Tricks of the Trade (Kenji)

[Zuka]

August 1st (date will come later once I figure it out but it's pre anything on this board.)

Checking to make sure no one was behind her the young woman ducked into a alley way once she was sure the coast was clear, as she walked she passed by a puddle and caught her reflection. She didn’t look too out of place she thought. Zuka had taken to wearing the Earth Kingdom colors, it allowed her to blend in better if she had to duck into a crowd and she didn’t wear anything too flashy: just a pair of brown gaucho like pants, a green sleeveless cropped top with a pair of matching flat shoes and her hair pulled up and back. It was plain enough and didn’t draw attention, unlike some of her colleagues that liked to flaunt their affiliation with the Rat Vipers. But, just because she blended in didn’t mean her reputation didn’t precede her and she had taken a few unnecessary turns on her way here today to ditch a possible tail and she didn’t want to waste any time in letting them catch up to her.

Arriving at the door she was looking for Zuka looked behind her once more to check that the coast was clear and slipped inside, walking up the steps inside the dark building toward the roof. She was supposed to be meeting Kenji here to give him information on the next job the vipers wanted him to take and they never met in the same spot twice, call it paranoia but when things became habit was when people got caught and so far neither of them had gotten locked up or caught and Zuka planned on keeping it that way. As she reached the top of the stairs to the door that opened to the roof Zuka tried to push it open but neglect had sealed it shut. The building, which at one time had been in development low income apartments now stood half finished and abandoned thanks to the company having gone bankrupt, which, was why Zuka picked it; it was out of the way and people usually stayed clear of it.

Trying the door handle once more and pushing on it with no luck, Zuka sighed and turned to her side and lowered her shoulder, ramming the door a few times with it to get it to open. Finally, after the third one the rusty metal door creaked open and she stepped into the roof top and looked around and saw no sign of Kenji. Seeing as she beat him here Zuka shut the door behind her and walked around the rooftop a little to see if he was waiting anywhere for her. After making a round and with no sign of him she leaned up against the wall near the door and waited, and waited..and waited….

He was late.

Zuka herself had barely gotten here on time but now, twenty minutes had passed and no sign of him. Maybe he had been caught in the act. Kenji seemed better than that but who knows, eventually they all would go down for something, that was why the Vipers had kept her around at first. It was always ‘Zana do this, Zana do that, go pick this up for us’ just so they had someone to take the fall for them if she slipped up. Even now, after having gained their trust and moved up within their ranks it wasn’t much different. Sure, they trusted her more and didn’t give her the crappy errands like they used too but it was still very much the same. Whenever they needed something delivered or picked up it was always ‘get Zana to do it’ Zuka didn’t mind too much thou, everyone had to start somewhere and she knew what was at stake if she was caught which made her a particaully good runner.

”Maybe his luck ran out.” Zuka said out loud to herself. She had long since moved from leaning against the wall to sitting on the ground against the wall with her knees bent up and her arms folded over them. Well, that sucked..if that was what happened at least. She had grown to like him, he was a pain in the ass but that was besides the point. With a large sigh Zuka rested her head back against the brick of the wall as she looked up at the mid day sky. She would give him a few more minutes and then she was leaving

[Kenji]

He was well aware he was late but he didn't particularly care. The Triads didn't  pay him for his punctuality they paid him because, in his humble opinion, hewas hands down the best thief operating in Omashu, so they could afford to wait a little if they wanted the job done right. He was dressed as he always was in light, dark, maneuverable clothes, a dark green jacket over that, good for the work he did.  He arrived at the meeting place soon enough and as he  put his hands on the building ,an earthen glove formed around one hand and then another as he then scaled the building. Two earthen boots forming on his feet as it aided his climbing as he moved quicker than most would move on the ground, making his way quickly towards the roof. As he got  to the edge of the roof he discreetly looked over and saw that there was indeed someone waiting for him. A familiar face in fact. He silently got up onto the roof and waited for a moment to make his entrance,

Maybe his luck ran out

"Funny thing about luck," Kenji said as he stepped forward coming up from behind her " I've found when you make your own, it rarely runs out. But then than again that's just me." He casually gestured up with his hands as two flat pillars came up a short distance from each other as Kenji sat down on one of them " Sorry I'm late , but contrary to the rumors the Rat Vipers try and spread I don't work for them exclusively and well time is money."

