Brew 'til four, take a break 'til nine, sell and serve 'til the sun shines. That was Bahru's schedule and how he ran his club. Jazz club, that is. Sort of. It was a a cross between a jazz club and something more hip and happening. Starting off as the former early in the evening before gradually transitioning to a different, younger crowd and customer base in the early morning. Fortunately for locals Bahru soundproofed the place so there weren't any noise complaints as he'd make quite the ruckus otherwise. His club wasn't as popular as Musicians Wanted back in the sect, the place Edgerton practically lived, but it was more accessible and the drinks here were to die for so it got its fair share of traffic. Actually, Edgerton also occasionally performed here but that was neither here nor there. He did try to avoid his brother, Eagerton, who also showed up sometimes during jazz hours though.
Ares strolled on in and weaved his way through some workers setting up tables. The tables would be put away after jazz hours, to free up room on the dance floor, but for now the dark wooden furniture was an integral staple to contributing towards the subdued but soulful atmosphere. Lots and lots of wood with dim lighting gave a really quiet and mature vibe that oft attracted hipsters, classy old folk, and a mix of everything in between. Central Land was famed for being a melting pot of sorts due to countless business opportunities for any and all. It being central meant lots of businesses passed through it as an intermediary stopping point and so a lot simply chose to set up their headquarters here and offer good pay to those willing to move. Lots of races lived here and set up their own enclaves in various spots with Red Sun being predominantly human in terms of population. Even still, if one had to point to the most likely place to spot non-human residents of Red Sun, or tourists, this bar / club was the number one candidate. Just yesterday roughly 70% of patrons during jazz hour were all beast folk and some dwarves booked out the place for clubbing later that same day. 'Bless Up', that was this shop's name. The owner, Bahru, used to have a much stronger accent when he initially washed up on these shores, metaphorically speaking of course, but it, and most of his unique mannerisms, faded over time. Most, but not all. Bless Up was still a common one for him and he greeted every customer that way when he was personally bartending.
In terms of personality, Bahru was a stark difference to Shu. Shu never smiled, Bahru never let his smile wilt. Personable, friendly to the utmost, and humble about his brewing talents. Shu wasn't arrogant, exactly, but the way she carried herself with pride in her work at least hinted at an awareness of her own exceptional abilities in the culinary realm. Bahru, though? A real sleeping tiger, this one. he wouldn't mention it but he would serve you a drink that would blow your mind and not say a single word the entire time. He stuck around for long enough to make sure it went down well and then was off, back to washing glasses or serving another customer. His skills were a shock to the system because nothing about the guy indicated he had extraordinary talents in this particular field. Ares had been a victim of this a while ago when he first met Bahru. He'd just finished up some work for Hans and was tired, leaning against a dumpster and gasping for breath on a frosty night. This was back behind Bless Up and Bahru happened to hop outside for a cigarette break and caught sight of young Ares minding his own business with a scowl on his face as he yanked a blade out of his leg. Bahru was still relatively new to Red Sun at this point but seeing some random kid getting involved with something clearly dangerous was hardly a scene he could pretend he hadn't seen. Ares heard a strange swirling noise behind him and turned, catching sight of a myriad coloured vortex funneling into a glass in Bahru's hand which was then handed to him. Hesitant to accept, Ares looked the man he didn't recognise up and down with wariness. He wasn't in the best condition, and accepting a drink from a stranger in such a situation could very well be lethal, but Bahru took a quick swig of his own drink and swallowed it to prove it wasn't poisonous. Rather, it appeared to be the opposite as a small cut on his forearm disappeared after drinking the strange liquid. Ares received the enigma in a glass and stared deeply at it, eventually giving it a sniff and nearly wound up blown on his back due to the overwhelming fruitiness that bombarded his nostrils.
