Clark answered Morris very straightforwardly, entirely missing the not-so-hidden meaning of what he said. “He’s not actually my friend, he was chasing after us earlier.”
Morris had seen a lot in his time in Irris; some of it before he met the love of his life and much more after that. This led to him losing his patience for criminal stupidity, and for any of Edgar’s associates, he had even less than that. Any stranger who brought people like that into his business was not to be trusted. Even if they were didn’t do anything, people who regularly spent time around people like Gordon would bring even more drama after them, and that would endanger his family.
So his first instinct was to kick these two out, and quickly.
That being said, this cricket was different. They weren’t common in the slightest, but The Homely Hearth had seen a few insect customers in the past, and they were nothing like Clark had been. This cricket had an odd but vaguely endearing persona, and he was straightforward in a way that confused the giant man.
So instead of giving them the boot, Morris looked upon the insect and his friend with suspicion, waiting to get more information.
That is, until he was interrupted by a patron’s muttering a moment later.
“Oh, they’re gonna get it now.”
Morris glared in the direction of the other customers that were there, enticing them to go back to their drinks and conversation. Now what was he doing again? Oh right, figuring out what was going on here.
“Why was Edgar’s boy after ya?” the big man asked.
Arthur sighed, feeling as guilty as Gordon was unconscious. “The truth is, we got caught up in some stuff this morning that ended up being more dangerous than we thought. There wasn’t a lot of time to think and we had to take a moment to plan what to do next, so we came here. We weren’t trying to get you or anyone else here hurt. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it’s fine. They’ve been trying to get us to pay them for years. What’d you do to tick off Leggy?” That was Marissa, who had found her way over to the three of them. Morris seemed less satisfied with that than his wife, but he was willing to go along with her for now. For his part, Clark was amused by the woman’s nickname for the dangerous criminal.
Arthur looked at Clark, who gave a meaningful nod. The cricket knew what the amnesiac wanted to do was somewhat risky, but he trusted his friend’s instincts.
“It’s actually a long story that started yesterday,” Arthur said. “If we could find a quiet place to sit down, I’d be happy to explain everything.”
Morris and Arthur’s eyes met for a moment before the former nodded. “Aye, let’s go to the bar. I’ll get the wine.”
-----
“...and so we ran back here. Again, I am sorry, and we can leave if you want.” Quietly finishing both his story and his third tankard of ale, Arthur waited to see what the reaction from his hosts would be.
Marrisa listened to the story like she was watching an exciting play, but Morris had a look on his face that was a mix between confusion and awe. “So you have them here, right? Can I...see them?”
Arthur pulled out the keys, setting them down in a place only the four of them could see them at. Trusting the two people who had provided them with a place to sleep and had defeated Gordon was one thing, but the random bar patrons did not need to know about this.
“Son, this is incredible.” It was clear Morris was impressed by both the craftsmanship of the keys and by the ones who found them. “People have been hunting these for a long time and you somehow got two of them.” The man shook his head, still slightly in disbelief about what had happened.
“What’s more incredible is Clark kicking Roland in his little balls,” Marissa retorted with a smirk as Arthur put the keys away. Now in a more serious tone, she continued “Morris, we can’t just let them wander randomly like they’ve been. That’ll just get them killed.” This last, she said while looking directly at Arthur.
“Aye,” Morris agreed, “I’ll get the trash out of here,” he said, looking at Gordon, then looked back at his wife. “You should ask Orma and the others what they know - without revealing that they have the keys, of course. Rumors, news, anything that can help get them in the right direction.”
“Right,” the woman responded, “You two should rest in the meantime.”
“Thank you for the help, Lady Marissa, Sir Morris,” Clark responded with a gallant bow. Arthur repeated the sentiment, albeit not as eloquently as his friend had.
“You’re welcome, just come back here when you find that treasure to tell us what happened. We’ll have customers lined out the door wanting to hear about it!” Marissa’s tone suggested she was teasing them a bit, but still wanted that information all the same.
The two nodded in agreement with a smile, then did what she suggested and went back to their room. Arthur felt relieved that the Hearth’s proprietors had been so helpful, but there was still much to do, starting with making sure his friend was alright with everything that was happening.
“Thank you for everything, Clark” the man said as he closed the door behind him, “you’ve helped me a great deal ever since I woke up on that beach. I don’t want to take advantage of you though, so if you want to go back home, I’d completely understand.”
The amnesiac was not lying; he had no clue where or what would happen next. What Arthur did know is that he would not force his friend into a situation like the ones they had dealt with earlier today.
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