Devol pinches the bridge of her nose and makes a sound somewhere between a growl and a groan. "I swear if this one left on a ship too..." She grumbled, then turned to the others. "Wanna check the scene or the tavern first? Could split up and hit both, but that seems risky here." Then as a bit of an afterthought, nods at Xoblob. "Uh. Thanks."

Cyrano tries to remember if he has seen the tattoo in the shop. 

History: 22

Meanwhile, Lebron had already stepped outside and was giving an in-depth inspection of the spot where Xoblob described the kidnapping took place, on the off-chance something was left there that could serve as a clue, small as it was...

While doing this, he was also racking his brains to try and recall who could give him an insight into the local smuggling vessels in the area: maybe the assailants weren't as discrete and well-protected in their movements as one would hope ?
 If they'd taken a ship and left with a couple of life-sized 'suspicious packages', he felt pretty sure one of his former smuggling associates - or competitors - could have had a local eye or  ear close enough to spot something of that type... unless they'd been the ones actually hired to do the shipping, which wouldn't have surprised him either way.

Terrlynn took a deep breath and let out a slow but slightly audible sigh.  She thought, What did I get myself into, before looking at the others.  "Yeah, so I'm new to these parts and I'm not getting it all but just to clarify.  There are gangs here, not surprising, and they routinely attack and kill each other.  Then on top of that there is a third group pitting them against one another and now we're going to have to get involved in this cluster..."

Cyrano chuckles softly at Terrlynn's slightly basic but apt read on the situation. "Heh, Welcome to Waterdeep." He says with an apologetic "what can you do" shrug. Turning his attention back to Xoblob he presses for more information. "There's another side to this as well. We're still trying to understand the motive. Anybody been through asking or looking for information on Floon? 

Having a little more time to think about the winged snake tattoo than he did when he saw the one on Krintz during the Yawning Portal melee, Cyrano begins to remember a few thuggish looking fellows coming in to the shop asking for similar artwork. He didn't do the work himself, but now hearing about it from Xoblob (and not engaged in combat) he recovered the memory from a few weeks back. The two men were dressed in black armor, but he doesn't remember much else about them.

Lebron walks back outside to have a look around the street where Floon and the other man were assaulted, but his search turns up nothing. He made a mental note to look up Zimmy the Zook...a local smuggler and contact who might be able to give him some more information on humanoid trafficking in Waterdeep. He then comes back inside as Terrlynn and Cyrano continue to question Xoblob.

"I never said there was a third group tied up with the Xans and the Zhents," says the old gnome in response to Terrlynn's suggestion, "but I can't be sure there isn't one either. No one has come around asking about Floon...except you folks."

"Oh, we knows you never tole us any ol' thing. No-Nothing-At-All... right, folks ? My gnome Xoblob here is as pure and innocent  as the whitest snows in Icewind Dale, true dat ! And that's what we'll tell anyone ever askin', too..." Lebron declares grandly, with a falsely humble look towards the rest of the group, before adding: "Could be that I, however, knows somebody who knows somebody to ask about 'em boats and all that smugglin' jive, but I reckon we can also do a beeline to that joint where our boy was seen last... what was it, the 'Skewered Wyrm' or sumthin ? If we be smart about it, might be that we spot someone who also knows someone who saw somethin' there too, am I right ?"

Xoblob produces a handful of small, violet-colored beads, holding them out towards Lebron. "Before you go, you wanna turn your skin purple? Swallow one of these...it wears off in about 24 hours. Or wait...was it days... Either way, it'd be much better than that harsh blue complexion you're sporting. Side effects include purple urine, purple stool, purple blood, purple tears, purple sweat, purple spit, purple snot, purple vomit and purple....uh, well you get the picture. All the bodily fluids turn purple. It'll be a hoot!"

"Any other... side effects ? I mean the good 'uns, eh ?" Lebron asks with a mischievous grin, taking the beads offered.

Devol sneers a bit. "OK, well that's... Disgusting. I'll be outside." She exits the shop and spends some time looking over the apparent scene of the crime herself. And also to not be around Xoblob any longer.