He stretched languidly " So what's the job, Z?"

[Zuka]

Her fingers drummed across her knee as he patience grew increasingly thin with each passing moment. Alright, that was it. She may be a glorified errand girl but that didn't mean she didn't have her own things to do other than sit on top of this dirty rooftop waiting for somehow for all she knew was being carted off to jail. Zuka had made up her mind and as the words left her mouth she heard a voice from behind her and she rolled her head to the side so she could look at who the voice belonged to.

Your late she told him flatly, not that he didn't already know that but she wanted to make her point (and her annoyance) known. Pushing herself up and to her feet Zuka dusted off her backside and crossed her arms. You can't always rely on luck you know, even the luck you create. She didn't understand these types, the ones that were so nonchalant about everything and that just rolled with the flow. Maybe it was just her and where she came from but Zuka liked plans, she liked knowing exactly what she was doing and how she was going to do it... Not to say that she couldn't work on the fly but it always just worked so much smoother when you had a plan.

You know them, they like to talk. The vipers really were more talk than anything else, they had their hands in a lot of pots but it was nothing compared to some of the other Triads out there. When Kenji asked about the job Zuka pulled a piece of paper from her pocket some rich family from Gaoling is showcasing a "priceless antique" in the city and they want it. You'll get your usual cut, and if you can do it without causing a fuss they will throw in a bonus. The artifact was priceless and many collectors wanted it for their own and the Vipers had people lined up to buy this antique from them but it needed to be done fast and before anyone noticed it was missing, which was why they were willing to pay extra for the job if he could pull it off.

Zuka held the paper between her two fingers and held it out for Kenji to take, it had all the information he would need to know about the job but, before he could take it she snatched her hand back. When are you going to teach me these things? She asked him, abruptly changing the subject and holding the paper hostage. Zuka had been on Kenjis case for weeks now to teach her. She wanted to know how to pick locks and crack safes and things of that nature and while she knew she couldn't do everything he did it didn't hurt to ad those things to her resume. Eventually he was going to have to crack, he would get tired of her asking and pestering..it was just a matter of time.

[Kenji]

When are you going to teach me these things?

It required a great deal of strength for him not to groan aloud as he heard her ask for what had to be the fifteenth time the same question. He had always come up with various answers to why and it was fun to see her flustered.

" How's the first of never sound for you?" he retorted before holding his hands up and continuing " To do what I do takes patience, talent, and a cool head. You have to be able to keep your head in the game even knowing that all it takes is one false slip or one wayward couple crashing in the room looking to find a quiet moment alone to get you caught. You have to be able to keep going even as you know that guards are closing in, and keep the focus on the prize."

He shrugged and with a small chuckle said " Quite frankly this is just not how you operate, it's not your fault...mostly. You learn from Triads and with all due respect, Triads give other criminals bad names. Not that you really are much of a criminal." He said closing the distance between them as he went off a hunch he had about her for some time " Not a born one that's for sure.....so that means eventually you'll get bored and then hightail it back to whatever farm or tea shop you came from, and  if I taught you these skills then they would just go to waste."

He closed the distance a little more as he looked her dead in the eye " ..and last but not least  as a wise person once told me, if your good at something you don't  do it for free, now I make more than you, so there is so very little that I could think of that you could offer me that would be fair compensation, so nice try, but like the man said...."

He then paused as his hand moved from the side and up with a quick motion as he deftly  snagged the paper " No cigar! No unless you have a counter offer this time, then do what you do best and run along and try and come up with one by the time the job is done."  he said as he sat back down his focus now on the details of the is particular heist.

[Zuka]

"How's the first of never sound to you?"

