Eekz gingerly follows into the shop, keeping an eye on the stuffed beholder.

"Eekz 'eard abaht this place."

Gil casts Minor Illusion creating a brief illusion in front of the eyes of the stuffed beholder making it appear to blink.

Eekz screams and attempts to run away.

Dra'vos follows the other into the shop keeping care so his tail does not hit any shelves or knock anything over. The purple color and scent of the shop brought memories of his training day to Dra'vos, he slides his hand down his arm as if to straighten out his sleeve remembering the faint scars of the lash that still remain, hidden beneath the robes. A mix of emotions begin to fill him, the sweet nostalgia of training with the other initiates pushing each other to be the best, and the sour reminder of their loss not too long ago. He watches as Gil pulls his little prank, a chuckle escapes his lips, Dra'vos then turns his head and feigns a light cough to hide his amusement.

Gil smiles to himself and offers a slight nod to Dra'vos then winks at Eekz dispelling the illusion.  'Sorry Eekz, the opportunity was too good to pass up.' 

Quote from coachmanak >>

Is it several shops next to each other?

 (No, it is just one shop.  It is surrounded by run-down abodes and another shop which has been boarded up and closed.)  

Following your reactions to the torrent of purple that assails you, you walk into the shop.  Gil, as you call out for the owner, you hear a raspy, high pitched voice from the back, "ONE MINUTE!"  You all take some time to look around, mess with Eekz, and see that everything is covered in the shame shade of purple.  Some of the shading appears to be freshly painted, while other items look to be patchy, and still others have incredibly faded paint.  All of it is the same color as the stuffed beholder.  After a moment, a small, grey humanoid comes out, whom you recognize to be a deep gnome.  He is mostly bald, with the exception of a wisp of white hair that spirals straight up from the middle of his head.  The rest of his head is covered in smears of a purple paint.  He's wearing a purple cloak, which was obviously originally designed for a human, and was then cut and restitched to match his diminished proportions.  He looks up at his newly crowded shop, puts down his bucket of paint and his paintbrush.  "AH! Hello! Welcome to Xoblob's Xoblob Shop, home of the Xoblob! I'm Xoblob, owner of Xoblob's Xoblob shop, home of the Xoblob."  He goes around and says, "May I interest you in a miniature Xoblob?  How may I help you in your fine first foray into the fantastic Xoblob's Old Xoblob Shop?"

Eekz is cowering behind a shelf, utterly scared of the stuffed blinking beholder.

Thom speaks up, almost a little self righteous "I would be happy to take a miniature Xoblob, how much?"

Dra'vos looks over the items on the shelves for anything that really catches his eye as he does he asks, "If I may ask, is there a reason why everything is so...purple?"

"Oh, uhm...absolutely. What exactly is a Xoblop though, if i may ask?" Gaèl replies, a little startled. He quickly looks around the shop, trying to see if there is any of the merchandise on display.

Perception: 17

Dylan crosses his legs and rests a hand on the ornate hilt of his rapier, an easy smile on his face.  Curious.  Very curious indeed.  I'm really not sure how this gets us any closer to the mark we've been hired to find, but I don't suppose a little, brief, detour will do any harm.   He looks around the store with a bemused and slightly amused look on his face.

(back from 2 weeks in the wilds, should be able to post frequently and properly again now)

(Welcome back Blakely)

Gil looks at the gnome , 'Hi you're grapeness.  We are looking for a friend of ours who might have come this way.' he proceeds to describe Floon.

(I'm going to be a little less active today as we're headed out on vacation and will be driving .  Will be able to post again tonight) 

Eekz calms down slightly when he notices that the stuffed beholder poses not a threat towards the young Goblin.

"'ave ya seen a bloke called Bertrand?" asks Eekz to the Deep Gnome.

"Ahh, my fine fellow, you have excellent taste!  The miniature Xoblob is an excellent souvenir for the old Xoblob shop!  It has been endorsed by the Xoblob!  Hah, no, I kid.  It has not been endorsed by the Xoblob, but I, Xoblob, have indeed endorsed it!  For you, new customer and patron of Xoblob, I will say it is yours for a single dragon!"  The gnome holds out a hand sized miniature beholder that is actually an excellent recreation of the beholder hanging in the window.  

