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

[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.