Thread Roulette: Shoplifting

[Event !]

Some people notice things more, and want them.

[Odion Martins]

Some people notice things and like them indeed. Odion happened to be one of those people. A pro actually. It hadn’t been that long since he last nabbed something, but today it would be for himself. You see, the best way to get away with murder, or stealing something, was to do it in such a way that was painfully obvious that no one would notice. Such as going when there were lots of people in a shopping mall. No one would notice if a pretty gold bracelet went missing did they? The metal detectors sure didn’t seem to mind.

Odion did just this as he left the jewelry shop, a sinister smile on his face as he gave the shop one last glance over his shoulder. There wasn’t any reason why a kid his age would be in the shop, but he hadn’t given them a reason to call security either. He had asked to see something in a different size and while the person on duty went into the back, he slipped away with the bracelet already on his skinny little wrist. It was unsuspecting as he pulled the long sleeves of his shirt down, and tried on the ring the clerk had gone to fetch for him. No one would know the wiser.

[Delilah Pryce]

Some people did indeed notice things more and Delilah was one of them. Her eyes caught every motion everyone around her made. She couldn't help it, it was just her ability in action. She had a photographic memory and her muscles forever remembered everything her eyes saw in action. Shoplifting and pick pocketing were skills Delilah perfected early on in her criminal life and while she noted the young man she was currently watching was good, he was still a novice of sorts. Normally Delilah did not associate with men as a general rule of thumb, but on rare occasions, she came across one or two that interested her. Odion had a sweet look about him and his moved in a way which indicated a casual demeanor. Men of a more gentle nature were easy to be around.

Slipping off the bench she was roosting on, Delilah fell in step behind Odion, making no effort to hide her interest in him, especially when he glanced over his shoulder to see if he had been noticed. Delilah grinned a crooked little smile which said she knew what Odion had done. Her dress indicated she wasn't security by any means nor that she worked for the store which Odion had just left. She wore simple blue jeans with tears here and there with a soft cotton tee and denim jacket. Her dark hair was loose about her shoulders and bounced about as she picked up her pace.

Pushing past the throng of people in the mall, Delilah finally neared Odion and brushed up against him, remaining at his side. "Ah, the corruption of youth, what a sight for sore eyes it is," she said, not looking at Odion, but glancing about as if she and he were out together like any other couple at the mall. "Your still a novice though kid, that clerk had to be new otherwise they wouldn't have walked away with so many shiny playthings unattended," she said, giving a shake of her head and small giggle. "I admire the guts though and the brains to go for something of value instead of the usual trinkets you kids try to make off with," Delilah added, looking at Odion now, matching her pace with his so as not to attract any unwanted stares.

Times had been tough for Delilah lately and while she had plenty of cash in her offshore account, she didn't like to tap into it unless she really had to. Instead she would pull a few jobs here and there as Odion had just done and said jobs were always easier in pairs. "I'm not a badge or a fink kind so relax, I'm here to see if you want to make some quick cash and a new friend."

[Odion Martins]

Unfortunately, Odion was not a novice at pick pocketing. He had been one since he was an orphan in Europe, and once his powers arose after puberty, he's only gotten better. Stopping time made it especially easy to pickpocket people, but he didn’t always like using his powers. Sometimes he did it without any aid for the sake of the thrill. He might’ve seemed like a novice, but that was all part of the act that Odion liked to make people believe: he was the underdog. The sweet look he had usually helped him in this. He’s eagerly awaiting the day that he no longer has a baby face.

His dark blue eyes happened upon a woman who was directly behind him. Odion held his chipper grin and gave her a nod. She certainly hadn’t been from the shop, but he wasn’t dense enough to think that she wasn’t following him. She just had that look in her eyes, and Odi lived to read people. Odion was dressed to blend into the shadows. A pair of jeans that nearly everyone owned adorned his lower body, a long sleeved red shirt over top. Nothing like some of the pants he owned.

