I Believe you know something? // Gilbert

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 607 ✉ Will this work? MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

The sky was not showing what the weather station in the morning said it would. Clouds were covering the sun they said would supposedly show and warm the autumn weather up this day, making Ren hopeful for the warm weather apart from all the windy and rainy coming up. He sighed, reminding himself of the clothes he had hung up outside in his apartment back at home, and couldn’t help but to give off a small growl. The black german shepherd that was tied to the office pole outside also looked up with him and gave off a small whine, which Ren almost chuckled about. He reached down and ruffled the canine’s head, giving it a few gentle pats before pulling his hand away. ”It gets much worse, Hachi.” He told the dog, sighing. The day had been slow so far, not much happening but report after report of people bitching and complaining about whatever that comes to their minds. And as soon as the word ‘mutant’ came up, it was his office’s job, no matter how idiotic the claim. Things ranging from ‘my mutant broke my glass’ to ‘my mutant won’t sleep on the floor’ made phones ring all day, but not necessarily make the job any more interesting. Seriously, why did these people call them for such ridiculous claims? He heard that the humans would call 911 because the cable went out, but he thought that was just an American thing. Apparently not. He was about to go back inside when he heard a growl, however. Ren blinked and glanced up to the crowd of people, and with curiosity, grabbed the extra leash and clipped it onto the shepherd’s collar. He had recently made the dog remember the scent of a missing mutant that came up on his files not too long ago, saying the proclaimed owner that supposedly bought the mutant wasn’t the one actually harboring the creature. That was against the law, seeing they needed to know the exact location of every mutant in the city. Ludwig Beilschmidt, if Ren remembered the name correctly… Power was fire manipulation, or controlling, or something of the sort. No doubt a dangerous mutant in the case it became loose and decided to mingle with the humans. The dog immediately pulled forward when Ren gave the word to allow him to lead the way, the well trained animal weaving in between people to reach a particular man. At first, Ren suspected the man himself to be a mutant. He had red eyes and white hair; it was not a common sight. Pulling the dog back and forcing it to sit, Ren called out gently. ”Excuse me, sir." He said, pulling out his police identification card to show it to the man. This should stop him in his tracks; once one showed they were a police the man would be denied the right to run; if he tried he could get punished accordingly for it. Now, it was time to figure out whether this man was a mutant from the underground, which the dog also remembered and was made to react to the scent of, or he knew the whereabouts of Ludwig Beilshmidt. First, he had to rule out the first possibility. ”Do you have your identification with you?” And by that, he meant tags in the case the man was a mutant, but if not and he would get some sort of card to be shown, he could assume the man was a human… Which would lead to the other possibility. Either way, he needed the man in the office, seeing he saw nobody walking with him.

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

Gilbert was exhausted. All-nighters were becoming harder and harder to deal with, a sure sign that he was getting older. He groaned and shifted the file to his other hand in order to massage his aching eyes. Once upon a time, he could easily function for weeks with less than 3 hours of sleep a night, but now? One night staying up past 2 am, trying to put the finishing touches on his proposal, left him feeling like he’d been hit by a bus. Luckily the meeting had been pushed to the next day, which meant he had some time to just relax and recuperate. Sure that could mean going back to his depressing little hotel room and crawling into bed, but there were other… far more tempting possibilities to consider. Gilbert smiled to himself. Perhaps he’d surprise West with some lunch and beer. God only knows what swill he’d been subjected to. It was time his little brother got to try some of the finer things in life
Today was looking up!

Or at least it was, right up until he heard the soft but authoritative voice behind him. He turned to see a slim young man with sleek black hair and severe eyes standing before him, holding the leash to an equally severe looking German Shepard. This didn’t bode well. The man took out his id and flashed it before Gilbert’s eyes. Police? Shit. There was little Gilbert could do without looking suspicious and the last thing he needed was to run afoul of the local law… not when he was so close to having the factory become a reality. So the only thing left to do would be to play innocent. It shouldn’t be hard, he’d had plenty of practice after all.

