“two orders of chips, Micheal.” Aedus said to the bartenders back. Aedus grinned, the old man hated to be told what to do, particularly when he knew it already. Huh, he thought all brits loved the fish part of the fish and chips it was like their version of a burger and fries wasn’t it?

“I heard Him I heard him, oh two, right.” The older male responded.

“Thanks, and to you that you stay your companies star salesman.” He hoped that the man’s company would help him out. it wouldn’t due to be stuck this far from home and not have access to any of your things. Aedus pondered this as he sipped his next drink, the oddity of the liquid gathering in his stomach as odd. It sloshed around as if he had been filling a canter hidden in his belly.

"Highly likely," grumbled Sledge, "I'm surrounded by bumbling, lazy, daft apeths." He could not help but to complain about those that he had once called friends. At times they were as graceful as cows, with the social skills to match. It had always been his job to come up with a plan, and they never wanted to take charge. If they were caught, generally it was Sledge who had to worry about the consequences. Not that he had worried too much when they were younger. Let Briggs, may he drown in a pint, get into a frenzy. Sledge had discovered that a prison held no fear to him anymore. It was what happened should he be kept in one successfully.

"Begging your pardon if you mind," he started, listening to the liquid slosh around inside Aedus, "But are you 'ollow on the inside?" It would be interesting if his drinking companion were physically empty inside. For one thing it would explain how he had managed to drink that abomination earlier. How though would Aedus be able to eat if there was no stomach? Food. Sledge closed his eyes in bliss of thinking of eating. Then his stomach would finally stop trying to kill him.

“Ah, a star amongst sparks, an interesting position to be in.” Aedus knew how that went, In high school he carried his soccer team to many victories…the majority of them, he did almost all of the work. He shined that much more, but it was exhausting to know it all relied on you. “ Well, if you get tired of doing all the heavy lifting you might try your hand at getting in business over here, no offense to the old company, but it helps to have support of others particularly while growing a business.”

“Hollow?” Aedus tilted his head. And then he looked a little bit surprised, “to be honest I don’t know…I, well to be perfectly honest, this is pretty new. He swayed back and forth and listened very carefully for the slosh that faintly echoed up through his mouth. “Well that is odd. This has happened once before but, I was so concentrated on the novelty of the situation that I hadn’t realized that well, I am hollow. Er probably any how.”

Maggie brought the fat long french-fries out, they were the same thing, but the Brits seemed to like the potato skin on and the fries fat. She set the plates in front of the men. And she thrust her hip into David’s side, if he wasn’t agile it just might nudge him off the stool.
Aedus smirked.

"The only heavy labour I do is carry the dead weight," Sledge joked. Ever since he had literally broken out of jail he had become more physical in his gangs. Before he had been the one who had done things that required slight of hand, letting the others who were better skilled than him empty out pockets, and now he was the one who did the breaking of breaking and entering. Having never been able to come out on top in physical spats prior to his mutation emerging Sledge was eager to be able to get the better of something that seemed so solid.

Speaking of solid, the question of Aedus's density was still unknown. The outwardly appearance didn't bother Sledge much, but it was that inside, sloshing noise that was a little disconcerting. It made him feel like he was talking to a shell. Shells aren't suppose to talk back. Also that sound was making him think of the churning of the ocean. Given that his body was starting to forget the motions of the waves he could do without the noise.

Salvation came in the form of a sizzling basket of chips, fat and long, promising the clogging of arteries. Before he could proper start on it Maggie gave him a bump off of his stool. With legs that were recovering slightly still, he staggered. If she had been aiming to offend him, she had missed the mark. To Sledge it simply said that his flirtatious words and smiles were working. If he did this, she said that, and when she did this, he said that. "Iffin a girl did that in primary that meant she fancied a bloke," he told Maggie. As he took his seat back he made sure to give the waitress a little hip bump of his own. "Of course, you aren't a girl. You're a lady. Leaves a poor sod like me wondering where he stands."

"Exactly my point."Aedus agreed with a nod.

He stared at is solid stomach and wiggled back and forth. He could here a definite slosh it was kind of like the sound in a water bed. Gross, he was hungry though and he was thirsty at least he thought he was? perhaps he shouldn't eat the fries wouldn't the stuff inside him rot if it set there long enough.

unbeknownst to the man, small flares of heat were heating and absorbing the liquids and solids providing his body with the energy it needed to recover itself back to its 'natural' form. while his stomach might not serve quite the same purpose, eating and drinking were definitely still necessary.

