Omake Week 2017, Day 2: For the curious, this Guild Bar tale is the 75th Phantasy Star IV story (of any size, from omake all the way through novellas (the novel-length fics having been confined to PSII and PSO)) that I've written over the years (beginning way back in 1999, if you can believe it!).

~X X X~

It was unusual to see Garn, owner of the Hunter's Guild bar and master brewer, operating a street stall in Aiedo's marketplace. Alys Brangwin had never been a woman to let the unusual frighten her off, though, so she walked right up and after a couple of minutes' conversation paid over her meseta and was about to receive the flask full of her purchase.

"Alys!"

By contrast, it was not at all unusual for Joss Howland to come loudly barging up to Alys at Garn's place of business. Indeed, one could almost set a clock by him, were Alys inclined to insult an innocent clock with the association.

"Hello, Joss. I'd like to say this was a nice surprise, but it's neither."

"I'm used to seeing you in the bar, but you're twice as beautiful here in the open air and sunlight, hair fluttering in the wind like that."

Not for the first time, she wondered if it would be a good idea to get a haircut. Lots of female hunters preferred shorter hair that didn't get in the way in a fight.

"Can I help you, Joss?" Garn won Alys's undying gratitude by interrupting the spiel before it really got going.

"Hey, Garn! Surprised to see you here."

"Well, the stall is new, so I thought for the first week or so I should run it myself, before I turn it over to an employee."

Joss nodded sharply, his big, square head rising and falling like it was a hammer pounding a nail. It probably was thick enough to serve for that, Alys figured.

"In that case, why don't I give you a bit of business?"

Garn brightened noticeably at the offer.

"Well, then, name your poison!"

"Eh, just give me one of whatever Alys is having." He smirked at her in a way he no doubt thought was being winsome. "She's always got good taste a man can trust."

"All right, then." Garn reached under the stand's table and brought up a clay flask identical to the one he'd given Alys, right down to the blue-painted stopper. Then, before the other two's astonished eyes, Joss pulled out the stopper, lifted the flask to his lips, and drained it dry in a matter of moments, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down like a yo-yo.

He commenced looking decidedly green immediately thereafter. The green was turning to purple when he dropped to his knees. Blackish foam had started to fleck his lips when he fell onto his face.

"I suppose we ought to give him an antidote," Alys sighed.

"And the whole reason I opened this stall was so I didn't have to run the apothecary side of my business out of the bar where people like him could keep making these mistakes. It's right there on the sign!"

"Look at it this way. If the poison works as well on the sand worms as it did on Joss, I'll be a very satisfied customer."