Of Mai Tais and Business

The Bartender

      It was the usual. Quiet night, not much people around, Stephen enjoys this kind of atmosphere around his bar. He meticulously wiped another glass with a white cloth, as he hummed with the soft acoustic guitar in the background. Sanctum Sanctorum has a Victorian feel to it, there are wide windows and the architectural design is French baroque- very classy for a simple bar. The whole building itself has three floors, however only the ground floor is accessible and used for the bar. 

     A satisfied smirk graced his lips as he organized the glasses. The creaking of the wooden doors made Stephen stop with his cleaning- a group of well-dressed men entered, all seemingly strong and capable. "Welcome." A long-haired blond saluted him with two fingers and gave him a charming smile and they took their seats by the bar, "Hey there, what can you recommend for me and my friends?" Stephen's eyes scanned them swiftly-

     The handsome blond, who was built like a god and is oozing with charisma. All smiles and sunshine. Sitting on his left was a quiet guy wearing glasses, and hasn't spoken a word since they went in. Sitting on the right of the blond was another blond, but he had this stern, fatherly aura. Like a soldier of some sort. Sat beside the stern one was a man who had been making endless dad jokes- and he had the typical white shirt and jeans get up to go with it. The last one, however, caught Stephen's eye. Not in a good way.

     This man was dashing, he has to admit. Smart casual attire, with a sleek stubble and an attractive face. However, said man has been making rather rude commentary about his precious Sanctum. "Y'know, you can make adjustments with the windows, it's kinda not practical having them that big." The long blond interrupted him, "Oh, Tony, stop with the quips. We came here to have a good time, not for interior designing." 

    "I'm giving the bartender free advice, and it's architectural analysis, Thor."

    Tony.

    "Well, fellas. Here's the menu-" Stephen hands them a laminated list of the food and beverages, "But for a group, I recommend getting a tower and it'll be served to you in one of the tables you choose. As you can see, the whole area is spacious." It is though, almost all the previous customers left, except for a few. Sanctum Sanctorum, with its wooden tables and soft couches, can cater up to 50 people inside- excluding the seats near the bar. Behind the bar where Stephen stands was the kitchen room, where his dear friend and partner Wong works. 

    "No, no, I think we'd stay here where we're sitting. I'm quite lazy to stand up after all." chuckled the man giving dad jokes. "Agreed." replied the others. "Alright, then what would you like to drink?" Tony, the man he was quite annoyed with, started skimming through the list. "I think I'd like a single-malt scotch." 

     "Dude, they literally offer something called.. what's this? "Coral Crab" and you're gonna stick with your boring scotch?" said the dad joker, and his comment got him a smack from Tony, "Hey! Don't bad mouth scotch you ingrate." 

     The quiet man who hasn't said a single word before suddenly leaned in, "Sorry 'bout them, bud. They can get really rowdy when together." Stephen merely gave him a small smile as a reply. "Oh, and I'll have Levant Rubric. It sounds quite mystical." 

     "I'll have whatever's your strongest!", quipped in by the handsome long blond. 

     Stephen took mental notes of their orders, and observed in silence,"Oh this is going to be a long night."