[ One dream leads into another, or so it must seem on the outset for Neal Caffrey. Awakening in a strange place with little knowledge as to the circumstances surrounding the shift isn't nearly as jarring now as it had been the first time around. Besides being quite skilled at landing on his feet, anything — or near anything — is preferential to waking up in the dingy dismalness of the Down.
Sitting up in bed, Neal tries to shake off the strange dream that lingers on the periphery, head full of bizarre, ghostly music and imagery. It altogether feels desperate and relieving, a cacophony of thoughts and emotions unbidden, but not necessarily unwanted. How long had he wanted to wake up elsewhere? It had felt like years even if it had only been months.
Exploring this new location, he finds a quaint condominium that isn't entirely unreminiscent of what he'd been used to before his arrival in Duplicity. There's an old world charm to it, from the carved wood to the vaulted ceilings to the heavy drapes, each reading as if they were precisely curated exactly to Neal's standards. ]
Not bad...
[ It's his initial assessment as he allows his senses to shift and settle, as he reminds himself not to trust his own eyes until it's clear and obvious what he's seeing isn't just another fever dream. ]
The Evil Dollhouse— [OTA] cw: evil dollhouses, potential body horror (turning into a doll), heights, potential bodily harm
[ Quick on his feet — a puzzler if ever there was one — Neal hones in on the scratches on the floor of the attic as soon as he possibly can. He's practically supernatural in his ability to cut through the minutiae, to see past the things that could easily be mistaken as important but have no relative value to the situation.
Hiking at his trousers and kneeling stiffly, he peers down at the marks with intense eyes, bright blue and keenly focused. He runs his fingertips across the scrapes, head lifting to observe the bookshelf. By now he's come to realize that everything in this so-called house is fake, at least on some level, and as he squints at the books and knick knacks, he can see each section is made from a piece of printed cardboard made to look like what it's meant to be, but failing in its purpose with such close observation.
Standing again, Neal skirts around to the side of the bookcase and presses both hands to the thin plywood, pushing with some effort. It yields under the force he applies, but only just. ]
Hey, give me a hand with this. I think it might be the way out.
[ If his companion is willing and able, together they'll succeed in moving aside the bookshelf and revealing the outside world, fantastically out of place but a relief nonetheless considering a moment ago they were trapped.
Of course, it sure is a long way down... ]
Those Pesky Kids— [OTA] cw: pranks with the potential to cause harm, some stalking vibes
[ Neal is beautiful, tall, pleasant, intelligent — modelesque and picture perfect, for lack of a better description — but he's not exactly... brave. Far from cowardly, Neal Caffrey is the epitome of savvy, in fact, quick to understand his own boundaries (even if they number very few).
When the "haunting" begins, it would be safe to say that Neal is freaked out. He's seen a lot, especially in the last couple of years, but ghosts are a form of dead people and Neal has never been on board with the afterlife. It's not just his own grappling with mortality, but the softness of an intellectual as well, someone who would much rather think his way out of a situation than fight through it. ]
Did you see that? What was that?
[ Eyes as wide as can be, Neal has moved himself behind his companion, not exactly using them as a shield, but not not using them in that manner, either. "Scaredy Cat" would be particularly apt in describing Neal, as his often mercurial nature would make that assessment rather on point.
The so-called ghost, rattling its chains, crosses their path a second time and Neal ducks some, both to make himself appear smaller and also to lesson the chances of being seen. ]
We should run, right? We should run...
Wildcard— [OTA] [ Don't see something here? Hit me up with a random prompt of any variety and I will be glad to roll with it! ]
OOC— Neal Caffrey is taken from post-canon White Collar and has nine months of CRAU history from Duplicity. I will avoid most major spoilers as well as mention of his past CRAU experience unless expressively given permission. Please include this in your header as "spoilers okay" or "CRAU okay" when replying. Blanks will be considered as opting out by default. Will match style.
