>>5205478"Lisa." Sathriel called out, the call startling the sniffling skintalker "Do you or do you not, want your mother to stop hurting you?"
With great difficulty, Lisa gave her answer. "I-...I want my mom to stop hurting me."
"Then the solution to the matter is simple. Tell your mother that you want her to stop."
"But-"
Sathriel slammed the bench with both hands and stood up, silencing Lisa's protests. "Then make her listen to you! Stand up to your mother! Make it clear to her that you meant what you really want! Give meaning to your voice! You of all people know what happens when you keep your silence, and what it means to be a skintalker! As long as you remain silent and indecisive, your mother will keep coming back and demand more for her warband. And she will not stop until you do something about that convinces her to stop, even if it means fighting her."
"No!" Lisa cried. "She's my mom! I can't fight at her if-!"
"Then join your mother and betray Wishbone Village."
The verbalization of the terrible alternative drove Lisa to tears. "But then Grizzie...Wishbone..."
Sathriel sighed. "You have the time between now and your next meeting with your Mother to sort out your true feelings and wishes."
"How long do we have?" asked a member of the gallery. "Before Ms. Loupe arrives in force?"
Sathriel closed her eyes and consulted the environment. Written characters of gold burned the answer into her mind.
"Three hours." she announced, drawing another wave of murmurs from the village. The Arbiter solemnly turned towards Grizzie Baerns and Lisa Loupe.
"Use that time wisely."
With a final bang of the gavel to announce the adjournment of the trial Sathriel left the court, leaving behind a silent gallery of villagers to fully digest the verdict and her enforcers to watch over Lisa and Ms. Baerns.
(cont.)
