|
Facade
Dec 3, 2012 6:15:24 GMT -5
Post by Nightbow on Dec 3, 2012 6:15:24 GMT -5
The white unicorn watched as the stubborn Turnkey attempted to free himself. He ended up snaring himself into getting further entangled, Rarity accompanying his every fall with a wince.
"Maybe you should help me," he conceded, lowering his eyes. "It seems to me, I'm stuck."
Rarity put her raised hoof back down on the ground with a determined little stomp. Holding the stallion's hoof wouldn't help him at this point. Her horn started to glow, much like her eyes already did, tugging the strings by magic - but to no avail.
Just as Rarity was about to regretfully state the situation at hand, a pony with flaming mane and draconic wings showed himself. Wheezing a sound of surprise, she merely stood back in silence to watch.
She dared only to exhale once the shredded cable fell to the ground. "Good riddance!" She said with admiration, happy that the situation resolved itself. "Thank you." Rarity smiled towards Silent Storm, shameful for having stared at him earlier. Then she awkwardly lowered her gaze to the ground. "It's a shame on the lights, though."
"I'm so very sorry to have distracted you all. I'll have this string of lights repaired, immediately."
"R-really?" Surely Whinnyapolis was a bigger town than Ponyville and electric lights more widely used, but the unicorn mare had not expected to run into an electrician like this. "That would be marvellous! Thank you!" She pushed a purple lock of hair out of her eyes, aligning it tidily with the rest of her mane. "Oh, do hold on for a moment." Rarity reached into her bag and pulled out two colourful fliers, designed by Pinkie and printed by herself. "Take these," she said, giving one of them to the unicorn and one to the strange pegasus pony.
The fliers depicted tons of confetti, balloons, and happy pony faces. In the middle where huge letters in a blatant print - a bit much, thought Rarity, but it surely got the message across. "The party is on the 47th. You know, there can't really be a Summer Sun Celebration without the sun." Rarity bit her lip, forcing a laugh. "Maybe you could return the strings by then?" She suggested.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 3, 2012 13:50:50 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 3, 2012 13:50:50 GMT -5
Turnkey gladly accepted the flyer, looking it over. A party on the 48th? Yeah, he had time. Besides, the theft he was going to commit in Whinnyapolis would be too easy,then, and he shuddered at the thought of having anything be too easy. Plus, if he was in town at the time, suspicion could be drawn to him, and he certainly didn't want another pair of eyes on him.
"This hoofbill isn't an admit one, is it?" he asked, wondering if he could bring somepony else. "Would it be too out of the question to bring my friends, miss...?"
Now he was blushing with chagrin. He had forgotten to ask the the lovely young unicorn who had so graciously come to his aid her name.
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 3, 2012 22:11:27 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 3, 2012 22:11:27 GMT -5
Silent Storm's wings fluttered excitedly at the thought of a party as he joyously received the flier. The last party he'd been at was the birthday party his marefriend had thrown for him, and it had just been the two of them making jokes and watching Harry Trotter movies at his cottage, though the cake she'd baked was delicious.
Storm thought back to those happy memories when he caught a view of himself in the front window of a nearby shop and his spirits notably fell. His ears fell flat against his head and his wings hung almost touching the ground remembering what he was and what everypony thought of him.
He looked from the flier the the snow-white unicorn forlornly, then held it back out to her. "I... I don't think the others will want me there," he pronounced softly.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 4, 2012 1:28:20 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 4, 2012 1:28:20 GMT -5
"If your qualm is about how others might think, then feel free to stick with me," offer Turnkey. "A close friend of mine didn't like to go out in public after he became a... Well, he prefers to be called a freak of nature, but I personally think that's a bit too derogatory." He thought it best not to mention that his 'friend' was, in fact, his brother, and that he had a much better reason for hiding than mere peer pressure. Ponies tend to fear murderers more than oddities, for good reason.
"Or mayhap that's not your reason," Turnkey continued, talking mostly to himself at this point. "Mayhap you're hiding from somepony. Mayhap, you're hiding from yourself. Mayhap..." He paused for a brief moment before continuing. "Mayhap you're hiding from me," he said, staring menacingly into the pegasus' eyes.