The colorful concoction Ares swallowed on that day was a product of the 'quench' aspect under the cooking pillar, an aspect that solely dedicated itself to the wondrous world of beverage leverage in and out of combat. Spew-able hazardous liquids, energy recovery, even a physics defying brew that lightened the drinker's gravity... All of this and more was possible under the aspect so it wasn't too out there for a healing drink to exist and Ares downed Bahru's gift more so out of curiosity regarding its flavour than anything else. Ares' inner chef demanded he sample it but what started off as a curious sip became a series of gulps that quickly finished off the fruity paradise and sent it right down into his stomach. Mellow pineapple with hints of coconut and a refreshing minty aftertaste. Not too sweet, not too bitter, not too cold, not too warm. Exactly perfect, Ares had been extremely impressed because he knew he didn't drink any ordinary drink and so Bahru earned his attention on that day. He paid the colorful, Hawaiian shirt and light yellow bandanna wearing bartender more visits afterwards and repaid the debt by spreading word about the place. It was a relatively new establishment at the time and so they had less issues with problematic gangsters and ruffians and more so issues with getting their name out there. Ares had already gone under the tutelage of various other restaurant owners at this point so bargaining to get a poster or notice up across the luncheons of Red Sun was easy-peasy for him. His help led to a steady increase in customers and, eventually, a base that could keep Bless Up afloat.
Of course, given Bahru's exceptional talents this place became more and more famous over time and now it was thriving without the need for external support. In fact, talks were in the works for Bahru to supply some local restaurants with his personally crafted beverages because he did just about everything and anything. Wine for Remmy's fancy high class fine dinging experience? No problem. Iced coffee and teas for casual hole in the walls? Not an issue. Fizzy drinks for some of the more junk-food oriented experiences that had popped up here and there in Red Sun as of late? Perfectly fine. If it was a drink, you could be sure Bahru could make it so he almost sort of had a monopoly on the market that was quite frightening for potential startups to contend with. There was no wriggle room to find a drink he didn't specialise in, or at least couldn't if he took some time to invest in learning about it, and beating him at his own game was a laughable ideal. Bahru wasn't the best chef in Red Sun, not by a longshot as anything that wasn't a drink was alien to him, but he had the best business prospects due to how well he cornered the market and so was the best investment option if anyone was interested in shares and whatnot. There were some upstarts who tried messing with Bahru after he established himself but by that point Ares was already like a guardian deity to all the restaurants in Red Sun. He was a myth, a legend, a fairy tale told to naughty crooks in the dead of night by their veteran comrades. Those who didn't heed the warnings were beaten black and blue and would have golden nightmares for the rest of their lives and that was provided they lived. Anywho, point being, Ares had more than paid back the drink he was given. Hell he was a revenant and didn't even really need it but he appreciated the gesture anyway. What really struck him though was the powerful punch the drink hit him with when he first tried it and he could still remember the taste vividly even all these years later. It wasn't a particularly nostalgic moment for him or whatever, the drink was just so good it transcended the concepts of time and taste and could be retroactively revisited as if it still lingered on his tongue to this day.
Magic was at least partially responsible but Bahru was just that good. Ares would have asked him for his opinion on the ambrosia matter but, after reconsidering, Ares decided not to. He could bring it up, Bahru would be intrigued by it no doubt, but despite how good he was there was nothing he could do about a tasteless product. Point being, if even someone as incredible as Bahru couldn't help then this was going ot be a solo journey and Ares' best bet was to learn more about mixology from him and then continue forging his own path. If it weren't for Terros currently Ares would be lost in the lurch with no way forward. What was he supposed to do exactly? Taste test a freshly squeezed star? Strain a melting sun and put it on the tip of his tongue? These things were ingredients, sure, but they were only pacified after various processes and combinations so their default taste was a mystery to Ares. It was a miracle he even made these things edible with the cooking pillar so he wasn't going to be fussy and demand to know how they tasted. Bahru definitely wouldn't know either! He might be able to make guesses, one can reasonably infer that a liquidised milky way would be... Well, milky... Duh. But that didn't meant it was correct! Also, Ares wasn't so daft he couldn't make that assumption himself too! Chipped asteroids would taste like earthy, burnt pieces of cookie dough and moons like sherbet saucers. Or maybe some people would have slightly differing views but the underlying principle was that a definitive taste was impossible to know... Unless Ares asked Xhilihx, the devourer of such things, but that... That was probably not a good idea. He fed it trash once, the stepper, and Astraeus freaked out. If he started striking up conversations with Xhilihx, if such a thing was even possible, Astraeus would obliterate Ares on the spot probably.
