Volo and flying-cat-Quillary should each give me two perception rolls. (Two since the check will probably be with Advantage, but I have to think about it some more.)

Jorin should fix that Performance die roll.
(It might be the parentheses. Just put another space before the opening and closing brackets; that usually works.)
Also give me a CON save. (We know his flatulence was pretty bad with just Pascal's cooking. But can he withstand the chefs applying to work here?)

Quillary will roll with Advantage anyway for the tressym’s keen sense of smell, but just to be helpful, I will do it in two rolls. Perception: 9 and Perception: 28

Bookends!

oh dang!  Performance: 4

edit: lol!! a mighty crag cat indeed

Following Jorin's crag cat imitation, Hildigrim pauses and stares with unblinking eyes ... before bursting into a fit of laughter!

Volo perception checks: #1 18 #2 11

Volo gets advantage on perception checks that rely on hearing or sight.

OOC > Between Volo and Quillary-tressym we’ve got Advantage on the senses covered!

Quote from Mingofaust >>

OOC > Between Volo and Quillary-tressym we’ve got Advantage on the senses covered!

(But that also means you hear Jorin's "crag cat performance" in greater detail, like in stereo and surround sound. Enjoy the hours of auditory agony!)

Nothing of note happens during the daylight hours. But after sundown, things pick up.

At first Quillary-tressym is distracted by a bag of catnip and snacks that were placed at the edge of the property. (That first roll of 9.) It has already drawn 2 stray cats from elsewhere in the Alley. But Quillary overrides the cat-instincts to notice the stink of rat on the bag. (Second roll of 28.)

Similarly, Volo notices that meat strips were hung in the trees nearby, probably to lure birds-of-prey away from the property. Being a spirit in owl form, Volo is able to ignore the distraction.

Volo and Q-t notice two things.
First, a thin man with spectacles, white gloves, and a black overcoat is walking from the street towards the manor's door. (I had something in mind like Anton Ego from "Ratatouille".)
Second, a quartet of black cloaked figures are hugging the shadows, and approaching the exterior kitchen wall where the damaged boards from yesterday were replaced. They have daggers and awls drawn. They also have a canvas bag, which is bulging and moving independently of it being carried.

So ... I know Hildigrim can telepathically communicate with Volo, but can Volo telepathically communicate with Hildi? And even if he can, would it wake him up?

OOC > I'm sort of stymied about what to do... what would Quillary do? She would clearly do the obvious thing, no matter how awkward or impractical. so... also, anyone play Dungeon Mayhem? It's an actual Bag o' Rats! :)

Quillary in tressym form will launch herself from the eaves to land blocking the path of the figures with the struggling bag. She hisses at them, wings outstretched, then makes a Crag Cat call that comes out as a sort of mewling meow.

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

So ... I know Hildigrim can telepathically communicate with Volo, but can Volo telepathically communicate with Hildi? And even if he can, would it wake him up?

(I've noticed that the people making the game say not to be rule-lawyers, then turn around and make some very detailed parsing of RAW...
I'm going to make a decision, but you are free to suggest something else, if you can make an argument for it.

I'm playing a warlock with Awakened Mind. I thought that meant bypassing language requirements, until I noticed it reads "can telepathically speak". That sounds to me that it is one-way, speaking but not listening. On the other hand, Find Familiar mentions "communicate with it telepathically" To me, that sounds two-way, otherwise they would use "speak".

Now... Volo is limited by the owl form. I would say that it can let Hildigrim know things on a basic, empathic level, but nothing too complex. Volo can transmit concern, moderate alarm, and probably a pre-arranged signal for the 4 hooded figures. It probably can't let Hildi know about the other guy walking to the front door, but it could transmit the "please look through my senses" signal.)

Hildigrim isn't sleeping. He is just... resting his eyes for a bit.

Jorin is inside doing his patrolling, is he able to here QT's crag cat signal?

Whoosh. Whoosh. The gentle lifting and falling. A stiff wind that is thick in the nostrils with brine and sea life. A gull cries overhead, its somewhat melodic hiccup the bird's way of complaining. Hildi takes a deep breath and sighs it out. He's so relaxed. Strangely enough, he's alone on the ship. But he isn't driving it; he's a passenger. He's lounging with a book. Same as always, yet much more at ease about it. Not worrying. Not hiding. As far as he can see is sea. No land on the horizon. Only a scattering of clouds to break up the huge blue sky. The gull cries again, this time more insistently. Up and down. Up and down over the waves. It's a fairly calm sea. Hardly any whitecaps. Hildi sighs again, closing his eyes a little in the wind as it pushes against his face. How beautiful. The gull's cry turns into a long screech, hurting Hildi's ears. He looks over, and the bird is standing beside him, its beak agape and blaring like a whistle.

