By Melissa Farrell
The air was cool in the streets of New York. Down one of those famous sidewalks strode an odd-looking figure. A woman, with hair the pale blond color of moonlight wearing a long, forest green court gown, trotted down the street whistling a happy tune. The night had started out fun, and Ninane Ambrosius wanted to keep the excitement going. She had already gotten her revenge on the arrogant Matt Bluestone and granted Beth Maza's wish all in one fell swoop. All in all, it had been a wonderful night.
She ignored the stares as she walked down 5th Avenue, turning onto a side street. She strolled along; her violet-blue eyes wide open for a new source of fun.
Then, she saw it. Off to one side, a sign flashed out at her.
She grinned wickedly. It had been a while since she challenged the men in a tavern. She concentrated and in a flash of light, her dress was replaced by her usual royal-blue business suit and skirt, high heels, and her hair tied back at the nape of her neck with a simple royal-blue band. Now she was Nancy Ambrose, the businesswoman and multi-billionaire. With her head held high and a smile on her lips, she strode up the walk to the door of the pub.
Nancy opened the door and was greeted by the heavenly smell of fresh mozzarella sticks mixed with the slightly bitter scent of stout ale. Memories flashed before the fay, recalling the taverns of the Middle Ages. She shook her head. This was no time to be nostalgic! There was fun to have and challenges to be met. No sense going in all dreamy eyed...
"Come in, young lady. Don' jus' stand there gawkin'!"
Nancy looked toward the bar to see a massive man with fiery-red hair and a complexion to match drying out a beer stein. It was all she could do not to stare in amazement. He had to be over six-and-a half feet tall, and his girth.. she didn't even want to hazard a guess!
"I don' bite, if that's what yer wonderin'!"
Nancy laughed. "You're sure about that?" she asked, coming the rest of the way in.
The bartender looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Maaaaybe. So, what can I do for ye?"
Nancy thought, taking a seat at the bar. "You wouldn't happen to have any Irish stout, would you?"
The man behind the counter stopped in surprise. He put the glass down and studied her from head to foot. "Sooooo, you're a woman 'o can 'old yer liquor, are ye?"
"Indeed I am, sir. I can hold my own with the best of them. Now.. do you have any?"
"What d'ye think? I'm an Irishman!" The bartender took the stein he had been polishing and set it down on the counter. He reached under the bar and brought forth a dusty brown bottle. The glass container yielded about half a stein. "There ye go, and I'll only charge ye 'alf, too."
Ninane eyed the glass skeptically. She picked it up and swirled the liquor around. "So, what is your name?"
"They call me Jay Mulligan.. owner of this here tavern. And who might you be?"
"Nancy Ambrose" the fay replied. She sniffed the contents of the stein. It was slightly musty, but not bad. She lowered the glass, looked Mulligan directly in the eyes, and downed the entire half-stein in one long drought. She set the glass down, her hand as steady as a rock. "Not bad.. a little too old, but passable."
Mulligan stared at the stein in disbelief. His eyes slowly looked at Ninane, then back at the glass. "Well, I'll be..." He recollected his customer's presence. "'Ow.. 'ow are ye feelin'?"
"Just fine" Nancy replied. "Actually, do you have another bottle; perhaps a little fresher this time?"
The tavern keeper was speechless. Without a word, he brought up another bottle, less dusty this time. He filled the stein to the brim and pushed the glass toward her.
Suppressing a smile, Nancy took the stein and downed the entire thing. Still she did not seem fazed. "Ahhhh, much better."
Mulligan's eyes bugged out of his head. "L..lassie, when ye said ye could 'old yer liquor, ye weren't kiddin', were ye?"
"Of course not" Nancy replied. The tavern owner poured her another glass, speechless with admiration.
This time, the fay took it slow. She watched Mulligan go about his business, readying the tavern for nighttime and the evening rush of customers. At first, the patrons merely trickled in, but by the time midnight rolled around, the drinking room was nearly full. The jolly owner went around greeting the usual customers and welcoming newcomers. He nearly forgot all about Nancy.
