2019-07-20 - Phase 2: The Smash and Grab

Ever since the day Lilith refused to allow him to see the ring again, Byron was planning out his next move. The longer he waited, the more he feared that something would happen to the ring. That it would be stolen for what protection can this family-owned pawn shop give to something as precious at the ring. It was eating away at him, taking over his mind at the best of times. Byron felt, in a sense, that his world was crumbling all around him now. But he didn't care, as long as he could get his hands on that ring.

First of all, that Wraith of his? It's nowhere to be found anywhere near this place. In fact, he rented a generic look car and parked it across the street. He also dressed for the occasion, wearing a nondescript black hoodie, the hood pulled over his head, black pants and boots. Gloves help to keep his fingerprints off of everything he touches and a black balaclava helps to hide his handsome features.

He'd enlisted the help of a high school friend, one he knows for taking on dirty jobs such as this one.

Before they even entered the place, he waits, watching the shop with a vacant look before turning back and speaking in hushed tones to Joey, "It's empty." The first camera is evident. It's plain to see, thus easy to manipulate. "You see that one?" His chin lifts directing the other's attention to what he probably also, already noticed. "Can you do something about it? Otherwise, I can try and short it out." But that means getting close, since he can only fry things by touch.

Joey rolls a look to Byron and tilts his head, "B, I'm a people person and a box guy. I'm not an electrician. Take em out." Green eyes quint at the place and he sighs giving him teh look; that look. That pointed look that questions half the reason they're here though he's not saying it out loud. "Lilith's in trouble then huh?" He takes one last look at the place before pulling out his favourite 'lemme in' tool. from his back pocket in an old shaving case. "It bad bad? or... ya know, bad?"

"Isn't a camera just a box?" Byron says dryly as they both stand there in the shadows observing the thing. "I gotta ask, what /can/ you do?" He knows of some of Joey's abilities. The ones that other humans coming from the same mold can do, not the powers of those who shine. But even with that, he knows a few things. Still, he doesn't look overly deterred. He makes some mental calculations to see just how much leverage he'd need to be able to reach the camera. Standing just out of the way and in the camera's blind spot. He attempts a few jumps, leaning in to reach with one hand to the sky. He's barely able to touch it, despite his height. "Shit... Looks like you're up."

It's not so much a request and something that Byron expects Joey to help out with.

Joey keeps his mask fit. That's the problem with jobs in teh summer, the masks are stiffling. Wading across pavement he crouches down and says, "Chicken fight." which is all he really needs to do to convey what's up. Now he can watch him hop around like a Jack Russell, and that's hilarious, but he doesn't want to hang aorund the job more than necessary. "Hopefully, you don't find out. Lemme know when you're done, man."

This was ridiculous and it was a good thing that they were doing this in the evening, just for the fact that there'd be no one out here to see them. From behind his mask, Byron watches Joey crouch, before stepping in for the other to give him that much-needed boost, allowing him to make contact with that camera. "If we need you to use them, I'd be glad for you to show." He does't get the chance to use this particular power often, this electrokinesis. It had no practical use, to him anyway, so frying security cameras is the best thing he can do with the power. Hearing the thing short and crackle, the smoke pouring out from it, he looks satisfied that this particular camera wasn't going to give them any problems.

Joey is crouched in front of the lock and while it's not generally his mainstay he get by. Usually it's not in teh middle of the god damned dark with Byron asking him 80,000 questions. Glancing over hiss shoulder he asks curious, "You ain't ever seem me beat the shit outta a guy before? You live in a box?" It' snot like times have changed, and it's not as if that lock has changed much either. It is stuck tight. He doesn't mention this though.

While the Ring Byron could care less what happens to Lilith's window, the real Byron, no matter how crafty or ruthless, doesn't seem as if he'd abide by any of this. Nevermind that if it comes down to it, they were trashing the place, the cameras, the locks. The safe. But for now, with his ire heightened and those carousing drunks lingering so close that who knows if they'll actually meander this way to catch them there, Byron decides to take action.

This was Elm street after all and the town is filled with strays, including this small pack of roaming dogs that sniffing around the empty parking lot, looking for their next meal. Byron senses the pack, knows of their hunger. He doesn't care for these men or what happens to them, so with eyes focused on the drunks, his only thought for the dogs are to 'Attack'. There's about five of them, wandering together, each of their ears perked up at this silent command and each, no matter their size, beginning to growl and give chase to the strangers who are lingering far too close to what Thorne has planned this night. "I know of what you can do." Perhaps, not everything, but enough, he says as he watches the pack animals run, "Let's put those skills to good use, shall we."

Joey works the lock and Byron takes off. Some people do things with glimmer so damn subconsciously that they don't even notice it themselves. When everything is weird, then nothing is weird, as they say. And wouldn't it be Byron's luck the answer to his question surfaces when his attention is elsewhere; not that Joey seems to know what he's driving at. lock undone so no assholes break into her shop- oh wiat. Well when they leave. His shoulder bumps the door which is a lot like hitting a gocart with a bison. It's a love tap. He waits for Byron because heading in without lookout is rookie shit. When he catches up he lets the man lead to find this safe that's so damn dangerous.

