Ahnasha listened in on the conversation, peering ever so slightly around the corner to get a look at the pair. The old man the Cathay was speaking to was some type of human, perhaps Imperial or Breton, with thick grey hair and a bushy, unkempt grey beard. He looked up at the Khajiit with a sort of haze over his eyes and a slight grin over his face.

"Oh, now this is a sight I haven't seen before: a big cat!. How exciting! What does the big cat want with me?" The human said, with small laughs dotting his sentences. 

The Cathay did not seem nearly as amused as the old man, returning a serious expression. "Do not play games, you should know of this one. A few weeks ago, our associates spoke with a few of your...friends, regarding some information. You offered to sell the information, and we took some time to decide. We wish to take the deal."

The old man cackled for a few moments before finally giving his response. "Yes, yes, I was told about a big cat I might be meeting...but how do I know that you are the [i]right[/i] big cat? What's the password?" 

"Password? We were given no such information. However, we have been here for weeks, and this one has not seen a single other Cathay-raht in the city. There are none others here besides this one." The Khajiit said, obviously annoyed. 

"Weeks? Ha! I've been here half my life. I might as well be a Dark Elf. Oh, I wonder if...never mind. Not important." The Human retorted, his voice and mannerisms beginning to hint at some mental instability. 

The Cathay-raht crossed his arms and glared at the man. "So, you've been here for years. Have you ever seen a Cathay-raht before a few weeks ago?"

"Big cats like you? Nope." 

" So you admit that this one is the only Cathay-raht in the city?"

"Yep,"

"Then will you give us the information?" 

"No."

"How does that make any sense?" The Khajiit asked, now yelling with visible anger. 

The old man gave a dismissing wave to the Khajiit and stood up slowly from where he was sitting. "You see, I know that there was only one big cat in the city. But, how do I know that you don't know that I know that? You could use the fact that you know I know it to trick me into thinking you're the one I know I saw, even when you know that you're not the one I know." He said, making motions with his hands as if they were actually helpful. 

The Khajiit cocked his head to the side and stared at the man for a few moments. "...what?"

The man let out a sight, genuinely disappointed that the Khajiit did not understand. "Look, no password, no information." 

The Cathay, obviously still confused, took a few steps back and put his hands up in front of himself. "Just...you were told to expect a Cathay-raht, correct? A 'big cat'."

"Yeah."

"You know you had never seen one of my kind until a few weeks ago."

"Indeed"

"You know you were told to meet someone meeting this one's exact description."

"Quite."

"With how far Vos is from the Khajiit homeland, you have to recognize that the odds of another Cathay-raht arriving at the exact same time as us is almost none, right?"

"Probably."

"So will you give the information?"

There was a pause of a few seconds as the man stared up at the Khajiit. "...what's the password?" 

Both the Cathay-raht and Ahnasha let out a sigh simultaneously. It seemed this was going to be a long conversation.