He held that pose for a few moments, then burst into laughter. "Sorry, I try to be serious sometimes, and I just end up looking stupid. I wasn't kidding about my offer, though. Come with us to the party, it'll be fun."
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 4, 2012 14:48:25 GMT -5
Post by Nightbow on Dec 4, 2012 14:48:25 GMT -5
"This hoofbill isn't an admit one, is it? Would it be too out of the question to bring my friends, miss...?"
"Rarity," the mare happily proclaimed, "pleased to make your acquaintance." She waved a hoof in the air with a nod, politely taking half a step forward. "And of course you may bring company along! Why, it's going to be a grand social! It would be a pity if they missed it." Before she had any time to ponder what kind of ponies the unicorn stallion's friends and family would be, another voice piped up.
"I... I don't think the others will want me there."
Rarity frowned, a simple; "Wha...?" Escaping her tiny muzzle, but she quickly stopped her train of thought. Although improper to reflect upon, this pony must clearly be some sort of social outcast. I mean, just look at him! She thought to herself. Confounded she remained as she was, listening to Turnkey's ramblings. She hoped that he wouldn't scare to poor guy.
"Um ... yes!" She picked up where his rumbling laughter commenced. "You should both go, and your friends too!" She fired of a selling smile. "I hope all of Whinnyapolis shows up for the banquet." Rarity was a service pony, used to dealing with customers. She hadn't even celebrated her eigteenth birthday when her parents helped her to open up her own buisness in Ponyville. Oh, the Carousel Boutique, how she missed it! Abstinence usually struck quickly when she was rendered unable to live out her creative side, but so far the events in Whinnyapolis had kept her horn and hooves busy enough. The whit unicorn looked lost and solemn for a split second, as her thoughts went first to Opal and then her family currently taking care of her pet.
Rarity shook her head ever so delicately. No time to contemplate what would become of her loved ones. She blinked tenderly towards the stallions. "I believe I didn't catch your names?"
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 4, 2012 22:52:30 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 4, 2012 22:52:30 GMT -5
"Mayhap... Mayhap you're hiding from me."
Silent Storm shrank back, pupils widening, intimidated by the unicorn's unwavering stare. He let his hoof rest on the pommel of his dagger for comfort when the stallion suddenly burst into boisterous laughter. Storm jumped a little and backed up a few steps, not quite sure what to make of his sudden change in mood.
Miss Rarity's words of assurance and brilliant smile soothed his uneasiness about the party and he resolved to go, though whether or not to go with the other stallion was still up for debate in his mind.
When she asked him his name he just stood, dumbfounded, for a moment, unaccustomed to the casual commonality shared between most ponies in town. "I'm Silent Storm" he said, and gave a small bow in her direction.
[I'm sorry my posts are so short, I'm slowly rebuilding SS's character through reaction and response with other characters, so I'm not entirely sure where his personality is going yet]
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 4, 2012 23:31:53 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 4, 2012 23:31:53 GMT -5
"Alas, I am the turner of locks," Turnkey started, having rehearsed his introduction several times over. "I am the wall that keeps thieves at bay, the door that protects your families, and the chest that houses your gold. Purveyor of locks, all shapes and sizes, guaranteed to protect you from even the greatest of burglars. My locks are so good, most have no option but to destroy the vessel to retrieve their belongings! I am the magnificent Turnkey, and to whom am I speaking?"
He realized, just a little too late, that he had rehearsed too many times his introduction, and the addition of the final line was inane, and could be offensive if it came across that the others' names were already given to him.
"Sorry," he apologized, planting his face in his hoof. "I use that to introduce myself all the time, the last part just slipped out, like when you say the lyrics to a song, and the next line comes out without you meaning for it to." He felt that he was over-explaining himself.
"I'm not crazy, I'm just... a little unwell. I know, right now you can't tell. But stay awhile, and maybe then you'll see a different side of me." He paused. "Disregard the last part of that, as well. Those were song lyrics." He eyed the ground. "But I said that happened to me from time to time..."
