trouble's coming — intro, open

[link .]

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— lincoln costner was used to playing the long game. not only was he used to it; he considered it a specialty of his. reveled in it. he never felt the rushed to jump headfirst into getting the job done. what was the point when, if they played their cards right, the group could slyly go undetected the whole job? besides, there were no words to explain the satisfaction of slowly building to the final moments, of the idea of pulling all of the riches in this town right underneath everyone’s noses. no one would suspect a thing. with such a big job ahead of them, laying low felt justified and, not only that, but worthwhile. after all, laying low was part of the game. assimilating and fitting in, playing each step just right until everything aligned in their favor. this heist would be one of the best ones yet. they just had to wait for that perfect opportunity.

he enjoyed the moments leading up to the fall. in the meantime, might as well try and blend in. that had been exactly what he’d been doing since the family’s arrival into town. getting on the group’s good side among their ranks would only prove to be beneficial in the long run. at that point he was basically a regular inside the casino, spending his time mingling and getting to know the ins and outs of the group. standing beside a pool table, his gaze flitted up to his opponent that stood nearby, the other man rubbing his chin in thought as eyes darted along the table.

resting his hands on his pool cue, link leaned forward absently. then, the other man finally started to line up his shot. half-lidded eyes glanced between his opponent’s set-up pool cue and his intended shot, dark eyes lingering on the eight ball that sat dangerously close to a pocket. he quirked a brow up, lips briefly forming a tight line. “sure you want to take the risk?” he looked back towards the other man, watching as he visibly hesitated. his lips couldn’t help but twitch at the man’s fumble, watching as his opponent stubbornly furrowed his brows, took aim, and went for the shot.

he watched as the cue ball knocked one of the solid colors in -- and soon after, the eight ball inched towards the nearby pocket, eventually falling in. while the other person hung their head with an exasperated sigh, link straightened. “well. you can’t win them all. good game.” moving to set the pool cue aside, he sighed before the pair went their separate ways.

choosing to settle at the bar, he absently leaned forward, tapping his fingers against the bar top. “the regular.” he tried to not look too pleased as the bartender nodded knowingly, familiar with the man as if he were a regular. as if he wasn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing. lowering his head, he shifted his weight to one side as he waited for his drink, eyes eventually looking out at the casino floor to observe others enjoying themselves.

lincoln costner was used to playing the long game. if they were stuck playing the waiting game for that perfect moment, he might as well try and enjoy himself while he was at it, no?

// this post is so bad, but i finally wrote link's intro !
i'm saying he's been there for a while, but has been laying low and kind of "blending in" ! ! you could have your character come up, or already be chilling at the bar . i'm not picky at all !

[TEDDY.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Not only did Teddy like to play the game, but he also loved to come out of it the winner. He’d spent all his life losing and losing time after time that the thrill of winning was all the more appealing to him. Finally, something was going right in his life, and he was living the absolute dream. But, of course, heavy was the head that wore the crown. With his success came responsibilities, most of which he should have been more meticulous with. But, with success came a blindness when the jewels and the glory could so easily obscure a man’s vision. Who could blame him? What was he supposed to do with all of this opulence?

Lounging back in an armchair, curious eyes gazed across the pool table a short distance away as he watched the game draw to an end. He took a long drag of his cigarette, then stubbing it out just before it began to burn at his fingertips before he exhaled a billow of smoke. Lincoln Costner. Teddy had to admit that he was good at drawing information out of people in casual conversation. Even the seemingly menial things like where they were born or what their home life was like growing up would be retained in the back of his memory. Why? Well, people liked when they knew they were being actively listened to, understood, analysed.

As for Teddy, well… It was easier to command a room if he knew what he was working with.

Some might call it manipulation but Teddy saw it more like catering to his audience. Take the information, retain it and use it for his own benefit in the future. And, for the most part, it worked wonders. It was how he made it to the top anyways, slinking his way into the hearts of the aristocracy and leaving with their riches. At this point in his life, he was very well versed with people. But as for Lincoln Costner, the man revealed nothing of use to Teddy, and it was driving him mad.

Toe tapped repeatedly on the ground before Teddy rose to his feet and casually wandered over to the bar with the ever-so-cool and nonchalant front. ❝ I’ll have what he’s havin’. ❞ Teddy announced as he leaned his elbows onto the bar before twisting his head to look towards Lincoln. ❝ It’s Lincoln, right? ❞ Teddy hummed, hesitating for a moment before sliding onto the stool beside him. ❝ I like the technique ya got… with pool, I mean. Some of them moves were so questionable at first, but you always gotta way of provin’ me wrong. ❞

As the bartender served two drinks, Teddy took one and sipped at it, hissing at the strength before he said, ❝ Damn. Shouldn’t expect any less from ya, huh? ❞ Drumming his fingers in the counter, his many rings clicking against the surface, Teddy pursed his lips before he questioned, ❝ So where’d you learn to play like dat? ❞ Of course he'd pry like the opportunist he was, waiting to seize any opportunity he could. After all, he liked to play the long game, too. It was all he knew.

[link .]

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— teddy. as the man ordered the same drink, he raised a brow silently towards him curiously. he had to admit, he was not particularly the first person he would want to keep him company. he could list a few others he would rather have around him than one-third of the administration. though he figured if he didn’t get any of them on his good side, then this whole mission would be for nothing. how could people slip right underneath someone’s noses if they were such an obvious suspect? besides, there also came a greater reward, a greater satisfaction to screw over the people that thought they were so close to you.

as much as he’d rather stay away from someone as prominent - and as seemingly unbearable - as teddy, he owed this to reggie. he knew how to get on someone’s good side; after all, who couldn’t be swayed into good graces with a little bit of charm? perhaps teddy knew a thing or two about that trick, too. the man was so debonair; surely he was used to wrapping people around his finger with nothing more than a few charming words. lincoln wasn’t so easily allured.

“call me link,” he casually insisted, eyes following the other man as he sat down next to him. he hummed a short note to himself as the other man carried on about pool, and the ‘technique’ link supposedly had - questionable moves, but ones that supposedly proved teddy wrong. “really?” he didn’t sound so convinced. leaning an arm against the bar, he looked curiously towards the blonde. teddy spoke as if he was an expert at the game. was he really?

the bartender served their two drinks, link taking a moment to watch as teddy took a sip from his drink. the sight of him hissing at the strength of the drink was enough for his lips to quirk, a short breath huffed through his nose. he took an absent sip of his drink as teddy recovered, observing, ”i expected more from you.” the words sounded unnecessarily sly, as if he found amusement in teddy’s reaction. meeting teddy’s gaze, he raised his brows. lincoln didn’t think he could ever get used to the man’s company, though he had to admit that the man made it easy to converse with him.

where did link learn to play like that? lincoln pondered over the words as he took another sip of his drink. looking out towards the billiards table, shrugging, he answered casually, “comes with practice.” was he always this short with his answers? lincoln could come off as though he was the type of man to wear his heart on his sleeve, though only the opposite proved to be true. he preferred not to allow others to know about his personal life, especially when his history was as messed up as it was. it wasn’t a story that others deserved to hear. “play anything enough times and you’re sure to become an expert.” he contemplated over it before asking, “so you’ve played a couple times yourself, then?”