Frisk Goldberg - The "Merchant" from Lukeword
Howard steps outside the restroom, his nose sealed shut with his fingers. Hans had already left to go join up with the healers, leaving the man behind to stay beside the stinky, unsanitary restrooms.
Thankfully, it wasn't uncommon for people to cover their noses while they stood around here, meaning Howard wouldn't have to stay here, forced to smell the 'contents' held inside the facility.
As he stood around the area, the man began counting the number of horses he saw entering and exiting the stables. He was not sure how long Frisk was going to take, so he had to find a way to pass the time.
6 minutes into this game, Howard spots three horses exit the stable, each horse carrying two individuals on their backs. Although they were a little far away, Howard could immediately make out who they were.
"There goes the healers," he muttered under his breath. Following behind them were two other people, adorned in a black cloak, their heads covered in a hood. He wonders who those men are. They could be spies following the group, or they could be some normal dudes with weird fashion tastes. Who knows?
"Hey, Grout!" he hears someone speak. Howard turns his head to the blonde man with green eyes.
"You done taking a shit? It's been forever!" he remarked. As the man continued to walk towards him, he analyzed every detail of his attire. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt and black vest, like Hans told him so.
However, he also had this black fedora on his head, a nice bow wrapped around his collar, along with a leather belt with a shiny gold belt buckle.*
He might have 'matched' the description Hans had given him, however, he was addressing him by a different name. If this was supposed to happen, Hans probably would have brought up that detail inside the restroom.
"I apologize if I sound rude but… Are you Mr. Frisk Goldberg?" he asks. The man explodes in rage and starts throwing a barrage of insults at him. Howard, unsure whether this man is the contact or not, ponders what he should do.
If this was the contact, he was certain this was all an act to ensure his identity is safe. However, if this was not the contact, then it might just actually be a misunderstanding on his part. Howard cannot be certain for sure, as the man did not bother answering his question to clear it up, and instead opted to maintain this image of an angry bossman.
"What do I say to confirm he is in contact again?" he thought to himself.
"Ah yes, I need to ask him that question," he replies. Howard waits till the man calms down again. Once "Frisk" finished laying down his insults, he threw Howard a question he expected a specific answer for.
"Do you understand me, young man? Huh? Do you?!?" he
"Yes, I do," Howard replies, willing to maintain this identity as… whatever he was.
"Good! Now come along! We didn't go all day!" he pointed towards the gate, outside the stables.
"Before we go, I would like to ask one more question, before we do," Howard asked.
"What now? Did you happen to forget my age?"
"No sir. I just want to know what happened at Jenny's house last week?" he muttered. Frisk fell utterly silent, his face unreadable. He walks up to the prince and leans in his ear to ask him a question of his own.
"Is there anybody in the restroom?"
With that one question, Howard had the answers to everything! Frisk thought that there was somebody in the bathroom, and thus thought that he had to put up a persona of a rude boss to protect Kant's identity. As to why Hans didn't tell any of this to him, he must have forgotten about it, like he forgot our giving out the details of the rest of his attire.
"No. There is no one inside," Howard replied. The moment those words came out of his mouth, the man immediately started sweating like hell. He quickly apologizes to Kant, explaining and confirming that he only put that facade up to keep his identity safe.
"You don't have to apologize, Mr. Frisk. You did good. I was just not sure if it was you," Howard replied.
"Why is that, your highness?"
"Well, for starters my contact did not give a full description of your appearance. I expected the white shirt and the vest, but not the tophat and the bow. Then, there was your introduction.."
"My introduction?" Frisk asked, visibly confused.
"Yes. I think you should not have made such a eh… loud entrance. Instead a simple "Your highness, I am Frisk Goldberg, and I am here to escort you out of here," would have worked just fine. Just keep your voice down and nobody inside the restroom would even hear a thing," he calmly explained.
"Ah, I see. I apologize for my actions, your highness. It is just that eh… I was told to introduce myself like this. They told me you would understand that it was me. Did Hans not tell you about this?"
Howard shook his head. "No, he did not. He must have forgotten about it," he replied. Although Howard kept a calm exterior, he felt a little frustrated with the plan so far. He had not been given the proper information which has caused such events to occur.
"This is why one must give clear instructions and details to all operatives and parties involved before conducting an operation like this! If not, communication errors will lead to shit like this! Honestly, what were they thinking? All those damn allies and they still fuck this up?" he thought to himself.
"Well, you know what they say Howard. If you want something done, do it yourself!" he thought.
"Hey, can you come inside the bathroom with me? We need to talk," he spoke up. Frisk, knowing that Kant is the prince, complies with his request. They find shelter in the smelly bathroom, a place where they won't be overheard.
"Alright, before we go, I need to clear something up. If we are going to pose as civilians, we need to know who we are. Let's start with you. Who are you?What are you posing as?" Howard questions Frisk.
"I am uh… I am a merchant! Yes, I am acting as a merchant!"
"Merchant! Merchant from where? Why are you here?"
"I am a merchant from Lukeword. I am here to conduct a business deal in this city!" he answered.
"Alright then, now tell me Mr. Frisk. If you are a merchant, when does that make me? What did they tell you about me? Why would I be walking alongside you?"
"They told me that you were supposed to act as a local I hired. Someone who helps me carry stuff or helps me navigate the city."
"Pretend to help you navigate, right? Because I unfortunately do not know the layout of this city," Howard asks.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about getting lost, your highness. I know where to go."
"Good. Now, one more thing. If we were to talk with each other out in public, we will have to stick to your characters. If at any point, I ask you a question while out in public, it means that I am asking for something.
If I ask if you are hungry, then that means I am hungry. If I am acting as if my legs hurt, I want to stop somewhere to rest. Got it?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Alright then, I think that clears everything up. I guess we should leave this place now. There is no point staying here any longer," Howard remarked.
"Lead the way, Mr. Frisk," he instructed his contact. The man nods. He exits the bathroom, turns to face the direction of the gate, and starts walking with Howard following behind him. The two were going to act as normal civilians, just walking around the Capital city of Parados.
Frisk, who had a map of the settlement ingrained in his head, directs Kant towards the areas with the most foot traffic, to properly blend into the city environment. Only once they felt they drew enough distance from the stables, and any potential spies, was when they directed to a less dense route.
As they continued to walk, Howard felt Kant's legs feeling a little tired. The prince appeared to have skipped out on leg day. Now wanting to know how close they are to the safehouse, Howard asked the man given the responsibility of bringing him there.
"May I ask a question, sir?" he spoke up, slipping into his new character.
"What is it, Grout?" Frisk replied in this annoyed tone.
"How long do we have to walk till we get there? My legs are starting to hurt…" Howard asked. He was unable to ask the question directly, as a lot of other people were nearby.
"Geez! It's only been a few minutes! Are your legs tired already? Don't you people ever walk around your city?" he replied, trying to maintain an authentic conversation.
"This is what you get for cheapening out, sir. Now, can you please answer my question?" Howard replies. Frisk grunts, appearing to be frustrated by his employee's lack of performance.
"Augh… Alright, listen. The place is pretty far away. It could take us another 2 hours to get there," he replied.
"Lucky for you, I am starting to feel a little hungry. Once we leave this district, we shall go somewhere to eat. You can rest your legs there. Do you know any good bakeries or inns?" Frisk asks Howard.
"Yes, I do." Howard replied, acting as if he knew where to go.
...
*Picture provided in comments.