The Trouble One Man Brings

Adanita was sitting in a meeting with her legs crossed, leaning back in her seat as others were discussing the events from last night.

"Three people got hurt while running off, nothing serious. We moved everyone out of that house, found 'em places a bit farther away. Everything is still locked down. We had a few people tryin' to break in to see what's up, but we caught 'em and beat them up before sending 'em away. No serious injuries. The Alchemist's books were recovered, we've got his sword and whatnots, too. Sent everything to the Vivienne. Found proof of some strange magic, we don't know what. That's all we've got." Ekliptik's woman finished her report and sat down on a chair by the wall.
"And? Is the man awake?" Isabela asked, taking a long drag from her pipe.
Teo tiredly lifted his head from the table, facing the crowd of some twenty pirates. "Aye. Got him conscious last night." He rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up in full. "He fried himself with magic so he can't use it for the time being. Drained himself almost complete."
"What was he doing?" Jacqueline asked.
"Some gods-damned experiment. Caused mass hallucinations when it got out of control, combined with people panicking, and we got chaos."
"Is that supposed to be normal?"
"No, but he is special. The first time he gave me a tour of his workshop, he blew himself up," Adanita said. "If I knew he'd be starting this nonsense in the city, I would've given him a house on the outskirts."
"Do you honestly expect us to buy this, Nita?" Isabela asked. "We have witnesses who heard screaming and cursing, a body that fell off and disappeared, and you say it was just effects of... what. What's in his books? What was he doing, Teo?"
"Advanced alchemy," Teo said.
"Heard it's instructions for summoning devils," Siqiniq grumbled.
"And pray tell, how would you know the difference?" he snapped back in return.
"Hah! The issue stands! He started several fights in the city, and now he's doing gods-know-what witchcraft in people's houses! If he wasn't who he was, we'd already be cuttin' off his toes and ears and tossin' 'em into th' sea so the mermaids know who to eat!" he shouted, slamming his fist at the table. "People are mad! My own crew's going to vote to off him if it continues! Straight from my First Officer!"
"Don't pretend those men didn't come to him to start a fight," Isabela said. "It's fair game, no matter how much they whine about losing."
"Hah. Any other nobleman just sitting here with no value to us would've been marooned already. He is still actively endangering us with his magic," Margrave Fran said. "At the very least he should be isolated with other little ducklings Teo collected."
"They aren't isolated," Adanita said.
"No, but they're far enough they don't blow up half a city."
"Do you really want to debate usefulness of our mages with Teo at the table?" Nino asked. "Last I remember, he got two of your ships home safe just a year and a half ago."
"And he didn't get involved wi' infernal affairs. Th' Alchemist did," Siqiniq said.
"It was just a new substance," Teo said. "People who were exposed-"
"People five streets away heard th' screaming!" he shouted again. "You think we're stupid 'ere, boy?!"
"I don't think, I know."
"You little-"

And this was why Adanita Vervain began carrying a flintlock to the meetings, ever since they started to work on turning the city into a state. The room erupted in shouting and insults while she calmly took her weapon out. She slowly raised it, giving everybody a chance that went by ignored in the commotion. Very well. She lifted her arm above her head and aimed it at the ceiling.

She fired.

The explosion made everyone jump. They knew by now that this was a signal they were reaching the limits of her patience, and the shot was loud enough to give everyone a moment of deafness, rendering their yelling useless. She started reloading her weapon in silence, waiting for everyone to take their seats again and for the ringing in her ears to stop.