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 5, 2012 8:19:08 GMT -5
Post by Nightbow on Dec 5, 2012 8:19:08 GMT -5
An awkward silence followed Turnkey's introduction, but it didn't last long. Soon Rarity was laughing heartedly.
"I know what that's like, she admitted. I run a business myself, back in Ponyville." She took care not to go into detail on the business itself. Why, in Turnkey's eyes she was supposed to look like a catering pony. She quickly changed the subject.
"So, you're an electrician and a locksmith? Now that is rare," she praised, stealing a proper look of his cutiemark. "Any other hidden talents?"
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 5, 2012 20:21:12 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 5, 2012 20:21:12 GMT -5
Silent Storm listened to Turnkey's short monologue, intrigued at the thought of an "unbeatable" lock. He gave a small chuckle when he said a bit more than he intended to, but hid it in his hoof as to not embarrass the quirky unicorn.
Storm got to thinking about locks and ways that he just might get by one. He figured all metal would soften or even melt when enough heat was applied to it, and if he could use his odd abilities inherited by the dragons to make a more concentrated fire...
"I bet I could get through one of your locks!" he blurted more loudly than he intended. He lowered his head as well as his voice, "Umm, you know... if you want to give me a chance."
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 5, 2012 23:53:14 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 5, 2012 23:53:14 GMT -5
"Oh, sorry, miss Rarity, but I'm only a locksmith," corrected Turnkey. "One of my closest friends is the electrician." He kept once again, the fact that this close friend was his brother, a secret. He also stopped himself from answering the question about his other talent, as it seemed illogical to unmask it. Revealing to the world that he was responsible for the fiasco that ensued after he stole a amethyst-encrusted gold necklace from Princess Celestia herself, making a fool of the castle's security forces, was not on his list of things he wanted to do. An odd job, that, when you considered who the client was...
"I bet I could get through one of your locks!" was the sentence uttered that broke his train of thought. Actually, it was more like a vociferation than an utterance, but, the idea was, in essence, the same. Usutora turned to face his challenger, the young Silent Storm. Actually, he didn't know the stallion's age, but he was certain it was a lower value than his. Nonetheless, he stared briefly, a smug grin on his face, and a 'how dare you' look in his eyes. A difficult look to do, and not all that appealing, but it's point was to say, 'are you really challenging me?'
"A challenge," he finally said, returning his face to a normal state. Or at least, for the average pony, it was normal. "Very well, I accept."
He concentrated for a few moments, as an aura formed around his horn. Ascertain object location, animate object, transport object to current area, place object, suspend animation. A simple summoning spell, just slightly more complicated than a basic teleport spell. The only stipulation was that it only worked on objects that had a deoxyribonucleic memory. Only objects that one had touched recently could be moved.
As he had commanded, a small wooden chest that he used for lock testing appeared in front of him. It was outfitted with a small lock, not his best, but still very good, that required twenty tumblers to be active at the same time in order to open. "This is test number one of three. We'll start off easy, and work our way up. And no breaking through the chest or destroying the lock, that's cheating. Unlocking only. Do you have need of a lockpick?"
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 6, 2012 23:45:54 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 6, 2012 23:45:54 GMT -5
Silent Storm cocked his head and looked at the lock. It was quite high in quality as far as he could tell. Since he'd come to Whinnyapolis he'd had a sizable amount of free time alone on his hooves and had taken to trivial challenging tasks to entertain himself and keep himself sharp. One of these activities had been picking the padlock on the door to a closet the cottage's previous owner had managed to lose the key to, and had picked several of his other household locks for his own amusement.
When Storm looked at the lock Turnkey had provided, he knew that this was in a whole different league that he hadn't even been close to touching yet. He wondered, if this was but one of three levels, the other two must be horrifically difficult. He admired the unicorn for his skilled craftsmanship.
"Yes I do need one. Might you have one you could lend to me momentarily? And could I bother you for a torque wrench as well?" Storm inquired, his tone now less of challenge than that of friendly competition.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 7, 2012 0:47:16 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 7, 2012 0:47:16 GMT -5
Usutora grinned. This one knew what he was doing. The pegasus seemed to know a thing or two about picking locks, instead of the usual knowledge, a misinformed view depicting no need for a tension wrench.
