Unsettling Differences || potassiumboron and VanillaCola

[VanillaCola]

Ramsay had pretty much expected Valentino to refuse to contact this 'Ivan', though that didn't stop the gangster from rolling his eyes when the student turned down the opportunity to text him. To be fair, Valentino had dealt with far too many 'bad guys' so far, and so maybe he did deserve a break – not that Ramsay would admit to that. He wanted to know who Ivan was, and what exactly he wanted with Valentino and Ramsay himself. As Valentino went on his little tirade, Ramsay continued to eat his waffles, hardly taking the young man seriously. In his eyes, Valentino had been asking for all of this trouble. Sure, Ramsay may have been the one who struck first, but everything after that – Alexander, Ivan, the continued encounters between Valentino and Ramsay – they were all down to the student getting too deep into affairs that were hardly any of his concern. Though the gangster didn't burst Valentino's bubble, letting him wallow in his own despair for a moment before pushing once again for him to contact Ivan.

Though when Ramsay saw Valentino take his phone out and start jabbing away at the touchscreen, he smirked and stopped with the pressing. The smirk remained on Ramsay's face as Valentino continued to speak, going to extreme measures when talking about his funeral and being utterly over-dramatic. However, before the gang leader could make any kind of comment, Valentino's attention was back on his phone, and so was Ramsay's. The interest he had in his waffles had faded somewhat as he watched Valentino check his phone, and then looked to him for advice. As Valentino rattled on, the gangster had no issue with showing his amusement at the words that were escaping the student's mouth. "I'm touched," Ramsay said in response to the mention of making Valentino feel safer when they were together, especially if Ivan were to appear. "I'll stay, just tell him to come here so we can find out who he is. Or just ask him to meet us--" Before Ramsay could finish, he heard Valentino's phone vibrate once more, and looked to the young man for an answer. He hadn't told Ivan where they were already, had he? Judging from Valentino's reaction, it seemed that he hadn't told Ivan anything, and this was all very unexpected. As Valentino panicked, Ramsay sat back, his gaze going from the student opposite him to the rest of the diner.

"Val, shut up." It might not have been the best thing to say to someone who was on the verge of a panic attack, but the last thing Ramsay wanted to do was show weakness to Ivan. Valentino was practically letting Ivan take control in this situation, and considering they knew barely anything about him, that was a horrendous idea. Of course, Valentino was beyond the point of hearing anything except his own vocal worries, so Ramsay could only sigh and look around the diner, hoping to catch Ivan before he could sneak up on them. But it was no use. Once Ivan spoke, Ramsay jolted just slightly, snapping his head around to look at the man. He hadn't come in through the front entrance, that much Ramsay knew, and so he glared at Ivan with a furrowed brow as the Russian took a seat. As much as Ramsay tried to place him, he just couldn't figure out where he knew Ivan from. It would bug him for an eternity, the gangster was sure of that – and Ivan's cryptic clues weren't exactly helping either. Ramsay looked to Valentino, and imagined that with Ivan's sudden appearance, the student wouldn't be saying much until he had left his state of shock and panic. So it was down to Ramsay to address the questions that had been laid out on the table in front of them.

How did Ivan know they would be here? And how did he know about the situation with Alexander? The Royals, especially Mr. Fournier, weren't people who aired their dirty laundry in public. Ivan must have had someone buried deep inside the gang in order to find out about all of that. "I meet a lot of people," Ramsay replied, still glaring at Ivan out of both curiosity and irritation. "If I've only met you once, chances are I won't remember you the next day. Don't worry, it's nothing to do with your 'pretty face' not leaving an impression." He paused, took a sip of coffee, and then continued, wanting to get into the gritty details of all this. "So what are you? You with some small-time gang? Maybe you're ex-police or secret service. Or perhaps you're like my friend Ken and you're working for some foreign gang – Russian Militia or something like that? If you know me, you must be into some seedy shit." Ramsay needed answers now, though he had a feeling that perhaps Ivan wasn't going to hand them over so easily. So they needed to do some kind of bargaining. "You know what, I know you're not going to tell me who you're working with. You could be a Royal for all I know. But how about we start off with something easy and you tell me and Val why you met with him. There must be a reason why you gave him your number, even if it was just so you could kill me."

