all i can taste is champagne when it hits the brain like cocaine ( closed-ish )

[became]

CHARACTERS: neal caffrey + empathy link partners
LOCATION: all over the place, october 11- november 7th.
WARNINGS: tbd. potential blanket 'here be triggering shit' to start off safe.
SUMMARY: stage two and three links, to be back and forward-dated as needed.
NOTES: closed-ish, but if we haven't plotted a link yet and you'd like to my plotting post will be open the whole run.


[ individual starters below, separated by stage. ]

Comments

[withlace]

[ so they're playing this game then.

it takes a moment or two for her brain to work around itself and silence it's irritation, before lauren can handle the situation. and then she can't help but smile a little too much. it's almost playful, and at times sark doesn't see the thrill in it as much as she does. what thrill there can be had in maneuvering around the point until you've finally settled yourself in the center of it. while still enjoying the fuck out of abusing it.

she's the one with the marriage, after all. the one with her true name tied within it. she's forced to work around things, and she almost settles in complacently. rather like a chat with someone in the office. ]

Here? I've hardly felt the urge to watch a movie, so no I haven't seen any lately. I can't even remember the last one I saw at home. Though... I believe I was told I might enjoy the Italian Job? [ eyebrows raised in something sort of like sarcasm but not quite, she glances back to him for a possible rebuttal. ]

[became]

Classic or remake?

[ that one's a serious question; this is a stupid, dangerous game to play with people who don't share his distaste for killing and neal knows it, but he's always wanted the things he shouldn't have the most. ]

If you're hoping to hold that over my head, you're too late. I've already come out of the federal work release closet— you'd be surprised how many people want to meet a real con artist, so long as they don't feel like they have anything worth stealing.

[ peter's arrival ruined neal's last semblance of keeping cover— and people do love a good white collar criminal. no muss, no fuss, and a few card tricks then he's a friendly criminal, dangerous only to art collections. ]

[withlace]

I've already seen the classic, i'd heard enough about the remake before I came here. The pointless chatter in the office can, at times, be somewhat telling.

[ 2003 neal, remember. she isn't from your time, movie's from ten years ago just aren't what they were. but she all but snort's at neal's commentary, glancing elsewhere for a moment before looking back to neal, eyebrows lifted. ]

Believe me, I was aware that wasn't worthy of holding over your head- i'm fairly certain the majority of the ship knows you're a con artist, whether or not they were told or simply managed to find it out themselves. [ she, however, is the one holding the majority of the secrets between them, and it concerns her despite her playing at being casual. ]

Besides, there's only so many things you can get away with in our cramped quarters.

[became]

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

[ he keeps his tone exaggeratedly placid, eyes wide and guileless in a way that suggests nothing more than innocent conversation; sark's good at this game, but he's sharper. playing the ingenue has always been a specialty of neal's, and matching lauren's softer tactics feels like the split second of a con when something changes and your tactics have to change on the fly, with it; exhilarating if not a little dangerous. ]

But like I said, don't worry. I'm not interested in holding anything over your head as leverage— I'd like my head to stay right where it is, and I won't pretend that you wouldn't be more than up to the task of changing that.