Ve buzzed her wings slightly, sharing the sense of annoyance.  "A virgin is a virgin, so long as it cries."  She replied in agreement with Barb's inclination.

"As for the thread, well, of all the people in Kaer Maga, someone has to have some demon lineage in their veins.  It's just a matter of finding out who."

Halatir looks at the list.
What are you up to Enlee.  What great stupid plan have you gotten yourself into this time. The bird studies the ingredients to see if he can work out what they are for.
He then turns to the other two.  Halatir has as always to keep his mind focused.  Why was it his two companions and friends had to be his natural lunch.  When ever he looked at them he just wanted to take a little nibble.  Just a little one.  They looks so tasty.  He does his best to focus.

He turns to Berb.  Let me think.  I did know of two albino ravens in the area but I need to remember if they are still alive.  I can talk to the other birds but we going to have to trade for that feather. 
The parrot look back at the last item.  Two things that comes to mind with the hair are.  Can we use Tiefling to do it or we could contact some magic users in the area.  Someone may know of such a creature living peacefully in the city.  Hiding form their own kind, They may have fallen out of favor with some ruler where they come from.  Again we need something to trade for the hair.

The little bird scratches his own beck with his claw.
Thus speaks the great intelligent parrot.  He had tried to explain to his two friends what when he said this, he was making fun of himself.  However he was never to sure they understood this.

OOC:
I will try to get my character sheet sorted out in the next few days.  Work willing then make the know rolls.  Halatir will have at least 1 point in each knowledge there is and they class skills for him.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:05, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

"Tiefling hair? Now that would save us a lot of effort. If they qualify. Are they really demonic enough though? Or demonic at all?" Barb was aware that tieflings were partially planar in nature, but was unaware of the specifics of their heritage. She did the plant equivalent of a shrug, then added, "At any rate, we can start with the tears and the feathers. What do we have available for trades?"

---

What do we have for items? Did our masters give us anything to help us complete our tasks, such as some cash? I have no inventory on my character sheet. I assume they would at least give us a vial to hold the tears we are supposed to collect.

You have cash for the purpose, and can offer favors or minor magical items in trade. Basically, your resources are as much as you're willing to spend, keeping in mind that it's not your own resource you're drawing on and drawing too much might mean having to answer some pointed questions from your masters.

Ve shook a little pouch attached to one of her legs.

"A few shinies, a few sweets, and a few pieces of gold."

"Shinies could probably help with the feather," Barb suggested. "Ravens usually like shiny things, right?" She looked to Halatir, assuming the bird was an expert on everything bird-related. "And I imagine the sweets will be useful for gathering tears. Let's find some children playing and offer an exchange."

Barb began clambering up the side of the nearest building so that she could get a good view of the surrounding area. She wanted to know which direction she would most likely find some humanoid kids playing without significant adult supervision.

"Who brought a way of collecting them?" Ve asked.

She hadn't been able to find something suitable, and empty, earlier, but reasoned one of the others would likely have had better success.

"I have a few supplies in my pouch here," Barb said, pausing in her climb to pat the little container strapped to her sprouts. "Nothing much, but there is an empty vial or two in there we could use for the tears. A couple coins too."

Barb easily notices a group of children playing a game involving clapping, singing, and skipping rope to the northeast.

"I see some children in that direction," Barb reported after clamoring back down the wall. "Any of you have a silver tongue? I'm better with animals than with people. I figure it shouldn't take much to convince them to trade us some tears. We could probably even just wait for one of them to fall down on their own and rush in to console them. The tailless humanoids are particularly clumsy and prone to skinned knees."

A more succinct plan had begun to form in Barb's mind as she spoke. "Yeah, I think that could work, actually. Myself and whichever one of you who is the better talker can go introduce ourselves and make sure they aren't afraid of us. Then the other swoops in and spooks the kids until one of them gets upset or trips over their own feet. Then we go in to kiss the booboos or console them with a piece of candy while scooping up a tear or two. Sound manageable?"

Ve buzzed her wings in agreement.

"I can go and make introductions, see if I can interest them in something and distract them."  She proposed.

"Then you two can scare or spook or bite or scratch one or two and we'll see if that is enough to get what we need."

She waited to hear from Halatir before setting off, waiting to see if the clever bird had any suggestions.

Halatir has been thinking hard.
Making kids cry.  I could.  No! I will not stoop to her level.  She would do it without a second thought but I will not.  He little bird did not seem happy with his idea at all.
Crying is....  He does not finish what he is saying.
I miss her.The little bird says to himself.

The little bird shook his head to pull himself out of it.

