Afraid of Ghosts? (Tanner)

[Lani Hunter]

Lani lounged on the edge of the roof as he watched his target. He yawned a little bit it was shortly after three in the morning and no one but employees were left around La Maison Magnifique. It was one of the better known clubs around Pilot Ridge and its success had put it on Lani’s radar. He hadn’t stolen anything just for fun in a long time and with his and Odion’s heist coming up he wanted to take a moment and make sure his skills were still sharp. It was a Thursday, Lani knew they’d probably empty out a little faster than they would on a Friday or Saturday but that place had been going strong for quite a long time. With a small empty pack over his back he waited patiently watching and flipping his lock picks in his fingers. This club probably wouldn’t have a lot of cash laying around but they had plenty of lost and found items worth picking through. Lani shifted back into the shadows and watched as the last person exited the building. They pulled out a key and one moment later they were off walking down the street.

With the confidence of an eagle and the swiftness of a shadow Lani leapt the small area from where he was to the club building. He landed in a crouch and immediately pressed himself against the roof just in case someone heard him though he had landed with all the noise of a cat. He waited for any sort of noise and when it didn’t come he rose and looked over the edge of the building. All he saw was the retreating back of the man who had just left. He smiled and he swung himself over the ledge and landed on the windowsill. He glanced at the man who had stopped. He must have noticed something. Shit! Lani’s power grasped the window and he slipped inside taking care not to set of any alarms. He waited for a few moments and breathed a sigh, chances were the man would convince himself that he was seeing things, it was only shadows. Lani rose and moved like a breeze through the open area of the bar drifting this way and that always staying just out of range of the cameras.

After pausing just a moment to let his eyes adjust he moved along. He found the office without any problems and used his lock picks to open the door. It was then he heard a second click. That couldn’t have been him. He stopped rigid and listened his heart hammering. The swing of a door. Double shit! Lani ran as fast as he could without making a terrible amount of noise and found a rather nice nook to hide in. It was dark and if he needed to there was an air vent above. His breathing was controlled and shallow as to not alert whoever it was that was snooping. Who the hell was snooping when he was snooping? Lani glared into the darkness his eyes having long adjusted to the darkness watched the figure move through the darkness. Leave. On a spur of the moment idea Lani sent his power through the building and creaked the door of the office. He smiled a little bit, he had never thought to use his power like this. He honestly didn’t care about not getting the money, this could be fun.

[Tanner Larson]

There was something magical about La Maison Magnifique. Tanner Larson recognized this, though he didn’t quite comprehend it. Sure, many people just assumed it was the local House of Burlesque, one of those dingy places where people – mostly middle-aged men – went to drown their sorrows in beer and watch some pretty girls prance across a dirty stage. But it was more than that. For a lot of people – for Tanner – the House was where he could lose himself in a world where there were no worries, where anything was possible, where a nerd from New Jersey could become a star. The House was special, and he was fiercely loyal to it and to its owner, Madame Cynthia DeMato.

It had been a fairly uneventful Thursday night show. Tanner had performed his songs, had hung out by the bar where he usually did, and had stayed after to help Roger and some of the others clean up the backstage area – mainly the costume room, otherwise known as the “closet,” which was always particularly messy after a show. After that had been taken care of and the staff had left, the blonde remained at the House for a while longer, talking with Cynthia about potential future performances. They were both just about equally obsessed with the House, and they spent a majority of their time in this building, so they wanted everything to be perfect.

Once their conversation had wound down, Tanner made his way back into the Main Hall, where the stage and bar were. He had already said goodnight to Cynthia, though when he’d left, he hadn’t known whether she planned to head straight home or linger in her office a little while longer. Eventually, he willed himself out the door, locking up just in case he was, in fact, the last to leave. It was a fairly nice night out: dark, as some of the street lights needed to be replaced, but not too cold. He struck out for home, his apartment only being about a five minute walk away from the House.

Shit.

Tanner had left his jacket backstage. He didn’t need it – it had been raining earlier in the day when he had come to the bar for the pre-show dress rehearsal but had cleared up by now – but he didn’t want to leave it there over the weekend. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around just in time to see a dark figure – it was a person, wasn’t it? – approaching the windowsill of the building he had just left.