"Oh come on!" Zuka protested, throwing her arms up in exasperation. What was it going to take to get this guy to cave in? She knew she had been annoying but apparently she had not been annoying enough so maybe next time she would have to really lay in on thick. She thought she could see his shoulders fall when she asked him this time so it had to be getting to him at least a little bit.

As he stood and came toward her she watched him and glared. Thieves always thought they were a cut above the rest of them, he wasn't the only one she worked with but he was also the only one that hadn't been caught so..she supposed that would go to a persons head but Kenji. He was so high on his horse that he would need a sky bison to get down. "We're in the same game, Kenji. We just play it differently." she said, her temper starting to flare a little. Zuka hated hated when people didn't take her seriously. She was out there just as much as the rest of them, she had gotten her hands plenty dirty like the rest of them but still it was like she was just playing dress up and they all expected her to run back home one day..something Kenji made painfully clear. Did she really seem like a farm girl to him? That was a first but she was getting off track here.

Hey! Zuka protested when he snatched the paper from her hand and went to sit back down. She crossed her arms and stood there glaring daggers at him. Stupid boy thought he was better than her, thought she was just some simple farm girl looking for excitement...

She was a nobles daughter she could have gone anywhere and done anything she wanted, doors would have opened for her and people would have thrown themselves at her feet.
She had more money than he would ever see in his lifetime, me high and mighty would never be able to get through her door.....

"That's it."

Zuka's eyes lit up as realization hit her hard, it was like lightning had struck her. She did have something to offer him in exchange and he would be stupid not to take it, especially for a job like this.

"That's it." she said again, dropping her arms and turning toward him and stepping closer. Ok Mr. Hotshot, you want a fair trade? Fine. I've got something I can teach you that you won't get anywhere else. If you teach me I will teach you high society etiquette.. Zuka waited a minute for the inevitable laughter that was going to come from her offer, and sure, it might sound ridiculous right now but she would let him get that out of his system first before she went on and explained why he needed it and why he would want it and just how valuable it could be.

[Kenji]

As she surprised him a little bit and made her counter offer he could feel it building his chest. He tried to keep it bottled in as long as he could but it slipped out just the same.

"Ha. Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahahahahahaha."

The laughter continued for some time after as it poured form his mouth, until finally he had to catch his breath. He sat back down and chuckled some more, although in the back of his head there were puzzle pieces slowly clicking. He had known for some time that she wasn't from around here, and  she lacked the understanding of desperation to be from any  lower household or to have been on the run for very long. His money was personally on a merchant house if he had to guess, but he  aimed lower to see if he could provoke a reaction and much to his surprise he had.

Now there was an offer on the table that...though he'd never admit it, he realized that he might need someday. He could pass well enough but at the end of the day, he was Middle Ring at best, and anything more he couldn't fake realistically. So she had finally came up with something that was worth it.

...of course that didn't men he wasn't going to make her work for it.

"Okay hahaha, lets say for a few minutes that I do believe you, which is saying a lot. Here's the first lesson rookie, trust but verify. So you say you can walk the upper crust walk, I say prove it."

[Zuka]

Annnnnd, there it was. Zuka waited for him to get it all out of his system so she stood there while he chuckled himself out.

"Laugh it up" she thought but she knew that this was her ticket to her "education". The Rat Vipers had taught her a lot but they were all about in your face confrontation, which, to be honest Zuka was fine with but she knew you needed more than that and she knew that this gang wasn't going to last much longer. She may not come from the streets but she was not stupid, the vipers way of doing things were not the most productive in the grand scheme but, they were merely a stepping stone to bigger and better things and having this little knowledge in her back pocket would come as a great benefit she was certain.

After what seemed to her like a acceptable amount of time to let the whole thing pass she rolled her eyes when Kenji kept at it and she was quickly becoming annoyed but...eventually he calmed down enough to speak and she had to stop herself from smirking. Fine Zuka had been hoping that he would say something like that because she already had a plan.

