He nods, "Yeah. Yeah, I was. I am." At least, that's the plan so far.

"Not on purpose." he hasn't even heard the story, but he knows that, instantly, intrinsically, down into his bones. And it goes double for Neal, too– he didn't leave of his own free will, any more than any of them showed up here on their own, either. "Maybe he'll be back..." It has happened before.

It didn't work with Five.
Five just disappeared.