[complete/semi-closed] I know it happened again, It's manic

[godofcologne]

Characters: Thomas, Maxxie, John Sheppard
Location: Around the Institute
Time: Post-Zombies; December 23, night
Content: Skulking. Innuendoing. Shenanigans. Breaking and Entering. Plots.
Format: Prose or action, either works.
Warnings: What part of "Thomas + Maxxie + Shenanigans" doesn't sound like a warning?

Comments

[feltnothing]

It was an unfortunate night for Thomas, because going out for a smoke was exactly what Maxxie had decided to do. He had been smoking a lot lately. It was probably due to the serious lack of parties he had been attending - and the serious lack of something else he had been getting. Yes, Maxxie was a little frustrated in that area of his life, but he decided quickly to put that out of his mind.

The spliff he had been smoking was done, so he threw the last few millimetres on the ground and stepped on it as he turned back toward the Institute, letting out a heavy sigh. It was cold out; he had to pull his jacket a little tighter. He was just going to go around back and slip into his dorm quietly, but as he got a little closer he saw a figure moving around close too the walls.

"Hey!" he called. Not too loud, but loud enough to get the guy's attention. He wasn't suspicious just yet, but the way this person was moving was a little strange. Most students were less curious about their sneaking after curfew.

[godofcologne]

Swallowing a curse under his breath, Thomas reviewed his options. Ducking into the bushes was not going to work, not when he'd already been spotted. And running was probably just going to cause more trouble. He sighed, then squared his shoulders and turned around at the sound of the voice. "Hello?" he called back, catching sight of the figure that had seen him.

The scent of tobacco told him Thomas' luck really was just that bad. "Someone there?"

[feltnothing]

"Yeah," Maxxie replied, getting a little closer. He looked around to see if anyone was on watch, and then turned his attention back on the figure, squinting to try and see if he recognized him. He assumed it was another kid out after curfew. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm not gonna tell on you or anything."

The guy didn't look familiar in the tiny amount of light he had from the windows, but Maxxie knew there were still students at the school he had barely met. He wasn't too worried just yet, but something was telling him the situation was a little weird.

[godofcologne]

The faint light was enough for Thomas to see by, with the help of his abilities, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was one of the students. One who seemed to think he was one as well. No harm in that, at least. Thomas ran a hand through his hair and stepped out of the shadows, nodding at the kid who'd caught him as if this sort of thing happened every day.

"Appreciate it," he answered with a grin. He gestured vaguely at the grass. "Smoke break or you one of those look at the stars and moon about true love types?"

Part 2: Breaking and Entering

[godofcologne]

After leaving Maxxie with his phone number hastily scrawled on the young man’s thigh, Thomas had managed to make his way by sheer trial and error (with a heaping helping of luck) to the offices wing. Once there, it wasn’t hard to find Lara’s office, through the lock did require some effort to pick. Slipping his lockpicks back into the pocket of his jacket, Thomas slipped into the office, closing the door behind him all the way.

The office was meticulous, and full of little knick knacks and executive toys, but Thomas made for the laptop computer, turning it on and eyeing the door impatiently as it booted up. When it prompted him for a password, Thomas plugged in a small flash drive, the contents of which were highly illegal, and watched as the laptop’s screen flickered and symbols began scrolling along as the code inside his flash drive began decrypting Lara’s laptop and copying over information.

A few seconds passed and the screen stopped flickering. It blinked bright red for a second before a message appeared:

[godofcologne]

Cheap desks were cheap desks, and the lock came open with little effort. Inside, he found exactly what he had been hoping for. File folders of students, all marked with his sister’s neat, flowing script. He skimmed them, setting aside the ones with the most handwritten notes on them to photograph, when a name written in the margins caught his attention:

Mother: Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay

Thomas knew that name, knew it from a painting in his father’s house, knew the face that wore the name from faint memories. What was his mother doing in these files? Were these files about him? Hungrily, his task forgotten, Thomas’ eyes roamed the page, and with every word his heart pounded a little harder. Contrary to his initial guess, the file wasn’t about him, but it might as well had been, given how it suddenly changed everything

[fairerthandeath]

When you're breaking into a place like Xavier, being that engrossed in something isn't exactly the best of ideas. The light to the office flicks on, and John's leaning in the doorway frowning at you.

"You know, we do have a security system around here. And it just so happens we have security staff too. You get 5/10 for effort."

[godofcologne]

The speed with which Thomas leapt up when the light flicked on, as well as the way his hand reached for the back of his waistband, belied his training in the law-optional lifestyle, but the fact that he visibly calmed himself showed a certain amount of intelligence beyond the thug's usual 'run away really really fast'. "Not bad, that's almost passing," he answered easily, slowly lowering his hand from where it had gone to reach for the weapon he usually carried (which he'd had the forethought of leaving a half mile from the Institute).

The gesture allowed Thomas the moment necessary to palm the memory card from his camera, secreting it away. That done, he raised his hands, showing them empty except for the camera that dangled from his wrist. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"