selfie with me?” she asks, shifting to be on the side she wears the ring on, the device tucked safely under a bangle and her sleeve, hidden and secure.
Maria circles Tessa as she steps out of the elevator. “Whispers? They were gossiping: She arrives in sequins of sunlight.” and then there is the flash of the tatto and she waggles her ringed fingers at the ink. “Sun and moon, minimalist, and wicked tasteful.” she coos as the pair kind of follow and circle one another towards a front door which is left open. The penthouse is all modern design marble, granite, white, black, and blues, with big floor to ceiling windows showing the Rio skyline and stairs leading up up up to floors inaccessible from anywhere else but this place. “I can do everything with the stairs and birth charts. I need their exact birth times, names, and most played songs, also who is the talker and who is the doer.” he informs Tessa before the woman comes in close wanting to do a selfie. The airy dressed diva of a latina leans in and says, “No duck face, my cheekbones take offense to that look.” and then she does some kind of distant knowledge seeking look like a dog trying to understand a book, “I only do golden retrieve ace, ready. Now say retrograde!” the gibberish wars have begun but on the upside BEEP BEEP BEEP the RFID scanner picks up the ring thanks to Tessa’s proximity and shameless positioning. The mission is a go and Seraphina gets the alert.
“Oh, she -knows- you.” Seraphina whispers out to Matias at his ear, teasingly. “Is this going to be a happy reunion then, if she happens to catch us?” She pulls Matias away and seeks to put him into a different place, seeking to find the perfect angle to get into the camera’s blindspot. There is a beep beep beep on her phone, and then away she is, trying to determine whether the stairway door is alarmed, all whilst finding the perfect little tool to cut any wire she may need.
The stairway door has a keycard reader, little number pad for override, and is 1000/ alarmed to a private security firm with a silent trigger.
Tessa knows precisely how to pose for the picture – offering a bit of awe, restrained though barely, pushing her fan behavior to the forefront, while keeping it just restrained enough to seem realistic. Maybe she was an actress in a past life, or maybe she’s just used to lying to people. Once the picture’s taken, and she shows it for approval, of course, respectful thig she is, they’re back to yammering. “SO, Rowan is a few hours older than Wren, he was born at two thirty four in the morning, which is like, so cute, right? And then Wren at four thirty two.” She keeps up a stream of chatter, no dead air, ensuring any staff are focused on the two of them, distracting from anything that might happen outside by being a little annoying, very annoying for anyone who hates astrology.
“You do realize that this is not really my forte,” Seraphina says to Matias, even as she brings up the app and the the RFid information, attempting to power things down surriptiously for the private company. As part of the information, is it likely safe to assume, also, she has the keycode to punch in instead of a trying to mimic a keycard? “I see. Well, you’re lucky I am here, then, hm?
Maria Delante cannot be outdone by anyone it seems as even with only a smidge of the information she requested from Tessa the Latina diva is on a tear: Two thirty-four and four thirty-twopalindromic cousins, mirrored mayhem. The universe did a little cartwheel. and while walking Tessa up the grand glass staircase to the second floor this level is clearly the lounge and hang out level. It is one giant open space with astrolobes and laves and globes with star maps hanging next to divan and couches and telescopes with pool tables and darts and an entire tarot reading setup. Even here she blathers! Exactly. Rowan: 2:34count it. 2+3+4 = 9: endings that curate beginnings. Wren: 4:32also 9: beginnings that pretend theyre endings. and then suddenly surmrises! So theyre liketwo nines in a trench coat?
Maria Delante cannot be outdone by anyone it seems as even with only a smidge of the information she requested from Tessa the Latina diva is on a tear: “Two thirty-four and four thirty-twopalindromic cousins, mirrored mayhem. The universe did a little cartwheel.” and while walking Tessa up the grand glass staircase to the second floor this level is clearly the lounge and hang out level. It is one giant open space with astrolobes and laves and globes with star maps hanging next to divan and couches and telescopes with pool tables and darts and an entire tarot reading setup. Even here she blathers! “Exactly. Rowan: 2:34count it. 2+3+4 = 9: endings that curate beginnings. Wren: 4:32also 9: beginnings that pretend theyre endings.” and then suddenly surmrises! “So theyre liketwo nines in a trench coat?”