One o'clock rolled around; then two. The tavern was half drunk and wagers were being placed for darts and drinking games.
"I can drink the most!"
"No, I can!"
"No, me!"
"No one beats good old Mulligan!"
The crowd laughed and clicked their drinking vessels together.
Mulligan laughed with the rest and continued his rounds.. or he would have if a hand on his arm had not stopped him.
"Is this rumor true?" Ninane asked, her eyes sparkling.
The Irishman puffed up with pride. "Indeed, I can out drink anyone 'I th' world. 'Tis a title I 'old wi' pride."
"Would you be willing to sacrifice that title?" The fay's eyes burned into his.
Mulligan stopped, stared, then burst out laughing. "Ye would take me on, lassie? Come, come now! It wouldn't be fair!"
"Not fair to you, perhaps."
"Lassie, I don' wan' te hurt yer feelin's..."
Nancy snapped her fingers, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Are you willing to wager? Or are you a chicken?"
A series of chicken-like squawks came from the surrounding crowd that filled the tavern. Mulligan glared at them, then turned to Nancy. "Jay Mulligan is ne'er chicken!"
"Good, then here's the deal. You drink me under the table, I give you $500. I drink you under the table, tomorrow's drinks are free to all for the entire evening. Deal?"
The tavern owner eyed her. He took in the high quality of her suit and shoes, and the smoothness of her hair. "It's a deal, though I 'ave the feelin' ye will be the poorer!"
"We shall see."
The patrons cheered as Mulligan took his place at an empty table. Nancy slid off the barstool and sat across from him.
"Now," the Irishman boomed, "'O will serve us?
"I will!" a thin young man volunteered.
"Very good, Billy. Serve us up a nice glass 'o Scotch. We'll start out easy." He threw a patronizing glance at Nancy.
"As you wish" the fay replied, her eyes sparkling with a slightly predatory air.
The drinks were brought and the two competitors downed their glasses in one big gulp. "Another, lassie?"
"Whenever you're ready."
"I'm always ready! Billy, bring out two more!"
The next two glasses of Scotch were set out before the two competitors. Before long, 20 empty glasses sat on the next table, ten belonging to each.
Mulligan scratched his head, then glared at Ninane. "Let's up the stakes, shall we, lassie?"
The fay shrugged. "If you want."
The tavern keeper smiled and bellowed "Billy! Enough wi' the Scotch. Make the next Long Island Ice Tea!" He turned back to the young woman across from him. "Now we'll see 'o 'as th' strongest will!"
Two glasses with several different kinds of liquor within their clear walls appeared before the Irishman and the fay. The two competitors started slow, Mulligan projecting confidence. Nancy sat across from him, gracefully poised and fully aware, sending smoldering looks at her challenger over the rim of her glass. As the hours went on, the pace picked up; the Irishman becoming just a bit worried. Nancy easily kept pace with him.
After 24 Long Island Iced Teas, Mulligan's eyes finally glazed over. It was 5 AM and the sun was just beginning to lend pink to the early morning sky. "One more, one more" chanted the crowd.
Nancy calmly picked up her 25th Long Island Iced Tea and slowly, deliberately downed it. The tavern owner stared at his glass, moaned, and finally closed his eyes. His massive body hit the floor with a loud THUD. Then, the sound of heavy snoring reverberated off the walls of the building.
The crowd gave out a cheer. Money changed hands as Nancy arose the victor. The tavern patrons hoisted her up on their shoulders, setting her down on top of the bar.
"Hooray! She beat old Mulligan! I thought that nearly impossible! Three cheers!"
Nancy smiled. She waited for the cheering to subside before speaking. "Thank you, but now I must go. I have a whole day's work ahead of me!" The crowd chuckled. "Be sure to have some Advil handy for when your host wakes up. I think he's going to need it! And remember to collect your free drinks tonight!"
"What a woman" one of the men sighed.
"Yeah.. I agree with you there! I wonder if she'll ever come back..."