We got back to the inn, paid our room and board, and asked Ferny about Tom, Tee, and Salli. I should have known then and there that this would be a bad day, with tactless Haley interrupting all the time, but... Teena, we learned, owns a bookstore, Salli is a "half-elven gypsy brat" who, we later learned, lives by the docks with her elven mother and is always in trouble (I rather like her, actually), and Tom Everard is the smith's son. We decided to start with him, since Ferny didn't know where Salli might be and we already knew Teena was missing; it proved to the last thing we agreed on all day.

We made it to the smithy, and once we got past the smith (Tom Everard Sr., it seems), we were able to talk to the young man and I was just setting about winning his trust and learning all from him when Haley, Pri, and Tolec, curse them, started to grill the poor boy as if they were city guardsmen and he was a rat of the underworld! Not a good idea, and they rudely interrupted me, too! Since my companions obviously saw no need to get my input, I went to a bar with Sam to wait them out. Aside from learning that there had been sightings of strange mottled creatures in the woods recently (I got four different descriptions from as many people), I learned nothing, but then, since I was only after a drink and the farmers I was talking to were pretty obviously smashed...

'Dar later told me that eventually, the three inquisitors, having bludgeoned young Everard down to a quivering blob, managed to extract a bit of information from him. It seems Teena was told of this cache of treasure in some ruins in the woods by some anonymous source, and the four young "adventurers" went to liberate it. Tom was going to show us where this cache had been at the unsightly hour of "sometime just before dawn," so obviously, we would need our sleep that evening. This was not to be, of course, but I'd better tell my story in order so it's more coherent. Anyway, Tolec said that we should set a watch over the smith's son, just to keep him safe, so since he'd so kindly volunteered himself by making the suggestion, I figured we had nothing to worry about. After all, it's not like having Haley or Alamon or Prihelm guard him would do much for young Everard's safety!

Off we all went to the townhouse, which was, of course, locked. The others managed to look so furtive and guilty that they attracted the attention of the locals, and over came a few guardsmen. I was just trying to smooth things over when Haley, for reasons comprehensible only to her, started mouthing off at them! I discretely stomped on her foot, the universal signal for "shut up you idiot!" and of course, she just kept on giving the city watch attitude. I really can't think of a less tactful person I've ever met. I tried stomping on her other foot, in the forlorn hope that she'd at least stop long enough to tell me to stop stepping on her feet, but no. I could just see their eyes getting harder and harder as she kept on talking, and eventually, they made us leave, with a threat to run us in if we didn't. With nothing better to do, we tried Teena's Tasteful Tracts (dear gods in heaven, where did the woman come up with such a hideous name for a store?), but it was locked, and knowing my dear comrades like I do, trying to get in was just asking for trouble.

Seeing the sheriff, and leaving the others well behind, I was able to learn where Salli would be without having the others bungle things up, so off we all went to try to talk to her. In retrospect, I should have gone alone, since the girl has so much in common with me, and having already seen my companions' conversational abilities at work... But no, I foolishly took them with me. I say foolishly because, once the young woman's kindly mother brought the city's foremost troublemaker out to talk to us, the very first thing that happened was that Pri and Haley once again pulled the "let's butt in, rudely interrupt Jen, and browbeat the suspect" routine! I can hardly believe it! Disgusted, I went back to the inn before my temper could get the better of me; these people are my friends and all, but they're so irritating sometimes! They just have no subtlety or tact or people skills, and they're just absolutely hopeless! I don't know why I waste my time on them! But I'm getting worked up again. Hold on...

Okay, better. Anyhow, the others caught up with me a good bit later. Basically, they didn't learn a thing from Salia. Good for her! It's about time that someone stood up to these people! I was liking Salli more and more each time I heard something about her!

Well, late that night, I reluctantly took most of the others with me to investigate those places that we hadn't been able to look at earlier. I have no idea why I let Haley come with me, since she'd already given me a bunch of attitude about my attempts to instruct her on what one does and does not do when breaking into a building (as if her last attempt had been at all successful.... Puh!). But I did, and it was my downfall. I had just slipped into the townhouse, you see, when Haley barged in like a rampaging buffalo, alerting the guards whose suspicions she'd aroused earlier in the day, and got us arrested. I was busily talking my way out of it when that blasted woman interrupted yet again, got mouthy with the constabulary, and to make a long story short, we ended up in jail. Again. Because of Haley. Again. I must remember to buy that girl a muzzle before she forces me to get violent!

Eventually, Sir Paige came and bailed us out. I was about ready to die of embarrassment, but Haley didn't seem to care. For some reason (desperation, I think), Paige still wanted our help, and I had to tell the whole story, which I'd been hoping to avoid. He squared us with the sheriff, got the latter to agree to let us into the bookstore and townhouse, and left. Since we had to meet Tom soon, we went back to the inn, grabbed Pri, Al, and Tolec (who was supposed to be guarding young Everard, mind you), and headed for the rendezvous.

Well, Tolec's decision to sleep rather than doing his duty proved to be rather unfortunate, since we found poor Tom, quite dead and half eaten. With no other choice, I managed, after a goodish bit of discussion, to get the others to stay put while I notified the sheriff so that he could deal with the body and tell the boy's father, then went to get Salli. She's coming with us as our guide, and soon, I hope we'll have this all solved. With Haley and Pri and Tolec on our side, though, I rather doubt it!