#we'll call that fair compensation for dropping the sniper thing

[wolves-in-the-world]

one way this could go is if he takes apollo's place in the two live crew job (apologies to apollo, I do love that he's their IRL thievery consultant and I do appreciate his incredible cuteness with parker, but this cat's gotta go somewhere) and quinn does still hang out at mcrory's afterwards.

there's no lockpick race with parker, just talking and comparing scores, and once she's slipped off to goodness-knows-where (quinn's going to have a fun time trying to find her bolthole later, purely to see if he can) and mikel's left eliot alone with a promise to stop by again soon (eliot never quite stopped looking unsettled after she admitted to that thing in myanmar), quinn goes over to make fun of him a bit.

quinn's only primarily a thief. doing the work he does, looking like he does - he can't always wear suits for work, this quinn, but even without the shoulder padding he looks like someone who can weather a punch - he does have to be able to hold his own.

(he's used guns a few times, when he's backed into a corner. maybe his early training prepared him for that more than he likes to admit to. maybe it's a natural talent. he's not telling.)

and he's heard of eliot. everyone in the game has heard of eliot. so it's pretty satisfying to sit down and steal his drink and poke at him a bit, and get nothing worse than growls in response. quinn's grinning by the time he leaves, and he assumes - short of maybe hearing from parker again - that'll be the last he hears of them.

until the warehouse in kyiv.

"if I stepped on your team's toes," says quinn, "I can assure you I didn't mean to."

"nothing like that. I came to offer you a job." eliot's arms are folded, his posture easy, knife holsters and finger tape and don't-pick-a-fight-with-me red.

quinn can admit he doesn't mind the help getting out of there, even if his hands are already free by the time the third goon drops.

they discuss the details of the job on the plane ride over.

"you telling me you want me to be you?" quinn says, low and amused.

"you handled yourself well back there," says eliot with a shrug. "besides, I know your career. you don't get a name like that for no reason. you're good at getting in and out of places alive, and that's what we need."

it's gratifying. it's amusing. of all the prospective employers, he got eliot spencer.

quinn takes the role to heart. although the team already knows, although archie surely guesses, chaos never has reason to suspect quinn's anything but a knockoff eliot.

the job goes off without a hitch. quinn gets shot at (not ideal) but gets to yeet chaos into a river, which is almost compensation enough.

and after he's said goodbye-for-now to parker and discreetly returned a pack of gummy frogs to hardison's pocket (minus the frogs; he split them with parker), he goes and shakes hands with eliot. which is strange, though there's nothing that says that hitters and thieves aren't equals. nothing that says a thief is just a thief.

"you know, about that favour," quinn says.

"yeah, you might want to hold onto that, pal. those lives won't last you forever." eliot's tone is casual, and still friendly, so quinn stays there too.

"we could always meet up anyway. I wouldn't mind learning a few tricks."

"and what makes you think I'd teach you?"

"oh I don't know," says quinn, their voices starting to fade into the distance. "I was thinking you might want to be fr..."

…there is an au here of a quinn who was trained (too young) not primarily as a hitter but as a thief, and for all that he insisted on mister quinn in his professional dealings, he became more broadly known as the cat with nine lives instead

[wolves-in-the-world]

#in which the resting murder face is purely a Knockoff Eliot Grift apparently #''I don't know how eliot does this. being a hitter is TERRIBLE.'' #tossing eliot the gun like ''uh oh I don't actually want this (but can pretend to be okay with it in a minute For The Role)''

#I feel like quinn's more the apollo type of thief than the parker one. well-practised at being inoffensive and friendly. #the kind of person who comfortably touches your shoulder and elbow and back a lot in conversation (so they can pick all your pockets)

#remembering that thing where apollo (irl) studied certain types of dancing in order to get his pickpocketing down #because it's so about body cues and comfort and subtly leading people. such a physical social art. #that… could probably be devastatingly effective if coupled with proper hitter training huh #we'll call that fair compensation for dropping the sniper thing

#(ooh I wonder if this quinn was originally meant to be trained as a hitter and sort of picked the thief thing himself) #(got taken under the wing of someone who reckoned his training didn't have to go entirely to waste) #(I wonder if he failed the first test-) [tags mine]

—

#thief quinn is to thieves as tara is to grifters: very good at his job and also surprisingly punchy about it #he's not sneaky because sneaky is boring and he likes to shit talk while he's working etc

#ohhhhhh gosh. gosh. thief quinn………..i think i have a post somewhere re: everyone on the team being thievery By Way Of Something #and quinn being thievery by way of well-placed brute force. casual armed robbery. eating out of your fridge mid-burglary. suit bastard

#ur tags re: switching training midway: YEAH ohhh i love this. he COULD make money being a hitter but like #hmmmmm it's messy. and he could get paid to kill people he COULD do retrievals OR. get this. he can steal and fence shit for Himself #better pay less risk of serious bodily harm less messy AND you can wear a suit to a bank robbery more comfortably <3

#and i looooove the idea that the hitter stuff just comes into play because he Can hold his own and it's a tool in his toolbelt #so he'll get himself into tight places via thief behaviour and then get himself out of them via Surprise Hitter Nonsense #like yes you've caught me in ur office emptying ur safe. yes u have a gun. no i am not pausing in emptying ur safe <3 #he just seems like the kind of guy gets caught stealing and is like ''no hard feelings right. fairs fair you have a shit security system. #will have to be zip-tying u tho so cmere for a sec''

#like. quinn's hitter specialty (vs eliot's ability to take damage) #is that he's fast and unremarkable and calm #and this lends itself SO WELL TO A THIEF QUINN…..

#I CONTINUE TO ADD TAGS. in love with this. casual pickpocketing of snacks 4 fun. getting out of the handcuffs immediately after headbutting #thief quinn……………….. [via @darkfinch]

—

#he's out of the handcuffs by the time the third goon drops #but maybe he still pretends not to be? #(i dunno i just really liked watching eliot intimidate the last goon for the key and i think quinn would also find it fascinating) #and when eliot hands the keys over #he's not that surprised to find quinn out of the handcuffs already

#also imagining chaos losing and re-finding his things in different pockets #and still not suspecting anything [via @trivalentlinks]

…there is an au here of a quinn who was trained (too young) not primarily as a hitter but as a thief, and for all that he insisted on mister quinn in his professional dealings, he became more broadly known as the cat with nine lives instead