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Wanting to relax after spending 30 grueling days out in the wilds of Citrico? Well stop on by to the 5th annual Bartending Blitz on Isle Citrico! After hitting that ingredient deadline, relax on one of the most beautiful beaches in Owel! Let the best drink mixers in the Archipelago make any drink that strikes your fancy, or let them surprise you with amazing new creations!

5 Brix for general admission, 20 Brix to participate as a judge

No limit on the number of drinks

Sponsored by Don Catamino Holdings.

The Don: Start the Party Right™

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I closed my eyes and counted, a meditative technique always helped to calm my nerves. I went to five, and then again, and then again, over and over to myself. Starting each series I inhaled and shook the half empty bottle, judging the weight contained. I held the breath as I sensed the liquor settle, counted, and then released on five.

Inhale. Hold. Release. I could do this. Inhale. Hold-

"Barman! Say, my throat is," the shaggy beige Mossadillo interrupted himself with half a belch, "gettin' parched again." His spindly fingers played absently on a downturned clayware cup, the eleventh in a long row.

My breath skipped one count, and then I put back down the bottle. "Sorry, sorry," I excused myself, running my hoof-tipped fingers through the coiffed white wool atop my head. I gave it a straighten, then did the same with the palm above. "I just need to be focused before trying this trick. I really want to get it down perfect-"

"It's just a drink!" His long, bulbous nose wrinkled in condemnation. "Pour it, leafhead!"

I shot my partner a glance. Nymlus frowned, but pulled her tail out of a bowl she had been working and turned to rest her little blue claw on his much larger arm. "Emret, c'mon now, Vic is working real hard to get ready for the competition next week. And you're helping out by being our taste tester."

For free, I might have added- but I held my tongue. A bartender had to present themselves charitably. Emret though- well, mossadillos didn't have the natural gentile temperament of a palmed lamini, but in the end he was one of our best customers. I appreciated his loyalty.

Nymlus did too, though my suspicions held that it was not simply for the looseness of his pursestrings.

The beefy patron gave another belch, but then used his free hand to cover his mouth. I had the sense it was out of an awkward attempt to show the petal dragon how cultured he could be. It's the thought that counts sometimes. "Well why's he gotta make a fuss about mixin'? Stick that tail in the cup and make it taste good, like ya always do."

The petals surrounding Nymlus' neck and the yellow antennae that dotted her head drooped slightly, tired of having to explain again to the somewhat dull and certainly drunk Mossadillo. She was a trooper though, and her voice kept up a fair cheer. "The Bartending Blitz only allows in individual competitors, not partners. Vicky has to manage a bar all on his own, I can't be there to help out." She turned back to me. "Although, Vic, he has a point. You'll have to serve much faster at the Blitz if you want to wow the judges."

"And that's why we're here to practice thoroughly beforehand." I mentally began the count again as I spoke. "Very, very thoroughly. If I do well at the Blitz it becomes a fantastic advertisement for us. More customers means more money, which means we can finally buy a larger-"

"More customers?" The great man scoffed, his hand moving to tickle under my partner's chin. "More tryin' to steal little Nym from me. Why do I want that?"

While my partner distracted him with giggles and hugs of his lumped hand, I narrowed my focus back to the bottle of spicy pepper liquor and my half-filled tumbler. You can do this. You've done the swing plenty of times before. Vic, you know exactly how much is left in the bottle. Nothing to do but to do it.

Inhale.

My wrist jerked in a quarter turn as I released the bottle. As it hung in the air, spout spinning towards my tumbler, I twisted my hand around it, fingering the neck. They glanced over the smooth surface, following the spin until the spout pointed right into my cup. I tightened at just the right moment, holding steady against momentum as the bottle began to pour its amber liquor.

I gave a push forward to catch and halt the flow of spirits before flipping the bottle back upright. Emret clapped the bar at the feat's end, clanging the earthenware and nearly spilling the drink I had just poured. Nymlus joined with her own clap, though the clicks of her tiny claws were inaudible over his. "Oh, that was much better! You only spilled a little bit at the start this time."

I kept the grimace off my face, a feat which I much more practiced in than any sleight of hand. The timing was still a little off, and though I corrected the initial stream quickly it was not in time to stop a puddle from forming at the base of the cup. "Right, not so much this time," I answered, grabbing a hand towel and wiping away the small spill.

