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+----- Thread: taking the edge off ~ Maddox (/showthread.php?tid=701)
taking the edge off ~ Maddox - Harper Campbell - 12-01-2025
Friday, June 24 1921
9:25pm
London, a random wizarding bar
9:25pm
London, a random wizarding bar
She shouldn't have come here.
As the door swung open on its own magic to admit her into the dimly lit room, Harper already regretted the impulsive decision of needing a drink. It really wasn't her kind of place. Too crowded, too noisy, too... second class. The sort of bar that attracted the average, menial sort of crowd. The kind of people that came in not just for a sensible drink or two, something to unwind with after a particularly stressful day -- but to get absolutely thwacked into oblivion.
Harper stood out like a sore thumb in her plain but tailored blouse and skirt, briefcase and clicking heels as though she came straight from a business meeting. Prim, proper, elegant and chin held high.
Well, she was here now.
And she needed that drink. The collection of red and white wine she kept at home wouldn't do for the kind of day she's had. She needed something stronger.
Dealing with Wylder Merrow had that effect at times.
Ignoring the stares and murmurs, Harper weaved her way towards the bar, gaze ahead. Just one drink and she'd be gone again.
"Excuse me," she said as she nudged herself next to someone already leaning against the aged, wooden surface of the bar, creating as much space for herself as possible which was about none.
God, it was stuffy in here. Already the air felt too warm and slick against her lungs and skin, the persistent chatter droning on all around, too many bodies pressing from all sides.
Who even liked placed like these? One drink and she'd be gone again, seriously.
A shove from behind almost pushed her over entirely and Harper stumbled to keep herself upright, one hand gripping on the bar while the other curled fingers into the shirt of the man beside her, dropping her bag in the process. "Oof, I'm sorry," she immediately apologized, hurriedly letting go of the fabric around the man's arm, patting it down where her grip had crumpled it up. "Suppose some people don't know how to coordinate their bodies." A spark of annoyance flickered underneath the casual remark.
She really shouldn't have come here.
RE: taking the edge off ~ Maddox - Maddox Barlowe - 12-02-2025
He was on his way to a splitting headache.
Maddox should've known better. It wasn't the first time Samuel had invited him to this particular establishment, not the first time he'd had his senses so egregiously assaulted. It was the nature of such places, having little to do with their running or the sorts of people who visited. The man had never been able to enjoy a casual drink when it came to bars. The pulsing beats of whatever music played mingled with the cacophony of chatter, the clinking of glasses--sometimes there was smoke, plumes of wispy tobacco that made it difficult for him to breathe.
Nearly 9:30 and still no sign of the man who'd so earnestly begged that they meet that night. It had been short notice to start, and Maddox didn't appreciate the cageyness of the other man's responses every time he'd tried to gain more information. Were it not for their shared history, he would've left after arriving to find him not there, but for the sake of what they'd been through, he would allow the man another few minutes.
Maybe.
Maddox scowled down at the drink in his hand, doing what he could to drown out the unpleasant and distracting ambiance that encased him.
"Excuse me."
He shuffled along the bar wordlessly, offering nothing more than a flicker of blue eyes in the woman's direction as he made room for her. Merlin, and he thought he didn't belong there. A kindred spirit in a crowded bar, someone who didn't want to be there almost as much as him. There was a story there somewhere, and in a better mood, he may have ventured to ask, but each time he was jostled by one of the sloppy bar patrons, he could feel his mood descending further.
The smells he would return home with.
Maddox reached a hand out the moment he felt something latch onto his shirt, his reflexes having him hold onto the woman at the wrist before he could fully register the gesture. He released her when she released his shirt, his gaze following the man who continued off as if he hadn't bodied a woman and nearly spilled his drink.
"Suppose some people don't know how to coordinate their bodies."
"I'll say," came his dry retort. Eventually, his gaze returned to her, giving the woman a liberal but languid once-over before settling on her face. "You've just described half the bar, love." He waved a hand in gesture for her to take a look, as if she hadn't already seen. "What's the matter, don't fancy joining them?"
RE: taking the edge off ~ Maddox - Harper Campbell - 12-04-2025
Harper swiftly crouched in one graceful motion to pick up her dropped bag, holding onto the bar with one hand just in case another drunken oaf decided he needed to walk into her today. He hadn't even felt the need to apologize. This place was beginning to feel less and less appealing, even for that one drink.
Coming back up, bag tightly clutched to her chest, the man she had held onto was looking at her again. He appeared as though he either hadn't slept in a week or like he wanted to be anywhere else right now, maybe both. Harper ignored his once-over and returned her attention to the bartender who needed about three more pairs of hands it seemed, to keep up with the demand he was being met with. Or he was simply too slow.
