#oc campari

[akikos-tribble-army]

First, when I was looking for reference pics for my very spontaneous Mori cosplay, I was like: You can't wear boots in that outfit, like, Mori... WTF.

Jokes on me. I forgot that my own damn OC Campari also wears boots in her all badass black right hand of the mafia boss outfit.

These two characters almost wear the same damn outfit. The only difference is, that Campari chose to wear a green turtle neck sweater and a hat.

I am crying and laughing.

[dolce-tenebra-toscana]

@edonismo-melone @necroneos @theclockworkkid @weywookitswestwood @crazyyanderefangirlfan Pesca would totally wear this to hang out with Leti, Vivi, Farfalle, Eel and Tira 🌸🌸

Poster Girl🪷

[celandeline]

Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC (18)

My fatal flaw is that I can’t say no to Venetia. I’ve known since I met her, when I moved into our suite at Cambridge, that I wasn’t going to be able to say no to her - not when she’s as pretty as she is and as pitiful. Which is how I find myself singing karaoke in the library with Venetia.

I didn’t know the words to Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears before Venetia pulled me out of my seat. I doubt that I’ll remember anything I’ve sung after we finish given how much wine I had at dinner. But it makes her smile, and everyone scattered on the couches around the rooms claps when we’re done. 

I hand off my microphone to another of the Henrys, and flop down on the couch, next to Felix. Venetia perches between our laps, one leg over mine, one leg over her brothers - her right arm around Felix’s shoulders, her left hand laid on my thigh. I wrap my free arm around her waist, and tuck my head into the junction between her neck and her shoulder, watching as the Henry who took the microphone from me starts to swagger as Flo Rida’s Low starts playing. 

“Oh god.” Venetia laughs as an exasperated sigh leaves Felix. 

It’s very evident right from the start that he’s not very good. It’s made even worse by the way his British accent tries to mimic Flo Rida’s tone. I huff out a laugh as he shrugs off his jacket, tossing it to a woman that I presume is how wife. 

Felix is the first one to call it quits. “Alright, fuck this. I'm getting a drink.”

“Me too.” Venetia says, rising from her spot in Felix and I’s laps. “Coming Evie?”

I stand up with them, fixing the straps of my borrowed dress. “‘Course.”

I follow them back into the dining room, leaving the library behind us, letting the noise of the karaoke fade into the background. In the dining room, the plates and silverware have been cleared away, but the bar is still set up to the side of the room. 

Felix gets there first, pulling three glasses over from the side. “What do you drink, Evie?”

“Depends.” I say. “What are the options?”

“Anything you want.” He says, pouring himself some whiskey that looks like it costs five times my rent in New York. He starts on Venetia’s drink, pouring gin, vermouth and bitter campari into the same glass, and swirling it all around a few times before handing it to her. 

“Some tequila would be good.” I say. 

Felix grabs a bottle and pours me a healthy helping, and drops a lime wedge into the drink for good measure. “Alright?” He asks, handing the glass to me. 

“Yeah, thanks.” I say, taking a small sip. The tequila burns, just a little, the impact softened by the wine that’s already in my system.

Venetia grins as she sips her own drink. “Nobody makes a negroni like you, Fi.”

Felix scoffs, and downs his glass of whiskey like it’s a shot before pouring himself another. “I’m sure you’ve had better negronis than that.”

“I didn’t say it was good.” Venetia says. “Just that nobody makes them like you.”

“Shove off.” Felix says, but there’s no bite in it. 

Glasses in hand, we wander back to the library. The song changes abruptly as we slip back into the room, as I spot Farleigh at the karaoke machine, sorting through the selection, microphone in hand.

“Okay, well done Henry, that was great. Round of applause for Henry…” He grins as he finds the song he wants, and stands back up to his full height. “Okay now it’s time to take things up a notch. We have someone here who is a very talented singer.”

The intro to Rent, by the Pet Shop Boys begins to play. I turn to Venetia, already knowing what he’s going to do before he does it, but she’s only smiling, not recognizing the song.

Farleigh turns towards Oliver, that wry smile on his face. “He’s your best friend and mine: Oliver Quick!”

“No, no, no…!” Oliver protests as Farleigh grabs his hand.

