The Bartender and the Scribe
A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first Bartender fic and the...fourth on this website so far! ^_^ I do hope I've managed to capture the basic essence of the manga/anime so far and hope to write more if you guys enjoyed reading it! Please forgive me for any OOCness! :) Enjoy!
A Writer's Soul
"Excuse me, may I come in or is the bar closed?" Ryuu's smile never faltered when he greeted the curious woman at Eden Hall's door.
"Welcome!" he gestured toward an empty seat, "Please have a seat, the bar is still open,"
The woman smiled timidly and closed the door gently behind her, Ryuu noted her hesitant steps as they brought her over to the bar.
"This place surely wasn't easy to find," she commented casually, her tone kind.
Ryuu rose an eyebrow as he polished a martini glass, "Someone recommended it?" he smiled at his new customer, already knowing who she was.
She nodded, "Ah, yeah, a friend of mine said I'd definitely have to visit the famous 'Eden Hall' bar where a...handsome bartender worked at," she covered her mouth and giggled, "Pardon, my friend can be quite silly at times,"
Ryuu smiled, "I'm flattered, miss, thank you for the compliment. What would you like to drink?" for a moment, she seemed uncertain, until her eyes saddened and she sighed.
"Um, it's been a while since I visited a bar but...would you mind mixing me a Jack and Coke?" she smiled, a mixture of embarrassment and kindness.
Ryuu smiled, already moving toward the spot where the bottle was, "Not at all,"
Placing Jack Daniel's on the counter, he retrieved a wide, short glass from under the counter, until his customer suddenly stopped him, "Uh, c-can you pour it in a higher glass, please? A Collins glass if that's okay,"
Ryuu stopped and placed the glass back, smiling, "Sure," he produced a tall glass in the next second and sent his customer a look.
Both of her hands were resting on the counter, clasped together politely. Her posture was tired, not tense, contradicting her hesitant entrance from earlier. He linked her words together with the fact she hadn't visited a bar in a long time.
With practiced motions he opened the bottle and took a bottle of coca cola from the fridge, "Do you know what ratio you would like?"
Her answer was confident, "In reverse, please," she smiled and Ryuu smiled back.
"Alright," first, he poured Jack Daniel's over the stacked ice in the glass.
150 ml of cola, 50 ml of Jack Daniels, add a splash of lime juice.
"Your Jack and Coke," he placed the tall glass of cool beverage in front of his sad customer and smiled.
"Thank you," she smiled and took the glass, seeming surprised by the taste when she took a sip of it.
"It's taste...it's...sweeter?" she looked up at the bartender, "This..."
"Is it not to your liking?" he rose an eyebrow but the woman quickly shook her head.
"No, no, it-it's great! It's actually...sweeter than I usually order...I think," she smiled a coy smile, "Thank you, it's just to my liking. But...how did you know?" her eyebrow was raised and her smile was small.
Ryuu smiled, "Judging by your hesitant entrance, as well as your statement that you haven't been to a bar in a long time, I figured you weren't a drinker by default, at least not someone used to alcohol. Your choice of drink proved it, however you know a thing or two about mixed drinks, otherwise you wouldn't know what a Collins glass was," he smiled.
Her smile was slightly embarrassed, "Oh...uh, right. To a experienced bartender, I may look like a immature adult...but..." she stared down at her drink, "I just don't like the bitter taste, not really anyway. That's why I like Jack and Coke in reverse ratio and a little higher, no wonder you guessed that one. I guess it isn't unusual for...the Glass of the Gods, huh?" she winked, chuckling.
Ryuu's eyebrow rose, the smile still in place, "Ah...so you heard of me," he smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed himself.
"Mhm, a friend said you worked miracles on customers who come to your bar..." her expression suddenly changed, gone was the kind, sweet look she had, replaced by a veil of sadness, "...maybe even troubled customers too," she bit her lip, fingers tracing the cool rounding's of her glass.
Ryuu smiled sadly, wiping a glass clean, "Troubled customers?" she nodded quietly, "I can't work miracles, I think nobody can but...a bartender is an open ear willing to listen to a customer's troubled voice," he offered a soft smile and that gave her some courage to continue.
Her grip on her glass tightened, "I...I'm a writer...or well...I used to write," she sighed heavily, "Three years ago I published my last book, but..." she ran a hand through her dark brown hair, "I didn't write anything since then,"
Silence enveloped them and Ryuu patiently waited until she spoke again, and she did, "I suppose it's common...for writer's to lose interest or inspiration to write...it's not the end of the world, some might say, but to writer's..." she bit her lip again, "To writer's...having writer's block, intensive loss of interest to write anything...it's like a blow to the gut..." Ryuu watched how the veins in her hand protruded slightly with the strain she applied to the glass, "It's a writer's worst nightmare, really and an end to their job. I'm a freelance writer, so I don't have the same stress other writers assigned to companies do, but it's still tough making a name for yourself out there,"
Ryuu smiled, "You've published five books in total, three which won a bestseller prize and one for which was nominated for one. I don't think you'd have trouble establishing a name for yourself. Isn't that right, miss-?"
The woman smiled and stopped him, "Ah, I would like to stay unknown...or as much as possible anyway. The walls have ears, mr. Bartender," she winked and nodded.
Ryuu smiled, "Right," he chuckled before turning serious once again, "Would you like another drink?" noticing her empty glass.
Her smile was grateful, her eyes sad, displaying her feelings...because she let them be displayed, "A drink decided upon by you?" she smiled, "I was skeptical at first when my friend said your name, but...maybe you can make this sad customer happier than when she entered your bar," she smiled.
