/Author's Note: It's been a little while, but I haven't forgotten about this fic either :) Karen's way too fun to write to give up on this. Enjoy the latest chapter! End Author's Note/

(11) Remedy, i

"It's two in the afternoon! I've never been hungover this long!" cried Karen, her head against the wooden surface of one of the tables at Doug's Place.

"That's a bald-faced lie and you know it, sugar." Ann replied, attempting to clean the table her dirty-blonde haired friend was currently collapsed at. Treating her like an everyday obstacle (which, she kind of was, in more ways than one), Ann cleaned around her, hoping there wouldn't be a Karen-shaped layer of grime on the table when she was done. "You only woke up an hour ago anyway, so again, it's absolutely normal that you're still wading through the treacherous seas of Hangover country."

"Stop using big words!" moaned Karen.

"Treacherous?"

"Country."

"Uh… Right."

"Why do I smell like ketchup?"

"Aiyaiyai… I was wondering when this would all start coming back," the amber-haired waitress hooked her rag onto the belt loop of her denim overalls and leaned on the table with one hand. "Y'got blitzed at the Tomato Festival yesterday, knocked over three barrels of tomatoes, sabotaged every side of the competition, made a fool of the mayor, and got pelted with more tomatoes than any one team the entire day."

"It's not my fault! Duke shouldn't have been serving Bloody Caesars for half-off!" Karen groaned, her head pounding as every one of these familiar scenes pounded its way back into the forefront of her mind. "Nice. I ruined another festival."

"Ruined? Aw, Karen! I don't think you realize we had more fun throwing veggies at this dazed little blonde who could seemingly feel no pain all day. You were a freakin' Tomato martyr out there!"

"Glad. To be. Of Service." She grumbled in response, pounding her head on the wood rhythmically, for emphasis.

"If yer hangover's so bad, you could always try a nice home remedy," called Doug from behind the counter as he lazily counted the cash in the register, "Y'know, one of those old country tricks."

"I will try as many as it takes for me to not feel like the Gourmet is doing squats on my head."

"Hmm…" mused Doug, scratching the end of his moustache, "Have you tried freshly squeezed milk?"

"Hand me an udder and I will."

Shuddering at the image, Ann interjected, "What about some ancient pickles from our basement? I hear those'll do in a pinch. Oh! Or the oil from the liver of a Cureall? "

Karen's tongue would have shriveled up at just the thought, but somehow a belch slipped out instead. "S'cuse me."

"There is one cure that Won told me about." Ann looked at Karen uncertainly.

"Oh, this oughta be good. Did he advertise it as Won's Super Amazing Heavenly Sparkling Hangover Cure or something?"

"Super Incredible Heavenly Sparkling Cure, actually. But never mind that, it's absolute bull anyway." The redhead shrugged and turned around, if only to conceal the smirk now playing on her lips. She knew she had her nice and hooked.

"TELL ME."

"Weeeell… Alright - If only because I'm a sucker for old wives' tales and I'd really like to confirm whether or not this one's the real deal. Apparently, a fool proof way to get over a hangover is to plant your lovely lips on those of a pure, untainted, immaculate maiden."

Ann wasn't stupid. It was more than likely that Won had come up with this sham of a remedy to troll for some form of … entertainment. And, if she were to be honest, that's exactly what she was doing now, but not as a remedy for horniness, as Won likely meant it to be, but more as a remedy for her current bout of boredom. Plus, Hungover Karen ranked right underneath Full Out Wasted Karen on the charter of who, in Mineral Town, was most fun to exploit for one's own amusement. They took up spots number one and two respectively.

"A pure, untainted maiden…" Karen's head suffered another pang of pain before her mind was made up. She shakily got to her feet.