"You've just described half the bar, love. What's the matter, don't fancy joining them?"
She shot him a sideway glance from where she tried to catch the bartender's attention, standing on her toes, holding up a hand. "No. I fancy a drink and after that I will fancy getting out of here." She waved at the bartender again who promptly turned in the other direction.
Harper sighed in frustration.
"Terrible service," she muttered to herself, dropping her arm to the counter again, tapping impatient nails against the wood. Next time she would have to do more research before stepping into places she didn't know. Or stock up her supply at home.
She made a mental note for the next day.
Pursing her lips, Harper glared at the bartender's back for a second and then turned to address the stranger next to her. "You don't give the impression to like it all too much either," she commented dryly, deciding she might as well have a conversation in the meanwhile. "Not a regular?" Raising a brow she returned the once-over.
RE: taking the edge off ~ Maddox - Maddox Barlowe - 12-09-2025
Maddox watched with a mild degree of amusement as the woman tried and failed over and over to gain the bartender's attention. A busy night like this, someone so proper and put together as her would be lucky to be served before closing. He'd seen it a few times. A crowded bar, a polite or otherwise socially awkward damsel, too self-conscious about making a scene. Resigned, usually drifting toward a corner and telling themselves they hadn't truly wanted a drink anyway.
The man had helped a few, if it seemed they'd been having a sufficiently terrible day and needed the picker-upper, but Maddox was just as content to mind his business. In this case, the woman didn't appear shy or reclusive, only impatient for the bombardment typical of a bar. It begged the question of what she was doing there. There weren't enough galleons in Gringotts to convince him this was her kind of scene.
"Terrible service."
Terrible command of a room--this kind of room anyway.
"You don't give the impression to like it all too much either. Not a regular?"
"I could say the same for you," he replied, casually sticking a foot out as a man balancing a tray of mead, mosied on by. In all the bustle, the man never saw the outstretched leg until it was too late. Down he went, taking the tray with him. Glass shattered along the ground, the marigold liquid seeping into the grooves of the stone flooring. The man remained on the floor, so drunk that he could only be confused about how he'd gotten there.
"Apologies," Maddox said offhandedly, not looking to the fallen man but the bartender who rushed over to see what had happened. Reaching into his holster, he pulled out his holster to vanish the mess. "I believe the lady has an order she'd like you to take." Now that he'd come all the way over here, of course.
Maddox leaned against the bar counter again, retraining his gaze on his company. "Not a regular, no." He nodded her toward the bartender, encouraging her to order before his attention could be snatched by someone else. The same trick wouldn't work twice. "Just here to meet a friend who's decided it's a better idea to keep me waiting. And you? A date with bad taste?"
Taking the opportunity, he ordered for himself his second and final drink.
His 'friend' was running out of time.
RE: taking the edge off ~ Maddox - Harper Campbell - 12-16-2025
"I could say the same for you."
Harper only pursed her lips and hummed in answer, not bothered to hide her aversion for the place or counter his argument. She absolutely hated it here but there was no turning back now.
The difference was that he at least looked as though he could enjoy establishments like this. Only his face betrayed otherwise.
She was about to turn when her companion ever so casually stuck out his foot, sending a passing man sprawling over the floor in one thunderous, clattering racket. Glass shattered and mead splattered, across the floor, over her shoes, spraying against the hem of her skirt.
Revulsion pulled at the corners of her lips as she regarded the drunken fool, barely but there, before her gaze lifted towards the one who had caused this. But his attention was on the bartender, now rushed over to see what the clamour was about.
"I believe the lady has an order she'd like you to take."
Harper's gaze lingered for a moment longer, a mixture of reserve and disapproval narrowing her brows but she knew not to waste an opportunity, no matter the means with which brought about. "Whiskey on the rocks," she told the bartender who shamelessly lifted a brow, looking her over before finally shuffling off to do his job.
With a quiet sigh Harper withdrew her wand, vanishing the flecks on her shoes and skirt. "Maybe not a friend then," she commented. Not that she was particularly versed in the ways and habits of friendships. Being punctual certainly categorized as common courtesy though, no matter the context.
She replaced her wand in the hidden pocket of her skirt right when their drinks arrived. "A date with Whiskey," she answered, raising her glass in toast towards him and without a second glance at the bartender. "To wash down the day I had. It seems like everyone decided today would be a good day for cumulative stupidity." She cast him a wry smile before taking a gulp of burning liquor, savouring the burn all the way down her throat.