“My ID? Sure, I have my passport, hopefully that’s good enough,” he said politely, fishing out his wallet. He knew the look in the officer’s eyes all too well, would knew that suspicion anywhere. And for once, it was a good sign. If this man thought Gilbert would a mutant then he had no idea who he was. That gave the German a lot more options when it came to interacting. “I’m with KNP Manufacturing. We’re currently looking to place a new factory here in Arcadia. Now, if there’s nothing else. I really need to be heading out.” It was unlikely to be that easy, but Gilbert hoped that he could get away from this man with little trouble. There was something in his eyes that unsettled Gilbert. He was definitely looking for something specific, but for once, Gilbert had done nothing that warranted police attention. He was there legally, he was (ostensibly) here on business, and he had done nothing other than work on his factory plans. Whatever this policemen wanted, it wasn’t due to anything Gil had done. But if not Gilbert then what? West? Gilbert couldn’t believe that. Al had purchased West legally and he had promised Gilbert that he wouldn’t involve West in any FF business. West was just a mild-mannered mutant, doing chores for his master, just as he had been taught. For once, neither of them should be under scrutiny and yet... here Gilbert was. He just had to pray that it was a simple case of being mistaken for a mutant (again) and that he would be allowed to continue on with his day.

But something told him, it wouldn’t be that easy.

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 557 ✉ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

The man in front of him politely complied to what Ren asked for, stating he had a passport that would work as one. This made the man raise a brow curiously; what man carried his passport around? It was a bit strange, but not necessarily anything wrong with it, so he let it slide. With the dog sitting obediently and quietly next to him, the man listened as the albino explained himself, stating the situation he currently was in. Ah, that would make sense he supposed. But that wouldn’t explain why the dog smelled the missing mutant from this man, either. ”Well, thank you for your hard work, sir.” Ren said calmly, not worried about the man running off anymore. He showed the ID and that now would’ve known he had no way of escaping him. His features were one Ren could announce to the public and get very specific tips on his whereabouts. ”If you don’t mind, I would like for you to come with me to my office. I can call your job and explain the situation if needed; were you heading somewhere specifically? Or have a phone number?” Usually that was the first excuse one would think of; they needed to go to work or was meeting up with somebody important or yada yada. Ren made sure to block that before the man had a chance of spurting something as such. Finally he was able to glance more at the ID when the name was visible, and at that very moment, Ren had to hold himself back from jumping to any immediate assumptions. Gilbert Beilschmidt… The man shared the same sir name of the missing mutant. He wasn’t sure if he was able to pronounce it correctly, but the alphabets were lined in the same way. Were they related? Or was it a common sir name? Sighing to hold himself calm, he tilted his head slightly and tugged at the leash connected to his loyal animal. The dog stood back up on his feet, keeping its position strictly next to the owner. ”Sir, the dog picked up a scent from you of a mutant that has been reported gone missing in its contract. I would like to ask for some information as this is a very dangerous mutant we are discussing of, would you mind coming into the office with me? It’s just right there.” He pointed to the building with his thumb, nodding slightly. No, there was no excuse this man could make to get out the situation. Keeping his dark eyes firmly on the man he stopped, Ren began walking to the recognized building, holding the leash close to himself in the case he needed to release the dog if the man ever tried to run off. ”Do you happen to know of a mutant by the name Ludwig Beilschmidt?” Was he even saying that name right? Probably not. Germanic names were not exactly his forte; they sounded so different from his native tongue and required the muscle to do twists and turns it just was not used to. Regardless, he tried. Maybe the man would say something that will come in interest and help the missing mutant be found. Ren was certain he knew something of the whereabouts of the missing mutant… And he was determined to get that information out.

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

Shit.

It felt like a series of explosions going off in Gilbert’s head. What in the hell had Al done? What kind of trouble had he gotten West into? Gilbert frowned, trying his best to keep his expression as neutral as possible. This was a battlefield, nothing less. Any wrong answer, any misstep could plunge himself and his brother into a world of trouble. He met the gaze of the police officer, caught the thrill of the hunt in his eyes. It felt a lot like being caught in the web of a Black Widow….

“There’s no need to call,” he said, trying to suppress any hint of reluctance in his voice. “I was just working on a presentation. But I suppose I have some time to spare, if involves keeping the streets safe.” His mind raced, frantically trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t sink him or his brother. His first instinct was to deny any knowledge of West, but that idea was quickly shot down. It wouldn’t take a long search before their connection was revealed. His only shot of getting out was to convince this guy that he was trustworthy. Only then could he sew any seeds of misdirection. As he’d learned a long time ago, the best lies were shrouded in truth.