Farleigh only smiles as he pries Oliver out of his seat and presses the microphone into his hand. “Yes, yes, yes… don’t be shy!”

Oliver stumbles forward, pushed by Farleigh, wide-eyed. “I don’t even know this song!”

From the couch, James claps his hands. “The words are on the screen, Oliver! That's the best bit! That's the best bit!”

The first verse of the song starts, and Oliver starts to sing, a little off the melody, but smiling anyway. Farleigh sidles up to me, a playful smile on his face. “What’re you drinking?”

“Tequila.” I say, holding my glass out to him. 

He takes it, and swigs some into his mouth before handing it back to me. 

I keep eye contact as I take a sip, sure to place my lips right over where his just were. “You’re cruel, you know. Making him sing this song.” 

His grin widens. “You know this song?”

“Yeah.” I say. “My mom loves the Pet Shop Boys. She’s always playing them around the house. Says they remind her of the ‘good ‘ol days’ before she had kids.”

“Harsh.” Farleigh laughs. 

“Either way, it’s mean.” I say. 

“Shhh, he hasn’t realized yet.” He says, fishing a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it with glee as he watches Oliver stumble along to the music. I watch as Elspeth realizes exactly what song is playing, casting a look at James. The cheering only gets quieter as more and more of the crowd realize where this is going. 

The music swells into the chorus, and the lyrics change on the screen. I watch Oliver’s face shift as he reads the words, and the joke dawns on him all at once. He falters only for a moment before he finishes it off. 

“I love you, you pay my rent.”

Full of malicious glee, Farleigh whoops. “Whoo! You tell ‘em!”

“Farleigh.” Felix’s voice is low. I glance over to him to see a glower on his face, not unlike his expression at the breakfast table the night after Venetia’s moonlit escapade. 

“What?” Farleigh mocks innocence. 

Whatever Felix is about to say is cut off by Oliver. “This is your song as well Farleigh, come finish it.” His tone is friendly, but his stare is anything but. A shiver runs up my spine just looking at him. 

Still, Farleigh grins. “Only if you insist.” He tucks his cigarette between my lips before dashing away, taking the mic from Oliver. He doesn’t have to look at the screen to know the words, and he leans into the performance, dancing and spinning the wire of the microphone as he croons. 

I puff on his cigarette as he looks over to me and winks.

< previous part | next part >

[kdinjenzen]

Are there any OC's you have that you haven't talked about much yet?

Short answer? ABSOLUTELY!

Campari is my most recent OC and she’s also the character I’m playing in our D&D podcast!

She’s a neatly 7 foot tall wolf woman, specializing in brawling, and who recently escaped military capture. :3

[ask-thebackrooms]

I NEVER ACTUALLY REPOSTED THIS BUT GHEHDUFHRUFHRBRF I LOVE THIS <333 💛💜

KJR ILY BBS XOXO MY MUSIC MAN AHHH

@problemat-c ��� 🫂

Colored Sketch Full Bodies for @problemat-c 💗

×××

[Ko-Fi] || [Etsy] || [Commission Prices]

[karinamay]

OC deepdive: Tav'ará Naldarai

Thanks for the tag @cinnamontails-ff <3

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

She's very scared to let people in, to trust them, which is just because of how she was raised. She's scared of being unimportant, of not making an impact in the world. She's also very scared of snails, but we're not going to talk about that.

Do they have any pet peeves?

When people ask you a question solely so they can talk about themselves. Also she loves physical intimacy but she hates when she can feel someone's breath in her face and she feels like she's breathing in their out-breath.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Her bedroom is extremely tiny, basically just a mattress shoved into the attic space right under the roof. There's no shelves, or anything, but she does have fairylights, and a lot of pictures up, of her and her friends mainly (two of them are very important, one of herself, Alfira and Dammon when they graduated high school, and where Shadowheart is giving her a piggyback ride and Karlach took a picture mere seconds before Shadowheart misstepped and the two of them fell into Grey Harbour.)

What do they notice first in a person?

How they present themselves. (Their vibe if you will.) Not in an "are they attractive" way, but how they want to be perceived. Do they take care of themselves or is their appearance unimportant to them, do they like being the centre of attention or prefer being left alone.

