Neal tilted his head in deference to that. Peter wasn't all-powerful at the Bureau but he definitely had a good amount of pull and Neal was willing to let that dog lie for a while longer while everyone else settled into their new arrangement. Other agents getting curious or suspicious was bound to happen, but Neal gave it a month or two before they would act on it. Plenty of time to figure out better alternatives or get Peter to reconsider the whole keeping-a-sword thing.

With the way Peter was handling the blade, Neal could make some connections. Whether it was his first sword or not was hard to say, but it was important and had not only the weight of old history behind it but the power of personal history as well. His brow furrowed as he took in the offer that had been made in light of that new understanding. Peter was willing to lend Neal something that important?

"Didn't think you knew how to turn a blind eye," Neal teased instead. That was one of the things he both liked and found infuriating. Just another piece to Peter Burke. "Do I get to know any names of the others like us in our alphabet soup?"