“Ludwig Beilschmidt? That’s my brother’s name,” he said, careful not to show any emotion over the name. “He was registered as a mutant and taken to Weeds back when I was a kid.” It was a gamble. He knew it was a risk, knew this would only bring more suspicion to his door. He followed the man into the station, heart beating painfully in his chest as a strange venom coursed through him. What was that idiot American doing? How foolish had Gilbert been, to honestly believe that he and his brother had finally caught a break… Now, everything that he’d worked so hard for was at risk. All of those years of planning, of manipulations, was hanging in the balance. Gilbert managed to ease any signs of anger in his expression, but he promised that if he managed to get free of this spider, Al was certainly going to get an earful. But for now, he had to focus on the present. This was a battle, a deadly game of chess and he had to plan ahead. The stakes of this game couldn’t be higher and Gilbert couldn’t afford to lose. West was depending on him.

He tightened his grip on his briefcase. There were going to be a lot of questions, questions that might be difficult to answer. His very presence in Arcadia was a problem, and he was going to have to word his answers very carefully. But the most worrying aspect had to do with that blasted dog. Now that he’d been tagged with walking around with West’s scent, his options had been severely limited. His preferred option would be to simply say that he’d lost his brother when he was a kid and that was the last time he’d seen West. (It was almost the truth.) But now thanks to the dog, that option was all but dead.

For now he would play the role of the cooperative, concerned citizen and see how this played out. Perhaps he could find a way to break from this dangerous web.

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 787 ✉ MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

This certain albino was a weird one. He was hard to read, though Ren knew he was the same himself; many people told him that they had difficulty reading what he was thinking. He never understood it himself until this very day; so this was what they meant… Interesting. Hearing that the man didn’t need his work or whatever destination to be called, at first Ren couldn’t help but to raise his brow slightly. That is until he said it was to help to keep the streets safe, which Ren nodded slightly to, that itself helping him like this certain male already. He knew what looking for mutants meant; it was meaning to keep the streets, the innocent civilians, safe from the dangerous monsters mutants were. He gave another small nod of his appreciation and after telling of the very mutant he was currently in search of, he got the reaction he was quite unsure of what to feel about. The man didn’t hesitate to tell him that Ludwig Beilschmidt was his brother; whether it was from unknowing that that was the very missing mutant or just being sheer idiotic in just proudly admitting that he had a mutant for a brother was something very new for Ren to deal with, that at first he was taken aback at how openly the man admitted. It didn’t take him long to regain his professionalism however and he took a small sigh, giving a small smile. “Is that so?” He asked carefully first, not quite sure how to mentally move around for a sneak attack he was always used to making to people guilty and caught. It was like this man knew he was going to get caught for whatever reason and had prepared what he needed to say, and possibly even rehearsed it a few times. “Well, I’m sorry to hear about that.” Ren said, figuring it would be a way to seek what the man really thought about his brother being a mutant, “I’m sure that made life much harder for you than needed. Having mutants for siblings are never pleasurable to admit.” But then again, was having a human for a sibling any better? By being the older brother, at least the Japanese man knew of, parents put intense pressure for their futures, and for the younger they expected almost double than the elder in skills without much payment. They wanted the elder to take on the family business, but wanted the younger to always prove themselves. Would it be any better if one sibling was a mutant? How would the family actually react of what to do with family businesses? Expectations from children? Or was it quite different in other countries than it was for him, in Japan? When the dog at his side shifted, Ren snapped out his thoughts to look at the albino once more. He managed to catch a glimpse at the fingers curl tighter at the briefcase the man held, and blinked slowly in thought. Hm… Perhaps this man wasn’t as concerned or innocent as he thought? Or was this nervous grip a reaction to the idea that a mutant was loose? Hardly believable; the man admitted quickly he was related to a mutant but didn’t show any signs of fear or disgust of the idea itself of being related to one by blood. So it was hard to believe the man was afraid of the mutant he was so excited to admit about being related to. At the very least, then, he was being cooperative. Ren could use that for the moment. “Please, this way.” He said, walking into the building finally with the dog by his side, closing the door once they were both inside. He tied the dog to the front door so it could now relax from his hard work, and gave a small bow with a nod of a head, before he led the man silently down the crowded halls. Only once they were in his office did he relax fully; he had the man in his nest. It was now his game; and he would like to see how the man would attempt to wiggle out of this very spot. Was he for or against the government? For the mutants? For his brother? “I appreciate your cooperation,” He began, taking out a chair for the man to sit in. He walked to the counter for now to pour some hot coffee into two mugs. He offered one to the German and sat in his own comfortable chair with a sigh. “So, let’s start with you… Mind telling me again why you’re here in Arcadia? I would like to know exactly who I am talking to.”