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Probably an 7. She absolutely hates pain, which is why I won't put it up to an 8 or a 9 even, even though she's very accustomed to dealing with pain and can technically deal with a lot. It just pisses her off too much to deal with it in a more composed manner.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Fight 95% of the time. She's act first, ask questions later. There is however a 5% chance that she'll freeze, in very specific circumstances.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Tav has a pretty terrible relationship with her parents, which is fair. Jorgeon is just an absent father, and Eildys is extremely strict and holds Tav to an impossible standard, all while just not being very nice. That said, Tav does have a certain level of respect for her mother. She's not a family gal, she prefers her found family.

What animal represents them best?

My first thought it maybe a fox? I'm not sure that's just the vibe.

What is a smell they dislike?

Honeysuckle.

Have they broken any bones?

Yes, she broke her left arm once when she went on vacation to Elturel with Alfira and Dammon. No one is exactly sure what happened, but the doctor that took the x-rays at 3am was hot, though.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

"Loud" may have been a word used a lot to describe Tav, although that's gotten less bad over the past few years.

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

She leans to being a night owl, but she also just doesn't need a lot of sleep. She likes being awake at night to see what happens in the dark, though.

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

She kind of hates the taste of honey in any form - mead, honey cakes etc. She likes powerful flavours, salts, bitters, sours. She likes seafood, pickles, black licorice, campari, the weird kinds of gin & tonics etc.

Do they have any hobbies?

She really likes dancing when she has time to go, whether that's a class or just out at a club.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

She would try very hard to pretend she didn't already know it was happening.

Do they like to wear jewellery?

Not particularly, she doesn't like rings or bracelets to get in the way of her movements. She used to have a lot of piercings but that was mainly to piss of Eildys and now she just has her ears pierced. She is currently wearing a tiny locket with a snowdrop on it. It's new.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Messy, but definitely legible.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Determination and joy (shocking, but true)

Do they have a favourite fabric?

She loves knitwear, so chunky woolen sweaters, she's very partial to jeans, but not new jeans when they're still stiff, old jeans when they're soft.

What kind of accent do they have?

Tav has done her very best to take the posh out of her accent, and she's now stuck with what we'd recognise kind of as estuary english, but she does have a certain way of speaking that's still kind of melodic, due to having spent the first years of her life in Astrazalian, and solely speaking Elvish.

[kwockwoc]

Hi, I read Cauterize on AO3 and oh my god 💔💔💔 (it's 2 in the morning but I loved it)

What is the deal with Eloisa? (The club's owner, is that right?) Is she based on anyone or is she an oc? I loved the way she tries to convince Rob to stay. 💔

Hey anon, sorry for the delayed reply to your ask 🫂 I hope you eventually got to sleep after reading Cauterize 🫡😅

Eloise is an OC of mine, not based on anyone in particular - she doesn't get a lot of 'screen time', and honestly, I didn't do any real work in the background on her. So what you see is essentially what you get.

In the story she's called the 'owner and manager' of the bar, which sort of 'feels right' for the character (if that makes sense). In the '80s the West Village was a great place for smaller bars and venues like Cauterize, although Cauterize itself isn't based on any particular venue either (it's a pastiche).

I'd say she was married at some point in the past, probably to an older guy with a lot of money or an interest in the hospitality industry, and she used the proceeds of the estate to leverage her investment in Cauterize. She's definitely the sole proprietor. I don't know how or in what form the bar survives the rest of '80s and the '90s - however, I do think Eloise eventually shuts up shop in the mid-90s, and hauls off to a long and Campari-soaked retirement in Miami.

I'm glad Cauterize resonated with you, and again I'm sorry for the delay in acknowledging your question! 💪🪩

[breitzbachbea]

🍷 For Michele?

Grazie mille, amuri!

Red Emoji OC Asks

🍷 (wine) - Does your oc drink? What kind of alcohol do they enjoy? What are their drinking habits? What kind of drunk are they?

He sure does drink! Since he was a rather lonely kid for most of his childhood, he never participated in that kind of group drinking. Never developed a real taste for beer - He will drink it, occassionally, more so ever since the Irish are dragging him around. Even if there's wine at the pub, it's not going to be good, so beer it is. Nothing of that Perroni shit however!

