Arastine sneaks up behind Beth in the middle of the day. It's not easy, and she's not wearing her armor, but she manages to get quite close to Beth before the mage turns around.
When she does, her hands are grabbed and held above her head with one hand. Arastine's thigh is between her legs, holding her off her feet, and Arastine's other hand is on her throat. Pinned against a wall, Beth realizes it might have been a mistake to act so flippantly towards Arastine.
This line of thinking continues when Arastine gives her a full-strength punch to the stomach. It won't kill her, but it hurts like hell.
After the second punch, Arastine leans in, staring Beth in the eye.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Hell, I won't even let you die here. That's far more mercy than you gave Millie. But you'll regret what you did"
With that, she begins to strangle Beth. As soon as she loses consciousness, Arastine releases her throat and lets her breathe for a few seconds before starting again. After a few times, she lets go of Beth's hands and begins slapping and groping her while she chokes out the elven mage again and again. After the seventh or eighth time, she notices a wetness on her thigh.
"Really... You like this, do you? Then I'll give you a present..."
After a few more cycles, Arastine throws Beth to the ground and kicks her once in the face, then looks for a few seconds to take in the sight, chuckling to herself. Then she walks away, smiling absentmindedly.
Arastine does have crimes she's here to atone for, after all. They were probably things like this.
December is having a bit of trouble figuring out what to do with the two elf clerics August took prisoner during the sack of Azelea. They're not exactly in a position to just escape, and it would be very bad if Marla got wind of December's presence before she was ready, especially given December's grudge.
Shit. What do I do with these two poor bastards? They'll be suspicious already because of Rom, if I let these two go runnin' around that'll be it. I guess for now I'll just keep 'em together and close t' me, let 'em know what's up with me and August and shit. Maybe put Rom in charge of 'em.
Romillie also was informed of December's occupation of August, but in a bit more detail than McKayla. After all, McKayla might try to use it against her - Romillie, (or Rom, as December calls her) however, is dependent on December for her continuing good treatment. December's assumption is that the two priestesses will be similarly reasonable in their decisions, especially if they see more of Rom in their daily lives than her.
Eisenhilde is ecstatic when she hears of the next mission. After all, it's a win-win! Either shed blood (hers or others) for Hel and die, or survive and throw her Blade of Hel from the highest of the palace's spires, and dedicate the battle to Hel. That kind of opportunity only comes along very rarely, even moreso since neither side are devotees of Hel! This will be her greatest day, her finest hour! She's trembling thinking about it.
Cernya has brought from the looting a wagon filled with things that are militarily useless but valuable for a burglar. Things like nice utensils, family heirlooms, non-magical jewelry, nice paintings, good furniture. It's all pulled by a stolen (from Acid) horse and a looted mule.
