Dornikal's mood instantly lightens as he waves back,

"Oh, aye'll give it a taste! Never tried it, gotta to be better than cave squab."

When he gets closer he explains conversationally as they dish him up,

"Cave squab are beatle maggots right before they get their hard shells. Size of meh fist. Yer supposed to eat them live, never had the stomach for that. Either way they taste like licking dusty stone. Rich people love'm."

Randy looks at the tube and it's lock.

"Sure, I'll give it a go."

Lock picking: 14

Ulmwin is willing to give the bulette a tentative taste, if only to put to word how some things are not meant to be eaten even with salt and pepper. If it's really bad, he'll prestidigate the meat to a more palatable flavor, although that won't save him from the texture...

Most importantly however, he's looking to address the wizards (adoptive) parental figures first, and give them a heads up on what he's planning first before proposing it to the tiefling girl herself. If they don't agree after all, he doesn't think it'd be worth trying to pursue further.

The bulette has a certain earthy musk to it, but the texture is perhaps for some more off-putting than the flavor, even minced up, it has a certain chewy toughness to it. The best part of the hash is certainly the potatoes, peppers and spices.

Some of the rest of the crew stop by the cookfire to greet you, the parents of the young wizard and the tabaxi tinkerer. The taciturn tracker and the child's uncle seem preoccupied with other tasks.

It takes Randy rather longer than he'd have liked, but after an hour of study and attempts, most of which he feels like he's getting closer and closer, he manages to spring the lock, hearing a satisfying click as the mechanism disengages.

Dornikal's had worse. Much worse.

"Thank ye for the hash. Off to town soon?"

He'll greet people as they come by and chat with them idly while Ulmwin makes his sell.

"Think we'll be another few hours here, hoping to get a few miles in before midday though. Horses'll like it once we can get back to grass that doesn't smell of blood, smoke and predators. You heading out soon, or wanting to travel back with us?", Brucho asks.

Ulmwin, after trying some of the bulette and making an unpleasant face at the texture- Briefly wondering how many years of practice it'd take to prestidigate "texture", and that is after having rendered the meat into a fine mush... Turns back to Brucho, just in time to hear of their plan to start moving soon.

"Ah, before you make that decision. Could I have a quick moment to talk with you and misses Kayleera? There's something I'd like your opinion on."

"Sure. Kay? Ulmwin wants a word.", he call's for his wife, who joins him in looking at you expectantly.

Ulmwin offers them both a wide smile, starting off with a quick. "No worries, it's nothing bad," before starting off on his spiel. 

"It's concerning Vaduta," he starts, pauses for a moment, the continues. 

"I'll have to admit I don't know the specifics of your relationship together. But I do know that in her eyes at least she sees you as parents, and in the end that is the only thing that counts," he says, trying to be diplomatic as he says so, for obvious reasons. At the very least it's evident he means it with good intent. 

"Which is why I wanted to query you for your own opinion, and consent, before I'd even offer this to her. But your girl... You realize she is extremely talented, yes? To be at such an age and be using magics all self-taught... There is a reason that the mental image people form when hearing wizard is that of someone with more wrinkles than face and a long beard. For most people, it genuinely takes that long to grasp. Or to a level of mastery, at least. "

He finishes, tactically let's his words sink in for a moment, then continues with the actual offer. 

"We're currently traveling in the company of an accomplished wizard. With your blessing, and her interest, I'd like to give her a chance to meet with him? If nothing else, I hope she could pick up a few pointers of him." 

"The wizard is a dwarf of honor."

Dornikal says between bites,

"Old as dirt, solid as stone."

He adds as further recommendation.

Ulmwin's proposal is met with furrowed brows and angry eyes as he questions Vaduta's parentage, Brucho's steadying hand catching Kayleera's as it drifts towards the hilt on her belt.

"Aye, she's a smart one, for sure."

"What exactly are you proposing? Sending her off with your wizard?"

"Kay, I don't think he's meaning anything bad by it, and if it's something she wants."

"She's just a girl!"

"A girl that we might not have been able to take down a hydra and a pair of bulette bulls without. A girl, but not just a girl and more than you're just a woman."

She relents a bit and gives a nod. The two of them take each others hands as they walk off towards Vaduta, who is working on some ritual casting in one of the wagons, having a quiet chat with her when she finishes, her eyes glancing over to the two of you frequently. When they finish, Brucho and Kayleera find a task to work on by the wagons, and Vaduta comes over to talk to Ulmwin.

"Mum and Da say you're with an old dwarven wizard? Why'd someone like that want to meet with me?"