He's a wine enjoyer, above all else. Hard liquor, too, except for Campari, since it was his father's go-to drink. But a bottle of wine, shared with people over the course of dinner, a glass to wind down, an amaro for digestion ... he even enjoys a cocktail here and there!

About his wine, he's not particular nor overly picky, but he knows what he likes and does expect good quality. Which makes me wonder what he thinks about the apple products that Harry and Soph gift him, made from the O'Brien's very own orchard up in Armagh County ...

[kaioshin-kai]

Guess I can get back to the planned stuff + Asks stuff this weekend bc I'm burned up with family bs and said "no".

Anyway. Developing my kai OC's after negative stuff. Will work on SL's.

Solune and Beadle are definitely the bad guys in Zamasu's Redemption story and will play the bully role.

Rubis is kind but still part of the toxic friend trio.

Solune has a good side despite being worse than what Zamasu was in terms of how he acted before he betrayed Gowasu.

Beadle kinda goes with it, it makes him seem double-faced. Perhaps, he is. He just kind of have a follower-mentality, Solune is just the dominant friend, and Beadle kinda goes with it.

Rubis seems innocent and he is... but he has a darker side: Keeping his grief and fears to himself. Even though it doesn't seem like it at all because he's so popular, always making selfies, he wins beauty pageants and is deemed one of the most beautiful women... as a genderfluid guy! A lot of people don't realize that he's mostly male-identifying (reminder that genderfluid is still a trans identity!)

What darkness is Rubis hiding? He seems to know more than people think... perhaps he has encountered some dangers? Who knows! lol I'm still working on this & not sure where I'm going, but it's the most important that people shouldn't think him as a weakling just bc he's more sensitive!!

Nnnnnot sure if I should make a blog for the trio or not... Bc their relation to their masters is most important.

More random lore:

Universe 11: Solune and Khai are very agreeing and get a long very well, Khai endorses Solune so much that he bats a blind eye to Solune's sadistic tics; this can be seen that Khai condoned the erasure of other universes. He believes in sacrifice and it's why he meshes well with Solune.

Solune is extremely intelligent and also assists Khai in his technology.

He passed the tests, proving his great potential. He doesn't seem to have much flaw. Khai considers Solune as "perfect".

Some kais even wonder why Solune isn't Eyre's attendant because he's so good with computers... Though, Belmod warned Khai not to focus on Solune's powers alone and would often remind Khai that Solune is only an attendant, not his replacement.

Toppo claims that he has "bad feelings" around Solune. However, Khai tells Toppo off not to say it ever again. Belmod keeps his eyes open. Other destroyer gods don't seem too keen with Solune. Perhaps they have a better intuition? Who knows.

Universe 3: Beadle is a kai that loves to work with his hands. Despite being quite big and beefy; he's actually the youngest of the 3! He's just a big beefy boy, kinda ignorant and even guillible sometimes. If he wasn't a kai with all that magic stuff, he would've been a construction worker kinda guy. Beadle is good with building big robots, he still has to learn a lot w/ programming and such but Eyre loves how much of a good job Beadle does with mechanics. Beadle helps Mule with maintaining Mosco.

Beadle doesn't really like to think too hard outside the stuff he's good at. Being good at lifting heavy things and engineering. Everything Eyre says is the only good opinion.... and that kind of strokes Eyre's ego a bit too much!

Beadle likes Eyre and Mule's favorite anime as well: Gundam! He passed the test while not even finishing it... he said that he likes Gundam too and Mule and Eyre agreed that Beadle is good enough.

Campari was a little confused. Despite being a supreme kai attendant, Beadle is a can't cook... but Campari wrote down some dishes Eyre and Mule like and Beadle made a robot that can cook. Despite Campari giving Eyre The Look... Eyre said "I could have built that if I wasn't so busy!!* Thank goodness Beadle made Chef-kun."

(*Lies.)

Universe 1: Rubis kind of randomly picked Anato, just good vibes and an instant 'click' while Rubis came to apply...

Rubis wanted to assist a Supreme Kai that would also try to help him overcome his weaknesses, someone a little strict in an encouraging, someone who can genuinely help him with martial arts and give life advice. Something meaningful. Perhaps mutual growth.

