Certain Risk

Rosamund found a present in his office. Two people, tied up and gagged, unconscious on his carpet while Ekliptik sat on his desk, carefully applying eyeliner. They were deeply focused on observing themself in a small compact mirror, which he realized belonged to Nivelir, and wore one of their new outfits, a nice suit fit for a young lord. Today, their hair was blonde.

"I see you've had a busy morning," he said.
"Mm. Coterie bosses, Edward an' Gunvor, no surnames. I'd wait for longer, but I gotta go. Baroness Mayberry invited me over. She's nice."
"Lovely. And I see Lord Nivelir began to teach you how to apply makeup," he said.
"Yeah. He let me borrow this."
Oh, he did. Right? They didn't steal it. "Good, good. And you used some sleeping drugs on them?"
"Yeah. I've got one lady that does real good poisons, too, yknow."
"When will they awaken?"
"Uhh... an hour, at least."
So he had some time to sort out his thoughts at the start of the day. Lovely.

"Heard you had a fight wi' Nita?"
"Who told you?"
"Uhh... No one. Nita's just been weird last night. An' you look like you di'n't sleep, either. I-if it means anything to you, she didn't ask me to off you, so, y'know, how angry can she be?"
"You seem to assume I was in the wrong."
"Aren't you? You look really sad an' beaten up an' whatnot. Guilty."
"We were both in the wrong," he quietly said. "I will apologize to her... later. I promise."
"Aye? Y'been avoiding her?"
"Your interrogation is as subtle as ever," he replied. "Do me a favour, before you go. Get Serah Sanjar and Zaum over here."
"The two people that tried to kill you, an' two Coterie bosses? Do I need to stay here?"
"No, no. I'll be quite alright. In fact, let me use this time to teach another lesson. What do you do when you have limited time and resources, and two projects you need to oversee at the same time?"
"Uhh..."
"Give the project to the people you need to keep an eye on anyway," he said. "I will be solving two problems at once, hopefully. It depends on them, how they acted in the past, how they choose to act today, and what they will do in the future. Should they create a mess, I'll be washing my hands and sending them to the gallows."
"Right. What's the project, then?"
"You'll see," he said. "Thank you for bringing these people over. I will see to this by myself." He patted them on the shoulder.
"Sanjar and Zaum, then?" they asked.
"Please," he said, taking a seat. They nodded and left.

The unconscious man on his carpet, he noticed with some indignation, was drooling. Both he and his colleague were built like brick houses, but they were still shorter than Adanita. And unconscious, and tied up. It really made them lose any intimidation factor they could otherwise have had on him, and for once, he was grateful. There's no need to meet everyone on equal grounds, after all. Sanjar was becoming quite a useful little weasel, he found them reasonably reliable. Zaum started his classes a bit later, but he was already catching up to everyone. Excelling, even. They were going to be able to keep the situation under control. Lotus was a bad choice considering how terrifying she was, Cinda was a noblewoman so she was not an appropriate choice either. Zaum was simply... the correct option. Hopefully, Ekliptik will make sure he's unarmed during this meeting. If the man tries to stab him twice, there will be consequences.

The pair entered, and Sanjar almost tripped over the woman on the floor. Rosamund simply pointed at the couch, not saying a word, and the two sat down watching him and the victims of kidnapping with silent fascination.

What did they think? That he's patience is limitless? These two sent assassins to his manor, twice. They poisoned Lilac, damn it! This was the least he could do in retaliation, and if they choose to reform themselves, it was going to be the last, too.

To prevent anyone from starting unnecessary conversations, he picked up a blank piece of paper and pretended he was hard at work. He couldn't really focus due to his lack of sleep. He stayed up for long, even keeping his violin nearby, hoping that Adanita would perhaps choose to come and visit him. Perhaps they could speak, he couldn't be found asleep if she decided to come and talk.

But she didn't.

She didn't come to breakfast, either. He had hoped- he woke up early, too-

He needed to stop it. He wanted to speak with her, yes, he wanted to apologize for the horrible things he said and did. The way she simply folded into nothing and disappeared with his words was crushing him. He didn't need to respond like that... In the end, he broke down crying and fell asleep sometime during that. At least he didn't spend the night waiting in vain.

Of course, he could always simply try and visit her. Knock on her door. Ask her how she's doing. Apologize... Ah, but if she was still upset, his presence would only make it worse. Even if he wanted to offer her apologies. Or anything he could give her. He needed to be patient, he needed to wait for her so he doesn't accidentally hurt her further. And after this weight of guilt was lifted, they could find some way to peace once again.

