A- [ he's about to say what, but right, conman lingo. he catches on a second later, and instead of looking offended, he flashes a smile. ]
Yeah. Maybe not as much as you'd think, unless you're really into bedpans and- [ he's about to say rumproast, which seriously does have a completely sensible and not weird werewolf context. he's gotten way too used to talking about wolf crap with way too many people here, but neal's not one of them - he catches himself, if awkwardly. ] ... the hospital's drug stash, which I guess could be totally worth it.
[ neal's shrug is apologetic, but matter of fact. ] It's a sort of us and them, sheep and wolves mentality. You can lie to another con, but treating them like a mark will make things difficult.
[ after a moment. ]
It's your face-- too open. You didn't mean the drug stash, you were going to say something else and corrected at the last second.
[ he's not so much asking for the truth as announcing he's aware of the lie. ]
[ that earns a serious grin, just shy of actually laughing, but it's a weird mix of nonchalant and bitter. sheep and wolves, great word choice. ]
You're right. I didn't mean the drug stash.
[ josh is great at lies that skirt the truth, lies of omission - not so much direct ones. most people don't pay any attention to him back home, but there's no question anyone who did take interest would figure out what was up within a month or less.
he should probably just divert the conversation entirely, and if he hadn't spent over half a year on this ship, he probably would - but the truth is that it's getting increasingly difficult to bother being paranoid about what he is. space is great for perspective, apparently. or possibly awful?? ]
I was going to say rump roast.
[ he offers it up without hesitation, and it's half a challenge. it's such a stupid truth and such a stupid thing to lie about, given how obscure the connection is to the wolf issue - he's tempted to see if neal thinks he's bullshitting. ]
[ it's stripped of neal's usual vanity; he's always been good at reading people, at understanding what they need and how to change himself to fit that void for as long as it takes to steal from them. ]
...blackmarket butcher shop?
[ the odds aren't fantastic, but stranger things ( probably literally, if josh doesn't dodge ) have happened. neal's not going to share his father's sins or his mother's inability to function, not willing to talk about witsec in anything but the vaguest terms. origin stories are something he's more willing to respect the space around, these days. ]
[ the lack of vanity is the right way to go, of course. it's easy to kick up josh's defenses, and badly timed arrogance is one of the best ways to do it. ]
Hilariously, not entirely a wrong guess.
[ blackmagic maybe, but the butcher part's pretty applicable these days. and dinner parties with werewolves, how about not. they mostly consist of deer guts and eating vampires, nobody wants that. ]
But touché. I officially surrender on the dinner party debate.
[ clasping a hand to his chest dramatically, neal takes another sip and then toys with the label for a moment, neatly peeling one edge up and away without tearing it, an old habit picked up before moz. ]
Can I ask what the right guess would have been? I'll accept a no for once in my life.
[ there are a lot of things that run through josh's mind at the direct question, but not half as many as standard paranoia would merit. he's in space, first of all, so who the fuck cares at this point. more importantly - neal is a friend, sort of, even if he apparently doesn't know his real name.
what he does know is that neal can keep a secret, and josh is feeling weirdly sick of keeping them himself. there's a pause for thought, but not much of one. josh crosses his arms and leans back in his chair slightly, a hand rubbing idly at his left shoulder before he notices and stops. ]
Distracting the wolf on the full moon.
[ it sounds surprisingly deadpan, but there's an edge of bitter insecurity to it. ]
[ the blasé tone isn't an affectation, neal's heartrate thumping calm and easy as the moment before.
after a moment, he huffs out a quiet laugh. ]
You really should consider the butcher thing as a side business. I know plenty of people who would pay hand over fist for the privilege of buying meat in an alleyway, as long as it's good quality.
It adds a certain illicit feel to the proceedings. [ a shrug. foodies, man. ]
[ and right back to hipster jokes. josh is quiet for a second, but it's not that he's completely shocked by neal's lack of surprise. normal's been pretty violently redefined since they've been on the ship, and werewolves are on the low scale of weird.
it's more an appreciative silence, because - it's still weird talking about it, for him, and this is one more in a slowly growing pile of easy acceptances. it's taking a little getting used to. but then he breaks into a grin, even if his tone is still mostly restrained. ]
No, no metaphors. I think I'd take being a wolf over whatever that could possibly be a metaphor for, anyway.
[ but that said, your hipster jokes are still bad, neal. ]
Speaking of which, I'd like to carefully sidestep a discussion about selling illicit meat in alleyways. [ a beat. ] No offense.
No offense taken-- of all the crimes I've committed, prostitution has never been one.
[ after a reflective pause and a much smaller sip, neal inhales and gestures with the hand holding the bottle. ] Being a kept man is much more lucrative anyway.