As Ramsay waited for his answers, he took a few more sips of his coffee, his gaze continuing to move between Ivan and Valentino. This whole situation was bizarre, but the gangster was adamant that he and Valentino wouldn't the ones coming out of it with the short end of the stick. Either Ivan spilled his guts willingly, or Ramsay would do everything in his power to make up for the weakness that Valentino had shown.

(Sorry if this is pretty short)​

 

[potassiumboron]

"Before I delve into the nitty-gritty of it all, and before you proceed to bombard me with questions I have little intention answering, you think I have a pretty face? Oh, charming. Is this how you get so many favours off people? By complimenting them? I can see how people rave about you, you're positively angelic," he tauntingly cooed, adjusting the napkin on his lap calmly and, after examining the menu, gestured a maid over and ordering his own coffee and a blueberry muffin.

Apparently, he intended to stay a little while if he was ordering breakfast for himself. Curiously, the breakfast was, as he murmured coolly, to be 'paid as usual'.

He wasn't the roughest of characters. His manners and his body language did indicate that he wasn't just off the street, though he also was nowhere near Valentino's social standing. He was hardly the sort of person to ever dine in a place that was frequented by politicians or wealthy businessmen, but he apparently visited quite a lot if he had a working relationship with the staff and entered via the back entrances too.

Only when his coffee arrived -rather too quickly to be considered normal service- did he entertain the idea of even answering Ramsay, and even then it was mostly because he couldn't stand Valentino sniffling weakly any further. "Don't insult me, Ramsay. A Royal? I know them, I've met them, but the thought of being one of them sickens me. No, not at all. Nor am I in the police or secret service-- what was the other ridiculous guess? I'm rather irritated you don't recognise me, but we did only meet once, I suppose. If that's what you think. I recall being in many places at the same time as you. The night Alexander met Valentino for one. Watching that little relationship blossom from the start was amusing. Are you two dating now?"

"What? No! No. We're not friends either. You were there?" Valentino finally blurted, rubbing his nose and sharing a quick glance to Ramsay. He knew he was probably irritating the man with his silence and his moronic sniffling... but he did look to Ramsay for advice. He was better equipped at dealing with these situations, and he probably had more curiosity in him than Valentino had. The student only really felt unnerved at the moment, especially after hearing that the man had been there the very day he met Alexander, before the idea of killing Ramsay had even formed. Knowing he was sat in view, watching from the side and perhaps predicting what would occur... well, it was strange and of course it scared him.

However, then Valentino kicked into action. He wasn't some wallflower who stood back, sniffling and shaking. He had stood up to Ramsay plenty of times; he had told Alexander essentially to piss off and ruined their friendship, and he had smirked at and blackmailed Alexander's father, a man most people apparently ought to fear more than Death itself.

Some slick stranger, therefore, despite his credentials and intentions being dubious, was a piece of cake.

"No, fuck you. You won't work out of any questions we ask. You'll answer them, because you're playing us. You clearly know us and it's only fair you answer why you gave me your number. Why get involved?"

Pursing his lips at the fieriness Valentino displayed, it wasn't anything Ivan hadn't anticipated. He knew what Valentino was like as observations had proved, but he hadn't predicted how annoying it was to be talked down to like that by someone like Valentino.

"It's nice you two are friends, ganging up together on me. Former enemies, right? Now best buds. What's next in your friendship? Roses on a first date? A kiss in the rain at midnight?" He droned, mostly to give him time to concoct an answer together that was vague on the detail and deliciously irritating for them both.

"Why did I get involved... Mainly because I like interfering," he predictably coaxed, his non-answer being met with a disgusted scoff from the student beside him. "Honestly, it isn't because I wanted you dead, Ramsay. I met you officially once, about six months back. I sold you and your men some weapons, and you tried to scam me out of some cash. That's out only real meeting. I got involved because... well, it gave me a reason to talk to you, didn't it? And I hoped it would get me a chance to talk to Alexander, but Valentino burned that bridge before the opportunity arose."

