Ah Friday. Shall we see what the morning prompt brings us? It is the last one of the week so lets dig deep. Set those timers and off we go.
Not entirely certain of the circumstances of this story bit. I’d have to think about where this lesson would fit into something. Then work out the personal dynamics and the hidden story. I do like the thought of the hidden interplay of people, just not sure this is the story for them. I suppose I’d have to figure out where a pickpocketing class comes in handy first though.
Friday, May 30th: He made it look so easy.
He made it look so easy. I watched knowing that I was no where near as good. I concentrated on the deft movements. The twist of fingers, the slight positionings of his body as he worked. The coat on the stand was festooned with bells of all varieties. Some looked suitable for a reindeer harness on a Christmas display while others were miniscule. They were the hardest for him to avoid. Daren watched as Clive slipped past them with east. No tiny tinkle for the light weight bells at all.
Clive completed his set recovery from the bell coat, holding up the papers he was tasked with retrieving.
“Well done,” Larsen complemented him warmly, even clapping him on the shoulder. Daren took a deep breath as the professor looked to him. “Flash drive in the interior breast pocket,” Larsen told him.
Daren nodded and wiped his hands on his jeans as he stood. He hated the breast pockets removals. Hated being that close to the coat alone let alone a person. The fact that many of the executives he was tasked with monitoring didn’t wear suit jackets let along carry flash drives in their pockets was irrelevant. He made the arguments. Most of the people he was getting information from these days were more likely to used secured networks and hidden accounts rather than physically carry something.
And he was really good with ferreting those out, the best actually.
He just wasn’t good with the bells.
Larsen however was a traditionalist. He wanted them to learn all the possible permutations of information gathering.
‘He is also fond of Clive,’ Daren reminded himself. Clive was the golden boy. Daren was merely tolerated. Clive was good with physical lifts but a blundering idiot when it came to digital traces.
Daren blocked the thought out. He had been practicing. He faced the coat and let all other thoughts go as he worked to extract the flash drive. He went in, slipping past the larger bells easily. Then came th hard part, the smaller bells. Not only were there more of them and placed in hidden spots, but their light weight made them easier to ring.
Daren eased in, carefully, slowly and to his delight managed to extract the flash drive without ringing a single bell. He held up the flash drive and backed away. There was a scattering of applause from a couple of the other students. Clive scowled at him and Larsen frowned slightly.
“I see you have been practicing,” he said. “Frank, there is a not in the side pocket.”
Daren stepped away as Frank moved forward. He hadn’t expected any praise but at least he was spared the censure that was his usual lot in this class. Frank managed to trip a bell and the criticism was scathing. Daren tried not to wince as he knew Larsen was particularly brutal due to his own success.
Larsen may have tolerated him in the class but he didn’t like him much. Larsen had in fact tried to have him removed from the class a couple of times previously. Daren had no idea why he was disliked. He searched for reasons but found none. In the end he had to accept that it was just one of those things. Luckily this was his last class with Larsen and this class was almost concluded.
Ten til Midnight 