roadrunnermuses | open } { mistletoe meme

[He winces.]

Divorce is rough. And unfortunately not an uncommon situation in this day and age.

[ She shrugs nonchalantly enough, doing a quick scan of the room. ]

It's not as big a deal when you're eighteen. My siblings were more traumatized by it; I just thought it was about damn time.

I didn't meet my dad until I was in my thirties.

[Well, that's not actually true, but at least in a way he remembers.]

And my mom never really recovered from the circumstances of losing him, so it made Christmas a little inconsistent.

I'm not sure which is worse. Not knowin' him until you're in your thirties, or having him around the first 18 years of your life and dealin' with the constant narcissism and neglect because you're not American enough. You might have lucked out.

[ The words are muttered sourly, until she realizes what she's said and she freezes. Way to go, dumbass. ]

Shit, I'm sorry...

[He shakes his head.]

No, I definitely lucked out. You think I annoy you now, I would have been much worse under my father's influence.

[Sam Bennet didn't do anyone any favors as a parent.]

He came into my life to make it worse, and then he left before he could suffer the consequences.

You annoy me a lot less than you used to, Caffrey.

[ His words do bring a sober look to her face as she finishes off her glass of wine. She sets it down on the bar and reaches out to gently place her hand on his shoulder because Christmas makes her nicer? Don't ask. ]

I'm so sorry. You deserved better. [ Is that a hint of tenderness in the way she's looking at him? ]

[Careful, Morasca. You might actually get him thinking you like him.]

It is what it is. But it answered a lot of questions I had so it wasn't a complete waste.

[ Oh, yes, we can't have that, now, can we? Anna has a reputation to uphold, of course. Her hand lingers for a minute on his shoulder before she pulls it back and shifts to lean against the bar. ]

I'm glad something good came out of it for you. It brought you here, so it's not all bad, right? [ A rare moment of optimism. Man, the holiday is making her soft. ]

I like to think so.

[And Mozzie finally caves because they're hanging out by the bar, so naturally Neal is blockading his access to the wine. He slides up to the bar and rests a hand on it gently. "Neal." He pauses, then acknowledges Anna. "Detective."]

Mr. Havisham.

Fancy meetin' you here, Mr. Havisham. [ Anna says with a nod at the man who has just joined them at the bar before taking a step back to shift against the bar and get herself another glass of wine. ]

Merry Christmas and all that, if you celebrate.

["Who doesn't love a good winter holiday? But I prefer to be nondenominational."

Neal pours Mozzie a glass of wine, and places it on the bar in front of him.]

Even Saturnalia?

["Always best to cover your bases."]

[ Anna chuckles a little at the exchange and fidgets lightly with her empty wine glass. ]

Covering your bases is always a safe bet, even if it's only in regard to winter holidays.

["Some of the old gods are vengeful ones. Never hurts to be careful."

Neal nods in agreement.]

Especially when you're paying tribute to Demeter. She can be vengeful, that's for sure.

You both know your mythology. Is that part of dealin' in antiquities and art? [ Color her curious, absolutely no ulterior motive to it. Nope, not like she's trying to feel out if Mr. Havisham is Mozzie or anything... ]

When dealing with fine art, it's important to have a healthy classics education.

[It makes you sound like a professional.

"Also it makes you sound worldly, which is good for a mark who thinks he's smarter than he is." Mozzie is aware that she's aware that there are thieves around, but to cover his bases. "If you're in to that sort of thing that is."]

That makes sense.

[ That comment from 'Mr. Havisham' piques Anna's interest and she arches a slender brow as she tilts her head and looks over at him. She's definitely studying him. ] Are you into that sort of thing, Mr. Havisham?

["Isn't everyone here? Law enforcement is it's own kind of con, in a way." Mozzie's willing to play the game, and manages to keep a fairly neutral face at the question.]

A trial is definitely a con. At least in my experience.

[ Anna chuckles at that, shrugging a little. She can't argue with that.

She offers her empty glass to Neal for a refill - maybe she'll indulge a little. It's Christmas after all. ]

Neither of you are wrong. I suppose reading people and being quick on my feet makes me good at my job, as it would a con artist.

[Neal will give her that refill - she's an adult, and he's not one to refuse anyone wine.]

That it would. Predicting your marks moods helps sell the con. And you need to pivot, if a variable comes in you aren't prepared for.

[ She nods gratefully at the refill and takes a sip before shifting her weight and looking curiously at Neal. ]

How often do those unexpected surprises come into play for you? Because you're definitely an unexpected variable, Caffrey.

More often than you think. It's not much of a challenge if all your marks are idiots.

[And the caliber of your skill is tied to the caliber of the people you con.]

And there are some variables you just can't recover from.

[Adler being one of them.]

Yeah, I can see how it would get boring after a while if they're all idiots. If every homicide was the same I'd be bored. [ Is this the time to be joking about work? Probably not. Since when does she act like a normal person, anyway? Well, Angell used to keep her in line... but she's gone and if Anna thinks about it too much she might crawl back into the bottle. Adam had a hard enough go of it pulling her out the first time.

Her brows knit in a mixture of curiosity and concern at the last sentence, head tilting slightly as she studies him. It's the same tilt she does when she studies a crime scene; a weird little quirk.]

Was it a woman? The variable.

Yes and no. Adler being a crook in his own right changed the trajectory of the kinds of jobs I would take. But Kate was the reason I got caught.

[It never gets easier to talk about her as though she's no longer there. But she is gone, to a place where he can't get her back, and as complicated as loving her was, he still misses her.]

[ Anna knows a little about Neal's past from his arrest record and bits of information she's gotten from Peter, but she's never brought it up before.

It's a difficult topic - Kate and Adler - and she feels a little bad for bringing the conversation that way. So she does what she does best - she deflects and redirects the conversation. ] I don't see Agent Burke. Is he stuck working?

No, El had another event across town so they're coming late. They should be here soon.

[Granted, Peter could have shown up without his wife, but Neal thinks he's doing him the courtesy of not putting the most obvious cop in the room with all his criminal friends.]

Holiday season is a busy one for event planners.

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Sorry this took forever T.T

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