"Hang on are you guys looking for those keys too?" The guardsman asked in a hushed tone, careful not to attract anymore undue attention.

Arthur and Clark exchanged a glance. Both tilted their heads slightly and the amnesiac made the faintest gesture with just his face towards Geoff. Clark didn't have to read Arthur's mind to understand him and for once Arthur felt like he could read Clark's. The cricket capped off the wordless conversation with a nod.

"Geoff I don't suppose you could...Distract him? We only need a short while. I'll explain as best as I can once we're out, I promise." Geoff froze for a moment and regarded Arthur and Clark briefly before changing almost instantly. He snapped his posture straight and was now standing half a head taller than before. His overall demeanor morphed from that of a curious companion to that of a man on a mission. He pushed past the duo and headed straight for the small guardsman outside.

"Excuse me!" He began. "When was the last time this place was inspected by the city guard?"

The Amnesiac and the Cricket heard some fumbling and the voices from outside the hall faded. They didn't have a lot of time.  

Clark almost instinctively leapt behind the velvet divider and scrambled for the shimmering thing he saw earlier. A light trick. A near blinding shine reflecting from the fake oyster with a fake pearl placed near the (presumably) fake merson. Meticulously polished marble seated in equally meticulously chiseled stone.

Not wanting to waste any time, Arthur climbed over the divider and began inspecting the merson. For all the fakery surrounding it, the horror show in front of him seemed very much real. The stench certainly was. There were no pockets on the creature. No logical, obvious, easy to access key storage.

Arthur felt disturbed by how quickly he had jumped to the idea of searching the merson's esophagus though his concern was quickly replaced by the feeling of disgust as he forced his hand through the sludge in its throat. Clark simply watched. Unsure of what to do and unwilling to read Arthur's mind at this particular moment.

The man laughed quietly under his nose. Realising just how ridiculous his idea had been. 

And then he felt it. Clark saw the look on his face changed immediately and watched as his friend pulled out half a bucketful of sludge and...A key. This one made of a rough, coral-like material at its bow and polished, uncannily black obsidian for its blade. The duo stared at it, then glanced at each other.

"Did you know where it was?" Clark asked. Arthur shook his head.

"I just...We should go."