A small ballroom had been reserved for Ascanthans and their associates after the concert. It had been three hours of music, ranging from regional folk songs to original material from the band. The organizers of the bazaar had encouraged the visiting citizens from Ascantha to meet with the band and their countrymen after the show. Entry was free for those who could prove their Ascanthan citizenship and a small fee for foreign visitors who came with a citizen.
Kefka had entered the ballroom with Motoko on his arm. He was offered a parfait by a server, which he took after thanking the elf. The air was thick with the smell of fried fish and dill. It was a little overwhelming for Motoko. Kefka couldn't help but smile. It smelled like home to him. Kefka's sister approached the couple as soon as they got past the entrance. "Nice to see you two here. I wasn't sure if you'd come." She looked to Motoko. "I've never seen you in anything but black robes. Your outfit looks great. That shade of blue is something only found in your homeland right?" Motoko smiled.
"Yes it is. Thank you for the compliment Zyneste. Kefka said you knew some of the performers?" Zyneste nods and turns her head.
"They're currently struggling to get past the crowds to get to the... they have scotcharoos here!?" Kefka's eyes widened. "Seriously!? I haven't had one in years." Motoko was visibly confused at the excitement the siblings showed. "What exactly is a..." Kefka and Zyneste looked to her. "It's better you experience it yourself." They said in unison. Kefka took her hand in his and began walking toward the buffet table. After a few minutes of waiting, the trio obtained their treats. Motoko examined the square, not entirely sure what to think of it. Zyneste and Kefka eagerly awaited her first bite. "Do you really want to watch me eat? That's kind of odd." Zyneste smirked. "It's more I want to see the look on your face once you taste it. It's not often I get to see someone try one for the first time." Motoko shrugged and bit into the treat.
It was something she had never experienced before. The body looked like it was made of rice, but no rice she'd ever had crunched like this. A sticky substance held it together that was sweet, but more complex than plain sugar. It was dense. The small square packed enough flavor to make up for the size. The layer of chocolate on top just added to the richness. Motoko's face ran a gamut of emotions. At first she was confused, then surprised, then delighted. Zyneste tried to hide her amusement. Two figures approached the group, a female half-elf and a male human.
"Oi Zyn, the hell are you doing? Don't annoy the guests." The man said. Zyneste turned around and smiled. "Relax Imrich, she's a friend. You two remember my little brother right?" The man looks at Kefka, then at Howard. "It's hard to forget a man with a pet slime. Morrie wanted us to say hi for him if we saw you Kefka. Howard's still got the best time on the course, but there's a guy with a giant beetle that's only a couple seconds behind. You might have to come back and race him." The half-elf looked to Zyneste. "You said someone had questions for us about the showcase?" Zyneste points her thumb toward Motoko. "She does. She's with the people from Godbird Isle. Her monk friend is why the event is public and you aren't just playing to a house of noble assholes and merchants." She turned to Motoko and held her hand out toward the half-elf. "Motoko, this is Jesona. She's a friend and coworker of mine. Great knife-thrower, can identify basically any species of bug on sight, and plays the concertina." She turned to Jesona before using her opposite hand in the same way to introduce Motoko. "Jesona, this is Motoko. She is the guard for the stall from Godbird Isle. She's helped my family out of some trouble and is one of the few people who can actually dodge my kicks."
The half-elf was surprised. "How the hell do you know someone from..." She looks between Motoko and Zyneste. "You know what, I actually kind of see it. I have several questions as to how someone from the most isolated nation in the world met people from Ascantha, but that's not why we're here. You have some questions for me?" A small smile crosses her face as she observes Motoko's muscles. Zyneste lifted the half-elf's head so she was looking Motoko in the eyes.
"She's dating my brother. Don't even think about going there. Focus." Motoko places her metal hand over the part of her dress that
exposed her abs. Jesona shook her head and gave a regretful expression.
"My sincerest apologies Motoko. I did not mean to offend you."
Motoko sighed, keeping her abs covered. "It's not like I haven't been getting similar gazes from all the men here tonight. Those who haven't been gawking at my body do so at my arm. Back to the matter at hand. Now that you've performed here, it was a very entertaining show I will add, do you think the Argonians are exploiting your culture through this event? Are you being used as just entertainment or do they have a genuine interest in having you show your customs and traditions through music." Jesona took a deep breath.
"Your bosses really pile the heavy subjects on you don't they? I suppose it makes sense since only two of you see the outside world every year." Motoko's face remained neutral, but she was glad her father's spy network was still hidden from at least this person. "I'm guessing you want to know since you think they'll try to rope you folks into it. To be frank, I don't know how to answer that. Ascantha has all sorts of people living within her borders, all with different types of music. We aren't a singular people, nor are all people the same across the world. I'm neither fully human nor elf, but I am fully Ascanthan. Dwarves living in Ascantha have different music than those living in Baccarat, which is still different from the humans in Ascantha. It's the mixture of cultures that produced the music we performed today, different families shared theirs with us over the years and influenced our sound." She lifted her head from Zyneste's grasp. "As for how the Argonians have been treating us, it's clear that they're still working things out. I don't know how they would've responded if any of our songs had lyrics in anything other than common, but that's more a problem for if they try to get the orcs more invested here." She turned her head to face Imrich. "You talked with them more than I did while setting up. Did they do anything weird during that?"
The human finished his scotcharoo and folded his hands. "I didn't get the impression they were trying to make us be more Argonian at least. Whatever that monk said must've really done something because they seemed very eager for my input on how things were to be done. I understand your concerns, given your nation is a lot more... unified let's say, than ones with diverse populations. I will remind you, however, that this is first and foremost an entertainment event. A few songs and dances can't explain the history of your people in detail. If seeing the performances makes some in the audience want to learn more about the people living in Ascantha, that's great. They can talk to some people from there or visit the place. You don't need to cater to the tourists, be authentic to your culture, but be aware that you are showing yourselves to them. You may not get the results you expect. If you do decide to perform, you will get a lot of people asking about it afterwards. You might want to have some people answering those questions in the arts and cultural information building the day after so your stall can keep doing business smoothly. The organizers will probably talk to whoever you send as a liaison about that. We don't have to worry about it because Ascantha already has people there, but since your people will be essentially brand new to this they'll go through setting it up with them."
Motoko nodded and extended her metal hand. "I had similar thoughts after seeing your performance, but didn't know about the arts and culture building. I will discuss this with my 'bosses' when I return home. Thank you both for telling me of your experiences here. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I'm going to need to run to get rid of all the energy from that dessert." She turned to Kefka. "You're going to have to explain to me how you do that to rice. I've never seen anything like that before." The pair shook hands with Imrich and Jesona before leaving.
Jesona turned to Zyneste. "Are all the women from Godbird Isle that attractive or is your brother much more charismatic than he looks? Also, how the hell did he start dating someone from a place ships can't get to!?" Zyneste whacked Jesona in the stomach. "You see one new woman with some muscles and you instantly become lech at the bar. Am I not enough for you?" The half-elf chuckled. "Do I detect jealousy toward your brother Zyneste? We aren't dating, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate your body." Imrich rolls his eyes. "We just had a serious conversation with a foreign dignitary. Can you ladies save the flirting for the inn?"
kefkadragon Community Member 
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