After lidding the metal tumbler, I gave the mix my patented shake and cool before dispensing some into a twelfth cup. It used to take a fair amount of concentration to exercise my powers of heat manipulation, but after all of the new clientele Nymlus had brought the bar the practice had become second nature. The only bar in Polaris to get a cold brew on a hot day: Vicente and Nymlus - Vices and Tonics, as the sign read. It was painted beautifully, befitting the expense my partner had paid.

I passed the cup over to Nym, who was much too small to hold it without a two-handed grip. She sniffed it, and flicked out her tongue, but did not touch the liquid. Despite being such a great help around the bar, she never took a drop of liquor herself. I respected that about her, both that she restrained herself and that she did not hold those who did partake with any contempt. The Lords know she had her own- erm, vices. I'm proud to say my eyes flipped to the Mossadillo for only a heartbeat.

Wordlessly, she handed the cup up to our loyal customer. His long nose twitched around the rim inquisitively, before he shrugged his arms and downed it a quick go. "OOHWEE, it started off cool but that one was fiery!" A smile broke his long face wide and I snuck in the unspoken refill as he panted heavily. "Didn't know a drink could be so spicy, or that it would be so tasty!" He downed the second, and then a third before slamming the cup down to join its eleven brothers, each giving a welcoming rattle. "You're always outdoing yourself, little Nym!"

I sipped down the dregs of the mix myself, smiling through my disappointment. The direction of the compliment wasn't in honesty misplaced, but it was tinged with a selfish pain. The drinks I served at the bar had certainly improved, but thanks for that could all be given to Nymlus. She had brought life into my failing livelihood, transforming my cheaply bought ingredients into elixirs not to be missed in the tourist trap that is Polaris. Slowly we were building up a clientele, and I had to be sure I pulled my weight.

My partner turned back to me with a smile. "This one was really good, Vicky, though maybe it could still use a little less on the spice. The balance was a tad off."

"Balance?" The Mossadillo gruffed. "Nym, some folks like a strong drink!" He turned to me. "You gotta to know what your customer wants, not just what drinks ya got." His mouth curved in a wavy smile. "And I'm thinkin' I want another cup. Serve it up!"

That- actually filled me with some pride, and I returned Emret a truly honest smile. "You got it, pal! How 'bout I mix this with the Appleale this time?"

Nymlus bunched up her nose at the idea. "Pepper liquor with the apple? You're serious Vic?"

Emret laughed. "I dun think it sounds so bad, let him try it Nym." He grabbed a fresh cup from my serving stack. "Hit me with another!" My partner gave him a frown, to which he scoffed. "Little dragon, ya know I can hanble my-" he burped again, "-handle my li-li- my drink! Another!"

We went through the Appleale mix, which was merely drinkable. The next attempt combined Spicy Pepper liquor, sweet and sour Pineturple Syrup, and Sugar Rum into a cocktail we all agreed was a surefire hit. I tried a much shorter delay with that spin on the first mix, spilling more this time, but with the second I was right on the money, impressing even Nymlus.

Now fourteen drinks in, Emret showed signs of slowing. Nymlus and the Mossadillo switched to chatting while I practiced the motion over and over. I got better with each pour, though each subsequent had the advantage of working with less liquid in the bottle. But after a time I switched to a full bottle and impressed myself with getting it right on the first flip. It was becoming a move I could rely on at the Blitz. Not sure there was anything that could wipe the smile off my face right then.

Nym occasionally stopped the conversation to gain my attention. Each time I quickly replaced the bowl her tail bathed in, funneling the contents of each into empty bottles. The petal dragon dictated out the flavors in each, which I labeled diligently along with our names and the date. It might be a solo affair during the competition, but we both knew we served the best tasting drinks in the archipelago. I'd be mixing up as much of Nymlus' talent as she could produce ahead of the competition.

There was a slam followed by a clatter of glass and porcelain as the entire hut shook violently, and I jumped to attention. Emret had fallen backwards off his barstool and now slumped against the cheap wooden wall of our bar. Nymlus turned to me with an apologetically sheepish grin. "Well, he did say he could keep going."

I gave a shake of my head. As I said, nothing could break my smile right now. "Just check to make sure that he's alright." I wiped the liquor off my hand, and then the counter; I wasn't going to count that as a true spill. "Actually, check the wall, it's more likely to crack." I bent down to check the storage cabinents beneath the bar, and breathed relief that no bottles had even fallen over.

"Yep he's alright," I could hear her chipper voice even while under the bar. "No cracks I see- wow, he's all dead weight though."