[ the admission is casual, almost wistful. the lean years had their perks, and there was something thrilling and exactly responsibility-free enough about being the perfect man for six months or so and then disappearing with the family silver confident he wouldn't be reported for it. ]
[ but how is being a kept man that much different from being a prostitute, here. give him a second to catch up. josh looks a bit confused, then thoughtful, because he's clearly not making the connection. ]
... kept man? What, does The Man not pay well enough?
[ that's sort of a joke. if neal works for the government, josh is assuming it doesn't pay well enough - particularly if he's an ex-criminal. ]
Oh, absolutely not. But I supplement now with helping Mozzie out, and he just conveniently never tells me exactly what I helped with.
[ which is still very much crime but neal's a fan of living by the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. peter said no committing crimes-- he never said no helping moz plan 'hypothetical' heists or not to do a little welding in his free time. ]
The kept man period was earlier, although June likes to let her friends assume it's still going on, and I'm fine with that. [ neal's smile is a little blurry, but more sincere than anyone onboard other than peter or moz has ever seen. ] She helps Mozzie scam people buying storage lockers.
[ june is basically neal's perfect woman, which fits in nicely with the rampant mommy issues. ]
Well. She sounds very lovely. [ it's half a joke, but it sounds like an honest enough compliment - he's more mocking his own stuffy language.
it'd probably be polite to quit bothering neal, considering the whole medbay thing, but... well, he's actually talking, and josh did just sort of let the wolf out of the bag. that's not really something he's comfortable with throwing out there and then walking away right after. ]
She is. [ neal skips over the undertones in favor of nodding, smile affectionate. ] She really is.
[ it's probably a little odd his smile for june looks the same as his one for new york, but he's got a thing. ] It's a hell of a town.
[ a beat. ]
That's a yes, since you were complaining earlier about-- [ there's a small, obvious moment where he reaches for a word and settles on something else. ] clarity.
[ josh follows the comment, but neal's clarification earns a broad grin. still feels like a big victory to be getting straight answers out of neal, and the fact that he's so deliberately humoring josh is amusing in itself. ] Thank you.
[ there's a pause, and it seems like he's about to continue the conversation, then: ]
You should rest. [ he sounds a bit startled by the realization. it's getting late, and neal's mixing meds and booze (oops), and josh is distracting him. best nurse or best nurse. he'd normally make a joke about neal getting his beauty sleep, but - not so appropriate, now. ]
But this was lovely. I've got a shift tomorrow - I'm sure I can sneak you some more booze if you promise not to narc on me. [ sarcastically flattering, of course, but the offer's legit. ]
[ oh yes good the stool pigeon thing, back to that. not normal, neal. josh offers a sincere smile at the thanks, and if it's debatable what the thank you's actually for, josh seems to get it. ]
Any time. But seriously, if they ask, I was never here.
[ he should probably give a thank you for the "okay with him being a werewolf" part of this, but that just seems incredibly awkward, so. peace!! i'm really good at writing exits ok. ]
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[ he didn't so much offer his name to himself so much as himself just knew, but the lines tend to blur. ]
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[ no offense, of course. he's kind of gotten used to less crazy neal. ]
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Oh my god, you should see your face. You would have been an amazing mark.
[ sounding wistful there is kind of a dick move, but that's the price you pay. ]
just pretend ok i only have like 2 smiling icons and they are mia
Yeah. Maybe not as much as you'd think, unless you're really into bedpans and- [ he's about to say rumproast, which seriously does have a completely sensible and not weird werewolf context. he's gotten way too used to talking about wolf crap with way too many people here, but neal's not one of them - he catches himself, if awkwardly. ] ... the hospital's drug stash, which I guess could be totally worth it.
god how wude
[ neal's shrug is apologetic, but matter of fact. ] It's a sort of us and them, sheep and wolves mentality. You can lie to another con, but treating them like a mark will make things difficult.
[ after a moment. ]
It's your face-- too open. You didn't mean the drug stash, you were going to say something else and corrected at the last second.
[ he's not so much asking for the truth as announcing he's aware of the lie. ]
you're wuder
You're right. I didn't mean the drug stash.
[ josh is great at lies that skirt the truth, lies of omission - not so much direct ones. most people don't pay any attention to him back home, but there's no question anyone who did take interest would figure out what was up within a month or less.
he should probably just divert the conversation entirely, and if he hadn't spent over half a year on this ship, he probably would - but the truth is that it's getting increasingly difficult to bother being paranoid about what he is. space is great for perspective, apparently. or possibly awful?? ]
I was going to say rump roast.
[ he offers it up without hesitation, and it's half a challenge. it's such a stupid truth and such a stupid thing to lie about, given how obscure the connection is to the wolf issue - he's tempted to see if neal thinks he's bullshitting. ]
untruths
[ it's stripped of neal's usual vanity; he's always been good at reading people, at understanding what they need and how to change himself to fit that void for as long as it takes to steal from them. ]
...blackmarket butcher shop?