Odion let his pace settle into something casual, and he could feel the woman behind him catch up. He couldn’t deny that he was curious as to what she wanted. Odi, usually bitter towards people, remembered his manners around the fairer sex. She stepped into his personal bubble and he looked at her with a gentle grin. Snatching her hand, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles, his European mannerisms poking through. He may have been a street kid, but he was also the best pretender. “Define corruption, love.” He said, releasing the girl’s hand.

So Delilah had seen him. He grinned at her charms, tilting his head to the side. This must’ve been what it felt like for Lani when he had caught the blonde on the rooftops a few weeks ago. Something dark passed over his eyes as she labelled him a novice. Oh, if only she knew… Their paces matched, and like flipping a switch, Odion paused time, slipped the bracelet he just stole onto the brunette’s wrist, and then resumed time as though nothing had happened. He had made his practice flawless. “I assure you darling, that I’m not a child at this game.”

He nodded at her wrist. Odion didn’t mind if he had just given his catch of the day away to a total stranger, but there was more to be had. He still felt better than she was portraying him as. He had been the one with stolen goods, had he not? And now, she was involved whether she wanted to be or not. But from her words, she seemed interested to be involved. Just how many criminals had he missed since being in this small part of America? Quick cash and friendship however, didn’t belong in the same sentence. But he was interested in the minx at his side. “What did you have in mind?” He asked. He paused at one of the many benches in the mall and sat down gingerly, looking at the older girl expectantly to join him.

[Delilah Pryce]

Taking Delilah's hand the way he did wasn't the smartest of moves Odion could make and from the way Delilah looked at him, eyes ablaze and the way she pulled her hand away after he let go said it all. However, Odion was a charmer, even when it came to Delilah. His boyish appearance and over all good looks disarmed her a little. This time she would spare him the broken nose and likely arm. This time Delilah reigned in that side of her which loved hurting men so much. She had something to gain from the young man here, and seeing how she needed some quick cash, she was going to have to let a few things slide.

Rubbing the back of her hand, Delilah noticed something, just as Odion nodded to her wrist. There rested the bracelet Odion had just been wearing himself not one second earlier. Pegging him as a meta was an instantaneous act, but figuring out what was the real game. Super speed was the first thought to enter her mind, but she hadn't lost any sight of him in their conversation, nor felt anything at her wrist. Any speedster she had known couldn't move that fast and not leave some trace of movement unnoticed. Teleportation was another thought, but even she had never come across someone who could just teleport objects without teleporting themselves with it. Time manipulation wasn't even in her list of possible mutations as she had never encountered anyone with this ability, at least none she had been aware of.

Toying with the bracelet, Delilah showed no concern for just having been made an accomplice to a crime. She wasn't a stranger to trouble and in fact enjoyed it some. She tilted her head some, trying to figure out if she liked Odion or not and decided for the moment that she did. This was a large accomplishment for any man to make with Delilah. Had Odion known this he might have felt a bit of pride in the moment.

Delilah took a seat to Odion, closer that she really liked but she needed to make this moment look real and not faked. Sitting so close to him made her skin crawl and her stomach lurch. It wasn't as if he were repulsive or rude, it was the simple fact he was male. Even the ones which Delilah liked still made her body uneasy. Delilah smiled through her revulsion, trying not to let on to Odion that he generally disgusted her. "Not so fast Romeo, some petty theft, fancy manners and meta qualities doesn't mean I'm all ready to be spilling anything important to you just yet. Sweeten the pot a bit and I promise I'll make it all worth your while," Delilah said, leaning back against the bench fully now, crossing her legs and smiling.

