“So, what? We’re doing business with some motherfuckers with radical political leanings? What’s next? Fuckin’ Al Qaeda?”

That last question was enough to get the other customers in this McDonald’s to cast shocked glances to the booth in the center of the dining room where it came from. Said booth contained four faces; three of which were glaring at the fourth. Arryn was, of course, that fourth and yet almost oblivious to the silent outcry her less than eloquent reaction, she kept her same shocked expression, staring back into the eyes of the man sitting next to her. Sighing, the man held his open palm up to the pair sitting across from them and with his other hand, grabbed a hold of Arryn’s shirt, pulling her in close. He exhaled before speaking, sending a rush of warm halitosis infected breath almost directly up her nostrils. Arryn rolled her eyes before the man forcing her to pay him attention began to speak in a low whisper, waving his hand to the crowd in hopes of getting them to turn back to what they were previously doing.

“Shut your fucking mouth for two seconds, will ya? This is a good opportunity.”

“Yeah Joshua, politics are the best venture to get into. Why don’t one of us just run for President while we’re at it? That’ll show how serious we are!”

Just then, one of the men on the opposite side of the booth decides to open his mouth, cutting the woman responsible for the outburst off.

“Excuse me, but are you two quite finished with your little quarrel? Because if you’re deciding on not going through with this transaction my colleague and I can just find someone else to match your offer. It really is no skin off our backs.”

“Hold up. Arryn, play nice.”

“Fuck you.”

Surprisingly, the prying eyes of the other patrons fell back on their own food and conversations. The ploy had worked, for now. Now, all Joshua hoped for was that there were no more outbursts attracting their attention. Arryn once again rolled her eyes and turned her head away from the conversation, instead focusing on the floor tile.

Paying no mind to his assistant’s mental checkout, Joshua cracks his knuckles and lays his hands on the table. The awkward feeling that radiated from this exchange of information taking place in public, in a fucking McDonald’s no less, was really starting to seep in at this point and was amplified by Arryn’s outburst. Prying eyes or not, having someone present whose uncouth remark was almost enough to alert the luckily apathetic civilians seated all around the establishment was enough to put a damper on the mood. At this point, Joshua was certainly regretting his decision to bring her with him, as opposed to someone who could be trusted to maintain a certain level of professionalism; even if they were faced with something they may or may not have agreed with personally.

“So, are we going to have a civil discussion without anyone snapping now?”

“Don’t worry, next time I snap; it’ll be your neck.”

“Arryn.”

“Hey, I’m not yelling am I? Besides, the two seconds you told me to shut my mouth for have elapsed. Asshole.”

“Alright. We’ll take that as our cue to get out of your hair.”

The appointed spokesman for the organization, alongside his mute compatriot slide over to the end of the booth, the former just about to stand up when Joshua’s voice rings out.

“Wait. Let’s talk this over.”

“I believe your assistant’s proven that talking things over isn’t something she’s too eager to do, and honestly your business isn’t worth dealing with her rampant unprofessionalism. Maybe someday in the future, when you have better control over your employees we’ll consider looking you up again. For now however, my colleague and I feel it best to look for—“

“Wait! Don’t mind her; she’s probably just on her period. Isn’t that right?”

Punching her hard in the arm underneath the table, Joshua leans in and whispers into Arryn’s ear:

“You know we need this.”

Turning to the pair settling back in the cheap plastic seats of the booth and putting their backs against the grainy, splinter inducing wooden backrests, Arryn clears her throat and proceeds to sell the lie fed to her.

“Yeah, that’s right. I got the equivalent of Niagara Falls shooting out of my snatch and that’s put me in a pretty bad mood. Apologies.”

The sarcasm was blinding. As in, so apparent in her disinterested tone that it transcended the barrier of sound and became a visual so bright that anyone looking her way who wasn’t protecting themselves with sunglasses (indoors) would be stricken down with a sudden bout of blindness. The spokesman sighs, but remains seated nonetheless. Either he believed the obvious lie or more accurately was bluffing about having a fallback plan in case this deal fell through.

“Alright. I’m listening Joshua. Start talking.”

“Me? You need to name your price.”

“Very well. Fifteen dollars.”

“You’re bullshitting, right? Because right now, we both know that you need us. Not the other way around. Keep up with your shit and we’ll walk.”

“Maybe we’ll steal them from you. What will you do? Call the police?”

“Oh, now you’re playing difficult?”

“Not playing. With the level of disrespect my—“

“I don’t give a shit about how disrespected you feel. I stopped right after you sold yourself out. Here’s the deal now; you either name a reasonable price, or we’ll walk and you’ll have nothing. I’m sure having to explain to all your commie friends how you and Silent Knight over there shit the bed will be a fucking blast, am I right?”

“Fuck you.”

“Is that all you’re going to say? Sheesh, if I wanted to hear someone do nothing but curse, I’d talk to her for an hour.”

With a look of shame plastered on his face; the one synonymous with realizing how your entire façade was crushed in front of you, the spokesman sighed and laid his hands in his lap. Arryn, finally turning back to look at the pair seated opposite her and Joshua smiled at the ashamed expression and locked her eyes on his. Unblinking, she reached under the table for a butterfly knife she kept hidden in her sock just in case either man decided to try anything fishy. Considering her, well what some would call addiction for confrontation, this wasn’t something that would end well for the two revolutionaries. Joshua, looking aside and noticing the slight motion slapped his hands down on her knee as an unspoken command to stop. To which she flat out defied, sliding the blade up her leg and laying it rest in her lap, wrapped in her hand.

“Three hundred K.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of you disrespecting us.”

“Fine, thee fifty.”

“You’re getting there…”

“Four?”

“Four twenty five. For wasting our damn time. My people will call your people to set up the drop, friend.”

Joshua smirked and put his hands behind his head, letting out a short chuckle.

“Here’s to a long, prosperous friendship, partner. Arryn, our job here is done.”

“Good, I was getting sick of looking at these two.”

“Remember: four twenty five.”

Joshua reached over the table and slapped the spokesman on the arm, sliding over to the end of the booth as Arryn stood up.

“Partner.”

Laughing, he slid the rest of the way out of the booth and followed Arryn to the exit and to the car they arrived in, leaving the McDonald’s employees with one important question:

Who sits in a restaurant for over a half hour without ordering anything at all?