Mocho had returned to the Free Company house as soon as he got the news that Amon was gone. He’d missed Koh’s first few attempts to contact him by linkpearl, but finally, she’d been able to reach him and call him home. Once he arrived, he’d gotten most of the story out of the Miqo’te.

He did mean most… because she was still trying to withhold information about Amon’s identity. Only, little did she realize, Mocho had been in on the situation probably before she even knew.

The more puzzling thing to the Lalafell was why Amon had confided so much in Koh. But that was not something he had time to worry about at that moment.

The bottom line was that Scylla – yes that Scylla – had arrived at their Free Company house and sought entry into their group as a healer. And when Amon had returned from his Yanxia trip, the two had promptly disappeared.

Strangely, Scylla left a message to Koh indicating her departure. From that, they could deduce that she’d willingly gone with Amon and wasn’t in any distress upon leaving.

I thought they had that woman well in hand in Bentbranch.

Mocho frowned as he stepped outside the Free Company house.

Keeping the two Allagans separate had been at the top of the priority list. Especially since it seemed that Scylla had no memory of her past. Either she was just as good an actor as Amon, or she was truly disassociated from her previous life. No matter which, her memories could return, and keeping her away from Amon had been their orders.

Someone botched that, and now who knows what trouble those two are going to cause. I’m really not getting paid enough for this.

Babysitting for power-hungry Allagans had never been part of his job description. He just fit the bill well, with his unassuming looks and the abilities the Echo had dropped on him. No one would suspect the Lala, right?

Only… it did seem like Amon was pretty suspicious of him. Then again, Amon was suspicious of everyone.

Mocho was so lost to his thoughts that he didn’t realize he wasn’t alone until a voice spoke to him from within the yard. His eyes widened as they fell on the Elezen who sat there – it was rather hard for someone to miss the likes of him – yet, the mage did have a way of coming and going at his own whims.

“It seems our Allagan friends gave us the slip,” the Elezen said, voice not unkind. It sounded more as if he was amused by the whole situation – something that was inevitable to fail despite how hard they’d tried to control it.

“Ben,” Mocho breathed the mage’s name with a hint of distress. “Is the situation really so dire that they called on you?”

“Not yet,” he gave a calming smile, accented by a jovial light in his green eyes. “But there are some who have concerns that it could escalate. So, here I am.”

Mocho wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or upset. If the Gridanians had called on this mage, it certainly seemed like someone was pretty worried. He was an Elezen of considerable skill – rumors often spoke of him being highly Echo-blessed in unusual ways – and one who often worked for the City States on more… sensitive… missions.

Interestingly, for all of his mystery, and the fact that he was pretty much an unknown when it came to the general population, Ben was a rather approachable personality. Even now, he responded with a calm concern, no trace of belittlement in his body language.

“I can confirm that they left by ship,” Ben told him. Always a step ahead. “That means that their path will take them through Limsa.”

“Then we can intercept them there.”

“Perhaps.”

Mocho furrowed his brow. “Meaning?”

“I was instructed not to interfere unless I saw the situation become dangerous.”

“What? That’s madness!” the Lalafell motioned in disbelief. “Don’t they realize that Amon and Scylla are supposed to be enemies? That’s what all the stories say! What if he does something to her? Obviously, he’s planning something unsavory!”

“I understand,” Ben told him with a thoughtful frown. “I think they suspect Amon is up to something and want to see where he’s going and what his intentions are. Again, I do have leave to get involved if I think someone’s going to get hurt.”

Mocho sighed. “I don’t like this. We’re giving that Allagan way too much freedom.”

“Is he a prisoner?”

“No, of course not,” the Lalafell grumbled. “But we might all be better off if he were.”

“I know you don’t mean that,” the Elezen grinned slightly. He had a way of seeing right through things.

Mocho shook his head. “Amon is an infuriating pile of contradictions. He’d be likeable if he weren’t such a scheming con.”

Ben laughed. “Well, someone thinks he deserves a chance.”

“He’s blowing that chance doing whatever he’s doing.”

“Maybe so.” The mage agreed. “But then, some of us have to learn the hard way.”

“So what’s their plan?” Mocho asked.

“I’m going to port to Limsa and watch for Amon’s arrival. They want you to do damage control here and ensure Koh doesn’t strike out after him.”

The Lalafell didn’t like the sound of this. It was about as bad as ‘Guard the house until we get back.’

He made this thought known, “That seems like a waste of resources.”

“We don’t need a third Allagan getting into the mix,” Ben responded promptly, standing and brushing off his robes.

This left Mocho stunned and off guard. He lowered his eyebrows. “Third… Allagan?”

What does that mean? Is there another? Someone’s not telling me something, it appears…

Ben gave a quirky raised eyebrow, as if he could sense all of the Lalafell’s unspoken frustration and confusion. “I suppose that’s something you’re going to have to investigate for yourself.”

Before further protest could be waged, the mage lifted up off the ground in the tell-tale transference of aetherflow, and vanished with a ripple of spacetime.