These types always like to flaunt what they have, like to show off to the rest of the rich and whenever they showcase something like this there is always a private preview gala. She had been to plenty of those back home. Whenever one of her mothers friends came back from travel abroad with some fancy new trinket they just had to show it off to everyone, give some story about how rare it was and how much money they paid for it. It was how they maintained their own hierarchy, even among the rich and powerful there was always going to be someone with more money and more oppturnities. It was pathetic really and she never in a million years would have guessed that all those long, boring hours spent in manners training would have actually paid off.

I will make you a bet, we gate crash and if you can get in alone...well, then I will drop the subject. But, if you can't get in and I can? Well then, you teach me and I teach you. No tricks, no breaking in the back way. Through the front door, pass the guards and in front of all the guest. Zuka knew that if he tried to even approach the door that they would stop him. He didn't have the air about him..Kenji may be full of himself but he wasn't rich and full of himself. That was a whole different animal, he didn't walk like them, move like them, talk...

Deal? Zuka was already planning on what she needed to do and was excited about the whole prospect...who'd a thunk she would ever be excited to jump back into that world?

[Kenji]

An interesting wager, and almost fair, however as Keni considered it he had something far better in mind. A small smile spread across his face as he said " This shoud be as much a test for me as it is for you. So here's the game. We gatecrash, but you go first, I'll even give you a ten minute headstart. If you can manage to case the place and find the best way to break in before I get in, then you win. If I get in before you can figure it out, then I win. I'll go in the front door, no side entrances or back doors, but in turn you have to have  a full and complete plan to break in in order to win."

He then held up the paper and showed off their target. A dark colored egg shaped saphire known as the "Serpents Egg" and it's twin a dark colored egg shaped ruby known as the "Dragons Egg." He then held out his hand as he said " It's four hours till sundown, we split up for now and meet in the upper levels at sundown and the game is on. Do we have a deal...to all the terms?"
he asked as he held out his hand for Zuka to shake if she agreed.

[Zuka]

Dammit... was all she could think . Zuka had thought that she had found her way in, that she could finally have something that he didn't have but no. No, of course not. Kenji had to twist this and make it a challenge to her. How was she supposed to do this? She wasn't a thief she didn't know the first thing about this but Zuka also knew that if she tried to talk him out of it that he would just as easily walk away and her chance went out the window. So, it was either suck it up and figure this out or try her luck on someone else. Too bad there wasn't anyone else to ask.

Great.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out Zuka put her hand in his in agreement. What was she getting herself into? She was certain that if things went south somehow he would leave her in his dust and then where would she be? But, guess that was the risk she had to take.

Fine. Zuka took her hand back and started forming list in her head of all she would need to do for tonight. She had a lot of cleaning and polishing up to do now on top of worrying about how she was going to pull this off. Lets see what you got, Hot Shot.. Spirits help her.

[Kenji]

A smile slowly spread over his features as he said " You have no idea." With a small chuckle he got up and rolled up the paper as he concluded " There's a fountain with three badgermoles on it, towards the upper part of the city. It's not far from the party and out of the way enough to meet up without any suspicion." With that he smirked and casually stepped off the roof as he said "See you at sundown." He calmly plummeted down as he formed and earthen glove that help slow his fall until he came to a leisurely stop at the bottom of the building. Once he was down though he was off and moving. He had four hours to prepare, it was tight time frame for what he had planned but if it worked....

...well that would be something special.

 Four hours later

Kenji sat on the ledge that surrounded the fountains edge as he waited. The sun had gone down and the electric lights were clicking on for the night. He was dressed in a dark suit, that while no doubt well tailored, was clearly steps down from the area of town he was in. Not that there was anyone to notice right now, this fountain may have been a small tourist trap during the day, but at night the only people that came here were necking teenagers.

Fortunately none were here right now as he continued to wait.

"Gonna be pissed if she chickened out." he muttered to himself.

[Zuka]

Fine she said curtly. Spirits this was such a mistake, she could feel it in her bones. Thou, she supposed that if for whatever reason she ended up in jail tonight she could always pull the "do you know who I am" card because Zuka was sure her family would do everything in their power to make that problem go away as quickly and quietly as possible but....she'd rather not go there.