The dream halts, and Hildi's eyes shoot open. His mind is suddenly filled with bits of abstract information from Volo. "There're here," he whispers, grinning. Getting to his feet, he sorts out that someone is approaching the front door, so he hurries into the taproom and to a front window to see for himself. "Assist Quillary," the halfling thinks to his familiar.

Stealth: 9 — should have kept my dice to myself

Jorin hears the crag cat signal. Before he (or Hildi or Pascal or Drusk) can react, there is a walking cane rapping on the surface of the restaurant door.
"City Inspector. Open, and present the manager." Fanny is nearest the door, and look to the rest of you for what to do.

(You can send Pascal or Drusk outside, or have them stay inside. Drive them as you see fit. That includes Quillary on the outside moving them around on in the inside.)

OOC > I think Drusk would be practical, and Pascal would be affronted to his soul by any suggestion he runs anything hit the best of kitchens. Fwiw. 

So ... what time is this? I was thinking middle of the night, but I must be off if the inspector is showing up.

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

So ... what time is this? I was thinking middle of the night, but I must be off if the inspector is showing up.

It is night (11 PM-ish).
It is peculiar, indeed. Definitely not expected.

You do have lights on, so someone outside would know there is activity inside.

 (I actually feel like Drusk and Pasquale would be the best suited for dealing with the inspector, unfortunate since they are both being played by Quasi, lol.)

Jorin will rush to the place where the hole in the wall was that we were thinking the rats were coming through and block the hole with something, a box or crate, or perhaps he'll just plant himself in front of it.

DM, as often as I've read the last few posts from you, it wasn't until just now that I actually computed your "It probably can't let Hildi know about the other guy walking to the front door" sentence. I completely wrote the opposite of that. Sorry. Let's say Hildi quickly popped into Volo's head and saw the guy instead of what I wrote.

Drusk and Pascal might be best, but Hildi can't resist a mystery.

At the "inspector's" words, Hildigrim jerks his face away from the window and scowls. "The inspector?" he says quietly to himself. "At this time of night?" Admittedly, Hildi isn't exactly sure what time it is since he's not sure how long he had been dozing, there's no sun to measure, and he can't see the moon from the window. Curious, the halfling crosses to the front door (ignoring Fanny) and throws it open unceremoniously. Standing in the opening, his hand still on the knob, he frowns up at the thin man. You'll remember that while a tiny halfling (shorter than the average halfling), he is visibly armed with a shortbow and quiver, two daggers, a rapier, and a wand. "Pardon me, sir. My name is Hildigrim Goodbody, and I am one of the owners of this establishment. You'll have to excuse my incredulousness, but I'd like to see some form of identification and hear the reason why an inspector would be arriving on our doorstep as such a late hour."

Meanwhile, outside... the winged cat, standing in their way, hisses at the wererats and their bag o' rats.

(I figured Hildi would take a quick peek through Volo's eyes, once the owl signaled that there was something worth seeing. No problem.)

(Slight ret-con to make things a little clearer.)
When Volo and Quillary-cat were watching over the mansion in general, the thin man was walking from the street on the west side, from the direction of the nearest Alley entrance to the north. The 4 cloaked figures (okay... the wererats) where hiding in a spot on the southeast part of the manor, closest to the kitchen and cellar rooms. They did not meet or interact with the thin man, but they didn't start moving until he arrived.

"I am Anto Egon, health inspector. There was an urgent request for this place to be inspected for vermin. The complaint stated this manor was crawling with rats, and that you would use illusions to hide this. This surprise inspection is to see if the complaint has validity." The man has an expression like he has a bug up his backside, but quickly produces official (and valid) documents to show he is working for the Fellowship of Innkeepers, in the role he stated. (He is annoyed at having to produce the documents, but does it quickly like this is something he is asked often.)

Jorin rushes to the kitchen. During the day, the construction workers replaced the damaged wood at ground level that had rat holes in them. Jorin gets close to those replacement boards. He can hear scratching from the outside, and sees the boards are vibrating slightly.

Before hissing at the wererats, Quillary noticed the 4 approaching the outside wall of the kitchen, with their squirming bag (that does smell of sewer and rats). You hear them swearing under their breath when they see the new wood panels. They crouch down (hugging the shadows), and are poking and sawing at the boards with their weapons to create new "rat" holes. (Quillary is free to hiss at this time, or change her action.) Volo is also watching silently from a nearby tree, ready to send alarm signals to Hildi if necessary.

Jorin will pound back on the boards a couple times, trying to let whoever is on the other side know that he is there.  Is there anything else in the room that I could use to quickly reinforce the hole block?