The Forgotten Wish

“Well yes,” Oren says.  He pauses thoughtfully and frowns a bit.  “He showed me this Dwarven weapon. It seemed very old and interesting.  But then he seemed very reluctant to sell it.    I really don’t totally understand what is going on at all.   It’s all so odd really.” 

Rick turns a bit at the continued explanation, his ears turning before he does. He doesn't say anything but the bit about a little kid ripping out a throat on the road and his group not noticing what must surely have been copious amounts of blood seems off.

Not his problem, but off.

By this time, it seems like Vanstrom is catching at least a subtle undertone in Breldo's reply, that smile briefly faltering, an icy look in his direction, though his smile and candid speech quickly returns.

"No, the girl barely wants to admit to anything, but the other two confessed. The throat ripping may be a bit embellished by the drunkard, perhaps, which is why of course come tomorrow we'll have investigated it all ourselves... But we've already enough proof to have everything figured out," he says, then turns in Oren's direction. 

"Such is how it is. I'm afraid the old fool has been losing his marbles for a while, more a hoarder than any kind of merchant- But I wouldn't have figured he was this far gone to order all this."

With that, the captain slaps his hands together, already a quiet indication that the group ought to get moving again. Before he can suggest as much, however, a familiar sound comes from up the stairs.

"Oh! It's you guys!"

The merchant, Richard, now having confirmed that those voices he was hearing did in fact sound familiar, takes a few steps down the stairs. "Captain needed more info from you too? I think I already went over everything I could remember myself."

Rick tilts his head and smiles at Richard,

"Rick greets Merchant Richard! Rick came to ask about the bandits, is that what Merchant Richard was here about as well?"

"Oh, yes, the captain here does great work! We've been discussing it over dinner all evening, Mezzra sounds like it's been doing an awful job making sure nothing happens!" 

"Rick wonders how Mezzra would have known about the crazy shopkeeper and demon girl here? Rick still thinks it was very clever of the Captain to capture the bandits."

Though it is too bad the dwarves died despite the captain knew seemingly in advance it was going to happen...

"Dinner? Anything good while you regaled the captain with stories of dead dwarves and bloody ambushes? I'm surprised you were able to eat after the horrors you endured on the way here..."

Vanstrom struggles a bit, apparently not sure how he should continue now Richard showed up. Rick at first mentions how he's not sure how Mezzra would have to know about this city's bandits, to which he mumbles something about how keeping the northern road safe should be Mezzra's job. But it's Breldo's comment about dead dwarves and bloody ambushes in Richard's direction, that earns a confused brow from the older man.

"Dead dwarves? Did I miss something? We've been talking about what we agree was probably a failed ambush, but that has been about it. Is this the setup to some kind of joke..?"

There is an uncharacteristic silence from Vanstrom, while Richard mostly just looks confused, even if he keeps up that smile. A facade for a man about to break- Until he doesn't.

"Well, I didn't want to announce anything yet until we were certain! But it seems news runs quick, you know how it is, some guards can't keep their mouths shut, and now the whole town apparently already knows."

"Now, please, do go back to the table, dessert is going to get stale! Viziar! Get up here and help our guest, won't you?! As for you folks," he says, now turning back to the group.

"Seems you care a lot about this case. Maybe you'd like to join me in my office for a moment, to make sure your accounts are noted as well?"

"No thanks, it seems like you've already decided the guilt of your culprits just fine, without any need of corroborating evidence, wouldn't want to disrupt your purging of undesirables by providing an argument counter to what you know in your marrow to be true.", Breldo says with disgust, and a fair bit of abandonment of caution or concern.

Rick looks between Richard, Breldo and Vanstrom and takes an inconspicuous step towards the door he was already heading towards. He winces when Breldo states the obvious...so obviously. He opens his mouth then closes it and quickly checks over his shoulder to make sure he has a clear escape route.

Almost as if the group got pulled into a cartoon, Vanstrom's face is getting visibly red as Breldo no longer tries to hide his thoughts in the slightest.

By this point, to their group at least it is evidently obvious that the captain is, stating it very optimistically, at the very least acting fishy. In fact, those observing closely enough likely note how even a few of the guards have been listening with somewhat confused glances to a few of the topics raised, although how much does that matter when the boss speaks up? Slick is already getting ready to do what he does best while the captains face slowly turns beet red.

(Any particular actions from Oren/Nuria?)

"Look, I'm just glad you all realized I had nothing to do with the issue, and I'm really hungry and ready for food and a warm bed, and then move on with our guard duty job."

He gives Slick a nod and agrees with the man's assessment to move out of here and then later reassess what in the abyss is going on.

The captain was left fuming, anger boiling over for a moment, before, very quickly, he seems to calm down. It's rushed, and could be considered an attempt to look professional. But more likely, it's the sign of an upset liar wanting to seem cool. There is a very mixed reaction by the few other people who are witnessing all of it- At least one guard utterly confused, another guard coming up to defend Vanstrom either out of sheer loyalty or something else, and Richard, while not quite understanding what's going on, can at least understand Breldo's words, as the captain gives his response.

"I apologize you have such low expectations for our duties! But we have a confession, we've got corroborating evidence... What more would you want? Would you dare suggest we've set something up so elaborate just because of a few thugs? You're being unreasonable."

"But above all, you are going too far. You're insulting the good reputation of the guard! You're insulting the reputation of the Vanstrom family," he finishes, unable to hide some of the rising anger coming back as he finishes his sentence, before whipping his arm out to point at the group.

"Guards! Arrest them!"

(If people are still trying to run, give me athletics checks. If not, initiate rolls!)

Initiative: 10

Rick sighs and gives Oren a pained look.

"Rick is sorry friend dwarf is going back to jail."

He glares at Breldo and then raises his hands,

"Rick apologizes to the Captain and Rick would like to most humbly point out Rick and Oren never insulted the Captain's or the Guard's reputations! Rick would never do something like that!"

“Arrest me?   You just released me from questioning?  And you said I had nothing to do with this.”      Oren continues to ‘act’ dumb.   
Well, he is not about to run from the guard, nor fight them.  

He will stand impassively and look and actually be rather confused as to why this is all happening. 

"Insulting? Far from it, it seems you run a highly efficient operation here, one that would surely be bogged down by detaining any of us."

(I'll be taking a persuasion check from Slick. And a deception one from Breldo, assuming he is trying to do more than being spiteful.)

Breldo holds off on adding to his comments in what would surely not be helpful to the cause of not being locked up for who knows how long. But can he keep the sarcasm out of his voice...

Deception: 11

((It was a 5.))