A Slice of Heaven [Gilbert/Liesel]

[Gilbert Fredrick Beilschmidt]

It was a rather pleasant day, though there were a few clouds hanging low in the sky. It wasn’t raining currently and it was a decent temperature, but the threat of falling rain seem to put an urgency in the air that hadn’t been their previously. As much as he loved living in England, Gilbert hated the rain. While it was good for the grass and the flowers and other such things that grew out of the ground, it was bad for writing and for any electronic devices he may have been carrying for work. While a notepad and pencil was always in his pocket, sometimes he carried a tape recorder. He knew it was outdated, but no one expected a tape recorder to be present anymore. It was a good device to get leads on stories…and to verify his facts. His memory could suck and he knew it. He remembered his own activities fine and what was going on around him, but small facts, small details that could be important down the road, he forgot as easily as a petal fell off a flower.

As Gilbert muddled over the weather and the lack of consideration the rain had for him and his need of electronic devices, a familiar noise rumbled overhead. It was a noise he had gotten used to and barely even noticed anymore. The sound of thunder. Eyes focused on the ground in front of him, he only noticed the cold precipitation when a single rain drop made it down the back of his shirt and trailed down his skin. A shocked sound was pulled from his throat as passers-by saw the little dance that many who had gotten the wet rain down their clothes preformed. Looking around quickly, his eyes landed on a shop he could escape the rain.
Pushing open the door to the shop, a small tinkle was heard from the bell to the shop ringing. It was another sound that was commonly taken advantage of. After all, if you’re entering a shop, you want to be known to be helped. And in this shop, he did want to be helped. It smelled wonderful. All sorts of chocolate to be seen, and all smelling of heaven. Walking over to the counter, he grinned.

“Now this is a place I could easily fall in love with. Who was killed to get this little piece of sin?”

[Deleted]

The chaos of the shop was invisible to the front of the shop, isolated from the outside world by walls and layers of counters and ovens. That chaos, however, could be heard, as footsteps scrambled to get from one place to another, as pans dropped clumsily to the floor, as a voice shouted over the carnage to berate one’s lack of efficiency and lack of proper balance.

“Look, we already have something in that over—no, it’s not done yet. Why don’t you read the label? It’s Christina’s station!”

It was one pile of frustrations after another, but it was also just one of their bad days. For some reason, the entire staff seemed to be assailed by bad luck and misfortune, yet couldn’t pinpoint why. Obviously someone upset a spirit who was spitefully getting revenge, otherwise Allison wouldn’t have dropped her phone in cake batter while talking to her hospitalized daughter, and Jason wouldn’t have tripped on his own foot and landed face-first into a counter, knocking loose a tooth that would have to be fixed. The bell at the front of the store was like a symphony to the ears of the store’s supervisor. Eager to get away from the war-zone in the back rooms she quickly slipped into the register area, wiping her hands free of red icing.

Icing which, given the sounds coming from the rest of the store, might have been red enough to warn guests to a murder and dismemberment. Chuckling nervously the supervisor, Liesel, tucked her red-stained rag away into a pocket and immediately apologized for the wait. If not for the noise in the back she never would have left this station. “I’m sorry for the wait! Welcome! Is there anything I can do for you today?”

The man on the other side of the counter – curiously light of feature with a pair of deep, red eyes – looked around and took in the conglomeration of scents with an ecstatic grin. “Now this is a place I could easily fall in love with. Who was killed to get this little piece of sin?”

“It’s a rite of passage in this business, I had to challenge my boss to a fight to the death.” She shot back immediately.

[Gilbert Fredrick Beilschmidt]

“I’m sorry for the wait! Welcome! Is there anything I can do for you today?”


Gilbert was startled when he heard the reply, though he made an effort not to show it. A little jump here could easily be turned into a turn there. The noise in the store had been enough to cover the sound of the woman’s footsteps, allowing her to sneak up on him. He knew he would have to be more careful, it was unwise to let people creep up on you, for there was no way to know their intentions.

Mentally shaking his head from the silent, darker thought, he could only grin at her next words. This was someone who knew how to enjoy herself.

It’s a rite of passage in this business; I had to challenge my boss to a fight to the death.”

“Is that how it is in all the business around here or just his one? I imagine you had the advantage a most people though. Knowing your way around the kitchen must have taught you all the potential weapons to be used. Did you at least manage to get his secret recipes before he crooked? Otherwise you missed out big time. “

Gilbert could only grin at her, red eyes dancing with mirth. He was starting to have a good time here. Good company and hopefully good food, which could make all the difference. This shop was in a prime location and he could easily believe it made its weekly goal profits easily, if not double what they were expecting. If he had a skill like this, he would exploit it for all it was worth. His skill was writing though, that’s where he would stick…with some drabble in hacking.

“Tell me gorgeous? I bet your name is a beautiful as you are, and would a handsome guy like me be able to get a sample of one of your sweets?”