It appears as Seraphina does the work that the RFID works like a keycard and master key for the whole system so at the very least that door unlocks and the silent alarm from -this door- is also turned off. There is a *thunk* sound as the lock disengages and Matias opens the door leading the duo into what looks like a foreroom for the help. Lockers and a table, no one in here at the moment, a clock on the wall and a hallway beyond. “Alright the Lodestone is either on display upstairs or still down here getting prepped to be put out. Come on tomb raider, time to collect our curio.”
“Lead the way, as you seem to know her, and the home.” Seraphina says to Matias, eyes on her phone again, but in a less millenial way, and more a gauging way. She does break from him, however, to peek into the lockers and study the table, and any objects in and on them that could be useful while in the home.
While Seraphina is searching the locker room of the staff she finds some useful information but no useful tools. First off there are some orders for workers to move an ‘art piece’ to the solarium this weekend. It is being stored in the safe on the servants floor (this floor). There are no keycards unfortunately but the Butler presumably the highest access staffer appears to be on site. Whether he is down here or upstairs attending to Tessa and Maria is unknown. But what they do know is down the hall, to the right, there is a safe there alright. It rhyhmes because it is true. What they do not have is all the tools to access it either Seraphina will have to overcome or they need to find the Butler with his keycard to supplement the RFID code that Tessa has gotten for them.
peeks down the hall and then checks his phone and says, “Okay well if it is down here with us there is a safe she keeps art, wine, and other stuff in before it goes up to show. If it is upstairs well that will be difficult.” he explains to Seraphina seeing no one in the hallway and then looking back to the ponytail touting woman.
“They are my twin nines, perfectly balancing each other,” Tessa agrees, eyes skimming the room, familiar enough with the bits and baubles of astrology, of genuine magic, to try and notice anything out of the norm, anything that she might have a feeling doesn’t belong and might be what they’re looking for, even as she’s just yammering along, giving exact coordinates – ones directly off her navel bar – for where her twins were born, every detail shared without a second of hesitation. Genuinely true, the best way to lie.
Seraphina looks disappointed that she does not have easier tools to access places, but it is doable, nonetheless. “Something about them moving a piece this weekend, so I am going to assume it is in the safe.” She smiles at the professor. “Show me the way. if we run into the butler I’ll get his keycard, but I can -probably- figure out the safe.” Her gaze drifts upward to the second floor, “I hope Tessa’s doing alright.”
The latino professor keys up to Tessa on the comm, “We are going to the safe. If you see the butler, try and get the reader near his keycard. Most keycards use RFID or magnetic strips.” he explains in a baritone of a voice. Meanwhile he and Seraphina make their way through the hallways leading Seraphina to what appears to be a secure reinforced steel door with a touch pad for a keycard or to access but Seraphina only has one half of the clearance. Matias posts up to keep an eye out for Seraphina.
Meanwhile Tessa is barraged by Maria Delante who is informing her that she needs to throw a chaos party for her kids so they will have an orderly year! Tessa will spot something that stands out… A Solar Dragon in golden marble with veins of white a rare piece, small enough to pocket in her tote and of course… something Matias and Seraphina does not know about. Something for her hoard indeed or to gab about.
Assuming, perhaps, that said safe is like the one back home, where it is not a code, and it is not a standard lock that a pick will work, Seraphina takes out a small stethoscope, and drapes it around her slightly damp, thanks to the humidity, neck. “What is the power behind the lodestone, Matias?” she wonders, eyes scanning the hallway as they go, perhaps to find something equally interesting or beautiful that her little sticky fingers can sneak away.
The safe is breachable by a number of ways. It is a multi-facet safe perfect for any heist film and Seraphina’s methods. While she is preparing to crack it she takes a look around. Out here there does not seem to be much but within the safe there is likely plenty. Matias looks down the hall and wonders to Seraphina, “So can you open it?”