"They heard his screaming," Adanita calmly said. There was no need for her to raise her voice. "As I said, the idiot severely injured himself while he was making his drug. It exploded in his face. There is also the issue of him taking the largest dose of it, and we don't know its full effects. Thankfully, it's cleared out by now and it seems there is no further danger, but I am still angry. His punishment and relocation are currently being discussed with Lord Governor and his family. For now, he is recovering on my ship."
"Nita. Why is he here in the first place?" Jacqueline asked.
"I wanted our own teleportation circle. I now understand why Lord Governor was so happy to be rid of him. He will continue to work when he recovers, under supervision of Teo and our mages."
"Where would the circle lead?"
"Hipparcos, for now. We plan to expand that later."
"He spent his time here scouting out the city," Isabela said. "I had no idea it was for that purpose..."
"So he didn't even start yet?" Adanita asked.
"As far as we know, no."
"Hah. Maybe I should kill him myself."
"Please don't. Not yet, at least. It would start a war with your Governor," Nino said.
"It's too soon," Teo agreed, burying his face in his hands. "Look, I agree. Send him off- send him to my kids. Maybe he can teach them some stronger magic than what we have, maybe other mages come by, too. He can't blow anyone up right now, it should be safe, and he won't be in the middle of the city anymore. And when he recovers, we'll figure out where to put the circle."
"It can't be inside the city, it's too dangerous," Nino said. "And I don't like the idea of an army coming out of thin air near this manor, either..."
"On a nearby cliff, perhaps?" Jacqueline said.
"It would be better if we didn't have a circle at all," Margrave Fran said. "Hipparcos is a stone's toss away from here, and now it has been connected directly to the Bretonian Capital. If the Queen sends the Royal Guard, I want them to at least put in some effort while coming here. They ought to have enough common courtesy to sail to our cannons first when they come to slaughter us."
"Perhaps it could be a small circle," Isabela said. "To limit how many people can come through at once..."
"If the purpose of it would be to start trading with Hipparcos and the Capital, it would severely affect that goal, too," he replied.
"Hipparcos circle is already small," Teo said. "Ten people limit, at least three minutes between casting. Largest thing it fits is a carriage, and it needs to send the horses separate."
"That is small. That's nothing compared to Uxmal circle. What's the point of it, Nita?" Nino asked.
I want to be able to visit my lover. "The point of it is diplomacy," she said. "Small circles in nobles' estates serve the purpose of quickly sending through a few people when something requires a discussion in person. That's how the Second Prince came to investigate, and how several families came to visit during the Governor's ball. It's not about trade or armies, it's for a face-to-face conversation without having to sail half the world across. People die and letters get lost. Speaking orbs are more trouble than they're worth. When we start talks with the other nations, I want to be able to be there myself."

The room fell into silence as everyone was carefully considering her words. Now that the spirits have calmed, she put her flintlock away, getting ready for the next barrage.

Damn it all, she wished she was somewhere else. In Hipparcos, with Rosamund, tending to his injuries. How it hurt to see him in such a broken up state... She put on quite a show for the Earl, but she still felt the sting of guilt. How did the magic work? If she died again, would the devil be gone? It was clearly after Rosamund and Lilac, not her, but if it was here because of her-

"I don't like it," Margrave Fran said. "It's too dangerous. We can talk about a location all we want, but it would be a waste of resources. Someone will need to oversee it constantly so that we don't get a small group of assassins coming through. They don't even need to be an army, if they're close enough to the city they can just set the houses on fire. Not to mention the cost of upkeep. And the fact that the prick will surely demand payment. How did you intend to pay him?"
"After this stunt, his payment is a permission to live," Adanita snarled. "I secured a substantial amount of money from Captain Mislav Verlice. She called this a no-strings investment, but she wants to discuss trade with us later. Considering she is currently on her way to Madol, I decided to set a portion aside for a circle."
"You decided to build something like that without our input," Nino said. "Unlike Franzie over there, I'm not blind to the benefits of this, but you can't simply make something so expensive and dangerous without a discussion."
"Not to mention this investment. How do you know we can trust this Verlice? Are we a charity case now?!" Jacqueline said.
"It was meant to be the first thing we talked about when I returned," Adanita calmly said. "We are discussing it right now. I am listening, and I will hold a vote soon. Verlice simply sees a business opportunity if we succeed, and she wants to get in on ground zero. She thinks we have a shot and wants to offer her assistance in exchange for later deals. If her demands become outrageous, we will simply keep the stuff we got from her and cut ties. She won't be able to retaliate since she's moving half the world away, and I know she angered her own Queen before leaving."
"If other traders start to find us untrustworthy-" Isabela started.
"What, a bunch of pirates?" Teo asked sarcastically.
"Keep your dog under control, Nita," Siqiniq snarled. "He has no right to vote or speak."
"Want to join the last man who dueled me?" he asked.

