Rosalie took a breath and tried to follow Vincent, tried to copy his perfect stealthy cat-like movements through the dark, but she was no sneak-thief.  She tried desperately to be as quiet as a mouse, to even think quietly.  Perhaps it was her nervousness about breaking into the building in the first place, or perhaps she was paying more attention to what was ahead rather than was was underfoot.  Either way, she failed miserably.


18:53, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 100 using 1d100 with rolls of 100.  Stealth (60).

When he heard the noise behind him, Moretti stood, positioning himself so he would be the first person seen if the back door was opened. He motioned for Rosalie and Cotton to move to the opposite side of the doorway, where they might escape being immediately noticed.

Quickly retrieving his flask, he splashed some of the liquor it held onto his face. Returning it, he dropped his right hand into his coat pocket, slipping his fingers into the brass knuckles he carried there.

[Keeper Post]

Tommy winced as Rosalie dropped her flashlight, it clattering on the ground loudly into the silent night, but he took that moment as an opportunity to run towards the building, following Vincent's furious gestures to wait on the opposite side of the back door.



OOC:

Stealth: 51

20:03, Today: The Keeper, on behalf of Thomas Cotton, rolled 51 using 1d100 with rolls of 51.  Stealth (80).

Rosalie snatched up her flashlight, silently cursing herself for being so clumsy.  Taking Tommy's lead, she scurried after, trying to make it to the side of the building before the guard was drawn to a window and could see them.  Gasping for breath once she reached the door, she fumbled for a moment with her bag.

Heart beating quicker now the reporter motioned for Rosalie to stand close by, tight to the wall with himself between the woman and the door. Unconsciously he held his breath as he looked up over his shoulder to scan the windows behind them for the telltale flash of the guard's torch.

Around them almost imperceptible tendrils of grey mist floated into the cold winter air as the trio waited in silence.

ooc
07:52, Today: Thomas Cotton rolled 91 using 1d100 with rolls of 91.  Spot hidden vs 70.

OOC:

• Rosalie, give me a Luck roll.

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Thu 05 Jan 2017.

No luck!

07:32, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 92 using 1d100 with rolls of 92.  Luck (80).

Vincent waited at the door, but heard no sound from the other end. Half a minute passed with no result. A full minute after Rosalie dropped her flashlight, there was still no response from within the Foundation.

---

OOC:

Alright, your failed Stealth and Luck give him a Listen roll, since he's at the other end of the building:

08:51, Today: The Keeper rolled 73 using 1d100 with rolls of 73.  Listen 55.

So no good for him.

Moretti let out a slow, even breath. Moving to the door, he eased it open a quarter of the way, peering down the hallway for any sign of movement.

Down the hallway there's no sign of movement. The furthest end of the hallway at the other end of the building is lit, the light fading gradually towards the back door where Vincent peeked in. As his eyes adjust to the darkness he can see that immediately to his right there was the a staircase. A few feet further in on either side of the hallway there was an open door.

Rosalie sighed with relief after those long minutes of waiting, fearing that she'd bungled it all.  "So very sorry," she whispered, feeling quite embarrassed.  Peering inside, she gestured to the hall.  "Gavigan's office is just there.  We should have a look there first." 

Moretti smiled. "Non preoccuparti, Rosalie," he replied quietly, "We didn't get caught. And that's all that matters. No harm done."

Nodding in agreement with her suggestion, he advanced quietly down the corridor to the door that led to the waiting area for Gavigan's office. When he reached it, he carefully tried the knob with a gloved hand.

OOC: Let me know if a Stealth roll (or any other roll) is needed, Keeper.

Tommy smiled and gave Rosalie a wink. Instead of replying out loud he lifted a finger to his lips in a silent 'shhh' motion as his eyes twinkled under the dim yard lamp. Break-ins were exciting business.

Following the other two into the building the reporter carefully pulled the outer door closed behind them. His gloved palm muffled the beam of his flashlight as Tommy peered into the pair of open doors; if the rooms were dark and unoccupied he would risk briefly stepping inside each to see what the rooms held. Afterall, ff the alarm was sounded later it would do no harm to have some idea where to hide...and who knew where that mirror might be stashed.

ooc: does the staircase go up or down?

---

OOC:

For reference, I'm going to say it's about 12:35 now (12:30 being when the guard did his last hourly round of the building, meaning you should expect the same at 1:30). 

Let's have another Stealth roll now to cover the next ten minutes. I'm going to abstract it such that a successful roll will cover whatever you guys do within 10 minutes, after which I'll ask for another Stealth roll, etc.

Vincent, you have Advantage in this situation.

Tommy: The staircase that you see near the back door leads upwards.

Rosalie followed Vincent, resting one hand on his shoulder as he paused.  This time, she made sure to have a good grip on her flashlight, which she'd switched off, and moved slowly to keep her boots from making any noise.  Chewing on her lower lip, she threw an uneasy glance at the guard station down the hall, afraid they might be seen in the shadowed hall.


20:14, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 58 using 1d100 with rolls of 58.  Stealth (60).

When he reached the door, Moretti's eyes flicked back to Cotton. He watched briefly as the reporter scouted the other doorways, finding himself thankful for the young man's thoroughness and courage.

Returning his attention to the door, he felt Rosalie's hand on his shoulder. For an instant, a flush of self consciousness rose in him, a sudden desire for her, of all people, not to see him about this business which he had become so skilled at since his youth, to see him as educated and cultured, like the others in seeking answers about Jackson, not as the paltry sneak thief that he was.