Setting the coffee down, it took one look between the two to get him to grin in amusement once more. He was having the desired effect in pissing them off. He wasn't giving straight answers -even if the one answer he did give was true- and he was playing them as he pleased. Why bother being sincere when that would ruin all the fun?

"I've been observing a lot, waiting, gathering up information.You never really know when it could come in handy. Surely you both know that. You did that with Dylan for a while, Valentino. Nice guy, Dylan. Bit slow, but decent enough. What would you reaction be, Ramsay, if I said I could have him killed right this second?" He suddenly propositioned, his jovial, joking mood, that did lead Valentino to think he was just some obsessed, determined prankster with his eyes on the big time, suddenly taking a sharp turn towards a far more sinister direction. Evidently, he wasn't the 'prankster' Valentino assumed. He wasn't looking to gain friends or confidants. He was, for all intents and purposes, rather sadistic in the way he dropped a death threat (real or not) and grinned delightfully at the reaction it would cause.

"Maybe I'm being theoretical. Maybe I'm just dropping that out there to see if you can believe me to be someone who has that power. Or maybe, just maybe, I have Dylan somewhere with a gun to his head, ready to blow his brains out if you think this some joke." Ivan smiled, resting back and drinking in the tension with a long, contented sigh.

This was what he loved, saying something with such gravitas and so emotionally pumped. He wanted Ramsay to be caught between laughing and shouting; caught between doubt and belief. Not only was it fun to watch those feelings mar his expression simultaneously, but it was also something he knew Ramsay would never normally experience. Until now, of course.

(Oh hey, it's fine! I often send you shorter replies, so it's all cool~ I'm not too fussed, as long as there's enough detail to go on c:)​

 

[VanillaCola]

Ramsay couldn't help but scoff at Ivan's focus on the 'pretty face' comment. It hadn't been meant as a compliment, yet it seemed Ivan would take whatever he could get in order to escape from the matter at hand. Typical manipulator behaviour. Though Ramsay didn't respond, not giving in to what Ivan probably wanted from him, which must have been some kind of undignified reaction. But the gangster wasn't going to give him that, and as he watched Ivan peruse the menu and order breakfast, Ramsay tried to figure out who this man was. Considering the familiarity he seemed to have with the staff of the diner, he couldn't have just arrived in town, and so must have been here for a while, implying he worked closer to home rather than internationally. Though Ramsay couldn't determine anything else just by looking at Ivan, so he waited rather impatiently for the Russian to answer his questions.

Though the answers he got were far from satisfying. Ramsay had imagined that Ivan wasn't with the Royals, and whilst it was good to hear some disgust from him at that guess, it still didn't help the gangster in working out who exactly Ivan was. When focus was shifted to Valentino, Ramsay glanced over at the student, having largely ignored him up until then. He had heard Valentino sniffling, but had tried not to give it too much thought, if only to stop himself from becoming annoyed at the young man. Couldn't he stand up for himself? Though that question was answered when Valentino vehemently denied that he and Alexander were dating, or that they were even friends at all. It was good to hear him denying any involvement with Alex, mostly because Ramsay enjoyed the idea of someone betraying that Royal bastard. Ramsay smirked as Valentino glanced at him, before the gangster's gaze moved back to Ivan.

"Watching you try to work your way out of my questions is amusing as well," he said, his smirk falling just a bit as annoyance began seeping in. "Keep trying."

When Valentino finally decided to properly stand up for himself, Ramsay sat back and let the student rip into Ivan. Witnessing that was much more amusing than having to deal with Ivan dodging all of his questions, and when Ramsay noticed the way Ivan pursed his lips, his smile only widened. Seeing the pressure being applied was something he loved to see, especially when it was coming from Valentino of all people. He let out a short chuckle, unable to hide his joy at seeing Ivan under the magnifying glass. Though that happiness was soon drained from Ramsay when Ivan made another snide comment, this time alluding to something more between the gangster and Valentino. A deep scowl grew on Ramsay's face as he glared at Ivan, not even bothering to give those remarks the time of day with a response. As much as he hated being teased and poked, and as much as he would have loved to have snapped back with something, he knew that if he said anything Ivan would only persist. Besides, there were more important issues to concentrate on.

