entrancelogs | But I know you lie cause your lips are moving

Entry tags:

But I know you lie cause your lips are moving

Who: The Legends
Where: The Rooftop
When: Jan 29
Rating: PG-13? Expect cursing.
Summary: So, Rip has been rather busy since his arrival in Wonderland. He's decided to come clean about it--at least, some of it.
The Story:

Meet me on the roof over the east wing in ten minutes, if you would be so kind.

Rip already stands near the edge of the rooftop when he presses send, looking out over the expanse Wonderland provides as he waits for the replies. The choice of location is rather deliberate, on his part: far removed from their second floor living quarters, out in the open, with limited means of access even for those with powers--such as a speedster.

Such as Eobard Thawne.

The full truth is that Rip himself has yet to decide just how much he would reveal to his teammates. They are not friends, and the bonds of trust between them are--fragile, to say the least. Yet certain details have to be laid out regardless: Eobard's conditions had been plain, and high among them? That the Legends could not go after him without fear of reprisal. It's a path best avoided, for all involved.

Still. He has to wonder how far he has truly come from those early days to even have agreed with the man's proposal at all. As deep as his regret and uncertainty runs, there is an equal measure of confidence that in the grand picture, this had been the right move. To protect himself, his team, to ensure they eventually find a way out of this fairy-tale based hell.

His confidence of convincing the Legends of that, however, fails to run nearly so high.

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Look at that, Mick would be so kind and turn up. He didn't want to, it was a lot of effort and he had to put on pants to do it but here he was, on the roof f some reason, unsure what Rip's obsession with roofs was. He always seemed to want to have meetings up on them. Perhaps he was missing something but he had to assume there was a good reason.

He adjusted his gloves as he walked out, expecting that Leonard wouldn't be far behind.

"What'd you want, Captain? I was busy." Eating cake and drinking beer in his undies while watching his light burn out. The best kind of evening.

Of course Leonard isn't a long way behind Mick and once he enters the roof, he steps over to stand next to Mick. If nothing else, they've reached a certain level of understanding again and that comes with the agreement that Leonard can stand between Mick and the world or the other way round, whichever way things turned out.

Since Mick has already asked the question, Leonard merely stands there, arms loosely folded, weight shifting to his left leg as he waits for Rip's answer.

Rip is grateful for their presence (and moreso for the presence of Mick's pants, yes), and when he hears his comrades arrive he turns away from the open expanse to face them. He would take it as a good sign that Mick and Leonard stand side-by-side without any grumbling or threats being involved. He can take the brunt of "inconveniencing" them, but really, he would rather not have a fistfight break out during what is meant to be a serious discussion.

Onward, then.

"I'll try not to take up too much of your time." He takes in a deep breath, considering. As always Rip remains careful with the details, knowing that to offer too much at once would reveal more than he potentially wants the Legends to know. He looks over the men assembled there, Leonard in particular as Barry personally seems rather fond of him, then offers a question rather than an explanation.

"What do you know about Eobard Thawne?"

"He's a punk." Mick felt he'd be upfront of this one because he knew a little something about Eobard Thawne. He met him, briefly, and Cisco had given him some unpleasant details that set off his warning lights. "He's a speedster, I hate speedsters. And he thinks he can take me in a fight, so he's gotta be deluded or something." He shrugged. "He's dangerous."

He crossed his arms and have Rip a look. "Why?" Where was this going? Was he about to get another warning or what? Because he already had the briefing. He was some kind of evil speedster he had to avoid. Got it. Not gonna happen but got it.

"The Flash briefed me about him." Yes, he is still calling Barry Allen the Flash, because he's given a promise and even though he's sure that Mick couldn't care less, he's not revealing the name in front of him. Or in front of Rip, for that matter, although he has a suspicion that Rip would know. "The Reverse Flash."

He glances at Mick briefly, then looks back at Rip again. "I got some of the story. But why are you bringing him up, Rip? Because I have to say, if you're thinking about eloping? You can do better."

