#earthrunes

She gives him a long look. "From what you remember...what else might be suitably daunting for a redcap?"

August is taken aback.... falls into thinking.

He slowly shakes his head. "Nothing."

A sigh. "Maybe a proscription against having false ones made in the oath...."

"Coradel. You won't be able to ... foressee everything."

"Hmph. Well, no...but....dammit, I want him punished."

"So do I."

A brief glare at the last crumbs of waffle, and she finishes her tea. "Might as well go visit him now." She rises from the table.

August rises, and follows her.

The redcap is held in a small prison room with a neck guard that his mouth can't reach

The scribe has his pad and pen ready, and uses them.

She moves to the door of his cell and just...stares at him a long minute, frowning.

"This is crazy, you guys going to hold me forever? I could go into bedlam"

"We'll try to avoid that, but if it happens, you'll be cared for."

"I want my lawyer"

"You had your lawyer."

"I'm curious...about those people you ravaged. Tell me more about that."

"Nobodies, folks I barely remember except for the taste" He answers "Do you remember the names of your steaks?"

The scribe fixes a new pen, inks it, keeps going.....

A smirk at his reply. "Charming. And no...but often, careful planning goes into the crafting of a good meal, if we're going to go with that metaphor. How did you choose them?"

"I know animals, some, I know people lots. The key to a good ravaging is finding them when they're vulnerable. WHen they think thy're sure of something, then you take that certaity away . Don't tell me, you've never done it?"

A sudden stillness...then she murmurs, "I doubt there's much you could teach me in that regard."

"huh... maybe, maybe not... but yeah, you probably look for different type of meal"

"I think it's safe to say that our tastes differ. But...how do you know when they're vulnerable?" The tone of somebody genuinely interested in learning from an expert.

"Huh" Again, and pause, to see if he's being played

Poker face.

"Sometimes they're trying too hard. Say a little kid's dog won't behave, so he goes on about he loves his dog, and his dog loves him.... whath e's really saying is he's pissed at the mutt. It's a clue of his vulnerability."

An interested brow-furrow. "Huh. That's...subtle."

"So you bring up science on how dogs don't love us... they're just manipulating us, make it sound official. Useful thing science, take the 'facts' you like, boil away the ones you don't like... and it can be used away to chip at faith"

"Kill the truth with mere facts." She nods slowly.

"Clever."

"Selective facts are the best lie of all"

"But to 'chip away'...sounds like it takes a while."

"Not as much as stupid musing...." A snort, "Trust me."

"You've tried that, too?"

"Once or twice, but ravaging is more my style. I got an appetite, and it's not patient."

"But patient enough to find good targets."

"Now and then, sometimes it's just a matter of being perceptive. Look, you got a Liam. I ain't stupid. He probably wants to rip me open ...they all do. Crazy bastards put mortals ahead of us. But you'd be surprised how many folks tried a ravaging at least once."

"Oh, no...not particularly surprised. But it seems you've got it down to a science, as they say."

"Yeah well... given what you've got on me, my lawyer ..well, nevermind what he said. " A scowl, "Not sure who paid for him, but he's not been as useful as I hoped. He a plant?"

"A...plant?"

"you hire him to make yourself look better to your locals? You put on an act how he's aa pain, but you endure it because you love the people or some thing... when actually it's a plant you set up? A a ruse. Easy good PR when you have me done away with 'legit' like?"

She grins a bit. "Well, that would have been clever of me, I suppose, but no, I can't take credit for anything like that."

"Huh, well, shit. Would have explained a lot if you did." A frown, "Look. you banish me, I'll never return. Seems fair. Why don't we just leave it that, and I'll pay you a little in cash or something. We'll call it a civil asset forfeiture."

A bemused grin. "That 'seems fair' to you, does it? I see." A pause. "Why did you kill the pooka, again?"

"the little girl? I told you, I didn't even know about her unti lI was running...figured if I shot at her, you'd be rushing her to the hopsital and I'd get away"

"I can't even portal passage out of this damn room. What kind of wards do you have in place here?"

"No...the one you bit the legs off of? Threw to the pigs?" The tone of gentle reminder.

"Oh yeah, he was going to squeel on my whole operation. got a right to protect my biz."

"That was this 'operation'? Or one of your earlier ones?"