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

Gilbert took the coffee with a carefully polite smile. The comment about having a mutant brother stung more than he was willing to admit—the false sympathy made the hair on the back of Gilbert’s neck stand on edge. Mutant or not, West was the best little brother Gilbert could have asked for, and he would give anything to have him free from that hellhole that had made up the entirety of his adult life. But in order to escape here, in order to have any chance to save West, Gilbert was going to have to play a very convincing role—the role of a profiteer. He also resisted the urge not to look back at the dog as the policeman tied him up to the front door. It was a simple, almost benign act, but Gilbert had the distinct feeling of being trapped between two dangerous beasts as Ren sat down with a faint smile before him.

He took a sip of his coffee, not shying away from the harsh flavor and nodded at the man’s line of questioning. “Me? Well, I’m was sent by the VP of Manufacturing at KNP—We are headquartered just outside of New York City. My boss and I were looking into the possibility of establishing a manufacturing plant that utilized mutant labor. From our research, we discovered that many mutants that live in the Underground spend most of their days just laying about their cells unless they are contracted out. On top of that, many have powers that aren’t deemed very useful, however, they are still able unskilled workers. We thought that by creating a place for these mutants to work we would be able to provide them with meaningful employment—which would help decrease aggression and provide incentives for good behavior. And of course we would benefit with government approved tax break breaks and lower labor cost.” He gives Ren the prim smile of a businessman.

“Of course, we would have to design the building to… discourage any wayward mutants, which would bring jobs to the general population of Arcadia as well. I think in the long run, everyone would benefit from our business plan." He looked back at the man and smiled wryly as he took another sip of his coffee. “But that’s not what you really want to know, is it?” He settled back in his chair, sizing the man up before he spoke up again. “You want to know if I’m here for my brother, ja?" Here was the gamble. But the only way to make it out of here safe was to keep the momentum on his side. So long as Ren thought he was being cooperative, he was safe… Even if that meant admitting certain difficult truths… Gilbert looked up and met the inky eyes of his interrogator, determined not to show any sign of fear, of weakness. He had come too far to be toppled by this man.

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 507 ✉ You ain't going nowhere. MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

Ren took his own share of sip of coffee, seated calmly in his comfortable chair. He was indeed listening to the albino's words, though they meant little to nothing for him. So, he was an important figure for some company wanting to use mutants provided in Archadia. That was all he needed to know. So when Gilbert changed his gears and stopped long enough to ask what Ren really wanted to know, he felt a grin appearing on his face. Oh good, he at least had brains. For a moment there, Ren was trying to figure out what to say to make him stop his pointlessly long introduction and get to the point of questioning he was really wanting to know the answers to. "Indeed," Ren confirmed, setting his mug on the table long enough to reach over for a thick folder, "That is exactly what I wanted to know. You being some big company's worker and all is great to know, but it doesn't help me one bit in what I really want to know about you. Or really, the reason why you are carrying your mutant brother's scent with you." Ren began flipping through the pages in the thick folder, one similar to several others in the cabinet behind him each labeled with a combination of a letter and numbers. He finally stopped at a page and held the folder up on the desk, carefully taking the page out from the folder labeled 'B-49761'. Within seconds, Ren had placed the perfect crisp paper on the table for Gilbert to see. It was a mutant's profile, completed with two pictures of the blond mutant. One of when he was an eleven year old child, just brought into the academy of Weeds of Tomorrow, and another, much newer picture of him right beside the older. With the date written under the picture stating the picture was taken not even a year ago, it looked too much like a mugshot in perfect color. Beside the two pictures on top of the paper in extra large font wrote the same code, 'B-49761' and in smaller letters on the side, almost as if stating it wasn't one bit important, was the name 'Ludwig Beilschmidt', written on removable tape so if the master chooses to rename the mutant it was possible at any given time. "This is B-49761, the mutant in question. Most know him by his given name, Ludwig Beilschmidt. He has the ability to manipulate fire, or heat in general. With his high grades in obedience training and tests we don't expect him to attack out of the blue, so we aren't worried in that sense, but also because of the high scoring we fear if it ends up in the hands of a criminal, worse if a Freedom Fighter, they can possibly hurt innocent civilians. I would like to know how you carry this mutant's scent strongly, seeing the dog was able to smell you out even some distance away. It's not like you just bumped into it..."

