"Oh yes, Alexi, my dear," the old halfling says, blushing, "I did forget to introduce myself as well. Call me Gretchyn. As for Andro, it's not so unusual for children to have nightmares. Hardly a night goes by when one of them doesn't complain of it, but you are welcome to ask him about it if you wish. Something about a little man with crooked teeth I think, but I hardly pay much attention to such things.
"The town guards' questions were pretty straightforward. Asked if we saw anything or heard anything. Of course none of us had. They looked around for signs of forced entry or anything the kidnappers might have left behind and came up empty. They did a pretty good look-see. Then they shrugged and told me they'd be in touch if they heard anything. I don't want to give you the impression that they were lax in their duties because they weren't, but at least one or two of them seemed to be of the mind that the children simply ran away and would turn up again as soon as they got hungry. The half-elves were a simpler affair. They asked some of the same questions as the guards but didn't do any looking around, nor did they ask to speak with anyone 'sides meself.
I'll be happy to let you see their rooms, and you can talk to Andro as well. Come with me."
Gretchyn leads you upstairs to two dormitories opposite each other. Each bedchamber is about thirty feet by twenty feet and is packed with bunks. The doors to each room have a lock built into the door with a keyhole that is accessible from either side of the door. There are open-air windows built into the walls with shutters, but they are much too small for even a halfling to fit through anyway. Most of the beds have already been neatly made--Gretchyn explains the children don't get breakfast until they do so--but there is little else of interest in the rooms.
After looking over the rooms, Gretchyn leads you downstairs again and down a long hall to the classroom where a female half-elf with brown hair and green eyes is teaching letters to about forty young children. Gretchyn asks Andro to be excused for a moment and a tawdry little blond boy gets up from his chair and comes to meet you. As the half-elf woman attempts to get the children to pay attention to their studies and ignore the obvious excitement of visitors to the orphanage, Gretchyn takes Andro into the hallway and explains that your group wishes to speak with him. He is bashful and takes some coaxing, but eventually he tells you about his dream. "There was an evil gnome chasin' me. He had crooked teeth and a tattered cloak. He kept tryin' to catch me so he could steal my breath. He was scary," the little boy says while looking fixedly at the floor and swiveling his foot.
[sblock=OOC]Feel free to give me Search checks, or ask about details of the room or further questions for the boy or Gretchyn or what have you. I'm just trying to give enough information to move things along at a brisk pace.[/sblock]
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