Ulmwin catches that bit of offense, and considers chiming in to try and defuse things further- But seeing Brucho catch his intent better, figures keeping quiet is better, than trying to explain his "too good for his own good" perspective of "I really don't care about which explanation it is, the important part is that you are there for her." he does, however, speak up at the apparent worry that he's there to "steal her away".

"Oh no, no, nothing of the sorts. Kreldoran isn't looking for a pupil or even an assistant, or anything of the sorts. It's just..."

Ulmwin pauses for a moment, briefly glancing at the girl himself, while his internal monologue sets to best explaining his thoughts.

"...It's just that I see a lot of raw potential, to come so far with no tutoring, and if such an evident chance lays before me to maybe give a chance at it- Well, I'd like to offer it. I'm a bard by trade, but I'm of the opinion that the sharing of knowledge is one of the most important things all of us can do- It's just that my kind usually prefers doing it by a fun diddy people will remember."

"... There is a possibility that it could open some doors for her too," he admits, "But I'm explicitly not promising anything because it's not in my place to do so. I've only got Kreldoran's permission that he is willing to discuss things with a young talent, and what comes from that is entirely up to him. But he's as many wizards are when they get older. A bit eccentric, a bit forgetful, but Kreldoran has a solid heart, so I believe she would at the very least be able to learn something."

Assuming that something in his words doesn't somehow scare off either of the parents, and offers Vaduta a warm smile as she comes over.

"Ah, well, the question is more along the lines of asking whether you'd be interested?" Ulmwin asks, his tone sincere. "Earlier, when we were talking, I believe you told me the spells you've attained so far has come out of self-study, which... Honestly, it's impressive, really. And we are currently traveling with a seasoned wizard ourselves who seems interested enough to have a chat. Maybe there are a few things you've been curious about? Or just like to talk about your process and see if he has any insights? I think it could be educational, and maybe not an opportunity you often come by. If, of course, you want to. There's no pressure either way."

Her eyes light up, but the fervor dims.

"I... I think I'd like that, but I..."

She looks away, before steeling herself and looking back with more resolve. "Yes, I'd like to meet your wizard. If he can teach me, great, if he's another one that just wants to see the fr-... well, he can stuff it."

She blushes and looks appalled, stammering out an apology.

Ulmwin Passive Insight:

"Glad to hear it! And, don't worry, Kreldoran is a good folk. If nothing else, he's the type that once he's focused on something he barely notices anything else, so you'll be fine either way," the gnome says, offering a reassuring smile, even if there is a brief glimpse of worry on his features over what the girl almost said.

"We should arrange specifics with your folks first however, because I do worry that we'll be restricted on time. I'm mostly hoping that a chance to discuss with a proper mage will be insightful for you, yeah?" he says, pausing for a moment as he rubs his chin in consideration.

"I think the rest of the group is actually hoping to head back toward the city themselves, though I'm not sure if we're planning to stick around for a day or not before doing so... Maybe we can hash something out with your folks assuming they're fine with us traveling with?"

Dornikal chimes in on Kreldoran,

"Best of folk. Solid dwarven clan. Dumathoin's honor on it."

He then returns to trying to get the bulette from out between his teeth.

Randy gives a pleased smile when he hears the click.  He opens the tube and takes a peek inside, not touching anything. 

"Yay. They worry for me."

((Trying to decide if that's an attempt at a Deception check from Dornikal or not, but it's been so long since we established whatever he knows or thinks he knows about Kreldoran's clan.))

There's at least one scroll inside, with arcane sigils on the inner surface that Randy can see, though its purpose isn't immediately clear to him.

Randy looks away quickly from the scroll. "Let sleeping dogs lie..." he mutters.  He gets up and takes the opened tube with him and goes in search for Kreldoran.  When he finds him, he hands it to him. "I managed to get the tube open. Here you go."

((All I remember is that I think only one person actually made/ succeeded a history check on Kreldoran and even that only came up with something vague about a mountain collapsing and a maybe relation to it? But never anything concrete AFAIK. But even then I think from our encounters so far that our characters would believe at very worst it was a mistake and more that he is not responsible. Whether that is correct is another matter.))

Ulmwin will try to arrange details with the other group before they'd depart. Stating that they likely will also be wanting to head to the city, so depending on how long they can/ are willing to wait that maybe they could travel together starting tomorrow? Barring that, at least make sure where they'd meet up and how long to be gone at most. 

((My recollection is hazy but there was some initial posturing from Dornikal on the Greystones and that Kreldoran didn't really care. He wasn't aware of the current dwarven king even. Dornikal had heard of Kreldoran's clan and that there weren't many of them left (don't remember a mountain falling on them though) but otherwise nothing bad about them. Dornikal certainly isn't trying to deceive her. Nothing bad = solid?))