When Kenji stepped off the ledge she turned and left the same way she came in and exited the building and headed toward her small apartment. There was much work to be done. But first, she had to let the Vipers know that Kenji had taken the job.

Once she returned to her apartment every settling everything with the Triad and telling them that she was taking the rest of the night Zuka quickly went to work on what she needed to do. Going through her closet she realized that nothing she had with her would pass for tonight. Sure, there was the Fire Nation dress that she has brought with her as a "just in case" but that would make her stick out far too much; red in a sea of green and brown would stick out like a sore thumb and that was not what she wanted which meant she would have to go get something more suitable.

Sighing heavily Zuka looked at her nightstand to the book that she has hallowed out where she kept her emergency cash, she supposed this qualified as a emergency....and it wasn't like there wasn't enough there but, she'd rather not spend it but, what choice did she really have? Going to the book she pulled out a wad of yuans and left her apartment and headed for downtown Omashu.

After finding a suitable emerald green and gold trimmed dress for the night and a few other things Zuka returned home and set to work, bathing, dressing and styling herself to pass as a Earth Kingdom socialite and after about almost 2 hours she was done. Giving herself a once over in her mirror Zuka quickly practiced her Earth Kingdom formal greeting. She had caught herself trying to do the Fire Nation flame greeting more than once and she wanting to make sure this foreign one came naturally tonight. Once she was sastified Zuka slipped on a pair of shoes that she could run in (thankfully her dress was long enough to cover her feet) grabbed a few things special for tonight,stuck them in a small clutch and left her home.

It wasn't long after sundown when Zuka strolled up to their meeting place, coming the opposite direction behind Kenji just in time to hear him speak. Dont get your hopes up she stepped around the fountain and got a good look at him. He looked respectable...which was a surprise but he still didn't look quite right. Your not getting rid of me that easily She told him, she was determined to see this through.

[Kenji]

As he heard the voice behind him, he turned around

huh....well.

Whatever clever retort he had a minute ago died in his mouth as he saw her. She cleaned up nice, really nice, nicer than he anticipated. However he then became acutely aware of the lack of words that were coming out of his mouth. He recovered quickly enough though as he smirked and let a low wolf whistle as he chuckled and said " Well, aren't you just full of surprises, keep this up and you may just win after all."

He gave a mocking bow and then gestured up with his head as he said " Well we don't have all night, let's get going." He turned and lead the way. He remained quiet for the brief jaunt through the streets, deep in his own thoughts, until he paused and briefly stopped down an alley and waited for Zuka.

In the relative alleyway seclusion he then pointed ahead and said " The....let's call it an estate, is ahead. Plenty of high class people and plenty of guards. Per our agreement, you have a ten minute head start ahead of me, but don't forget it's not just enough to get in, you also need to figure out a way to break in and steal the targets before I get in. So without further ado let the games begin and may the best," he smirked "person win."

He gestured and said " Ladies first." as he leaned against the alley wall and waited for his turn, whistling a tune to himself absentmindedly

[Zuka]

For a moment it seemed he forgot what he was doing, like his brain had clicked off for a second and Zuka was going to make a comment but before she could even open her mouth he was back to his usual self and it was quickly forgotten. As he whistled at her Zuka rolled her eyes well soak it in because you wont see this again. At least not unless another job called for it. When Kenji turned and started walking toward their destination she followed, keeping quiet since he seemed to be doing the same. That was fine with her, Zuka had her own things to think about, like how she was going to pull this all off in ten minutes.

When he came to a stop she did as well and looked to where he pointed. Well, this was it, time to put up or shut up. Taking a deep breath Zuka squared her shoulders back to prepare.. this was going to be unpleasant, in more ways than one. You know, I really cant wait to see the look on your face when I pull this off. She said in her most confidant, for sure tone. Even if she was doubting herself and her ability to do this she was getting really tired of his little taunts and teasing besides...she had a back up plan should things go south for her.

