That was a slip, then again, he had been being very blatant with the information he shared. So, he shook his head as she asked him to ask what country had vanished from the books. "Perhaps later, but for now, I'll keep that to myself" Gerwulf would rather not tell Aesa than lie. When she was a few more drinks gone, he'd probably tell her randomly and hope that it became a drunken haze that would never be mentioned again. It wasn't like it would be the first time that he shared crucial or odd snippets of historical fact around people who were sharp-witted.
As his hand reached out lightly, he noticed the freeze; it was the state of hyper-awareness from those who were either hurt before or thought the world was harder than its facade would make one believe. Gerwulf didn't shy away; she didn't pull away, which meant that she was trying to hide it. It was a conscious effort, and if she wanted him to do so, he would have stopped instantly. The gesture itself was friendly, perhaps a little more handsy than some strangers, but he was still genuine and soft with his motions.
When Aesa showed off her brother, he nodded with a slow whistle. They did look Nordic in nature, yet mixed with something else. "Definitely looks like a Thorin," He said lightly before Aesa laid the phone down, and he heard her ask about his. He chuckled and pulled out his own phone and opened it up, a business card loosely clung to it stating a number, his first name, and Freelancer as a non-descript title. "Ah, you're the type to ignore all your calls unless you know who it is? Well, I answer all my calls at all times. Never know when someone needs my help," He stated with a grin.
Which was honest about what he did for a living outside of military contracts. "Shouldn't matter if it is deserved or not. They are the words of others, live up to them or not. It's your own choice," He stated with a shrug. "Did you do something heroic? Like stories told of Skjaldmær... fend off a blow and take down those who would see you buried?" Gerwulf asked, though his tone was lighter than it should be. His pale green eyes took on a different kind of quality when he was talking about fighting, which was kind of odd given his more lax behavior about everything else.
The refusal to say made her curious, but she was only buzzed, not drunk yet. Still she respected his wish and nodded. "Fair enough. I get it." The moved on through the conversation, though she just shrugged when he talked about the phone numbers. There were people that she didn't want to talk to and if someone got wind of her phone number, then not answering meant she wasn't confirming it was her. The last time she answered she'd had to leave everything behind to leave town. Things were too good here. She wasn't making that mistake again.
"You make a good point." She said when he told her it was her choice to live up to the name or not. She was pondering on that, when he asked that question. Her eyes went a little wide. "No. I don't think so." She licked her lips, not sure about sharing. Looking up at him, she sighed. "I shot a member of a motorcycle gang when he tried to... take liberties with me that weren't his to take." She gave him a shrug and looked around for a server. Motioning one over, she ordered another beer and then she downed what was left of this one. "Didn't have a good childhood. It is what it is. But that's why I don't answer unknown numbers. The boss would like to make me pay for what I did. I'm not very inclined to do that. I like being alive." She laughed trying to make it a lighter conversation.
"Anyway, I teach self-defense now. Try to help keep people from getting in situations like that. Give them other options than shooting. I don't know if that's heroic or not, but it's what I can do to help, so I do it." She motioned to his business card and smiled. "I should get some of those made up. I do flyers and advertise online. I haven't been open long. Only been in town about a year and it took a while for me to get the building and get it refitted for classes."
Gerwulf looked upon Aesa with evident respect and kindness when she accepted his answer. He knew way too many in this day and age who ignored such due to being nosy gossips. It was the way of the world now, how people have changed and believed that such knowledge was a privilege that they were owed. Not that he believed she was that way, however, he'd not have put it past someone in this situation. When he listened to her recount what she had done, he nodded and kept his mouth shut, to the first thing that came to mind. Usually, he would just blurt out whatever he wanted; however, he didn't want to scare the poor girl by asking why she didn't just make sure there wasn't a motorcycle gang left to hunt her.
He always preferred being the hunter rather than the hunted in scenarios such as that. "Ah, well, most don't have good childhoods from what I know. As for people like those you're describing. Things usually don't end well for those types." Gerwulf just nodded knowingly as he sipped from his bottle. The smell of the amber liquid was apparent upon his breath, even though his scent was mixed with other things that smelled floral or fragrant. Raising a brow and making a contemplative look as she spoke of her profession. "It is a worthy job, everyone starts out somewhere, and those who need to defend themselves or train others to do so deserve to be named," He said with a smirk.
