4'33''

The auditorium is a large, semicircular structure, with enough sits for at least 500 people. This is where decisions are reached for the good of Mar de Fevereiro. By popular vote. 

They start talking about criminal and what to do with them. 

"THIS IRRESPONSIBLE PIECE OF HUMAN TRASH PICKED A FIGHT AT A BAR AND STABBED SOMEONE ELSE! HE DESERVES TO BE BEAT DOWN PUBLICLY!"

Honestly, what a pointless exercise. This is the fourth criminal today and the fourth time they decide public lynching is the appropriate punishment. And the guy who was stabbed is perfectly healed. 

I'm very glad we weren't caught. Not that that can't change, we're at the very back, but it would be hard for attentive people to find us out.

Come to think of it, this world's coordination effort is so lame, that I think we shouldn't even have bothered with the law, we did something relatively minor and so far away. Such a waste of time. People might not even have seen our portraits.

The one most likely to have had a problem with us would be Sally, and she isn't even allowed here to vote. The smith's guild, Clã dos ferreiros, decided to vote her as persona non grata, since she worked with Don and 'there must have been a good reason why he was banned'. 

Everything really has been pointless. The one person with a good idea for the security of this people's way of life is the one that cannot speak. 

The next item on the agenda is about agriculture and feeding the people. Apparently they still don't have a consensus on what to do, since the CLÃ DOS AGRICULTORES is in unreachable territory — yes, they aren't recognizing it as enemies yet. As the HQ was moved to Fracaleza and never back, everyone interested in agriculture is spawned there. There haven't been many people back from there either. 

At the end of the day, nothing is going to change. Clearly, nobody here is interested in doing it and there is no incentive to do it. Forcing anyone to do anything is unthinkable here, and the idea of a army unit to retrieve Fracaleza is always met with "This shall be discussed later".

Useless, useless, useless. Everything happening here. I tune out. Don't even know why did Joy bring me here. 

We've been holding hands since we got here, and from time to time she'll move her thump on the back of my hand and look at me. She's checking that I'm alright. 

She has become really a bore. Really annoying. I'm Fine.

"In this final matter brought before our august Assembly, namely the proposition for the erection of the so-called Mar de Fevereiro's defense force (MdFDF), I, invested with the office of Speaker yet bound foremost by the obligations of a free citizen, do hold it incumbent upon me to counsel its deferment; for such an institution, being alien to the temper and usages of our community, would inaugurate a precedent perilous to liberty, conferring no true advantage upon our civil estate, but rather tending toward needless tumult and vainglorious excess: wherefore, in conformity with the forms of this body, I now summon forth the representative of the Clã dos Padeiros, who shall deliver his oration in the posture of Against."

Did this guy really expend all of his skill points in law? In this world? Why?

I can feel Joy squeezing my hand. Is she suddenly nervous? 

A short guy, not even in his 20s, gets up on the right quadrant and starts uttering words which can barely be heard from afar. He is invited to the center, where the acoustics can work in his favor.

"Hello assembly. I'm Manuel, the Padeiro. We're talking about the proposal Don, the cheater, has always proposed, so it is exceptionally … weird? … STRANGE, that we are still discussing such outrageous policy. Even more so coming from you, my … someone that I respect a lot? … ESTEEMED fellow citizen Arthur, who put forth and achieved the banishment of the last of his group from our ranks. I do not believe I need to speak much more, since it is clearly an insanely absurd proposal. I recommend and vote against it!" 

Joy's grip was getting tighter and tighter as he went on. But at the end she turned to look into my eyes, kissed my cheek, and jumped into the people ahead of us, sword in hands. Some people started screaming and scrambling around, as she kept moving ahead until she was at the center. 

There were some people too shocked to move, and many that ran around and stopped after realizing she didn't go for any blood.

HUM HUMHUM. 

"So, this is your answer to random acts of cruelty and evil? What if I did attack someone, would that be alright?"

No one in the crowd really understood, but the speaker reluctantly answered

"No defense force will prevent a random act like this."

She points at him and circles around a bit.

"Aha. That is the issue. You're assuming every crime will be a random act that can only be punished afterward. I am, in fact, already a wanted criminal. Your lack of a police force is the only thing that made it possible for me to take a life today. What is more, even if I killed someone, when is it the next assembly? "

"In three days!?"

"I would have three days to run away or to convince enough people to vote me free, even though everybody would've SEEN me murder someone in cold blood!" 

"Why would people vote you free?"

"I could threaten them. I could offer them something."

"This is ridiculous! Anyway, somebody seize her! I can see why you're a criminal, no respect for public order, I think this leaves it pretty clear the kind of people who are FOR this issue."

"Are you implying something about me?! I disprove her methods, but you gotta hand it to the girl." 

His voice boomed through the hall. 

"No, not what I meant, citizen Arthur!"

So this is Arthur, the leader of the smiths. It was a tall guy in his 20s, very large and beautiful muscles, but what snatched my attention was a couple of his subordinates: Are those Tarik and Omar?

"Lister to her words. Look at reality. The fact is, there is an invading force! Imagine what you saw today happening to your family, to your brothers and sisters. From a foreigner! That isn't even from out of town, but a group of people that we KNOW are coming and have NO good intentions! They are coming to take everything you have, take your family and take your LIVES. A defense force is not oppression. A police force is our only tool AGAINST oppression!"

He has people listening. 

"If y'all are alright with trembling in fear on the face of evil, I AM NOT! My GUILD will NOT! In fact, I am already ready to choose my subordinate as the leader of the Defense force, mister Kirat!"

He points to his side and there is no doubt about it, that sly snake, Tarik is feeding him lies. What is he planning? Why does he want a police force? Did Joy just f* up and give him exactly what he wanted?

"If you create the defense force, not only will I seize this criminal right here, right now. I promise I'll bring in the foreign leader before the next assembly! You'll go back to be able to eat Fracaleza's spices, we're going to taste victory and above all else, we'll go back to feeling Safe!"

Joy is tense and confused, Tarik has an eerie grin and the crowd is on his side, chanting for peace.