At the Shinno home, over the course of the evening, Renn does recon. (Perception, YGGG PP → 5,-1 and Stealth, YYGGbb RRR → 1,7) Under the pretense of finding the washroom, he identifies the room Kash said her bag was in. It appears it is now an office, likely Akaraak’s based on the wall decorations. His degrees are mounted, as well as some newspaper clippings about Wilderness Intercept. There are also some pictures, including photos of a very young Togruta girl with younger versions of Akaraak and Mohra looking proud of her at school and extracurricular events in arboreal dwellings. Additionally, half of the room is filled with an elaborate enclosure inhabited by a small but plump feathered creature with large eyes, which Renn is quiet enough not to disturb. The enclosure includes the section of floor where the bag is hidden. Renn does not recognize the creature as a convor (Xenology, YG PP → 0,1), but he’s going to get a boost die dealing with it, because there is something about him that it likes… that he is Force Sensitive. He engages with the convor a little since he will need to go into the enclosure later if he’s to get the bag. (Survival, YYGGb PP → 4,0) It seems to like him and remains calmly quiet as it flies closer and runs its long, prehensile tail over the palm of his hand.
Renn realizes he might be able to get the bag without breaking into the house if he can slip back to this room before the dinner party is over and the convor remains quiescent. To do that, he’s going to need some Deception and Cool to time things right and not make anyone suspicious, as well as to manipulate them into wanting to have a conversation that he wouldn’t be part of. (Cool, YYG RRPP → 3,-1 TD and Deception, YYYG RR → 2,1 T) He offers to clear up the table while Akaraak escorts the others out to their speeders at the end of the evening; Akaraak has been so generous and accommodating, Renn says, it would be his pleasure to help out in this fashion. Renn plays this all off perfectly and generates enough time for his illicit activity. But that Despair is going to raise some questions later when Renn is long gone; when Akaraak is having a casual conversation about his guest with Mohra, there will be something about Renn’s behavior that will stand out as bearing closer scrutiny… namely, that in his attempts to be polite, he addressed Akaraak as “sir”. We’ll get back to this in the epilogue.
Now to get the bag. (Survival, YYGGb PP → 3,2) The convor is still content to peacefully hang out around Renn. (Skulduggery, YYGG PP → 2,0 T) Renn gets the enclosure open and the floorboard up, then locates the bag. Conveniently (triumphantly), there is a bush located just below the room’s window that he can drop the bag into for retrieval later.
When Akaraak returns from dismissing the counsellors, Renn has all the dishes loaded into the dishwasher and is at the table reviewing his datapad as if checking over his notes from the day’s events for his article. He asks Akaraak a few more questions to sell his role as a journalist and thanks him again for how accommodating he’s been. He also inquires about the method for donating to Wilderness Intercept, so that he can include it in the article if readers are interested (but really, for Kash in case she wants some of her funds to go there). They part ways, and Renn discreetly swings back around the house to collect the bag. (Stealth, YYGGbb RRPP → 1,0) Akaraak does not hear or see anything amiss.
Back at his hotel that night, Renn glances in the bag for a vague idea of the contents, since he’s going to be dealing with customs agents and wants to be able to declare things accurately. He sees a datapad on top with some photos under it, and below the photos, at the bottom of the bag, a knife, a doll, and a bracelet.
This was a long, exhausting day, and he thinks he might be coming down with some sort of cold or flu. Or maybe he’s allergic to turu-grass. He’s really fatigued and his headache hasn’t gone away, but if he needs to arrange transport to a nearby world, the sooner he knows, the better. So at this point, he calls Kash. “I’ve got wot ya wanted, and I’m still there. Can ya’ get anywhere nearby so’s I could meet ya? I’ve only got a three day window, but there’s some things we need to discuss in person.”