Chuckling silently to herself, Mother Anachain breaks away from the others and instead moves about the shop looking at the different items on sale.  She stays within hearing distance, of course.  Probably hard not to in a store this size.  But she is intrigued to watch the others in action.  As she looks about the items for sale, she is of course keeping a sharp eye out for any soaps, interested to see if there is evidence the shop sells the girls wares.

Drip’s eyes glaze over as the old elf prattles on, clearly losing him somewhere between "imbue with magic" and "Charles." He gives a lazy nod, his attention drifting.

“Yeah, yeah… that’s cool, I guess. Thank you anyway, dude,” he mutters, already looking around the shop again, like he’s forgotten the conversation altogether. He takes a step back, half-turning away, his mind clearly wandering elsewhere, maybe back to the beach, the waves, or just the next snack.

Kulloda puts both large hands down on the counter and leans in to Charles.

"What is half-orc like me?" Kulloda asks. He breathes out deeply and inhales again, repeating the process a couple of times before putting more weight on the counter. "Town say find halfling girl. She missing. Come here and seller man say no business with me. Halfling girl not in trouble. Seller man in trouble."

Intimidation - (14+2) = 16 (to get him to start saying what he knows about Wildwillow)

Just at that moment, the door flies open and in tumbles an eight-foot tall humanoid clad in glistening armor with reddish hair, pale blue eyes. He currently has his foot stuck in a small wooden bucket and is flailing about trying to get it off. "Darned thing... I don't even know how I coulda even..."

After crashing into several shelves he collides with Kulloda, grabbing onto the half-orc for balance to keep him from falling to the floor. "Oh, shoot. Sorrysorrysorry..." He says, still hanging off of the half-orc. Finally, not even realizing he's interrupting something, he turns to the shopkeeper with a big, goofy, guileless smile... bucket still attached to his foot and asks, "S'cuse me... Sorry to make such a mess but I'm looking for a halfling soap seller. Any chance you might know where I can find her?"

Kulloda turns his glare from the shopkeeper to the tall, armoured red-head.

He points to a spot several feet away.

"Take hand off Kulloda. Go stand there," Kulloda says. "And get own halfling. Soap seller our halfling."

Kulloda then turns back to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper starts stammering when Kulloda leans forward and tells him that he is in trouble.  "I.. she's missing?  What happ..ppened to to Calleigh?"  He looks from Kulloda to the elves and the other human in the store who have all stopped what they are doing to watch the spectacle.

Which becomes quite a show as the firbolg crashes through the door and into several shelves as he makes his entrance.  Charles's face goes from a frown to straight out anger as his store becomes a mess and the two large ones start both demanding to see Calliegh.  "Nope.  Nope.  Out!  You two out, and anyone else who wants to make a mess and try and intimidate me into giving out information about people in our town!"  He looks to Togar as well as he says this, making shooing motions with his hands as he starts shooing you all towards the door.

At Kulldoa's direction, the firbolg spins around, looking for the exact spot where the half-orc is pointing. In the process, he collides with several other shelves.

"Wait, which... Here or... Oh, oops... excuse me--"

At which point the shop keeper tells him to leave. It's only then that the armored oaf is able to finally pull the bucket from his foot."

"Oh, yes. Of course, I'll just um..." He sets the bucket on the counter. "Figure here's as good a place as any." He starts backing out, adding, "Well... anyways,  just... If you happen to see her, I swore an oath to help her out and those who are looking for her, so... just... mental note, okay?"

And, with a final, friendly smile he opens the door and steps outside, remarkably placing his foot directly into another empty bucket... "Ah-geez, where do all these buckets even keep..." and he continues muttering to himself as he hobbles out of the shop.

Kulloda watches the newcomer come close to demolishing the interior of the store before finding his way outside. Kulloda nods, that one did listen so maybe he could help.

But once the shopkeeper, Charles, starts trying to shoo him out like an insect, Kulloda stands firm.

"Kulloda not little bug to wave away," Kulloda says. "Halfling girl, you call Calleigh. She missing. Town want to find."

He then looks over to Drip and just shakes his head. That one won't be any help, he thinks. Instead he looks around for the other two; for the angry mask and the owl man. They had better words. Once he spots Togar he waves at Charles.

"Tell him reasons."

     Mother Anachain just shakes her head.  Sometimes she thinks the end of the world just cannot come soon enough...

     "You herd the man!" Anachain says, raising her voice into a commanding tone just below a yell, something any school teacher or mother is a master at.  "Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!"  She moves to Drip and pushes him towards the door, then to Kulloda and nudges him in that direction as well.  Finally her eyes fall on the new arrival.  "You too!  Get out... go jump over the moon or something and give the adults a moment to talk, will ya??"

     Pushing and shoving, gently but intently, Anachain shoos them all out the door... (unless anyone resists?) Finally she turns back to the shopkeep.  "I am so sorry about...  well, about everything.  I'm not... Well, I guess I am with them but it's not exactly by choice.  We all kind of got recruited together and boy am I regretting that..."  She takes a moment or two to collect herself and then looks back to him.  "And sorry for that as well, you don't need to hear about my troubles..."

