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Feli listened to Gil, a smile gracing his expression as the German spoke. There was only a brief pause after Gil finished speaking, before he finally bursting out into laughter. He continued to laugh, holding onto the side of the bar to support himself as he curled inward. “You are so strange, Gilbert!” He managed breathlessly. Finally he managed to get a hold of himself, his breaths coming in spurts as he straightened, his eyes still dancing in the dim light of the bar. “You really like throwing people for a loop, don’t you?” He teased, pouring a beer for another patron, a regular who never wavered in their order. He slid the glass over to the man who nodded his thanks and melted into the background as though he’d never been there in the first place. Feli looked around at the bar, it was still quiet, Beck certainly seemed all too happy to pick up his slack and judging by the guys currently leaning eagerly on her bar, no one would be heading his way soon. Perfecto! More time to play with his newest patron!

He settled back, a bit surprised when Gil mentioned a fiancé. Not that he was disappointed, he certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship (too dangerous), but Gil didn’t really seem to strike him as a “head over heels in love” young man. He certainly didn’t seem like the type to have a fiancé. Feli looked thoughtful, storing away that fact to examine later. To Gil, he finally smiled kindly, clapping his hands together.

“Oh, Gilbert’s engaged! Che meraviglia!” He leaned forward. “I should have known… someone like you would find some beautiful bella with no trouble at all! What’s she like?” He thought about Gil’s brief description and couldn’t help but chuckle. “It seems so unlike you, to be marrying someone that sounds so serious… I guess it’s true what others say—‘opposites attract!’”

He rested his chin on his hand, surveying the silver-haired enigma before him. The more he thought about it, the stranger things seemed. What did he mean by being “the first to meet her?” Seriously there were other people in his life that Gil should be introducing to his future wife. Why the bartender that he’d only met a few minutes ago?

“Ve… you really think that’s a good idea? We just met! Should you have her meet your famiglia, first, no?” He started wiping down his bar for lack of anything better to do. “But… I would like to meet her. I bet she’s interesting. She’d have to be to catch your attention.” He grinned conspiratorially at Gil. “I’d love to help her relax in anyway I can. I love making people happy!”

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She was a seasoned liar, Feli had to give her that. Her acting was top notch. If his life hadn’t so frequently depended on recognizing a well disguised bluff, he would have been taken in, just as he assumed many others were. She was definitely charming, scarier still, she knew that fact all too well, that charm was just another tool in her tool box. Feli smiled brightly when she offered herself to him, he wondered how many were taken in by that offer alone… and what ended up happening to the poor souls when they took her up on it.

“Oh, what a kind offer, Bella!” He said warmly. “That would be quite the honor, to spend time with someone as beautiful as you!” Before she could respond, he moved with practiced ease, pinning her to the wall, her wrists collected in one of his hands while the other pressed a small blade to neck. “Beautiful… but not who you are pretending to be.” He tilted his head, searching her gaze as though he might find the answer there. “I would be terrible at my job if I could not recognize those close to Bucciarelli. Not to mention… you said he gave you this card personally and yet you don’t remember what he looked like when I arrived. To be confused for a middle aged Mafia Don… I’m really hurt, Bella." He smiled, no hint of malice in his eyes as he looked at her. “I’ll ask you again, Miss… who are you and why are you here?”

Of course, his position was pretty precarious, despite the knife being pointed at her throat. She was not supposed to be here, not any more than he was, Feli was sure of that. But that meant little in the long run. No matter who she was, she was a witness, she’s seen his face, spoke to him…. If he let her live, she could easily give his description to the authorities from there it would only be a matter of time until he was discovered. What would his family think… what would Beck think… what would Luddi— Feli stopped that thought dead in its tracks, he couldn’t even bear to contemplate such a terrible outcome. So then what? Kill her? It was the most obvious choice, the safest one. It should be all too simple for him. He had to do it, to keep his world in order. And yet… His eyes flickered as he continued to gaze at her.

“You’re quite the professional, Miss… that’s your biggest tell… you’re too practiced with your confrontations… no halts, no stumbles… you respond to every question with grace. Really, Bella, it’s magnificent! So what are you here for? You’ve done your research, to attempt to impersonate such an obscure connection to Bucciarelli, but not enough to really infiltrate…. So a short job…. A thief then, no?” He almost smiled at that. Maybe he could work this newest development to his advantage. Stolen goods would certainly shift the motives away from a contract killing. If they were careful, maybe both of them could walk out of this alive….



made by MISSO for KAT

Now, this… was all too easy. Beck managed to bite back a grin as she quickly filled Ludwig’s order. For her plan to go through, she had to play this exchange very carefully. Marshaling her expression, she turned to him, face carefully blank. “Feli? Here? He didn’t call you?” She slid the drink to him, her head tilting slightly. “That’s surprising, I would have sworn you’d have been the first on his list.” She paused, giving that sentence time to land, to prickle in the back of his mind. Boys are so delightfully simple, so predictable…. She was sure that with just the right touch, she could finally see the end of this chapter.

She couldn’t lie, the two had been fun to watch. For two years she’d watched their relationship grow into genuine friendship, and then… into something more. She saw it in every touch—Feli’s arms wrapped around him, Ludwig’s hand on his shoulder… it seemed their bodies were aware of their feelings long before they themselves did. But the best part of every story is the ending, and after two long, tortuous years, she was ready for some resolution, it was time to put this story to rest so they could get working on the next. And maybe, just maybe, she could finally get a decent double date for her trouble.