The quip's spoken quickly, but there's a much more serious look in his eyes. He wants to know what's up.

So it would seem that Eobard had seen fit to make his introduction to Mick, at the very least. Moreover, Barry had told Leonard about the man—and no, Rip doesn’t miss that quiet hint to leave Mr. Allen’s secret identity unsaid. Given Mick’s professed hatred of speedsters, and that the Flash is the initial source of that hatred, Rip can’t help but think it to be a good idea.

What both men pick up on is that there is a purpose behind the question, Leonard going farther to think that Rip might be considering getting in bed with him. He isn’t wrong, and Rip supposes it merely says that they’ve come to know him well, to assume he would at least consider the pragmatic option of joining forces with a speedster capable of running faster than time.

“Because Mr. Thawne has claimed to be from the future—and to be our enemy.” Not in so many words, but the implications were clear. Eobard’s knowledge of the events at the Vanishing Point would seem to prove the former claim; the scarcely veiled threats against his team is enough to convince Rip of the latter.

“I have, however, brokered a truce with him. A rather simple one: we don’t go after him, he doesn’t come after us.”

And hopefully they all avoid an entirely unnecessary conflict within the prison walls. So goes the thought, at any rate. Now they head to the part where someone likely questions Rip’s motivations.

Not that they’re necessarily wrong to, but it would be nice if things went simply for once.

"Sounds like bullshit." Mick, ever the tactful one, grunted is dismay and adjusted his gloves ever so slightly. "If he goes after someone, I go after him. If he's messing around in a dodgy way, I'm gonna kick his ass. Simple as." Mick wasn't going out of his way on this one because Mick never went out of his way on heroics but he didn't like the sounds of this. It was very much saving their own necks and leaving everyone else out in the open, vulnerable.

And they had friends here, Snart more so than him. They weren't gonna get risked.

It wasn't going to work that easy. "I mean us is just us, right? So like me, you, Snart and haircut? No word on what he'll do to Red, frosty and the geek yet?" All of which he knew Leonard also had a fondness for. "He gonna leave them alone too? Everyone else? Otherwise, it ain't gonna work."

Leonard shifts his weight, leaning closer to Mick. Still far from actually touching him, but consciously siding with him even more. It's a clear enough gesture, even without voicing it out loud. He's with Mick.

"I know what the Flash told me and I talked to the guy myself. Saw him on Mick's post. We ain't got any reason to believe his word's worth a damn, Rip. You know that. I'm not saying we go hunt him down, but I'm not about to trust him." His eyes narrow just a bit and he runs his thumb along the tops of his fingers. "Story time, Rip. Tell us what he has on you. Us."

None of what he's heard so far is making him more inclined to be at ease with the situation. If anything, he feels like going after a speedster again. Been a while.

And here they go.

Mick’s immediate disagreement is hardly shocking, although the reasons behind it are a bit beyond what Rip might have predicted. Oh, the certainty that they could defeat a speedster, the refusal to be threatened or put under anyone’s thumb, that falls right into line with what Rip knew he would face. But whom he wants to shelter, the people Rip can only assume are the Flash and his friends--long time enemies of the pair before him now--that comes as a bit more of a surprise.

Though perhaps it shouldn’t be; Lenoard shifts closer to his partner, again states that the Flash had informed him on the matter. Rip isn’t unaware of Leonard’s interactions with Barry Allen; their profound effect is what made “Captain Cold” a viable member of the Legends at all.

So they come to the moment of truth--or lies, if Rip chooses to go down that path. He presses his hands together, weighing the risks. Letting Mick and Leonard in on the full scope of his plan puts it at risk if the pair opt not to keep his secrets. They could quite easily go to Barry and expose the deal Rip’s made, ruin any sense of trust the Flash might have in Rip, and in turn wreck Rip’s own efforts to find allies outside of Eobard Thawne himself.