“Can I open it…” Seraphina murmurs to Matias, with a light little scoff. Considering her own luck this evening, its maybe unlikely! But the girl’s a cheerleader, and she’s not going to give up until there is S-U-C-C-E-S-S.
“Besides, if I can’t, I’ll just rip the door off…” Seraphina says to Matias. “However, you never answered! What’s so special about the lodestone?”
“Oh the Lodestone…” Matias begins to explain while Seraphina is opening the safe with a near critical success she discovers the master password is L-U-N-A-R-G-I-R-L … security top notch. The safe locks disenagge and within that place are shelves of wine, small art pieces, a large lodestone about the side of a human head. A lodestone being a semi magnetic rock normally of extraterrestial origin. Should anyone hold it lo and behold it indicates the presence of relics and artifacts. When Seraphina picks it up she will feel a tug towards Matias’s rosary and any other artifacts or relics within 1000 ft. Extra pickings include some gems, a music box, some fancy wine, a vinyl pressing of a beatles album, and some golden krugrans.
Tessa lifts the little dragon, subtle enough, more to see if it creates any sort of sound when picked up, reasonably paranoid, not hiding it, per se, or at least trying not to look like she’s hiding something. She’s, instead, picking up and putting down other things around, shamelessly touching things, being a bit of a little shit as they talk, her body between her and Maria as she gets to the dragon, in case she can safely pocket the shiny for her hoard.
“Its huge,” Seraphina tells Matias, reaching into the safe to grab it, and at least a little something else for her own small yet growing collection of shinies and sparklies. “Look this thing is going to start lifting things off the ground, so we’d better get a move on. Let Tessa know we’re heading out.” Thinking better of it, the angel puts the huge magnetic rock back into the safe, closes the door to it without locking it, and hefts the entire thing up.
“Did you jus-.” Matias sees the whole thing come up off the ground and eyes Seraphina “Okay well lets hurry.” and he keys up on the comms, “Tessa we are heading out it is going to take a minute we just took the whole shebang.” and with that Matias leads the way making sure Seraphina has open doors and room to manuver the safe as she just hauls that shit out entirely. The hardest part is going to be the- nope the cameras are handled by little jolts of electricity arcing from Matias’s hand and zapping them in the stairwell. Soon enough they will get to the elevator and be on the way down. This leaves Tessa with her sticky fingered gains having pocketed the solar dragon while Maria is discussing Tessa’s people getting in touch with her people about things. – What no one knows is the silent alarm was sounded when the safe was completely removed. A problem for later. How dangerous can private security of a latina diva be?
[OOC – Make exit posts and we shall timeskip back to New Haven. I will let you now when I have run the plot finish command after you both post]
Tessa is happy to pass off her handles, her information, really her agent’s information, the poor, overworked man putting up with enough of her things at this point that what’s one more random thing she lied and used his name for. She doesn’t rush, not entirely, but she doesn’t dally, voice more perky, more bubbly, than any of them have probably heard, and she insists to Maria, “I don’t want to take up more of your time, you’ve already done SO much for me and my babies. I’ll definitely have to keep you updated, you’re gonna have to be part of my guidance team,” she yammers, dragon tucked safely inside her bag which is large enough for a fully grown pomeranian puppy to sit atop a kevlar vest. She continues flattering the woman, even after she’s in the elevator, recording last clips – seems she’s actuall using this footage? Strange.
A problem to deal with on the way out of the door, for certain, but Seraphina doesn’t have the foresight, evidentally, to have thought of trip wires. Alas! Down the stairs she starts, ordering Matias, “Cat form, engage!” She intends to run as fast as she can with the cat clinging for dear life, likely.
And thus Tessa having spoke so much but said… maybe a lot, maybe a little, who is to say what that language was Maria and she spoke… and Seraphina and Catias depart One Tower back to the Modeling Agency that is the Illusium court and back to New Haven. As far as points go Seraphina got the whole kit and kaboodle but Tessa has a treat of her own and Matias well Matias has the greatest gift of all… A shoulder ride back and no need to do anything. Cat life.