Maybe swooping in with some candy after one of them has fallen.  That I can do.  Stalking other is what my mistress has thought me.  Attack form the air she shout and down I go.  Instead of stealing something.  Giving something.  I like that.
Then he added.
Not sure I am the best with words but swooping in is my sort of thing and giving sweets to children.  I can do that.

OOC:
20:37, Today: Halatir rolled 13 (18) using 1d20+7.  know nature.
20:36, Today: Halatir rolled 16 (21) using 1d20+7.  Know Arcane.
20:36, Today: Halatir rolled 19 (24) using 1d20+7.  Knowledge Local.

Numbers are the one in brackets as found I get an adjustment i did not know about.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Thu 06 May 2021.

Ve pulled out some of the sweets and left them for Halatir.

"Alright, I will go make nice.  You two jump in and provide the chaos when you think it's time."

She then flew off towards the group of children.

Ve landed a short distance from a group of the kids that were clapping and singing and began doing little hops in time with the clapping.

"Oh, I love that song!"  She declared.  "You all look like you're having so much fun, may I join you?"  Ve asked, flashing her wings so they glittered and doing her best to put the children at ease and convince them her purpose was as benign as proclaimed.



Ve rolled 43.  Bluff  (Feign Harmlessness)(Includes +5 circumstance bonus)

Barb nodded to the plan and began heading in the direction of the children. Her small limbs were not nearly as fast as the others' wings, so she assumed Ve would have plenty of time to get set up before the little suture vine arrived.

After surveying the situation, Barb did her best to approach a few children Ve looked like she had befriended and got into a position where she could "accidentally" drop onto one of their heads from above. Off a tree or a fence, or even a low roof. Hopefully the drop would be enough to startle one into crying. But if not... "Halatir, if this doesn't work, maybe try swooping down to "attack" me and we can stir up a real commotion of feathers and thorns."

The little vine familiar enacted her plan.

---

Trying to jump on someone to startle them into crying. I suppose a stealth roll might be needed.
16:20, Today: Barb rolled 42 using 1d20+22.  Stealth drop.
Natural 20!

The children seem wholly taken with Ve, playing and singing with her.

When the moving plant drops onto one from a balcony, the response is immediate and gratifying. Tears flow immediately, amid shrieks and scrambling movement.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:43, Sat 15 May 2021.

Barb immediately felt a pang of guilt as her ambush proved to be effective. "Sorry. Sorry. My mistake," she stammered as she scurried away from the commotion. She didn't want to stick around in case someone decided to seek out retribution against her. Barb figured Ve could take it from here. Hopefully it would be a simple matter to collect tears now in one of the vials Barb had provided the dragonfly.

Left to complete the task, Ve hopped over to one of the panicking weeping children and hovered at face level with the small human.

"Don't cry little one, I'll make it all better for you!"  She crooned as she placed one of her legs on the child in a comforting gesture, and offered up one of the sweets she had with another.  A third wiped at the child's salty cheeks before brushing the moisture collected into one of the vials held between a fourth and fifth.

She then spared a glance to ensure she'd captured some of the tears they'd been after while the child was distracted by the sweet.

Ve has indeed collected some tears, and the child is quickly mollified with sweets. It appears that the tears have been collected.

Halatir fly's in with the sweets for the children.  The little Parrot feel bad about them having to hurt children.
I am so going to spank you for this. He says to himself.

OOC:
Sorry work been mad.  I have two weeks holiday and I only now gotten up to date with my work (my holiday was meant to start Saturday).

With her prize secured Ve buzzed away from the children and headed back to the place they first assembled.

With one item scratched off the list it was time to plan the next move.

Barb clamored hastily back toward the meeting point once she was certain she had escaped any sort of pursuit. "Oh thank goodness that is over. Let's not make it a habit to make children cry, alright? It is... not right." The suture vine shuddered, then continued. "Which task should we try to accomplish next? The hair or the feather?"

"The feather."  Ve stated.

"As there is a time sensitive window for its retrieval, it's probably better to locate the source before sunset, so whatever negotiations or preparations can happen before then."

Halatir looked at the others.
When this is over we going to go back to them children and give them more sweet.  It is the least we can do.  Do you want me to fly of and talk to the flocks of birds in the city and see if I can get the feather?

Barb nodded in agreement to Halatir. Both to the sweets and to his idea to fly around. "Yeah, Halatir, if you can find us a feather, that would be great. Is there anything Ve and I can do to help your search in the meantime? Something that won't put us at risk of being eaten?" Dealing with other birds could be especially risky to a tiny plant and bug.

Ve flexed her wings a bit as she waited for Halatir to answer.  When fully extended they were as long as a man's arm from tip to tip.

She'd certainly give any bird that tried to take a nibble a piece of her mind if they thought they could make a meal out of her.  If they weren't smart enough to see sense it might be them learning how it felt to end up on someone's dinner plate.