[ the odds aren't fantastic, but stranger things ( probably literally, if josh doesn't dodge ) have happened. neal's not going to share his father's sins or his mother's inability to function, not willing to talk about witsec in anything but the vaguest terms. origin stories are something he's more willing to respect the space around, these days. ]
And you judged my dinner parties.
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Hilariously, not entirely a wrong guess.
[ blackmagic maybe, but the butcher part's pretty applicable these days. and dinner parties with werewolves, how about not. they mostly consist of deer guts and eating vampires, nobody wants that. ]
But touché. I officially surrender on the dinner party debate.
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[ clasping a hand to his chest dramatically, neal takes another sip and then toys with the label for a moment, neatly peeling one edge up and away without tearing it, an old habit picked up before moz. ]
Can I ask what the right guess would have been? I'll accept a no for once in my life.
pops cork
what he does know is that neal can keep a secret, and josh is feeling weirdly sick of keeping them himself. there's a pause for thought, but not much of one. josh crosses his arms and leans back in his chair slightly, a hand rubbing idly at his left shoulder before he notices and stops. ]
Distracting the wolf on the full moon.
[ it sounds surprisingly deadpan, but there's an edge of bitter insecurity to it. ]
u loev him josh u loev him so muuuuuuuch
[ the blasé tone isn't an affectation, neal's heartrate thumping calm and easy as the moment before.
after a moment, he huffs out a quiet laugh. ]
You really should consider the butcher thing as a side business. I know plenty of people who would pay hand over fist for the privilege of buying meat in an alleyway, as long as it's good quality.
It adds a certain illicit feel to the proceedings. [ a shrug. foodies, man. ]
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it's more an appreciative silence, because - it's still weird talking about it, for him, and this is one more in a slowly growing pile of easy acceptances. it's taking a little getting used to. but then he breaks into a grin, even if his tone is still mostly restrained. ]
No, no metaphors. I think I'd take being a wolf over whatever that could possibly be a metaphor for, anyway.
[ but that said, your hipster jokes are still bad, neal. ]
Speaking of which, I'd like to carefully sidestep a discussion about selling illicit meat in alleyways. [ a beat. ] No offense.
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[ after a reflective pause and a much smaller sip, neal inhales and gestures with the hand holding the bottle. ] Being a kept man is much more lucrative anyway.
[ the admission is casual, almost wistful. the lean years had their perks, and there was something thrilling and exactly responsibility-free enough about being the perfect man for six months or so and then disappearing with the family silver confident he wouldn't be reported for it. ]
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[ but how is being a kept man that much different from being a prostitute, here. give him a second to catch up. josh looks a bit confused, then thoughtful, because he's clearly not making the connection. ]
... kept man? What, does The Man not pay well enough?
[ that's sort of a joke. if neal works for the government, josh is assuming it doesn't pay well enough - particularly if he's an ex-criminal. ]
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[ which is still very much crime but neal's a fan of living by the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. peter said no committing crimes-- he never said no helping moz plan 'hypothetical' heists or not to do a little welding in his free time. ]
The kept man period was earlier, although June likes to let her friends assume it's still going on, and I'm fine with that. [ neal's smile is a little blurry, but more sincere than anyone onboard other than peter or moz has ever seen. ] She helps Mozzie scam people buying storage lockers.
[ june is basically neal's perfect woman, which fits in nicely with the rampant mommy issues. ]
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it'd probably be polite to quit bothering neal, considering the whole medbay thing, but... well, he's actually talking, and josh did just sort of let the wolf out of the bag. that's not really something he's comfortable with throwing out there and then walking away right after. ]
You were in New York, right?
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[ it's probably a little odd his smile for june looks the same as his one for new york, but he's got a thing. ] It's a hell of a town.
[ a beat. ]
That's a yes, since you were complaining earlier about-- [ there's a small, obvious moment where he reaches for a word and settles on something else. ] clarity.
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[ there's a pause, and it seems like he's about to continue the conversation, then: ]
You should rest. [ he sounds a bit startled by the realization. it's getting late, and neal's mixing meds and booze (oops), and josh is distracting him. best nurse or best nurse. he'd normally make a joke about neal getting his beauty sleep, but - not so appropriate, now. ]
But this was lovely. I've got a shift tomorrow - I'm sure I can sneak you some more booze if you promise not to narc on me. [ sarcastically flattering, of course, but the offer's legit. ]
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[ sometimes, he just says shit like that like normal people do it too. ]
Thank you, by the way. [ for the talk, the beer, something else intangible-- neal will leave it up to debate. ]
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Any time. But seriously, if they ask, I was never here.
[ he should probably give a thank you for the "okay with him being a werewolf" part of this, but that just seems incredibly awkward, so. peace!! i'm really good at writing exits ok. ]