Dreamy Drabsinthe Pt. 1

Madeleine had heard many good things about Hops and her bar. Not once had she come across anyone who talked badly about her. Sure, there were a few that complained that the prices of her drinks were a bit steep, but those individuals were typically ones who reeked of alcohol anyway. She usually chose to stay away from places where she’d inevitably run into those individuals, but tonight was a different story. Tonight, she’s on a mission to learn more about this Hops bun and to find out just how true all the stories of her bar are.

A quick trip later, Maddie sees a modest entrance in front of her. There’s not many lights indicating that it’s a bar or pub, but she followed the directions given to her to a tee so she couldn’t possibly be mistaken. This has to be the place. With a slight hesitation, she pushes on the door. Her eyes slowly adjust to the dim lighting inside the building, and she’s happily greeted by the bun behind the bar counter.

“Welcome in~!”

She blinks a few times and nods distractedly in response. The inside of the building isn’t quite as unassuming as the outside, but there’s a distinct sense of ease and comfortability. Maybe bars weren’t so intimidating after all.

After taking in her surroundings a bit more, Maddie makes her way up to the counter. She slowly hops up into one of the stools and takes a peek at the grand assortment of bottles and glasses looming on the wall.

“Hey hun, I’m Hops! I don’t think I’ve seen you before, you must be new!”

Maddie shakes her head a bit, a small flush appearing on her cheeks. “Not really a bar-goer, but I’ve heard good things, so I decided to come check it out anyway…”

Hops lets out a soft chuckle, leaning over the counter slightly. “Well, either way, I’m glad to have you here….?”

“Ah, I’m Madeleine.”

“I’m glad to have you, Maddie! If there’s anything you want to try, or have any questions, feel free to holler at me or Janna over there.” Hops points to the other bun behind the counter. She smiles warmly, drying a glass as she does.

Maddie murmurs a small thank you and returns to gazing at the labels stacked on the shelves. Her hooves twiddle on the countertop as she ponders unsuccessfully on what to order.

A short while passes with no decision. Maddie begins to panic, wondering if she’s making Hops uncomfortable by not ordering anything.

As if she’s read her mind, Hops pops back over to her and leans against the bar again. “Too many choices?”

“I think so…I have no idea where to even start...”

“Hmmm…want me to choose for you?”

Maddie’s eyes widen. “That’s an option?”

“Of course, silly! What kind of bartender would I be if I didn’t have some recommendations up my sleeve for things like this?”

“Ah, I think I’ll do that, then, if that’s alright.”

“Absolutely! Question before I start, Hun, do you prefer sweet or sour things?”

“Sweet or sour? I don’t think I have a preference, they’re both good in their own way. Maybe sweet to start?”

“Fantastic, I’ll whip that up in a jiffy! Sit tight, m’kay?”

Maddie nods in response, watching Hops literally hop to it. She moves so smoothly, it’s like watching a dance. Watching in awe, it feels like seconds before a crystal glass is placed in front of her. She blinks up at the bartender, but Hops tuts at her softly before placing a fancy metal grate on top of the glass. She carefully places a single sugar cube on top of the grate and then slowly pours a bright green liquid over the cube and into the glass. Green? It kind of reminds her of a sour apple green. She continues watching the liquid slowly eat away at the sugar cube until there’s nothing left. Hops gently removes the grate from the glass and slides the drink to her.

“A personal favorite, the Drabsinthe!”

Eyeing the drink, Maddie wonders if this isn’t some toxic poison with just how green it is. Shrugging the idea off, she reasons that alcohol is a sort of poison anyway, depending on who you ask, so what’s the harm in trying? There wouldn’t be such good talk of Hops if she were poisoning buns, now would there.

She tentatively picks up the glass of bright drink and brings it to her lips. A small sip and her tongue bursts with flavor. Hops’ face lights up as she watches Maddie drink. Maddie can hardly believe that alcohol can taste so good. She steadies herself so as not to down the whole glass in one go. “This is absolutely delicious, Hops!”

“Right? It’s a go-to when customers ask for recommendations, and it typically gets a pretty good response so I figured you might just like it, too…ah, not so fast!”

Self-restraint gone; Maddie hadn’t realized she’d already gotten to the bottom of the glass. “Oops. It was just too good; I couldn’t help it!” Her face flushes again, although it’s hard to tell if it’s out of embarrassment or tipsiness. “Could I maybe have another one?”

Hops laughs heartily. “Of course you can! Maybe don’t drink the next one to quick, though. They’ll sneak up on you in a heartbeat!” Her voice carries her soft smile as she begins preparing the next round.

Maddie watches her intently, feeling a bit warm and fuzzy. “You know, I was kinda worried about coming to a bar by myself for the first time.” Her eyes wander around the room as Hops hums a response across from her. “I’m glad I came, though, this place isn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be.”

“We try not to make anybun uncomfortable here. It’s a home away from home for some folks, and I don’t have the heart to turn anyone away.” Hops winks, sliding the next drink to her. “Now, go slow with this one, Hun, don’t want to black out on your first bar trip~”

“Yes Ma’am!” Those words turned into a lie as soon as the glass touched her lips. In the blink of an eye, the drink was down the hatch and gone. She set the glass down and giggled. “Whoops. It’s gone already~” Her body was feverish, but she felt glorious. This must be what otherbuns were talking about when they talked about being tipsy. This was a nice feeling, she could get used to this, she thought to herself.

“I feel like I’m floating already!” Maddie comments heartily.

Hops sighs softly and shakes her head. “First time tipsiness is always the best; I hear that from everyone who experiences their first here.”

“A lot of those firsts are from drinking your Drabsinthes, too, Hops!” Janna chimes in from across the bar.

“Really?” Leaning over the bar counter, Maddie gapes at Janna with fascination.

“Sweet drinks are the sweetest and I can’t deny that many alcohol newbies enjoy the Drabsinthe with a special intensity,” Hops replies, shooting a behave look at Janna.

“I’m glad I got your recommendation then! Can I maybe…have one-” She halts as the full impact of the alcohol sets in.

“There it is!” Janna chuckles happily, coming over to stand next to Hops. “They call it the Green Fairy for a reason, you know. It’ll take you away to a whole new world~”

Her vision takes on a soft purple glow and the world seems to move like water around her. “This is wonderful….” She slowly trails off, her eyelids getting heavy. Like a leaf drifting down from a tree, she finds her head has come to rest on the counter. “This was so nice….thank you, Hops…” Sleepiness is mixed with the alcohol and before she realizes it, she’s nodded off at the counter. As she drifts off the dreamland, Hops and Janna’s soft chuckles linger in the background, gently melting away.

“Sweet dreams, Maddie, see you soon…”

This was nice. I’ll definitely come back again sometime. Maybe I’ll try another drink next time so I can talk to Janna more….zzzzz