Cadence glances around as if sensing a social interaction is required, but her 'song of the universe' leaving her sadly directionless.  She smiles an awkward smile at Raithe but doesn't say anything to her. "Smell anything Nova? I wonder how far he could rove...a."  She shrugs at the terrible rhyme. 

Velda almost seems to shake, before sheathing her sword. "Sorry Raithe, I can get too focused on a task sometimes... I'd be happy for you to take up your place alongside us. But Nova said it much more beautifully than I ever could. You're alright in my book though, and I know you'll have my back when it counts. And for me, that's all that counts."

She tried to sound confident and assertive, but felt mostly awkward, not least because Droop was latched to her belt again.

Nova’s brows would immediately furrow at the realization that Borris and Hugz weren’t anywhere to be found. She’d get distracted from looking for the wizard and begin sniffing around frantically for Borris. The druid would become more visibly distraught if she would be unable to find any trace of them or where they could have gone.

Frantically sniffing around, you’re able to get faint traces of the runaway wizard, Borris, and Hugz. Though it’s difficult to pin down which direction to head just using your sense of smell. 

Roll survival if you want to try and find them Nova. Anyone is free to help if they would like. 

"WIzard?" Raithe asks, after smiling again in thanks at Velda.

Velda returned a shy smile. She was distracted by Nova's obvious concern for Borris. She was a bit more relaxed though, as there didn't seem to be any obvious signs of battle right here.

 “The man I smelled inside... and Borris and Hugz...” Nova audibly huffs the air before wandering about. “Potion room had man smell... Studies had man smell...” She was doing her best to explain to Raithe how Cadence came to the conclusion of a wizard as she moved about smelling and thinking. “Wizard spots wizard fancy books.” The druid would gesture to Cadence, their own wizard. Basically she was trying to say a wizard knows a wizard when they see one and Nova was just attaching the smell to them. With those thoughts, Nova would find her way to Cadence and sniff around her belongings for a refresh of the scent before darting off in a direction.

Survival w/ advantage from Cadences help?: 8 
(Nova helping herself to Cadence’s help since I think she still has some items from the wizards room on her?)

”This-a-way!”

Cadence absolutely presents items from the wizards room to help Nova gain the scent if she needs it.

Raithe raises her eyebrows in both perplexity and confusion. "I see! So you are trying to find the wizard to learn more about these people who took your friend Gert so you can stop them from doing bad things?"

Velda shrugs at Raithe: "Look, I've stopped trying to understand those two... They're good people, and they have a reliable instinct. That's what I'm counting on. As for Gert, I doubt we'll be seeing him again. If he had wanted to rejoin us, he'd have left a way for us to find him. I've come to terms with that."

Cadence looks at Raithe, and smiles a dimpled smile, "The wizard wanted to take the town. So...we want to take him down. Also, there's some big magical forge. I'm sure it's round these parts, maybe hidden in some gorge. But that comes second, the wizard comes first. For this village is really suffering the worst." 

"Well I am happy to help track down this wizard, who seems not great. Shall we head back into town and find a meal to... ate?" Raithe shrugs and grins at Cadence. "I do not think I am cut out for rhyming. But do we want to go hunting the wizard right now, assuming he just left, or do we want to go back to town? I am fine with either option."

Nova, thanks to the refreshed scent of the unknown wizards things carried by Cadence and your keen sense of smell and your ability to notice small details in nature. You are able to tell that the wizard appears to have been making his way back into town. Between the faint wisps of his scent as well as faint depressions in the grass around the manor.

Additionally you see a set of familiar paw prints that head away from Phandalin. You recognize them immediately as Borris’s unsure why you didn’t notice them before and reason that you only see the prints because Hugz must still be astride the wolf.

(Not trying to interrupt the rp. Just resolving Nova’s roll. Feel free to carry on.) 

As Nova darted around, Velda's last thought to Raithe lingered with her. Her ears would drop a little in sadness, but it was a perspective she could learn to accept. She'd busy herself with sniffing again to distract herself from sad thoughts.

"Both point to town!" Nova calls out from ahead of the pack after stopping abruptly. She'd then trot off again, still sniffing as she went.

Cadence smiles and walks on her tip toes, her arms out to either side, as if balancing on a tight beam....while chasing after Nova. 

Seeing Nova's reaction to her careless words, Velda shoots her an apologetic look and brushes up against her arm: "Sorry Nova, I didn't mean to make you sound weird, it's just, I'm not great with people. But I feel comfortable around you, despite not understanding... does that make sense?"

Nova stops abruptly, as if something in nature nudged her and told her she misinterpreted her own perception. They didn't go the same way. They went separate ways. Doh. Though, her instincts, and Cadence, say wizard first. The druid trusted Boris. So Phandalin it still is.

When Velda would look to her, tilting her head a little confused as she spoke. Then it clicked. There was a misunderstanding. Nova would chuckle and hook her arm underneath Velda's arm that brushed up against hers and bump into her playfully. "I am weird, silly!" She'd chuckle, giving Velda an encouraging smile. "Quirks make us different, who we are." The druid would pat Velda's arm to assure her there was no offense taken and that she appreciated her speaking up about how she felt. She was happy to hear Velda was comfortable. Nova was too.

Nova's voice would turn soft as she lead them towards town. "I... I just have a hard time accepting when people leave and don't come back... It's harder when there's no for sure reason, y'know?" She'd confess. "My instincts say, 'go go go, you must find the lost Nova!'" She'd gesture exuberantly in a random direction with her free hand, before resting it back down again. "But, you remind me, maybe he's not really lost. Maybe, he really just doesn't want to be found... And if that's truth, I want my instincts, and my noggin, to be okay with that too." The druid would offer a smile in admiration of Velda for being able to put that perspective of loss into words, in a way she could understand and even find her own way of coming to terms with the loss of Gert.

And now trust that Boris and Hugz were safe while they followed the wizard.

(Assuming everyone is following Nova)

You all make your way back to the main area of Phandalin and as you get closer to the main area of town, it becomes more and more difficult to pick out the scent of the wizard. You make it as far as the Sleeping Giant taphouse, where you previously fought a few redbrands, and the trail goes cold. As far as you can tell, into the building. 

Before you are able to head inside the building, you hear the familiar voice of Sildar calling out to you. “Hello friends, I was hoping to have a few moments to speak with you. Can you spare a moment?” There’s a look of concern on his face as if something is deeply troubling him. 

Raithe looks up at this new person, ready to introduce herself but holding back, seeing the worry in his presentation. She's also quite happy to be back in a town. It was a close call that she would ever see one again after being taken.

Velda looks up at Sildar: "Yes, what's wrong?"