-It’s Business-
A hum of voices, like a choir of bees, echo within the Sunset’s foyer. Kairi didn’t know so many people came this soon before lunch time, but she’s not here to judge.
Kairi removes her kasa and holds it at her side, its discus form hiding the fact that she held a large keychain in that very same hand, gripping the keys firmly in her palm so that they didn’t clink together. The heels of her boots click along the paved floor as she enters through the open foyer door into the crowd. The waitstaff were busy taking control of the crowd, which in her mind was like walking into the perfect storm; one waitress busy taking the orders, the other trying to clean up an order that didn’t quite make it to the table, and a cook shouting from inside the kitchen that the plates were up. Perfect!
Seeing that no was paying any attention to her, she slips behind the bar into the back kitchen. The cook has his back to her and is frantically chopping and flipping the food while plating and cleaning the countertop. "I should come back and hire this guy," she jests to herself as she quietly watches him work.
The key on the keychain labeled SUNSET TAVERN had looked like a hatch key, and since she’d never noticed a hatch in the common areas, Kairi thought the back kitchen would be the only place left where one could be. She slowly scans the floorboards, looking for any impression of a door amongst the planks. Nothing, but it was frustrating that a large keg blocked half her view! With the sound of clanging pots ringing through her ears, she creeps along the wall. The space between the wall and the keg was large enough for her to squeeze behind. "I’ll rest a moment." she thought, her heart pounding but breath remaining steady. She begins to feel at one with the wall, and after a few moments, grows comfortable enough to slide down into a semi-seated position. She pokes her head out from the back of the giant keg, again looking at the floor for signs of a door. "Ah, how easy. It’s right here!" Kairi purrs. It was so close she could touch it!
After a final crash of pots, the cook ran out for a quick break. She took that as her cue, and quickly turns the key inside of the lock. "Click!" She yanks open the door and pulls it softly closed behind her. Skipping down the stone steps, she stops at the bottom, unprepared for what she saw. A line of chests- old, muddied, once buried treasure chests lined the large basement room. Grinning, Kairi walks over and runs her gloved hand across their tops. Any dust that had settled was now streaked clean across. Chuckling, she starts working on the locks, one by one, burning several picks at a time. Each chest that she opens is followed by a grunt of displeasure. "Nothing. At least nothing worth anything to me!"
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Disappointed, Kairi paces. She flips the keys over and over on the keychain, and finally comes to one labeled ARIMUS. "Hrm. I know where that is."
Moments later, Kairi is standing in Vesper outside of a large wooden building decorated with nothing but a sign:
ARIMUS UNDERWOOD’S HOME
He tried to give her a key of her own when she joined the Vanguard, but she refused to accept it. "It must have been fate," she thought. "If anything shows up missing, he would never suspect me. Perfect."
She fits the key into the lock and slowly turns it. She hears the latch pop. Kairi slips through the cracked-open door before softly shutting it behind her. She then leans against the door, her heart feeling like it’s ready to jump out of her chest, adrenaline pumping through her veins. It’s been some time that she had been on this level of the food chain. She didn’t know how much she missed it until now.
After calming herself, Kairi tears herself from the security of the wall and fights the urge to flee, stepping quietly across the floor towards some old paintings. "Nothing I want…" she mumbles. Kairi follows the length of the wall and comes across a map hanging up with the title THE KNOWN WORLD. "Ooh, now this is nice!" She exhales those words as she studies the map for signs of its age. "Very nice, Arimus." Moving on, she comes across the door that she could only assume is to his bedroom. "Ah!" She exclaims as she steps into the room and is greeted by a corner of books. "Just my style!" She walks over to the shelves and pulls a few old looking manuscripts off and tucks them into her pack. "I’ll check these out later."
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As she turns to leave, she notices a teleporter next to the shelving. "I wonder where this leads." She steps onto it without hesitation, and finds herself teleported into a cave. "Interesting!" Venturing further inside, Kairi can’t believe her eyes! A horde of gems, gold, filigrees, artifacts….the list goes on and on! How lucky is it that she would come across such a sight? And how rare?! Annoyed that she doesn’t have a pack large enough to fill with what she’d want, she removes the old manuscripts that she took from Arimus’s library and sets them down, making room for whatever she can carry. She quickly skims the treasure pile, trying to decide which items are the most valuable for her to take.
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After filling her pack with what looked to be the rarest of gemstones and oldest of artifacts, she threw the heavy load over her shoulder and lugged it through the cave’s exit. "Now…" chuckling to herself. "To give Ashe the keys so that they’ll be on him if anyone suspects anything."
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With the merchandise and keys now in his possession, she feels clean again. "Time to be patient and wait for the fruits of my labor."