Anato accepted Rubis without any tests. He likes the energy of this mutual exchange. He would describe Rubis as "very sensitive, resourceful, always admitting his mistakes, deep down very pure with good intent, and very funny once he warms up." as Anato also claimed that he has never laughed so much before Rubis was around as Rubis would always bring tea and freshly bake sweet treats... always amused by Rubis' punny jokes.

[foodies-channel]

🍥 I made roasted salmon and asparagus with hand-cut frites and campari tomato salad for dinner [OC]

🍔YouTube || 🍟Reddit

[undertalefanforlifethings]

hell this a bit odd but i have to share XD this is Heinz Campari and his wife Chusi Campari.

points to you if you figure out the names they start as shit posts oces as jokes but i have grown to love them so much. they are both based of plant life XD im not starting a debate what a fruit or not lol

[lokis-tribble-army]

So, I've got one of this fake twitter apps and since I own this huge chaotic multicrossover state of an onigiri, this has happened:

Campari is an OC of mine and runs the Twitter Account of said state.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 of 'Peter goes to UA'

[kittycatcorner]

designing hot guys specifically to make my friends look at them

[agent-rougarou]

Agent Campari

Name (last, first): Ricci, Alessia Marie

Nickname(s): Aly, Aly-May, etc.

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Birthday:  November 14, 1987

Life Story: Born in New York City, parents divorced when she was 11, and she moved with her mom down to New Orleans to escape her abusive father.  She went into med school immediately upon graduating high school, and to help ease the costs of her tuition (because her mother’s low-income situation) she joined the army to train as a field nurse.  She served two tours with a unit in Afghanistan.  Her performance in the field caught the attention of Champ and Ginger Ale, and she was brought on as a medic.  After an attack on the New York HQ, her quick thinking and sharp aim convinced Agent Whiskey to put her name in the running as a candidate for the Campari title.  She passed her training with flying colors.  When she isn’t in the field, she’s in the labs, trying to design new gear for her and the other medics to carry along on missions.

Personality: Driven, focused, kind but reserved.  Quiet, somewhat scary when she does get angry.  Excellent bedside manner.

Good Habit(s): punctuality, keeps her office clean, studies medical journals nightly looking for new ideas and advances in her field.

Bad Habit(s): Drinking, the occasional cigarette, her apartment is surprisingly a disaster.

Like(s): Margaritas, practicing at the gun range, sunday dinners with her mom, hunting and fishing trips with her uncle and cousins.

Dislike(s): Needless violence, drug use, shallow people

Hobbies: Music, reading (medical journals, history, fiction, fantasy) spending time with her mother, jogging, hunting and fishing with cousins

Strength(s): intelligent, can stand the sight of blood, ability to adapt

Weakness(es): cute things, mentions of her past, mentions of her time in the service.

[evarcana]

The courtiers and their cocktail choices

(Part of the “combining my niche interests” series)

The court decided to go for a cocktail party for this year’s team social:

VALDEMAR

I am fully supporting the idea that their preferred alcoholic drink is absinthe.

The cocktail they would be suggested to get Vulgora will be screaming for them to get:

Monstre Verte

absinthe, gin, green chartreuse, lime juice, sugar syrup, basil leaves

They will probably order it once (while grinning at the irony of the name) because it does satisfy their taste: it is not sweet, tastes slightly medicinal and it is strong. They might still ask for the double absinthe though.

But being an ancient demon, they would still prefer some more traditional absinthe cocktail which is

Death in the afternoon

Champagne and absinthe

The original instructions are: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."

Let’s just agree that Valdemar is probably the only one who can actually survive drinking three to five of those.

VALERIUS

Tried to come with his own wine. Didn’t work.

Really wanted to order something like Bellini (Prosecco+peach purée) but was told that he was in the bar not at the banquet.

Asked for Aperol Spritz (Prosecco, Aperol and soda water). Everybody shamed his choice.

Being a man of pride, he lost it had to do better with a second round and ordered:

Negroni

one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel

Very sophisticated, very traditional and *supposedly* requires top quality ingredients as no mixers are used. Which also means it is strong af, poor Valerius bless him is asleep without finishing his second one.