What the-

He quirked a brow, trying to decide whether what he was seeing was real. He decided it was probably just his imagination – it was dark out, after all – and, now feeling a bit weird, figured he would just return for his jacket the next morning.

No point in staying outside at night any longer than was necessary.

Turning back around, he continued walking but then stopped once more. His eyes widened slightly. What if it hadn’t been his imagination? What if someone was trying to get into the House?

What if Cynthia was still inside?

It was with that thought in his mind that Tanner quickly turned around again, back towards the House, and slipped inside through the front door. Stuffing his key back into his pocket, he made his way into the Main Hall.

“Cynthia?” He called out, voice a bit shaky. He had no reason to be afraid, or at least he tried to convince himself of this. It was really just his own paranoia. But he couldn’t just walk away if it was possible someone had broken in. Lifting his hand into the air at about eye level, he manifested a small ball of fire in his hand – enough to light his way without having to turn all of the lights back on.

The creaking of the door sent him in the direction of Cynthia’s office. “Madame, is that you?” He asked. When he arrived at the door, though, he found that there was nobody on the other side. The woman must have left before he did.

But if she wasn’t there, then who was?

[Lani Hunter]

Lani had been right, one of the people who worked there must have seen him come in. Damn it all! Damn it all to hell! He thought grumpily, maybe he was a little out of practice. It hadn’t been a bad entrance. Lani hoped that his little noise would keep the guy occupied at least long enough for Lani to slip back out. He might have to come back if he wanted any money, but he doubted that he would. He was in here for a fun steal not any sort of skin off his nose would be lost if he failed. Maybe his pride would be a little sore but it wasn’t like anyone could threaten him anymore for not giving them the money they wanted. Well, Lani supposed he could, but he hadn’t. It almost made Lani more uneasy. But at the moment he had bigger problems. Like not going to jail. That would be a good time. Very good time. And he doubted this guy was any sort of cop. Probably just an ill-fated employee.

Part of Lani smiled again when the boy called out a name. Alright, so maybe he did only think it was his imagination when he had seen Lani. What a good employee, Lani reflected, that was dedication. This guy should get a raise. Lani shrank back away from the sudden light. He peered out of the shadows at the person. An impish grin passed over Lani’s face. Another pyro. Lani wiggled his fingers remembering the burns. His hands had since healed with no lasting damage. His chest was still working on it. It no longer hurt but it was a little tender and red. It was healing very well though. So he was not looking to get burned again. The good thing about flames is that they danced. Lani could move and it could be the flickering shadow of the firelight. This guy may as well be a thief’s best friend. And it also gave Lani a chance to see his face.

Lani bit his tongue to keep from making a noise. He knew this guy. He went to Hammel. Lani narrowed his eyes, he knew that but he couldn’t quite figure out why he knew that. Had they met? No Lani never forgot a name. But he had definitely seen this guy before. Had it been at the MANifesto? Maybe, he had met a lot of the older Hammel guys that night. He shook his head a little at the bad memories. He could have killed Rhett that night. He really desperately wanted to. With a shake of his head Lani focused on this guy. He fell for the bait and Lani moved from his hiding place to another expertly sticking to the shadows as invisible as anyone with a power was. Lani reached out with his power trying to find something else to scare this kid with. While he was doing so his mind found exits everywhere. He was golden so long as he didn’t get grabbed. For giggles, Lani’s power shifted the kid’s shirt like a breeze had blown through. Then in another part of the club deep in the bowls of the hallway he knocked a pencil off of a desk. In the silence of the building it rang like a gong and Lani flipped on the light in the room down the hall from the main area. The kicker, the door was locked. Lani’s lips curled and he watched the kid with interest.

[Tanner Larson]

Whether Tanner was a good employee or an incredibly stupid one remained to be seen. Perhaps both: while Tanner did not usually go looking for trouble, this was not the first time he'd found himself in a bit of a predicament. He was in a deserted building, late at night, and for all he knew there was a criminal hiding somewhere backstage. That no reply came to his call did not exactly fill him with confidence. Still, he was determined to see this through: if someone had targeted the House for a spree, then he wasn't giving anything away without a fight. It was clear that Tanner was no longer the shy introvert he had been as a child and for his first several years at Hammel; he had grown up and grown confidence, and that was thanks in no small part to the establishment he now stood in, facing down he knew not what.

