Seek out the disturbance.

"And this is exactly what I mean!" shouts a voice you recognize from not long ago. Your eyes move to catch the figure of Mittens, the purple-haired catfolk who had invited you to her table. She's still dressed with the large white clip in her hair, and the deep blue coat around her breastplate, as well as the same dark shorts. You remember her as the current mayor of Avana, though with an emergency election coming up after the previous mayor stepped down, she seems intent on holding her position.

There's a gap of people where she stands, like a glade amongst a dense forest, though two other figures are with her.

On the ground, rubbing his face is an older man wearing a tanned tunic.

A woman stands over him. She's a bunnyfolk wearing a short pink skirt, a baggy top, and a long, black scarf. From what you can tell, she very recently just knocked the other over by means of her fist to his cheek. Already, guards are on their way to stop things from escalating. The audience parts to make way.

Mittens continues her thought. "Prone to ****, just like always."

"Excuse me?" snaps the rabbit. "That man just said my mother was--" She clenches her teeth. "Well, I've seen him before. His words are venom. I wouldn't be surprised if he was baiting me for this exact purpose, but I couldn't help myself."

"To start a fight, at the queen's speech," the mayor says with a shake of her head.

A guard steps up beside her. "Mayor Mittens. What seems to be the problem?"

"An ****. Simply that."

"N-No, I--" the bunnyfolk mumbles out. "I'm sorry."

Just then, another figure emerges from the crowd. It's another bunnyfolk. This one has blonde hair in twin braids, floppy ears, and a lilac coloured tube top around a bouncy pair marked by a tattoo of a flower on her right side bosom. She wears tight black pants, and a short hooded mantle to match hangs halfway down her back. "Oh you'd really stoop so low, wouldn't you, major? I bet you set this whole thing up," she snaps.

Mittens acts surprised. "Goodness! It's Nutmeg, in the flesh! Guards, you know what to do. We found her at last."

"I'm so tired of this tale you've woven."

"During the attack, you took advantage of shopkeep--"

"You know that isn't true. We made sure the invaders couldn't make use of the many magic items found in the market, and after all was done, we gave them back."

"... Oh did you now?"

There's a twitch in her eye. "Well, the a few went missing in the chaos, but we tried--"

"You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

You watch the back-and-forth right alongside the queen. It isn't far from the stage. And what you can tell, through intuition and your Kitty Sense, things are more complicated than they seem. The mayor clearly has ulterior motives. She may have set up this disturbance, but if she didn't, she was waiting for something like it to happen. Though something else does scratch at your mind. The other girl, Nutmeg, may actually have pocketed a couple trinkets for herself. On one hand, it's a small price to pay for a service that she does seem to be truthful about. Though on the other hand, that was an unwise move in hindsight, if true.

Regardless, Mayor Mittens is trying to get the two arrested, and something worse is brewing. They are far from the only catfolk and bunnyfolk around. The others are starting to murmur amongst each other. Then, the shoving begins, and voices are raised.

"No. It's happening," the queen mutters.

"What's happening?" you ask.

"Tension between the two have been rising for some time now. Most have learned to live in harmony, but others seem to purposely seed hatred. So much has happened in the past. And ever since Mayor Mittens has taken control, it's, well... I'm thankful for her aid in the invasion, and she's been objectively a great mayor in the absence of Lord Dunnin, but this is inexcusable behaviour."

"I heard you'll be choosing the runners soon. Does that mean she's out?"

"It's more complicated than that. I may have final say, but I can't so simply disallow someone beloved enough. If she has enough followers, and I don't appoint her as a runner for mayor, all of those followers will turn against me. It goes against the entire purpose of an election."

"We should do something."

"The most difficult part is that the girl really did **** him."

"But the arrest isn't the problem anymore. We're about to have a riot."

"Is that truly what she wanted?"

"... All right. Let's continue this transparency. I'm going to throw out a wild card here. I don't care if it'll work or not. I need to try. This was a day celebrating the people of Tivera coming together in crisis. It everything falls apart now, it'll forever be a blemish on the empire's history. I know you're the queen, but will you allow me to address the people one more time?"

"The stage is yours, Kyle. I trust you. Please. I can't bare to watch my people fight like this."