#even better if the barman offers a listening ear and spills some wise empathetic advice

[scrimblobimblowhump]

A beloved classic: Whumpee, weakly stumbling into the pub they frequent, beaten black and blue and their clothes wrinkled and bloodied, after escaping whatever mess they had gotten themselves in, and slumping themselves over the bar. The barman asks “The usual?” completely nonchalantly, without asking any questions and whumpee just nods. Then we see them, completely miserable and exhausted, sipping on booze with a bitter scrunch on their face, before heavily slamming the glass back on the table.