I stood up, thanking goodness that nothing was damaged. "Yep, don't think there's much you can do over there. Why don't you let him rest a bit?"

Nymlus scampered up a tall stool before leaping back to the bar and her cushion. "Sorry about that, Vic."

"Oh, all looks to be alright, Nym." I leaned and relaxed on the bar, I reached a free hand over to rub and pet the top of his smooth head. "No harm after all, no harm."

My partner pushed into the firm nails of my fingers, though perhaps with less excitement than she had when flirting with Emret. "Haven't seen you this cheerful in a while Vic, maybe not since the first night we worked together."

"Well I'm feeling awful good about the Blitz. I really think we have a shot."

"You mean, you have a shot, Vic."

My smile grew heavier at that comment. I gathered the row of cups the Mossadillo had gone through. "We both know I wouldn't have any chance without you to back me up." Making sure my large tail didn't scrape against the back wall, I swiveled to sit down on the low stool I kept behind the bar. It brought me to a level with my partner up top, something I considered important when talking with her. "I'm supposed to be the barman. It should be natural for me to serve fine drinks on my own." I grabbed a clean dishcloth and got to wiping out the used cups. "Otherwise, I'm not much use, am I?"

"Vic, do you think I could run this place without you?" She shook her head away at my disagreement, grabbing a cup herself to clean. "I'd get too caught up with chatting and getting fawned over." She trailed off at that bit, her eyes distant in a quick daydream. "Well, beyond the fact that I'm a bit too small to manage even place like this. I'd probably lose track of business. The customers would just keep distracting me, and I'd never get around to the drinks they wanted." She set the now cleaned cup aside as I finished my fourth. "On top of that, I'd need to keep aware of getting them the drinks they want and not just the drinks I think are good."

"Not sure they'd mind, as long as you kept looking as cute as you always do."

Nymlus gave my complement a blush and a smile, but then returned to a more serious tone. "That only goes so far Vic, and it certainly doesn't make for a professional business. I just can't provide the same level of presentation and attention that you can."

My nose wrinkled at that comment. "All the presentation in the world doesn't matter a lick if the taste isn't there. You remember, I didn't have a twentieth of the customers back then. You and your drinks are what turned that around."

"Vicky, you need think more openly about this. I know the drinks weren't the best before, but there were a lot of other factors you have to think about. If you don't mind me saying, you didn't have the confidence to sell before. Coming on too strong- I see that look," she waved my raised eyebrow away. "What I mean is, you didn't believe that the drinks you sold were good, and your customers recognized that- on some level at least."

That was something to think about, and so I quieted for a while. "I suppose- it just feels better to sell your drinks than anything I mixed before."

"And that shows!" She said with ample pluck. "Emret doesn't have too many friends, but he's really taken a shine to you!"

"Well he certainly took a shine to some- Ow! Teasing, just teasing!" We shared a grin after my partner took a glancing swipe at me. Skies Above it was good to have a friend in Polaris I could just joke around with.

And her smile showed the same. "Vic, I'm glad-" she paused, carefully picking her words. "I'm so glad- that you don't mind that-"

"I know, I know, don't worry." I caught her gold-orange eyes, but out of awkwardness quickly broke the contact. "Though, to be honest, I do worry sometimes. Only that you're alright and safe, like with that delivery to the Gnolls."

"Carlos and his gang? Hah, yeah, that was a bit of an adventure." She laughed, hints of embarrassment coloring her high voice. "Wait a minute- what exactly did you hear about that?"

"You know- well, I had my suspicions. And you handled yourself just fine."

Her eyes were now wider than plates. "Wait, so you DO know about it?"

"Not everything, of course!" I shrunk back from her gaze. "He did leave out the juicy parts-"

"Carlos TOLD YOU?" The girl's normally violet face grew a deep red. "Oh, I can't believe that guy!" With her tail standing straight up, she hopped off the bar. "I've- got to see myself home now."

"Nym! Nym I'm sorry! Wha- Bu- But Nym, Emret here-"

"I expect you can see our good friend safely home On Your Own." She stressed those last three words as she strolled to the doorway. "You already have everything you need out back. Don't see how a little thing like me can help much anyway."

Even still, she stopped right before disappearing into the night. "I do think you have a good shot next week. Good night Vicente."

I held the silence until Nymlus was far from our bar, then sighed. Loyal Emret remained slouched on the wall, unmoving aside from a heavy snore.

Better get the wheelbarrow.