VLASTOMIL

Walked in the bar, saw somebody drinking this and immediately ordered it because he liked the look of the cocktail *so pale and ghostly*

White Lady

gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, egg white

Everybody was cracking up at the name and Vlastomil couldn’t drink it because it was too sour.

The second attempt:

White Russian

vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream served over ice

Vlastomil was sure that he heard that this is becoming fashionable again. No, not really, he was too tipsy from the sip of the first cocktail and all the gossip got mixed up in his head. Better, but too sweet.

Somebody, order this man a drink, he makes terrible choices.

VOLTA

Bloody Mary

tomato juice, vodka and spices

Only orders it if the bar makes Bloody Mary with an array of crazy garnishes and I am not talking about celery and olives, but bacon strips, entire mini cheeseburgers and god knows what else.

Keeps ordering more but does not actually even touch the cocktail and only eats the extras.

Vlastomil ends up buying her Pino Colada (rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice) because he could not think of anything better. She wants both the pineapple wedge and the cherry on top.

She quickly switches to non-alcoholic version, because what’s the difference ? You get the same cherry and pineapple wedge... She had like 17 drinks by the end of the night.

VULGORA

Yelling for the bartender to give them the strongest stuff that they have. Vulgora’s idea of the strong cocktail was something more like shot of vodka dipped in the pint of beer or double vodka mixed with espresso powder but they got offered to try this: 

With bartender saying that it is poor evil and you are not allowed to consume more than two in one sitting. WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?!? Challenge accepted

Zombie

Apricot brandy, dark rum, golden run, lime juice, pineapple juice, white rum, overproof rum, cinnamon syrup.

Got bored and distracted after one and is now ordering shot sets. Tries to make others drink with them and starts the fight if they refuse. Can still have the whole set of 4 (or 6) for themselves. By the end of the night had like 3 different ones but the favourite one is

Fireball Shooter

rum, cinnamon schnapps, and Tabasco.

-----------------------------------------------------

Hey, I would love to know what your apprentices/OCs would be drinking at this party!

And since I started...

After one gin&tonic Ev orders porn star martini

vanilla-flavoured vodka, Passoã, passion fruit juice, and lime juice; comes with a shot glass of prosecco.

because: a) sweet tooth, b) looks dramatic, c) after the first drink her entire self is crying for provocation.

Thought she was doing great and Valerius got the hint. Unfortunately, he passed out when she was about to seductively suck in the passion fruit pulp from the shell.

[whitewallwhispers]

Boulevardier

(pronounced bou-levard-ee-ay)

2 ounces bourbon whiskey

1 ounce Campari

1 ounce sweet vermouth (preferably Antica Formula)

Lemon twist (for garnish)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Agent Whiskey x OC (Agent Vermouth) - Series

Part One - Part Two - Part Three

Fledgling Statesman Agent Vermouth’s career has started off more slowly than she’d like, and she finds herself confiding her frustrations to an unlikely ear.

Warnings: alcohol use, strong language.

Tag List: Open! Reply or DM me.

Three months. She’d graduated her training three goddamn months ago, and yet she still hadn’t been sent out on a mission. It was embarrassing. It didn’t matter that she’d been top of her class, apparently. Everyone else had gotten assignments already - Gin, Cognac, even St. Germaine.

And today she’d finally had enough of it.

She knocked on Champ’s door as hard as she could.

“Come in,” he called, sounding a little suspicious. She opened the door, setting her face in a hard expression so he’d know she meant business.

“Ah, Agent Vermouth. And to what do I owe a surprise visit from my favorite niece?” He was seated behind his desk, reviewing something on his laptop with a steaming cup of coffee and half-empty glass of something strong on either side of him.

“It’s been three months since I became a Statesman. Why am I still stuck filing paperwork?” She cut right to the chase. She was sick of waiting, sick of all the bullshit.

Champagne’s mouth opened to respond, then closed again as his brows furrowed in thought.

Trying to come up with an excuse.

“All of my classmates have been on multiple missions. I outscored all of them in training. Why am I being treated differently?”

“It’s…complicated,” Champ sighed. “Take a seat.”

“I’d rather stand, thank you.” She crossed her arms.

“That’s an order, Vermouth.”

Reluctantly she sat down in the plush leather chair opposite his desk with a huff.

