THE ROPER

“This is a real challenge, you know. Out of all the shit I had to make up in my life,” and Angie was completely serious, fixing up her dress and overcoat very much like a warrior puts on an armor. “Convincing anyone I want to be in a museum has got to be the hardest.” she gives the woman by her side a wink and a side of a thrilled smile. There was a sweet feeling attached to being paired up with Fen  -  a historical nod, even, making up for the years they’ve been kept from feeding their endless and lovable little feud. “Ready for some touring, love?”

@fenliang​.

The museum is a far cry from Fen’s usual stomping grounds and she feels even more out of place in her bright blue coat and shiny white sneakers. From what Fen had gathered in her short time here, her typical all-black looks were a bit too Parisian to blend in among the tourists. “Well, Ange, I hate to break it to you, but you already look the part,” Fen teases good-naturedly, “Add in that dress of yours and you scream ‘classic museum goer’. But believe me, I’d give anything to hit up the restaurants or outdoor markets, instead.”

Slinging her almost comically large handbag over her shoulder Fen nods, “Lead the way, my friend.”

@fenliang​

“Am I jet-lagged? Yes. Hungover? A little bit. In prime shape ready to con some fat-cat tourists… you tell me.” 

“Well, let’s see I’m jet-lagged, hungover, and hungry.” Fen adds on, for good measure, “I’ll guess we’ll fit in perfectly, after all, who could possibly suspect either us in this state?”

@fenliang​

“There’s eight security cameras in the room, just fyi. I saw you looking up.” ​

“Eight, hm?” Fen muses, striding over to the girl, who had seemingly caught her in the act of gazing at something other the art. Perhaps, Fen really was losing her touch. “Dare I ask how you know that? You wouldn’t happen to be one of those students with a naughty habit of sneaking in here to sketch after dark?”

.

“ i take it my invite got lost in the mail. ” he hates trivia. “ 26 is correct, ” he celebrates by opening his alcohol cabinet to pick out a drink he remembers her enjoying back in the good old days. “ it’s also, roughly, the number of miles you travelled divided by the number of miles i travelled, which is also coincidentally the number of drinks you’re gonna have with me today. ” he grins, always so pleased with himself as he hands her the glass. “ doesn’t that sound fun? ”

-

“Well, consider this an open invite to any and all Alibi events, I promise we actually have the occasional classy event or two,” Fen chuckles, taking the glass in her hand. She takes a long, slow sip-- after so many years of bartending, she always appreciated anytime she received a drink from another person. “You know, I’ll take your word for it, numbers were never my strong suit,” Fen laughs, “Although, I must admit 26 drinks does sound particularly ambitious. I’m afraid after all these years, I can’t quite drink like I used to.”

Longing for the unpredictable was something he could relate to. Predictability was boring. A number of his schemes had become mundane, despite him appreciating the beauty of a well oiled con. What he was looking for was a proper challenge, and that meant unpredictability. He liked plans, but he couldn’t deny the allure of something unknown being thrown at him. Like her. She was unpredictable, and despite what he had told himself a long time ago, he couldn’t shake the possibility of what if. None of it made it further than his mind, and instead, Jack just hummed in agreement to her statement.

“No, I reckon it doesn’t.” It was too bad. He couldn’t think of anything much worse than being stuck in the same place doing the same thing over and over again with a plastered smile. “Hopefully it’s got some other perks.”

Her question was easy enough to reply. “Oh, about what you’d expect. Run a few things here and there. Ash has been helping me with the internet scams. Small stuff. Reopened my store, and it’s mostly legitimate. Robbing people and then selling their stolen items to them isn’t a good business strategy for the long term. Couple of investment consulting gigs. But uh, yeah it’s not quite the same.” He raised and eyebrow and tilted his head, adding, “The company sure isn’t.”

Despite mostly running schemes solo, he did miss being with the crew even if all of them weren’t perhaps going to be as pleased to see him. “So, you never tried to pull anything on anyone? I’d think a bar would be a good place to pick out targets.”

-

Fen listens to Jack, as she continues to sloppily toss various clothing items into her bag. She throws the occasional glance Jack’s way, studying him, attempting to catalogue exactly what’s changed and what hasn’t. It’s the kind of way she’d attempt to study a new mark, although if one thing was clear to Fen, Jack Bailey was anything but another mark. For one, he was far to clever, perhaps, even cleverer than herself, which only served to terrify Fen even further. But then again, it was that mind of his that was always part of the attraction.