So no, Ares was not here for ambrosial advice; dumping such a loaded, impossible problem on a friend felt wrong and Ares came to the conclusion that solving this riddle himself was a better outcome anyway. This was his personal gift to Enyo, nobody else needed to be part of the creative process. Ares was actually here for ginger ale! He'd tasted the ginger ale, and beer, here before and it was well worth coming here specifically for it. The kick was enough to make an unsuspecting patron jump in their seat and it could probably wake the dead if the ale was poured over their grave. The fizz wasn't just a gimmick, though, as the taste was divine even without it. It was one half of a whole, a perfect marriage of mouthfeel and taste that couldn't be replicated or bested anywhere else in Sheryashka, Ares was certain of that. Bless Up was a rather fancy building and the interior was split into two halves by a small, two step flight of stairs in the middle with a railing to either side. The top area was where the clubbers would start filtering in abut halfway through the evening and the lower half would be reserved for the jazz enthusiasts until they were all finally gone. Right now, though, both halves were filled with waiters running about and tidying things / washing down dusty or dirty surfaces. Ares was an anomaly here, much like back in Shu's, but it wasn't infrequent for people to show up during off hours and ask about opening times, weekend availability, and private bookings and such. He was allowed to roam freely towards the furthest end of the upper area where the bar resided against a wooden backdrop with pretty lights and hanging moss. The bar looked more like an outdoor tiki hut, expanded length ways, than anything typical but it worked because of the vibrancy of Bahru's magic that livened the place up. He was stood at the centre of the bar with a floating, hollow circle of gradient colours behind him that seeped into one another as they flowed counterclockwise. In front of Bahru, atop the work surface, were five different glasses, each with small garnishes ranging from lemons and limes to flavoured umbrellas and fizzy bomb stars that would dissolve in liquids. Bahru clapped his hands together and clicked his fingers, ordering the wheel of colour behind him to lash out and fill the cups with strange magic that morphed into pretty drinks that he would store and sell later. Ares knew they were cocktails but he'd be damned if could name them; Bahru had a habit of creating new ones on the fly anyway so it's not like Ares could study them or keep up even if he wanted to.
"Yo, Ares?! Man, I thought you were dead!" Bahru noticed Ares and waved with a friendly smile.
"Dead, busy, same difference. It has been a while though, everything ok on your end? Need any hoodlums taken care of?"
"Nah nah, smooth sailing nowadays. Hans brought the crackdown lately so all's well. You fiendin' for a drink? What's your poison?"
"I am here for a drink but not for me this time. A lady friend of mine is new in town and so I'm thinking a top shelf experience is in order. Would you mind whipping up a ginger ale?"
"No problem. One ginger ale, on the house." Ares knew better than to try and pay Bahru, he'd be here forever trying to convince the man to let him give him stardust over a single drink. He simply watched as Bahru fetched a whole piece of ginger and chucked it in the air. A quick whisper later and Bahru's magic took hold, dissecting the ginger and extracting everything that made it whole. The ginger became a myriad of different parts and Bahru split them all carefully while lifting more ingredients with his magic. He combined everything swiftly but with measured refinement and, before Ares' very eyes, created a drink in no time flat. Ares' commentary on the matter was pretty dull but his knowledge when it came to anything drink related was inferior to that of food. He'd tampered with food related arts and cooking processes for years now but, when it came to drinks and the quench aspect in general, nada. Nothing. He'd watched Bahru work but that was about as good as it got. Of course he learnt a lot about how to get the most out of certain flavours, like now for instance the ginger root was Bahru's primary center piece and what he dedicated most of his magic towards, but anything technical? What art Bahru used, how long to spend mixing certain ingredients, etc... Nope. Again, Ares' forte was his whacky combination of flavours but when it came to actually making the drink there was a pretty massive gulf in capability between drinks and food... Well that was how it was, things were different now that he had Omniscience. Bahru always let Ares watch him work so if Ares continued to do that now with the aid of the Prisms he could actually potentially learn a thing or two and actually improve, probably even learn an art or two related to drinks. Much like with Shu, Ares wanted to start learning again but he also knew that he didn't have to ask Bahru. It would have been polite but that was a trap because Bahru would actually get mad at Ares if he acted so distant. Bless Up was a place that 'anyone can come and go as they please' so asking for permission to be here was crazy in Bahru's mind. Still, it wasn't like Ares to just give up on matters like this and he had a card to play of his own.
