Requiem of the Broken

Chapter 29: Connections

Every eye turned to look at Izuku, and Izuku felt himself flush a little at the attention and he shifted uncomfortably, but his bartender training kicked in and he straightened his back and smiled at them.

"Welcome. If there is anything you need, feel free to ask," he said automatically. He was Grateful for Mr. Sasakura's rigorous training.

"Take a seat anywhere you like, though one of the tables might be better suited for a party of your size." Said Mr. Sasakura, still smiling.

At the suggestion, the group turned and chose a table, and sat down. While they did so, Izuku came out from behind the bar and approached their table.

"Do any of you have any drinks in mind already or would you prefer a minute or two?" asked Izuku, looking around at each of them in turn.

"You should use your own judgment to decide what everyone gets as you did with me." Ochako cut in before anyone could say anything.

Izuku looked around at the others, "Is that all right with everyone?" asked Izuku.

"If that is what Ochako recommends, then I look forward to seeing what you make." Said Momo brightly.

The others gave similar notices of assent and Izuku went back to converse with Mr. Sasakura. As he turned and headed back, he got a distinct impression that he was being watched. When he got back to the bar he cast a surreptitious glance over to the table. He could tell immediately that Mina Kirishima was staring at him with a slight frown, but she turned back to her friends when Kyoka Jiro asked her something.

Only mildly disturbed he started discussing with Mr. Sasakura what kind of drinks he had in mind to serve. Mr. Sasakura got to work on mixing Momo Yaoyorozu's and Mina Ashido's drinks, while Izuku focused on Tsuyu Asui's, Kyoka Jiro's, and Uraraka's drinks. Izuku had to head into the back to get a few bottles that they didn't have on hand, but apart from that it only took a few minutes for the two bartenders to mix the drinks.

Izuku expertly placed the drinks on a small tray and with practiced ease carried the tray over the table. The group stopped chatting when he arrived and he quickly distributed the drinks to everyone.

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Ochako watched as Izuku distributed the drinks to everyone with a speed that spoke of long practice and excellent coordination. The liquid inside the glasses barely moved as he passed them out. Ochako received an orange drink in a tall glass with half of it consisting of foam on top, Mina received a purple drink with a sprig of lavender in it, Jiro got a cola-colored drink with a lime wedge, Momo was passed a beautiful light honey-colored drink with an orange peel in it, while Tsu was given a drink that looked like orange juice but with mint leaves and crushed ice. Each of them thanking Izuku as he did.

"Enjoy," said Izuku, a hopeful expression on his face. Ochako was immediately reminded of a puppy and she could imagine a dog's tail wagging back and forth in anticipation. The mental image almost made her laugh, but she managed to contain it a grin.

Everyone took ahold of their drinks and Mina raised her glass and said, "To a job well done and future jobs well done!" she said with a broad grin.

With that, they all took a sip and a moment later they all marveled at the tastes.

"This is amazing!" said Mina with a surprised expression on her face. "What is it?" she asked looking up at Izuku.

"It's called a violet fizz, it's a spin-off of the popular gin fizz, using crème of lavender and club soda to give it the lavender-like taste, purple color, and extra fizz. Though I added a little extra gin to it," he replied.