Which would fit in rather perfectly with the Reverse Flash’s plans, wouldn’t it?

The other option is to spin a set of half-lies, offering just enough to satisfy Mr. Snart’s suspicions without revealing the full breadth of what he has in mind. It’s a particularly risky move when he considers how little trust the members of his team seem to hold in him--a doubt that he has earned, yet continues to frustrate him to no end. And again, it would drive a wedge further between Rip and those whom should be his allies--again, giving Eobard that further control.

It’s rather brilliantly orchestrated, when Rip thinks it through.

“It’s less of what he has than what he knows, gentlemen. He knows me.” Eobard had even gone so far as to praise Rip’s pragmatism, his thinking beyond simple morality that demands the immediacy of action without full consideration for the larger picture. “He understands how I measure out my actions, and what drives me in any one direction. He expects that I will do anything to achieve my goals, without what he deems the shackles of idealistic thinking.”

He isn’t wrong; Eobard’s picture of Rip would be rather perfect and complete--if he only understood just what Rip has gone through in learning his entire life has already been manipulated to the will of a set of masters. But Rip refuses to retie those strings upon himself, to be played to the benefit of someone else’s plan. He will not be anyone’s puppet, ever again.

“He knows how strongly I wish to escape this world, and he wishes to use that to his advantage.”

"So he has shit on you and you think cause of that, we'll drop everyone else here and have your back like you're something special? Big deal." Mick shrugged his shoulders, the very image of empathy. As always. Mick huffed a sigh and gave Rip a sideways look. He got the issue, he did and yeah, it sucked but it was very much a Rip problem to Mick, not a them problem.

"So what? You gotta exhibit a little self control and you don't think you can? Cause I remember you always whining about how little I have and here you are, making a deal with the devil cause you might get restless and want out?"

Eobard was going to use Rip, Rip seemed to know it'd happen and Mick was mostly baffled as to what they were supposed to do other than play dumb to a criminal. Seemed dumb. They needed a new plan. "It's not gonna happen. Not on my end."

"Don't think this speedster has any more idea of how to escape this place than anyone else does." But if he knows Rip well enough to exploit this obvious weakness, apparently they have an issue. It's not as if he's had any intention of attacking Eobard Thawne, but that's what brings another question to mind.

"Did you threaten him? Because Mick or I didn't, so if he felt the need to strike this deal out of nowhere, I gotta wonder what he thinks we could do to bother him." Why else single them out, possibly even seek them out, just to make sure they would keep doing what they have already been doing? "What's his advantage? Just us leaving him to his devices? Because in that case, I gotta wonder what he's planning. We haven't been bothering him, if he's going out of his way to get us leashed, he might want to do something that would have us bother him."

Which would be what? Hard to figure out, with so many unknown variables. "All he asked was for us to leave him alone? I feel like I'm missing half the story and then some."

It's not even necessarily Rip he doesn't trust here. Eobard? Definitely not trustworthy.

Well this is already going entirely wrong, isn't it? Mick especially is quick to assume the worst of him, that Rip is succumbing to Eobard's request because of some inability to contain his desire to get out of Wonderland. Leonard at least seems to realize there's more to it, but still falls short of the mark. Either way, Rip's a little less than impressed at this point. He hasn't always been the best leader, but honestly, this estimation of him is a bit insulting.

Particularly given the risk he's taken in regards to being honest with them.

"A swing and a miss, Mr. Rory, but thank you for your commentary." He gives the man a decidedly less than happy look before he turns towards Leonard. "Actually the opposite: he made sure to tell me just how quickly he could shred my heart should he choose. Then, when I still seemed reluctant, he agreed to set aside any grievances he held against the team for the sake of our so-called 'partnership.'"

Hear that boys? It hadn't been the threats to himself or the pragmatism that convinced Rip. It had been the promise of protection for his comrades.

