"Certainly," Ardasa said. In her mind, however, she was less certain than ever. "Wait right here, I'll have everything brought." A passing guard caught her attention, and she quickly ran up to him. "Quickly, do we have any fruit?" 

"Erm . . . " the guard stuttered, wracking his brains. "I don't think the fruit comes until tomorrow. We have bread . . . "

"Don't worry about it, just . . . here," Ardasa said, shaking a few coins from her pockets. "Go down to the market. Search every stall for some fruit." The soldier gave her a strange look, but shuffled off, pocketing the silver as he did. Ardasa returned to the room, splaying her hands and smiling. "I'm sure it's no trouble at all," she said. "It truly is good of you to worry about our state. I'm sure Kali would not have called you here if she didn't believe you could do good by our little empire." She nervously paced about the room, rearranging the books on the shelves, then placing them back. "If it's not too much to ask . . . you wouldn't happen to have the ear of any prominent leaders of your homeland, would you? We are always in need of friends, and if you are a friend of ours, then they ought be as well. I don't want to impose this task on you, our guest but . . . politics, I suppose."
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"Who's yeh?" a rowdy soldier shouted, as a stranger entered the Pig's Hoof tavern. He raised his tankard and took another large swill of the drink. "Get outs here, ye daff, this is a legion's bar!" He spit in the general direction of the newcomer. Mardex grabbed the soldier's arm.

"I suggest you wait outside," he growled. The soldier tried to protest, but Mardex stood up to his full height, marginally above the soldier's and he meekly ambled out with a weak salute.

"I'm sorry, stranger," Mardex said, sitting down by the newcomer. "Let's have a drink, on my tab." He tried to hide the grimace on his face, thinking about the coins he had spent today. The legionnaire was no more drunk than he. It was an act they play, every once in a while, watching the door as kobolds entered, drank, and exited. He must have bought a tankard for everyone who walked in. However, this was the investment he knew he had to pay, if he wanted to take the future at all seriously. Any one of them could be the mysterious mage, whom his spy had convinced to meet him here. "They call me Commander Mardex, of His Might's legionary order. And your name?"