[OTA|MW] Little lies and little choices; all of it’s a game.

[itchafes]

Neal Caffrey is lounging on a stool in a high-class bar, wearing a clearly new, clearly tailored suit and a trilby cocked down over one eye. His trench coat is still damp from the rain and slung over the bar with a kind of possessive self-assurance. This is his comfort zone. It's like breathing again after being underwater for long enough to nearly

Comments

[merlinianblood]

A few stools down from Neal is a young man who looks a little too scruffy to pass for someone who comes here often, but his body language suggests otherwise. His elbows are on the bar and his fingers laced together, lips pressed against his hands. He's staring, either at something or at nothing-good luck figuring out which, and he only lifts his gaze when the bartender passes in front of him.

He makes a silent gesture for a refill, then sits up a little straighter and notices Neal from the corner of his eye.

"Hey," he says. "You're new."

[itchafes]

Neal swivels just enough to get a good look at the stranger before he answers. "Depends on your perspective."

He salutes the man with his glass. "I take it you're not, around here."

[merlinianblood]

"Nope," he answers, raising his empty glass in response.

The bartender then places a fresh glass of what appears to be whiskey in front of Dave. (Jameson.) He peers at it for a second, then looks back at Neal with a slightly tilted head.

"Perspective, eh?"

[itchafes]

"I'm new to you, but from where I'm sitting, this place and everything in it is novel." He takes a sip from his glass and shifts from the stool to sit closer to Dave. He offers a hand and a smile. "Nick Halden."

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim shrugs out of his jacket and folds it neatly over his arm before heading over the the bar to take a seat. He nods politely at the guy on the next seat and orders his own drink--he'll be working on it all night, but bars are good places to gather information, and...

He'd told Cissie he'd meet her here.

[itchafes]

Neal nods in return, giving the newcomer a casual once-over. Young, legally too young to drink in the US, Neal's guessing, which means that rule doesn't apply or the kid has a good ID. He drains the last of the wine in his glass and pushes it back across the counter, nodding to the bartender.

"I'll try the 2007 James Berry Paso Robles, please." He half-turns to look at Tim again. "Let me guess."

He makes a show of considering the younger man. "Young financier? Whizz kid with a big inheritance?"

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim's eyebrows go up and he regards the other man thoughtfully. "The latter, actually. Very good." He gives him a polite smile. "Have we met?"

[itchafes]

He takes a moment to savor his fresh glass, inspecting the color and taking a casual sniff before sipping at it. "Don't believe so. I'm... new to town. Nick."

Neal sets the glass down and offers his hand to shake. "Nick Halden."

[likemy_role]

JJ walks into the bar in a fur coat that feels makes her feel warm for the first time in days and a gold cocktail dress designed to catch the eye of everyone in the room. She likes to be noticed, and is aware of every move she makes, each step of her very high heeled feet. She allows the maître d' to take the coat, sliding out of it elegantly as she smiles at him. This is just the type of place she likes, the understated class that too many places in California try, but fail, to achieve.

"I'll have a Sazerac, please," she told the bartender as she slid onto the stool next to Neal.

[itchafes]

"I'll get that, if the lady is all right with it." He looks at her sidelong and smiles, toasting her with his own glass. "To fine wine and beautiful company?"

[incaution]

Jo emerges out of the back and her eyes scan over the patrons in the room. She catches the attention of some men that she knows, and gives the younger ones a playful smirk and the older ones a more congenial smile and a tip of her head as she passes them by. While she doesn't mind being friendly with them, there's only one man she has her eyes set on, and she makes her way over to the bar in order to speak with him. She slides up on a stool, tugging down on the ends of her little black dress as she does so.

Her mother would kick her ass if she heard about her showing too much leg to this many of her associates.

"Enjoying yourself?" She questions Neal with a more relaxed and sincere smile, acting as if she had been sitting here the entire time and didn't just attend to business before coming to dote on him with attention.

[itchafes]

He can't help it- he lights up when he sees her, resisting the urge to slip a hand around her waist or give her a kiss. Not here, not now, not when he doesn't know how much she knows about who she is and what's going on. It would feel too much like taking advantage of her, for one - unless she doesn't remember him at all, in which case he might just lose his hands. "I'm starting to now."

[incaution]

She beams at the compliment, and she's the one that leans in to kiss him. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up in a meeting." An important meeting, but she figures that goes without saying. Her hand goes over to rest on his thigh, and her fingers lightly tap out a rhythm. An eyebrow arches as she hums under her breath, and she scoots over to sit on the edge of her seat.

"You feel like getting out of here?"

[itchafes]

He does. Between the dress and her hand on his thigh and the kiss, he would very much like to get out of there with her.

But she's not Jo right now. Not the Jo he knows, the one that he really might care for. "No drinks first?"

He smiles, but Peter would recognize it - it's his gentleman's smile, the host's smile, all charm and not much else. "Their selection is fantastic."

[missussuit]

In a dark corner table, Elizabeth nursed her own glass of wine - a simple house red, but fulfilling enough for her tastes.

She watched the man at the bar with a steady eye, a smirk on her face developing, her mind churning as she debated how to approach this.

Finally, she mustered the courage to take her drink and she sauntered to the bar. She set her glass down next to his, and spoke in a low voice, hoping her words wouldn't carry to the people around them.

"Neal, I'm surprised to see you here," she said. "I thought you would be more careful about showing your face in this part of the city after last time."

[itchafes]

"El-!" He starts with enthusiasm and promptly cuts himself off, trying not to be too dismayed that she's caught up in this too. Calm, confident, and get her out of here and to Peter asap. "Last time?"

It's entirely too innocent, which he supposes is better than admitting every word of what he's saying is the truth. "I have no idea what you mean."

sorry, longest hiatus ever that i forgot to actually take :c

[missussuit]

Elizabeth gives him a cynical look, taking a sip of her wine. "My partner has the entire city looking for you," she informed him. She glanced around the room, as if punctuating the idea that eyes were everywhere. "I didn't think even you would be brazen enough to come back just to rub it in."