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Gilbert could read people well when he wanted to… when he wanted to was the key word there. He usually didn’t bother, but right now, he knew it would be in his best interest to. He could tell the bartender was slightly embarrassed for being caught looking, that blush was a good giveaway, but what he didn’t realize is that Gilbert was always paying attention when he first got in the place or when he got bored with dancing and decided to use his dancing as a distracting to observe other people. It was during this type of bored moment a few weeks ago he had first noticed he was being watched. Though this blush on his face made him glad he waited this long to stay something, he was cute when he blushed. Not that he would really do anything, not when he was technically married. Ok, it was officially married, but it was just for mutual benefit and there were no real feelings between the two. In truth, it partially left a bad taste in his mouth, but a deal was a deal and he never backed out before.

“You’re in luck! We just got an order of Oettinger. I hope that will do. If not, we certainly have some Belgian options.”

“Oettinger is perfect, Danke~.”
    
Having almost purred out his thanks, his hand wrapped around the glass and he brought it to his lips, taking a small initial drink to get the flavor of it. Throat constricting and relaxing as he swallowed, a satisfied expression crossed his face. It was a pretty good brand, and this one seems to be a good batch too. The German beer’s, in his opinion, were the best ones there were. His people really knew how to brew the best. It had been a while since he had been home, to Berlin, and it would be a while yet before he could go back. Yes, his family lived here now, but he always felt a special connection to the city and the land; like a part of it would always hold his heart.

“Ve… my name?”

Watching the smile turn to a frown on his companions face, he frowned himself. What did he say? Did he miss the others name over the din of the crowd around him? That had to be it. He found he did not like it when this man frowned, it didn’t seem to suit his nature. From the little he had seen of this man, he was much more alive and seemed to enjoy things more when he was happy. So that’s what Gilbert knew he had to do, he had to make Feliciano smile somehow again, even if he had to crack a few jokes against himself to do it.

“My name is Feliciano. I know, it’s a mouthful, si? It’s okay if you want to call me Feli—most people do.”

Ah, there was that smile again, and in response to it, Gilbert could feel his own smile again. He hated to see people upset and sad, he liked them to be happy and joyful. Although he was glad he didn’t have to make a fool of himself to do it…he’d done it before, and no doubt he’d do it again.

“Feliciano huh? But everyone else calls you Feli, that’s a shame, I like that nickname, but I’ll have to think something that just I could call you. But for now, I’ll stick to Feliciano and Feli. You can call me Gil if you prefer, nickname for nickname.”

“I’m so glad I finally got to talk to you! You always seemed so interesting, but I never got to speak with you in person… I was beginning to think I’d never get the chance. And to find out you’re from Germany… How interesting! I’d like to talk more, but if you need to get back to your date…”

Startling with that, he stood up straighter and blinked at him. His heart rate had picked up some and a mall sweat had broken out on the back of his neck. “Nein… she’s not my date, I just come here to dance…how did you know I’m from Germany? I never said anything about that.”

The dance floor was always one place Gilbert knew he could loose himself and not worry about the consequences. He didn’t have to watch his words, only his steps and not step on someone's toes. He would not be the cause of a bar fight tonight.

The pulsing music thrumming through his body, the blood pounding in his ears and rising to the skin to give his face a reddish tint, even the sweat drippings down his back as his hips moved in time to the underlying bass help prove that he was still free. The pounding music was his escape, his thoughts focused only on the pitch and the timbre of the tune that flooded his system. Though tonight, not all of his attention was on his movements and the music. There was a guy that he had checking him out every time he was here, and he was about ready to go see who this guy was and if there was anything he could help the bartender find out. Disengaging from the woman who had plastered herself against him, he slowly walked to the bar and leaned on it, head resting on his hand.

“What’ll it be? We have a great selection of beers, wines, and cocktails. Anything you want, I can make it! So, what can I start you off with?”

“Better question is how could I help you? See something you like?”

Gilbert knew he was flirting, and he really didn’t care. A little harmless flirting wouldn’t do any harm, and it might just get him some information as to why there. Besides, this kid was cute and seemed so innocent. He knew he couldn’t be that innocent being a bartender, but hey, if he looks it, which would get a lot of tips he knew. Looking the man up and down, he could only grin. If the man wanted to help him out, he’d let him.

