The sight that greeted them when the returned to the fort took Oriana aback; the carnage of the battle itself had been shocking, but seeing the dead bandits strung up like this somehow seemed worse. The extent of the Olegs' ire didn't quite surprise her, but the scene still turned her stomach. She looked away, trying to keep the gruesome sight out of her peripheral vision but it was still fresh in her mind when the young bandit repeated her question. The sorceress hesitated, biting her lower lip as Lydia stated the obvious. She nodded slightly; as much as she might have liked to set the girl free, things weren't that simple. For a moment her cheerful, carefree facade fell away and she looked every inch a confused, conflicted girl out of her element. It would seem that under all the flirting and sarcasm she was a rather soft-hearted individual.<br/><br/>"<strong>It...isn't up to me alone,</strong>" she said eventually, glancing back at the rest of the crew. "<strong>Just keep in mind, the more honest and helpful you are the more likely my friends are to feel charitable. I...I'll do my best to argue for mercy.</strong>"<br/><br/>A bit melodramatic, perhaps, but the sight of the strung-up bandits was burned into the back of her mind and she seemed sincere. After taking a moment to compose herself, the carefree air that always seemed to be about the young sorceress returned, and she went to join the others in Lydia's conference.<br/><br/>"<strong>Reasonable assumptions, sounds like a good plan. I'd be the first to admit that while I'm a fairly skilled liar myself I...am not the best judge of others' motives. The mundane method should be a good gauge of how willing she is to help us, but I also have a spell that can make her...cooperative, for an hour or so. There's a chance she could shrug it off, but I should be able to cast it about three times today, assuming no more trouble comes knocking. It can get us answers if she isn't feeling helpful on her own, and if nothing else it may get us some truthful answers as to what she plans to do if we release her.</strong>"<br/><br/>When Silas spoke up a crooked, slightly bitter grin tugged at her lips. "<strong>Well that's...pragmatic, I suppose. Can't say I expected you to be a proponent of mercy after that little comment about the other bandit leader last night.</strong>"<br/><br/>Adelise's concerns echoed Oriana's own, though unfortunately the knight also seemed to share her difficulty in coming up with a viable alternative.<br/><br/>"<strong>I...don't like to think anyone is beyond redemption. We could take her to Restov to stand trial, but I doubt that will end in anything but a slightly more formal execution. If she seems truly repentant perhaps we could...put her to work some how, around the trading post?</strong>" She sighed, frustrated that so few of their options seemed both merciful and practical. "<strong>Let her work off some of the damage done to the Olegs' home and business? Of course, that hinges on us being able to trust her and, and that little anecdote about the wedding ring doesn't bode well.</strong>"