"I actually need to talk to you two about something. It concerns a mutual friend of ours." Motoko tried to grab the frog sitting on her lapel with her non-prosthetic hand, but it wriggled away and took refuge on the back of her neck. Kefka chuckled before approaching the creature. He lightly slid his finger under its belly, lifting it gently off her neck. Motoko shuddered slightly at his touch.
"He must really like you. Stay away from my girlfriend you amphibian menace." He said to the frog with a chuckle. The ranger lowered his hand to the river, where the frog began hopping away. Vartan picked up his plant.
"Did Yasuhiro get in trouble? How? That man is one of the most peaceful people in the world as far as I know."
"Not him. The guards like him almost as much as our usual customers. This is about an orc." Vartan was confused.
"Why would you be interested in them? They pose no threat to your people and don't have any interest in Empyrea. I can only think of two who would... Wait, you've been to... We need to continue this inside." Vartan whispered. The group walked back to Vartan's house.
Upon entering his home, Vartan looked immediately at Motoko. "Are your people going after Throk too? What the hell did he do to get ninjas after him?" Kefka looked to his girlfriend. "I thought your father and I had an agreement. Your people aren't supposed to be in snow country without permission." Motoko put her hands up.
"We did not go farther than the tavern here. There are strict orders not to go into the tunnel unless being ordered to in-person by the chief. One of our information gatherers was here recently and heard some people asking about Throk. My father wants to know why the prince, or the bazaar organizers, have a sudden interest in a people that considered them an enemy for so long. It seems like a publicity stunt, like this music showcase, but it can't just be that. If they're trying to subjugate them or get them to give them something, it might cause tensions to boil over between Orkutsk and Argonia again. If they're trying to get Throk as a pawn, as incredibly stupid as that would be, it'll lead to war." Vartan took his hat off and pinched the area between his eyebrows.
"Of course you have spies in this city. Nobody can just leave people well enough alone." He sets his hat on a mannequin head in his front closet. "I was helping out at the tavern when those people came in. They didn't say who they were with, but the papers in their bags had Argonian royal seals on them. They were asking about the Orcs north of here and if 'the fighting feast winner' ever came by there. I said he doesn't and asked why they were looking for him. They just said their employer was interested in meeting with him. I couldn't determine whether that meant the prince or some other part of the Argonian government, Kefka and I were talking about it a month or so ago. We know they'll try to squeeze him for information, so we've prepared as best as we could for that. We're also trying to figure out why they're looking for him, but I don't have any royal connections. None of the nobles I've met while gambling are in the group that organizes the bazaar." The sorcerer waves his hands and tea begins brewing in the kitchen. "Let me guess, you want our help in getting this information. Possibly by sneaking into the castle and eavesdropping on a meeting?"
The ninja raised an eyebrow. "If you know where one's taking place I can do that. I was just going to have you two ask around so we cover more ground. Possibly sneak around during the merchant's ball to see if we can get anything out of that. If you think Kefka will be questioned, I might be able to do something with that. I can tail the one that talks to him and see who he reports to. That's a place to start. Do merchants and tourists come to the tavern here during the bazaar Vartan?" Vartan waved his hand while taking a seat on his couch. A hot pot of tea floated over to the low table in front of him.
"Yes, business tends to pick up during this time. The bars in Argonia tend to fill up or get rowdy in the first couple weeks of the bazaar, so the tavern and innkeeper here hire a few carts to bring people as a 'calmer alternative to Argonian party life.' Before you ask, Argonian city guards don't come here. It's not illegal or breaking their contract to do it, but guards are highly discouraged from leaving the city during the bazaar in case something goes wrong. That's what one of my academic friends says anyway. He's married to one of the armorers to the guards. Very nice couple, we play darts a couple times a month." Vartan poured tea for his friends. Motoko took the cup, bowing her head toward Vartan slightly before taking a sip.
"Thank you Vartan, for the tea, information and general hospitality. It looks like I'll be spending more time in Argonia than I'd like to, but Throk has been kind to me. I don't want harm to come him. I'll keep an eye on the guard patrols starting tomorrow. We haven't had much trouble with thieves or ornery customers this year. It seems the time I broke the leg of the man who tried to steal one of our more expensive goods our first year has stuck in people's minds." Vartan shuddered slightly while sipping his tea.
"How casually you can say such things makes me glad I'm not your enemy."
Kefka took a cup of tea as Howard jumped atop his head. "So what do we do once we figure out why they want him? He's not just our friend, he's my dad's best friend and a pillar of Tryan Gully. He could possibly influence the northern orcs one way, but he won't be under anyone's thumb willingly; especially not Argonia. There's so much potential risk here. If he finds out about this, he may get angry and face them directly." The cup shook slightly in his hand. "My dad punched a prince and broke his nose, that started a small war. If Throk punches any of these royals or organizers, they'll be unconscious at best. The northern orcs don't need more tension with the outside world, especially started by someone who left them decades ago."
Motoko put her hand on Kefka's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll figure out what to do when we get that information. Don't tell the guards anything when they question you. You're in the position of power here. If you leave the bazaar, there goes a lot of revenue from them. They'll have a few hundred pissed off rangers and other adventurers on their doorstep. If you or Vartan tell the public the guards wanted to manipulate your friend, we could have another Queen Viola situation." She put her other hand on his other shoulder and turned him toward her. "Look at me. We've been through worse than this. We saved the damn world. Now we just need to maintain it. Think less about what could go wrong and more about what is going wrong now." She places her lips on his as she pulls him toward her. Vartan rolls his eyes.
"Espionage isn't what most people would consider a good date night. If you're going to make out, at least wait until I'm out of the room." Kefka blushed while Motoko smirked at Vartan.
"That's rich coming from the man who flirted with every female worker at every tavern and inn we stayed at. You even tried to flirt with one of the interrogators when we captured you as soon as you found out she was female. You're lucky I wasn't the first one questioning you. Let me have this one good thing." Vartan laughed.
"I can't deny what I did. It was a bad idea, but it's how I handled most of my problems up to that point. You two should go do something fun after we stop... whatever the hell this is. Assuming Kefka's brain starts working again."
kefkadragon Community Member 
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