Though at the rate Ivan was going, perhaps those issues wouldn't be tended to any time soon. The non-answer he gave was met with a roll of the eyes from Ramsay. As Ivan went on and mentioned the one meeting that the two of them had had, the gangster began to remember him. His memories of that meeting were vague, but he could finally place Ivan, and the situation was beginning to come together a lot more. "If we scammed you out of your money, then the weapons you sold us couldn't have been that good," Ramsay replied before taking a sip of his coffee. His gang weren't the type to do that for no reason – if they got the short end of the stick, they made sure their opposition got the same. And if they were sold terrible weapons, then the dealers would get less money than desired. That was how this world worked.

But even though Ivan had said one truth, there were still a lot of questions lingering in the air. Why did he want to speak with Alexander? And why was he here if he didn't want to kill Ramsay? Just when it seemed they had taken one step forward, they took two more steps back, and the situation was becoming murkier by the minute. What didn't help was what Ivan said next. Ramsay could only stare in half-disbelief half-anger at Ivan, unsure of what to do. The atmosphere had a much more sinister edge now, Ramsay could feel it weighing down on him. The death threat was not something that Ramsay had taken lightly, and as he watched Ivan with uncertainty, he was left searching for a response. Ivan continued, dragging out his 'theoretical' threat, and all Ramsay could do was stare as he tried to keep his emotions under control. A myriad of feelings hit him, colliding inside of him and leaving him confused as to how to react. Surely Ivan couldn't be serious, could he? If he was just some weapons dealer, there was a low chance of him being able to obtain enough information to find Dylan. At least, that was what Ramsay was telling himself.

"That's not possible," Ramsay said, both sneering and smiling. "You don't have that kind of power, and if you did you'd have proof that you're holding Dylan right now." Each word he spoke was convincing himself of those claims – that Dylan was safe, and Ivan had nowhere near as much power as he liked to think he had. But even still, Ramsay couldn't help but feel that he was playing with fire by acting this way. What if Ivan really was more than an arms dealer? He could have all sorts of connections, all kinds of different information. As much as Ramsay liked to think he could bring all of this under control, there was a noticeable tension in the air as he struggled to grasp his own emotions regarding the situation.

"Even if you do have Dylan, you came here to do more than just tell me that. And we want answers. If you're not here to kill me or antagonise Val, then why are you here? It's not just to brag about holding Dylan hostage, because that would be disappointing." Ramsay paused for a moment, getting a hold of himself before continuing. "Why did you want to speak to Alexander, especially if you're so disgusted by the Royals? Was it just to get to me, is that it? Because you've got me now, haven't you? We're here, face to face. So tell me what you want from me before I show you up in front of your friends that are working here." He leaned forward just a bit, moving closer to Ivan. "If you kill Dylan, you'll have to kill me too, because there's no way I'm letting you out of my sights until you're dead. You want to make death threats, then I'll make some too." Perhaps it wasn't the smartest course of action to take, but Ramsay wasn't going to sit back and allow himself to be threatened without biting back in some way. Ivan may have thought he had the upper hand with all of these non-answers and death threats, but Ramsay had to show that he wasn't one to be cornered. If only Valentino could prove that a bit more as well, maybe then Ivan would actually say something other than potentially asinine threats.
(Ah, thank you :D I hope this has enough detail in it!)​

 

[potassiumboron]

He wanted to remain composed, of course. He was an expert at doing so normally, very rarely ruining his calm disposition to anger or irritation, but it was hard to remain a calm figure when he was belittled by Valentino, a prissy brat of a student who suddenly seemed to gain a backbone (as amusing as that in itself was), and Ramsay who, despite Ivan already knowing a great deal about him through personal research, he didn't realise was so infuriating and insistent.

