After an especially miserable day in which their hard work was ignored by their boss and they were caught in a damaging downpour on the way home, the protagonist decides they need a drink and heads to the Marigold Room at Hotel Maribel, a venue connected to figures from the old Lackadaisy days following the death of Atlas May and now run by Asa Sweet. While sitting at the bar with their drink, they notice Nicodeme Savoy, a gangster associated with the Marigold Gang, chatting with other patrons nearby; although they try to mind their own business, their distraction ends when Nicodeme approaches and begins sizing them up, initiating an interaction that pulls them out of their thoughts.

(DISCLAIMER: I apologize if he overdoes it with the French..)