Doug's Absolut Martini on the Rocks

Bartender dispatches a stout rocks glass brimming with Absolut martini—pale vodka laced dry vermouth, jagged ice cubes fracturing the surface chill as condensation streaks the exterior. Doug claims it amid Toby's curt deflections, fingers curling the stem while Haiti ghosts and apology demands hang heavy, the clink punctuating their alliance's strain in the dim New Hampshire bar haze.