"Between that and his knowledge of the destruction of the Vanishing Point, I'd be willing to wager that Eobard Thawne is someone we will encounter in the future. And unlike the Flash, who is good-hearted enough to avoid murdering his enemies, let me assure you that the Reverse Flash won't hesitate to kill should it suit his purposes.

"So setting your bravado aside," he pointed turns his gaze towards Mick, "neither of you can tell me your track record against the Flash is exactly stellar. Consider now that we face someone who is just as fast, but lacking any of the sense of morality possessed by Central City's favorite hero. Agreeing to work with him was the best option available, because as Mr. Snart has said--there is still a great deal we don't know, including if his motivations extend beyond a desire to return home.

"This gives us time to find out."

Mick would perhaps be less inclined to always assume the worst in Rip if Rip ever treated him, you know, not like some stupid caveman lurking on the edge of understanding. Mick never had this sort of trouble cause the kid of guys he knew, they were plain talking men. They didn't dance around the point like Rip did. If Rip spent less time flowering his words and more time just saying what he meant, Mick would be sold on this. Hell, he was seconds away from offering to get him untangled from this very obvious deal with the devil and then it was back to this, shots at him. Subtle and careful but he saw them. And given when he came from, it set him on edge. A lot of things did. He was temperamental lately and this was not what he needed.

"Do you remember last time you talked to me like this? Getting all shirty. With the time pirates." Rip was always so quick to put Mick down and once, he had to deal with it. They were a team first then they were trapped together. But this? This wasn't a team. "Forgetting all of that, what I told you is that I know a little something about how to cut a deal."

He moved closer to Rip, sucked a defiant breath and fought back all urges to punch him in his smug, arrogant face. There. Wasn't he being nice. "You ain't any good at it, Rip. See, we're not friends, we're not team-mates and I got no loyalties to you. You're the guy that calls me stupid and would have be taken out in a heart beat. That isn't a team, we're not a team." He knows that they're not, he's seen it. He'd screw them over if he had to and they'd kill him if he was too much of a nuisance. Not that Rip'd pull the trigger himself, oh no, he'd get his best friend to do it. Or at least he never stopped him. "You want something from me, genius? And you're gonna talk to me like that? No. That's not how you cut a deal with someone you need."

Mick was not taken in by the gesture, as kind as it may be, because to him, the words did the talking and honestly, he was beyond done with being spoken to by Rip like this. He shook his head and turned away from Rip, giving Leonard a look.

"I ain't game. Like I said, if he's dodgy, he's dodgy and I'm going after him. You don't speak for us, captain." He turned and gave Rip a dark look. "This isn't bravado, asshole, This is you making a deal with a murderer to look the other way."

This whole rooftop conversation would only end in explosions if Rip continued to pour oil on Mick's fire. Leonard reaches out and puts a hand on Mick's arm, less to hold him back and more to reassure him. He has to figure out how to turn this around into something productive.

"From what I gather, never mind whether we agree or not, Eobard thinks of us as a team. So he threatened us as a team. That's what we are dealing with here." Maybe it is time to just lay out what little he has learned so far. "Somehow this ties in with your desire to leave this place. You got any idea how?"

No accusation, just calm discussion. "Also, you don't seem to know much about the Flash and me and how things work, so. My track record's fine. Kept him alive and everything." It's all about adjusting to changing priorities regarding the Scarlet Speedster. Not what matters right now, but Leonard had to mention it anyway.

"You made a deal, because he thinks of us as a team, threatened all of us and offered you cooperation? The thing is, I don't trust him. Don't reckon any of us do or should. Also, if you want to talk down to my partner again, I'd suggest not doing it on a rooftop. Long way to fall." Because this isn't even about threatening Rip. Some things are just natural consequences and he's begging for them. "You talk about 'partnership' and working with him, sounds like you got an idea what that'd entail. Because I still don't. Might be in all of our best interest if Thawne learned that you don't speak for us. If he wants all of our cooperation, whatever the hell that means, he has to figure out how to cut a deal with all of us. As Mick said, he knows how to cut a deal."

