When Xochitl and Iczo returned to the Baron's compound, they were almost immediately met by Alvaro. The viera told them that they were to proceed directly to the Baron's Chamber with their stolen goods.  Asking after Atlan and Pixie, Alvaro would only tell them that they arrived and had been "summarily punished" for their failure, since they themselves had returned empty-handed. Xochitl's ears flattened to her head with that news. Had they been hurt? Imprisoned? But no matter how much they pressed Alvaro for more information, the young hare wouldn't tell them anything more. So, Xochitl had little other choice but to allow herself and Iczo to be escorted down into the bowels of the Baron's encampment once more. 

Iczo stayed close by her side, his ears plastered back against his sable mane. He didn't like this any more than she did. His teal eyes glanced furtively around them as if expecting some manner of ambuscade to come leaping out to take them prisoner. As far as they were aware, though, the Baron kept no guards, no handlers. It was just him and the myriad children that were in his "employ" such as it was. Iczo's hand kept drifting to his sides where Xochitl knew he kept a pair of long knives strapped against his ribcage. The hhetsarro never went anywhere unarmed, not if he could help it. She couldn't really blame him. 

Alvaro shuffled along sullenly behind them, like he wanted no real part of this. About half-way down the stairs, Xochitl turned to him, looking the rabbit-boy square in the eyes. "At some point, Alvaro, you're going to have to go against the grain whether you like it or not. You know what's happening here is wrong. I know you feel powerless to do anything, but that's far from the truth. I can't make you believe otherwise, you have to believe it for yourself, that you're capable of it.  If you want to keep living like this, then continue on as you are, but if you want to change things, if you want a better life for not just yourself, but for all these other children that are stuck here, you'll find a way to fight back."

That was all she said before she turned a strict about-face and resumed her march down the stairs. For a moment, Alvaro stood on the stairs, shuffling from one foot to the other with his flop ears just utterly limp on either side of his head. He really was such a pitiable creature, part of her wondered what the Baron had done to all these children to take the light and spirit out of them. She probably didn't want to know, because if she did, one or the other of them between herself and the Baron, would never walk back up these stairs again. She had to resist the urge to clench her hands into fists as they came to the main floor of the Baron's great hall. 

As before, the man sat on his throne watching the stairwell door. No sooner than they set foot on the floor, he beamed a crag-toothed smile at them. "Come, come then my little ratlings and show me what ill-gotten gains you've brought us. My little magpies have been flying and I've heard of your subsequent capture, yes. Even your holding within the Brightbloom Post. What did you tell the good Landsguard, hmm?"  His gaze and his voice hardened, taking on an almost angry edge. "What secrets did you spill?  Did you?  Did you tell those lofty law-men about us, about me?  Shall I bring out Cahuan and have him burn the secrets from your flesh?"

The Baron gestured with a hand and a trapdoor opened before the throne, one Xochitl hadn't even noticed the last time they were here, so well-hidden it was beneath the stone. It revealed a small pit area and in the bottom of that pit was a fire drake. It crunched and crawled its taloned feet over a pile of various broken and burnt bones, some of them beast, some of them clearly ... Xochitl's jawline tightened and she had to exercise every onze of control for her tail not to swing wildly in suppressed rage.  Instead, she took that energy and channeled it into a massive sob as she broke out into tears. 

"We didn't tell them anything!" She sobbed. "Nothing!  The... the man from the tavern, he... he didn't press charges.  So, the guards questioned us for a while; why we were stealing, what was it for.  I told them a lie about him..." She gestures to Iczo. "... about him being a relapsing kleptomaniac.  They just kind of looked at us all sad, like we were pitiable and insignificant. They told us not to let it happen again and they let us go."

Surging up from his throne, the Baron made his way around the pit where he grabbed Xochitl by the arm.  He dragged her forward, pulling her toward the pit and the fire drake. "Tell the truth now, the truth!" The Baron hissed. "We do not tolerate lies here. We dislike lies, yes, yes.  Cahuan will burn your lies away and reveal only the truth in your screams."  Closer and closer the man pulled her.  For as frail as he seemed, the man was surprisingly strong, his grip on her bicep was like an iron vise. Xochitl's ears went flat against her head and she felt a thread of fear shiver down her spine as he drew her ever closer to the pit of fiery doom.

Behind her Izco shouted. "Hey! Let her go!" He started to charge forward, but Alvaro leapt forward to tackle the unwitting hhetsarro to the ground. The two began to fight and tussle, rolling back and forth across the stone floor and its many rugs and carpets. 

The Baron paid them little heed.  He and Xochitl stood on the edge of the pit, looking down at the hungry, pacing mass of the fire drake down below. "The truth now, little tigress..." He said in a little sing-song whispered into her ear.  Her ear flickered in irritation at the feel of his breath against the fine, sensitive hairs before they tilted to lie flat against her skull as tightly as possible. "Speak the truth in your own words.  Or scream them as you burn."

"I told you the truth." Xochitl said through gritted teeth. It was taking everything in her power not to claw the man's eyes out.  Her orders had been clear, they weren't to engage the Baron directly.  This was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission only.  As much as she might want to, it went against everything she'd been entrusted with, and she couldn't betray Tenoch's trust. 

A sigh escaped the Baron, almost as if he were reluctant to do what he threatened.  She knew better, though.  There was a delighted gleam in his eye and an evil smirk to his face that spoke of just how much he enjoyed this, the heady rush of power and superiority it gave him.  It filled her with revulsion and more rage that this man held this kind of sway over a bunch of children.  "A pity to burn a girl so lovely, you might have fetched a nice price."  Her ears flashed upward.  A price?  He's been selling people?  These children?!

Even as that realization came to her, the Baron suddenly stiffened beside her, his eyes going wide in shock. Behind him, Alvaro stood with one of Izco's knifes in-hand -- a knife he'd just plunged into the Baron's kidney. The young boy jerked the knife upward before pulling it out and repeating the attack on the Baron's other side.  The man crumpled to the ground, then fell unceremoniously into the pit.  The fire drake set upon him with all the hunger and rage of a beast kept on the verge of starvation for its captor's entertainment. Xochitl could only stare wide-eyed at Alvaro as he stood on the edge of the pit, holding Iczo's bloodied knife in his equally bloodied hand.

Alvaro looked up at her. "Now no one has to steal anymore and no one has to fight."