"Yeah, yeah. Bitter brew for a bitter heart, coming right up", Liz rolled her eyes with a playful smile and sauntered off to the kitchen.

"Liz is a guid lass. Ye tak' guid care o' her, ye hear?", Grumtz called out to Joan after Liz was safely out of earshot in the kitchen. 

Joan raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit self-deprecatingly. 

"Fucking hell, Grumps. I can't understand a word that you say through that thick dwarvish accent. You can't speak common, like the rest of us?"

"Ah kin speak juist braw. 'n', ah ken that ye kin ken me, ye hackit eejit. If ye gimme ony mair blether back thare wilnae be ony mair coffea brew fur ye."

"You're not that fucking heartless, Grumps. But, I'll brew you some more of that tonic that you seem to love so much."

"Aye, that's th' guid stuff. It haes a pure tough stiff flavor that melds perfectly wi' some o' mah ale.

If ye bring me some o' that, ah kin keek bygane yer blather."

"You've got a deal, Grumps. And, don't worry about Liz." Joan let out a bit of a sigh. " We're just… friends. And, she can take care of herself." 

Liz chose that moment to walk back to her table. A large glowing smile plastered on her face.

"Aw, shucks Jo. You've never called me your friend until now. I'm so happy to hear that I mean that much to you." The happy blonde waitress placed down a large mug of coffea and sidled a hug out of the mess of a woman. "You're my best friend in the whole entire world."

"Yup. You're a friend. Just… a fucking friend." Joan muttered under her breath as Liz waltzed over to another table. 

The dwarf let out a low whistle at the scene of carnage before him.

"Liz is th' ainlie wifie ah ken that kin murdurr wi' her soft hert."

Liz turned around with a slightly confused look. 

"Uh, thank you, Grumps. I think…"

The dwarf chuckled and walked into the kitchen as he called out over his shoulder.

"Na kinch. Th' girls fairn is a'maist duin. Mak' sure that it mak's it tae her while tis het."

The breakfast arrived a few moments later. And, it was everything that was promised and more. It was hot, delicious and filling. It hit exactly everything that Joan was craving. 

Well, almost everything. 

Joan watched Liz work for awhile. And, the two playfully bantered for a bit while she was inbetween customers. Then, Joan was finished with breakfast and ready to tackle the rest of her day. 

"The food was fucking second rate, Grumps. Much better than the usual slop that you serve."

"Mah fairn is th' best that ye'v ever hud 'n' ye ken it. Bit, ye tak' care noo, huv a go nae tae git intae awfy much trauchle."

"Yeah. You too, Grumps. Later, Liz." Joan waved goodbye as she headed out the door. 

"Well, that was fucking good but... Ugh, now I need to take care of my errands."

The alchemist sulked and grimaced as she weaved her way through the scattered people on the street. A bit of a slow dance on the back road where her business was located. But it quickly became a tumultuous riot of sound and scampering bodies as she neared the main throughout fare. 

 

And, it only got worse as she neared the Merchants guild. 

Criers crowed their announcements to the crowds. Vendors hawked their wares. Patrons haggled for a lower price. And, heavy laden carts thundered through the street with their cargo. 

Occasionally, nobility and their entourage would demand passage through the crowd. The masses would split and cram close together to avoid the ire of the upper crust of society. 

In a few words, it was a-

"Fucking hell."

Joan cursed as she was nearly pushed over and trampled by the boisterous clamor for the third time this morning. 

"Watch where you're fucking going!", She yelled and vented at the particularly burly merchandiser that was haphazardly unloading a cart and whom nearly ran her over. 

The man turned and stared at her for a moment. His eyes seemed to be calculating if it was worth even responding to the irate woman. Then, his eyes glazed over as he shrugged it off and carried on with his work.

"Gods-damned people. They're the fucking worst.", She muttered to herself and angrily stalked away.

All in told, it took Joan a bit over an hour to walk the short distance from The Shaggy Mutt to the Merchants Guild. There were just too many interruptions and delays on the main street to make a good time getting anywhere. But, at last, she pulled herself over to the collections counter at the guild. 

"Good Morning, Miss Dark. It's a pleasure to see you again."

An attractive young woman that attended the counter cheerfully greeted Joan with a stellar customer service smile. It was the sort of smile that was painfully fake and forced. The sort that became plastered and stuck after dealing with difficult people all day and having to remain cordial. 

"Oh hell, Darcy. They don't pay you enough to keep that shit grin stuck on your face. And, again, drop the 'Miss Dark' shit. It's just Jo', or Joan."

Darcy quirked an eyebrow, but kept the painful looking smile. 

"Very well, Miss Joan. How may I help you today?"

"Yup. As professional as ever." Joan thought to herself before she answered. "I'm just here to place a payment on my loan and membership fees."

The two quickly discussed, under rapid fire, the specifics of the payment, the amounts due, and the expected date of the next payment. As well as filling out several forms and paperwork for legal reasons. 

"We done?", Joan asked. The poor girl was completely exhausted from the crowds and dealing with the guild drone. The exact sort of things that she hated most. 

"Yes, Miss Dark. Thank you for your patronage."

"Yup. Sure thing. Have a fucking good one, Darcy."