Carl, Donut, Louis, Britney, Arief, and Juice Box arrive at the Desperado Club entrance hoping to reach Gravy Boat, but Clarabelle blocks them. Clarabelle says the club’s new manager has banned all crawlers, though NPCs may still enter. Clarabelle identifies the new manager as Hamed, which Carl recognizes as the real name of the Night Wyrm, leader of the Guild of Suffering and the late Astrid’s husband.

Drick exits the club carrying a tablet and a drink, with Ferdinand sitting on Drick’s head. Donut forces Ferdinand to admit he is not her fiancé, and Ferdinand complains that Carl and Donut still have his mount, Simoom, and his missing turban. Carl realizes Donut has Ferdinand’s turban, but Carl uses Quan’s black bowler hat as a temporary bargaining chip instead.

Carl offers Ferdinand the bowler hat in exchange for control of Shanty Town, promising to return the turban soon and to try to recover Simoom if possible. Ferdinand is distracted by how handsome the bowler makes him look, but the trade succeeds. The Princess Posse’s truce with Team Retribution is renamed from its previous offensive title to “The Good Guys.”

The group then holds Louis and Juice Box’s changeling “small wedding” in the grimy entrance bar. Juice Box returns to her blank form, and she and Louis privately whisper improvised vows. Mordecai explains through chat that changeling marriages begin with a one-month trial period before a larger Confirmation ceremony, but the small wedding is still legally binding unless a divorce is filed.

After Louis and Juice Box are married, Donut celebrates and immediately begins planning the later Confirmation party. Carl’s warlord interface suddenly floods with new recruit notifications, forcing him to mute them. Florin messages Carl to come to headquarters through the secured saferoom entrance because a large group of people is waiting to meet him.