“I suppose it does,” Fen relents, and truth be told, as monotonous as her life had become, the bar had always been her pride and joy. “There’s always something happening here, and it’s hard to feel too bored or lonely with so many people around. It’s nice always having someone to talk too, although I do sometimes long for an old face or two.”

“Sounds like you’ve been doing well and keeping busy. A shame none of your side gigs ever brought you to LA...it would have been good to see you...” Fen smiles softly. It’s a heartfelt notion but she can’t bring herself to let it linger long. She never does. Instead, she switches gears, tackling his question almost immediately. 

“Drunk people are almost too easy,” Fen chuckles, “At some point they just start throwing cash at you, no tricks needed, whatsoever. Truth be told, I never end up with anything big-ticket, but almost comical how legal the whole venture is.”

Sure, Angie loved the jackpot at the end of every con  -  but nothing quite matched the feeling of getting there. It was all about the fun of it - and Fen, that sweet competition that got her aiming higher everytime, had to be the cherry on top. They worked perfectly together, even if between the lines it meant in a rivalry. Above all, no matter how much they tried to outplay the other - it never stopped them from celebrating both their successes at the end of the night.

“By all means suit yourself,” she bites a smirk while going through her purse, collecting a small perfume flask and discreetly applying a couple drops to each side of her neck. “Who knows? There’s enough of me for all publics.” a remark precisely pointed by a dramatic sway of her legs, as Angelina herself uncrosses them and stands up in all of her personal glory. Gathers her handbag and, heading towards her gentle target, turns a few heads with the help of those expensive drops leaving a trace from her skin. It’s even enough to attrack the attention of those same businessmen - noted at the corner of her eye just before a thoughtful accident makes her drop her purse at a certain lady’s feet. “Oh, my! God, I’m such an airhead…” classic. Wasn’t Angelina so very in character, she could probably make herself giggle at that one. Still, not a couple of seconds and she has the woman’s attention, diamonds covered fingers quickly helping gather her lipstick, keys and other trinkets that had spread over the ground.

“Thank you, you’re so kind. I’m always getting myself in trouble.” when she picks herself up, the seat she takes is the one right besides her target’s. It’s easy to slip into a conversation, and as the woman mentions how much of an airhead her daughter was, Angie already locked eyes with the businessman that abandoned his device to curiously watch her from afar. Now, she wasn’t naive to think Fen wouldn’t find her ways to steal back his attention, but making it a little more difficult was Angie’s little treat to her after picking up that challenge. Distance was an aphrodisiac - and even if she couldn’t stop the man from falling on the roper’s game from afar, she could perfectly watch every other move Fen made. And that was quite the show on itself.

It’s the whiff of Angie’s undeniably sweet perfume that has Fen spiraling down memory lane. As much as they were competitors, it was their partnership that Fen looked back upon so fondly. If the thrill was what Fen missed most about her time with the team, it was always Angie who helped add to the stakes of Fen’s every mission, pushing her to the limits and then some more. It was their competition that pushed Fen to new heights, but their friendship that always kept Fen feeling secure and grounded. 

She watches as Angie’s theatrics begin, all eyes glued on her almost immediately. It was quite an effective move, but Fen always preferred to work more subtly, weaving her way in and out of the margins before her targets could even realize what had happened. Fen studies her mark before approaching, noting the way his eyes seem to linger on the commotion taking place a few rows away. Clearly, he could be swayed by the promise of something more interesting than whatever dull work had been keeping him so engrossed. Fen couldn’t push too hard, though, lest she scare him away, so as she slides into the seat beside him, she knows balance is most certainly the key.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a phone charger, would you?” Fen asks, with the oh-so-subtle flutter of her lashes, “I’m afraid mine’s gotten a bit too tangled to use.” It’s innocent enough to conceal any ulterior motives and yet bold enough to break the ground of favors, right away. Fen glances at his left hand, no ring in sight. It wasn’t necessarily an indicator of relationship status, but it was enough to give her the push she needs to move forward with her plan. When he offers her a small smile, producing a charger from his designer laptop bag, Fen can’t help but cheer internally. After all, all Fen needed was that first “yes” and her targets became like putty in her hands. 

