facing Tallis again.
“Aye,” the taciturn Scotsman responded.
“I want them Team Jordans next time I train Red; an’ the Come Fly With Me’s the time after that; you got it?” Ael continued, eyeing Tallis with more interest. “I gotta check my inventory an’ see what else I’m missin’ but for now, that’s good.”
“Aye,” Tallis said again.
Then Ael’s attention returned to me. “She gotta be on sixteen hundred calories a day,” he said. I was beginning to get irritated by him continually referring to me in the third person.
“I am standing right here, you know?” I barked out, surprising myself. “You don’t have to keep referring to me as ’her’ or ‘she.’”
Ael’s eyebrows lifted as if my ability to speak surprised him. Then a grimace took over his features. “An’ I ain’t about ta put up with no attitudes, got it?”
I frowned at him as Bill erupted into a fit of chuckles which better resembled giggles, while pointing at me and indicating that I just had my ego handed over to me on a plate. Then, apparently losing interest in the three of us, Bill scanned the room and eyed a large-breasted blond woman who was doing squats with a loaded barbell beside us. He waddled over to her.
“Hey, baby, you come here often?” Bill asked as he leaned against the wall and eyed her up and down. She just ignored him. “You know, I’m on a mastabbatical,” Bill continued while nodding as if she should understand what he was talking about. “If you ain’t in the know, a mastabbatical is an abstinence period, free from masturbation. I’m tryin’ to improve my productivity in other parts of my life, ya know?” She didn’t so much as glance in his direction, but that didn’t seem to concern him. “You know how dangerous a mastabbatical is? Way dangerous … doctors compare it to some of the worst health hazards around.” He nodded again, apparently not realizing that he was basically having a conversation with himself. “Anyhows, my mastabbatical’s nearly over, which means one lucky lady is gonna have her whole world rocked very shortly.” Then he winked at her. “Feelin’ lucky, baby?”
“Athwart the tenebrous air pour down amain”
– Dante’s Inferno
FOUR
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with you!” Ael yelled out to one of his clients. She was on the stair climber, bent over and clinging to the railing as if for dear life. Meanwhile, her legs were forced to take the stairs so quickly, it looked like they were on fast forward.
“My legs are going numb!” she managed to exclaim.
Truth be told, she looked like she was about to pass out. I’d never seen anyone climb stairs so fast. Gingerly placing the box of shoes Tallis had just given him as payment to train me in the corner of the room, Ael reached for a coiled whip that was leaning against the wall. “Complain, complain, complain,” he muttered as he shook his head and continued grumbling to himself. “Just wait ’til she comes across one o’ them Pintry demons an’ gets away from it, thanks ta my trainin’ … then we’ll see how much complainin’ we hear.”
Pulling his arm back, he released the whip, which had to be twenty feet long, cracking the air around the woman’s left calf. “Get back to work an’ be happy for it! This place could save your life!” he called out to her, as she, in turn, jumped at the snapping of the whip. However, to Ael’s credit, she did stop complaining.
Returning the whip to the corner of the room, Ael took stock of the rest of his clients. He eyed each one suspiciously, as if to ensure that they were working to their full potential. His eyes narrowed as he watched a guy taking a few deep breaths before attempting a bench press. His barbell was obscenely overloaded with weights as big as tires. “It ain’t gonna lift itself!” Ael yelled at the man. In flustered response, the guy quickly pumped out ten consecutive presses.
“Ah will be back ta collect ye later, lass,”
“Aye,” the taciturn Scotsman responded.
“I want them Team Jordans next time I train Red; an’ the Come Fly With Me’s the time after that; you got it?” Ael continued, eyeing Tallis with more interest. “I gotta check my inventory an’ see what else I’m missin’ but for now, that’s good.”
“Aye,” Tallis said again.
Then Ael’s attention returned to me. “She gotta be on sixteen hundred calories a day,” he said. I was beginning to get irritated by him continually referring to me in the third person.
“I am standing right here, you know?” I barked out, surprising myself. “You don’t have to keep referring to me as ’her’ or ‘she.’”
Ael’s eyebrows lifted as if my ability to speak surprised him. Then a grimace took over his features. “An’ I ain’t about ta put up with no attitudes, got it?”
I frowned at him as Bill erupted into a fit of chuckles which better resembled giggles, while pointing at me and indicating that I just had my ego handed over to me on a plate. Then, apparently losing interest in the three of us, Bill scanned the room and eyed a large-breasted blond woman who was doing squats with a loaded barbell beside us. He waddled over to her.
“Hey, baby, you come here often?” Bill asked as he leaned against the wall and eyed her up and down. She just ignored him. “You know, I’m on a mastabbatical,” Bill continued while nodding as if she should understand what he was talking about. “If you ain’t in the know, a mastabbatical is an abstinence period, free from masturbation. I’m tryin’ to improve my productivity in other parts of my life, ya know?” She didn’t so much as glance in his direction, but that didn’t seem to concern him. “You know how dangerous a mastabbatical is? Way dangerous … doctors compare it to some of the worst health hazards around.” He nodded again, apparently not realizing that he was basically having a conversation with himself. “Anyhows, my mastabbatical’s nearly over, which means one lucky lady is gonna have her whole world rocked very shortly.” Then he winked at her. “Feelin’ lucky, baby?”
“Athwart the tenebrous air pour down amain”
– Dante’s Inferno
FOUR
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with you!” Ael yelled out to one of his clients. She was on the stair climber, bent over and clinging to the railing as if for dear life. Meanwhile, her legs were forced to take the stairs so quickly, it looked like they were on fast forward.
“My legs are going numb!” she managed to exclaim.
Truth be told, she looked like she was about to pass out. I’d never seen anyone climb stairs so fast. Gingerly placing the box of shoes Tallis had just given him as payment to train me in the corner of the room, Ael reached for a coiled whip that was leaning against the wall. “Complain, complain, complain,” he muttered as he shook his head and continued grumbling to himself. “Just wait ’til she comes across one o’ them Pintry demons an’ gets away from it, thanks ta my trainin’ … then we’ll see how much complainin’ we hear.”
Pulling his arm back, he released the whip, which had to be twenty feet long, cracking the air around the woman’s left calf. “Get back to work an’ be happy for it! This place could save your life!” he called out to her, as she, in turn, jumped at the snapping of the whip. However, to Ael’s credit, she did stop complaining.
Returning the whip to the corner of the room, Ael took stock of the rest of his clients. He eyed each one suspiciously, as if to ensure that they were working to their full potential. His eyes narrowed as he watched a guy taking a few deep breaths before attempting a bench press. His barbell was obscenely overloaded with weights as big as tires. “It ain’t gonna lift itself!” Ael yelled at the man. In flustered response, the guy quickly pumped out ten consecutive presses.
“Ah will be back ta collect ye later, lass,”
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