Crush would clutch his side and wipe his bloodied mouth with the back of his arm while watching the crowd... (Perception 19). Once the kids have the food they need, the orc would scoop them up again and place them on his shoulders while wincing in pain. "Which way parents? Give bones and find Anna?" The Orc would grunt up towards the two kids before giving them a smile once more.

Noticing that the kids are fairly bursting to get home Veryes is going to try to calm them down "Those look like some great meaty bones! I know you want to bring them home but we're all going to go together and make a plan to find your friend Anna OK? Plus, we want to make sure you don't run into anyone who wants to take your bones!"

Persuasion: 17

Sen looks around the market, enjoying the fresh air and noise, taking in the sights of the unfamiliar city.  He stays close to the others, though.  He watches as Crush picks up the two boys and winces; if someone does try to attack us, we won't be in as strong a shape as we were, he thinks, worried.  I wonder how common attacks like that are in this city.  But as his habit, he makes no attempt to say what is on his mind.

Crush still doesn't see anything that could be perceived as a threat, and while he surveys the crowd, Veryes convinces Byron and Barrett to lead them back to their home and to start talking about Anna.

The potion merchant Aria is dealing with offers her two small vials of healing and vial of giant's strength for 15 gold (These aren't the standard prices because of the kind of market it is, and it's not going to do the standard buff because it's smaller portions). 

Very well...   Aria reaches into her pouch and produces 15 gold to the merchant and hands it to him.  Good day sir 

Aria quickly makes her way over back to the party and offers one of the small healing vials to Crush. You look like you could use this. And well, you never know what's around the next corner. 

 ((Stats on those vials?))

1d4+1, it's a potion of his own concoction - some of this, some of that, and a lot of preserved goodberry juice.

As the group moves off, following the boys' directions to their home, Sen falls in beside Veryes.  You're a good talker.  Does it get you out of trouble a lot?  Or do you manage to avoid getting into trouble in the first place?

Veryes smiles at Sen. "Well, thank you! I suppose you kind of have to be when you're a young halfling traveling on your own. It also helps to pry good stories out of people. I do try to keep out of trouble but when it finds me I find I can often talk my way out of it."

"How about you? What made you pursue the magical arts?"

Oh, says Sen, and he seems to need a moment to make sense of what Veryes has asked.  I mean, when it was discovered that I had some talent for magic, no-one really questioned that I would be sent away to study.  Not my parents, and not me.  I was apprenticed when I was quite young.  And I don't think I would have turned it down, even if I'd been offered that choice. I mean, who doesn't want to have magical abilities?  Sen hopes very much that he sounds convincing as he says this. 

You've travelled, you say.  I've only really been in the village I was born, and then Neverwinter where I studied; at least until the last week or two.  Where have you been to?

Nodding to Sen "I agree! Magic abilities are splendid! I wish my parents had felt the same. When they found out my words and music could have magical effect my parents were very upset. They wanted me to stay on the farm and put my music to the side. I just couldn't do that so I ran away. Our farm was near Secomber so followed the river for a while and ended up singing on the streets of Daggerford. I made enough to buy my lute, and my pen and book and then came here searching for more stories to turn into song."

"I'm glad you know your way around here! I haven't had much of a chance to explore"

All the while that Veryes is talking she's keeping a close eye on the boys to make sure they don't get any ideas of dashing off.

Know my way... oh, no, sorry.  I mean, I guess I know the way to here.  From Neverwinter, that is.  But I only arrived in the city last night.  It's good to meet a fellow newcomer.  Sen smiles, and feels like he doesn't smile enough these days.  I'm sure there will be stories aplenty in this city - they say it is the greatest in the world, though don't let anyone in Neverwinter catch you saying that!

A student of stories and song, then, Sen thinks to himself.   I wonder...

"Oh I'm sorry. I thought maybe you had been exploring. At least more than me. I've just been hanging around the Saving Point trying to write down all of Mothers stories. She has so many!"

"Oh, that reminds me I had an idea for a poem about those thugs and they're crows."

She takes out her book writing and mumbling to herself while walking "Quoth the crow, never again" Then scribbles it out... "That doesn't sound right"

Sen attempts to listen to what Veryes is muttering:  Perception 18.  He doesn't hear much, and goes back to looking at the buildings and people as they walk past.

The party is in good spirits in spite of the nearly disastrous encounter in the alleyway earlier. They've got two bundles of food for the boys, bones for the dogs, a few new potions, and a growing bond with each other.

Byron and Barrett lead them through the maze of Waterdeep streets, sidestreets, and alleyways, eventually bringing them to the front door of their small home. They burst through the door and start yelling simultaneously. "MOM! MOM! SOMEONE TOOK ANNA KELVER! SHE'S GONE MISSING!" A young woman in a plain brown dress with an old gray apron, wiping her hands on a washrag, comes from the back of the house to see her sons. "WHERE have you two BEEN? What in the world are you carrying on ab--" her voice trails off when she sees Crush standing in her doorway.

She drops the dishrag.

Veryes speaks up "Hello Mam, Sorry to barge in on you like this but we found your boys in a spot of trouble. They were set upon by some thugs and without our help I fear what would have happened to them. I know were a motley crew but is it possible we could come in and tell you what happened?"

"Byron, Barret, tell your Mom what happened."

"I save kids from bad men, you welcome" Crush says to the woman as he tried his best to stand up straight and appear less wounded than he was. "They say they help find anna" The orc says pointing to the two children.

((Crush dont forget I offered ya a healing potion))

The boys are both shoving their bundles of food at their mom and talking at her a mile a minute, verifying (in their own way) the attack that the party saved them from and how Anna Kelver is missing and they need to find her. The dogs want to go bounding into the house after the boys. Do you let them? Does anyone want to make some kind of check to help this suddenly extremely overwhelmed woman?

Gesturing to Crush. Veryes says "Our friend here took the brunt of the thugs beatings while trying to save the children. He could use a place to sit for a moment. Could we please come in and tell you all that happened?"

Persuasion: 18

She also quickly says to Usul and Aria "Could you try to calm the dogs please? I don't want to frighten the poor woman any more than we have"