Insecurity

The chill of the lacquered bar felt wonderful against the throbbing in her right hip, Sophie and Emilia were giggling at her from across the room. Faking a smile, Maisie turned to face the bar. It felt like everyone was staring at her from around the hazy pub. Setting her glass down, she brushed a lock of hair from her face, and cast her eyes into the polished surface. Lifting a finger, she ordered another pint.

“You think you can handle another one miss?” The barmaid asked.

Shrugging, she let out a nervous chuckle. Nodding, she looked the server in the eye. “Wasn’t my fault, that guy bumped into me.” The barmaid was tall, shortish brown hair with wide shoulders. On the strap of her singlet, she could see a name tag, but her eyes slipped right off moving upwards towards her face. 

“How many have you had dear.” She asked, her voice was warm, and she pressed her hands into the bar top. Leaning forward, she loomed over Maisie. “Might be time for some water?”

Maisie felt her cheeks redden, her eyes narrowing. “Another pint.” She growled. “Please.”

“Feisty, aren’t we?” The barmaid asked, tilting her head away, looking down her nose at the petite woman. “I like that.” She purred, filling a glass from the tap. For a moment, her gaze lifted off of Maisie. Her eyes almost glassed over, thoughts dancing through her inscrutable head.

Maisie felt a light chill wash down her spine as she reached for the pint with a pleasant smile. Lifting the glass, Maisie looked back to her friends. Sophie and Emilia were chatting amongst themselves, Nathalie had just walked in and was moving to join the group at their table. As Maisie turned, she felt a chill washing down her spine once again. Several patrons averted their eyes, leaning in close. She could almost make out the whispers and jabs from the crowd. Her vision narrowed, and she felt a tightness in her chest. Suddenly, she felt a tug. Looking down, she could see the barmaid had gripped her forearm. “…What?”

“You’re a little insecure aren’t you dear?”

Maisie gasped. “No?!” She stammered and went to wrench her hand away. The woman’s grip was light, and she didn’t paw after the shorter woman. “And it’s none of your business.”

Shrugging the Barmaid nodded. “It kind of is, crowd control is part of my job. But there’s no need to be nervous. Plenty of people have embarrassed themselves far worse in a pub.”

Maisie looked at her, there was an openness to her that caught the petite woman off guard. “I… everyone’s staring at me…”

“You’re kind of cute, what do you expect.” 

Maisie contracted, a light warmth spreading across her cheeks. “Thank you… I need to rejoin my friends. SO nice chatting with you.”

The barmaid smirked, holding out a hand. “Hold on, how about a cocktail?” She offered. “On the house.”

“I don’t know…” Maisie replied, clutching the pint close to her chest. The memory of bumping into that bogan’s chair replayed again in her mind. She was a lightweight, and she was already two in. The barmaid’s smile seemed to pull her back to the bar itself. “Can I have a Manhattan?” 

“I was thinking of something special. Can I have your pint glass?” 

Maisie slowly held the pint glass out. The barmaid took it and in one motion dumped the contents out and set it in a sink. She took a small tumbler, and put a pair of chilled jade stones inside. She removed an aged bottle and poured a warm red and chocolate coloured liquid in. alcohol wafted off of the stones and glassware, and the barmaid added a splash of seltzer and lime juice. There was barely a shot inside, and Maisie looked at the glass quizzically.

“It’s called an Otkrativa. My own special recipe.” She said. Maisie sniffed the drink, it had some pleasant notes: Chocolate, maybe sherry, and citrus. “Trust me, it’ll be relaxing. You’ll feel much better.”

Sipping the drink, Maisie felt a warm tingle coating her throat as the drink slipped out of the glass and down the hatch. “Oh, that was wonderful!”

For a moment, Maise teetered on the footrail. She felt a pleasant buzz bubbling inside, then frowned.

Her vision seemed to cloud over in an iridescent haze before, curiously she felt like she was falling in slow motion. Her hair fluttered, a as it was settling on her shoulders, she gasped. “This is impossible…”

The barmaid loomed over her, an eyebrow arching as she snickered. “Oooh, this is incredible.  I’ve only seen someone shrink… hrm… once before?”

“You SHRUNK me?!” Maisie hissed, looking up at the mysterious barmaid.

“Um…no. You did that yourself.” The woman answered. “That spirits special, it brings out your deepest desire.”

“No one wants to shrink!” Maisie gasped, her head flailing in all directions. No one seemed to be looking in her direction. Sighing she looked up into the woman’s eyes. “Fix. Me. Now.”

“No.” she replied. “Magic doesn't work like that and you’ll…” A massive finger snapped forward, poking her nose. “…just have to deal with this until the spell wears off.”

“People will see me‽” Maisie whimpered. “I’m the size of a child!”

“Less of you to see then. Relax, it’s just for the night.” 

“The what?!”

The barmaid pointed to the clock on the wall. “Six, seven hours tops. Now… off you pop.” She continued, gently but firmly pointing to the booth where her friends had gathered. “Rejoin your little friends, I’ll bring a round over as an apology.”

“They’re going to notice‽” Maisie whined, stepping off the footrail. The barmaid disappeared behind a wall of oak and brass. Maisie winced as she saw a wad of gum smashed under the bartop.

“You weren’t that big to begin with.” The barmaid answered from somewhere beyond the bar. “Come on now, don’t forget your coat.”

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