Here he was, about to pull off the heist of the goddamn century, and Garret couldn't help but grin. Contrary to his normal state of dress, tonight he was wearing a pure black outfit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt and close-hugging pants, ideal for maneuvering through the darkness unnoticed. The smile simply refused to leave his face as he slowly and stealthily made his way through the courtyard of the massive mansion that loomed before him, evading the guards with ease as promises of wealth practically screamed at him from within its walls. Oh yes; this was going to be a fun night.<br/><br/>Garret had spent the past few weeks surveying this place. It was one of the few homes he knew of that housed nobility, and after studying it closely, he had learned every guard's typical behaviors and formulated a simple, but effective plan. There were security measures, yes, but nothing he couldn't easily get past with his skill. There was no doubt in his mind that everything would go according to plan. As he neared the building, he slowed and planted himself in one of the few blind spots nobody ever bothered to look. If his calculations were correct, the guard covering his entrance would soon take the five-minute break that he always did.<br/><br/>Before long, that was exactly what happened, and in this brief time of negligence, Garret advanced. Now standing up against the house, he stole a glance behind him to make sure the guards' attention wasn't alerted; finding that it wasn't, he recounted his plan mentally. Step 1: Find the southernmost window opening into the western hall, a dining room. He had it on good faith that this window would be open tonight, and only tonight - and Richard had never disappointed him yet. He quickly slunk around the edge of the building, keeping his frame low to the ground to avoid attracting any sort of attention, while his eyes darted between the mansion and everything else, keeping a close eye out for any unusual patterns in the guards. Stopping suddenly underneath a window, he paused for a moment, glancing inside of it.<span style="font-style: italic">This must be it,</span>he thought, raising a hand carefully upward. Another massive grin stole its way across his face as the window slid open with ease.<span style="font-style: italic">Good going, Richy.</span><br/><br/>After a quick glance inside to make sure there was no obvious unexpected company, he tossed the burlap bag he was carrying through the window and then quickly leapt in himself, touching down on the marble flooring with such a lack of noise that only the most astute observer would have noticed it at all. Yes, this man had fantastic control of his body; working hard your entire life, not to mention being a thief, helped immensely with that.<span style="font-style: italic">Step one complete, then,</span>he thought, shifting his gaze around the room and quietly shutting the window behind him. Step 2: Get shit done. It was a fairly standard dining room that he found himself in; or at least that's what it seemed like. It was hard to tell in this darkness, as he had waited long enough for every light in the mansion to go off, and he wasn't about to use a light of his own unless necessary.<br/><br/>With ease and grace, Garret started walking, making as little noise as humanly possible on flooring such as this. At one point, he misjudged the weight and tapped a bit louder; after pausing for a moment, he smiled again. It was perfectly possible that someone might have heard the sound if they were still awake, or a particularly light sleeper; that would just make things all the more exciting. It wasn't as fun if everything went off without a hitch. As he continued on, every once in a while he would spot something that looked valuable. He wasn't here for anything in particular, so on those occasions he would quietly deposit the object in the bag that was hanging over his shoulder and carry on.<br/><br/>Eventually he came to the main hall, his bag now almost halfway full, and he couldn't help but notice the large, ornate staircase leading up to the second floor. Yet again, his lips folded in that telltale grin; this was a risky decision, but what fun could one have without taking risks? Chances were, the mansion's inhabitants were all sleeping upstairs.. So that's exactly where he would go next. Grasping the burlap sack with both hands to steady it, he slowly but surely made his way up the staircase, eager to find out what awaited him there.