Regardless, Aedus loved french-fries, and if none of it was getting digested he would just have to do a handstand and get it all back out...that wasn't an experience he was going to look forward to.

Maggie put her hands on her hips and Aedus who was still watching the show was amused to see if David was going to get handled. The woman spoke in a mocking but playful tone. " Oh, I'm no lady, I'm a woman, an Irish woman, and if you are wondering where you are standing I suggest you find a stool, we have plenty of em." She turned in a swoosh that spun her skirts and walked away in a mock huff.

Aedus grinned, " Your doing fine, she would have thrown a glass of something in your face by now if she didn't at least find you fun."

"I'll settle for fun," Sledge said with a smile as he glanced over his shoulder. Maggie might think that she was putting him off, but he had done a little fishing and knew that it was important to let the catch think that they were winning. "Just means that I'm already on her mind." There were several things that Sledge knew about himself. He wasn't the typical version of attractive. By no means was he George Clooney or Johnny Depp. His face was too young looking, and his front teeth were a bit rabbity, but he still did alright with the ladies.

When he bit into that first chip Sledge's eyes closed in bliss. It was warm, and the granules of potato kept together by a thin fried layer tempted, taunted, teased his tastebuds. It was his first bit of food in days and there was no smell of fish to befoul it. Heaven, thy name is potato. "This," he said, opening his eyes and giving the french fries a quick shake of pepper, "This is exactly what I needed." He eagerly began eating the fries, not caring how it looked. He had come close to starvation yet again and his stomach needed something in it.

“Here’s to that.” He said swishing back whatever Michael had set down in front of him, Had he ordered a drink, he couldn’t remember, he also forgot about the weird sloshing in his belly. Ah well, it was what it was. Aedus nodded. “one thing I won’t ever mind about being Irish is living up to the love of potatoes. They just can do no wrong. can’t have an English man that doesn’t like fish sitting next to an Irishman that don’t like potatoes can we?” He joked poring the ketchup in basket of fries and commenced dipping and munching away.

The bar was starting to look lively which was interesting for the day and time, it typically waited a bit longer to fill up, it was part of the reason he got in early, so he could get a good seat. He wondered if they would have a dart tourney tonight, Or maybe billiards. Hmmm, could be fun though, he was quite a bit less graceful than normal, he might not have the subtle tact for the games.

“Do ya play darts or pool David? They love picking on the new guy. And my guess is Maggie will get you mixed up in it if you are talented at them or not.”

With a few chips rapidly making their way down his esophagus and into his traitorous stomach Sledge was able to ease up on the eating process. He took up the bottle of ketchup and squirted some on the side of his fries. No fork had been provided to him, and since he was still aiming to impress Maggie, it would be for the best that he didn't end up licking condiments off his fingers. "It's not that I hate fish. Let the world eat all things swimming in the sea. It's that me body doesn't agree with it."

For bar food the fries were quite good. Nice and crisp on the outside, smooth and tasty on the inside. "I've played a few rounds of darts before," Sledge confessed. By no means was he an expert at it, but when he was younger Charlie would bring him to a pub where he'd play arrows until it was time to go home. The billiards table was often too crowded for him to get a chance. Thankfully the barkeeps had the wisdom to keep sharp pointed objects from those who were totally sloshed.

“You’re missing out on Sushi, everything else well, I’d rather eat beef anyhow.” He commiserated with the Brit; He didn’t seem to mind that he couldn’t eat it, I guess you didn’t miss what you couldn’t eat anyhow.

He nooded lightly. “that’s probably for the best, seems like they like ya better if ya don’t beat them too badly, or better yet not at all. They’re good gents and all, just a bit fussy for their age.” The table in question was a group of men that looked like they could step out of any pub and look right at home. But they were part of this bar like any other fixture in the place. It just wouldn’t be the same with out them.

Maggie sashayed her sassy way over after speaking to the regulars and informed them. “You’ve been challenge to a game of darts by O’leary and Smitty after you are done with your chips.”

Aedus shook his head and laughed. “Predictable.” His tone mocked Maggie playfully.

"Yeah, well, sushi isn't the most popular choice in Bradford." Just the concept was preposterous. Fish tasted odd enough when it was cooked, but raw was all types of wrong. Most meats uncooked didn't sit right in Sledge's mind. There was a reason why restaurants always had that health disclaimer underneath the burgers and steaks. People didn't eat chicken, raw, so why should they eat fish the same way?

"I'm not looking to beat anyone," Sledge told Aedus. His skills at darts wasn't nearly good enough to hustle people. Glancing around he confirmed this belief. While the faces inside the bar might be new, he felt as though he had seen them all before. There was an ease in those who took their usual spots, the same ease in which Aedus had strode in with. This place was theirs, and he was an outsider.