"Not like right now but, in about a couple of weeks or so, I'll be heading to Akarala you know?" Ares reeled in Bahru whose love for drinks was only matched by that of his affection for his homeland.
"Eh? No kidding? For real? Ah man, your making me jealous. When you go, you got to see the Lele beach, 's a real blessed place. Care for the Pooka though, he's a mean one. Washed up on our shores and been a real headache ever since!"
"I'll keep an eye out. I was bringing it up though because I'm open to bringing back souvenirs if you want anything. Maybe some herbs or spices? A bobblehead? Some clothes?"
"Yuh cyaan help mi? A real bredren you are... But I feel bad askin' 'cos it's not going to be easy pickings you know?"
Ares shrugged. "I know you might not know this but I'm basically the strongest person in Sheryashka now. Don't worry about how difficult it is to acquire whatever you're after, that's not a problem."
"Little Ares? Strongest man in Sheryashka? Ya pullin' mi chain? Ha, take my eyes of you for one second and look at you now eh? That's good that's good. Never let me catch you with a blade in your leg again then yeah?" Bahru had long since finished making the ginger ale but he was also making a bunch of other drinks and bundling them all into a crate for Ares to take home whether he liked it or not. It only took Bahru a few minutes to do and he had plenty of ingredients lying around so he wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd already been doing this since before Ares offered to pick up a gift from Akarala but after that he found an even bigger crate and the smile on his face doubled. "So, Akarala. There's this flower called 'boohoo'. Boohoo's so spicy it will make you cry, that's where the name comes from. I brought some over with me when I came to Red Sun, a reminder of where I came from. I never use it in drinks, the customers will leave bad reviews, but I did put it in my food for a taste that means something. Spicy rice and peas is to die for, you get me? Ah but I ran out a while ago so now I'm the only one going 'boohoo'. Would ye mind finding me a whole bunch? No need to go overboard and cram your spatial rings full or anything, but the more the merrier ya feel me?"
Perhaps talking about Akarala dredged up Bahru's old accent and familiar slang but Ares was well enough versed in it to follow along and so he nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I've got a storage device that's basically infinite. I'll bring back enough boohoo to make you cry a river and then some."
"Many thanks, nuff respect. Ah but be careful if you harvest the boohoo locally. Buying from shops is one thing but, out in the wild, there's this real pesky bird that likes to guard it. Also, it's in the territory of 'bloody big bear' so make sure to pay 'em your respects."
Bloody big bear? Pesky bird? Ares could have asked but figured he didn't really have to. Again, strongest man in the world. Who cares about a bird or a bear? If Ares wanted to run amok on their territory who was going to stop him? Though, then again, the way Bahru referred to the bear was deferential so maybe Ares would try to be somewhat polite. Upsetting a local legend for no good reason was silly.
Ares reached out and took the crate from Bahru and stored it in his Blade. "Cheers Bahru, today's dinner party is really gonna pop thanks to you."
"No worries! Don't be a stranger!"
And with that, preparations for later were complete. Ares would still have to head back to Shu's for the pie in about an hour but that was a quick Voidwalk away. He even left a Shift marker in front of the building so he could quite literally snap his fingers and appear right there when he needed to. His work outside the sect was done for now and, though he'd have other business to take care of, right now he could head back to the sect. From there, he still had a bit more time left, according to his own rough guestimate on how long it would take to digest his memories properly, so he was going to make a last pit stop to go see Dirk and Li Li. It had been a while since he talked to these two neighbours specifically but, ever since his bloodline awakening, Ares had two solid reasons to drop in and say hello.