"But of course," he said, reaching up behind his neck and undoing the clasp. As his chain slipped off of his neck, he caught it in his hoof, and held it out in front of him, displaying the different pieces. "Unfortunately, both of my rakes are broken. It involves a small mishap in which one of my colleagues was trying to open one of my locks, actually. Not this one, of course, but a much higher difficulty. It's what he does for a living, after all..."
Attached to the chain were all of the basic picks: Diamond, half-diamond, short and medium hooks, and a ball, as well as four tension wrenches, two regular, one twist-flex, and one feather-touch. More than what was required for this particular lock, but not by much.
"Let's have it, then," proclaimed Turnkey. "Have at it!"
[OOC Note: This character didn't turn out how I intended. But I guess that's what I get for trying to make him stay a two-dimensional piece. He's actually a lot more fun than I ever actually wanted him to be, and I keep looking forward to this because of it. I really love this character now.]
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 7, 2012 19:18:53 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 7, 2012 19:18:53 GMT -5
Silent Storm picked up the thinner of the two hook picks and a tension wrench in his mouth and trotted over the the lock, bending down next to it. He set the tension wrench and continued to apply gentle pressure to it with his hoof while he worked the pick in his maw.
He looked back at Turnkey as well as Miss Rarity and the others standing nearby, making sure they couldn't see his face when he was turned to the lock. He guessed that they couldn't from their position, so he turned back to the lock and shut his eyes. He snapped them open again and his pupils were reduced to the snake-like slits that they normally were during the night. Everything else in the area seemed blindingly bright, but the lock was more clearly defined so he could see, as well as hear, when the tumbler set by the cylinder's miniscule movements.
Storm worked the pick delicately, setting one tumbler after another, slowly progressing through the numerous amount of pins. After about fifteen minutes of attempting at the lock he heard a soft *click* and the lock fell to the ground, opened. He redilated his pupils and leapt to his hooves, wings spread wide, very excited at his success. In all honesty, he hadn't expected to accomplish this challenge.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Facade
Dec 8, 2012 0:36:58 GMT -5
Post by Kiernan on Dec 8, 2012 0:36:58 GMT -5
Turnkey didn't like waiting. He was a very impatient pony. Still, he stood in silence for the fifteen minutes it took for Silent Storm to pick the lock. When it clicked open, and he jumped up in excitement, Turnkey smiled.
"Nice job," he said, picking up the lock and relocking it. Upon close inspection, it revealed almost no signs of tampering, save for a few scratches on the pins, but that could easily be counted as an issue with frequent use, and wouldn't stand up very well. That meant that the lock could still be used. "I mean, you got caught breaking in, but, supposing you were in a secluded place, where nopony would come walking by, you could get through this."
He opened the chest, and tossed the lock into it, pulling out a different lock, this one much more difficult than the last. Not only were there fourteen pins, but also two combination locks. The combination locks made it seem easier, but the real challenge was in the pin-tumbler column. As the pins were on either side of the plug, one would have little choice but to switch tension wrenches halfway through picking the lock, while still applying torque to the plug. The numerous parts that would all have to be properly handled at the same time is what made this lock the pinnacle of his silver medal collection.
"I don't usually do this when the first round takes more than a minute, but, I'm interested in your technique. Care to move on to round two?"
|
|
|
Facade
Dec 8, 2012 1:58:27 GMT -5
Post by Person on Dec 8, 2012 1:58:27 GMT -5
Silent Storm felt pretty good after the first lock, regardless of time, but when he saw the second lock, his self-confidence went down the drain as quickly as the first lock was tossed into the chest.
"Sorry, but I have absolutely no idea how I would pick that." Sil said sheepishly with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try, though. It was a good challenge!"
He handed the pick and tension wrench back to Turnkey with a smile. It had been a long time since he'd smiled at another pony, and the expression felt almost foreign.
"Do you live here in Whinnyapolis, or are you from out of town? It's just that I live in the Krin area and I'm almost always free, so if you ever wanted to stop by and teach me the wonders of deceptive entry or anything..." Silent Storm said, his voice trailing off into silence.
|
|