Pud’s eyes dart back and forth from Matilda to Titaani.

”Well, did you guys go up there?” Pud points to the stairs leading up.  “There’s some stairs that go up another…”  He stops mid thought as Titaani sneaks down the hallway.

Titaani (still invisible, unless she has dropped it) quietly peeks into the room to the south. 

The Dining Room. Above each door, mounted on a wooden plaque, is a severed goblin head with its mouth agape. Other furnishings include a sideboard, two cupboards with doors made of wood-framed glass, and a large banquet table covered with plates of half-eaten food and a swarm of feasting flies. A chandelier hangs above the table, its tallow candles filling the room with dim, flickering light. Six mismatched chairs flank the table—three chairs per side.

Titaani remembers this place. She was almost eaten by Bavlorna here. She doesn't remember how it ended - only waking up in a forest in Thither.

" Her bedroom and the storeroom are upstairs I think.......I came in through the window...pretty sure it was the next floor up."

Ben:

”Let’s fully search this level first,” suggests Ben as he follows along, searching the rooms as they go.

Perception:  23

(Where is Ben searching? Is he following Titaani or Pud?)

Ben starts by searching the first room they went into at the top of the stairs ....He will start a thorough search, focusing on anything closed like closets, drawers, etc. He is trying to find hidden things that might be what people have lost...

Ben begins to explore the filthy, fly-infested Study. Worn armchairs, stained tables, smashed dishes, and rotten food fill the room. The hulking wooden cabinet near the northwest corner is made of wood that is still covered with bark and patches of moss. There’s a lock in the middle of the right panel, mostly obscured beneath hanging moss. The cabinet is closed and locked. Underneath the cabinet, beyond a patch of moldy floor, Ben can see a tiny door built into a 2-inch-wide, 4-inch-tall mouse hole at the base of the wall. 

The door to the east is ajar. You can hear someone lumbering around and humming to herself somewhere beyond.
You can also hear what sounds like a rhythmic whacking or chopping sound coming from the closed door to the south.
The stairway is quiet.

Ben:

Whispering to the others, Ben asks, "Can anyone pick locks--or did we pick up a key anywhere?  This cabinet is locked, so there might be something useful in it."

While he waits for a response, Ben looks for any obvious traps.  Perception:  7

Pud creeps up behind Ben.

"I ain't no thief, but I'm pretty handy with tools and I've tinkered with a buncha locks. I'll give it a try." He grabs his magical all-purpose tool and gets out some lockpicking tools. But then he notices the mouse hole. "I used to stash stuff in a hole like that in my room. I wonder..."

Before trying his hand at the lock, Pud lights his lantern and shines dim light into the mouse hole. 

Perception check: 14 (looking in the mouse hole)

IF he doesn't find anything of use or alarming in the hole, Pud will try to pick the lock.

Sleight of Hand check: 17

Crouching down, Pud sees that the mouse hole is sealed by a tiny door. 

Then, standing back up, he picks the lock on the cabinet, rather easily, with his handy tool.

Opening it, he finds that the bottom shelf holds three potions with labels in Elvish. The top shelf holds a stuffed cat that shambles to life when the cabinet is opened. The cat hisses with hostility, expelling a cloud of dust into the room.

Pud and Ben: make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become unable to breathe, while sneezing uncontrollably. 

Ben constitution save:  7

Pud’s con save: 16 (13 + 3 from Flash of Genius feature)

Pud, having exposed himself to many a toxin over his years of tinkering, manages to fend off the effects of this dust.

He see’s that Ben is not so lucky and he quickly reaches out and casts lesser restoration on him in hopes of relieving him of this affliction. 

Ben begins to sneeze incessantly at the cloud of bitter dust until Pud is able to arcanely stop it.

The stuffed, partially mummified cat hisses and leaps at Pud's neck. 

Claws Attack: 10. Hit: 1 slashing damage.
(Nearby perception checks: 12, 7)

Titaani shudders as the room before her brings back painful memories. Closing the door shut, the little gnome is oblivious to the plight of Ben and Pud, so she opens the door directly in front of her (the one across from the dining room). 

Perception: 7

Pud parries the attack with his magical shield, points his multi-tool at the mummified cat and blasts it with a fire bolt.

Attack: 21 for 8 fire damage

Ben:

Drawing his sword, Ben slices at the stuffed furball!

Longsword:  Attack: 14 Damage: 4

Longsword:  Attack: 20 Damage: 5

Matilda is at Titaanis side.

Titaani remembers this dusty, if uncluttered, room, also. Shadow boxes hang on the wall to either side of a modest bed with moldering linens. Most of the shadow boxes contain mummified pixies pinned to boards like a collection of butterflies. The glass on one of the shadow boxes has been broken, and its contents are missing. The room is otherwise unoccupied.

Meanwhile, Pud incinerates the undead stuffed cat, as Ben chops at the remains. It is quite dead and inanimate now. 
(Nearby perception checks: 21, 7)

" Should we check under the bed? Thats where I used to hide stuff...", Matilda asked her sister.

Ben:

Regaining his composure, Ben says, “Thank you, Pud.  Can you read Elvish?” as he gathers the potions.