Edited 2017-02-10 16:54 (UTC)

It’s not just Mick whose temper has begun to flare; they seem to forget that for all his ability to coolly calculate, Rip can also burn quite hot under the right circumstances. He is ready to do so now, the words already formed when Leonard steps in to try and act as an intermediary. It’s fortunate, too. When Mick steps closer Rip also expects some measure of violence; it would fit right in with how this would seem to be going.

“Actually, he doesn’t think of you at all.” Something that’s almost funny, considering the accusations that have been hurled Rip’s way. He might see the disadvantages they face if they were to take up an on-going feud with Thawne, but he can also picture the threat they might pose. Eobard fails to give them that much credit, and part of Rip almost thinks he’s right to—at least as they are now. “Neither as a threat, nor of potential use to him. He doesn’t want anything from you. The concession to leave you all alone was made strictly to convince me that working with him is indeed in my best interest.”

And to imply what would happen should Rip have refused.

“So your base assumption, Mr. Snart, is quite wrong. I made a deal and called you to this rooftop both because I think of this group as a team—though as Mr. Rory has so kindly pointed out, perhaps I am also mistaken in that.” Certainly it feels like he could be. He has taken a massive gamble, only to have every scrap of faith he’s mustered thrown back in his face. Rip turns away from the pair and stalks closer to the edge. He needs the space, and if Mr. Rory opts to take barbaric advantage of that?

Well. It would certainly be a proper ending for what has been a spectacular disaster.

“He wants exactly what I do: to be freed of this bloody hell and returned to our world. Given my experience and knowledge as a Time Master, Thawne suspects I can help him piece together the way how. Moreover, I can potentially forge alliances he can’t, given his past with the Flash and his cohorts—

“Or I could have.” He turns back towards Leonard and Mick both. If they want everything spelled out in its simplest terms, fine. “But now I’ve put that at risk by trusting the pair of you with all of this, when I didn’t have to. Any partnership I’ve forged is now potentially lost, because by even pretending to work with Thawne I make myself even more suspect than I already am by virtue of being from the future.”

He doesn’t necessarily blame those people for their mistrust, in the end. Rip knows the sort of man he is, the choices he’s made. It’s exactly why Eobard had felt comfortable approaching him in the first place.

No doubt Thawne would be delighted if he ever learned of this new twist.

“You chide me for daring to talk down to you, and at the same time you don’t see that I have just bet everything on you.” Rip looks down, shaking his head, letting out a short snort of laughter. God, he feels like the perfect fool. “My best chance of getting home, of saving Kendra and finally defeating Savage—for the sake of some sense of comradery the pair of you certainly don’t seem to share.”

He looks between the pair; he’s thrown away everything, and for what? Before this all began, Rip thought he had known.

“Well, forgive me my mistakes, gentlemen. I am truly sorry to have made them.”

"Right." Mick huffed a sigh and moved away from Leonard, frustration building but he kept it down. Look, see, he didn't punch anyone or anything. "Here's the thing, a little radical notion for you here - tell us that. If you bet everything on us, say. You might piss less people off."

He threw his arms out and gave Rip an exasperated look because what the hell kind of conclusion was he supposed to draw from this? He didn't think it was because he was slow or he wasn't following, it was just Rip. Always with the double speak, always unveiling little bits as he went along, almost stringing him along with vague ideas, only to replace it with another. Say what he would about Mick, at least there was no veil.

"I'm gonna be calm. Like a good boy. See?" Mick gestured to himself and hey, he wasn't yelling and no one was bleeding or on fire so he was, in fact, being one. And he held his hands up to show that. He felt like there was something there, some good that Rip was trying to say but it was getting lost in the Rip-isms that always seeped out.

They were all stuck here, might as well try to find some way to get along.

