Collectively, the hard soles of the boots of the guards click on the cobblestones of the street and end up masking Avaria accidentally kicking a pebble down the street.

Jan makes no noise whatsoever to draw the attention of the guards. Her passive observation though does alert her to a bouncing pebble that doesn't come from the guards.

Jan moves extra carefully, listening and looking for signs of someone else passing unseen, thumb rubbing against her ring. 

Perception: 21 

Marrin wipes her brow and, giving Noon a wink, launches into a festival song from the western side of the Sea of Fallen Stars.

It's got a steadier tempo than her last offering but it's surprisingly catchy and the lyrics, the tale of a town getting ready for a party and all the unexpected calamities in doing so, let her use her vocal range.

"-annnnd the farmer found the cows!"

She concludes with grin and a laugh.

Persuasion (still got the min 19): 25

She casts an eye over to her seats to see if her companions are back, and frowns a bit seeing them missing the show.

The crowd laughs and applauds Marrin's performance.

Autumn Noon comes to the center of the ring and calls up to the crowd.

"I think we have to find a way to keep this one with the Lintoll," Noon says to more applause. "If that doesn't deserve to win one of the prizes this evening then nothing does."

An exceptionally tall halfling comes out behind Noon, holding a small ribbon wrapped box and hands it to Marrin.

Marrin only sees Ula, Hammedasher and Geffroi watching with empty space beside them. There's no sign of Jan, Avaria, or Ethel.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Avaria has no idea where Jan is. Jan is aware something made a pebble move but isn't able to pin down the source.

The guards continue escorting Ethel all the way to the closed gates of the Lord High Mayor's compound. The wooden palisade walls cast a long shadow over the entrance area.

"Oy, open up." One of the guards calls. 

Grumbling can be heard from the other side. A panel in the main gate opens, then closes. The sound of wood sliding against wood can be heard. Then the gate begins to swing inwards.

The guards continue to head inside.

Avaria continues to keep watch and follows the group inside.

Perception  8

She must have nudged that pebble without realizing it, Jan takes great care the rest of the way to avoid trodding through any other patches of gravel that might give her away... that was too close.

She considers the possible need to abandon Ethel to her fate, the woman hasn't given her the code yet, so she's hesitant to step in, but the farther the two of them go into the Mayor's seat of power, the less she'll be able to do... 

As they get closer to the Mayor's compound, Jan will be reaching out to K'oshash periodically to try to get a report from them.

((Once they are within 100 ft, she and K'oshash will be able to communicate.))

As they approach the now open gates of the mayor's compound, Jan does finally get a link with K'oshash, who appears to have been flying close to the ships in the nearby harbour, looking for anything they found interesting. Apart from a few sailors stuck back at the ships, and a couple of drunks singing on a wharf, K'oshash hasn't spotted anything of interest while they've been out and about.

((K'oshash had been tasked with following the Mayor as he departed the Lintoll. She'd called them back and had them follow the Mayor while she turned back and eavesdropped on the guards. Have they gone off task and just been flying about the docks?))

(They saw the mayor return to the main manor in the compound and hung around for awhile then meandered around a bit. Nothing really to report).

Marrin opens her arms to the crowd and calls out,

"Not just yet sir! Though, you can count on Marrin Eversong definitely returning to the wonderous Lintoll! Let's hear it for the Lintoll!"

She'll accept the box with a low bow to Noon and the halfing before turning and bowing to the crowd again.

After all that she'll head back to her seat, smug in the knowledge she beat the ringer. Or a little girl. Either way.

Looking between Geffroi, Ithleviur and Ula and then over to the empty seats her good mood sours ever so slightly.

"The other three aren't back yet? Did they say were they were going? I thought they'd have sorted it by now."

She asks as she sits and absently stores the prize box as she gets a distant look in her eyes, confirming that Ava is still invisible. (via concentration)

Jan admonishes K'oshash for not either following the Mayor all the way into his home, or returning to her immediately once they lost the Mayor.

Her anxiety over the situation leads her to snap at them, but she quickly apologizes and shares how concerned she is for her friends, and how important this may be, and that she really needs them to focus up. She asks them to quickly fly back to the big top looking for Ava, Marrin, Hammerdasher, and Geffroi, and to report back to her immediately, and not go sight seeing through the Lintoll.

[On the walk to the compound...]

To the guards, Ethel makes small talk, continuing to attempt to appear completely at ease and unsuspecting, while trying to get them talking as much as possible.  

"You know, on the way to the mayor's speech earlier, Mard had seemed a little on edge.  I don't mean to pry, but I'm picking up a little of that concern from the four of you as well.  Is there some sort of danger to the city we should know about?  Are you expecting some kind of attack?"

[At the compound...]

Ethel takes a breath, then nods to the guards as she enters.  Privately, she hopes that Jan is still somewhere nearby  [I don't think she even suspects that Ava is here too].

Apparently unable to see her surroundings, Avaria concentrates on what is being said as they enter the compound.  She really does hope this is just a quick chat and that they can head back to the lintoll soon.

Back under the Big Top:

When Marrin gets back to the seats to join the other trio, Ula just shakes her head, while Geffroi looks around, seeiming to realize the others are gone for the first itme.

“Where are they?” he asks.

In the center ring a blue spotlight illuminates Noon.

“Remember everyone, in just a short while, on the shores of Copper Cream Lake, we will be anointing the Potentate of the Lintoll. You don’t want to miss it.”

The crowd around Marrin and the others begins to gather their belongings and head for the exits.

Lord High Mayor’s Compound:

K'oshash hangs their clay coloured head in shame and then darts off back to the Lintoll.

The group crosses the same parade ground you saw earlier with the stable to one side, and smaller buildings to the other. Only this time it’s lit up by torches on the walls.

The guards have been relatively untalkative on the way to the compound. Their response to Ethel’s questions is mostly a collective shrug. One does comment that “Lots of danger out there. Mayor's just trying to keep us safe."

The brick council offices and mayor’s chamber building still sits in the middle and the guards lead Ethel straight towards it.

In the dark, the weatherbeaten platform and gallows dances with shadows.

The lead guard opens the doors of the hall. At the same time another guard closes the gate in palisade wall and slides a wooden beam back in to place to lock the gate.

The guard gestures for Ethel to enter.

The guards will enter with Ethel if she goes in.

Avaria and Jan will either need a stealth roll (straight – no advantage or disadvantage) or an agility check (at disadvantage) to get through the doors with the guards without bumping into anyone before the doors are closed.

Jan mentally curses Ethel for letting the guards take her this far, but they are outnumbered, and she has a good sense of the woman's hunger for answers, and with the guards not offering any, she can't really fault trying to get them from the source.

Much more colorful mental cursing is directed at whatever is keeping Marrin, Ava, Ula and the guys from following. Hopefully the invisible K'oshash can locate them.

Stealth: 20

As soon as the doors are opened, Avaria attempts to make her way inside.  She knows she isn't the smallest of people and she is pretty sure Ethel isn't going to balk at this, so to try and keep herself away from the others, she slips in as soon as she can while the guards wait for Ethel.

Stealth:  22

(Ethel's passive perception is enough to have notice something bumping into things - she can roll an active perception roll if she wants to try and make more sense of it - kind of like what the guards will be doing too).

((Jan too with her passive 13, or she miss her chance?))

Sensing… something… Ethel doesn’t try to determine what it is.  She guesses it’s something to do with Jan.  

Walking inside, she ‘stumbles’,having to catch herself as she falls.

”Curse this ruined hip,” she mutters, clearly embarrassed. 

[Hoping to give the invisible friend advantage on any attempts to hide by momentarily distracting the guards.]