“I’ll take a German Beer if you have one. If not, a Belgian would be fine. And you’re name if I could get that.”

Sitting down at the bar, he rand his hand through his hair, messing it up a bit more than it was before. The hair came out of his face and back to the original crazy hairstyle he always had. People always thought he dyed his hair that platinum blond/white color, but it was natural. Like his red eyes. No contacts would ever give the exact shade he had, a mostly red mixed with some blue, a heterochromatic affect he had heard it called. But it was something that made him uniquely him. He was proud of who he was and attributes. That’s one thing he was taught by Fredrick and his parents. Those that would tease him and bully him just wanted him to conform to the perceived group normality, and he didn’t have to stick to it. More that’s what let Gilbert do what he did and be happy with who he was. If they didn’t like him because of something he couldn’t control, then he didn’t need them anyway.

Having a cop near him didn’t unsettle him as much as it would some people. To Gilbert, it was just another person, another presence. He had some trouble with the cops when he was younger, bringing him home for being out past curfew, a few fights here and there, vandalism, all things young hooligans got in trouble for. Somehow they had kept him out of the system long enough for him to meet the man that changed his life. The one teacher he actually listened too. Letting out a small sigh, he couldn’t help but miss the man something terrible. He was like an uncle to Gilbert, one that was always there to listen to the things that couldn’t be told to parents. He was the guiding hand that led Gilbert to where he was now, to where he had a career he liked; even if he didn’t make a lot of money from it, and one that taught him it was alright to let people get close to him, that not everyone would abandon him like his real parents had. That had always been one of his fears, that people would see what they had seen and leave him alone, the freak that walked amongst them. Gilbert acted like it didn’t bother him, but it did. His mask was near perfect; very few things could break it. Very few people were allowed to see beneath is actually, not even his friends.

"I dunno, back in high school I was part of a group dared to hang out in a cemetery on Halloween night."

"Back in highschol, I would have been the one to hide in the bushes waiting to scare the pants off of people like you. I lived for the pranks and getting in trouble. It was always so easy to. A bit of eyeliner smeared under the eyes to make them look sunk in and some dirt in the hair and clothes matted with dirt, and oh I was soo good at it.

Gilbert was smiling at the memories, he did enjoy that so much, there was much he enjoyed from those times; especially the freedom he had. What he wouldn’t give to be able to pull some of those stunts and get away with it without worrying about the law or any other bothering him again. But shaking his head, he came back to the here and now and looked up to the moon, wrapping the blanket around him tighter.

“if it stays lie this, I’ll fall asleep and miss any odd and paranormal that may happen. Oh well, long as I’m still alive by day break, it’s all good.”

More often then not, Gilbert spent the day inside on his computer doing research for an upcoming article that needed due, or even practicing his hacking capabilities to keep them up to date. He didn't like spending as much time inside as he did, which is why he would often take an old laptop of his and head to coffee shops to work on researching his latest story. Though sometimes, on days like today, he didn't feel like working. These were the days he would take random trips to the park or anywhere that had a lot of people around. Gilbert was a people person, well, at least he liked to watch them even if they didn't always like him in return. There were a few times where a few kids had asked him why his eyes were the way they were and were utterly amazed to learn what he would tell them...all under the watchful eyes of their parents of course.

This day, he indeed went to the park for some of the rare sunshine that was like a treasure that one horded to themselves. There was nothing in particular he was looking for, but that didn't man he didn't usually find something interesting. Familiar notes drifted gently to his ears and he couldn't help the smile that lit up his face. The way the music wove into the sound of the birds chirping and the soft hum of the crickets and the uplifting sound of children laughing, it was a gift indeed. He knew that if he recognized his music right, it was the same man he had seen play in a few clubs around town. Following the music, he eventually came to the spot where the man was playing for a small group of people, a few children included.

This man always seemed to have a smile at his lips, just waiting for a chance to shine. His personality, from what he had seen, was like his smile; bright, and always cheerful with soft words to make any day cheerful. Gilbert knew he wanted to get to know this man better, that he would be a good friend to have around. Waiting for an opening to approach the man, he took his chance when the last child ran off and joined their mother. Taking a deep breath, he took a deep breath and approached him.