Any plans he had for not playing darts went out the window as Maggie made her way back to them, bringing news of a challenge issued. Sledge sighed and dipped one of his fries into the ketchup. At least they were giving him the chance to eat first. "Two to one doesn't sound righ'." Aedus was chuckling over the entire situation. "Very funny," he told Aedus, "Iffin I 'ave to play, than you're joining in."

Aedus nodded to David and his submission to simply play the game. “ That’s the spirit.” He mocked lightly.
Aedus threw back his head and laughed. "Oh I am being dragged into this am I now. He spotted the pair that was challenging them. “If they want trouble on the Dart board they got it.”

“You two are going down!” Aedus Hollered across the room. And Smitty made a rude gesture with a grin on his face. Nothing like being flipped off in good fun to sounds the drums of war.

“Hey Smitty! What’s this?” Aedus wiggled all the fingers on one hand at the man, and Smitty played along calling out. “what?”
“ A whole flock of these!” Aedus returned the middle finger that he had just been shown.

Aedus stuffed his mouth with a few more fries. Most likely the old codgers would wipe the floor with them, so he was getting his licks in where he could.

"If I end up whalluping them I get the cold shoulder. Iffin you play and we win I 'ave a shield," Never before had Sledge been so straight forward about his using someone. Right now it seemed like a fairly friendly bar, what with the taunting back and forth and the use of the middle finger, but there was a difference between him and Aedus. Well, Sledge thought sneaking a peek at his fellow chip consumer, a few differences. Aedus was a regular here. They knew his typical drink order, he knew the other regulars by name. This was Aedus's home as much as the pubs back in Bradford had been Sledge's. If the bar and its inhabitants were anything like the scuzz that haunted his home pubs an outsider would not be tolerated should they prove their metal.

"Is it always like this?" Sledge asked of Aedus. Bars had been more of Charlie's thing where as Sledge preferred clubs. That might have been because by the time that Charlie was able to take David into the bars he was married. Happily married men it seemed did not feel as compelled to go out where there was house music and girls just barely old enough to get in. Or not old enough. It was amazing how easily one could obtain a false ID of any quality, especially if you knew someone. "New bloke comes in and he is put up against the firing squad?"

Aedus clapped his hands ”well played, I’m for it, those two are easy going enough, We don’t get rough around here unless someone insists, Friday and Saturday round closing time might be a different story, but most everybody here is good people.”

He grinned black on black. “No, the new bloke that hits on Maggie gets the firing squad, because she wants to watch him squirm. First rule of a pub you frequent, keep your waitress happy, she asks you to bug the new guy, and you bug the new guy. She’s the owners daughter.” He laughed.

Aedus smashed a few fries, Flavors didn’t seem to be as bold on his tongue. Odd thing that. Smitty and O’leary were setting up things on their end. “Hey boys, You can eat those spuds as long as you like, I’m not going anywhere.” O’Leary mocked them for taking them up on not letting their food go to waste.
Aedus shook his head and ate a fry in slow motion.

Time to test the waters of the bar. Aedus had claimed that the gentle prodding was because of his flirting with the waitress, who turned out to be the owner's daughter. Wise choice there he scolded himself. Never hit on the owner's daughter. You automatically look just as bad as you could. Even standing with a chainsaw in one hand and a machete in the other would make you look better in comparison, so long as you hadn't payed special attention to daddy's little girl.

"Good thing then," Sledge hollered back over his shoulder to the one who had mocked them, "Because I dinnit plan on leaving my spot 'ere until I've had my fill. After all, Maggie's working 'ard to keep us all happy, and having some chips in me stomach will make me plenty happy." What he wanted wasn't just the fries. He needed time before he had to stand back up again. Time to know that his legs weren't going to be telling him that he was on a boat still. Time for the chips to soak up some of that acid in his stomach that was causing him such troubles.

Aedus tossed a couple more of the crispy chips in his mouth and spun around on the stool. He laughed as his mate got into the fun, he was going to have to work on his smack talk if he thought compliments to Maggie counted but talking back was a start.

“You boys wouldn’t be taking all the good darts would ya now?” He loved refereeing to them as boys, the old codgers seemed to always get sour at that brand of disrespect. And seeing as he thought they could use some souring so he went for it.

He waited for the Brit to finish up and when they got over there he would inspect the darts they handed over. Hopefully Maggie would get the good darts out for them. He hated the ones they left out because they didn’t have to worry about anyone wanting to swipe them.