     "We are looking for Calleigh, yes," Anachain admits.  "But if she is in trouble it is NOT from us.  We were told she could help us find something, is all.  If she chooses to.  We are not going to harass a little girl.  Well I am not, and I swear to you I will not allow the others to,"  Her eyes scream that that is the truth of the matter no matter what the merchant thinks of her. 

     "We're on a bit of a quest, you see.  Calleigh is just the first clue along the path or it.  No ill will come to her while I live.  We just have a couple of questions is all..."

(Persuasion:  15)

Once a steady flow of shopkeeper friendly words start coming from Mother Anachain, Kulloda nods and heads out the door.

As the fresh air from outside hits him, Kulloda takes a breath. "That shop make Kulloda's head hurt. Too smelly."

He then looks around for the large man who likes buckets.

"You, bucket foot," Kulloda says. "What you mean you help look for halfling girl? What oath?"

Drip stumbles out of the store with a little yelp as Anachain gives him a push, but he doesn't resist. He practically flows out the door, arms loose at his sides, looking more amused than annoyed.

Once outside, he glances up at the towering ginger warrior, his face lighting up like he's just seen an old surfing buddy. "So, dude," he begins with a grin, "you ever carve up some gnarly barrels? Or is your vibe more like, cruising the mellow glassy breaks at sunrise, feeling the swell roll under your feet, ya know? Riding that perfect left, like you're one with the ocean, just dancing on the lip?" He pauses, eyes wide, waiting for some sign, any sign, that this armored dude has a clue what he’s talking about.

The firbolg stares wide-eyed at Drip as he says all of his words and finally replies, "Yeah I... I don't know any of these things that you're saying but it's got a good sort of..." He moves his palm like a ship moving across some waves... "...fun sort of cadence about it, so that's really nice."

He turns his attention back to the severe seeming half orc, almost forgetting about the bucket on his foot until he mentions it. "Right... the oath. Sorta funny thing, that. See, I was just minding my business in the forest one day, doing chores for my mom when I came across this human fellow in fancy armor with an arrow in his neck, right? And at first I was just... you know... rather spooked by the whole thing. But then this guy, it turns out he's still alive and he looks at me with these sad eyes, pleading for my help...

So, you know... I couldn't just leave him like that, right? So I offered him some water and kept him comfortable but it's not like I know anything about how to heal an arrow in the neck because I mean, gosh, how is someone supposed to heal an arrow in the neck, I mean... well... I kinda know how now but that's sort of getting ahead of myself, so anyway I make this guy comfortable and he says to me, "Hey, I'm dying and I never fulfilled my oath or whatever and that's... you know... unfortunate."

So I say to the guy, I say, "Ah, gosh, that's really... too bad. But I really need to finish gathering these berries or my mom's gonna hit me with a spoon again when I get home." But this fella he's like, "No, no, you don't understand. You need to complete my oath for me..."

And I'm hearing this and I'm thinking, "Gosh, how do I tell this guy that I'm not really the oath-fullfilling type, you know?" 

But before I have a chance he tells me, "You have a kind heart. I can tell." Which is like...

The firbolg offers a bashful shrug and grows beet red, struggling to keep from laughing from the nerves before continuing. "I mean, that's a really nice thing to say, right? So, I say to the fella I say, "Thank you, but I've never really done an oath before so I don't know the rules" and he says to me... 

"Swear that you will find a just ruler who deserves your loyalty... then serve them as your liege lord for life."

I had to ask my mom what liege lord meant but I think I mostly understand it now.... Anyway, so this human says he spent his whole life looking for a worthy ruler and he never found one before he caught that arrow in the neck from a goblin bandit. He asked me to take his armor and his sword and... you know... keep looking."

The firbolg pauses for a moment, lost in the memory before continuing.

"And when he said it... I don't know... something inside me... It just bubbled up and said yes before I had a chance to think about it. He asked me to swear it. And I did. Just like that. I don't know why. It just seemed right."

Another pause.

"Anyway, so I went home, told my mom everything and she hit me with the spoon like I knew she would but then she said I needed to grow up, take responsibility fulfill the oath I made. So, she helped me to clean the blood off the armor, gave me a haircut and some biscuits for the road and told me to go find my way... But I didn't know where to go or what to do... So, she told me to quiet my mind and listen to my heart..." 

He looks around at the others and offers a dumb smile. "It was actually pretty easy... But, anyway, when I did, I saw something... Like, a picture in my head... of a halfling girl, making soap... and a group of adventurers searching for her to help her out. Kinda strangely specific, right? Anyway, I don't know if she's the one I'm supposed to serve or what, but it's as good a reason as any to start off on my quest. For whatever reason, I had a bee in my bonnet that told me to start looking in Eldershore. Don't ask me why. Just a strange little hunch I had. So, I traveled for miles and miles... got into a few scrapes along the way... and here I am."

The firbolg finishes his saga of a story and looks at the others with a friendly smile... finally adding as an afterthought.

"Oh, I'm Elmer by the way."

