A Man of His Word Session 3

After discovering clues that suggest someone has been trying to scare people from staying at Matheson Ratch’s tenement building by letting in invisible animals, gnome mage Eric Smith, halfling thief/child impersonator Terry Grey, and consulting detective wolfman J. Wolfington III, seek out the street-witch who made the charms that turned the animals invisible, and try to identify the pipe ash found at the scene of the crime.

Aside from swiping a bite to eat from a costermonger, Terry Grey immediately went to his beggar friend Jo “Smo” Smolowikz. His palm greased with a shilling, Jo recalled a streetwitch named Polka that had been making good money recently enchanting animals. He gave her address, and warned Terry to be careful.
The wolfman detective headed to his brothers back room poker game at a cupcake factory. Interrupting the game in progress, he shows his brother Johnny the pipe ash. Noticing small cherry slices mixed in with the cheap tobacco brand “Golden Fields” Johnny directed Wolfington to the tobacconist across the street, and resumed playing. The Tobacconist is able to identify where the tobacco was mixed, a small disreputable shop in Mayfair.

Back at Ratch’s building, Eric Smith worked with Ratch to fix up his building, and casually made inquires. Ratch confessed that he did take two loans from two different crime bosses: Stan “The Stein” and his uncle Booker. The gnome mage informed Ratch of the animals they found, and infers that someone doesn’t want him to pay off his loans.
The halfling and wolfman return to Mayfair and exchange information, realizing that both the shop and street-witch have offices on the same floor of the same building. They left together to follow their leads.
 
Finding their respective clues lead to offices only a room apart, Wolfington stepped into the ramshackle Tobacco shop, and Grey opened a door labeled “Hocus Polka’s”.
The man in the shop being unhelpful, Wolfington tried to strongarm him into telling him about the tobacco. The shopkeep pulled out a shotgun as Wolfington slashed at his arm. After a short melee, ending with the Boom of a shotgun, the wolfman left the shop quickly, cowed by the owner.
 
Two doors down, Terry entered a foul smelling trash filled office. Polka, an old crone, poped out and greeted the halfing. After a charming conversation, Terry discoverd that Polka had been hired by Stan “The Stein” to enchant animals  invisible and that the pipe ash was hers. After a short exchange of pleasantries, Terry left having made an ugly but enchanting friend.
 
The party reunited, and discussed all their clues together. Eric Smith snuck away, intent on seeing Stan “the Stein”. Terry followed sneakily, but was noticed by Eric behind Stan “the Steins” tavern “Black Angus”. The mage cast Steely Skin on the halfling and himself. Terry hid in the ally as Eric talked to the doorman , and is let in. Before the door closes the halfling snuck past the threshold.