The ruffling of his shirt confused him; for a moment, it felt like somebody had grabbed his shirt before quickly letting go again. "Hey-" he stammered, swinging his free arm around as though in an attempt to strike whoever had yanked him. But no, a quick look around at the dimly-lit performance hall confirmed that nobody was nearby. But then how did that happen? Had he imagined it? Had he imagined the whole thing? No, he was more sure than ever that he was standing there for a reason.

Somewhere backstage, there was a noise; it sounded like an object of some sort falling to the ground. Was someone in one of the offices? And the more important question: was that someone, someone who worked at the House, or an intruder? Knowing there was only one way to find out, Tanner took a few steps in the direction of the source of the noise when a light came on down that same hallway. Hmm... This confused Tanner yet again: why would someone who wasn't supposed to be there - and who surely knew by now that Tanner was looking for him or her - reveal their own location? Perhaps this story would soon reach an anticlimactic end. Or - and here, his paranoia started taking over - perhaps the intruder was armed and wanted to lure the unsuspecting employee into the room to dispose of quickly. Tanner would need to be prepared for that possibility, and with the extensive training he had undergone as a pyrokinetic, he was convinced he could handle himself in a confrontational setting. The blonde hurried backstage, down the hallway and towards the door. He found it to be closed, the light filtering through the cracks. Reaching for the knob - his curiosity was such that he wouldn't simply knock and wait for an answer - he found it to be locked.

"Hello?" He called, pounding on the door. "Is someone in there?" He couldn't remember whose office this was - it wasn't Cynthia's - but he was certain he had been the last to leave that night. Why would anyone else be there so late? And why would their door be locked? None of this made any sense, and the young male was starting to grow worried.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani had to bite his gloved hand to keep from laughing as the boy swung around and his eyes searched the darkness. Good luck, Lani wished him silently. He wondered what must be going through this guy’s mind. Had he not yet written off intruder or was he still thinking it was someone he knew. Well, technically it was. But technically Lani wasn’t planning on getting caught so this kid would hopefully never know. In fact this was turning into a fun training session for Lani. He hadn’t been challenged out on a job in a long time, mostly because he hadn’t gone on as many large jobs in a while. If he could mess with this kid and make it out it would be a good night. But a great night, a challenge would be messing with this kid, grabbing a bit of cash and getting out before he was caught.

The kid hurried off and Lani made his move. He slipped into the office that the kid had formerly been looking into and waited. His power spread over the area and it felt the motion of the man as he walked along, a little hurried and probably a little worried. He felt him try the door from several rooms away. He stopped himself so that he could focus. He was having way too much fun with this. The pounding started and Lani smiled to himself. This was great! He slipped around the desk to a safe where he figured they kept the earnings of the day. While the other Hammel student was busy making noise Lani used the man’s own noise to cover the fact that he cracked open the safe. An impish grin crossed his face as he found several stacks of currency. He pulled his small bag off of his back and opened it quickly. He paused hearing the sound of pounding subside a little bit. Lani swallowed and his eyes closed as his power extended beyond himself again.

He snapped the light off and then unlocked the door managing to push it just a little bit ajar. It seemed the pyro was certainly a curious creature. Maybe baiting him with an open door would be enough to get him to enter the door. Meanwhile Lani would close the door and lock it while he danced his way across the floor and back out the window. He turned back to the safe and immediately started sweeping cash and receipts with card numbers on them into his bag. It wasn’t the largest haul he had pulled by far, but it was certainly more than he was expecting. Lani pulled the bag back over his back and listened for the kid. He lowered himself close to the ground and shifted so he could keep an eye on the door. He still needed to close the safe and get out. Part of the mastery of this was getting out without anyone knowing he was there until it was too late the next morning. He adjusted the mask he wore over his face and hair to take a gulp of clear air. He replaced it smiling to himself as only his eyes would be visible to anyone looking. He waited and found it would be hard to just lock the man away. If Lani could get the pyro’s blood racing that would be great. He’d never tried this from so far away. Usually he was already cornered when he tried. Haunting something he had never thought of. It was brilliant! If it worked.