[ Being out of Araj's presence feels good and smells better. Astarion takes a good sniff of the fresh air, scolding himself for ever taking it for granted. Whatever formula she wanted to ply Iorveth with had the most awful aroma, and he'd sooner drink congealed blood from a tenday-old corpse than put something like that in his own mouth. Luckily, it seems they're on the same page, and Astarion sighs with relief, shoulders untensing. ]

Thank the gods. I was hoping you'd deny her. Whatever she has planned for you is as vile as she is.

[ His hand hovers over the handle of his dagger, fingers tapping restlessly against it. ]

I certainly wouldn't miss her. And one could argue that we're doing the city a favor by ridding it of scum.

[ Not that he cares much about that. He just wants to wipe that imperious smirk off of her face by any means possible. The others won't be happy, of course, if it means they fail to gain any information on those disappearances, but it's difficult to care. ]