“You’re such a lifesaver,” Fen grins prettily, placing a brief hand on his shoulder before drawing it away and chancing a look in Angie’s direction, who appeared to practically be charming the jewels off the older woman. Clearly, Fen needed to start working a little faster if she was going to keep up with her counterpart. “Long flights like these can be so dull and I’d hate to have to endure an entire flight without my phone or any good company.” 

-

“Wait,” That took Ash aback, “You told him stories about me?” That really stung, in a good way because Ash didn’t see it coming, they never thought the team saw them as anything but someone that sits behind a computer. Ash wasn’t good with people, their first instinct was to run, even now, having this conversation with Fen, Ash has this itch to go home and just text Fen a ‘thank you’ rather than face this interaction. They were awkward, they know, but they also knew they were the smartest person in the room. 

“I- uh- I wish I could hold a conversation as well as you do,” Ash admitted, because it was true - their flight instinct has ruined more relationships then they would like to admit. “How do you know what to say?” They were curious, maybe there’s some kind of a code to be cracked in the ability to have a normal conversation with people.

-

“Oh absolutely!” Fen smiles easily, “My stories would hardly be half as interesting without ‘Alex’, the resident computer wiz that can break into anything. They’ve got a terribly important skill-set, after all,” Fen adds with a small wink. And that much was certainly true, fictional or not. Just the way each team member was an integral part of their heists, they each took on an important role within Fen’s stories.

Surprisingly, it’s Ash’s second question that Fen finds most unexpected. Talking with people had always been natural to Fen-- it wasn’t a skill she had taught herself or acquired, but rather a natural inclination that had been fine-tuned over the years. “I think being a good talker isn’t always about saying the right thing, but rather using your words as a tool to spark an specific response from another person,” Fen explains, thoughtfully. “When you sit down to break a firewall or whatever it’s called and type in some code, you’re able to anticipate what’ll happen next and then you react, right?” Fen muses, hoping she hasn’t fumbled any of the technical language too badly. “Talking is a bit like that-- it’s all about anticipating what comes next, but also being able to pivot quickly when the unexpected hits.”

“I’m still wondering which one of you ended up pulling those strings.” Max scoffed. He was grateful for it, of course, it got him out of a decades long rut. But that was all he really had to remember his old friends. “You already give ‘em an answer, Fen?” Max’s brow raised. 

-

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to rule me out. I’m yet to meet an educational institution that’s particularly fond of me,” Fen chuckles, “I doubt anyone is taking letter of recs from college dropouts.”

At his next query Fen shrugs sheepishly, “Truthfully, I didn’t exactly think about it all that long-- it was a rather quick ‘yes’ for me.” When it came to most major life decisions, Fen wasn’t a dweller. She tended to go with her first gut insistent, so when the New Yorker showed up at her bar after all those years, there was little she could do but give into the temptation. “I take it your still thinking about it?” Fen asks, “You know we can’t do this without you, Max. We really do need you.”

-

Wait, was it a test? Has it been that long and the crew thought that they couldn’t hack as well anymore? Ash would’ve laughed, they only got better as the years went on, they just hoped that Fen’s request was genuine and not a ridiculous test, the hacking world always got evolved and technology’s slowly making other crew members jobs’ much harder.

“Cybersecurity? Maybe wants to give me a run for my money, eventually, I do have over twenty years of experience.” They chuckled, “Don’t sell yourself short, Fen, you’re a great talker.” Far better than Ash could ever be, they always found themselves feeling awkward in a conversation. 

-

“Well, he’s certainly been inspired by the very best, even if he doesn’t realize that his favorite bedtime story character is very real and very talented,” Fen smiles softly. She takes in Ash’s compliment and it’s far more appreciated than Ash probably realizes. Even in the early days of the team there had been that voice in the back of Fen’s head wondering where exactly she fit in among the team. And now, all these years later, there was part of Fen that couldn’t help but worry she might have lost her spark.

Still, Fen refuses to acknowledge any of her insecurities aloud, instead a broad smile forming on her face, “Well, you know what they say-- there’s no great talkers without a willing...or in some cases, an unwilling pair of ears to listen.”