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

My words are my faith...
    ...to hell with our good name

Gil ran his hand over the older picture of his brother, remembering him as the awkward boy, all knees and elbows, who cooked strange dishes and ducked compliments with a blush. He smiled wanly at picture, his heart aching at the sight of it.

“Do you have siblings, Inspector?” He asked softly, a strange chill settling in his chest as his fingers slid away from the picture and he forced himself to look away from those familiar blue eyes. " I took my role seriously as a kid. Ludwig was my little brother and I wanted to make sure he was brought up right. Like you said… he’s smart, I always figured he’d go to far greater heights than a screw-up older brother like me. So when he was identified as a mutant… It was tough… I will admit that as a child I thought it was unfair. How could someone as kind as Ludwig be picked up like a wild animal. But then I found what he’d done. He could have killed someone, he could have killed us all in our sleep… No matter how much I loved my brother, I can’t escape the fact that he was a danger to everyone around him. One outburst and the entire block could go up in flames.” It hurt to say that, but it was the only way he was going to convince this devil of a man that he had nothing to do with Ludwig’s disappearance. He had to be a respectful member of the law. He touched the newer photo, eyes almost wistful. It should have been him—Gil should have been the one dragged to this hell and West should have been free—his parents would have been happier, hell the world would have been better off. Who knows what West would have gone on to do if he had been human. He sighed and pushed the folder back towards the policeman.

“Look, the truth is, I love my brother but I wouldn’t dare break him out illegally. I’d be putting him and the greater public at risk. ” He plucked at his clothes and frowned. “This idea for a factory was a way to help my brother and other mutants find some meaning rather than waste away in those cells. I honestly had no idea Ludwig was out until I ran into him at a market. We had lunch… and I promised to visit him once he was back in the Underground.” Gil frowned, not having to lie about the next bit, not that it made it any easier. Remembering the honest joy in his little brother’s eyes during their reunion only made Gil’s chest ache all the more at the thought that he would be treated like a common criminal once they caught up to him.

“Ludwig... He told me that it was his first contract. He’d been really excited about it. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could be a dependable mutant. I promise you, whatever happened, Ludwig doesn’t know that he’s outside of the law. You don’t know him but he is a stickler about rules. I don’t know who took him out, but he wouldn’t risk doing anything illegal. And though he might be obedient, he wouldn’t do anything that would hurt others, not intentially. He’d rather suffer the consequences himself.” Gil settled back in the chair, expression calm. “I don’t know shit about the Freedom Fighters, but I seriously doubt my brother would get mixed up in that.”

His piece said, Gilbert fell silent, meeting Ren’s gaze. He just had to pray that his words were enough to clear him of suspicion. If West was to have any chance of happiness, Gilbert had to live to fight another day.

word count: 627
tags: Ren Kondou
notes: "it is sweet and just to die for love."

by worldie for kat

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 529 ✉ You lyin, boy. MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

