The Forgotten Wish

Oren moves ever closer once the shouting starts.   He moves in, puts a hand gently on Rick's shoulder and calmly says, "I think I might be time for us to move on.  We can say you've all done your good thing for the day, and now we move on with our job."  He looks Rick in the eye and then motions with a quick flick of his head towards the cart and the roadway.

Acrobatics: 9

Slick Rick slides easily away from the shove, and raises his eyebrows in surprise.

Insight on the outrage: 16 (15)

He looks over at Oren's hand and smiles, grabbing a bag of oats and handing it to Oren as he grabs another, before they move away. He says to Oren,

"Rick thinks friend...Ben? is correct! Rick was asking Jacob about Ron's injury, Rick suspected Jacob knew more than Jacob was saying. Rick has been wrong before though."

He does drop his voice a bit though as they walk and he confides to Oren,

"Rick is sure Jacob knows something about Ron's injury though."

Perception to see if Nuria notices the exchange between Rick and Jacob, as well as anything else that may be suspicious.

Nat 20 (21)

Noticing the strange greasy cat man pestering Jacob and dodging the outraged farm hand's shove, the girl makes her way over to Breldo. "Uh-I-I don't know what the matter is, but either the cat man is really annoying that man, or something is wrong." She fiddles with her hair, looking as nervous as ever.

"I think his personality is what one might call an 'acquired taste'...", the halfling replies.

Noticing the lack of confidence in Jacob's voice, Sylvera gives him a hard and icy glance before making her way back over to Pallen. Whatever is going on here, it isn't her problem. She crosses her arms at Pallen's comment, "Perhaps." 

Rick gets a good look at Jacob's outrage, sliding away under the shove, and taking Oren's approach as a quick way to get out. It's quite obvious from his response that he had nothing to do with Ron being hurt, either directly or indirectly. Of course, it is obvious that he must know something... But his reasons for not saying are likely not directly related to Ron being hurt itself.

Whatever that reason might be they might never find out however, as Slick takes Oren's approach as a chance to quickly slink away- With his two bags of oats as purchase in tow. Nothing stopping the group from continuing down the road if they so wish.

Rick is ready to go with the oats, occasionally casting a thoughtful look out to Ron.

Once he's finished hooking up the cart, Khond will start on down the path again.

Breldo will roam ahead of the cart once again.

Nuria scurries slightly behind Breldo, eyes darting about nervously every once in a while. She's not sure what to think of that last situation.

Pallen seems relieved as everyone continues, though more for the fact that no one was hurt rather than the time spent. With that the group continues onward, the city of Passley now right on ahead but a stone throw's away. As they approach it's hard on whether or not to truly call it a city, however, rather on the small side all things considered. Judging by plenty of other fields that surround the outside, at least outside appearance gives more the impression of a farmer community. Albeit a farmer community that has sort of grown out of it's own britches, and put down wooden palisades that would never deter any serious assault. 

It's here at the gates that they would actually rejoin with Richard, who had gone ahead after a while, uncertain how long the group would stay occupied, finding the merchant and his lackey in the midst of talking to what appears to be some of the guards. Noticing your approach, they point in the group's direction as well, and one of their group comes to meet, the apparent leader given how he's taken to dressing in full armor. Long golden locks, a brilliant white smile, tall, and... All features ignored by his chin, sticking out in a way it demands all attention. It's... Not like it's ugly? Maybe? For the right kind of lady? Yet at the same time, it also looks like the kind of birth defect one gets from generations of inbreeding, that just happens to be in such a manner.

"Gentlemen! Ladies. Just a moment of your time, please. Captain Vanstrom at your service. I've just wanted to make a brief inquiry into the fact you but narrowly escaped a terrible ambush on your journey here?"

"Narrowly escaped...?"  Khond glances at the rest of the group, "I may be one for dramatics, but never for wild inaccuracy.  I saw neither hide nor hair of any ruffians, merely a felled tree upon the road."

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

?

 

 (Yes.)

"Rick agrees with Khond, if it was an ambush it was very, very bad."

He pauses to consider,

"Or very, very good?"

He considers again,

"But since nothing was taken, Rick would argue bad."

He nods, agreeing with himself.

