Once she sees that Quentin understands how the machines work, the bartender returns to the bar. "Anything I can help the rest of you good folks with?"

Elwin nodded, then attempted to look nonchalant while discretely maneuvering closer to the stairs--enough so that they'd be within dashing range. He'd been watching the games with a mixture of amusement and distaste. He'd never been much for gambling, mainly considering it a quick way for greedy people to lose their money. Watching the stairs would at least be more... sensible? Which was enough for him at the moment.

With M & E watching the two paths below (that we know about) Del starts by introducing himself and asking the bartender's name, discussing what the local specialties in booze, and getting a glass of top-shelf something. It is weird how the kids all seem to be running packages, if business seems so slow and gives her time to make small talk while plucking Ziia

((Assuming this is not Bliggins herself, obviously different if so)) he will bring it up A colleague was asking after a gnome, supposed to work here, a Snitchel Vavoom Bligginns. She someone you know?

"Pleased to meet you!" the gnome says.  She introduces herself as Figgily Moshport Sootfoot.

For 3 gold, Del can get a glass of Piggyback Disco wine, a specialty of the finest Yonpinagel vintners in the lower burrows.  "We usually only sell it in the high stakes area," she says, "but that floor's closed down for the moment, and I'm sure the Bozz would be happy to know someone wanted to buy a glass." The wine is very fruity, with a pleasant musky undertone. Oddly, after drinking a sip, all the colors around you seem to flash pink and yellow for a few seconds.

About the kids.  "Yeah, it seems odd. One day all the little ragamuffins were all hanging around in the streets as usual, begging, trying to steal stuff and getting into mischief. The next day, suddenly, they were all employed. I haven't tried to talk to them myself, but I have a cousin who's out of work, and he tried asking them what company they worked for, hoping to ask for a job himself, but they wouldn't talk to him, just rushed off. He thinks they were afraid that adults would take their jobs. He tried to run after them to see where they got the packages from, but they crawled through some really tiny tunnels and he couldn't follow any farther."

"Sure, I know Snitchel.  She works down at the snail races."

Del enjoys his wine and tips a silver. Can he tell anything about that color flash? Is he potion-ed up? Insight 11

He Messages the others that (a) something happened when he took a drink and (2) Snitchel works in the snail races 

He finishes his wine commenting We have been all around the Westwoods these past two weeks, and we keep running into mysterious happenings involving kids. People keep dismissing them as unimportant, and it keeps leading to big trouble. So it is probably more sinister than job jealousy.

"Oh! Oh, dear!  Really?" she looks upset. "I was just thinking it was nice that someone was directing them into being useful, instead of the usual sorts of trouble they get into."

Quentin plays with gold and does another round before looking around, the casino just attempting to see if there's anything that seem more out of place than usual. 

Sleight of Hand 1: 10
Sleight of Hand 2: 9
Sleight of Hand 3: 9
Perception 1: 19
Perception 2: 22

Perception for the Casino: 5

Quentin notices just in time that he's about to make a disastrous mistake (Nat 20 negates one bad roll) but he he is a moment too late on the next lever pull, sending his coin rolling into the claws of a grinning green dragon.

There doesn't seem to be anything peculiar about the casino, apart from the lack of customers, and the employees either desperately trying to find a way to keep busy, or clearly having given up trying.

Oh, and Del assumes that the odd effect of the wine probably has something to do with the natural qualities of the fermented mushrooms and berries it was distilled from.

Mindartis's fists start turning white he's clenching them so hard. "So they're working out in the open then," he growls.

"I'll head down to check out the snail race area again." Raven says back through the message spell. She heads off in that direction again.

Raven returns to the downstairs.  Nothing much has changed.  What do you do?

Del follows Raven down to the lower level, keeping a watch on the exit

Mindartis will follow Del, breathing heavy through his nose and trying to stop the swirling fury in his head from boiling over. He was starting to get tried of people exploiting children.

Elwin's eyebrow arched as the others headed downstairs. Suddenly looking a bit uneasy, he shifted his footing as he tried to maintain his appearance of casual loitering.

"They can communicate if they need me," he thought to himself, uncertain in his analysis. "I'll just wait to tackle anyone who comes running up."

His eye caught Quentin, still at the gambling table. Elwin decided to presume the best rather than the worst, as he carried on with his feigned apathy.

Raven moves to the area for the races and looks around to see if she can find someone there to speak with.

The gnome who was snoring in the bleachers is still there...

Raven moves over to the one in the seats and nudges them awake.  "Sorry to wake you."  Raven says with a friendly smile.  "My name is Raven. What is your name?"

The gnome yawns, rubbing her eyes.  "Hi, Raven, sorry, just dropped off for a second. I'm Snitchel.  Did you want a snail race?  I can have the Grungs on the track in a minute!"

Del checks that the three of us are spaced to make running away difficult before answering Don't go to the trouble, Ms Bligginns. So sorry to do this, but we are actually here about the return of some property. Rings lent you by a Tegec? Like I said, we are sorry to be like this at all, our normal business is rescuing folk. This is in fact in aid of that goal, but we'd be much sorrier if our errand went less than smoothly. Persuasion 18

"Oh....hey....is Sharky back in town?" she says, looking up at you all towering over her.  Reluctantly, she pulls out a string around her neck with eight silver mouse-shaped rings on it. "I never got to use them.  The jewelry shop closed and moved everything out the day before we were scheduled to make our, uh...visit. So there's no payoff for the goblin, 'cause there's nothing to get a cut of. But I was going to return the rings as soon as I saw him again, honest."

(Darn that high persuasion roll! Actually, your character sheet says you get +13 on persuasion, so it's even higher than that.)