Darrik frowns.

"Do wizards brew potions?  I thought that was witches an' the like.  Or was it britches?"

"Bleep hears can be one, or other... or both... Regardless, Bleep prefers to see with Bleep's own eyes..."

"Britches, though... Bleep isn't so sure..."

INSIDE BALICK'S GOODS

Balick to Khan: "Hmm... sure, but I won't go looking for you. You know where to find me if you want to check if I saw any of your friends again." After she asks about the manor, Balick adds: "Well, yes... the one the village is named after, which in turn is named after the wizard that lives in the manor. Gnator, you are an awful guide!" The fidgety gnome does not respond.

Balick to Darrik and Bleep: "How should I know? Potions are magic, aren't they? If wise women claim they can brew love potions, I am sure a wizard can too." He then looks at the dwarf with a tinge of doubt in his eyes: "Right?"

Saros examines Balick's responses closely. @Saros:

Gnator to Ghee: "Thank you... As for other places to visit, I'd say you can either check Nard's meat shop if you want to stay here in the commercial district a bit longer or I can show you the entrance to the mines in the mining district. There is not much of interest in the residential district unless you are looking to talk to simple townsfolk. There is also the manor up the hill, but I am not allowed to bring personal guests there. I'm just the groundskeeper..."

(OOC#1: Please read the first paragraph here for a refresher on the general layout of this small town.)

(OOC#2: Alright, another transaction. Khan buys 10 flasks of oil and a hooded lantern.)

IN THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

Ang approaches a few of the children running after chickens and proposes a game of marbles. Fascinated by novelty, the children respond positively to the frogling's proposition and seem quite excited to earn some ball bearings of their own. They watch as Ang tosses a few balls around and explains the rules. Leveraging their excitement, Ang begins to ask her questions but is suddenly interrupted by a gaggle of washer women. One of them wields a broom, another a pan, and still another a chicken. Among screams and shooing noises, Ang picks up a few phrases such as "Go away, poisonous frog," and "Stay away from the children."

Ang then retreats a few yards and turns to look back at the children just in time to see one of them pick up one of the ball bearings the grung had tossed a moment ago. The kid brings it close to his face, examines it, wobbles, and falls to the ground. A mother yelps: "The metal ball is slimy!" Another accuses: "That purple frog poisoned little Valentin!" Yet another succors: "Someone call the guards!" 

(@Ang: What do you do?)

(@All: You can all hear the screams.)

Ang is terrorised to the though she could have injured the little kid, she comes back and explain: "I don't understand, there shouldn't be much mucus on these balls. He must have a allergic reaction. I am a healer, I have here what he needs, trust me."
Placing fabric around her hands, Ang opens up her bag and show the healer kit. She then tries to administer the antitoxin and a dose from the healing kit.

Persuasion to calm down the mother: 12 

"Well ahm about ready tae head off wherever we need tae go. Lead on when yer ready, we've folk tae find." Turning his attention to Balick, Ghee gives him a wave goodbye.

"Ahm just gonna wait outside fer yer tae finish up, alright?"

Stepping out onto the street, Ghee casts about to sit Ang.

(OOC Not making an active check for Ang so it would be up to passive perception. Ghee's score is 13.)

'In and out... In... and... ou-...' Khan's inner chanting comes to an abrupt halt hearing the scream. After a frantic glancing around for the source, she would practically ready herself to hop along towards it, and by extension Ang. And unless intercepted by the Mothers, it is to her subordinate's side that she went, giving the scene a once over, before then giving Ang a somewhat a questioning look.

In the event the sound of guards rushing to the scene interrupts or follows swiftly after any explanation at all, Khan would up a hand in a halting gesture and just point to mothers. "If sensitivity. Best have own kin help." She then looks over to one of the shouting woman with a glare and points. "You. Shrill One. You go to child. Take him bottle." She gestures to the vial. "Or you quiet. Let Ang Fix. No more waste time. Decide Quick!"

(@Lerus: It's probably pointless, but assume Khan is trying to help Ang in her own way.)

Darrik pokes his head out of the store to see what all the fuss is about.

Hearing the commotion outside, Bleep peeks out the door sees a rather precarious situation.

 He will observe to see what happens and will react accordingly depending what happens.

The conversation inside Balick's shop is interrupted by the screams coming from outside. Ghee is the first to react, stepping outside and casting an eye over to the residential district where a purple grung in backtracking and looking surprised. Khan steps out and Ghee points the direction she must go. A second later, both Darrik and Bleep poke their heads out to see what is happening, but decide not to rush to the point of distress immediately.

