Two horsemen ride up to a tavern...

"Not willingly," Ascian states in quiet agreement, unsure himself if he's asking for permission. Akiran hadn't been with them with the orcs, but Katrin had, and he knows she hadn't approved of he and Thrandimir's methods – but there's something they need, and someone who holds it, and the math seems simple when scrawled in the dust. "We can't let him go until we know that."

Katrin gives Ascian a long, measured look. She recalls the...methods, that had been employed to extract information not too long ago, but those had been spearheaded by the wizard. And the wizard wasn't here. The atmosphere was different. She nods thoughtfully. "I do agree with you, Ascian. If we can find out what he knows, it would only be a benefit to us." She looks to Marius, then back, speaking softly so the man cannot hear her. "We keep him until morning and then find out what he knows, if you'd like my assistance. He is adamantly refusing to talk, so a little push may be needed. Then we can...let him return to his master, I suppose." 

"Okay."  Ascian looks past her to Marius. He had looked to Thrandimir for direction before this, and it's all too easy to default to Katrin in his stead.  "If that's what you want. I want to talk to him. If you're done."

Akiran nods and says  "It makes sense to find out if Gresrik can see through the mark and get whatever off him we can. But from what Katrin and Marius have said the man is a killer who is possessive  of his things. I don't know what the in the hells happened at the retreat, but it sounds like you lost people you cared for.  My vote would be for getting as much out of him now as we can and setting him loose tonight. Before the bastard brings his gang down on us and we lose more."  gesturing around to the forests and open roads beyond them. "We came across a fort earlier, if you want to take this path we should make for it now. I know there's bad blood and ya probably want the man's head. But if we want to take him on, we should chose the field, bringing the battle to him on our terms. Not letting him decide when where and how to strike against us."  Shrugging  he takes another sip from his flask "But that's this sellswords opinion. Do with it what you will."

Katrin gives a nod. "By all means, Ascian. Decisions can wait until then." She backs up, staying close, but not too close, leaning against a nearby tree. 

He looks between them. "If we're keeping him with us, it can wait. I have all night for that." A grimace bleakly crosses his face before he crosses his arms and shrugs. "We should decide first. Is that a fight we want to have now. Or later. It's going to happen either way."

Thezra stands to the side watching the confrontation and failed attempt by the dragonborn to break loyalty simply with a few platitudes and niceties. She'd had a strong feeling such an approach would prove fruitless, but had no stake in the matter nor had been asked to offer any input, so she simply watched in amusement. Now however, it seemed the group was seeking some actual consensus.  Stepping forward, she looks to the others and shrugs, "For what it's worth, I don't personally have much care one way or the other what you choose to do with this man. However, from how it sounds his boss has brought great harm to your own in the past, and is seemingly quite powerful. Additionally, it sounds like this man's very presence alerts this 'Gesrik' to our presence, no? The way I see it there are a couple situations to consider here." She steps forward, approaching Marius and gesturing down to him with one hand, "The first is that you leave him alive and wait until morning as you said. Interrogating him through magics would likely be rather effective, and on top of that I'd imagine quite demoralizing. This man is loyal, and that loyalty is commendable. You cannot break loyalty with a sip of a drink and a promise of friendship. Loyalty like this is equal parts honor as it is respect. Destroying all that by forcing him to do something disloyal against his will is, tactically, devastatingly effectual." She looks to Katrin once more, "However, it sounds like that route would lead us to confront your enemy. Are you prepared to do so again? If not, I don't think this is smart. Plus, any information you get is irrelevant if his boss is on his way to us already." "The alternative is to let him go or kill him. Either works. Personally I recommend the latter. It removes one threat who, in his own words, could have ' killed your friend without breaking a sweat'  while sending a message to Gesrik that either he faces you himself or continues sacrificing his own people." She shrugs and steps back again, "Up to you all however. This is not my fight, though I imagine your decision here will or will not make it so."

Katrin has been listening quietly to Thezra. She looks up as Thezra addresses her. "I'm not sure that killing him is the best course of action. He's said over and over that he owes everything to Gesrik. His life. That could mean any number of things." She looks over at Marius. "And Gesrik isn't impulsive. He's a very patient man, and I don't think his intention is to destroy us just yet." For a brief moment, as she looks into the boy's eyes, she sees someone else. Someone she is intimately familiar with. Ilde. It's then that she makes up her mind. "I cannot bring myself to take his life. Nor do I think we should." She slowly walks over to him, crouching down to eye-level with him. "You say that you owe Gesrik everything. Why?" There is no pressure in her voice, no sense of interrogative probing. Just a simple question. 

Marius stares at Katrin, then slowly says, "Because he saved me from the fucking streets. I'd be dead in a gutter somewhere without him."

She tilts her head. "And you had no one, before you met him? No family at all? No friends on those streets with you?"

"You think I would've been living on the streets if I had anyone that gave half a shit about me?" Marius asks derisively. "I had people I knew...people that fought with me for the same food. But when you're poor like that, you don't have friends. Just rivals for survival. Gesrik changed that." Without waiting for Katrin to ask another question, he looks around the group, away from her. "So what's it going to be then? You going to kill me?"

Katrin leans back. "It was only a question." She pauses, looking back at the others. "I won't see him die today. I can't. He's just a boy."  

"Then see him off instead." Thezra motions to the bindings on him, then looks at him directly, "I don't know your boss, or what conflict he and this group had outside of what I just heard about. But if I were you, I'd consider emphasizing the fact they took mercy on you to your boss. Would certainly hate to see you run off to him, have him start a fight, and lose that life you just talked about valuing still having," she gets down on one knee to be face to face with him, "because if we are  attacked, you can take a good guess who everyone here's aiming for first." She gives him a toothy grin and rustles his hair, matted as it is in dirt, then stands back up and steps back.

Akiran nods to Katrin  "I agree. In my line of work I've never found it profitable to kill prisoners. Today it's him tomorrow it could be us, rarely beneficial to burn a bridge."  Looking back to bandit  "It looks like you may survive the day Marius. If you do, remember our kindness if the tables ever turn. And truly look at your life. I meant it when I said you were skilled, skilled enough by far to make you own way. So be sure that his loyalty to you is just as vigorous  and profitable as yours to him. If it is not, it may be time for a change."

Katrin looks at the boy again. Wordlessly, she pulls her battleax from it's place at her side, slicing through the ropes at his ankles. She brings the blade to his hands, and holds it still against the ropes.  "You tell Gesrik what happened here, though I'm sure he already knows. Tell him we chose mercy this time. The next person might not be so lucky."  Her blade makes quick work of the ropes and she helps him stand up, but doesn't let go of his arm.  "We're letting you go, but we'll be watching for others like you now."  She lets go of his arm. 

Marius gets shakily to his feet. He sways on the spot, but seems to find his vigor and braces himself. "Look, he just wanted me to keep an eye on you. He thinks you'll be out for revenge after what happened. But he has no desire to come after you." He looks at Ascian. "You gonna give me back my things?"

Perplexed and somewhat confused, Ascian watches Katrin cut him free and hands Marius the rapier, lock picks, and files, but drops the crossbow behind him. "Take that when I see you again."

Katrin looks curiously at Marius. "Even after what happened to his brother?"

Marius looks mildly perturbed at the loss of the crossbow, but gives Ascian a little half-salute. "See you then. Get some sun." Looking back at Katrin, he says, "That debt's already been paid. A life for a life."