Sylvera is glad to finally be on the move again, and dusts herself off as if regretting even touching the stable hand. Huffing, she walks slightly ahead of the wagon just ahead of Khond's shoulder. She blinks, her face rather blank as the big chinned guard addresses the party. Then crosses her arms and says hotly, "Well Captain Vanstrom, I would like to inquire how you would know if we narrowly avoided an ambush." Her eyes flick over to Richard, "If you got your information from these merchants, then you would know we saw nothing of what could have been an ambush aside from a fallen tree. Unless you consider an angry bull a potential ambush." She eyes him, chin lifted as she waits for his response. She is sick and tired of these inconveniences. They have places to be, and they don't need to keep stopping--even if they are going to spend the night in town. She would much rather by away in her room then talking to this... Captain Vanstrom. 

Breldo drifts back towards Nuria and Oren, treating them to an aside on the the Bramblepelt strategy of dealing with watch Captains.

"The Captain opened with politeness, but made sure his rank was one of the first things we heard. Classic approach, and usually better than those who are aggressive and bullish from the start, usually means they are smarter too. Either got his rank through competence and smarts, or was some minor nobility, they can do polite too, but as you may have noticed, it's usually a thin veneer over dismissive arrogance.

"Now Khond's ploy of ... not quite playing dumb, but trivializing the encounter is one that can work, if the goal is just to get out of the conversation, but can sometimes raise suspicions, especially depending on how much the other 'witness' embellished the original story. Though I'd dare say that except to any but the most centaur averse, Khond would make a more believable witness than our traveling merchant.

"Rick's possibly either an idiot or brilliant, just by opening his mouth he almost guarantees that no one wishes further conversation with him. If that is his goal, he's masterful at it.

"Our Lady Lark gives a classic noble parry, acknowledging his rank, but stressing the saying of it just so, to where the good captain gets the sense that she may as well have been saying Stablehand Vanstrom, or Muckraker Vanstrom. She then cuts down someone else even further, and he's grateful that she placed him above someone, at least. And a seemingly unrelated piece of information at the end with the bull to throw him off the scent and invite a follow up question about that instead!

"It can be quickest sometimes to just answer the questions that they want to know, if you can anticipate them, that can help. He may have follow-ups from the merchant, but would want to know the exact location, which side of the road it fell from, size and type of tree, whether there were tracks, signs of it being felled by weather or man, and any other observations from the area. If I were to tell a questioning Captain I was a scout, and report to them as if they were in charge, it can often work well, though perhaps less so if you don't have a reason for noting and providing details, suppose it could come across suspicious."

Captain Vanstrom doesn't seem to mind Breldo too much as he slinks toward the back, and provides a full psych breakdown to everyone currently present. Noting the different strategies, how this Vanstom must have either worked up through effort or be a minor noble.

...He looks back at that chin. Definitely a noble.

While the others answer rather dismissively when it comes to the point of a potential ambush, Vanstrom doesn't keep off his winning smile. Until Sylvera starts that is, confused for a moment, before she elaborates further and he quickly regains his winning smile.

"A bull? Nevermind," he waves his hand dismissively. "As to how I know, the friend you met along the way told me all about it! Perhaps you didn't notice the ruffians in question, but what else could it have been? Nono, an ill fate was but narrowly avoided today. I agree it'd be a very bad ambush, maybe they backed out when they saw how armed your group is rather than easy prey? Or maybe... You weren't the first to travel through that road and they already got what they want? I shudder at the thought."

He does not actually shudder as he continues.

"Regardless, I'm glad to see you all fine, and will take your words to mean you've no other info. It is shameful though, isn't it? The sheer state they've let the road degrade to that allows this to happen! You're heading to the capital after a nice visit to our humble little city?"

"Ah, no," Pallen answers this time. "We're heading west actually, toward Mossley,"

"I see," the captain answers. "Well. Enjoy your journey!"

Vanstrom moves out of the party's way, and returns to talking to the merchant Richard.

It is kind of hard for everyone not to notice how it seems he lost immediate interest upon learning they wouldn't continue further South.

Rick is happy to have been of service and turns to Pallen,

"Rick wonders if boss Pallen has an inn preference? Rick would like one with stables for friend Khond, if boss Pallen agrees?"