Ryuu froze, before composing himself and smiling, "I'm willing to try,"
45 ml Disaronno Amaretto
45 ml Bulleit Bourbon
14 ml lemon juice
Angostura Bitters
2 cubes of ice
Stirring it carefully within the glass, Ryuu smiled when it was finished as he placed it in front of his awe stricken customer, "Enjoy, this is a Writer's Block,"
He smiled when she giggled after a second, curiously watching it, "Writer's Block, hm?" she smiled.
Ryuu nodded, "Writer's Block is made by a variety of liquors, such as Disaronno Amaretto, Bulleit bourbon and lemon juice. The key ingredient in this cocktail are the Angostura bitters," he smiled.
"Ah...Angostura bitters?" the writer inquired, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Ryuu nodded, "That's right. Angostura bitters is a botanically infused alcoholic mixture made of water, 44, 7 % ethanol, gentian, herbs and spices. Originally, it was banned many years ago due to the false belief that Angostura bitters contained poisonous qualities of the angostura bark as opposed to its medicinal purposes for curing an upset stomach and hiccups." he chuckled.
"W-wait...I heard of amaretto before...isn't it a liquor commonly used in drinks when it's Valentine's Day, right?" Ryuu nodded.
"Right! Disaronno amaretto is a brand of amaretto originating in Italy, specifically Saronno." Ryuu gestured to another bottle, "This is Bulleit bourbon. According to Tom Bulleit, the great-great-grandson of the original creator Augustus Bulleit and developer of the modern brand, the first batch of Bulleit bourbon was made around 1830. The original recipe was quite different, today rye whiskey is commonly used instead of bourbon."
"It's delicious...sweet and a bit bitter...but still sweet," she smiled, taking another sip, "I feel warm...but at the same time...sad," her smile was small.
Ryuu smiled, closing his eyes, "Just as singers express their feelings through singing, writers express them through writing." His customer smiled as well, sipping from the delicious drink that warmed her soul and soothed his heart.
"You can tell by the way how a song sounds and listen carefully to the lyrics and maybe read between the lines to figure out what the singer meant with their song or how they feel. Do their souls hum with joy and energy? Or are they crying out?" Ryuu smiled.
"It's similar to writing. Written words are more difficult to judge to be true, expressions found in songs are missing and you can't always tell what a writer must be thinking while writing a story, especially one that's not their own," the customer smiled sadly, watching the ice in her drink in peace.
"...That's not their own?" Ryuu inquired himself, wondering what his dear guest meant.
The customer scratched her neck in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, you must be wondering what a crazy girl like me is on about," her smile showed embarrassment but her eyes were sad.
Ryuu's expression didn't change, "Not at all, please continue," he smiled reassuringly while polishing a glass, watching her carefully and attentively.
The woman smiled and nodded, "So...writers found a different way to express themselves. Words that keep a secret, expressions that give a glimpse of the writer's soul...all these things and more should be considered when reading a story." Ryuu nodded, eyes closed and his attention solely on her.
"Is the writer sad just because it's a sad chapter? Is the writer truly in tune with the characters they write about or are they lost in their own world? Is the writer unconsciously expressing themselves through the character?" she lifted the glass to her lips and Ryuu respectfully looked away when she continued speaking.
"Is the writer's soul crying out?" the crystalline tears slid down her cheeks smoothly, but before they could soak into the collar of her shirt, a handkerchief was in her blurry field of vision.
"Thank you," her vision cleared when she rubbed the liquid from her eyes and her vision was filled with Ryuu's kind, sympathetic face.
"I think writers and bartenders aren't all that different," her eyes cleared when they looked at him and Ryuu smiled, "Both think of how the receiver of their words and works react, bartenders to customers and writers to readers. We consider the feelings of our customers and readers, try to perceive what they may think or how they would feel impacted by our respective work. Would they be happy when they read a funny line? Sad when a character in a book dies?" he looked down at her glass, "It's the same with drinks. Amaretto is commonly used to mix drinks while it's Valentine's Day, the liquor of love. Customers with a broken or lost love drink margarita or a sailor may order a Salty Dog after a hard day's work," his gaze softened when she lowered her head and he offered this heartfelt explanation to her.
"Thank you, Sasakura Ryuu," her cheeks were slightly red from crying, her eyes puffy, but her face radiated a happiness she hadn't experienced in a while due to her writer's block.
He nodded, "Would you like another drink?" her eyes were alight with mirth and happiness and she laughed.
"Well...what can you give a happy customer with a newfound inspiration for stories?" her smile was teasing and yet sincere.
She stayed just until closing time and Ryuu led her out the door, out of Eden Hall and into the open streets. Her smile was the last thing he saw when she bid him a safe journey home and good night.
A few days later
"Hey, Ryuu," Kitagata asked, the familiar smoke of his cigarette disappearing into nothingness as soon as it floated over his head, "Have you read the newspaper?"
"Hm?" the young bartender took the offered newspaper from his senior, already set on page 11 and read the article he pointed at.
Blossoming prodigy writer Nanami Hoshiyo published a new book! Her sales are skyrocketing! It seems like Nanami Hoshiyo finally got out of her three year writer's block and published a golden book yet again! Her new book is titled "A Drink with a Nosy Bartender"! Unlike her past works, she stated in a recent interview the book was inspired by her very real encounter with a very real bartender in a bar she once visited, however she chose to keep the bartender's name a secret! Whoever the 'nosy bartender' is, we are grateful for delivering our sweetheart writer inspiration! We are saluting you, Nosy Bartender of Ginza!
"Hm, 'nosy bartender', huh?" Kitagata smirked in amusement, shaking his head, "What have you done this time?"
Ryuu smiled, closing his eyes, "I helped out a friend,"
That's it for now! Thank you all for reading! It's my first fanfic of Bartender and I may write more of them! :)