Voice-testing, homeless, you know the drill...

[leveraging]

Look, uh... mundane? I don't know what you're worried about, you've got some experience at this thing.

[ . . . what ]

No, just... run with it for a second, will you? This roleplay you're doing - you're basically just pretending you're someone else, right? And your goal is to... what, compromise people with feelings, emotions, manipulate them like putty in your hand, right?

That's really not that different from what I do. What I did before. Though, to be fair, our kind of roleplaying was far more expansive... and involved... and meant to defraud people who deserve it, but that's beside the point...

[ . . . Nate, Nate. No, I do not want to be compared to you as a conman, okay? This is different. DIFFERENT. ]

My point is, you're worrying about this more than you should be. So just... relax, take a deep breath, straighten yourself out and let me talk. It's not that hard.

And if all else fails... we've got backup plans. Use them.

Comments

[leveraging]

Eh, you learn about these things. Especially if you have the world's greatest thief on your payroll.

[ As Parker has probably hammered into his head millions of times already... ]

[secondshift]

I went to law school and then into the academy, so I think I missed some of that. [Laughs.]

[leveraging]

No worries there. This is the kind of thing law school usually doesn't teach you.

[secondshift]

I guess I've always stuck to the straight and narrow. Mostly.

[leveraging]

... yeah. I tried that. Didn't work out so well after my son died. Guess you can imagine where my career went after.

[secondshift]

I've been there. More that my personal life went to hell. They wouldn't let me work.

[leveraging]

Ah, yes... the system in action. Gotta love it when it screws you over like that.

[secondshift]

Eh, they had a point. I got through the first week before I lost my marbles.

[leveraging]

So they stopped you from working because it was taking that much a toll on your mental health and well-being, it sounds like.

[secondshift]

Pretty much. I mean, between funeral arrangements, having to explain to my kid where his father was...I really shouldn't have been there. So I took a few years off, regrouped and got back in it.

[leveraging]

. . . at least that's better than the road I took of becoming a functional alcoholic.

[secondshift]

Oh, there were things I did in those two years I know you don't want to know about.

[leveraging]

Duly noted... there's plenty of things I've done that I'd rather stay secret myself. So.

. . . don't ask, don't tell?

[secondshift]

Yeah. Not talking about my sex life with you. Or anyone, really.

[leveraging]

I'm be more surprised if you did, to be honest.

[ Said with a mild look of amusement as he raises his eyebrow at Karen. Seriously? ]

[secondshift]

There's only two people I confide in. One is my fiancee and the other is my partner. And that's because they're around me nearly 24/7 anyway.

You don't tell your team everything, presumably.

[leveraging]

Not really... though there are a few things I'd willingly divulge to my team, like what happened to my son.

. . . then again, that was a given, considering that Sophie's the one who suggested that I ruined the career and the livelihood of the man who effectively killed him in the first place...

[secondshift]

Don't look at me. I'm making sure the fucker who killed my husband never gets parole.

[leveraging]

All the people I screwed over for hurting innocents - as well as the man who killed my son - are all still in prison, as far as I know, so don't look at me either...

[secondshift]

I wanted to shoot him, but, you know. Ethics.

[leveraging]

Nothing wrong with that. Gotta settle with what you can based on what you can do, after all...

Me, I'd rather not have my hands stained with blood. My son... he wouldn't have approved, you know?

[ Destroying his career, though, is totally A-okay. ]

[secondshift]

Yeah, I get that. I guess maybe I haven't gotten over my anger yet.

[leveraging]

... does anyone?

Even if all the time in the world passes, the pain never really goes away. It just dulls and scars over, but it's still there.

[secondshift]

That's true.

I guess I'm just pissed, not just for me and our son and his parents but like, the state of California. My husband helped a lot of people and that's not just me being facetious.

[leveraging]

I think that the only thing you can do to honor his memory is to keep living for his sake.

For someone who's impacted so many people like he has, showing that the community can move on thanks to his efforts is one of the best ways to honor him.

Outside of creating something for him in his name, but I understand that some communities aren't able to do that.