Perception: 22 

Devol finds nothing of note concerning Floon's abduction in the street, but looking down the pathway, she does spot a faded sign with an image of a wyrm impaled on a spike: The Skewered Dragon.

Cyrano taps his chin in thought as he sifts through memories of clients. "Hmmm...I remember a couple rough customers coming through the shop but I can't seem to place a face. I'd say we could talk to Ol' Garl, my boss, but he ain't the type to be answering questions and I don't want to push him. Best bet is to probably head to the 'Dragon'  and see if we can pick up a trail there."

Just as he's about to open it he door to collect Devil and head for the dragon, Cyrano stops and turns around. A puzzled look crosses his face as he tilts his head to one side. "You said there was another person of similar style with Floon when he was attacked. What happened to the other guy? I mean without a corps we can assume Floon was taken in the end regardless of his condition. But the other one. Did he runoff? Did he help? Volo implied that he left Floon, but that description sure sounds like him." 

Cyrano watches his acquaintance carefully to see if there is any indication he might know more than he's said. 

Insight: 13

Lebron whistles admiringly after hearing Cyrano's suggestion:

"Woo-bleedin-hee... ! Look at 'em big brains on bread, 'ere, what ? Yo Cy... what did ye say you did for a livin' already ? Ever be considerin' smugglin' ? We sho' could use more brains in them types of operations, so holler if y' ever need ye a side trade, mmh ?"

(CYRANO INSIGHT CHECK: SUCCESS)

XOBLOB: "Floon had someone else with him...got kidnapped with him too, but it wasn't Volo. I'd know that stupid floppy hat anywhere and it wasn't Volo. No, this guy looked like he coulda been Floon's brother...or maybe cousin. Ok, step-half-cousin. Common ancestor. They sorta looked alike. And they dressed the same....ooooh, maybe it was his tailor? I don't know, but when those brutes hit 'em, they hit 'em hard...then they threw 'em in some burlap sacks and toted 'em off." 

Tarrlynn stood stone still in the back.  She wasn't one for haste decisions but sounded like haste was needed.  That said, she was a broad strokes kind of person not the detail oriented as these Lebron or Cyrano.  

"So, the "Dragon."  We go there next?" She asks.

Devol starts the head for the dragon sign, stops midstep, looking back at the others still in the shop. Right. She wasn't working alone. Should probably wait for the others.

 Satisfied with the response from Xoblob, Cyrano nods a yes to Tarrlynns suggestion after giving a non commital shrug in response to LeBrons suggestion. "Yes let's get Devol  and go." He leads the group outside being careful to pause just as the door opens to thwart any sneak attack as he steps out. He checks the "street" and seeing no threats moves to where Devol waits. "Did you find anything? Seems the other person with Floon got kidnapped too. We're going to the dragon to see how many foppish gamblers hang about the place."

"Rite... you seem plenty used to be doin' that sorta leadin' business, eh Master Gnome ? Fine by me: let's move out, by all means ! I be just behind y'all..." Lebron announces grandly, with a teasing glance at the diminutive but determined-looking Svirfneblin, as he follows suit towards the tavern.

"Let's all remember we s'posed to be kinda roughnecks, what ? Keep a low profile and all that, then ? That be hard for someone as pretty as yours truly, but I'll be doin' me best. I swear."

The party moved cautiously down the street. It was still fairly early - before noon - so the Dock Ward was alive with foot traffic. Workers scrambled here and there as ships pulled into port. One was offloading a mass of fish while an overhead crane extracted large wooden boxes from another. The Skewered Dragon faces an alley that runs between Net Street and Fillet Lane in the Dock Ward, not far from the Old Xoblob Shop. It looks like a ruin: both of its front-facing windows are smashed, and a ship’s anchor is lodged in the roof.

Through the windows, the party can see a group of haggard patrons drinking from huge tankards. Notably, not a single one of them wore a foppish hat..****y greasy, scar-covered scalps. One patron however, stood out from the rest - a small, sharply-dressed quickling that was dealing cards at lightning speed...Zimmy The Zook.