Gods, he was tired...

But his today's workload started stirring on the floor. Even the drugs that kept them properly groggy and weak couldn't suppress the panic of the two criminals. He folded the paper away and hid it in a drawer. His distressed scribbles were nobody's business but his own.

"Good morning," he greeted them. "I was told I have the honor to meet the leaders of the Coterie. Are you them?"

The two people seemed to realize where they were, or at least it dawned to them that this wasn't a good situation. Waking up tied up in someone's office does that to someone. The man started trying to free himself, mumbling what he recognized as some extremely interesting curses, while the woman began crawling for the door.

"Ah, good thinking. I don't think you've locked the door after entering, mister Zaum. Please do it now and bring the key here to me."

The last light of hope in their eyes died as Zaum stepped over them to lock them in here. With the key safely on the top of his table, Rosamund stared down the two criminals. He wondered if this was the way they dealt with their enemies. He wondered if he would've waken up in a similar way, if they were hired to kidnap him, or kill him in a different way. He wondered how it felt to be on the receiving end of it now. Ekliptik was beautifully efficient sometimes. Sometimes intimidation is the key, and today he felt like being the Lord Governor. The one Sarmia wanted to see.

"Which one of you is the leader?" he asked.
The two gestured at each other. Rosamund's lip twitched. "Mister Zaum, please remove their gags. This gentleman and I have some things to discuss, but I wouldn't want his second in command to feel left out. Do you know who I am?"

Silence.

"Really, now. You sent assassins to kill me twice. I am offended you didn't even ask for my description. I am your new governor. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Wha' do y' want?"
"For you to pay for your crimes. I have a list here," he said, picking up a file. "Accused of assault, murder, extortion, running several illegal businesses including offering assassination services, multiple robberies, multiple kidnappings, suspected of multiple burglaries, five cases of highway robberies, and one case of arson. Quite a repertoire you have here. What I decide to do will depend on how strict you would say your grip is over your people. Did you order all of these, or do you have some remarkably hard-working genius minds deciding to go out and harm my citizens?"
"We di'n't! We've got groups that do whatever they wanna. If they give us a cut at the end of the month, we don't care what it is," the woman spoke up. "But we di'n't order everythin'." Aha, so a classic distribution of power. It was the little satellites that were doing the visible damage to his population, while the people at the core took only from other criminals. It made arresting them that much harder, not that he was currently attempting to uphold the law. "But it's not all!" she continued arguing. "We give t' th' people, too! Just ask granny Ardue, or th' Jacksons an' their kid. Or- or Robar, or-"
"Enough," he said. "Do you think I am unaware that giving people money and assistance prevents everyone from turning against you? Are you honestly going to tell me that you did it out of the goodness of your hearts, and not trying to look out for yourselves by buying a better public opinion among the poor? Or are you trying to appeal to my reputation as an overly merciful coward? Do you find me a fool, Miss Gunvor?"

Silence.

"And there is the issue of sending assassins after me, too. I would like to let you know that, no matter how this discussion ends, those two will remain in their cells, cooling their heads until I am satisfied. Depending on their behavior afterwards, I will see what to do with them."
"So... what d'ya want with us?" Edward asked.
"I am becoming aware of my predecessor's incompetence at quite a rapid speed," he said. It seemed that the man's only accomplishment was cutting a deal with Adanita not to attack the city. Many other issues were left to fester, or left to the nobility. "I am aware of reasons why people turn to crime, which is why I chose to offer quite a few people some leniency while I work to correct the ongoing injustices. In spite of your vile actions, I've chosen to offer you another option. Should you agree to fully give up on your criminal activities, I may have something for you to do. If you happen to fail at it, there will be consequences. If you choose to return to crime, however, those consequences will be grave. And I hope my demonstration today shows the strength of my hand. I wouldn't want to have to ask my people to bring you here in this manner twice. Whether you walk or are dragged into my office depends on you."

"Aight," he said, sitting up as much as he could. "What is it?"

"Serah Sanjar," Rosamund called. "What do you know of risk mitigation?"
"U-uh, my lord. I'm n-not sure what you mean," they said.
"Allow me to explain with an example. If you have many valuable items you need to transfer, but it is the hurricane season, is it wise to put them all on one ship and set sail?"
"No," Zaum spoke up. "You put 'em on several."
"Very good," he said, turning to him. "You'd expect one ship could reasonably sink if it enters a bad storm, but if there are multiple, setting sails at different times, then some will surely make it to their destination. Now, let's say you own a house. The storm blows your roof off, and now you need to repair it. If it is the hurricane season, could you have foreseen this happening?"
"Uh... aye. You could've."
"Could you have prevented it?"
"If your house was built better, I guess," Zaum said.