“Look. You know it took me three years to convince your mother to let you begin training,” he began. That much was true - she’d hoped to join the Statesmen at 18, but her mother insisted she wait until she was 21. “She was steaming mad at me when I told her you passed with flying colors, and made me promise not to send you out onto the front lines straight away. She knows how hot-headed you are, and she doesn’t want you flying into missions blinded by naive overconfidence.”

“Last I checked my mother wasn’t a Statesman. Why does she get any say in what I do?”

“Because she’s my sister,” Champ said with a shrug. “And I don’t think she’s entirely wrong. You completed your training quickly and eagerly, but you were volatile, too. Took a lot of risks, made a lot of rash decisions. I figured that maybe making you study and log the case reports of other Agents might imprint a little bit of caution into you, teach you that subtlety is sometimes preferable to going in guns blazing.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Vermouth cried. “Tequila and Whiskey are our top Agents and they’re textbook guns blazing.”

“They’re senior Agents, they’ve been in this game a long time. They have the experience to handle themselves in those high-speed, high-risk environments. They weren’t always like that. It came gradually after years of missions. You approached your training already having that attitude. That makes it almost two times more dangerous to send you on assignments than your other, more reserved classmates.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. She scoffed, but she had nothing to follow up with.

“I’m sorry, darlin’, but it’s for the best. You’ll get out into the field someday, I promise.” To his credit, her uncle did look sincerely apologetic.

“So that’s it?”

“That’s it,” he said with a nod.

Without another word Vermouth stood and swept out of his office, heading straight down the hall with one goal in mind.

The rec room was completely empty. Everyone else was out on missions, except for Ginger Ale, who was busy as usual with the Lepidopterist. It’d been a week since they’d found him and she’d barely left her station since.

Out of all the people who she could talk to right now, Ginger Ale was her number one choice.

Perhaps that’s what made her extra annoyed when someone else walked through the door.

Well, less walked and more strutted. He looked as good as he always did - sharp collared white shirt, black tie, grey wool suit jacket with leather patches on his broad shoulders. Even though he was wearing his stupid cowboy hat she could tell his hair was perfectly pomaded and groomed underneath, just like his stupid mustache was, too.

“Well if it isn’t our favorite little spicy sip of wine,” Agent Whiskey called, giving her his usual condescending once-over. Much to her chagrin he took a seat right across from her. “Champ’s got you tending the bar now?”

“No,” she snapped. “I just wanted a drink.”

“What’re you makin’, then?” He grabbed a toothpick from the garnish caddy and began to chew on it lazily.

“Long Island Iced Tea.”

“Phew,” Whiskey whistled, “you sure you know how to make one of those?”

“Well, I’ve made two already, so I’d say yeah, I’ve gotten the hang of it.” She finished pouring in the last of the liquor and gave it a quick stir.

“Come on now, sweetheart, if you’re already two deep don’t push your luck. Pour half of that out for me.”

She bit her bottom lip to test it. Goddamnit. It was completely numb. Maybe he was right, as much as she really hated to admit it.

“Fine,” she grumbled, grabbing another glass and filling it even with hers. She all but slammed it down in front of him.

“And a shot of whiskey, while you’re at it. I feel I have some catching up to do.”

“Why do you care?” She grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured him some all the same.

“Because it’s ungentlemanly to leave a woman to drink on her own. Especially in such large quantities.”

Vermouth rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything, opting to take a large swig of her drink instead. It burned her throat like hell but that’s what she needed.

“No need to stand there, come take a seat,” Whiskey offered, patting the stool next to him.

Begrudgingly, she obliged, though she sat as far away from him as possible to avoid breathing in his stupidly nice cologne.

Everything about Whiskey irritated her. He was arrogant, condescending, and full of himself. That was made worse by the fact that he earned it. He was by far the best Statesman, and he knew it. He fancied himself a smooth talker and figured that his good looks gave him the right to flirt with anything that moved. Sure, he was well mannered and could be sweet at times, but whether or not it was genuine was hard to tell. It was easier for Vermouth to assume it wasn’t.

“So, what’s got you drinking half the booze in this bar at three o’clock in the afternoon?” Whiskey asked, turning in his seat to look at her as he downed his shot.

