Old Eggplant felt a bit strange. What were all these people jabbering about? They already had their tools; they should be hurrying off to farm. Why were they still dilly-dallying here?
He edged closer, wanting to eavesdrop on the excitement.
One of the basic human instincts is to join in where it's lively, to listen to gossip. Even if it has nothing to do with themselves, they can still chip in with a "I always knew he was that kind of person" just to satisfy their craving to talk.
Old Eggplant found that at the heart of the players' discussion were two individuals.
He recognized one of them, a fellow old player, named "Old C," who liked to play unusual games and review them.
The other Old Eggplant didn't recognize, but from bits and pieces of the surrounding conversation, he learned the person was named "Civet Cat."