[Gift] Picking A Lock

Jackal had picked many locks in her time. 

She was an expert at this stage. 

But still, even experts needed help from the masters at times, and if there was one bun she knew would be able to help her with their little planned heist - it was Aster. 

The only thing was, Aster now played for a very well-known rock metal band and was difficult to get hold of. Still, she wasn’t about to give up on this plan, and if she was going to swiftly break into Mercy’s office, she needed his help. 

Jackal set off downtown toward a small studio apartment where she knew Aster now lived with his bandmate Kristof. She had been hoping to find Aster alone but was disappointed to discover that when she knocked, only Kristof was at home. 

“Hey Jackal…” Kristof said with semi shock as he opened the door to Aster’s friend. He liked Jackal, he did, but he did wonder how she’d managed to slip past the security they’d had positioned. 

“Oh Kristof, I was hoping to get Aster, is he in?” she asked but Kristof shook his head. 

“Nah he slipped out for beers a while back, but hasn’t been back yet, you want me to give him a call?” Kristof asked and Jackal shook her head. 

“All good, I’ll get hold of him, I think I know where he is,” she replied. 

“What do you need him for, I could take a message,” Kristof asked but Jackal only smirked and answered. 

“This is more a practical favour.”

With that, Jackal made her speedy retreat out the hallway window and into the night air. 

She knew where all of Aster’s usual haunts were and it didn’t take her long to find the guitarist sipping a frosty one in Coney’s. 

“Aster!” she half snapped, making the man spill some of his pint before whipping his head around in anger only to pause and look at the other. 

“Sake Jackal, ya made me spill my pint, what do ya want?” he asked her before taking a sip of his beer and giving her his full attention. 

“I want you to help me with a job,” she told him and he gave her the ‘look’. It was a look Aster reserved for absurd suggestions. The type of look he’d often given Jackal when she’d suggested some ludicrous plan to get rich quick but this time he hadn’t even let her explain the plan before he’d struck her with ‘the look’. 

“I know that look, but Aster you gotta hear me out this isn’t some stupid plan that’s going to get us busted, this is important, I swear,” she told him and put her hand over her heart. Well, she tried. 

“Other hand,” Aster said simply and watched Jackal look at him confused. “Your heart is on the other side Jackal…” Aster continued but then sighed and downed the rest of his pint. 

“Alright, lets go,” he agreed and grabbed his leather jacket. Jackal smiled and the pair walked out. 

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“I need you to break a lock into Mercy’s office,” she told him. 

“What?” Aster growled angrily. “They already hate me why should I…ugh fine okay fine, but you’re the one getting in trouble and I want an explanation on the way over…in detail!”

Jackal nodded, she’d tell him. She trusted Aster, a little anyway. 

Once Mercy was distracted by Oleander, Aster and Jackal snuck into the building and toward her office. 

“Keep watch,” Aster told Jackal. He hadn’t really believed what Jackal had told him, a succubun falling from the sky?! Sounded crazy. But he’d do this for her, if he didn’t he’d never hear the end of it. 

So while Jackal stayed on lookout Aster picked a lock. 

It didn’t take long, not long at all. The simple twist and turn from a skilled professional was all the lock needed to click open. 

“We’re in, come on,” he said and the pair darted inside the office. He watched as Jackal went about rummaging for the feather she’d told Aster about. But she couldn't find it. Mercy had obviously hidden it very well. 

Aster eventually gave in and helped and when they began to read over the ledger, the detailed descriptions of events that had happened in the past. The pair were speechless. 

“Okay, maybe you weren’t over exaggerating,” he admitted and watched Jackal pocket the iridescent feather. 

“I swear that priest is going to do my nut in one day,” Mercy complained as they angrily stomped up the hall. 

“Times up, lets go,” Aster shouted and grabbed Jackal, the pair exiting swiftly out of the window before Mercy could catch sight of them. 

They ran down the street, away from the church and back to Jackal’s apartment. 

“Shit that was close,” Jackal growled.

“You can say that again,” Aster replied. 

“Let's get inside, we need to figure out what the hells is going on.”

“Agreed.”

The pair headed inside, and into the dingy apartment Jackal called home to unravel the mysteries they’d just encountered.