This
has been fun...
1) I'm not at all opposed to a collaborative tale outside of the Lute, at all.
2) As to what that would look like, it's hard to say in detail, but I imagine it would see Finn as the de facto leader (his quest, after all) and the rest of us supporting that mission... (Unless we play into what's already transpiring in the Lute itself... Finn ventures off on his own and "goes missing," leaving Talca to put a party together in order to find the man).
3.) Re: Current situation with Talca, Finn, and TBN Halfling Rogue.
Talca has grasped the situation with Finn, of course, and has a great deal of faith in the bedraggled druid's wisdom. If Finn thinks he's better off on his own (to start) Talca won't press the issue and insist on tagging along. Instead, he'd be inclined to do as Finn asked and hang out in the area of Lynnbrook/The Lute until Finn returns (or until it's become obvious he's gone missing and needs to be found).
As to the halfling, Talca finds her amusing but, as Finn said, she's a bit of an unknown, at this point. Amusement and trust aren't the same thing, after all... and we still don't even know her name!
There's my two coppers, for what their worth!
Aaaaaaand, apologies for the lack of a post... Weekend ended up being busier than I thought and I didn't get a chance to write, at all. Will try and rectify that very soon. Have a meeting in about 1/2 an hour and, after that, I should be able to eke out some time to scribble out something.