With a wink and a finger point, he motioned to one of the cookies. It was an obvious plot to get a free cookie, but he wasn’t above it. Hopefully, worst case, it would make her laugh. Maybe it would lead to a friendship. Gott knew that he needed more friends.

[Deleted]

“Did you at least manage to get his secret recipes before he crooked? Otherwise you missed out big time. “

Liesel scoffed and leaned against the counter to look the man dead in the eyes. Her face didn't change, giving off the impression that she was entirely, completely serious. Even those blue eyes gave off no indication she was joking at all. "Of course - I'm not stupid, you know. As incredible a chef as my boss was only an idiot wouldn't repurpose his recipes."

Her eyes lit up and she pressed a finger to her lips. "But keep that quiet, I had a hard enough time hiding the body."

She stood back up straight and put her hands on her hips and stood back to examine him. Couldn't see all of him, counter be damned, but he had a nice face with some of the most unique features she'd never seen on a human. The severity of his albinism was something she'd only ever seen in animals and yet here he was, rocking red eyes and an absolute lack of any pigment.

He at least made up for it with no lack of charm or wit. He knew how to use his words, it seemed. What a lucky woman she was to be graced with this piece of work.

“Tell me gorgeous? I bet your name is a beautiful as you are, and would a handsome guy like me be able to get a sample of one of your sweets?”

Yes, she laughed. That über-serious expression she held on her face melted quickly. This guy was utterly shameless the way he flirted with her. "You're cute, but you'll have to try a bit harder than that if you want to walk out without paying."

There would be no free cookies on her watch. "My name is Liesel. Liesel Friedmann, but that won't come cheap either. I'd like to have your name too."

[Gilbert Fredrick Beilschmidt]

“Of course - I'm not stupid, you know. As incredible a chef as my boss was only an idiot wouldn't repurpose his recipes. But keep that quiet, I had a hard enough time hiding the body."


Grinning wide with those words, he couldn’t help but lean on the counter, grinning from ear to ear. It seemed like he had met someone who was able to match wits with him. It had been a while since he had met someone he had this fun with talking, and this was only the start of many long conversations if he had his way about it.

“You’re a smart woman, a smart, smart woman. And let no one tell you otherwise. “

Moving some to run a hand through his hair, he felt the hair run against his hand, nice and soft, before lowing it back down to rest his chin on a propped up hand. He was looking her over, eyes shown a clear red as he tried to figure something out, perhaps the best way to go about all of this now.

“You're cute, but you'll have to try a bit harder than that if you want to walk out without paying."


Nodding with this, accepted what she said. While it was true that he would have to work harder, didn’t mean he couldn’t do it. That was the thing with him, once he set his mind to something; he was bound to get it in some form or another.

“Now who said anything about walking away without paying? How am I supposed to know if I like something before I try it? Do you offer a refund if I’m unsatisfied with my purchase? Or is this a case of the buyer beware, especially from a gorgeous sales person?”

Gilbert had kept a grin on his face the whole time, showing that he was merely playing along with her. Now it was mainly to keep her talking, after all, that was how you became familiar with people. Or at least it was for him. He liked to find out what made people tick, what makes them happy and sad, what made them angry. Or in this case, what brought out a fun side.

“Liesel you said? I was right; you do have a beautiful name to match your looks and your personality.” Nodding to the rest of it, he stood up straight and held out a hand. “Gilbert. Gilbert Rothstein at your service.”

[Deleted]

It wasn't very often that Liesel was gifted with visits like this one. Her smirk was somewhat lopsided at his reply. "I didn't get this far by being stupid. I've come a long way and God help the poor fool who disagrees."

But Liesel wasn't sure if this individual before he was being ironic or genuine. She opted for the latter, disliking the idea that she would judge someone negatively when they had only been kind - and funny. the conversation thus far had been a riot and Gilbert wasn't without his charm or uniqueness.

“Now who said anything about walking away without paying? How am I supposed to know if I like something before I try it? Do you offer a refund if I’m unsatisfied with my purchase? Or is this a case of the buyer beware, especially from a gorgeous sales person?” the man asked in a clear dramatic overture. Liesel feigned concern at his theatrics.

"No one leaves my store dissatisfied." Beat. "Or else."

She smiled. "Enjoyment is part of the package, but if you, for some reason, do not enjoy your purchase then, yes, we refund." She leaned forward onto the counter, supporting her upper body with her arms. "I would not be a very good manager if I did not allow refunds, don't you think?"

And, finally, a name. “Gilbert. Gilbert Rothstein at your service.”

"It has been a pleasure so far, and I am sure it will continue to be." She held her hand out for a brief shake. "I'm sure you speak to all the women like this. You're either excellent at improvising, or you've rehearsed multiple times."

He shot back with such wit and familiarity, it was as if the two had met as children, which was a rather odd feeling. She could see herself becoming great friends with this man.