He had a right to be insistent, in many ways. Ivan knew that. He was laying out threats on the life of Ramsay's longest friend from childhood. He had personally gotten to know Valentino and offered his help in killing Ramsay, even if he claimed that he had no intention to and that he knew the plan would collapse in on itself. Now, he was sat opposite the two without being told of their location and had entered the posh establishment while seeming to know the staff and the owner - despite his appearance contradicting the place completely.

All of that combined culminated in Ramsay obviously being entitled to his insistence and his bombardment of curious interrogations.

However that didn't mean that Ivan had to sit back and take it with stereotypical calmness. Both Ramsay's forcefulness and Valentino's admittedly impressive confidence were catalysts to Ivan's anger, igniting it under the surface and causing the usually cold and reserved man to lean forward himself with a snarl on his lips and a deviant glint in his eyes.

"I have more power at my disposal than you, Dillon," came the eventual response from the Russian, his expression twisting hatefully in disgust at the accusation. Sure, Ramsay didn't know him whatsoever. He had no idea who he was until he had been reminded, and he was inevitably clueless about Ivan's credentials, but it was still irritating to be cast aside so quickly.

There was a hint in Ramsay that showed his uneasiness and unnerve, and that was appealing... but the slight distrust; the sign that Ramsay didn't believe a word of what was said, however small this was, was more than enough to break Ivan's cool and charismatic demeanour.

"I don't wish to sound boastful or egotistical, but I don't think you understand just who you're dealing with. Granted, I haven't exactly informed you of what I'm doing here, because, truth is, there's no real reason. I wanted to talk to you and I figured you wouldn't take me seriously unless I showed you that I'm a big player in this city. Clearly, you don't believe me, though. And here I was, hoping we could become best buddies," he cackled, reaching for his phone and, in a single hand, tapping in a message and sending it as a more usual smile graced his features "Oh well, when Dylan's returned to your home, bloody and beaten, maybe then you'll realise pissing me off and distrusting my words aren't the wisest of decisions--"

"Maybe if you fucking told us why you're even involved with us, we'd trust you. You're a weirdo who is, as far as I can tell, getting

involved for no other reason than sadistic enjoyment," burst Valentino in his now usual defence of himself and, subsequently, because he was involved, Ramsay too. Eyeing the phone warily in Ivan's hand, and gathering that the text that had been sent wasn't anything good, he immediately grimaced to himself. He felt responsible, of course.

Even though he had realised that Ivan had probably known about Ramsay for a while, as well as Alexander, and had probably researched the two gangs relentlessly before seizing the opportunity to get more involved when Valentino presented it, the youngest male still felt like it was his fault that Ivan was so involved now, for whatever reason that was.

The ambiguity didn't seem to be fading, though the one thing -the only thing- that seemed relatively certain was the precarious position Dylan was in.

"Dylan is the nicest person I've ever met. He's the kindest, most sweetest boy-- for you to hurt him is beyond cowardly!" He snapped, going as far as to physically shove Ivan. He wasn't strong, that was evident, though the element of surprise aided him greatly, causing Ivan to jerk and spill most of his coffee onto the table. Not that Valentino seemed to realise the cold, tense air that had arrived as a result of his outburst. "Y-You're a vile person. Power? You don't have an inch of the stuff, or I'm sure we'd know of you. If Ramsay doesn't know you, I don't think you're worth knowing. A-And I'm... going to get my father onto this, if Dylan so much as has a scratch on him. The guy's been too nice to me for me to just sit on the sidelines a-and let some stupid goon of yours hurt him."

"...Right. I have delusions of grandeur; ideas above my station of imagined superiority. I gather that's what you both believe? That I'm simply aspiring to be in a position of power and pretending I've already achieved it to, what, impress you both? To flatter my ego?I came simply to gather more research, is that such a bad idea? I've got all the information I need on your gangs. I know your business inside out, Ramsay. Same for Alexander's little gang of posh boys. I think the fact you don't know me ought to raise alarms. Isn't it the quiet ones you have to watch out for?" He dramatically purred, dabbing the spilt coffee as calmly as he could. He would have reacted with physicality of his own, which would have had more of an effect given his more muscular presence, but... something about Valentino did amuse him. Besides, the boy was cute. Ivan, for all his danger and intimidation, did have a soft spot for someone cute who could act in a totally contradictory manner. "I was greedy in approaching you two in the open. I suppose I should have stayed in the shadows as I have done the last few years and continued my business in the dark, but hey, my life needed a little excitement. I gather you'll be on my case once Dylan arrives back to you in a bloody mess. I'll look forward to getting to know you more, Ramsay~ Just know you'll never quite win against me. I'm not Alexander. I'm not... on your level~"​

