DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO TELL THE TRUTH?

[dousing]

CON PERSON/GRIFTER MEME It's a seductive sort of trade. Trick people for a living. Put on your best charming face and rob them blind. Use your skills to steal art, money, never have to worry about your livelihood. Evade being caught, live the thrill of knowing you're in a precarious place, a hair's breadth from ruin. You can handle it. Are you an unrepentant crook or are you a reformed thief? Essentially: are you a threat or benevolent benefactor? You steal from the rich but do you keep it for yourself or give to the poor? Not all grifters can be emotionless monsters, after all. • Top level your character. Include any details you might think are relevant. Or don't. As always, we're not the cops. Which is good, 'cause y'all are damn criminals. • Reply to other people's top levels! • Have fun!

Comments

blue / pokemon special / ota

[coveteur]

( well.................... that's literally half of her job description. saves world during the day, thief also during the day. )

Mollymauk Tealeaf | Critical Role | OTA, shipping or gen

[viciousmaukeries]

((ooc: The answer to "do you even know how to tell the truth" is "no" because, and I quote, "never trust the truth. The truth is vicious and thinks you owe it something. I like my bullshit."

Molly is a fairly low-level grifter, all things considered, but it did used to be a not-insignificant part of how he made a living. He does not steal from people who can't afford it and - like the carnival barker he was trained to be - he usually tries to make sure that his marks walk away feeling good about themselves.))

[de_larada]

((ooc: Hey! I am also the Jester you're dreamwalking with in another thread, but I know we've done a thread with my girl here and wanted to know if you'd do another pre-canon Circus Buddies thing?

I can swap to Jester if you'd rather but I thought this might be fun!))

[viciousmaukeries]

((ooc: Aw, man, that's you? Sweet! You're doing a great job as Jester and I would also love to play more with pre-canon circus buddy Talia! Sorry I lost track of our last thread. That move, uh, made me lose track of a lot of things. Would you be able to start us off, though?))

((no worries! hope this works!))

[de_larada]

[Talia has an... interesting relationship with the truth. She doesn't object to it, not the way Molly does, but the way she determines what counts as truth and what doesn't is generously described as 'non-traditional.' Stories matter to her more than facts, and she truly believes that telling a story well enough can imbue it with a certain kind of truth. After all, what is bardic magic if not 'telling reality a story so convincingly that it becomes true'?

By this point, she's been with the circus long enough for Molly to have seen her in action a few times. She earnestly, guilelessly spins elaborate stories for Crownsguards and innkeepers, and very rarely is she caught out at it. Bo asks her, once, how she can say such bullshit with so straight a face and she replies 'I'm not lying! I'm just... telling the truth for someone other than me.'

They all know how to pull off a con - in the circus, it's something of a requirement. But no one seems to enjoy it more than Molly and Talia. Which is how they come to be in the central marketplace of a tiny farming town, practicing some mostly-harmless two person scams. She's scanning for a mark and gestures surreptitiously towards a well dressed gentleman, muttering under her breath to Molly.] That one?

((Now that the holidays are over it certainly does!))

[viciousmaukeries]

Ye...oh, wait, no, he's got guards. [He points out the two men who are still slightly better dressed than the general populace while not being as fancy as their possible target. That in and of itself might not be a giveaway, but he'd managed to catch sight of the badges on their chest gleaming in the weak winter sunlight. The emblems were identical, and certainly looked like a family crest from this distance.

Three pairs of eyes are not better than one. Not for them, not where scams are concerned.]

Unless...do you think we could get one of the guards. He'd probably be too embarrassed to say anything even when he noticed his silver missing.

[de_larada]

D'you think the guards have enough to make it worthwhile? [He looks well-dressed enough, but that could easily have to do with his employer providing the guards' uniforms and might not reflect the coin in his pocket.

On the other hand, he might be an easier mark. The man looks shrewd and alert, but he's pretty young. His presence alone is likely enough to ward off pickpockets and cutpurses, but he may not be experienced at spotting more sophisticated cons.]

What do you think he would go for, matching coins?

[viciousmaukeries]

Matching coins. Definitely. [Molly nods, regarding their quarry with a newly proprietary air.] You move in first, I'll be the mark. [Molly looked intimidating enough for it to be noticeable if he pitched a fit over being "cheated", whereas a young man like that might feel his heart moved to help Talia with the hush money payment. And he would almost certainly be too embarrassed to call his master to help instead.]

And I can keep an eye on his friend while you're setting them up. Put a stop to it in a hurry if it looks like he's noticed you, too.

[[Deception 18!]]

[de_larada]

Sounds good. [Talia weaves through the crowd so she can approach their mark from the other side of the marketplace. She looks for an opening and finds one as the man's employer ducks inside a shop, leaving the guard to wait while he conducts his business. Molly will likely recognize Talia's body language as she strikes up conversation, her head cocked coyly to one side, one hand curling and uncurling in a lock of hair. After a few moments, she produces a few copper pieces, "generously" offering to start their game out of her own pocket. The man says something and she laughs sweetly.]

[viciousmaukeries]

[Molly watches Talia go to work with deepseated affection - not that he needs to watch, of course. He's seen this routine plenty of times before. But it never gets any less impressive, the way she goes from herself to a giggling coquette at the drop of a hat. The same way it would be impressive for any acrobat to stick the landing after a particularly elaborate flip.