Hearing the question of himself having any siblings, Ren couldn't help but to narrow his visible eye slightly, an irritated twitch showing behind his raven colored hue. The man closed it slowly, as if to hide the painful memories that arose in his mind upon being asked the question, and sighed. No... He had no siblings. Not anymore, at least. It wasn't like he liked his older brother back when he was a little tot, but it would be a lie to say that the memory still haunted him like a nightmare. The covered eye was enough to remind him every day that he had a sibling, and because of that fact how much his life had changed. But that had nothing to do with his current situation, now did it? He was a respected police officer, loved by those who often had questions or concerns regarding their bought mutants' behaviors. Opening the eye again once more to lock it onto Gilbert's face as he explained his childhood, Ren kept quiet for now, studying the expression and the words that poured out the albino's mouth. Sibling love was just something Ren couldn't understand, but he knew it existed. If there was any example of one that he could point out to and say that's what he pictured it being like, he would have to say this one won the lottery. Gilbert seemed decent enough, stuck in between the law he had to abide by from being a respected gentleman, and the brotherly instincts to want to protect the younger sibling. So when Ren was told that Gilbert simply had lunch with Ludwig and it was done with, he couldn't believe it. There was no way this man, who obviously cared so much for his brother in the way he spoke, would simply have lunch with the mutant and leave him be. There had to be more information he was holding back... Ren was sure of it. Though he couldn't say for sure what the information exactly was, he was determined to get it out of him. Every detail mattered; this missing mutant case was going way out of hand and was a huge risk of safety for the civilians. "Is that so?" The Japanese man asked, hearing this mutant was one for rules. How was it possible that this mutant didn't know he was breaking the law? He obviously was out on a contract, and it wasn't the same person who bought him that owned him at the moment. "So are you telling me, that this mutant was out on his own in a public area? Without his master or tags?" There... Was that enough to trip Gilbert? It was against the law to have a mutant alone in a public area without tags or the presence of the master. That much, Ludwig should know as well, seeing it was the basics taught and stressed on the mutants early on to not have them just wandering off without the masters' permission. The tags too would be visible of the name of the owner, so there was no way he could've missed it if he happened to be wearing it.

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

 

 My words are my faith...

       To hell with our good name...

Shit. Gilbert had forgotten about that law. This was going to be especially difficult to navigate through. Another seething tendril of anger snaked into his mind, reminding him that Al—reckless, stupid Alfred—had been the one to put him and his brother in this position. But Gil quickly stamped out that train of thought, as tempting as it would be to throw the idiot under the bus, it would only hurt West in the long run. Not to mention, Gilbert wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for betraying the American, no matter how idiotic he had been.

Still, that left Gil in quite the quandary. Anything he could say to his defense would only put West in more danger later on and Gilbert refused to do anything to hurt his little brother. But he couldn’t take the blame himself—not if he stood any chance at carrying out his plan for the factory. There was only one avenue left to him, and while Gil was loathed to take it, it was his only possible way out. Looking up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes, frowning as he tried to picture the tags he’d seen other mutants wear. With a frustrated sound, he wiped a hand over his eyes and looked back to Ren.

“I don’t remember paying much attention to the tags, honestly. I do remember him wearing them, but really I didn’t think twice when I saw them. I’ve spent most of my adult life in America, I’m not used to the rules regarding contracted mutants. I never paid much attention to the names… I thought that if they had them, they were legal…which I guess only shows my naiveté when it comes to mutants here.” He leaned back in his chair, doing his best to seem honestly ignorant rather than defensive. “If I had thought he was being used for something illegal, I would have tried to investigate further. I understand that my brother is better off in a system that can control him and he knows that it’s safer for him and society to regulated. But honestly, there were no red flags for me… maybe because I’m not used to looking for them?” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, looking troubled. “I’m sorry that I can’t be more useful, Detective. I’ll do my best to inspect the tags of any mutant I come in contact so I can be more helpful in the future.”

There. That was it. His last card. Try what Ren might, he wouldn’t get anything further from the German. Gil had learned this trick at a very young age—stick to ignorance and they can only press you so hard. Sure, Ren could try to probe further, but that would mean putting his determination against Gil’s stubborn streak. And Gil was not about to let this spider of a man be the one to break his streak. And so, Gilbert Beilschmidt rested his hands in his lap and secured his demure mask. If it was going to be a war of the wills, Gilbert was going to make absolutely sure that he would be the victor. At least for the time being. Gilbert had prided himself on his ability to size up his opponents, and this one… he knew this one wouldn’t stay defeated for long.

word count:560 tags: Ren Kondou
notes: "It's the final count~down"

by worldie for kat

[Ren Kondou]

"I'm a hungry spider and you're a beautiful butterfly" ☒ Gilbert Beilschmidt ✐ 537 ✉ Fine, you're good to go uwu MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

