The Forgotten Wish

Perception: 20

Oren sighs quietly, and then just listens and waits for the captain to come out.

Oren waits patiently, and in his silence, manages to catch some of the noise coming into the room. He recognizes two sets of voices, one at least from the captain, but... Both sound familiar?

"...A moment, I won't be long,"

"Please, take your time, we have already been intruding on your hospitality! It is evident you are a busy man,"

That other voice. Isn't that Richard? The merchant that they spent a fair chunk traveling with? Still, it doesn't take long for the first voice to come out seeming rather annoyed, the guard quickly explaining that they had found another potential accomplice, for one moment Vanstrom glancing directly at him with that same look... And then instantly putting on a more cheerful face.

"Ah, under normal circumstances perhaps, but it happens that I saw this one enter the city earlier with others, so all is fine!" he says, and taking a quick step forward toward the dwarf.

"Apologies, good friend, for the mixup. You are free to go, of course."

---

Slick is only barely aware of what he believes is Oren and other voices upstairs.

"I think he just now got his own audience, so that'll have to wait, too."

Outside, Breldo and Nuria can be seen approaching.

Rick nods,

"Rick may sit somewhere while Rick waits?"

Rick will take the nearest chair and dig out some of his fluffy items to squeeze while he waits, eyes have closed in evident enjoyment.

Breldo looks at Slick kneading the grease matted fur of a stuffed rat and raises an eyebrow at Nuria.

Oren nods and says “Glad this is figured out. Guess my question is…What exactly was I almost accused of?    I nearly bought something from that merchant.”

Nuria catches Breldo's look, and shrugs. She looks extremely uncomfortable, and more jumpy than usual.

Breldo clears his throat. "Any luck finding Oren?", he asks Rick.

Slick sits down without awaiting an answer, but seems like the man doesn't care one way or another. Up above, Oren asks what he almost got himself ijto. 

"Oh,only something most foul! That man," he starts, pauses for a moment, then starts escorting Oren to the staircase already while he continues. 

"He was the mastermind behind some vicious murders! On your kind too no less. But that's all sorted now," he states plainly, beginning to head down the stairs. Breldo gets to ask his question about Oren just as he sees that happening. 

Rick opens one eye and looks at Breldo,

"Rick has located Oren above! Rick has heard from the good guard here that Oren is meeting with the Captain after having been brought in by mistake."

Rick points,

"Rick sees dwarf Oren there now! Rick also sees the Captain?"

He looks to the guard for confirmation before rising and giving a little bow,

"Rick wonders if the good Captain could answer a few small questions for Rick? Rick wonders about the ambushers most ably captured by the captain and his guards! Rick wonders how many there were and how the villains were able to be captured and brought to (this city) without Rick having seen them on the road here?"

(Rick, oren, breldo, nuria, give me an insight check.) 

Breldo: 16

Nuria 9

Insight.  11

The captain turns to Slick, raising a brow, before offering a wide smile.

"Of course my good citizen! It... Well..."

"It was simply a matter of, ah, I realized that some of our humble city's less savory characters had come back from that direction earlier that day! And seeking them out and interrogating the horrible truth came out as we managed to get all of them. Lowlifes the lot of them of course, three of them- A drunkard with money trouble, some devil orphan and a man too simple to realize right from wrong."

"Turns out what happened is that they were waiting specifically for a bunch of dwarves that were going to pass through. Bryon, the obsessed man he is, believed they had something valuable and wanted it at any cost, so he's the one that recruited the three. And now, they're all in jail, and they'll get their just punishment soon enough. Is that all?"

As the four of them listen, the man seems to speak with lots of charm and bravado despite that distracting chin of his. Most of his words are delivered believable to their ears, and it sounds perhaps reasonable enough.

Breldo can't help but feel, though, that there was a very big pause near the start of his spiel. Which could be just Vanstom arranging his thoughts... But he can't help but feel as if the captain was going to say something else at first, then pivoted.

Nuria doesn't give the Captain's words much thought as she eyes the door. Oren is safe, so why spend any more time here then necessary? She absentmindedly starts shifting her weight from foot to foot while she waits for the others to finish up the conversation. Her face stays hidden in her dark hair as she pointedly does not look at the Captain's face...even with his distracting chin.

"How fortunate that three of your local undesirables were embroiled in this plot. The shopkeep, Bryon? Was he a trouble maker as well?"

Insight: 11

Rick focuses on the key point of the story and to himself mutters,

"Only three?"

Rick sighs in disappointment before saying loudly,

"Rick thanks the Captain for the Captain's clear and full answer! Rick sees the Captain is very good at being a captain and Rick wishes the Captain a wonderful night."

He gives a little bow and starts to depart, seeing how the Byron guy was already established as the ringleader.

"Alas," the captain says, seeming to miss any underlying tones in Breldo's speech as he answers his question first "I suppose it was only a matter of time for them to turn from simple nuisance to something truly heinous. Bryon being the mastermind was a surprise even to me, but then again, he's always been odd. I've always thought his little shop ought to be a front or something, with how he's got the money and yet doesn't make any sales. You," he says, now turning back to Oren, "He probably refused to even sell to you, didn't he? Typical for him."

Finished, he turns to Slick, a brow raised at the "only", unaware that the cat reminisces about his bet remaining lost... But feels a need to elaborate regardless.

"Yes, well... They caught the group of dwarves in ambush, I'm afraid. Supposedly, they... They had the little she-devil be a distraction by pretending to be injured, and then she just tore out one of their throats! Then with making a tree crash down upon them, and one of them likely passing as a giant for them, they were quickly overwhelmed, it's a shame to say."

(Can someone give me a d20 roll?)

4

"We saw no signs of an attack on a group of dwarves, though I'm certain you will be heading out in the morning to investigate the scene of the alleged ambush. Tore our their throat  you say?! Oh my! Did she tell you that she did that?", Breldo gives a shiver. "It's impressive how much you were able to deduce within your own mind, truly dizzying."