#baronyofthesilverwolf

When Madern arrives at SmartHome Securities (SHS), he finds a sleek, modern facility with a high-tech vibe, showcasing the company’s focus on cutting-edge security solutions. The exterior is all reflective glass and polished metal, giving it a very professional, if somewhat sterile, appearance.

The SHS logo—smooth, futuristic letters—gleams prominently near the entrance. It's the same logo he saw in the snowglobe.

From a discrete vantage point, Madern observes...

Inside, the lobby is bright and spacious, with minimalist decor and a large display screen cycling through various security products and services. A receptionist at the front desk greets a UPS delivery man. "Yes, Tim, I know, you've been delivering here for years. But new protocol says that I can't let anyone through." She says, apologetically. "I'll call someone down to sign for that package."

The Delivery guy waits with slight annoyance - he has a route schedule, you know, but after only a few minutes delay he's back on his way, and the receptionist returns to tapping away at her console.

Madern hangs back for a bit and he decides to try a veil on himself to bypass somethings. He starts to chant under his breath

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!
How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one’s name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog"

He feels the cantrip settle over him, making him forgettable.

He lowers a hat to obscure camera angles and walks closer.

The receptionist glances in his direction but her eyes slide right past him, as if she's forgotten he was ever there. The cameras, too, seem to disregard his movements, their lenses turning to track more notable activity.

Madern moves closer, undetected, blending into the background as if he's just another shadow in the room. The receptionist continues her work, oblivious to his presence. He has the opportunity to move deeper into the SHS headquarters.

He spots the security room, which is heavily guarded and features multiple monitors. The footage on these screens shows various areas of the building, including the original theft sites. He can peep through a window on the door, but the room itself is secured with a keycard system and requires a code to access.

In a corridor near the tech development area, Madern notices some older architectural elements from the original building - antique railings on a set of stairs, an old-fashioned light fixture, and a decorative archway. These items incorporate with the modern aesthetic of the building, an effort made to keep some of the original fixtures.

(Perc + Kenning!)

/roll 5

As Madern is sneaking through the corridor, his eyes are drawn to the unusual mixture of old and new decorative elements. He moves closer, trying to focus his fae senses to better understand what he’s seeing. However, in his concentration, he fails to notice an old, slightly protruding iron radiator mounted along the wall. It's a pretty thing, wrought in delicate curlicues, and in days gone by it would have been used to warm these halls. However, to Madern, it's cold, cold, cold.

He stumbles straight into it with a loud clang, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his body - both a sharp blow to his shin that smarts, and the burn of iron touching his skin. The noise reverberates through the hallway.

In the next moment, he hears footsteps approaching—likely security, drawn by the sound. But, luck seems to be in his favor! As it's not a security guard, but a young lady with an intern's ID badge, carrying a couple cups of coffee. She sets them aside and gives Madern a hand up, stepping back and away from the radiator in the process.

"You're not the first person to bark their shins on that dang thing." She says sympathetically. "Are you alright? Need to sit down?"

Then he smiles at her, "Yeah, normally I'm not that clumsy." He sits down and mixes lies with truth. He's no pooka but he ccan BS. "Don't tell anyone I did that. Embarrassing"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've tripped over that darn thing myself. Boss won't get rid of it though, he thinks it's a lucky charm after it tripped a thief who was trying to nab some equipment. Ha! Might as well gild a footstool, but what-ever!" She laughs at this.

"Wait, they caught the thief? About time" He says

"No... weirdest thing, the cameras must have glitched because they didn't catch anything on the feed - but there was a clang and a shout, and bosh, right there on the floor next to the radiator, our EFS - sorry, that's "Electromagnetic Field Stabilizer"! We're lucky it wasn't broken from being dropped. You know you can't get one of those these days for love or money, not with the political unrest in DRC affecting the mining of tantalum..."

A pause, and she looks over Madern - but whatever it was passes. After all, he just looks like another intern to her. He fits right in.

"Did you drop your badge? I can help you look. I'm Tabi, by the way. It's only my first week so I don't know everyone yet." She apologizes.

"Francis" he offers smoothly "Terrible name I know. And.. wait, " He looks down "Oh man, I lost it? Uncle's gonna kill me"

Tabi nods with a slight grimace. "Yeah, definitely. Since the thefts, security's been way tighter. If you lose your badge now, it’s a whole ordeal to get a new one issued—background checks, security clearance updates, the works. They’re really cracking down, so it’s best to keep a close eye on it. You don’t want to get stuck in that bureaucratic mess."

She gives him a reassuring smile. "But hey, we'll find it. Let’s just hope no one noticed yet! Let’s retrace your steps and see if we can find it before anyone notices. I can buzz you through. Where did you last see it?"

"Thanks. Let me see... you know.. you mentioned the EFS, I think I was near that when I last saw it" Maybe she'll lead him to it, "Either that or archives"

"Oh, sure. That's in the tech lab." She retrieves the coffees, and walks with him to buzz the door open, "Excuse me though, I have to jet - I was supposed to have this mocha frap on my boss's desk 10 minutes ago, and she gets CRANKY when she's uncaffeinated."

"Thank you so much, Tabi!"

He make sure the door doesn't close as she buzzes him through

She waves - it looks like the way OUT is not locked, in any case. Fire safety is in his favor - you need a code to get into rooms, but not to leave.

With Tabi heading off, he is left in the lab, unattended! Well, not exactly, there are a couple folk in there, but it's a big room, and they seem deep in their own projects.

The tech lab is a spacious, high-tech environment filled with cutting-edge equipment and a myriad of scientific gadgets. The room is well-lit with overhead fluorescent lights, and the walls are lined with sleek, modern cabinetry and shelves holding various components and tools. There are racks of supplies lab stations, work benches and storage areas. This appears to be the heart of SHS's research lab.

Now, the EFS? It's located in a dedicated section of the lab, which is well labeled - mostly with safety markers, and a clear protective cover (both to keep dust off and to lock it down to the tabletop). Nearby are some detailed blueprints and operation manuals, in a messy stack.

He casts veil anew under his breath "Waldo, Patron Saint of my people, bless your humble servant"

He feels the glamour settling over him - the others in the room were already ignoring him after a cursory glance - they're busy in their own projects, he looks like he belongs, and after all, he DID just buzz in through the locked security door. With this extra layer, they forget he is there entirely.

Madern also notices that there are no cameras in this area. Perhaps to protect industry secrets.

Surprised, he walks over closer to the EFS, cautiously mind you. He wishes he had something to dust for prints, but they'd have done that already.

As Madern approaches the EFS, something else catches his eye amidst the disarray of documents. It’s an old-fashioned leather notebook, somewhat out of place among the modern blueprints and technical manuals. The notebook is slightly worn, with an intricate embossed design on the cover.

His fingers itch, he just needs to slip that into his pocket.

It means something. That book. It's... it's not just programs and works he's sure, it has MEANING and...

Yup. He's gonna try to steal it.

Madern’s fingers tremble with the thrill of the chase and the allure of the mysterious notebook. He glances around to make sure no one is paying attention, then carefully slips the leather-bound book into his pocket. There's a tingle, is it the thrill of giving in to his piskey urges? Maybe, but also, this notebook has a chimerical component, the glamour tingling under his fingers! It's not the blaze of a treasure, but definitely a little something there.

A thought hits him. He looks about to see if anyone has , for any reason, left an ID card here. Obviously they are wearing them, but better to see if someone has placed one to the side or used it as a scanner and then done so.