"The next bullet," Adanita raised her voice, "is going to someone's head. Teo, down."

The meeting settled down again. She pinched the bridge of her nose, giving everyone a moment.

This was honestly going great, all things considered. She stood up.

"In order. The Alchemist did not toy around with devils or whatever other rumors are currently spreading through the city. Considering the amount of damage he caused anyway, I vote he is confined to my ship while recovering and later sent to the outskirts until we decide on what to do with him. Raise hands for yay," she said.
Everyone who didn't want to kill him on the spot did, meaning everyone except Siqiniq and two other captains. Teo had no right to vote in this, so he sat in silence by her side.

"Regarding the issue of the circle, I have enough money to build it on my own if need be, but considering it's being made to benefit the city, I believe it should be done with our collective funds. The diplomatic connections and trading deals we need to make with other countries and people simply can't be done without it. It would take us years to travel back and forth, discuss deals offered among us all, and sort out what we want or don't want. We don't have the time to waste. We can be paranoid all we want, but it won't get us anywhere. I have a written contract with Verlice that the money she handed to me is an investment, not a loan. If we succeed, she will have allies in the middle of the ocean. That is her goal." Well, she handed over some information she had about the future, too, but that was none of their business. "The circle's size is meant to be too small for anything more than a few people coming through. The circles light up at least a minute before anyone comes through, so there is no chance for a surprise attack. We can discuss more specifics, the location, the way it works, hells, we can discuss anything about it you want. But we still need to come to an agreement today. Are we building it or not? Raise hands-"
"One moment, Nita. Are you saying you'll make it yourself if we say nay?" Nino asked.
"No. I do as the votes decide. If you later decide it's not worth being built with our money, I'll fund it, but not if you say we shouldn't build it now" He nodded, satisfied, and she got back to the topic. "Raise hands if you want the circle."

A little over two thirds of the present captains raised their hands, making a second round of this discussion unnecessary. Issue resolved. She sat back down while a few people fumed in their seats.

"This needs to be discussed more-"
"What is there to discuss? We'll sort out the specifics later, but you can't tell me you're blind to the benefits of it."
"The only benefit I see is a circle that leads straight to the Governor's back yard," Margrave Fran said.
"Hah!"

Adanita let them bicker for a bit longer before interrupting again.

"I will propose the specifics of the circle in a few days. I need some time to prepare. We can then vote on features we'll accept, and discuss alternatives for those we won't."
"Is the Alchemist going to be the one building it?" Isabela asked.
"If you have another mage to recommend, we can consider them," she replied. "He built the circle in Hipparcos, we know he is capable of that much, at least. He should be alright. We'll keep an eye on him so he doesn't try to start another experiment."
"I suppose that's fine," Nino said.
"Is this all for today?"

"No, it isn't," Adanita said. "Is anyone else's crew threatening a mutiny at this time?" she asked.
"No."
"Nay."
"Maybe... I think it's fine, though..."
She nodded. So, everyone else was fine. "Siqiniq, do I need to interfere?" she asked him directly.
"And do what?"
"If your crew intends to off the Governor's brother, you better believe there's gonna be consequences. Keep your men under control, else I will."
"You challenging me?"
"Do you want me to, old man?"
"Lotus was right, this place is going to-"
Adanita started standing up. He flinched and went silent.

"Nita, is he here under the parlay law?" Nino tiredly asked.
"As far as I know, he's never requested one. However, he is here to work for us, and he is the Governor's brother. He is protected by the parlay. Not killing his idiot brother is the bare minimum. I will keep him under control so there's no more fights."
"Suppose that's fine..."

"Anyone got anything else to report?" she asked. Twelve hands shot up into the air. After a moment of hesitation, Teo raised his as well.
"Huh? What is it?" she asked, genuinely confused.

He sighed, raising his head from the table again. "We need priests of the sleeping gods in the city. Our local butchers and I are not enough. We need proper healers."


The dead silence that followed was short-lived.

Maybe if she lets them scream at the top of their lungs for a while, they'll be too hoarse to argue with her later.

Her headache, unfortunately, took issue with that plan.