foulplayed | INBOX

[ A pause. Stiles lingers over the first response, eyes narrowed in consideration. It doesn’t necessarily ring as false to him, but he finds it questionable that Yuri would try to support a halfway house through thievery – especially in the Ruby Underground given how dangerous the district has the potential to be. Why risk the project that way in the first place? ]

Call me a smart guy all you want, but I don’t get it. This video existed before I contacted you. If I wanted to do something with it, I obviously would have. I only brought it up when you tried to be opportunistic. And for someone who apparently deals in transactions for a living, you seem pretty set on cutting me out when I could be a useful ally. Is it because I got one up on you?

[ Is Yuri prideful? Stiles can’t say yet. There might be a base vanity the other man possesses given his inarguably good looks. Who knows how far that could extend.

Either way, he shelves the other conversation for the time being; it’s not like Yuri can teach him over text, and Stiles needs to gauge just how personally the man took things. ]

( One of the ways, Stiles. Most of his financial support will come from completing jobs for Red – another thing he isn't about to tell him – but Yuri has always liked to have rainy-day money trickling in from a variety of different sources. )

Now, that's just cute.

( How exactly is he supposed to answer honestly, hm? Should he detail that, actually, he'd only ever seen one recording of himself before this? That it's spooked him quite horribly to see how easy it might be for strangers — or potential enemies — to document his movements for blackmail? Back on Fódlan he'd never had to deal with the possibility of people having video evidence to hold over him; this is the response of a man who's been pretty shaken by the realisation of how serious his oversight could have been.

Yuri isn't prideful, Stiles. You've made him quite suddenly afraid — for his position with Red, for the halfway house, and for what recorded surveillance means for the future efficacy of his skillset. Unfortunately, dumping hidden camera footage on a career criminal from ye olden days was never going to get an immediately positive response. )

But since I get the feeling you're not going to let this drop: let's just say I'm still getting used to videos. Perhaps I should even be thanking you for sparing me this moment from someone who actually wants me dead.

You’re welcome.

[ Smart ass replies aside, Stiles is struck by the distinction of there allegedly being people who want Yuri dead. Just what has the other man been up to? Pickpocketing the yuppies from topside probably wouldn’t earn many enemies in the Ruby Underground, unless the targets have been poorly selected. But Yuri doesn’t seem like the type to make that kind of mistake. ]

So, will you teach me?

Why not.

When's good for you?

Tomorrow evening.

Do me a favour and wear something you'd consider nice, yeah? I need to see what I'm working with before I decide which angle to go for.

[ ...Something nice? Stiles mentally pictures the interior of his closet, which is filled to the brim with hoodies and flannels. ]

Sure thing. Same address as before, or am I meeting you in the Underground?

The Underground? Dial it back a bit, tough guy. You're not ready for that yet.

Same address as before.

[ Stiles isn't really sure Yuri should be judging what he is or isn't ready for when the man hasn't seen him in action yet. It wouldn't be the first time he's gotten up to no good in the Ruby Underground. ]

Your call. See you then.

( Hopefully Stiles will be able to forgive Yuri for assuming that, were he Underground-ready, he wouldn't have needed to come to him looking for help.

It's fortunate for the both of them that by the time "tomorrow evening" rolls around, Yuri has had a night to sleep on his worries and come out the other side feeling a little less shaken. Not knowing things is a source of frustration to him — something he always feels compelled to somehow make right — and in this instance he's concluded that knowing will take away a great deal of his surveillance concerns.

It could be worse. Furthermore, he's glad that this was pointed out to him before his first big job for Red, as being recorded by the wrong person could have sunk his Underground goals before they'd even begun to put down roots.

When the doorbell goes, Yuri doesn't waste time in answering and inviting Stiles inside: )

Hey.

[ Tomorrow evening finds Stiles approaching the townhouse with a somewhat unconfident gait, his hands tapping out a staccato rhythm on his thighs as he waits for the door to be opened. Per Yuri’s request, he’s wearing his “nice” clothes – that is, the kind of outfit he would wear when visiting Itachi (in the hopes of getting laid, of course). A deep blue, long-sleeve Henley clings to his upper body, showcasing his slender, trim frame before narrowing at the waist into a pair of black chinos that accentuate long legs. It’s as dressed up as Stiles gets without venturing into the realm of a suit and tie, though he’s not quite sure if it’ll meet Yuri’s expectations for the night. ]

Yo.

[ Stepping past the other man, he enters the townhouse and immediately checks his reflection in the nearest reflective surface, clearly nervous about his attire. ]

Does this work, or…?

[ Stiles turns back to Yuri, scrutinizing the trickster for an idea of what Yuri might qualify as “nice.” ]

( What Yuri qualifies as "nice" is evident enough in the way he's chosen to dress himself for their little test run. A sleek, cream blouse with an elegant bow at the throat is tucked into fitted black trousers that nip high on his waist, giving his hips a subtle flare that leaves his silhouette somewhat ambiguous. His nails are wine red this time, and the dark flicks of his wing-tips are more dramatic than his daytime look, all of which is pulled together with a soft nude eye and a burgundy velvet lip. )

Nice – definitely better than the last time we spoke. We can get into that later, though.

( Which is something, right?

The heels of his boots click across the floor as he gestures for Stiles to follow him inside – back to the coffee table, back to the couch, back to the spot where they'd painted his nails just a few weeks prior. The places is looking distinctly more boxy than last time – Yuri is evidently packing up to move – but hey, it probably shouldn't get in the way of practising pickpocketing each other. )

So. I was thinking we could start off with you telling me just how experienced you are in this.

( The tail end of an eyebrow lifts a little way as he looks Stiles up and down – assessing. )

You're obviously not a novice, and I'd like to know what I'm working with.

[ Lydia would love that outfit, is his first thought as he gives Yuri a scrutinizing once-over. Before an inevitable sense of homesickness can distract him, Stiles hurriedly latches onto the comment of “…definitely better than the last time we spoke.” What was that supposed to mean!? Okay, so it’s pretty obvious what it means. But still. A guy has a right to be defensive over his chosen style of dress. There’s nothing wrong with hoodies and flannels. Nothing whatsoever.

Sending his reflection another dubious glance, he wordlessly follows after the other man deeper into the townhouse, taking note of the boxes with a curious, nosy air. As he passes, his hands drum on the cardboard top of one, a restless movement he can’t quite help. The nails on that hand are the same pale rose pink from when Yuri painted them, though the majority are sadly chipped. Not nearly as fine and polished looking as the trickster’s. ]

I don’t have that much experience, honestly.

[ He pauses, reconsidering the statement. ]

Well… I guess I’m way better than a total novice. I’m pretty good at lifting things off people when I initiate a collision or something. I’m decent at sleight-of-hand tricks too. But without a kind of physical distraction, I don’t think I could pull off what you did in the Underground, y’know?

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