[TGH] Among the Cactuses pt2 ~ In Good Spirits

Researcher's Task 02: Alcohol Alchemy

Once the cactus samples had been delivered, the teams went their separate ways. Ally and Wirrin headed for the Thirsty Cacturne to speak with the place’s owner, Sherman. Walking inside they headed for the bar where a Miltank was cleaning some glasses.

“Hey there, we’re looking for Sherman.”

She turned to the Hoppip, “That’d be me. Wha’dya want?”

“Great! We’re here to help out. Chelle said you had some stuff for us to do. Spicing up a tequila recipe and fixing a still I think she said.”

“Ah, so you’re researchers then?,” she nodded, “Good. What are you guys hoping to do?”

Wirrin rubbed his chin and glanced at Ally, who nodded back. They’d already discussed which tasks they would prefer.

“If you’ve got no one on either, Ally here, would be glad to fix up your still and I’m not a bad cook. I don’t usually make drinks but I’ve made a smoothy or two before, so I’m willing to give that a go.”

“Righto. You can work here at the bar. The locals will be happy to taste test for ya so you don’t get sloshed yourself. And you, missy,” she gestured to Ally, “You come with me and I’ll show you the still.”

Sherman moved out from behind the bar and Wirrin floated over. She pointed towards each of the ingredients. “Ya got salac berry juice down there, agave over there, and a bunch of other stuff in those cupboards. So you should be set.”

“You can count on me,” Wirrin saluted.

“Alright, let's show you round to the still.”

She took Ally down to the basement where the still was kept. “Still’s right there. Got some tools on the shelves over there. Whatever you can do to get her running again would be a huge help.”

“I'll do my best,” she told the Miltank.

Sherman smiled, turning to leave, “I'm sure ya will, luv.”

When she was gone, Ally turned back to the still. Moving over to grab the tools from the shelf she muttered, “Let's see what we can do…”

….

Back upstairs, Wirrin had acquainted himself with the ingredients, setting them up on the bar.

“A little bit of this,” he poured in some agave juice, “A dash of that,” he added some salac juice to the same glass.

Spinning around he grabbed razz berry, “A squirt of this.”

He then took a colbur berry and a roseli berry, drizzling in a little juice from both. Sliding it down the bar to one of the patrons, he called out to the guy, “How’s this taste?”

The Gabite took a sip before spitting it out. “You trying to kill me! What did you put in this? It’s horrible.”

Wirrin took the glass back. “Sorry about that. Let me try again.”

…

Ally held a wrench in her mouth, standing by the still. She tried to loosen a bolt on the side of the barrel. She strained against it but the bolt was stuck. Snorting, she gave it a sharp whack with the wrench.

“You shall move, you stubborn piece of metal,” she muttered through clenched teeth, though it sounded more like gibberish with the wrench still in her mouth.

Trying again, the bolt came off this time and she was able to lift the top off the barrel. Peering inside she checked the tubes, making sure they were sealed correctly with no leaks and clean off any bits of residue that had started to form. She was quick to finish as the last batch of mash was still present in the bottom and her stomach started to turn from the smell of the fumes.

Placing the lid back on and doing up the bolts, she moved onto the next section, another tub, this one filled with water. She replaced some of the copper tubing, again checking for leaks and generally cleaning the metal.

Having finished repairing this section of the still, Ally moved onto the last one. She checked the cooling tank, finding a few parts that needed replacing but that was about it.

The job was soon finished and she stood back to admire her work. The still certainly looked a lot better than the slight disrepair it was in when she arrived. It was now cleaned up and fully operational.

So packing up the tools she headed back upstairs.

Entering the room she stopped short. There was a small crowd at the bar, all shouting out different kinds of berries. And barely above it all, was the voice of her companion.

“Alright, alright, everyone. Calm down. You just leave it to me. I’ll get all your combinations in, no worries.”

Making her way to the bar, Ally had to push past a few creatures to get to the front. “Sorry. Excuse me. Ooff, sorry.”

When she got there, Ally saw Wirrin tossing berries into a drink. He was making a bit of a show of it, tossing them around and catching them again. He glanced over at her. “Oh hey, Ally. How’s the still going?”

She watched as he squashed a few berries into another glass and slid it down the bar. “Uh, it went well. I have completed the task. The still has been repaired and should work perfectly now. Uh, are you perhaps done with the recipe?”

“Not quite, but we’ll get there, won’t we, folks?”

They raised their glasses and a round of agreement went up. But it didn’t reassure the Amaura.

He flipped another berry into a glass and passed it to another patron. The Ninetales took a drink and grimaced. “Ugh, not good. But it’s better than the one you made two drinks ago.”

Ally made her way around the counter to stand behind the bar where it was less crowded. Grabbing a stool she took a seat to watch as Wirrin finished making the drinks, trying to find the perfect recipe. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him entertain the small group. He loved to bring smiles to creature’s faces.

“How about this one?” Wirrin passed out another glass, this one with a herb garnish on top.

A Sandslash took a drink. Putting the glass down he licked his lips. “Hmm, not bad. Wouldn’t mind having this on menu.”

“Excellent! But I think I could go a little better.”

The Hoppip poured salac and agave juice into a glass. He took a razz berry, squeezing the juice between his hands, keeping the pulp from falling inside. Next he grabbed a yache berry, and some small ice shavings. Crushing the yache berry he popped it into the drink and poured the ice shavings on top.

“Give this a go.”

The Gabite snatched it up, taking a swig. Setting it back down, he grinned. “I think you’ve done it, little seed. Best drink I’ve had in a long time.”

“We’ve got a keeper then! One new recipe for Sherman!” Wirrin shook his leaves in joy. “Thanks for helping out guys! I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Sherman walked back in, wondering what all the shouting was for. “Something going on in here I should know about?”

“Only that you should keep this guy around,” a Ninetales nodded at Wirrin, “With a bit of practice he’d make a good barkeep.”

“Finished with the recipe then, have ya?” she asked, moving around to the bar.

“Yep. I think you’re gonna do great in that contest,” replied the Hoppip, quickly making up a glass for her to try.

The Miltank took the drink, tasting it. The crowd watched and waited with baited breath for her reaction. After swirling it around her mouth for a bit she slowly nodded. “Not bad. Different. I like it. Nice work. And you,” she gestured at Ally, “The still been repaired.”

“Yes, ma’am. It is not only fully operational but it has been cleaned as well,” she replied.

“Thanks for that. You're free to go. But don’t be strangers and be sure to come back now, ya here?” Sherman grinned, taking another sip of Wirrin’s drink.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll see us around again while we’re still in town,” the Hoppip promised. “And if we ever stop by here again, we’ll be sure to visit.”

With a few goodbyes the pair left, onto their next task.