"Hey, you're the Anotonio that plays at a few cafe's at night and clubs, ja?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew those were potentially the wrongs words to say, they made him sound more like a fan and not someone who could be a potential friend. He didn't want the man's autograph, he just wanted to see about a potential friendship. Hopefully it helped that he was in casual clothes today, a pair of dark trousers and a t-shirt with a random band logo on the front. Gilbert was sleeping his his pocket, hopefully protected from the larger birds that might think he was a good snack.

"I'm Gilbert by the way, I hope you don't mind but you do have a way with music that I haven't seen before."

Ja, I can, where would his office be by chance?

Gilbert didn’t know why he was in this area of town, it wasn’t where he usually shopped, it was far from his normal actually. Carmine eyes scanned the prices of the motherboards and he nearly had a heart attack at how expensive the computer parts were. He could never afford this on his own, and while he could have used the money from Mari, but he didn’t want to. It was still early in this deal, and he didn’t feel like he had a right to use it. Part of him knew that since he the askee, he shouldn’t feel any qualms about using the money to get this part for his computer, but he did. He didn’t want to be indebted to her, he was still an independent man after all. Sighing, he walked forward down the aisle, seeing if there were some other cheaper selections.

Reaching out to pick up one that looked like it might be cheaper, Gilbert could only blink in shock as a hand wrapped around his wrist and was tugged to someone’s chest. Looking up into light colored eyes, he could only huff as he tugged his wrist away from the man. He hated being touched randomly, and this fell into that category.

"...You don't want that. It's not nearly as good as the...X99-Deluxe. It's more versatile and can manage to do just about anything.”

He could only look at the boy with bored eyes and sneered at the boys attitude. He could tell this boy thought very highly of himself. Scoffing, he stood and crossed his arms behind his head, messing up his already messy hair.

“Che, I don’t want it anyway. I can find better products elsewhere. Have fun with that, watch it break in like a week.”

Gilbert knew that the computer piece wouldn’t break that fast, but there was no way he was gong to say that he couldn’t afford these items. It was time for the good old annoying facade where nothing is good enough for him.

Things had gone different than expected. Picking up his beer and taking a large swig, Gilbert's mind could only go over what had happened. It had been a regular job, just fixing a woman's lighting problem and then he could have been on his way. But no, of course that wasn't the case. Instead through a weird turn of events, he found himself agreeing to marry her, to be her husband to help her avoid some sort of scandal. To him, what had happened wasn’t worthy of making a fuss, it could have all been easily explained and everyone’s lives continued as normal. Taking another large swig, he could only look in the mirror, hoping that some sort of answer or some miraculous idea would be revealed to him.

Staring back at him was his own reflection, the eyes looked like they were hiding something beneath there reflective surface, and indeed they were. This faux engagement was the biggest one, the one that was forefront in his mind. He had spent all of his life avoiding this very thing. Marriage just wasn’t a cup of tea, or his favorite brand of alcohol in this case. There really wasn’t a reason why he avoided it that he could think of, he just didn’t want to be tied down to one person only. He wanted to be able to go out with his friends whenever he wanted and do what he wanted without having to arrange it with someone else. Deep down though, something was trying to tell him he avoided it so much cause he didn’t want to be hurt; he didn’t want to open himself up to another person the way marriage would have and have it all come falling apart around him, leaving jagged wounds in his psyche.

His vision drifted across his face, taking in the frown that was plastered across his visage and could only sigh. It had been a long time since he had taken to drinking to try to solve an issue. Mostly he was just trying to figure out if he was doing the right thing in the long run, to think about someone else’s life and how his own actions could affect it. Gilbert knew he was a selfish individual; more concerned about keeping his life comfy in the way he liked it than going out of his way to help people.

Lip twitching some, a thought floated through his head and he latched onto it. The agreement had been made, and he was being rewarded for it, monetary gains at least. Of course he couldn’t say no to her when she was desperate for his help. He just had to remember right now that it would all be worth it in the end. He ignored the part that tried to tell him he would enjoy it and it would show him there was nothing wrong with the institution, but he ignored it for now, it wasn’t a concept he wanted to mull over.

Picking up his free hand, and running it though his hair, he admired himself. Messy white-blond hair, unusual eyes and a great sense of humor to round out the handsome package, of course he was a great catch. Laughing silently, he was able to smile for the first time in days. It would all work out, they both go something out of it, and who knows, perhaps he could get her out of her tight shell and get Mari to enjoy herself for once in her life.

“The night is young and I’m merely starting.”