Neal Caffrey | White Collar | CRAU | OTA
[ One dream leads into another, or so it must seem on the outset for Neal Caffrey. Awakening in a strange place with little knowledge as to the circumstances surrounding the shift isn't nearly as jarring now as it had been the first time around. Besides being quite skilled at landing on his feet, anything — or near anything — is preferential to waking up in the dingy dismalness of the Down.
Sitting up in bed, Neal tries to shake off the strange dream that lingers on the periphery, head full of bizarre, ghostly music and imagery. It altogether feels desperate and relieving, a cacophony of thoughts and emotions unbidden, but not necessarily unwanted. How long had he wanted to wake up elsewhere? It had felt like years even if it had only been months.
Exploring this new location, he finds a quaint condominium that isn't entirely unreminiscent of what he'd been used to before his arrival in Duplicity. There's an old world charm to it, from the carved wood to the vaulted ceilings to the heavy drapes, each reading as if they were precisely curated exactly to Neal's standards. ]
Not bad...
[ It's his initial assessment as he allows his senses to shift and settle, as he reminds himself not to trust his own eyes until it's clear and obvious what he's seeing isn't just another fever dream. ]
The Evil Dollhouse— [OTA]
cw: evil dollhouses, potential body horror (turning into a doll), heights, potential bodily harm
[ Quick on his feet — a puzzler if ever there was one — Neal hones in on the scratches on the floor of the attic as soon as he possibly can. He's practically supernatural in his ability to cut through the minutiae, to see past the things that could easily be mistaken as important but have no relative value to the situation.
Hiking at his trousers and kneeling stiffly, he peers down at the marks with intense eyes, bright blue and keenly focused. He runs his fingertips across the scrapes, head lifting to observe the bookshelf. By now he's come to realize that everything in this so-called house is fake, at least on some level, and as he squints at the books and knick knacks, he can see each section is made from a piece of printed cardboard made to look like what it's meant to be, but failing in its purpose with such close observation.
Standing again, Neal skirts around to the side of the bookcase and presses both hands to the thin plywood, pushing with some effort. It yields under the force he applies, but only just. ]
Hey, give me a hand with this. I think it might be the way out.
[ If his companion is willing and able, together they'll succeed in moving aside the bookshelf and revealing the outside world, fantastically out of place but a relief nonetheless considering a moment ago they were trapped.
Of course, it sure is a long way down... ]
Those Pesky Kids— [OTA]
cw: pranks with the potential to cause harm, some stalking vibes
[ Neal is beautiful, tall, pleasant, intelligent — modelesque and picture perfect, for lack of a better description — but he's not exactly... brave. Far from cowardly, Neal Caffrey is the epitome of savvy, in fact, quick to understand his own boundaries (even if they number very few).
When the "haunting" begins, it would be safe to say that Neal is freaked out. He's seen a lot, especially in the last couple of years, but ghosts are a form of dead people and Neal has never been on board with the afterlife. It's not just his own grappling with mortality, but the softness of an intellectual as well, someone who would much rather think his way out of a situation than fight through it. ]
Did you see that? What was that?
[ Eyes as wide as can be, Neal has moved himself behind his companion, not exactly using them as a shield, but not not using them in that manner, either. "Scaredy Cat" would be particularly apt in describing Neal, as his often mercurial nature would make that assessment rather on point.
The so-called ghost, rattling its chains, crosses their path a second time and Neal ducks some, both to make himself appear smaller and also to lesson the chances of being seen. ]
We should run, right? We should run...
Wildcard— [OTA]
[ Don't see something here? Hit me up with a random prompt of any variety and I will be glad to roll with it! ]
OOC— Neal Caffrey is taken from post-canon White Collar and has nine months of CRAU history from Duplicity. I will avoid most major spoilers as well as mention of his past CRAU experience unless expressively given permission. Please include this in your header as "spoilers okay" or "CRAU okay" when replying. Blanks will be considered as opting out by default. Will match style.