“It’s…personal.” She avoided his eyes.

“Then why aren’t you drinking at home?”

“Because I have to wait to see who turns in mission reports tonight so I can get them ready for filing tomorrow morning.”

“You might wanna cut yourself off now if you have to be up and in early in the morning,” Whiskey advised. Vermouth rolled her eyes.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Not instructing, just suggesting, sugar,” he answered, holding his hands up in a half-hearted surrender. “Seems like you’ve been on paperwork duty every time I’ve finished an assignment lately.”

“I’ve been on paperwork duty since I fucking graduated,” she mumbled, throwing back another long gulp.

“Now, I know it may seem like you’re given the short end of the stick a lot, but -”

“No, Whiskey. I’m serious. I’ve literally been the only Agent doing paperwork since I joined.”

He furrowed his brows and cocked his head at her. He seemed genuinely surprised.

“Then what about when you’re on a mission?”

“I haven’t been on one yet.”

“Bullshit,” he chuckled. “You’re trying to pull one over on me.”

She leveled him with a fierce glare. “Does it look like I’m joking?”

“Now how is that possible? If anything, shouldn’t you be getting special treatment from Champ?”

“I don’t want special treatment, I just want to be given a goddamn assignment,” Vermouth growled. She finished her drink in anger and moved to get up to make another.

“Slow down, darlin’, I mean it.” Whiskey took hold of her wrist firmly, keeping her in place on her stool. She briefly considered countering by using her other hand to hit him in just the right spot to make him let go, but she was too slow and her eyes telegraphed too much. Whiskey read her move before she could make it and grabbed her other wrist, too. “Don’t try to fight drunk. It’ll only land you in a mess every time. Take it from someone who’s learned the hard way.”

He smiled at her then, and for once he seemed warm and sympathetic instead of distant and smarmy.

“Your instincts were good, though,” he added.

“Fine. Just let me go.”

He paused a moment before doing so, turning back to his own drink. “So I’m guessing that’s what’s got you down here in the middle of the day?”

“Yeah,” she huffed. “I just tried to talk to Champ about it. He says he doesn’t trust me in the field yet.”

“I don’t think any new recruits should be sent out into the field by themselves,” Whiskey shrugged.

“Of course you’d say that,” she scoffed. “Just like you say Ginger Ale shouldn’t be either.”

“She’s too valuable as a techie. Half our missions would fail if she wasn’t stationed here.”

“But she doesn’t want to be just a technician. What she wants should matter. You’re the only asshole who votes against her being active.”

“Like I said, I have my reasons.” He seemed nonplussed by being called an asshole straight to his face, and it irritated Vermouth that it hadn’t gotten a reaction out of him. Especially since he deserved it.

“Whatever. Bring me your paperwork before you leave for the night. Preferably before midnight.” She pushed herself away from the bar and strode from the room without a backwards glance. She’d had enough Whiskey for one day.

Tequila came through around seven. Gin at nine. It wasn’t until eleven thirty that a knock came at her door and she saw Whiskey through the window.

“Come in,” she sighed, immediately turning her attention back to her work to avoid looking at him.

“Sorry it took so long, sugar, your Long Island knocked me on my ass for a good hour or two. How you managed to down three is beyond me.”

As if.

“Save it, Whiskey. Just give me your files and go. I’m tired.”

“I figured you might be. That’s why I brought you this.” He placed his tablet to her right and a steaming mug of coffee right beside the one she was working on. “Bit of cream, no sweetner, just how you like it.”

That got her attention. Vermouth looked up at him quizzically. Suspiciously.

“How the hell do you know that?”

“There’s not much to do in the break room other than people watch,” he answered simply.

“…thanks,” she said at last, taking a sip. “It’s…good.” Vermouth did her best to keep her voice flat and unimpressed, but she was taken aback that Whiskey had noticed something about someone else - about her, in fact. He usually didn’t seem to give her or her classmates the time of day.

“Now I’ll get out of your hair,” he said with a nod. “Goodnight, sweetheart, don’t stay up too late.”

“Right. Night, Whiskey.”

With that he turned and left her office, giving her one last look before quietly shutting her door.

Huh.

She didn’t know what to make of that.