Ren leaned back in his chair as he listened, watching the albino's expression carefully for any suspicious tick or twitch. Having spent a few times in the interrogation room, Ren had picked up on a few tricks. How when people lie they shift their eyes quickly before bringing them back, how their lip would twitch, the ear will turn red... What was spoken, of course, was important, but any signs of such while doing so, Ren considered, was more helpful. Especially when this man had his brother on the line, Ren hoped for some sibling bond to get in the way of proper thinking. Unfortunately, this man had himself under control. Ren had a feeling that Gilbert was lying, but he couldn't exactly pick out which parts were lies and which were truths. For one thing, he figured the ignorance was false, but he couldn't keep probing further. The man knew what he was doing. Rough childhood? Perhaps. Many children learnt this trick early on to get out of situations they rather didn't spend their time in. The only thing was, if a child used this trick, it almost always failed due to them unable to keep a straight poker face. Some will tremble, some would twitch, some will wiggle in place. Due to this, parents would call out the lie and the child would grow out of the whole idea of trying the trick. This man, Gilbert, however, didn't seem to grow out. Instead, he stuck to the trick and only practiced it to perfection. As a person, Ren knew this man was lying. As a detective however, he had no place to hold the man against his words. The words were chosen carefully, crafted to mastery, and spoken flatly. Emotions were thrown out the window. Seeing this albino have such skill, for some reason, excited Ren. This man knew how to slip between the provided hoops of right and wrong and present himself to be perfectly innocent. Ren couldn't help but to have a small grin creep on his face, eyes sharing the same spark of a mischievous predator animal having found an extra-large prey. Only in this case, the so called prey was not as different in size as any other prey. The skillset was what made him a tricky one. "Is that so?" The Japanese man asked after he was in silence for a bit, thinking around to how he can work with this man and his lies. "Perhaps you should study more about the law before you try to 'hire' mutants for your company, then. They are quite complicated, you know..." With that, Ren leaned back forward on his desk, sighing. "Such a shame you have no idea, to where your disgusting disgrace of a brother is, though... He is just asking for troubles it seems. Well, I'm sure you don't give two thoughts about it, though. Here," he said, taking a card with his name, number, and job title, from a pile on his desk and handing it to Gilbert, "Take this. Give me a call if you happen to accidentally stumble across him again. We really want to bring him back in the safe hands of the government, after all."

[Gilbert Beilschmidt]

 

 My words are my faith...

       To hell with our good name...

Gilbert felt his teeth set on edge as Ren spoke. Every fiber in his body wanted to pummel the man into oblivion for calling West a disgusting disgrace. West may be a mutant, may even be dangerous potentially, but he would never be a disgrace in the eyes of his older brother. He knew full well the detective was trying to rile him up, to get him so caught up in his emotions that he’d make a careless slip and undo all of his careful acting up until that point. His hand slid over the table to claim the offered, no tremor, no twitch to give away the seething anger that was churning just below the surface.

The German smiled at the smaller man, though the action made him feel physically ill. He was not foolish enough to believe that this would be their last encounter—it was obvious that Ren didn’t believe him. He could see it in the ever so slight smirk, the ill-concealed condescension in his voice as he spoke. But the detective was at impasse, and both men knew it—for now, he had no choice but to let Gilbert walk away. It wasn’t as comforting a victory as one might think. Sure, Gilbert may have won the match but their game was far over. So long as he and West remained in Archadia, they were in Ren’s web. He just prayed he could keep them both clear of the man’s poisonous fangs. He really didn’t want to think about what might happen should either of them be caught. It was clear that appealing to Ren’s mercy was not going to be an option. Without another word, Gil carefully deposited the card into his wallet before looking back to Ren, his expression carefully polite. He might not be able to fully beat this man today, but he could leave with the satisfaction that he did not fall for his obvious baiting.

“You’re right. I have a long way to go before I can safely operate a factory. Luckily I have lots of time and resources at my disposal. I promise that I will do my best to get up to date… in fact, would it be possible to call you from time to time, just to insure that there are no more… misunderstandings between us?” This part was easier for Gil, he’d been playing the soulless profiteer since he’d arrived in Russia, it was a role that had been practiced so much that it was quickly becoming a second skin for the silver-haired man—he barely noticed when he shifted into it anymore. Getting to his feet, he straightened his suit and ran a hand over his tie to smooth it, his eyes still focused on his adversary. “I’ll be sure to keep in touch with the department should I hear anything else about my brother.” He held his hand out to Ren, it was less of a polite gesture and more of a challenge and both men knew it. But there was nothing left to be done, both had played their roles to a tee and now the curtain was about to fall on this twisted little performance. Gil just prayed he could keep it together before his real nature took over and he punched that toxic smirk right off of that face.

word count:558 tags: Ren Kondou
notes: ...one of these days Gil is going to kill that man

by worldie for kat