Ridahne listened and nodded once very slowly, her eyes cold as she still stared at the men. The ruse they were playing at was only half false--Ridahne did want to give Darin the last word. Partly, she wanted to see what kind of person she was, what she would do in that moment under pressure. It would be good for the girl to make some tough choices but also to take responsibility for her new position. The human never wanted it, that much was clear. But Ridahne knew without a doubt that it was her duty to make sure she was one day ready to take it in full. Ridahne was not her mother and would not decide things for her, but she would advise as best she could. 

"Good. A just choice. Come! Let me look at you fools." Ridahne threw back her hood; her dark hair streamed out and caught faintly in the dim light from above. Her tattooed marks lined her narrow face gave her a wild, fierce look. And both Dax and James knew in that moment that they beheld death herself. This was no Azurei elf, this was a spirit of death in the flesh. They both shuddered as she drew her second knife from behind her back, and though Darin knew about the blade harness she wore, to the men it seemed like the weapon appeared out of nowhere. She used them to lift their shirts a bit, or to tilt their heads from side to side. They followed her every unspoken command like slaves enthralled. 

Ridahne laughed, and the sound of it was cold. "Seems they've done well for themselves as horse thieves. You've got yourself a fine set of clothes here, Martin. Go on boys, take them off." They hesitated only slightly, but slowly peeled off their shirts. When Ridahne did not step away or look appeased, they took their pants off too and were left shivering in their skivvies. A cold smile spread on the elf's lips. "Well. Go on." The men blanched. She couldn't have been serious...but then one look into those eyes and they knew she meant it. Slowly they stripped down until they wore nothing but their skin and made pathetic attempts to cover themselves. 

Ridahne finally lowered her blades, but she did not put them away. "Good. Now understand something, Dax and James. My apprentice here is kindhearted. But where I'm from, the price for horse theft is a hand. The dominant hand. And you can be thankful that you aren't in my land. But you still have to reckon with me. And I am not so kind. My apprentice does not wish to see you crippled and I did put your fate in his hands." She leaned in and whispered to them, "But there are other ways..." She leaned back and with mirrored strokes of her blades she cut expertly across their bare chests. The wounds were not deep and would not require stitches to heal, but they were long and would scar, and little rivulets of blood trickled gently down their fronts. 

The elf cleaned her blades in the grass with routine efficiency. The men had not the time to scream, but now they were gasping for air in their shock and fear. They had brushed with death and come away breathing. 
"We'll go... please..." Dax pleaded. 
Ridahne turned on him, her gaze heavy. "Yes. You will. And that cut will serve to remind you of this night. But I have one more question of you. Have you no remorse? Do you not feel the will of the tree pressing down against your wickedness?" 
Dax blinked. "Uh..."
"Answer me truthfully."
"Erm...well a little. But not...not much?" 

Ridahne was trained well and did not show any of her thoughts on her face, but she was deeply troubled by this news. The tree was already failing in its influence on Astra. And it would only get worse with time. She lifted her blades again. "Turn around. Walk. And if you trouble anyone on the road again, and I hear of it, it won't be just your hands I'll be having. GO." And with that the two naked men went sprinting off into the darkness feeling more fearful and shaken than they ever had in their lives. Ridahne breathed a sigh and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, the mysterious air around her disappearing. She was Ridahne Torzinei again, Azurei exile and disgraced slayer of Sols. "Well now. That went well, eh? You performed spectacularly." And she meant it.