He looked at Leonard and met his eyes, silently communicating with him before looking back at Rip. "Start from the top. Speak plain. Cause maybe I ain't following but you ain't speaking easy here. Stop all the dancing around. From the top, make it simple."

Leonard shrugs lightly when Mick looksat him, meeting his eyes and relying on their ability to communicate silently to perfect understanding. To be fair, in this case it is mostly an I don't get it either, so the understanding required is relatively minimal. He gives a nod and turned to Rip, his fingers tightening in the fabric of Mick's jacket for a few moments before he releases him.

"Yeah. Time to step back and lay things out properly, because you are zigzagging from A to Z to M and then somewhere outside the alphabet and it might all be clear from where you're standing, but we ain't in your head." They could get each other without words, didn't work so well outside of that. "I wasn't making any assumptions, Rip, I was trying to go off what you're actually telling us and asked you if I'm right. You say I'm not, so. What happened? When did Thawne approach you how and what went down? What was threatened? What did you agree to? What's your reasoning? What's the plan? We're listening."

Rip suspects he’s going to have a rather strong headache by the time this is all done. He can feel the pressure building, and he pinches the bridge of his nose as Leonard and Mick exchange their looks. What comes after, however, is the first spark of hope Rip’s felt since this contrived mess began. Now they at least seem willing to listen to what Rip has to say—all of it, and Rip has to remind himself of their varying time points among other things that, by their nature, make this conversation more difficult than it might otherwise be.

(For the record, Rip doesn’t think the blame lies solely with him for that.)

“On my first day. You’ll remember I made a broadcast seeking further information about the events.” From the beginning, then. So much of this he has already said, but perhaps by laying it out as they suggest, in proper order, the gap between them might be closed. “Thawne responded. It was actually one of the more—informed discussions I had that day.”

Up to a point.

“We were discussing what merits there might be to figuring out how they are orchestrated versus why, the effects they have on the people here, and so on. At one point he compared the lost memories to stealing time, which is what tipped me off.”

He slides his hands into his pockets, where his fingers brush against the communicator. He could likely just take out the phone and play the conversation for the pair, but there’s no need. Rip remembers it well enough.

“I got his name, and made him aware that I know of him. At that point he opted to praise what happened at the Vanishing Point—specifically, to praise me.” Rip casts a glance towards Leonard at that; he’s quite aware that it hadn’t been his own actions that secured their victory that day. Given how likely it is that Mick too knows about it, Rip continues on. “Now, given what we’ve learned about the Time Masters, there are several reasons why a person could be thankful for their destruction. But since speedsters can travel through time, it’s not hard to reason why Thawne would be pleased by it.”

No more Time Masters, significantly less risk to someone looking to muck with history.

“Never the less, Thawne was pleased to see me; he said I could provide ‘insight.’” He takes a few steps forward, idly moving, his eyes on the ground as Rip continues to recount the conversation. “I tried to disengage, at which point he both compared me to a cockroach as means of flattery, and pointed out the ease with which he could kill me, but since we weren’t enemies here, he wouldn’t.”

He pauses there, glancing back towards the two men. Since the issue seems to have been an inability to understand one another, it seems a good time to make sure they are all still on the same page.

"See. Talking plain, already getting you a lot further."

Mick was following easier now, he always did when it was said in simpler terms. He didn't think that was down to intelligence levels, just down to people making things harder than they have to be. And given Rip is trying to justify a pact with a murderer, it made sense that he'd flower it up a little. Mick was never going to be in favour of it, he made up his mind on that one already but out of some strange courtesy, he'll hear him out. That was at least something.

"How come if he compares you to a cockroach, he gets a deal and if I was to do that, you'd probably drop communications?" Mick didn't get it. So far, nothing Eobard said really sold him as a business partner and detracted him from being someone they needed to keep an eye on.

