Mixology 101

Despite all her complaining, Marianna did like to learn. She just hated the actual work part that came with it. But given these particular lessons were quite a deal and she was promised some enticing rewards at the end, well... Maybe she found herself motivated to actually make an effort. She watched as Hops stood across the way and poured drinks into a little canister, shaking them up and explaining the process in surprising detail. It all looked so simple, though that was to be expected. Hops had been doing this for a while- it was literally how she made a living. Every movement was sheer muscle memory. The girl moved quickly despite taking it slow at Marianna's request. She only hoped it was as simple as it looked.

"Then you just top it with some fruit and that's it. Easy, right?"

"Uhh... Yeah! I mean, it's just liquer and soda, right? I can handle that."

They were starting with one of her favorites, Hops' Angora Sour. Though admittedly it was less for how easy she thought it might be and more because given the choice of a free drink in the end, why not aim for a top pick? "You think so? Okay, I'll let you try then and if you need any help, just ask!" As Hops turned around to grab another glass, Marianna snagged the opportunity to pluck the cherry from the drink and popped it into her mouth. She was just tossing the stem when the girl turned around and noticed instantly. "Mari! You could've just asked, you know?"

They laughed as she got into place, Hops adding another cherry to the drink and taking a sip for herself. And just like that, the entire lesson fled from Marianna's mind. She was drawing blanks on where to start and stared at the ingredients in front of her. "Um... So... it's this first, right?" "Yep!" "Right, and then..." It continued like this for the next few minutes, with Hops being kind and patient enough to guide Marianna through the process. The first attempt was a success, but Mari wanted to try and do it again on her own.  The second time found her with more confidence and the drink came out looking better than the first as a result. A proud smile brightened her face when Hops herself took a sip and gave her a thumbs up.

"Spot on! See, you don't even need me here."

"Hey hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I know one drink."

"You wanna learn another?"

"Why not? We still have time to kill."

And so the two went through a few other drinks, with Marianna handling it all with more ease than originally anticipated. Maybe is she ever got tired of singing, she could hit up Hops for a spot at the bar. As if! Mixing drinks was fun, but Mari genuinely loved to sing. Besides, handling a crowd was ten times easier than handling drunk customers. Yeah, definitely gonna stick to singing.