Oriana looked between her companions with unease. She certainly shared the girls' suspicions, but as far as any of them could tell the bandit was being completely cooperative and honest. The sorceress may not have trusted Kressle, but too many lives had been snuffed out today already. She nervously fingered the butterfly-shaped holy symbol around her neck (an act apparently frequent enough that the paint was beginning to wear off of the edges) as she pondered the situation. Bandits made the roads dangerous, filled the nights with terror for those they preyed upon, situations a follower of Desna could not abide. Killing them, or at least shipping them off to the closest city to face trial (which, everyone knew, was basically the same as killing them) would solve the problem, but only temporarily. The only way to eliminate the bandit problem and keep the stolen lands safe was to not only eliminate the threats, but establish defenses that would keep others from taking the places of the ousted criminals and keep the roads safe for traders and travelers alike.<br/><br/>She wanted to believe that no one<em>chose</em>a path of villainy. As unpleasant as her life had been so far, she knew others had it far worse, and that unfair circumstances could drive people to do horrible things. If even one of the bandits, be it Kressle or one of her followers, could be saved, it was worth the risk. What better way to banish a nightmare, than to convert it to a dream?<br/><br/>Hearing her name snapped her out of her contemplation, and she turned to see Adelise heading off, with Lydia not far behind. "<strong>Ah...I'll be right there!</strong>" she called, stepping toward Silas and the half-naked bandit as they vanished into the forest.<br/><br/>"<strong>You. You will behave yourself.</strong>" she said, pointing an accusatory finger up at the blond man. The image of the petite little sorceress speaking to a man nearly twice her size as if he were a small child was slightly ridiculous, but she didn't seem to care.<br/><br/>"<strong>And you...</strong>" she turned to Kressle, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "<strong>It might not take more than some exposed skin to win our lecherous friend here over, but if you want us to have any chance of convincing the others not to save ourselves future trouble by executing you and the rest of your crew right here, I suggest you stop <em>insulting them</em>. You're clearly not suicidal, and I have a hard time believing someone stupid enough to taunt those who hold her life in her hand could effectively run an operation as large as this, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're acting foolishly because of hurt pride. If you're truly willing to follow us, if you can truly change, I believe you have the potential to be something much more than you are today. Something better. I'll do my best to improve their moods, but I suggest you rethink your priorities while we are gone. Also, please don't kill the idiot.</strong>"<br/><br/>She glanced back over her shoulder, just barley catching a glimpse of Adelise's bright red hair in the distance. She turned to follow after them, not trusting her city-girl navigational skills to keep her from getting lost, even with clear directions, but called back over her shoulder. "<strong>I'll want to know who or what Nyrissa is when I get back! <em>And I wasn't playing Silas, behave yourself or I will turn you into a rabbit at an undetermined time in the future!</em></strong>"<br/><br/>- - - - - - - > to [Kingmaker: Three Ladies (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=175649.0)]