 

[VanillaCola]

Whilst Ivan snarled, Ramsay smirked. He knew he had somehow gotten under the man's skin, and that fact amused him to no end. No one could keep up their veneer for too long, and it seemed Ivan's had finally cracked. Though Ramsay's front was cracking as well. It was difficult not to feel threatened by what Ivan was saying, and as the Russian continued with his threats, Ramsay's smirk faded. The cackle was what killed his smile, and as Ivan used his phone to send a message to God knows who, Ramsay could feel his concern growing. Eyes narrowed, he glared at Ivan. Whilst he may not have fully believed in the man's power, he knew enough now to be worried about what he could and would do.

But Ramsay didn't allow himself to spout out his anger. He clenched his fists, continuing to glare as Valentino spoke up once more. To be fair, there wasn't much reason to speak – Valentino had hit the nail on the head with what he said, and anything Ramsay said would most likely get lost in the mix of rage. Even though Valentino may have felt responsible for what was happening, Ramsay didn't have any fury to direct at him, at least not now. All of his attention was on Ivan, on this man who had strolled into their lives and attempted to play them like a violin. If this wasn't such a heated time, Ramsay would perhaps laugh at Ivan's arrogance. But then again, the Russian was playing them to his own tune in some way. He had elicited emotions from Ramsay that the gangster was fighting to control, and that fact only added fuel to the fire. All Ramsay could do was grunt in response to Valentino's words, eyes glancing over at the student as he continued to talk about Dylan. The accompanying shove was enough to calm the flames within Ramsay. If he wasn't concerned about killing Ivan in broad daylight, then he would have done the same, but for now he was content with allowing Valentino to take over.

But of course, Ivan had to cut in, acting high and mighty. Who did he think he was? He was no chessmaster, at least not in Ramsay's eyes. No one could control an entire chessboard, and Ivan wasn't the one person to break that rule. As the Russian explained that he had met them for 'research', that he knew far too much about Ramsay and Alexander's gangs, and that he was apparently 'not on Ramsay's level', the gang leader knew he had to break his silence. "No, you're not on my level," he growled through gritted teeth. "You're below me, selling your shitty weapons in at night because you're so embarrassed to be seen doing that any other time. And if Dylan arrives on my doorstep with a single scratch on him, I will kill whoever made that scratch, and I will post them to you – first class and all."

Grabbing his cup of coffee, Ramsay tossed it in Ivan's direction, the remaining liquid in it spilling everywhere and ruining the clean-up job the Russian had done. The cup rolled off the table, breaking against the floor. But Ramsay paid it no attention as he stood up, eyes going to Valentino. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, before glancing over to Ivan once again. "You'll pay for all this, won't you? Good man." With that, he stormed out of the diner. If anyone tried to get in his way, the gangster pushed past them with ease, not allowing himself to be caught in the diner any longer. It was only once he was outside that he checked Valentino had followed, but even then his attention didn't stay in one place. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Ramsay was quick to text Dylan. Judging by what Ivan had said, it would be futile, but Ramsay knew he wouldn't feel right if he didn't try to check on his friend. 'You alright? Go to Barry's, tell him I told you to stay there for the night'.

Assuming Valentino was outside with him, Ramsay began to walk away from the diner, wanting to be as far from Ivan as possible. "We're going to yours," Ramsay told Valentino. He knew that it perhaps wasn't safe to return home, especially if Ivan had goons running around with information that didn't belong to them. And whilst leading them to Valentino's might not have been a good idea, the student at least had more security than Ramsay's ramshackle flat. "Lead the way, Val, and be quick about it. I don't want Ivan or whoever's working for him following us."

​