Togar focuses on the girl, eyes blinking from time to time, he is rubbing the edge of his fine vest as he sits and listens, hearing her recall the tale.  He sees Elmer raise his hand and promptly ignores him, turning back to the girl and asks “This “bad man” and his minions… can you describe him?  Describe them?  Where did they come from, I wonder?”  He waits to hear more from the girl, feeling that finally they are starting to get somewhere.  

Calleigh giggles as Elmer raises his hand.  Turning to Togar, and in her best teacher voice, "You need to wait your turn." and she points to the firbolg, "You first."

Then catching a look from her mum, she does answer Togar, "No, I don't know what they looked like."

     Anachain smiles at the interaction between mother and daughter and wonders just how many times the two will have such little battles of will...  And hopes they will continue on for years and years to come.  "Fantasy or memory, we want to hear it," she assures Gwen.  "Every story has some truth in it, and we were directed here to hear it, I suppose."

     "Besides, who couldn't trust such a charming girl and her story filled grandpa?" she adds with a smile for Calleigh.

     Listening to the story she is charmed by the scene she imagines in her head of little Calleigh all tucked up in bed, snuggling in for the night, and her kindly grandfather telling her stories to sooth and excite, to intrigue but also to put to sleep.  In the end she's sure the content of the stories never mattered to young Calleigh, it was all about the love expressed in the telling...

     "Anything more you could tell us would help," Anachain adds as she leans forward a bit and smiles at the girl.  "We don't know what little tidbit could be important - The name of the thief, or their species perhaps.  What they were wearing or what direction they took off in?  Was the story the same every time or did details and events change now and again?"  She wants to grill the young girl for details but of course she cannot.  Best to excite the girl and make her want to share than to scare her and make her want to close up...

"Um. Hi. I'm Elmer." Says the Firbolg timidly. "Uh... Sorry if this is a silly question. My mom always tells me I should think more before I talk but... Anyway, that's not what I raised my had for. The real reason I did was because I wanted to ask, um... Did your Granda say why these bad guys wanted the pearl?"

Kulloda yawns quietly as all the talking goes on. So many questions and so much talking.

"No one see thieves. Maybe no thieves," Kulloda muses to himself. "Maybe grandpa just sell pearl."

Calleigh beams at Mother Anachain's words and her little legs start swinging as she sits on the kitchen stool.  "Hi Elmer, I'm Calleigh but you already knew that.  No, he didn't tell me that, I don't think he knew?  But I could be wrong."

Back to MA, "I think the story was the same every time?  We tried to tell others, but no one would believe us."  With this, she screws up her face at her mum.

Then she looks shocked at Kulloda, and jumps at the stool, her little hands clenched into fists, "He would never!!  That pearl was important to the town, it was a gift from Aeloria!!"

Drip locks eyes with Kullota, his expression silent, but unmistakable: "C'mon, dude." Two simple words that echo without a single sound. Just a look that it says it all. C’mon Dude.

Elmer raises his hand again.

Calleigh either doesn't see Elmer's hand or is ignoring it as she stares Kulloda down waiting for him to dare talk bad about her grandpa again.

However Gwen nods to the firbolg, "You don't need to raise your hand, we're not in school.  What is it?"

Kulloda shrugs.

"If pearl so valuable, probably got good price," Kulloda says, not understanding what Drip's expression means. He looks at the small halfling girl and nods at her fierce expression. This he understands. "Not make him bad. If so valuable, town should protect better."

Kulloda looks around at the others and shakes his head.

"Grandpa or others gone. Can't find thieves. But what power does pearl have? Should look where that power is now. That's where pearl is."

     "We should consider what we saw last night as true.  If the play in the tent wasn't somehow depicting truth then why are we even looking for the pearl?" Anachain says, her tone slightly scolding as she eyes Kulloda.  "If they thought the grandfather guilty, even as a possibility, it would have been depicted... or at least hinted at."

     "And if we are considering the events at the tent as truth, then there is some purpose to our seeking out young Calleigh here," she continues.  "Did your grandfather perhaps tell you more stories about the pearl and what it does?  Or perhaps about Aeloria and the gifting of the pearl?"

     Anachain is convinced they are here for a purpose but the purpose seems beyond her grasp.  She aims to keep the young girl talking and sharing without allowing it to become an interrogation.  The mother would rightfully cut them off if things get too tense or combative at all...  But what about the mother and the girl?  Anachain listens to whatever the girl answers but also studies her, and her mother, and tries to decide if she believes they are being as truthful and open and sharing and they seem.  ((Insight?  10...  MA likely can't tell anything beyond the words...)

