[CupcakeDolly]

How could she have expected the man to have followed her orders? With her hold still on the soldiers, Rue no longer needed to conjure images for them - the simple sight of Lev's rampage seemed to be enough to keep them in place. She winced, the internal cries of their deaths filling her head, memories and regrets and wishes and everything that carried with one's final moments flooded her and racked her mind and body, but she persistently kept them in place until the 'lion' had finished with his meal.

When the last man fell, she stumbled and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, panting heavily and shivering. At the old man's observation, she shot him a sarcastic, "No, do you really think so?" Reaching toward him with her psychic presence, she could feel the effects of his own recent meal radiating beyond himself. She leeched a tiny amount of the euphoria to calm her nerves, doubting that he would notice or care.

When the shaking had stopped, she approached the feasting man, pulled back, and kicked him in the side with as much strength as she could muster. She doubted that he would notice, but the action at least served to make her feel better about what he had done to her. She turned then to the artificer and unceremoniously grabbed his wrist. "We must go," she said with only a small amount of harshness and began to follow the old theurge, dragging the artificer along with her.