[Gilbert Fredrick Beilschmidt]

"I would not be a very good manager if I did not allow refunds, don't you think?"

“Some of the higher class places don’t offer refunds and their food and services are utter shit. Here I get a refund and personal service from a manager whose pretty enough to ….to… to charm a man enough to make him lose his train of thought.”

Gilbert couldn’t help but cringe on the inside at how bad that was. Why did he stumble over that last part, he knew exactly what he wanted to say so why did it not come out right. At least he finished with something even if it was horrible. Hopefully that slip up didn’t put her too off of his flirting, he was honestly having fun talking to her and she was easy to talk to. It felt like they had been friends for a while, those that while they always poked fun at each other, they would be there for them in any situation that needed a helping hand. Why he felt like this, Gilbert didn’t know, but he wanted to find out more about her, about what kind of connection they seemed to have. For while Gil had a lot of acquaintances, he had few people that he actually called him a friend that he would do anything to protect. And it seemed that this Liesel would easily fit into the latter category.

"I'm sure you speak to all the women like this. You're either excellent at improvising, or you've rehearsed multiple times."

With a light blush coloring his cheeks, he just grinned and shook his head, spiky white hair moving with his head, back and forth with the movement. He sometimes wished his he wasn’t so pale that every blush that graced his cheeks wasn’t as visible as they were. And his latest comment should have proved that he hadn’t improvised anything, since he shouldn’t have stumbled over his thoughts then. No, this was all his quick thinking and himself becoming flustered with her actually responding to them.

“Anyway, I’ll take two chocolate chip cookies if you have them.”

Eyes noticing something, he grinned internally, a small idea came to mind he e would carry out in a few when he was preparing to leave.

[Deleted]

The man stumbled clumsily over his words, but considering the punchline at the end of his ill-constructed flirt, she wasn’t sure if that was his intent, or something gone completely wrong halfway through being spoken. Regardless, Liesel let loose a hearty laugh into the air, dropping her face into her palm as if what she’d just heard was shameful to listen to.

“I’ll give you an A for effort, but don’t quit your day job if that’s the best you’ve got.” Ahh… it wasn’t very often Liesel was granted the opportunity to meet someone like this. Today was a good day, indeed! She often found herself begging for the powers that be to send her amusements on boring days and rarely were hre prayers ever answered. It seemed that her patience was finally paying off, and now she had a day she would be able to remember with some amount of joy.

The red of his cheeks could not be hidden from view, despite all of his meager efforts. His cheeks now perfectly complimented those fascinating red eyes. She’d seen such eyes in photographs as tricks and errors of the light, but in a human… it was a strange thing. Not frightening, but strange. While others might have shunned him for his appearance, red eyes often being sighs that one was evil or possessed by some otherworldly being (which, surely, Gilbert was not, figuring evil would take a far more appealing form if it intended to lead her astray!) and yet she found herself rather comfortable with him.

“Anyway, I’ll take two chocolate chip cookies if you have them.” He ordered. Just his luck.

“We have a few trays fresh out of the oven. Not out yet, but I’ll head into the back to get them.” She held a finger up, beckoning him to wait. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t go away!” She left the front desk, leaving Gilbert with a smile.

True to her word, the Bavarian returned with the cookies in hand, paced delicately in a paper bag. The rim of the bag was securely tied and the warmth of their freshness emanated from the bag’s entirety. They weren’t too expensive… just a couple of pounds for a simple pair of cookies. Upon relaying the price she slid the bag across the counter to him and smiled once more. “I hope you enjoy them.”

[Gilbert Fredrick Beilschmidt]

“We have a few trays fresh out of the oven. Not out yet, but I’ll head into the back to get them. I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t go away.”

He watched her leave and leaned against the counter, waiting for his cookies. He originally wasn’t going to buy some, but how could he not after this. Two cookies wouldn’t break his budget and it seemed like it would make her happy. Liesel seemed like a wonderful woman, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more friends, especially ones he could flirt with as easily as he did with her. Who knows, perhaps he could talk her into a date sometime. He as roused out of his thoughts by her returning with a bag in hand.

“I hope you enjoy them.”

Taking the bag and sliding the money across, he winked. She was so easy to talk to, Gilbert could hardly believe it. Though he knew he would want to be careful till he really got to know her, but perhaps….yes, he did want to talk with her more, get to know her.

“Oh I’m sure I will… say, how would I go about getting your phone number or email address? Be a way we could keep in contact without me having to spend money every day buying things from your shop. Put me in the poor house that way.”

That was what he would do. If he could get one of them, he could get into her computer and learn about her a bit, find out what kind of person she was before he got too deep into their friendship. He wanted someone he could trust, and he desperately wanted to trust her; he wasn’t sure why, but he always went with his gut feeling.

“Of course I’ll give you mine in return, that way you won’t be pineing by the phone waiting for my call.”