[Odion Martins]

Just because Delilah wasn’t used to it, didn’t mean Odion wouldn’t show her what proper manners were like. For some reason, people around here seemed to think it was an invasion of space, but he was only trying to bring back a little good into this dark world. It was evident that Delilah didn’t appreciate the gesture, but he wasn’t going to change because some girl was a little uncomfortable. He was in the business of disarming people, and meant no harm unless you harmed him first. He may steal from the innocent, but he didn’t hurt anybody doing it, not physically anyways. If she would have retaliated violently, it would’ve been as easy as hitting a pause button to well, pause her in action.

It would be easy to take the bracelet back if he wanted to later. For now, it was a peace offering. She could take it or leave it, and if it was quick cash she wanted, well, she really didn’t need him anymore now did she? The only trick was, that she was in his debt. And now the question was: did Delilah Pryce care? Odion only dealt with pawn shops, and he made sure to go to different ones whenever he could. It was always the same story: such and such relative had died, what can I get for this? If the piece was too new it would be that his parents bought him x y z and he didn’t like it and forgot to keep the receipt. It was simply, it was devious, and it worked. If Delilah couldn’t figure out what his powers were, that was her problem.

Odion never assumed things, and if Delilah announced herself as a man hater, he wouldn’t be surprised. Nothing was impossible in this world. As for whether she liked him or not, most people were on the fence. Unless he was trying to make people like him, Odi was that wild card no one knew what to do with. In some cases he could be good and useful, other cases just a waste of space or simply annoying. It all depended on what kind of day he was having really.

The act she was playing worked well, and Odion was listening to her. Delilah should really be happy about that. Whatever disgust she felt for him went unnoticed. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as she spoke. Hadn’t she said none five minutes ago that she wanted to be friends and make money? Unless she was a prostitute, how could she expect him to know what she wanted him to do? Besides, he wasn’t about to just go ahead and listen to someone and blindly follow them. He laughed then, leaning in closer to Delilah. His dark blue eyes looked at her squarely. “Suit yourself.” Wasn’t that her job? She was the one who approached him. There was nothing he could give her really, other than the clothes off his back. He didn’t need anybody. The grin on his face said so.

[Delilah Pryce]

Delilah sighed and looked around, realizing the ignorance of her statement. What really did Odion have to prove to her? "Alright sport, here's the game. I need some quick cash and I'm sure your not about to turn down some easy money and a bit of sport. There are about ten shops here in the mall worth hitting and who have average security. You help me pick up a few choice items and I'll give you twenty percent of whatever I'm able to get for all those pretty objects," she said, giving Odion a more proper glance, a glance one might give a business partner rather than a friend. Delilah doubted the boy could properly get rid of any of the stolen objects her picked up but then again she could be wrong. However, Delilah had established contacts and wasn't about to let this kid walk away with all the loot.

"I'm alot of things kid, but I'm not a double crosser. In my line of work, its just smart business sense to have sort of a positive reputation. You help me here and I'll help you later. It might not be all paper legal, but my word is my word on this sort of thing, so let me know if your in," Delilah said, still looking at Odion with a sly little smile. She had no way of making Odion trust her and there really wasn't any reason why he should, however, Delilah meant every word she said. She was contract operative and while not exactly as professional as some others of her kind out there, she knew the rules. You welch on on a contract and you could guarantee your head was on the next hit list. It was honor among thieves mind you, but just a way of keeping things in order and for keeping the money flowing smoothly.

[Odion Martins]

This girl was saying ‘sport’ a little too often. He was a sport, stealing was a sport. What else was a sport and why was she suddenly tripping over her own words? She didn’t know how to hide herself or her intentions very well. Odion was rapidly losing interest in the girl, though he didn’t blame her exactly. Most people would have a very hard time holding his attention now that he’d come to know Lani. He was skeptical of her, but at least stealing things would give him something to do. And if he liked the items enough, he might very well keep them to himself. “Alright, I can help you,” he said very carefully, watching her eyes intently. He be damned to look away first.

“And stop calling me kid, it’s not very flattering,” he held his hand out to her, because he knew he was the bigger person. “Martin sounds better.”