[Diamond18]

Skittles titled her head to the side, much like a dog, and gave the idea some thought. Then, as a strange gleam came into her eyes, she responded, “Personally, Allamee, I’d rather torture the Gondorians. Roggie wants ’em interrogated, right?”

Alli reluctantly nodded, but added, “Roggie’s in a foul temper, I’d like to see cooler heads prevail.”

“Then why is she even here?” Maika asked, jerking her head toward Skittles.

Alli sighed wearily, “Roggie likes her, I thought maybe, someone he’s friendly with--”

“Torture is fun,” Skittles interrupted glibly. In a deft movement, she extracted four switchblades from her clothing and began to juggle them. As she juggled, she snapped them open one by one, and smiled in what was undeniably a terrifying manner. Her audience was mesmerized for a moment by the circus act, then Skittles twisted quickly and made three of the switchblades spear the floor in a triangle around Malfodacil. The fourth one she held glinting at his throat, and his eyes bugged out as he went still.

“Skittles!” Alli said sternly.

Skittles smiled and cut off a lock of Malfodacil’s hair as she swept the blade away from him. He let out a breath of relief, but gave her such a look of darkness that it cannot be described with anything remotely Tolkien-spirited. So Mordorian and anakronistic was this look -- and from a Gondorian diplomat, no less!

“So, can I interrogate the other Gondorians?” she asked, turning large puppy dog eyes towards Alli. “Please?”