Porkum Asks For Sue To Have A Drink With Him

Sue Storm took a little more care with her appearance this week. Two-inch blue heels. A blue and white athleisure outfit that showed more of her trim and fit body, with a matching ballcap. Blue lipstick, lined with white; eye shadow to match. She refrained from the instinct to lick her lips. This time, if Mr. Porkum wanted a little kiss, she'd be happy to leave some lipstick on him.

She walked through the streets of Manhattan with a bag of empty bottles. Sue had gone through the nut milk relatively quickly. Even now, she could feel that shaky urge when she'd gone too long without a sip. Amazing how quickly she had gotten used to drinking it. Still, it had done wonders for her. Her leg had basically healed. Blonde hair was bright as ripe wheat. When she was full of milk, her energy spiked. Lately, Sue had been doing a lot of extra pilates and yoga, and her flexibility had noticeably improved.

Porkum was there, in a cream-colored suit, carefully tailored to his bulk. Sue smiled honestly as she saw him—and noticed, on the desk at the entryway, he had set up a milky-white bottle and a pair of small apertif glasses.

"Miss Storm! So good to see you," he said.

"Porkie," Sue smiled, and set the bag of empties on the desk. "What is this?"

"Something I'd like you to try. A new liquor, made from the nut milk. Fermented rather like koumiss. A potential new market," he said. Then licked his snout and added. "I'm hoping for an honest reaction."

Sue Storm considered. She rarely drank, and then mostly just a glass of wine at night. Never during the day, except perhaps a mimosa with Janet van Dyne during a brunch. Still...

"One glass," Sue Storm said.

Porkum gave a broad smile and unscrewed the top. He poured only half a glass of a thin, watery white liquid into the glass. Sue swirled it around. Took a gentle sniff. The bouquet reminded her distinctly of the nut milk. There was something to it, like an overripe cheddar, that almost burned at the back of the nostrils.

She took a tentative sip.

Then the glass was empty.

Sue blinked, surprised as a burning line liquid slid down her throat, a pool of warmth in her gut. She experienced a moment of tremendous stillness and satisfaction.

"Another?" he asked. "You downed that fairly quickly."

"Just a sip," Sue said, realizing she had barely tasted the white liquor.

Porkum nodded and poured more into the glass.