Hidden away in a small corner of the smog-filled city, the goblin grabbed a lone steel keg, set it down beneath her, and sat on it before giving the group an inquisitive look. "So, what brings you lot 'ere? Ya don't seem to be locals, and none of you are mind-controlled, neither."
Yuchauzh answered, "We're here to put an end to this city's pollution. And we would appreciate it if you could tell us where the main building or whatever is so we can do our business."
"Don't be so hasty!" Kantuta scolded. She then turned to look at the goblin, "Before you do that, would you mind telling us what you mean by 'mind-controlled?'"
"Oh yeah. Basically, life here in Orestone City was all fine 'n dandy; the dwarves went to the mines, brought back some gems, carried 'em to the plant and made jewelry to sell. Of course, they never worked too hard; the city's mayor, my dad, made sure o' that. He had a policy where everyone had to take at least an hour break between collection rounds to do whatever they wanted. Y'know, sleeping, having lunch, hanging out with friends, all that jazz. But something changed. Recently, my dad's been actin'…off. He's usually the chillest guy I know, but now all he talks about is work, production, work, profit, etc. He's like a freakin' zombie!"
"Oh," said Kantuta, "That's quite, uh, interesting. Do you have any idea as to what might've caused this?"
"I've got no clue. But whatever caused this, it must've got to the dwarves. They're just as mindless as my pops!" the goblin twiddled her thumbs and looked down, "It's made life around here so much more boring. Other than you guys, I'm the only one that's somehow unaffected. Everyone else does nothing but work, work, work, and they never spend any time with me! Not to mention that me 'n my dad never do any bonding other than talkin' about efficiency 'n profit…"
"Hm…" Kantuta replied, "That doesn't sound very pleasant. Do you know of any way that we can help?"
Yuchauzh gave Kantuta a look, "Look, elf, can you stop being such a busybody? We're just here to get rid of the smog, that's it."
Hearing this, the green-skinned girl stated, "If ya weren't so single-minded, you would realize that this is good for both of us. If you managed to snap my dad outta whatever funk he's stuck in, production around here would definitely slow down, and he would be more willing to listen to ya if the smog is such a problem."
Yuchauzh glowered, "Okay, smart aleck, if you're so sure about this, how're we supposed to get near this mayor? If he's as important as I think he is, he must be hard to get near."
"You are right about that. Thankfully, I have a plan. Unless you're a worker, you normally need an appointment to speak with my dad. So, all I have to do is make you all look like workers!"
"Oh yeah?" asked Yuchauzh, "And how do you plan on doin' that?"
"I have some leftover work suits from the people who left for other towns. If I can get you lot in them, I can sneak you right in."
"Oh, that's great!" Kantuta said, "Do you have those suits now?"
"Not right now, but lemme jus' head to my hideout and grab 'em. Stay right here." With that, the goblin moved past the trio and out of the alleyway.
As his associate left, Yuchauzh grumbled, "Great, now we're all caught up in some stranger's business. Thanks a lot, Kantuta."
"Oh, don't be so bitter. Besides, you heard her; returning that goblin's father and this city's citizens would make your goal much easier to complete. Unless you're telling me that you had a concrete plan for tackling this pollution problem?"
"I did, in fact. Step 1: find whoever's heading this operation. Step 2: Trounce him and destroy whatever he was usin'. Step 3: Leave."
Kantuta shook her head and sighed, "You really are simple, aren't you?"
Soon enough, the goblin returned with 3 small pairs of grey miner clothes. "Here you go, 3 disguises ready to go!"
Looking at the garments, Siquioce said, "These are a little small, aren't they?"
The goblin replied in Samanian, "Don't worry, these were made with other species in mind. They're very elastic!"
To test this, Siquioce took one set and put it on, finding that the goblin was right; the vest and cargo pants fit around his medium-sized body quite well.
Seeing this, Kantuta and Yuchauzh took their clothes and put them on, with Kantuta experiencing the same result. Yuchauzh, however, was not nearly as comfortable as his allies; with his clothes stretched tightly across his wide body, he was as compact as pickles in a jar. "Oy vey," he complained, "I feel like a frickin' sausage…"
As Kantuta giggled at her partner's misfortune, the goblin said, "Ah, you'll be fine. This'll be quick, anyway." The girl then got up and marched away, "C'mon, you guys, let's just go already!"
Kantuta happily straightened her vest before following after her new friend while Yuchauzh begrudgingly followed suit. As his allies walked away, Siquioce waltzed after them, thinking, Well, time to see how this goes…