Snapping his focus back to the present, he turned the knob to the waiting room door, slowly pushing it open, careful to keep the motion as quiet as possible. He paused, taking a moment to look for movement at the other end of the hallway, then led the way inside.

23:17, Today: Vincent Moretti rolled 25 using 1d100 with rolls of 25.  Stealth - Stealth 80%.

When Vincent went for the doorknob, he found it wasn't there as he had expected it to be. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he found that the door was open. In fact, it struck him that the doors to the all the entrances he had seen so far had been left open, and that this is likely what allowed the guard to make such an efficient hourly patrol of the building.

Instead, they were able to simply walk into the waiting room without having to contest with a door. The room was narrow and long, sporting only a secretary's desk on his right, and to his left against the wall were a few chairs where people might presumably wait. Directly ahead, another door opened into the area Rosalie had indicated was Gavigan's office.

Rosalie followed Vincent in through the waiting area, then headed through to Gavigan's door and tried the knob.  Did he keep anything in his office worth locking up?

As Rosalie approached Gavigan's office, Moretti remained just inside the waiting area, keeping watch on the hallway, listening for the watchman to resume his circuit through the building. When Cotton had finished checking the other open doorways, Moretti tried to catch the reporter's attention, motioning for him to join Rosalie so he could assist her in her search.

While the others hurried through the shadows Tommy glanced in each of the open doors at the head of the corridor where they had entered. His flashlight danced briefly over whatever the rooms held before he hurried to join Roaslie in the office.


Ooc
I think Tommy took a peek in the first 2 doors briefly in msg 22. Only to see what the rooms generally are (stacked up with stuff for the yard? Library archives? Store rooms? Canteen etc?).

17:55, Fri 06 Jan: Thomas Cotton rolled 46 using 1d100 with rolls of 46.  Stealth.

When Rosalie went for the knob again, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found that the door was open wide, just as had been the previous door. She realized that this would be the only way the single guard could make as efficient a patrol of the building as he had. If he had to continually close and lock each door, it would have been a much more troublesome, long, and laborious patrol than the one they had witnessed from outside as evidenced by the flashlight's movement through the buildng.

Evident here were the two chairs she had sat in with her uncle previously, and Gavigan's desk. Behind his desk were several closets, and along the walls were shelves that displayed various curios and relics that appeared to be of Egyptian origin on a cursory examination. The office was magnificently paneled, and like the rest of the building, it was opulently appointed. A strong, modern safe hung slightly ajar in the back corner of the room.

---

As Tommy walked in, he saw rooms to his left and his right. To his left, he saw what appeared to be an old storage room. Inside, there were many boxes and crates, old furniture, and so on. There was also an empty mummy case in poor condition laying there.

To his right, he saw a plain and undecorated room, save for a table and a couple of chairs.

---

OOC:

Yeah, I saw that. I was holding the results of your investigation hostage for everyone to post Stealth rolls. After all, what you would have been able to observe would have been markedly different if someone had accidentally raised the alarm.

Inside Gavigan's office, Rosalie began to explore.  If the safe was open, it certainly wouldn't contain the priceless mirror, but she thought the man might have some other hidden chamber within.  She checked the safe, just to make certain, and then took a tour of the other walls and furniture, seeking anything out of place or curious.


21:04, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 99 using 1d100 with rolls of 99.  Spot Hidden (55).

Keeping his own flashlight off, Moretti focused his gaze on the dark hallway, letting his eyes become adjusted to the gloom. It was a familiar position, being the lookout. It was one way he'd first earned some standing in Masseria's organization. The key was to stay focused, even when you knew the routines of the people watching a place. Schedules could change on a whim. The need for a restroom, a craving for a cigarette or a cup of coffee, anything could alter a habit. And the one time you didn't pay attention was the time you got caught.

He glanced over his shoulder, just to reassure himself that Rosalie and Tommy were well, before resuming his watch. Although he tried to disregard it, the irony of doing the same kind of work he'd done for Joe the Boss for the Elias family was inescapable. He certainly wasn't the sort you would normally invite to a social gathering of upstanding people, or even the kind that would ordinarily stay at a place like the Savoy. But when you needed work like this done, he was who you called. At least while you needed him.

OOC: Wasn't sure if these were needed, Keeper, but...

23:06, Today: Vincent Moretti rolled 33 using 1d100 with rolls of 33.  Spot Hidden - Spot Hidden 60%

23:05, Today: Vincent Moretti rolled 57 using 1d100 with rolls of 57.  Listen - Listen 25%.

As quickly as his torch flashed over the items in the rooms it was hidden again and Tommy hurried to join the others. With a silent nod to the crouched shadow of Vincent he slipped into the office with a whisper.
"Got a store room and something like a staff room back there. Mirror could be in the room on the left as you enter.".

Trusting that Vincent had their back the reporter moved into Gavigan's main office. The open doors were a boon and a curse. Nothing to block their path at least, but it made their activities in the room all the more risky. It wasn't like they could close the door behind them.

With Rosalie ahead of him already examining the safe Tommy got to work on the desk and closets.

ooc - Since Vincent insists on rolling, so do I ;)
08:13, Today: Thomas Cotton rolled 56 using 1d100 with rolls of 56.  Listen vs 65.
08:12, Today: Thomas Cotton rolled 82 using 1d100 with rolls of 82.  Spot hidden vs 70.

The safe was generally empty, save for a bundled packet of five pound notes. Otherwise, Rosalie's search was generally inefficient, not finding much of anything of interest. Tommy fared no better. 

Vincent's post was generally quiet. He could hear little from down the hall, save the occasional telltale rustling sound of a newspaper page being turned, and from within the room could only hear the soft sounds of Tommy and Rosalie moving around.