When she looked over the card, he chuckled and lifted a hand to scratch at his five o'clock stubble. "They make things a lot easier. I hand them out whenever I can. Tell those who receive them to pass them to people in need." What he didn't mention was that this was from both ends of the spectrum, having worked as a mercenary for certain types of characters. Then again, if they knew his reputation, they would know that he'd clean them out if he witnessed anything dirty going on. "Sounds nice though, have an entire building or is it more like a warehouse lease?" He wondered what she actually meant. Given that when he trained, it was usually just soft mats or grass cushioning their falls as he worked with people eager to prove themselves.
The idea that something so simple deserved a 'name' was hard for her to swallow. She couldn't control what other people thought and she wouldn't try. Let them call her what they would. If she was doing her best to help, then she was proud of herself and content. Of course she'd never stop trying to find more way to help or other things to offer to keep people safe. She did appreciate his words though. "Thank you. I appreciate you see it that way. I'm just doing my best to make a difference."
When he asked about the building she smiled. "No, I own the whole building. It's not as big as a warehouse. It was an old custom car place, two stories. I had the bottom cleared out. It's not massive, but there's a space for martial arts. A padded floor and some small benches for parents to sit when I'm teaching kids. I have a small gym section, nothing fancy. Mostly some weights and a few pieces of cardio. Locker room, and a small room I can offer to someone if they need a place to stay for a few days. The upstairs is my home. I turned it into an apartment. I figured that way, I'm only paying a mortgage on one thing, not two. Or rent and the building mortgage." Aesa shrugged, not wanting to come across as bragging. She didn't know his financial situation and things could come across wrong if she wasn't careful. "Feel free to come by sometime. It's called... and don't laugh... The Shield Wall. I figured stick with the theme I was given."
She hadn't realized how long she'd been talking when they called her name to the mic again. Aesa looked up surprised, then gave him a smile, heading up. She paused to tell the man running the booth the song she wanted to sing. It was risky, but she'd drank enough now to give it a try. The music came up for Halestorms "I am the Fire." Lots of long and loud notes. It wasn't a perfect cover, but it was good enough for her. The song got her pumped up and excited to sing. When she finished, she was breathing hard, but she headed back to the table with a grin. "Can't limit ourselves to just pop. Need a little rock and roll in your life you know."
Aesa seemed to be a successful type of person, with how she acted, at the very least, she had some parts of her life sorted. It was acknowledged that a show of appreciation was noted, given that those who pushed positive traits into their community weren't usually rewarded for their troubles. The world was always backsliding, but he had come from a time when everything could be worse. Licking his lips as he listened, whistling lightly as she spoke of her building. Even in towns like this, owning land or at least a building was no small feat. He didn't really count it as being a braggart about all that she had; it was just an answer to his statement.
"And here you were saying that you didn't take up Shieldmaiden. You are closer to a Skjaldmær than you would know," Gerwulf murmured in that gravelly voice of his, as he tipped the neck of the bottle he had, few people giving him odd looks at how he drank. Grinning still, he nodded as if remembering something. "I'll take up the offer, if it includes a look at the gym section." Thinking about ways to spend his time, exercising or showing off were two things that he would be happy enough to do. The latter would just require an audience.
Watching Aesa give him that smile before she moved up toward the stage. He waved a waitress, handing over a couple of hundred again like he was just offering it to bleed money, and he asked for another bottle. She gave him a look and had a slight discussion before Aesa began to sing. Reluctantly, the waitress went over to the bartender and returned with a new bottle as he necked the rest, listening to the loud music and the voice of the shieldmaiden through the speakers. Finishing the first, he exchanged it for the second and nodded before opening it up. Popping the cork as Aesa returned to spot him taking the first swig. "True enough, you sounded great out there. Before I forget, would you like some?" Offering the bottle of whiskey, which wasn't top shelf, but it was still not lining the bottom.