She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, leaning against the bar and dropping her voice to just over a murmur. “Feli called in sick today, I figured he’d call you so you didn’t make the trip over here for no reason.” Her brows wriggled as she eyed
him. She’d teased them both about it—every one of the staff and most of the regulars had known that Feli was the true reason Ludwig kept coming back. “Hm… maybe he didn’t want to worry you…. It’s not that unusual, Lud, the winter months are always hard on him. He gets under the weather every so often…” She poured another drink and slid it to another regular, who nodded and muttered a gruff thanks before melting back into the crowd. “I’m sorry. I’m sure he’ll be back the next time you come around.” She sighed and looked around. “Still… it sucks, without him around there’s no way I’m getting out before sun-up… I don’t know how I’m getting that soup to his place now…”

There… the seeds had been planted. Now all she could do was hope that they took root.

made by MISSO for KAT

Beck never claimed to be well versed in the world. To her, life was short—why bother wasting precious time on things that aren’t interesting? People were interesting, nature was interesting, music and literature and art (especially Feli’s art) was interesting. She loved listening to her patrons discuss their own passions, she loved seeing the light spark in their tired eyes as they explain the intricacies behind their beloved curiosities. Beck never claimed to be a master at any given thing—she was a decent bartender, a level-headed individual, and a strong manager in her own right. But the thing she really excelled at was people. Even as a child, she had been fascinated by those around her, their actions, their personalities, but more than anything, their relationships. She could always be counted on to listen to the love-sick romantic, to counsel the floundering lover, to comfort the heartbroken. She was the mediator, the problem-solver, and she loved every minute of it.

But there was one man that had continued to fascinate her for the past two years. Tall and blonde with piercing blue eyes, Ludwig Bielschmidt cut quite the dashing figure no matter where he was. She imagined he could be quite attractive if he lost the severe crease between his brows and that constant frown. She always figured that he did something really important—like a high-end business man or a doctor, something with a lot responsibility and underlings. It would be relatively easy to ask him of course, but Beck liked the mystery of it all, it seemed to suit him well. So she continued to guess and watch him when she had a free moment. Despite his intimidating stature, she’d learned that he was actually quite kind. They had only spoken in passing a handful of times, but he had always been very polite, never failing to tip her for each beer she brought to his table. Occasionally, he would stay until closing and even helped carry some of the larger items from the cellar when it came time to refill. Had it not been for two things, Beck might have fallen for the man. For one, she was happily engaged. And, far more importantly, Ludwig’s affections were clearly with someone else.

For nearly two years, Beck had sat back and watched her best friend become more and more entangled with their strange new patron. The first night Ludwig had wandered into the Bunker, nearly everyone shied away from his stern gaze and clipped accent. Even Beck, who’d worked in some of the seediest bars before finally landing a job at the Bunker, couldn’t help but feel uneasy when he stood at her station and fixed her with those piercing eyes. But Feli? Feli never even seemed to blink when Ludwig returned for a second beer. Feliciano had always been a inviting person, indeed it was one of his biggest draws as a bartender, but there was something different in the way he spoke to Ludwig. There was a special kind of warmth, of understanding that spiced the smiles he seemed to direct only at the blonde. It went far beyond his job, or even his innate desire to put others at ease. As, Ludwig’s visits grew more regular, Feliciano seemed more and more distracted by the man, even neglecting his precious patrons to linger near the man. At first, it made Beck nervous. She really liked working with Feli they’d established an easy-going rapport with one another over the years and she hated the thought of losing her favorite coworker. But much to her surprise, her boss actually seemed encourage their arrangement. Now, nearly every single one of Ludwig’s visits ended with Feli camped out at his table.

At first, Beck had figured that Ludwig was humoring him at first, just putting up with his exuberance in the same weary manner of a parent minding a toddler. But as time went on, it became obvious to Beck that Ludwig actually seemed to appreciate the company. Though his smiles were rare, they only seemed to appear when Feli was at his side. She caught the fondness that seemed to soften his gaze as he would first catch sight of Feli upon entering the bar, and she saw the way Feli would light up in response. She figured it was only a matter of time until they ended up together. It seemed to be the only natural progression of things.

And yet, much to her frustration, the pair seemed to stagnate. It was confusing. Feli certainly had no trouble making his interests known in the past, and yet he made no move towards Ludwig. And Ludwig seemed all but oblivious to the tension that swirled around them both. Beck tried to nudge the two, but no amount of teasing, of sideways hints, seemed to do shift the situation and she began to despair that they would never recognize their relationship for what it was. No one in a platonic relationship looked at each other the way they did. But as the months, and later years passed, Beck came to terms with the fact that their relationship was never going move forward.

That is until Feli called out from work. Despite his easy-going nature, Feliciano loved his job, and though he might be late, he was rarely absent. But winters were traditionally tough for the Italian and he often succumbed to the colds and flus that accompanied the icy months. But still… to have him call in on one of Lud’s scheduled days… he must have truly felt awful. Beck was mentally planning a trip over to his little flat after her shift to make sure that he had something warm to eat, just when Ludwig stepped into the bar. She watched his eyes, sweeping the bar, searching out that smile that had always been there to welcome him.

Beck waved him over, smiling faintly as a less than innocent plan began to take shape in her mind. Perhaps this was her chance to finally set the pair straight.

“Lud! Glad you were able to make it tonight! What can I get started for you?” She did her best to keep her expression neutral as she wiped down her station in preparation for the night.

And if she played her cards right, what a night it would be.
made by MISSO for KAT