     Perhaps she could have read the pair more if she wasn't distracted...  

Kulloda shrugs and heads outside.

He decides to walk around the house just to see what's around, in case someone is listening to the group.

Drip, having patiently waited for a taste of halfling hospitality, feels his patience wearing thin when he realizes there isn’t a crumb of biscuits or any hint of that killer weed he’d been hoping for. With a casual shrug, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He glides over to the nearest cupboard, opening it without hesitation. Then another, and another—rummaging through bins, sifting through shelves—searching for something, anything to quench his thirst. He hums softly as he digs around, completely unbothered by the lack of invitation.

Investigation + Guidance 16

Elmer lowers his hand when Gwen tells him too and responds, "Oh, um... I didn't really have another question, I just wanted to say I'm sorry you lost your grandfather. I'll bet you miss him a lot... And I hope we can find this pearl, because it'll mean he's done one more good thing for you and the town even though he's not here to share it with you."

He tries to massage his arm which aches a bit from being raised, but it's awkward to do through the chain mail... "Um, but ooh, also, is there anyone else in town who knows about this pearl? Maybe someone who might tell us who took it and why? 'Cuz that would probably be helpful too."

As Kulloda leaves the room, Calleigh relaxes.  She looks at Mother Anachain and you can tell she's thinking hard.  Suddenly she smiles, "Oh!  Grandpa had a journal!"  and she scampers off her stool and runs into her room.  

Gwen smiles as Elmer talks to her, "Thank you for your kind words, but as for the pearl?  That's just a fairy tale.  Ask anyone in town, they'll tell you the same thing.  Why this circus decided to put on a show and tell you lies about him, I wish I could answer that."  she shakes her head.

And as she does, she notices Drip and stands up, "Is there something I can help you with?  Don't you know it is quite rude to go through someone else's things?  Please join your friend and head outside."  her hands are on her hip and she is scowling now.

When Kulloda leaves the home, he runs into the three kids that were playing with Calleigh when they arrived.  They were gathered by the front door trying to listen in and as he emerges, the two girls scatter and the boy stands there, his mouth agape, frozen.  One of the girls runs back, grabs his arm and they all three scatter away.  When Kulloda looks around the homestead, he doesn't find anyone else, but finds some vats in the back yard where a lot of the soap making occurs.

Kulloda stares at the boy as he stares at Kulloda and then snorts when the girl rescues him.

Looking at the vats in the back, he wrinkles his nose again; too perfumed for him. Kulloda then makes his way around to a window by the living room where the group were asking the girl questions and sits down against the wall, waiting for them to be done.

Togar readjusts the helm on his head, his taloned hand calming any ruffled feathers on his scalp as he awaits the child’s return with her Grandfather’s journal.  “If that does not tell the story, I’ll see what I can glean from her mind….”  He draws the last out slightly, awaiting her return and focusing his thoughts on her.  “Are there any images, connections, things held deep in her mind that she isn’t aware of….” 

Drip, finding nothing that piques his interest, closes the last cupboard with a soft thud. As he turns to leave, the halfling lady gives him a sharp scolding, clearly offended by his lack of manners. Drip just shrugs, unfazed, and with a lazy wave says, “Whatever, dude. I didn’t know halflings were so lame.” He casually strolls out the door, the sunshine glistening on his moist skin as he steps back outside.

     "A journal?  Really?  May we see?" Mother Anachain asks with excitement matching that of Calleigh's own.  As the young girl rushes off Anachain's attention turns to the girl's mother.

     "I... didn't choose my own companions, I'm afraid," Anachain says in her best apologetic tone.  "None of us knew the other before being thrust together on this matter..."

     "I'm not from here myself.  I had not heard of the pearl until the tent.  I cannot speak on the truth or story of it," she admits.  "But there are strange and magical things in the world.  That cannot be doubted.  In many aspects the tent and it's show is one of them...  And while I cannot vouch for the story that played out on the stage, it has a sense of truthiness to it.  It somehow just resonates to me as a true thing...  And as such my companions and I are seeking it out.  Will it lead to a lot of wasted time and effort?  Perhaps but I for one have time and effort to waste.  If instead it leads to some good for this city?  Or more?  Then how can we not at least investigate?"

     Having heard Togar talk about invading the girl's mind, Anachain shoot him a glare and mouths "Hush!" to him.  Even if he can do such things it is best not to announce it to a mother and daughter who are already being voluntarily helpful...

Togar gives a ruffling of his feathers, extending his arms as he cocks his head from one side to the other, then back.  His shoulders arch up in a shrug and he remains silent, awaiting what can be gleaned without further *ahem* measures…