“ that’s what rick should’ve said: i’ve travelled all this way. i think i’ve earned it. ” hugo muses as he turns to face fen with an empty glass in his hand. he doesn’t feel the need to clairfy that he’s talking about the incident from thirty years ago. “ how about this, liang? if you can tell me how many roxanne’s are in roxanne, then what’s yours is mine. ”

-

Fen pauses momentarily, unable to help the small sigh the escapes her when Hugo references Rick and the past. She doesn’t dwell on it though, turning her attention back to Hugo, “You drive quite the hard bargain, my friend, but luckily, my bar happens to host trivia night every Tuesday and I may or may not have picked up a few things over the years.”

“26. Final answer.” 

“Jesus, maybe I spent more time with you that night than I did with him,” she laughed, trying to muster up any figments of memory from that evening. She laughs at Fen’s words, the sound turning into a sigh of relief, “Oh good, I’m glad you have some recollection from that evening. For a second there I thought you and I had…”

She doesn’t finish the thought, and instead fixes her eyes on the bottle of wine. Zena was no snob, she’d reach for the eight dollar bottles when shopping for herself. So she couldn’t appreciate the generosity as much as Fen may have hoped. Still she whispered a genuine ‘Thank you,’ as she accepted the glass. “I’m glad you are busy and with family, no less, I might pop by and see mine while I’m in town. It’s been too long since I’ve visited anyone I care about. Except Angie, of course.” 

“God, was that really the last time we saw each other?” she exclaims, taking a long sip from the glass, “Seems like a whole other lifetime.” 

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I suppose,” this was clearly not true, “I thought being rich would be nice. And it is. I do a lot of puzzles, and reorganize my closet, I even did some charity work. But, god, it’s boring. I think there’s a secret no one told me, I just had to figure it out for myself: there’s no point in having money if you don’t have anyone to spend it with. There’s only so many times I can buy a $100 gem pack on Bejeweled and still feel the rush.” 

"Unfortunately, I’m no lightweight and I’m stuck with a perfect memory of every poor, drunken mistake I’ve ever made,” Fen chuckles lowly before biting back a smile at Zena’s implication, “Well, as great as that would have been, I imagine your wedding night, might have been in poor taste, on both our parts,” Fen responds, a teasing grin playing at her lips.

“Ah, I often forget you’re a fellow Angelino,” Fen muses, as she finds her own glass, pouring herself a bit of white. The notion of being busy with family is nice one, and thus Fen can’t find it in herself to admit how often she feels like it’s not her own. Sure, she loves her sister, her brother-in-law, and their three children beyond belief, but for all the joy they’ve brought into her life, she’ll always be a bit of an outsider among them. “Why you traded endless sunshine for parkas and snow boots, is something I’ll never understand.”

“It really was another life,” Fen agrees, taking a long sip from her own glass as she listens to Zena. Truth be told, it all sounded great to Fen. While her bar did well for itself, allowing Fen and her family to live comfortably and even put her niece and nephews through private school, Fen certainly wasn’t $100 gem pack rich. “You know, I'm pretty sure my brother-in-law disabled all in-app purchases on my nephew’s phone, after he found out he had dropped $1 on Candy Crush,” Fen laughs, “You would have thought the poor boy was buying drugs or something.”

Only to stand there feels oddly familiar; Fen’s presence, and the exciting destination to their flight brought back a memory or two. In quite some time, Angelina felt close to that deliciously ambitious side of herself long asleep. The woman’s proposal brings a gleam to her eyes, “Oh, Fen,” mischief speaks for itself. “I was afraid you wouldn’t say that.” glare already follows the group of passangers waiting to get on board as well, already keeping track of all possible targets. Blue eyes quickly set on a pair of businessmen, but most of the time those had so much work on their hands they barely found time to spoil a strange woman. Disgusting. No, her search for a target should go on. “Sea full of fish…” she ponders with a pout, ultimately deciding to give the woman a head start. That was how they worked best, after all - on a never ending challenge. “Be my guest, darling. But stay off the lady,” head cocks on the fish’s direction, specifically of an older woman whose fingers dripped in jewels. “I’ve a feeling she can find a really good friend in me.”