The sound of the panicked men give Byron a peace of mind even if he can't bear witness to the fruits of his labor. It's a good thing too, both he and Joey were standing around suspiciously in their dark attire and masks that if any of them accidentally headed their way with his pants down, well. If that happened, he would've been dealt with. When he returns to Joey, he realizes that the deed was done and that they had the freedom to move on.

YES, they were that much closer to the ring. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly within his chest and he fights to restrain himself, keeping to this calm and collected demeanor as best he could. This way Byron after all. But even that mask was slowly being chipped away because, "We're so close..." He whispers beneath his breath.

Once inside, he is quick to point out, "There's a camera hidden on the bookshelf." Must be the one he was staring up into the last he was here, admiring his own reflection. "I'll see if I can knock it out of commission." He then says of the safe, "The safe itself, Lilith only knew half of the combination. Someone else had the other half, but she finagled her way using her abilities," He'll assume it was something Spiritual, since that's what he knows her for, "And got it open then."

Joey wades right over to teh safe eyeing it up and down. Now he's not a pro boxman; he's an enforcer. Were he his ex-cellmate Kyle this would be a different story. Rolling a look over his shoulder he says "Tell me you got /something/ to give me on this beast or we may be here long enough to ask her to hold the flashlight."

It's a good thing that Joey is masked, because Byron gets to the 'hidden' camera just after Joey moves for the safe. He works quickly though, removing the glove off from one of his hands so that he can get a good feel of the camera, before sending a sharp jolt through it. The result is similar to what had happened outside. All the while, he's trying to play back those numbers that Lilith was putting into it. "Try... <random digits>. Failing that <Another set of random digits>." That was only half the code too.

Joey squins at the box and runs his hand oer the dial trying to use what Byron gave to him and... The sigh says it all. It's somewhere between 'box, why can't I jsut hit you into giving me answers?' and 'B, this code is dumb.' It's a trial and error bit. On the upshot if this all goes bad it can wash out with a lot of debt, so there's that. Eh fuck it. He turns the dian and tries to, wether he's aware or not, use glimmer to feel his way around the lock, learning it and - no, not slapping it into compliance.

All that Byron can do is now watch and wait. The ring continues to call out to him. Telling him that he, and only he, must possess it. It's a difficult task to just stand there, doing nothing. If he had the power to do so, he would tear that whole safe apart. There was no need for discretion anymore. Not when he was this close. He doesn't really notice Joey there, but his eyes remain focused on the actual number bar, feeling this power sense of building anger, "...What the fuck is that god damn code." He's probably speaking to himself, his words emphasized, coming out slow, yet firm. Could he do it? Was he able to tap into the 'memories' of the safe. But what would the most prominent emotion attached to the safe be. Could he weed out other memories and emotions to pinpoint the exact memory that he needed? "Let me try something." He finally murmurs, his hand reaching to touch those numbers, trying to get a read on /something/.

That time unlocking the safe, that was before Byron was exposed to the ring this second time. He was still wary of its powers and despite asking a few others for help in researching the cursed jewelry, he was afraid of what they might unleash once the jewelry box was opened. That was almost a week ago and he was a fool then. However, the downside of this power, is that you get swept up in that very moment that you remember... feeling. Sometimes seeing.

So the anxious nervousness remains and he can see Lilith's face this close and this clearly. But the numbers! He needed those numbers! Focus. Focus. "42." He starts, "22. 16. 12." He then repeats it in the same mantra that Lilith had done back then, "42, 22, 16, 12. 42, 22, 16, 12."

Then it is gone. A moment lost to time. "Did you get that?" He asks, blinking out of his trance.

Joey mururs drily, "Yeha you're buyin me a lotto ticket." Har har. Still quick fingers start spinning the dial to force things into place nudging them where they need. "Keep a look out."

He felt as if he were imprisoned and forced to wait an eternity until release. For Byron, this release meant that he had possession of the ring and he was prepared to take it far away from here. Watching Joey try his darndest, he should be patient about it. He should be grateful that the guy's even here. But it's hard, so hard. There's this twitch of his right arm. He couldn't do this any more. He couldn't wait. Reaching for his sidearm, the one tucked at the back of his waistband, there's this urgency in his need to open that damn safe up, however, there's no cackling or muttering or anything of that nature. He watches this all with a stony expression.

Joey is seriously abotu to give up after threatening hell itself. Seriously he might have more success eating through the safe. Sucking in his cheeks he whips the damn dial around again trying just off the combo set in the other direction and-

CLICK

It gives Joey pause and his gloved hand reached for the handle. Yeha it moves and the door swings just a bit. But he gets up and stands back looking to Byron, and that sidearm he's fingering at. "I'm going home." Because the smart man doesn't look in teh damn box. Walking out he calls up, "Stick to what you came for." And don't make me collect on your ass because Felix's shit went missing. It's unspoken. True to his word he leaves the way he came in and takes and touches nthing.