To Gael and Dra'vos, "Why, -I- am Xoblob!  Of course, there is no relation to the Xoblob, which graces the window of my shop! There is of course, no relation between myself and the Xoblob.  The Xoblob is a beholder, an eye tyrant, or a fair facsimile of one.  The Xoblob was here when I bought the Old Xoblob Shop, and thus came the name of the Old Xoblob Shop.  I had a name as well, but everyone kept calling me Xoblob, so I embraced it, and thus I am Xoblob, owner of the Old Xoblob Shop, home of the Xoblob!  I make sure to carefully paint everything the color of the Xoblob, because, well, I have a mild fixation on it!"  At this, the gnome gestures Dra'vos to lean down so he can whisper in his ear.  As he gets close, you get a strong odor of lavender.  "You know how us eye tyrants can get!" He winks, and then goes off to hock his wares.  

Perusing the shelves, the following items stand out to you:

-A chess piece, intricately crafted, made of glass

-A small block, which feels soft to the touch, has some give, but always returns to its original shape

-An enormous (a bit bigger than hand-sized) reptilian scale with chips of purple paint peeling away to reveal green 

-A smallish tobacco pipe

-A vest with hundreds of tiny pockets

-An alabaster mask

As you describe Floon, his eyebrows lift and he says, "The Xoblob, and I, Xoblob, have indeed seen someone matching that description.  It is, unfortunately, bad business, to share information so freely!"  

(Alright, DM stuff.  Can I get an Insight Check as well as an Intimidation or Persuasion Check for Xoblob (the Gnome))

"Right...I...completely understand," Dra'vos says pulling back away from the gnome completely confused holding his veil against his nose as the strong scent cause a headache to start forming. 

Insight 5

"You would be doing us great service in sharing this information, and perhaps gain some very valuable customers," Dra'vos says with as much sincerity as he could muster.

Persuasion 12  

Well, who'd have thought it?  It seems it was worth wandering into this curio shop after all.  This city never ceases to amaze me.

Dylan moves up alongside the Dragonborn and smiles a warm, friendly smile.  "I'm sure some of us would love to purchase a few of your excellent and unique knickknacks, friend Xoblob.  Just help us with a little information and we'll help you with a little commerce."

The noble leans down over the gnome in a way which appears utterly friendly yet has tiny undercurrents of potential threat bordering at the edges.  "I think it would be in everyone's best interests if we co-operate, don't you?"

Insight (-1): 2
Persuasion (+5): 6
Intimidation (+5): 11 <<--- only if Persuasion seems to be failing.

(woah, worst rolls in the world.  Not a great start for Dylan as this is supposed to be his "thing"  :D)

Insight: 19

While listening to the explanation, Gaèl starts looking back and forth between Xoblop, the deep gnome, and the Xoblop, the stuffed beholder. With a feeling that the gnomes litany is raising more questions than answering them he begins to wander around the shop, but then perks up at the mention of Floon. He immediately enters the conversation again, pulling Dra'vos closer with a few pats on the shoulder. A dragon already in hand, he leans down to the gnome and flips the coin into the air with his thumb. "My dear friend here is gravely understating. You must know that we have been assigned to look for this person by a high authority in the city, soon there might even be the city watch involved. It is a case of great importance, and we would of course remunerate everyone who could assist us in our search with valuable information. I'd love to acquire one of these miniatures for example. And i might even be interested in more if you prove to be helpful..."

(I'd like to help Dra'vos in persuading the gnome)

(Dra'vos, go ahead and roll persuasion again. Also welcome to the game, Blakey! Haha )

"Yes it is as my friend here says, I am sure the one who assigned us this request would gladly reward those who provide information that leads to the finding of this person," Dra'vos adds motioning towards Gaèl.

Persuasion 13

Intimidation: (OOC: Because a Goblin asked about Floon carrying very sharp knives and seems mentally unstable after the minor illusion incident.) 15

Insight: 15

Eekz peers into the Deep Gnome's face.