#earthrunes

She looks at him steadily.

"What?" He swallows his bite.

"I'm just wondering what moral concerns you might have about that. It seems like the sort of thing where you might."

August sets down his silveware. "He Ravaged, perhaps systematically. He murdered. And he threatened you. Two of these crimes would make it much easier for me to swallow a significant change to his life. One of them, makes me want to end it. I have no problem at all with the very strongest punishments in this case." Calmly, grey eyes steady on hers.

She nods softly, and rests a hand on one of his.

He squeezes gently.

A slight grin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Gravely, before releasing her to take a sip of his tea.

She sips as well. "Well, failing a change that ensures that he won't harm others, we'll need to sort out how to rehabilitate him as well as his consequences."

August laughs, short and dry. "There you go. Have Mr. Layton provide statistics on Ravaging repeat offenders, some basis to decide if it's worth it? That should make even a boggan busy."

A blink. "Enlist his aid to get that information? I'm not sure I could trust the results he'd provide."

August shrugs with a wry grin. "Oh, maybe you don't need to trust his results. But it would make him busy. And it might be interesting to see if he can present -anything- to suggest you -can- 'reeducate' a Ravager. He's Unseelie, a Ravager, and a Redcap. Which do we start to educate first?"

"Hmm. It's certainly worth a try."

He gives her a shy smile.

She grins back, and finishes her breakfast.

He makes quick work of the rest of his. Then he takes her hand again. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. Well, certainly better than the other night. " She squeezes his hand. "Did I tell you I ran into Enri, trying to practice fighting?"

"No. He was practicing combat?" A frown.

"Yes. In a gallery. He feels he needs to be able to fight, to defend his sister in the future. I suggested he'd be a better scout...and we went for a run, but...I don't know if the notion will stick."

"Oh." Understanding. "Yes." The frown lingers. "And Isis?"

"I haven't spoken to her in the last day. She seems to be a bit more resilient than he is, though, oddly."

He nods. "I would think they could both use someone with experience, to talk to. If they were human, a counselor or someone."

"Well, they have their warders, and I know Vince spoke with Enri a bit. I don't know who has experience with having been abducted, or having had a charge abducted."

August shakes his head as well, thinking. "Or, who's qualified as a counselor."

"Well...Deryn seems an excellent listener...and she herself has had some rough experiences."

He shakes his head again. "She is, and she has, but I don't know that she has training as a counselor." Thinking. "I could ask but.... Liam are often not trusted. Darn." He searches his memory.

A frown. "What would you be asking, and of whom?"

"Oh. Well, ah..... as far as I know, out of any Kith or House, Liam have the most involved relationships with mortals, and that includes helping treat them, sometimes. So, it's possible there's a Liam who -is- a counselor, who knows how to do it it. But the flip side of that coin is, Fae don't trust us. So it's very hard to get someone to open up to you, to share feelings and such."

A dubious look. "They're childlings...and they already like you. I hardly think House will be a factor here."

"Do you wish me to make inquiries?"

"I think it would be a good idea."

He nods. "I will."

"And I will question Norm once more. At least."

"I'll take notes. If you like. And say nothing."

"I'd appreciate it if you did, August. Thank you."

He nods. "Ok. Coradel, I don't mean to push but... what range of options are you thinking of, for punishment?"

She shakes her head. "I wanted banishment and geasa. Now I think it has to be geasa, supervision, and service."

"Allow yourself to consider a range, just in case..... just in case there's information to be bought."

"I suppose...the service could be reduced."

August almost looks like he'd protest, then takes a deep breath and nods.

"If...instead of a geasa, if he makes an oath, the consequence of failing the oath would be that Dreaming would make all his teeth fall out, never to regrow."

"Unseelie, Ravager, and Redcap. It would make one of the three harder, but....."

"Well, if the oath keeps him from being the first two, the consequence of breaking the oath removes his identity as the third."

He thinks. "If... if he could be made to understand the severity of those consequences, and the finality of it? Barring a nocker making steel teeth for him. That's happened before, I've heard."

A scowl. "Somebody would do that, wouldn't they?"

"Yes." Simply.

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