Even once he hears the final click of the lock, Byron's gun remains out. It's directed to the floor, at the moment, but he's watching Joey with care. He knew that Joey wanted the ring too, but he wasn't going to let the Kelly have it. Oh no. Though he'd done the deed and had opened up the safe, if Byron had to, he was prepared to put a bullet into his friend, the one who risked al-- well, took a risk to help him.

Oddly, Joey decides to bounce, something which Byron was not expecting. Though even when the guy goes out the door in which they came and Thorne takes steps to close the distance further between himself and the safe, the firearm remains out. He was ready in the case that the Kelly kid came back.

Gripping the handle of the safe tightly, he swings the door open. The interior looked exactly as how he'd remembered. Crouching down, his image hidden behind the desk now, he crawls into the safe, reaching to move that false back and retrieve what he'd come here for.

Byron was finally going to get his hands on the prize and then he could finally rest. Finally get that much-needed sleep, knowing that the ring was safe in his hands. Then he would hock it, but he needed to find the right person to sell it to. They needed to know the true value of the ring, but he has a feeling that not many do. After all this work, all of this effort, diverting any attention away from what he this very plan, he was about to be rewarded.

But then there is nothing. It has to be a mistake. Shoveling everything within the safe out of it, he practically turns the place upside down. There's anger mixed with this madness, this frustration. "That cunt." He says in a quiet murmur. Lilith wouldn't be able to protect the ring, he had told himself. And yet here he was and the ring was nowhere to be seen.

He remains in that crouched position for a long moment, eyes staring in the darkness within that safe. It had to be /somewhere/. Finally, he rises to stand, his eyes scanning the room with care. Out of his desparation to find the ring, he begins to open up every single fucking drawer he can find. Knocking items off from the bookshelf. Practically trashing the place.

If it wasn't in the office. His eyes lifted to the ceiling. It must be upstairs.

Before he and Joey even entered the room, Byron did a mental sweep of the shop, looking for any signs of life in the form of emotion. He found nothing. During this time, he could have been distracted to notice someone going upstairs, but wouldn't they have stopped by the office? To make sure that the ring was safe? It didn't matter. He wasn't going to leave here with any stone left unturned.

There, he was right all along. There was no one here. "If not the safe, then where did she hide that fucking thing." He's vocalizing what he would normally only allow his mind to say. Making his way from out of the office, his attention is drawn towards the staircase, though he cannot help but give the rest of the darkened shop a look. It could be in one of the display cases, hidden among other trash. If it's not in the loft, he might have to tear the entire shop apart as well.

No, he'll try upstairs first, a hand reaching for the knob to find it locked. While he, himself, couldn't use his abilities to manipulate the door or the locks, he was carrying. There's no further thought put into whether firing off the revolver was a good idea or not. Would it attract attention? Would it draw the police? None of that was on his mind right now and once the lock is destroyed, he barges his way inside.

The familiarity of this place didn't ease his tension. Not in the state that he's in. The longer that Byron was without the ring, the more that he wanted it. He desired it. Tonight was supposed to be the night that he could finally hold it again and that moment was ripped away from him because of that stupid bitch. Fueled with blind fury, it's a wonder how he can contain that anger and rage when desperation continues to push him forward.

No stone left unturned. He doesn't see objects here. Just obstacles. While he doesn't work himself into a mad frenzy, he takes a callous approach to this destruction. Very much like a cat knocking every single fucking thing off the shelves with this aloof heir. Even Dog is tossed aside in the pile that was being created on the floor.

Yes. Where the hell was Lilith. She should have been back by now. When he'd set this up, he made sure that Lilith was away from the shop before he and Joey had arrived. At the time, he didn't need anyone to try and stop him, but he was lost now. Uncertain as to where to look next. The loft was a disaster area. He'd searched the refrigerator, the oven. He ever dumped out the sugar, flour and anything else kept in a random jar or box. The only place left to look was the actual store front and he looks to be heading that way, making his way towards the stairs, but it's eating at him now.

Where was Lilith? Only then does he decide to pause in his path of chaos. Unlike whoever destroyed Joseph Michael's room back at the Apartments, Byron took no pleasure in this. Instead, he grew more enraged when his searching turns up nothing.

Out comes his phone. With the recent murder at the Bayside Apartments, he's racked up quite the number of text messages and voice mail messages and emails. In fact, he goes searching through them, looking for one name, one voice. She hadn't tried to contact him since they last spoke. So it was he who had to reach out to her now.

He won't try to call her and instead sends out another few messages, asking if she were alright. Byron was good at what he does, leaving out any desperate 'tone' from his messages, though his final one sent, the one asking if she were okay, then letting her know that she can always reach out to him if she needed someone to talk to, that one he carefully cobbled up to fill his words with concern and care.

He wore no fancy expensive watch to this mission, so there was no tell-tale sign of who he was, if the cameras had caught anything. So he relies on his phone to give him the time. It was too late to contact Tobin and ask if he'd heard from Lilith. It was too late to contact anyone, for that matter. With his revolver still in hand, he makes his way to her bed, settling himself down in wait at the edge of it. He was exhausted, but the ring won't let him sleep. In his mind, he'll be here when she returns and he'll figure things out then.