Wave to the Sky (Omegaverse)

Chapter 12: First Encounter

We arrived at the dock, the early evening sun casting a serene glow over the waters. Jason divided us into two teams. I was assigned to take care of the guests at the stag party, while Arthur joined the team responsible for the bachelorette party. With just a handful of us, it seemed like we'd be managing a relatively small crowd. Boarding the cruise ship didn't take long, and we headed straight to one of the conference rooms, adorned with balloons and lights, resembling a lively nightclub. Our task was to set up the drink station, following Sir Jason's instructions and utilizing the supplies we brought from the bar downtown—various syrups, alcohol, and the like.

"Sir Jason, what time does the party kick off?" I inquired, glancing at my watch.

"The guests will have dinner first at eight, so the party will likely start around nine," he replied.

"Got it."

"It's rather humid here, don't you think?" Sir Jason remarked, unbuttoning the top of his dress shirt. I couldn't help but agree; I'd been sweating since we entered the conference room. "Hey!" he called out to one of the ship's staff. "It's really hot in here. Can you turn on the AC? The temperature will affect the drinks. They need to be served cold, not warm."

"I apologize for the inconvenience," the staff member replied. "I'm on my way to get the electrician. The AC is acting up again."

"Very well," Jason sighed, fanning himself with his hand. "I suppose all we can do now is wait. Would you like me to teach you a bit about bartending?" he offered, turning to me.

"I-is that okay?" I hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to take a break from our duties.

"Of course! We still have some time," Jason reassured me. "Since you'll be taking over a staff position soon, it's best for you to familiarize yourself with the tasks we perform behind the bar."

"But don't I just need to take orders and serve customers?"

"Well, yes. But it's beneficial to understand other roles as well. You see? Consider this your initial training before diving into the role."

"I suppose so," I agreed.

"Come over here, and I'll walk you through it," Jason said, gesturing toward a black rubber mat on the counter. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I've never seen one before," I admitted.

"This is a bar mat," Jason explained. "Bartenders use it to prepare drinks, preventing spills and protecting the bar surface. It also provides drainage for any spilled drinks."

"Got it."

"That one is similar to bar mats," Jason explained, pointing at a larger version. "That's what we call service mats. Bartenders place drinks ready for delivery here, so as a server, you need to be alert to what's placed here." I nodded, taking in his instructions. "These are bar spoons, a bottle opener, a corkscrew, and a cocktail shaker, all used for mixing drinks. And this," he continued, showing me something resembling a cap with a nozzle, "is a cocktail pourer. It ensures even shots of liquor are poured from bottles. Now, onto the basics: cutting boards for garnishes, ice buckets, an ice crusher, and an ice kit."

"Aren't those just ice molds?" I remarked, causing Jason to chuckle.

"Technically, yes, they're ice molds," he confirmed. "But we use different shapes of ice cubes for different drinks, like spherical bourbon and whiskey cubes for drinks on the rocks or floral molds for cocktails."

"That all sounds a bit complicated to me," I admitted.

"There's no particular reason for using different ice cubes in different drinks," Jason confessed. "We do it to impress customers, to make the drinks more visually appealing. Anyway, back to our tools. We have jiggers for accurate measurements, a juicer for obvious reasons, a muddler for infusing flavors, a peeler, a rimmer for perfect glass edges, and finally, a zester. That's the basics. There are different types of glasses too, but we'll save that for another day."