IC contact for lastvoyages

[cactusy]

[If I don't have an active post up, feel free to use this post to have your character call, videochat, text, or knock on Shaw's door.]

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[littletonoidea]

Eiffel's perfectly happy to keep letting his siblings have their moment, but maybe he wants in on the hug too.

He's not gonna crowd Shaw, though; but he does come over and lean on the couch, giving Shaw a quick squeeze of one shoulder and ruffling Neal's hair.

"While I hate to break up the Caballero's comeback tour, it kinda feels like we glossed over a few things." He rests his elbows on the couch as he loosely folds his arms, and turns a concerned look at Neal. "Did you seriously jump over the rails?"

[conning]

Ah fuck. Neal releases Shaw carefully, sighing. "This conversation isn't actually over yet, either."

[cactusy]

Shaw says nothing: she just shifts away when Neal releases her, then carefully adjusts so that her arm is leaning against his, and waits for an answer to Eiffel's question.

[littletonoidea]

"Seeing as how Shaw's word of the day announcement says she's worried about you," he reminds Neal, with a light nod towards Shaw's lovely neon sign, "I think it's still pretty relevant."

[conning]

Neal sighs. "Yes, I jumped. It was early on after I got here. When I realized I was imprisoned somewhere else, with no clear marks to hit for release, by someone who could and would keep me alive here forever until I either figured out what he wanted from me or vanished into nothingness. ...That's how I viewed it at the time. I figured it was better to become part of some other universe and at least have a life, even if it wasn't mine, than be... trapped again."

[cactusy]

"You were trying to do the fake... breach... thing?" Shaw asks, her forehead crinkling faintly.

[littletonoidea]

"I think he was going for happily ever after," Eiffel says quietly. "And didn't know there's a time limit."

[conning]

"Basically." Neal looks down, then away from them both. God, he hadn't thought this clearly about Lizzie in--since the nightmare he shared with Raylan. He'd been trying not to. Neal clears his throat lightly and squares his shoulders, voice a gentle prompt. "So--why does your sign say 'Completely wrecked over Neal Caffrey, and she's not even a little bit aware of it'?"

[cactusy]

She rolls her eyeballs up, as if trying to catch a glimpse of it, and shrugs.

"I don't have a lot of friends, and I don't have a lot of experience with close interpersonal relationships. But you seemed kind of... done with me. And that sucked."

[conning]

Neal reaches sideways with the arm that isn't pressed against Shaw's, drawing her in enough that he can kiss her temple before letting go. In Farsi, he says, "I love you neither with my heart, nor with my mind. My heart might stop; my mind can forget. I love you with my soul."

He turns his head to kiss her shoulder for good measure. "Idiot."

Then again in Farsi: "We haven't even started talking about what a wonderful person Eiffel is in front of him yet."

[littletonoidea]

Eiffel takes the moment to clamber gainlessly over the back of the couch and sit behind Shaw, so she can lean on him or use his lap as a pillow when the hug gets resolved.

"Oh, aren't you guys special," he teases, but his tone is genuinely warm (and honestly a little bit impressed). "You got your cool kids secret code and everything."

[cactusy]

As she leans back against Eiffel's legs, Shaw's lips twitch into something that's aaaaaalmost a smile.

"He's a lot smarter than he gives himself credit for. He completely tricked you today."

[conning]

Neal smirks a tiny bit. "He really is. Having a third party call was a brilliant touch."

[littletonoidea]

Eiffel looks between the two of them, at a complete loss with the language shift.

"Is this because I got you to come here under false pretenses?" he hazards warily.

[cactusy]

"Nope," says Shaw - still flatter than usual, still quiet, still distant, still with a part of her wondering how long Neal's flowery I love you with my soul spiel will last if he ever realizes that she's so much less emotional than he thinks.

But all the same, she leans back a little more solidly against Eiffel.

"Nah, this is because you're really easy to tease. Better brush up on your Farsi, huh."

[conning]

"We can always switch to Spanish if he does." He bumps Shaw's shoulder gently. "Khāhar koochak. Something's still wrong. Are you up for admitting what it is?"

[littletonoidea]

He makes a face at them both, but when Shaw settles into him he wraps an arm around her shoulders, half-draping it across the back of the couch so she doesn't feel trapped by it, and when he finds Neal's sleeve immediately starts fiddling with it for something to do with his hand.

(He'll reserve comment on how they suck just yet. They already know that, after all.)

[cactusy]

Shaw shrugs, a purposefully small motion because she doesn't want to dislodge Eiffel.

"I'm just. Tired. Annoyed, frustrated, worried."

[conning]

"The source and-or target of those feelings being..." He will lead you to talking about things step by step if he has to Shaw. In the mean time, he finds Eiffel's hand with one of his and laces their fingers together.

[cactusy]

"Probably best if we don't get into it, yeah?" she asks, her brow crinkling a little. She's fine with having topics that they just don't touch on, if that's what's most expedient and least trying for everyone involved.

[conning]

Up go the eyebrows. "So Malcolm. Or Will, or Will's relationship with Malcolm."

[cactusy]

"Caffreyyyyyy," Shaw groans, petulantly dropping her head into her hands.

[conning]

"Sameeeeen," he says in return, drawing her name out into a wheedle. "Eiffel is here to act as arbiter if we need one. If you're up for talking about it."

He leans sideways to kiss her temple gently. "You don't have to be. That's the only out I'm going to give you."

[cactusy]

"You're important to me," she says, shifting uncomfortably. "More important than talking about something that's going to upset you. I don't like upsetting you."

[littletonoidea]

"We're not gonna get upset at you for telling us what's upsetting you," Eiffel points out quietly. "We're literally asking for it, that means we can try and be adults about it. Instead of the Rugrats we usually are."

And before they can protest he points: "Chuckie," to Neal. "Lil," to Shaw. "Tommy," to himself.