Mick wondered if it was worth trying to warn Rip but some people, they couldn't just be told. It wasn't that easy. Besides, why should he worry about Rip? Right? "So you met the devil. Great. What next?"

"What kind of insight's he talking about?" There are several other questions that come to mind, also drawing on what Rip has said before, but as they have established, it's clearly best to let Rip finish his piece before asking them all when the man's this agitated. Leonard doesn't actually want him to feel the need to jump off the roof in frustration or whatever else. They can work together, they can even work together well, even if he doesn't feel all that much loyalty to Rip specifically, he doesn't want to go out of his way to not cooperate.

He wants to understand what Rip wants him, them to cooperate with. He would also like to understand why Rip is putting the point in time he is from - before Ray and after Mick and him - above them all in terms of what future he's concerned with and why he's so driven to return. He doesn't think it's simple vanity or a lack of seeing the full picture, there has to be more to it than that. But he will wait to hear what else Rip has to say on that and everything relating to Eobard himself.

“Two reasons, Mr. Rory. One, I highly doubt you would mean it as a compliment, backhanded or otherwise, and two, the flattery isn’t what prompted me to agree with him.” They would come to that part shortly, but it seems for the best that Rip had taken that moment to pause. Leonard has his own question, and Rip turns towards the other man.

“In escaping this place of our volition.” Fortunately Rip’s temper has started to ease; amazing what happens when people actually seem willing to listen rather than just throw judgement around. “I am—or was—a Time Master. There are likely few here with the same level of understanding I possess when it comes to traveling through time, including how to do so. Considering we are now in a dimension that appears to be separated from the natural flow of the timestream, any successful means of escape will, by necessity, require such a capability.”

Although he knows there could likely be more to it from Eobard’s perspective. No doubt there is. Rip just hasn’t learned those specifics, yet.”

“Beyond that, as I said Mr. Thawne has an—almost disturbing awareness of how I might normally think. He’s confident I won’t be hindered by what he calls ‘the shackles of idealistic thinking.’” Better known as a sense of morality strong enough to blind him to the greater picture in favor of a more immediate, “heroic” goal. Rip turns his head, looking into the open air and notably does not deny the claim. He’s already working with a fragile enough sense of trust; no need to lie and shake it completely.

“Nonetheless I still didn’t consent to give him my aid, so he sweetened the pot. The way he phrased it, he wouldn’t act on any grievances he might have against the team provided we didn’t come after him.” He shakes his head; Rip had recognized the truth behind the words immediately, but just in case it isn’t clear:

“It’s a rather flowery way to threaten someone, even by my standards."

"He sounds as annoying as you do."

He means talking wise, not in general. Although, that wouldn't be far off. Mick shrugged his shoulders, unsure what to even add. From what he was gathering, they'd been dragged here for a status update instead of something that required opinions because Rip already seemed pretty sold on this little deal and Mick, he just wasn't. It seemed dodgy.

Not just because of Eobard but for Rip. If he cared more about him, he might have been concerned. Mick, wise as he can sometimes be, opted to say little this time. He just turned his head to Leonard and raised an eyebrow. "Thoughts?"

"So that deal is on, since you want it to be." He's arrived at the same conclusion as Mick and he turns his head to catch his partner's gaze, just for a few moments of quiet understanding. Then his eyes shift back to Rip. Leonard has a lot of thoughts - always, really - but in this area Rip seems... skittish, for lack of a better word. Shaken by threats from a speedster and perhaps also from the realisation of how tempted he is to agree to a deal that could help him get out of here, no matter the cost.

Not that surprising, really. What he still doesn't understand is... "Wish I knew why that speedster was so eager to make sure we wouldn't interfere. Interfere with what? Anyway. I ain't interested in taking him on, but I'm suspicious now what he's planning that might raise my interest. You follow? It makes no sense that he wanted this deal if he's not going to give us any reason to want to interfere." Whatever. He shakes his head and lifts his shoulders for a shrug. "So. You consented to giving him aid. Any idea what he'll want you to do for that?"