-> Rolling a second persuasion check for Ang to account for Khan's help: 23

Ang reaches into her bag and retrieves some strips of cloth from her disguise kit. She wraps her hands in them while trying to explain to the villagers that she can heal the fallen boy. Guards begin approaching but show no special hurry. Trying to prevent the situation from escalating, Khan arrives and immediately halts the guards. They stop more out of being surprised by the gesture than respect for the orange grung. It matters not, as it buys her enough time to put people to action. The villagers obey on account of Khan's naturally commanding voice. They step back, allowing Ang to approach the boy and administer a vial of antitoxin. A few seconds later, the unconscious boy coughs, vomits, and gasps for air. Ang does not waste time, quickly rubbing his neck with some leaf-based ointment from her healer's kit (one charge used). It does the trick and the boy opens his eyes, though his skin is still a bit purplish. 

The boy's mother steps in, ignoring the grungs now. Seemingly taking some of the credit, one of the guards approaches and says: "Well, it looks like all is resolved here. You two should probably give these ladies and children some room to breath." He gestures with his spear, not menacingly, but to indicate the grungs should walk back to the commercial district. 

Gnator is outside now with Ghee, Darrik, and Bleep. He says: "It sounds like a good time to move onward with our tour. Feeling hungry yet with all that talk about seeds and meats or should we move on to the mining district?"

(@MuggsHill: I'll assume Saros is still inside the shop with Balick for now, at least for the next few in-game seconds.)

After a few minute to calm down, Ang comes back to the shop and buys a pair of gloves and a fresh vial of antitoxin if there’s any.
She then rejoin the group. "Well, that's all my leads, I thought the children might remember a grung or a kenku. Didn't have the chance to ask them. Any leads from your side ?"

Bleep says, "Not very much. But perhaps where more shops are may have more witnesses?"

Ang continues the conversation with her fellow rogue. "Well, from what I saw when we entered the village, there is two other options. We can go to the "Nard's Meat Shop" and we can go ask the person who must be living the Manor of Weirding. They might know where our Kenku and Grung went. I find it really strange that nobody have a clear memory of where they went..."

Khan is right on Ang's heels in returning to the others, though would occasionally glance back squinting at the guards. Despite growing paranoia, the frogling resists stopping and going back to interrogate them further for now. "If need be. Ask much later. Ask children, that is. Much much later. Last resort." She said, nodding sagely. "Manor... difficult though. That one-..." She gestures to Gnator. "-works there. May need sneak us in." Her eyes harden into a more meaingful look. "If not can convice boss to speak with... Very difficult without good reason. If uses magic, not likely want time wasted."

Khan frowns at a thought, and looks earthward. "Though may know more. May explain strangeness, but-..." She shook her head. "Need more time to think on it. So, we go to Nard's. Then Manor. Then Mining District. Maybe froglings run there. Maybe hide there. Maybe Kenku too. Maybe Kenku find something there. Worth try. If not find anything, go to meat lady. Then, pay.. nnn... Bookie.. pay bookie visit. Maybe help clear head. But we move now." She affirmed, and without waiting for much more than Gnator reminding her of where the meatshop was located, would make for there.

Ang and Khan follow the guard's suggestion and walk back to the commercial district (really not that far). Once they are back in front of Balick's shop, they have a little side meeting with Bleep, for planning purposes. They revisit their priorities and decide to continue their investigation in the next most prominent shop. Without delay, Gnator leads the entire group over to Nard's Meat Shop. The gnome is very excited!

This shop is much smaller than Balick's. A few hunting trophies and pelts adorn the walls. Some are easily recognized as panthers, jaguars, or other jungles cats. There are a couple of snakes and a boar too. Over a corner, a stuffed pig shows that the shop owner has a bit of a sense of humor too. The most prominent of all trophies, however, is the head of an orange-scaled and fanged reptile. Those native to Chult and the general region (a.k.a. the grungs and Ghee) would recognize the creature as a Dimetrodon.

A relatively young human female tends the shop. She can't be more than 34 or 35, and wears her straight black hair in a pony tail. She is dressed in simple hunting leathers and her belt holds adventuring gear not too dissimilar to the party's. She introduces herself as Nard, the local huntress and butcher. Upon seeing the grungs, she speaks bluntly: "I have no love for you froglings, as you tried to kill me before out there in the jungle. If it is trade you seek, let us do it quickly before our civil exchange turns sour."

Smoothing out his hair and beard, Ghee attempts to be as persuasive as an albino dwarf wearing a grass skirt can be.

"Ok. We can be brief. Do ya ken if a group o' wee green grungs passed through toon, maybe a bird person? Ah reckon we could maybe make it worth yer while in trade?"

Using her best common, Ang says: "You probably met less civilised grungs I would say. I do know that information can also be traded."
Ang then reach for a gold piece with her gloves and place it on the counter.

Persuasion: 18

Khan cocks her head to the side in confusion, and then narrows her eyes at the woman. Before she can put her thoughts into words, Ang and Ghee beat her to the punch in their own ways. Deciding then let the two do the talking, she simply crossed her arms, shifted her weight onto a back foot, and tried to look nonplussed by the woman's attitude. Though in reality, she was keeping a close eye out for any stray human hands looking to grab a weapon..

Darrik enters the shop, and licks his lips unconsciously.

Bleeps does a quick scan of the shop as he listens to the conversation.

Perception: 14