HAEDIAN EVENT - Forgotten Clan Prompt 1

“It’s a simple heist. She’s not asking for a miracle, so you coud at least try to not be so… grouchy.” Ariadne chastised the taller male, busy peeking around a runnel and not seeing the way his expression only soured further.

“I’m not being grouchy, I just think this is a waste of time.” Lockheed all but growled, an irritated rumble escaping him as he trailed along behind Ariadne. Whose pale hide all but stuck out like a sore thumb. He wasn’t much better in comparison, but at least his was only partial covertage. 

The plan involved her as a distraction, though. So… potential discovery before hand was a necessary risk. Ideally, a risk that would pay off. The clan needed more of, well… everything, really. 

“I don’t think it’s a waste of time. Besides, it’s a challenge. When have you ever not been up to one?” Ariande kept her voice down as they hugged the tunnel wall, the pair covering a decent amount of ground as they trotted along towards another clan. She couldn’t remember which one Troall said it would be, and she doubted Lockheed had paid enough attention to really care. 

Any hints of a conversation continuing died the moment the pair heard claws on stone. Both dropped low and ducked out of sight, listening and watching for what had to be a guard to pass or at least get far enough away so they could continue down the twisting maze of caverns to find their target. The tension could be cut with a knife when the guard came to a stop right outside of their hiding spot, the two vayrons basically stacked on top of each other to squeeze into the space. Had they been runners, or even chasers? Likely a more comfortable, moveable fit. For them? Not too pleasant.

It was only after the guard continued on that they extracted themselves and hurried along their path, ears straining for the sounds of any others who could blow their plan out of the water. Lockheed may be a grumpy bastard, but Ariadne could trust him when it was important. He may gripe the whole time beforehand, but the moment the plan comes into play, he’s focused entirely on its completion.

Lockheed split off from Ariadne the moment the clan’s structures came into view, seeking instead the darker shadows to try to get some more cover for his part of the heist. His eyes were scanning everything, searching for his goal as a series of angry screeches and yelling errupted a ways off. His signal to speed things along, as Ariadne was likely leading them on a wild goose chase.

Spotting iron ore and ingots? It sent a thrill of excitement through him, another adrenaline dump at the sheer stupid luck of it all. No one had come back yet, and if the continued sounds of chaos in the distance were any indication, then he had time to snag a decent bit. Not too much, or he’d drop pieces and lead the clan right back to where they came from.

Lockheed tore down a tarp and drug it over in a rush. He prioritized the ingot as he grabbed it from their neat stacks, the heat of the forge around the corner somehow adding to the urgency he had as he stole as much as he dared in the short time he had left. It was a challenge to not just throw them onto the growing pile he had, but that would’ve blown his cover. A torturous, careful setting of each ingot needed to be done at the expense of his sanity.

Tying the section of torn tarp was relieving, and he felt no need to do it slowly or gently. It needed to be done ASAP and as tightly as possible so he wouldn’t lose the valuable materials.

Lockheed gathered the little bit of slack in his mouth to carry, the weight far from light but not impossible to manage or run with. Maybe not a sprint, but he didn’t need to sprint if he did this right. The male crept back the way he came, on high alert for any of the clan members as he left the way he came. His creeping gradually turned into a steady run the further he got from the clan, no longer listening for guards so much as he was listening for Ariadne.

Right as he was beginning to worry about if he should’ve stashed his prize and gone back to help her, said pale vayron was loping from around a different bend in the path. All but grinning ear to ear as she matched pace with him. The way she was basically prancing told him she’d been more than successful, if it weren’t for the small bag of… something hanging from her mouth.

Caused a distraction and stole something? Color him impressed.

Lockheed slowed to a stop, setting his own makeshift bag down for a moment to get a better grip on it and to give himself a moment to breathe. He wasn’t built for long periods of running while hauling heavy cargo.

“What’d you get?” Ariadne asked before he could, curiosity shining clearly in her eyes and posture as she sniffed at his haul.

“Iron ore and ingots. I would’ve thought it was a trap, but there wasn’t anyone around. It must’ve just been refined today if they had it out.” Lockheed mused, taking his chance to sniff at her own haul. “What about you?”

Ariadne grinned once more, pride clear for all to see. “I stole a bag of seeds! I’m not sure what they’ll grow to be, if they’ll grow at all, but it sure pissed everyone off enough to give me a good chase. I lost them, but we should get back before they decide to keep looking for me.”

A victory, but one that still had an underlying sense of urgency. They wouldn’t fully be in the clear until they were back with the clan and Troall was able to take what they’d stolen for them. So without wasting much more time, the pair grabbed their respective bags of loot and set a steady lope once more. Not as fast as perhaps a runner or chaser, but still rather quick all things considered.

The chance to rest and bask in their success was a welcome motivator, and allowed them that last wind to make it back and relieve themselves of their loot to be handled by Troall as she saw fit.