[[for Tommy]]

[forgedawarrior]

Apart from her work, Sif spends little time at the gym. Enough hours are spent there working with the women who seek her help to become fitter and stronger that she does not wish to tarry long when she is done. There are days that she gets trapped, and finds herself trudging through the paperwork that is as much a part of her job as the training. It is something that she tries to avoid, and as such, it builds up until she must spend hours on it. Most there know to not tease her about it, or that if they do she will turn her glare on them.

Paperwork, for a warrior. It brings to mind things Odin would say to Thor about his ruling not being so simple a thing. They were words she would repeat to her friend about responsibility and the simple, boring tasks they must complete.

To have it turned on her so is not in the least amusing.

Finally done, she finds the gym nearly abandoned. Only a few others here at this hour, most having gone home to families, or to dinner and other social engagements. Sif would have simply left had she not recognised one of the men, changing her course to the corner where he seems to be training.

"Late hours," she says with a tired smile. "Or do you prefer the quiet?"

Comments

[heretofight]

He'd just finished a round at the heavy bag, peeling tape from his hands and rolling tension out of his shoulders. At the sound of her voice, he glanced up, a faint smile ghosting across his lips.

"Little of both, I guess. You workin' late?"

[forgedawarrior]

“Unfortunately, yes. I had paperwork.” She spits out the last word, the very act of saying it leaving a foul taste in her mouth. Sif was more interested in the tape on his hands, considering how it might help to support and strengthen. “Liability Insurance and registration of my programs. Assessments for those that request them. The parts of this job that are less than enjoyable.”

[heretofight]

"A whole lotta bullshit," Tommy observed, grunting out a faint laugh.

"You done now, at least?"

[forgedawarrior]

“I am, and likely to be without for a few more days. I was thinking of getting a drink, a reward, you might say, for my hard work.” She says the last lightly, knowing that she likely would have gone to the pub whether she had the work or not. “If you were near done, you could join me?”

[heretofight]

"Yeah, alrigh'," Tommy nodded, peeling the last of the tape from his hands and tossing it into the nearby trashcan. "Gimme a few minutes, I'll get my shit together."

He didn't have a lot to do, after this, and while it crossed his mind that going out for a drink with a woman other than Kara might've been a bad idea, he didn't consider Sif anything but a friend, and had never gotten a feeling she thought any different.

[forgedawarrior]

Sif would have found it strange if any suspected her of having motive other than friendship. Her dalliances over the years were few, having given herself mostly to those she could forge a partnership based off a deep respect and admiration. Her friends, however, have always been men, and Darrow is little different. Perhaps it is her love of things martial, or her propensity for celebration when called for, but she has found few women she enjoys spending her time with.

“Happily. I will lock up the back rooms and meet you outside.” It is a statement more than a question or offer, already heading toward the office to ensure that she has left the rooms secure.

[heretofight]

Nodding, he headed back toward the locker room to wash up a little and grab his stuff. Only a few minutes later, he emerged with his gym bag slung over one shoulder, heading up the stairs to the main level and out the door.

When he saw her, he jerked a nod in her direction, walking a little faster to meet her halfway.

"Where to?"

[forgedawarrior]

It is a relief to leave the gym, pushing the door open and breathing deeply of the chill night air. Sif takes a moment to enjoy before she considers Tommy's question. "There is a place nearby I enjoy. Gerry's. a few blocks, but the walk will do me well after being cramped in there. He makes his own ale, some is swill and some beyond delight."

[heretofight]

"Sounds good enough for me," Tommy said, not minding a chance to stretch his legs a little, after time spent at the bag.

"Seems like making your own beer's the thing to do, now." Trendy, among young college kids and men looking for a hobby that didn't involve building things. In the corps, guys'd make gut-rotting attempts at making their own booze, under the noses of their superiors, but none of it ever resembled beer.

Anyway, he'd never been real picky about what he drank. At least, that's what he told himself.

[forgedawarrior]

“Is it not the norm?” Sif’s experience is limited to what she knows. In Asgard there were dedicated brewers – masters of their craft. It was considered an art amongst the ale-loving Asgardians. In Gotham there were few other choices, and what there was tended to be sub par. It is only here in Darrow that she has noticed similar labels in many places, though she only pays so much attention. “It is all made by someone, is it not?”

[heretofight]

"It's mass produced, mostly. Small batches, maybe, from smaller brewers, but a pub-owner making his own doesn't happen real often. I mean, not when I was comin' up," Tommy shrugged. The places he'd been to in Tacoma were all dingy shitholes that served Bud and Miller and Coors and not a lot else, and he'd left The Burgh too young to really know much about the bar scene.

[forgedawarrior]

“Ah,” She nods, thinking that she understands. The bar is not much further, the front darker than most without any fluorescent lights or glowing signs. Simply a wooden plaque proclaiming the name that swings from a post over the door. “There is little craft in it then. It is simply a process to make as much as quickly as possibly.”