Back at the cart, Bilbo and Elfo assure Noohar and everyone else that everything is fine in Daggerford, and that there is a really fun festival going on there. After all these days on the road, everybody is ready for a celebration, so they all go into town for Lliira's Night. Everybody enjoys some music, dancing, and the spectacular smokepowder sparkling overhead. Since they are a few hours ahead of the caravan, they don't even worry about being watched by the dragon cultists.

Though they all would like a soft civilized bed, because of the festival, there aren't any rooms available to rent. But Elbolin and Gourbain, having arrived early, already had booked a room, and with the permission of their host, they all stay the night there. It's a little crowded, but at least they get soft mattresses on the floor, and a very civilized breakfast. They linger late, waiting for the caravan to pass so that they can rejoin it.

Around midmorning the carts from the caravan start to meander through the town. The main road through the town passes right by the central square, so the adventurers just watch casually, waiting for their place near the end of the caravan. They happen to notice two travelers joining up with the caravan as it passes - a wizard and a gnome. The wizard, they notice, seems to have some trouble finding passage; they see him approach several carts and get turned away, before finding one that will have him along. The gnome doesn't talk to anyone or join up with any particular cart, she just hangs out near the edge of the square, and when several carts are departing, she mingles in with them and just acts like she belongs.

Soon Noohar is ready and so they too rejoin the northbound caravan. Hooflepoof again notices that this one nondescript traveler with one of the other carts still seems to be eyeing on him. "That guy is looking at me funny", he mentions to Noohar.

Elbolin and Hooflepoof had taken note of one of the carts that had turned away the wizard, so when they stopped for a water break, Hooflepoof jumps down and starts over to have a chat with him. "Where are you going?" asks Noohar.

"I'm just going over to ask these guys a few questions," says Hooflepoof.

"Can't somebody else do it?" Noohar says. "You're my bodyguard, and I feel especially unsafe since this guy has been watching you, maybe he's watching me."

Hooflepoof agrees that he should probably stick with his job, and he rejoins Noohar on the driving seat of the cart. Barry volunteers to go talk with the cart operator, and Bilbo tags along. They approach the guy who seems to be in charge of the cart that turned away the wizard, and Barry introduces himself, "Hi, I'm Bertain."

"Hello, I'm Losvius Longnose," says the Lightfoot Halfling. His nose isn't remarkably long. "I don't often see Tabaxi around these parts. Are you traveling with a cart?"

"Yes."

"Are you a professional guard?"

"Yes, actually the sergeant of my cart. That one back there." He motions toward their cart.

"Do you travel with caravans a lot? I haven't seen you before, and I'm on this road a lot."

"Yes," says Barry, "but we usually take a different road."

Losvius, the friendly type, addresses Bilbo. "And you? A guard on his cart?"

"Yes," says Bilbo. "Hi, I'm Flübber".

"Nice to meet you," says Losvius. "Know what you're hauling?"

"Rather not share that," says Barry. "Hey, we noticed that you turned away a wizard back in Daggerford, who joined one of the other carts. Just wondering, why didn't you let him join you?"

"Looked like he might have been a Red Wizard of Thay. I could see his tattoos peeking out from under his hat, like he was hiding them. I don't know, I could be wrong, maybe he's just a wandering Thayan, but I certainly wouldn't want to give passage to a Red Wizard."