Captain Face, Subtle, and Dol Common are in Lovewit’s house arguing about their positions in their group. Face saved Subtle from the streets, having found him dirty and loitering around street vendors, and then gave him a place to pretend to be an alchemist. Subtle counters that this is Lovewit’s house, and Face is only Lovewit’s housekeeper. Subtle makes the group’s earnings, and so he is responsible for the appearance of wealth that Face maintains. Throughout their discussion, Subtle appears to be older and hard of hearing, as Face notes that Subtle is speaking too loudly, while Subtle complains that he cannot hear Face.

Dol tries to stop the arguing, noting that Face and Subtle are being too loud and will alert the neighbors. Finally, Dol takes Face’s sword, threatening to cut their throats if they cannot stop fighting and acknowledge that the three of them entered a “venture tripartite” equally, meaning that all would work together and share the results evenly. Face’s only real complaint about Subtle is that Subtle claims to work more than either Face or Dol, which Subtle confirms. Dol grabs Subtle by the throat and tells him to quit alchemy and work as a regular laborer if he’s unhappy with the arrangement.