But then he remembers himself and shifts his attention to the other guard, monitoring his position while he gives Talia a few minutes to work. Fortunately, he's keeping an eye on the building's interior, while Talia has led his friend to a clearer patch of ground to "play". Judging that they should have enough time, he saunters over to begin his part, putting just enough swagger in his step that he should come across as tipsy and stupid, a lost tourist in a reasonably bustling town.]

Oy! You two there. What are you playing?

[de_larada]

[As the man draws in a breath to answer, Talia quickly pipes up. This guard looks like the kind of man who might just dismiss a drunk tourist, but if Talia gets her invitation out first, she doesn't think he'll argue with her.]

Oh! We're matching coins, would you like to join us?

[She slides over to make room for Molly, "accidentally" brushing up against the guard. He looks a bit tongue-tied as her thigh presses gently against his for a moment.]

Shirai Takuma | Pick up | m/m

[emptyeyes]

[sameoldsong]

[Sean's not really a con person. He doesn't have the smarts for it and he knows that. There's a reason most of his work involves keeping his mouth shut, standing around with a gun in his hand and looking dangerous. As long as he doesn't speak or smile, he can pull that off pretty well.

But work has been a little light lately and rent's coming due, so when Okuyama says he knows a guy looking for a partner for a job, Sean jumped at the chance. Hopefully, whatever part he's doing won't be too complicated.

He's supposed to meet up with the guy in Ni-chōme, which suits Sean fine. Even if the job's a bust, at least he'll have plenty to do afterwards. The only trouble comes when he gets to the door, and the mama-san promptly turns him away. Shit... What's he going to do now? Hopefully whoever he's meeting up with isn't already inside...]

OTA | FFXIV | Pina Conada

[levelthreehooligan]

((AU where there are multiple WoL's in universe!

Pina is the Head of an Ul'Dahn Syndicate and knows her way around the Grift))

Shinya Miyasaka | Room mate | m/m

[meganenudist]

Jacob Frye | Assassin's Creed: Syndicate | OTA

[nothinglikefather]

[ literally this is his life. ]

[worksinthedark]

Callum slipped from the shadows to draw alongside Jacob.

"I got your letter. What do you have in mind?"

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob nods at the other assassin. He's leant against the side of a car, watching the coming and goings across the street. It's one of those glass-and-steel type office blocks, and it's fancy. And at least one of the floors is full of Templars.

"Too busy to smash our way in. Night time this place is locked up tight." He says in response to the question, "And I need someone who knows the computer things. That's you." He grins, bright and wide. "Fancy bluffing our way in?"

[worksinthedark]

"I'm always game for a bit of bluffing," Callum says, even if it's not his usual style. "But don't forget that Templars in my time know my face." The Man Who Stole The Apple - right in the middle of their general assembly, no less - is a bit of a celebrity. "So I guess that makes you the lead bluffer."

[nothinglikefather]

"Mate, let's be honest," Jacob says, "Your face is very memorable. Makes small children cry, people vomit."

That's not true. There's nothing wrong with Callum's face and honestly, if he hadn't stolen the Apple, he'd probably be almost invisible. He's not exactly got many distinctive features, unlike Jacob. Still, he's dressed in modern clothes now, modern slacks and a button-down shirt, and while he doesn't like it, he needs to look the part. It also means he doesn't have his hidden blade.

"The girl we want to see is called Mellisa Starrick. Works on floor 14."

[worksinthedark]

"Then I guess I ought to pick up a hat and a pair of sunglasses, just to make sure she doesn't make a scene by vomiting," Callum notes dryly, heading towards a shop on the other side of the street. "Need anything?" he asks.

[nothinglikefather]

"Not sure a hat is going to cut the mustard. But glasses? That could work." He's not yet sure what sunglasses are Callum, sorry.

"I guess I'll just have to be even more charming than usual and distract them away from you."

And if the Templars do see through them, well, they'll just have to fight their way out. It'll be fun either way, and give Jacob the chance to finally see what Callum is made of. He's seen him escape, but what good is escaping if you can deal with everyone inside and then just walk out the front door?

[worksinthedark]

Cal takes Jacob's... advice? and forgoes the hat to return wearing a pair of sunglasses. He tosses a pair to Jacob. It's a bright, sunny day, after all.

"Okay. Let's go."

Callum Lynch is, of course, made of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, just like all good little boys.

His walk is confident as they enter the building, hitting the button to call the lift.

Father Maxwell | GundamW: Frozen Teardrop

[priestified]

[ usually the grifter, but I invite you to try and steal from him and get your ass caught because he knows all the tricks ]

Alfred Pennyworth | Gotham | OTA

[inforapound]

[He's very good at a con, he's especially good at grifting, but he's a better "hitter".]

The Once-ler | Dr. Seuss

[sellsthneeds]

[Either role.]

Megara || Hercules/Green Myth || OTA

[distressing_damsel]

[ Guess Grifter for sure, but Grifter v Grifter is always fun too.]

locke lamora | gentleman bastard sequence | ota

[cleverer]

[ his intro chapter is literally called "the boy who stole too much"... would love a scenario where he has to work with or against a fellow thief on a con / heist! ]

Leonard Snart/Captain Cold | DCTV

[robber_of_atms]

[Leader of Central City's mainly meta-human focused criminal organisation called The Rogues, has a deal with the city's superhero and sometimes time travels.]

Clint Barton | MCU or 616

[weekend_avenger]

[The sharkiest of sharks]

haesoo | love or hate

[cheapshampoo]

Parker l Leverage

[dammitparker]

[Best thief in the game, just awful with people]