For a moment he looks at Mick again, then nods. "Just let us know when he's bothering you."

He would likely never be able to understand exactly what is conveyed between Leonard and Mick when they share glances like that, but Rip can pick up on their dislike of his choice at the very least. It's hardly surprising, when so often decisions between them have been made according to the philosophy of 'I'm doing this and you can't stop me' rather than any sort of true collaboration.

This time it had simply been Rip to dig in his heels.

"Since it's advantageous on multiple levels." And yes, because Rip wants it to be. Leonard continues, questioning Thawne's motives and likely he is right to do so. There's little that can be reasonably questioned in what the man puts forward, and Rip knows it would look like carelessness to try and do so.

"Then perhaps we'll be afforded an opportunity to find out. If Thawne is convinced that I am working more in favor of my self-interest and less against him, he might be prone to let something slip." Be it in his plans or by granting Rip the opportunity to root around in his documents or plans. It's impossible to say just yet, which is, in fact, the entire point.

"Technological expertise, understanding of time and how it functions here--the ability to forge other alliances he simply cannot." Rip rattles off the list easily enough, having thought it through himself. "There are multiple possibilities. What this deal ultimately affords us, however, is time. Time to discover what his ulterior motives might be if he truly possesses them, not to mention time to shore up our own defenses."

Leonard suggests then that Rip keep them informed, and in return he nods. It seems to be agreement, or at least as much as Rip might expect to get from the pair--but he hopes to cement it.

"I will. I may have indeed made a deal with the devil, gentlemen, but I don't intend to hand over my soul." He is tempted by what a collaboration might offer--even hopeful for the results. But Rip has other things that matter far more, the ends of a hard-learned lesson during his team's journey to defeat Savage.

"If he does act out, I don't expect you to merely stand aside and let him--nor do I intend to either."

"I ain't a forward thinker like you two, I don't do the, erm, you know." He tapped his head with his fist a few times as f trying to knock his brain into gear. "The thinking thing. Overthinking. Like you geeks. But I gotta say, and I say it from knowing guys like you and guys like him, this Eobard freak is gonna use you up and toss you aside like a cheap date." And that was just the kind of guy Eobard seemed to be. A user, a manipulator, someone dangerous.

And he knew without really needing to consider much that it'll back in his face. And there was nothing Mick or Leonard could do to stop that.

"You do what you gotta do, Rip. Just don't make it my problem and I'll let you fuck up however you want to." See, so generous.

"If he stands you up for prom, you can still ask us to dance." Leonard figures that he may as well continue the date metaphor. He's not sure what to make of any of this, but it's clear that him and Mick are on the same page, which is still a relief with how brittle things between them still are. Another thing that's obvious is that Rip never intended this as an actual consultation and more simply a status update, but at least it is that and they know where they stand.

Leonard has a lot of things concerning all this that he'll still mull over - overthinking, as Mick calls it - but it doesn't seem as if Rip is really inviting an in-depth consultation and brainstorming, he can do that by himself. Eobard Thawne has just become an even bigger question mark than he's already been.

It’s certainly more of an agreement than Rip might have expected mere minutes earlier. That they’ve decided to leave well enough be is perhaps the best end Rip could have hoped for, regardless of how messy the path required to achieve it. Beyond that, each of them offers their own tidbits of advice—cautionary warnings from Mick, even an offer of support from Leonard. Tasteless metaphor aside, it’s rather encouraging in its own way.

“I’ll keep that all in mind.” And hopefully the pair of them would in turn keep his confidence. Rip had not been exaggerating when he said he risked everything on them. It might turn out to be a fool’s wager in the end, but each of the Legends has managed to surprise him during their travels together to fight Savage.

Enough so that he’s willing to hope. It’s not a thing Rip does easily these days.

“Thank you, gentlemen. Truly.”

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But I know you lie cause your lips are moving

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