-

Fen follows the wandering gaze of the woman beside her, watching the way her eyes fixate, analyze, and move on with utter ease. And ease was the thing, wasn’t it? When it came to Angie every drip of charm, every flutter of her lashes was innate and intrinsic in a way few others could match. It was a bit like glancing a mirror version of herself-- a pinker, glitzier version of herself-- but kindred spirit none the less. They both shared an intimate understanding of the craft, which only served to add to Fen’s appreciation of Angie. What Angie possessed, simply could not be taught, and thus, in Fen’s eyes there was no better equal.

Watching the way Angie quickly passes over the businessmen, Fen can’t help but feel that oh-so-familiar spark of competitiveness surge through her bloodstream. “Oh, that sweet, old lady is all yours,” Fen smiles, her eyes locking in the pair of suited men, their heads buried in their devices. “I’m afraid I’m in need of a slightly harder challenge. And since I’m feeling particularly generous, I’m not terribly opposed to sharing, if you care for something a little trickier, yourself,” Fen teases good-naturedly, as she strides towards them, throwing a wink back at Angie.

It felt strange to have stood at her door and then step in. Stranger still to be standing and talking to her after all these years, not that he let any of it show.

“Ah but you get to think of all the things you might do,” he countered as he watched her move around the room collecting items and clothes. When she held out a shirt, he gave a half smile and nodded. Taking the shirt, he laid it down on a flat surface and folded it. It wasn’t as neat as it could have been, but it was the best he could do. “You might have thought to get a dry cleaning bag for it instead,” he suggested, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it now. He handed it back. “Have you done a lot of packing since..,” he trailed, figuring she’d get the idea.

-

Jack stands before her like a ghost from her past, strange and familiar all once. She takes the folded shirt from him-- it’s not perfect, but far better than Fen could have managed herself, if the pile of poorly folded pants on her bed were any indication. “I suppose I do like the mysterious prospect of it all...” Fen replies, though it’s not exactly clear if she’s still talking about packing, “It’s a strange thing, you know, even after all these years, I still find myself longing for the unpredictable.”

“Can’t say I’ve done a lot of packing in recent years. Owning a bar doesn’t exactly allow you very many holidays,” Fen admits with a twinge of disappointment. The near non-stop work was arguably the greatest downside of her line of work, “And you, Jack? What’s been filling your days and keeping you busy all this time?” 

"You know, I’ve always hated packing-- it requires a little too much planning for my tastes,” Fen muses as she shuffles around her room, collecting everything she needs. Eventually she lands on a nicer shirt, one of the few fancy items in her wardrobe. Looking towards Jack, she offers him a smile, “Fold, please?” she asks, holding the shirt out towards him. 

As much as it’s a simple request, there’s still a part of Fen that aches to know just exactly how much time has passed between them. Perhaps he’ll humor her, perhaps he won’t-- all Fen knows is that when it comes to Jack Bailey, she’ll only ever be left with more questions than answers.

-

Ash nodded, it’s like asking them if they could count to ten. “Yeah, give me half an hour and it’ll be up for you.” Pulling up their laptop, Ash did just that, making the wifi available with the easiest password. “It’s on,” Ash said after the thirty minutes were up. “How is your nephew anyhow?”

-

“Thanks, Ash-- you’re the best,” Fen smiles appreciatively as she tucks her phone away-- she’ll be sure to check the security feeds on her bar later on. Regardless, it didn’t surprise Fen that after all these years, Ash hadn’t lost their touch. Their unmatched skills were often a source of inspiration for Fen’s greatest tales; the best part was that Ash’s talents rarely needed embellishing.  

“The nephew is doing really well-- he’s actually looking into college to study cybersecurity, if you can imagine the irony in that,” Fen chuckles, “Let’s just say he didn’t get his sense of morality or his math skills from his aunt.”

“While I have you here, Ash,” Fen says, as she shuffles through her pocket, digging around for her phone, “Do you think you could put the wifi on here? Knowing you, it probably has a hundred layers of firewalls and crazy passwords,” she teases gently. “My nephew would probably love it, though, he’s all about tech these days.”

“You know, Hugo, if you’re going to drink this early, it’s only fair you share. I might be a little jet-lagged, but seeing as I travelled all this way, I think I’ve earned it.”