Giving him one last pointed look Zuka looked to her destination and started walking toward the party. It was time to make him eat his words.

(I figure her next post is going to be a long one so I thought I'd break it up so its not overly long.)

[Kenji]

Kenji gave a mock saute as she went off, as he took a coin out of his pocket and casually flipped it up into the air as he caught it and then flipped it again. as he chuckled softly and began the clock in his head.

From the moment she had mentioned it he had known she was right, even more so he realized that just by himself he couldn't talk his way past the guards. However just because he was limited by an upbringing he couldn't fake, didn't mean that he couldn't work around that. Which is why he organized this little wager in the first place. He was sure that  she imagined that this was a way for her to prove she  had some skills, and a test for her. In a way it was, after all, by the end of tonight he would she if she could adapt or whether she would crack under the pressure.

However what she didn't know was that he didn't even need her to figure out a plan,he just needed for her to get in the door.Then the real game would begin. He flipped the coin as he mentally prepared himself for what was going to come next as in his head the clocked ticked away the seconds

[Zuka]

It was easy for Zuka to fall back into her swing of things, the straight back, squared shoulders, the stuck up walk, the head held high in a sense of entitlement. She fell right back into the act like she had never left it, wouldn’t her mother be so proud..

It didn't take long for her to reach the front gate of the estate or to see the small crowd that was shuffling in past the large, sharply dressed men posted at the door which were no doubt there to keep unwanted gate crashers away. Her eyes scanned over the people gathered, there were small groups of people dotted around the entrance, some were chatting and laughing loudly while others were speaking in more hushed tones that clearly showed they did not want to be bothered. If she was going to have any luck with this she was going to have to find the right people. She was on a schedule after all and didn’t really have time to go in like she had originally planned.

As she continued to get closer and closer brown eyes kept scanning the crowd until she spotted her ticket in. To the left and not far behind her was a small group of mid 20 and 30 somethings, the men were obviously very well off and looked to be high on the social ladder but the women with them..they were climbers: arm candy and trophy girlfriends and they were exactly the people she needed because they would jump at the chance to make new and influential friends. Quickening her pace slightly Zuka got in front of the group and walked up to the door with purpose and stopped at the entrance when she was asked to give her name.

Ila Khoh. Zuka answered, giving the sur name of a Earth Kingdom girl she had once known and whos family was involved in the mining business in Ba Sing Se and who was very, very wealthy.

The guard at the door searched a list for the name and glared at her when he could not find it.

Sorry m’am, but you’re not on the guest list.

And so began the act. Zuka had put on a very large scene, telling the man to check again and asking if he knew who she was, who her family was, asking how hard was it to find a name on a list…and so on. Belittling people like that was never pleasant in her view and as the words left her mouth she regretted them but, it was part of the lifestyle. People like this talked down to those below them, they were better and more deserving than others according to their own twisted sense of self worth and she was sure that this man was used to it.

Her targets had now come up behind her and it didn’t take long for one of the men to ask if there was a problem.

Yes. This….man doesn’t seem to realize just who I am. He doesn’t realize who my family is. She ranted on and on, giving her story about being a cousin of the Khoh family and how she was visiting from Ba Sing Se and how she was assured by Jin Khoh himself that her name would be on the list.

As soon as she dropped the name Zuka could see one of the women’s eyes light up. Obviously she knew who Jin Khoh was and what he was worth because she quickly piped up ”Why don’t you come in with us, I’m sure this was just a miscommunication we would be honored to have you join us.

Zuka tried not to smirk because they were eating right out of her palm, instead she smiled and bowed at them. that would be most kind of you, you are the first hospitality I’ve received since I’ve gotten into this dreadful city The woman that had offered to include Zuka into their group unlinked arms with her date and in turn linked them with Zuka as she led her inside, eager to make such a well connected friend. As the two women passed by the guard Zuka side glanced him before turning her nose up and began chatting away with the woman.

Well, now she was inside, but the real challenge was about to begin.

(meh, this is not at all what I wanted to do for this but it is the only thing I could get out so….at least its something :/)