Togar allows himself to be shooshed by Mother Anachain at first, feathers ruffling up, but then stops near the door, not fully exiting once she turns back to question Charles, Togar spins around and puts his owlin hand to the side of his head and focuses with his helm on the shopkeeper, holding perfectly still and concentrating, particularly when the name “Calleigh” is mentioned.  He stays quiet, trying to remain unobtrusive, near the door.  

((Togar casts detect thoughts on Charles with his Helm, as Mother Anachain is talking to him.))

Charles looks at Mother Anachain intently.  "Hey.. I know you, you take care of children outside the chapel.  Yeah.. I don't suppose you would hurt Calleigh or let them either."  He rubs the back of his neck and looks at the mess that Elmer left in his wake.  The other shoppers have mysteriously disappeared as well, leaving the man with no profit and a mess for the morning.

Looking back to the woman in the mask, "Look, Calleigh and her family, the Wildwillows sell some really great soap to myself and I believe Whistling Wheat as well.  As for finding her?  She's probably at home?  I guess I don't know.  I do know her families home is over by the other halflings, you know.. there are the Coppershines, Shadowquicks, Underboughs... but I don't know who lives where, sorry."  He points South of the square down a main road.  He then comes out from behind his counter and giving Togar a look as he lingers at the threshold, he starts cleaning up.  "I don't suppose you all would mind leaving so I can do this in peace?"

     "Of course," Mother Anachain says.  "You have been very helpful and I appreciate that.  I'd offer to have the others come back and help clean up their mess but..." Mother Anachain sighs at that and gives him a little shrug to indicate they both know the folly of inviting the bulls back into the china shop.

     "Come, come," she says, turning away from the shopkeeper and speaking to Togar.  "I do believe we've gotten what we need here."  She doesn't shoo him outside but she does step past him and exit the store herself, holding the door open for him.

     "She also sells her soap to the Whistling Wheat," Anachain tells the others.  "We could try there... Or he said she lives somewhere down in the halfling quarter.  He didn't know precisely where but we could go ask around.  Carefully.  We don't want to scare anyone..."  Her eyes fall on Kulloda as she says this last bit.

     Anachain believes going to the Halfling quarter (eighth?) may be the best option for finding the girl, but also potentially the one most likely to put her on the defensive.  Who would want this group showing up on their doorstep?  Still, they have to find her before they can convince her to trust them...

Drip plops down cross-legged on the ground, glistening with his usual layer of moisture, and listens to Elmer’s tale with wide, attentive eyes. At least at first. As the story goes on, he starts to fidget, his attention drifting to a nearby pebble that catches his eye. He fiddles with it, barely containing his grin.

When Elmer finishes, Drip blinks and shakes his head as if coming out of a trance. He gives the firbolg a friendly wave. “Hey, dude, that's totally tubular. Didn’t catch all the gnarly details, but sounds like you've got a pretty rad mission. Hope you find your adventurers or whatever.”

He then looks Elmer up and down, and grins. “Personally, I’m not really into oaths and mission and stuff. Too much effort dude. But the sea gave me a vision too, so here I am, flowing with these dudes.” he says gesturing around, seemingly unaware that most of the party is absent.

Kulloda listens to Elmer’s story but soon loses the thread. But feels like he has gotten the gist of the saga.

”You kill warrior, then mother beat you with spoon for eating biscuits. Now running away from bees but help find Halfling.” 

Kulloda nods. He’s not sure how much help someone who can be driven off by spoons and bees will be but Elmer is big, has armour and weapons so might be useful.

He then listens to Anachain when she comes out.

”Let’s go Halfling village. But get happy mask. Then not scare halflings.” Kulloda says assuming that Anachain was talking about herself, worried that her own skeletal mask would scare the little people.

     Anachain's skeletal mask... changes.  Slowly the skeletal design shifts into a grin.  Anachain shrugs.  "Like so?" she asks Kulloda but after a moment she reaches up and takes the mask off entirely.  It was a recent affectation that she stole from the Dwarf and it gave her some comfort to hide behind it but perhaps the brute was correct, perhaps it is a bit off-putting to others.  Besides, she is best known around town without it..

     With the mask off everyone sees Anachain's face for the first time.  She is likely younger and prettier than some may have assumed, though not as much as she could be.  She looks weathered and withered.  Almost gaunt.  A couple stray pieces of hair sneak out from below her head scarf and while much of it is jet black there is also a tuft of gray.  She gives a quick, fleeting smile to the others in recognition of showing her face, then she turns serious.

     "Right, to half-town it is then.  Just..." Rein it in?  Behave?  Don't kill anyone?  Anachain wasn't even sure what instructions she intended to give.  She sighs instead and fastens her mask, now a pure white blank, to the bit of belt around her waist and heads off in the proper direction.  "Follow me," she says belatedly.

Elmer follows, carefully eyeing the ground for any unseen buckets as he walks.

He whispers to Drip. "The skull-mask lady kinda reminds me of my mom. Is she the boss of us?"

Drip looks up and whispers back to Elmer with a chuckle, "Nah, dude, she just thinks she is. But like, if you just nod and smile, she’ll chill out eventually. Besides, the ocean's the only real boss out here. The rest is just noise, dude."