The Success of the true Praetor

[Nota']

Spurius ascends to the top of the Rostra dragging a woman behind him by the hair. His two lictors follow him.

People of Rome! After over a year of searching I have discovered the person who poisoned your grain! This person who killed hundreds of you and caused yet more to starve. It was not easy to find them, even for me. I followed every rumour, investigated everyone in the area of the incident, and until now I had no success.

Here they are! Spurius hauls up the woman for all to see. She is to blame, she even admitted to it when persuaded! Didnt you scum?
The woman stays silent. Spurius leans in to whisper in her ear. Listen scum, you can either have a quick death by the hands of these men, or a slow one by the hands of my men, after they've had their fun of course.
I...I did it. The woman who had until now kept silent and dignified, broke down wailing and shuddering, a pitiful sight indeed.

See! She is guilty. You have suffered because of this woman, you have lost! Because of this I leave her in your care, do with her what you will do. With those words Spurius pushes her from the platform into the crowd, then descends from the Rostra, secretly listening for the sounds he hoped for.

At first there was silence, as the men around her backed away, unsure as to what to do. After a few seconds members of the crowd surged forward to get their revenge. Perhaps they were the family of those poisoned, perhaps some were just sadists taking advantage of the situation, never the less it took little time for these men to reach the woman, where they begun.

At first they kicked her body, her insides been slowly destroyed by the feet of angry plebians. Then a man who took longer to arrive burst through the circle of spectators. He knelt down beside her head, grabbed a handful of hair, lifted the head, then smashed it into the ground. Smash, scream, smash, scream, smash, scream, smash, silence. A pool of blood formed under her head, where her skull had cracked, then finally buckled to the onslaught. When it was known she was dead the men backed away wiping any blood from their hands, unsure as to what to do with the body. In the end nothing was done and the body was left, given a wide burth by any passers by.

Spurius smiled, Much more efficient then going through the courts, that will teach her to grab me like some child. Besides someone had to be found guilty of the crime, and she was as good an option as any.

Her body lay there, remaining even after dusk when everyone had gone home. A crow landed upon her face and proceeded to peck at the eye until only the socket was left, covered in blood. Others circled above drawn in by the smell of carrion. They never got a chance as a wild dog came to claim his share, scaring away the birds. The dog chewed, failing to rip free any sizable portion of flesh that he could take to a quiet place to finish, until he too was scared away by two sizable men who were disgusted by the scene. They tentatively picked her up by the limbs, making sure their hands were not polluted by the fluids of her body, and walked her to the Tiber, where they dumped the corpse into the water and left, seeking a place to clense themselves.

[CK23]

Faustus had watched the entire event transpire and knew what now had to be done with the Praetor who had refused to give up his seat. Faustus admitted to himself that he would need to use the mob to his will, the will of the Republic, or so he at least thought. "Scaeva will pay, and he will pay with his blood." Faustus thought to himself and turned away from the mob killing the girl. His thoughts raced to intervention prior to her indefinite death but he realized that it would not be beneficial to stop such a cruel display of power. Faustus knew in his heart it was a sham, that it was fabricated in order to have Scaeva painted in a positive light...whatever Scaeva was playing at, Faustus wanted to end it.