Recent Posts

"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."

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.

David twisted the glass about in his hand. It wasn’t that he was bored with Seyta, far from it. She was an interesting challenge, more so than the Irish waitress he had met the first day. Maggie had been very obvious with what she wanted from him. Poetry, a flirtatious smile and comment, nothing out of the ordinary. Seyta gave only the most subtle of hints. “Dancing. The rhythmical movement of a body to music in a way that is pleasant to watch. A form of self expression.”

He turned away to glance at the dance floor he had traversed earlier. Those that had been there before were still dancing the way they had. “That is not dancing” he told Seyta, turning back to her. David stared at her, confused as to what they had just been discussing. Not that there could have been that much of a conversation. “Did you want to dance?” he repeated the question from earlier.

The few drinks that he had had must have been to blame for this feeling of déjà vu. The conversation with Seyta felt like a repeat, and he didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol or the setting. One pub crawl blends into the other after awhile.

Sledge caught Seyta's glance past him and the smile. He knew what was behind him, he had crossed it, and slides one of her empty glasses closer to him to pass back and forth between his hands. Should he go for the drink instead? She had had a few already, the empty glasses spoke of that. By buying her another round he might come across as just another bloke trying to chat her up. Alright, so he was another bloke trying to chat her up, but Seyta didn't need to know that.

The music changed to something that he enjoyed a little more. So far Sledge hadn't drunk enough to impair his coordination or balance. There was a pleasant buzzing in his brain that made him feel like his head was getting fuzzy, but a little physical activity wouldn't result in an embarrassing lack of limb control. He lifted an eyebrow. "Did you want to dance?" Sledge asked, "Or is there a large jealous boyfriend standing behind me?"

"Did you know that the Goddesses love pomegranates," he posed the question to Seyta. The implication was there that she was a Goddess simply because of what she was drinking. It was him chatting her up. He also couldn't help but think of the old Greek myths and legends that he had loved as a child. Her empty glass seemed as good a reason to keep up the flirtatious talk. He could easily order her a new one, now that he knew what she wanted. But he wasn't an idiot. Giving Seyta her drink this soon would just give her an excuse to send him off.

"Couldn't 'elp but notice your dress," he said, purposefully not looking at it. So far he wasn't doing too badly he thought. If he let his gaze drift down to the dress it might come off as him checking her out. Easiest way to get a lady angry at you was to let them know that you were ogling them. That and telling them that they looked chubby in that outfit. "Lord and Taylors, am I right?" he asked.

It really didn't take much to encourage Sledge, a simple wink, a nod of the head, an invitation to sit... If Seyta did not want Sledgehammer to be around she was doing a poor job of it. He didn't even realize that he had messed up something up by calling her Anna. "Gladly," he said taking the seat opposite of her, "Dangerous enough crossing there without dancing." Shamelessly he gave her a dimpled smile.

"Seyta?" he asked, needing confirmation that he had heard right. The music was loud and he didn't know if he was hearing everything correctly. "Lovely name." Sledge's attention was fading away from the noise and the bright lights as he sought out eye contact with Seyta. Even when he was young Sledge had a tendency to focus all his attention on one thing at a time. That was why he really needed to have a good watchman whenever he ran a con. It was entirely possible for him to not notice a police officer until the handcuff was around his wrist. For now Seyta had his full attention.

"What are you drinking?" Sledge was only vaguely interested in what she was drinking. No doubt it was some sort of fruity and light. If he was to play this game though, he would have to know what she wanted to drink and order it at some point. For now Seyta had her drink, and he could simply talk to her. It was just what he needed. No thinking about business, or how much he missed his family back home. Just get bladdered and enjoy the company of a lovely lady.

"Sorry mate, but you 'ave the wrong idea," Sledge said, taking a step farther back. Hal removed his glasses, and in the simple act of doing so, removed any hesitation that Sledge might have had. Punching a guy with glasses wasn't all that more different than hitting a man with perfect vision. The condition of prescribed bits of glass did not affect how tough you were anymore than Sledge's thin frame had bearing on his powers. Sledge's concern was that he was going to break the glasses, and while they were one of the ugliest frames he had ever seen, were harmless.

Distance made all the difference, Sledge had learned, distance and time. The earlier the punch he threw, the more it could do, and if he could really wind up prior to contact he felt confident that there wasn't a wall that would stand up for long. Now that Hal had revealed that he wasn't human David knew how he was suppose to approach this. Give himself some space and let the hammer fall.

He would never find out why his parents had chosen Maxwell for his middle name. David had been because he was a small baby, facing a world that was going to be big and harsh, a Biblical name from his God fearing parents. There was no uncle named Max, no lifetime friend of either his mum or da that he was named after. As Sledge swung his fist, up and over, the movement faster than possible for any normal human, one might have thought he was given his middle name for the song. Bang bang Maxwell's silver hammer came down upon Hal's head.

Hal's eyes rolled up and he sort of folded in upon himself, leaving Sledge the only man standing, and staring at the girl. "Tole you to keep watch," he scolded her. Already his arm was getting that lead like feeling. He massaged his hand as he crouched down. No doubt Hal was out like a light, but if he had forgotten anything wouldn't be discovered until after he came back to the world of the walking awake. Two fingers checked for a pulse. Knocking out some memories was fine, but Sledge didn't want to handle a corpse. Satisfied that Hal was still alive, though would have one hell of a headache upon wakening the conman straightened out. "And what was with that look?"