Rosamund nodded. Zaum was following. The two criminals, too, although they were clearly confused. "And let's say the repairs will now cost you ten pieces of gold. You are struggling to get that much money, so you will either loan it, or do a shoddy job repairing you roof. Then next time the storm comes, even if it is a weaker one..."
"...your roof will get blown off. Aye."
"So the poorer man would constantly need to fix his damaged roof, while someone with enough money will be able to fix it and improve it to the point he would need less repairs, and spend less money."
"Aye."
"Now, imagine if there was a company that would give you the money to fix your damages instead. You would send this company a little bit of money on a, let's say, yearly or a monthly basis. The money would go to its vault, and it would work similarly as a bet. You think your roof will get destroyed. The company thinks your roof will not take any damages. If you win, you've only sent the company a fraction of the money for the roof, and it didn't get any damages at all. If you lose, the company needs to fix the roof for you."
"What if I destroy my own-"
"Fraud. That would be fraud."
"Ah. Aight."

The four people were in deep thought over this idea.

"How's that risk mitigation?!" Gunvor shouted, finally getting it. "If y' only pay a bit, how's th' company gonna have th' money?!"
"From other people paying it. The company with enough customers is also making a bet that not all customers will need to completely build up their houses from ground up at the same time. Of course, if someone has more expensive items or houses insured, you will charge them a higher fee than you would a simple worker with a small home."
"What if a really bad storm hits?" Edward asked.
"And levels the city? I believe we would have much more pressing matters to handle in such a situation." And thanks to Adanita's notes of future events, at least he knew that in the next three years the storms won't be more destructive than usual. That should be enough time to set up a crude, but decently stable system. "If it really worries you, it is within the colony's budget to set some money aside in case the company is overcharged. The company will also be allowed to invest in projects or bonds it deems worthy, to earn more money and insure it can cover the costs of the claims. This system would be put in place to make it easier to carry out repairs and protect the citizens from acts of gods. Or acts of malice- if somebody else burns your house down, the company will have to pay it out. Serah Sanjar, these are for you," he said, handing them over a file overflowing with papers. They took it and started to frantically flip through the outlines for new laws regarding the company. Their hands trembled more with every passing page.

Zaum was, meanwhile, deep in thought. "What if people decide not to pay?"
"They cannot be forced, that would be extortion and I would arrest everyone involved in such practices. If both parties sign a contract, then the contract must be respected. The person must pay, otherwise the company won't give them money if something happens. If they decide that the risk of having to pay the full price of the roof is cheaper than paying little every year, that is their decision. If they choose the company, they will mitigate the risk to the company who will pay for damages that happen. If not, the risk of damage stays on them and then they will need to fix their property themselves. There are also times when something will definitely happen. Let's call those certain risks. A company won't need to sign a contract for anything they deem too risky."
"What else could be, uh..."
"Insured," Rosamund said. "The word is insurance. You can choose to offer contracts for healthcare, so if they get sick you pay their visit to the doctor. You can insure for robbery, fire, earthquakes, storms... you can insure ships and pay out the ship owners if the vessel or the cargo get damaged. I will even allow you to offer security of your own. If somebody is concerned for their safety, your more adventurous men can be hired as bodyguards and mercenaries."
"Are y' insane?" Edward asked with such a genuine voice that Rosamund's lip twitched again.

He turned to him with a completely neutral expression, staring him down. What a rude thing to ask while being kidnapped.

"Yes," he said.

Silence.

"Now that that is cleared up," he continued, "The two of you will turn the Coterie into an insurance and security company-"
"If I say no-" Gunvor started.
"-you go to a trial. And trust me, I am very good at gathering evidence," Rosamund cut her off. "If you prefer the gallows, go ahead."

He gave her a moment to think on it before continuing again. "Lord Secretary has a lot of highly competent scribes and accountants. A few have been selected to assist with the process, and I expect your men to begin attending school. Serah Sanjar will be the legal advisor in this endeavor, and Mister Zaum will be my own insurance. As someone who once served as Captain Lotus' First Officer, I assume you are capable of dealing with a rowdy crew."
"Uh, aye...?"
"You have also showed a sharp intellect and, hm, integrity considering the motives you had when you attempted to murder me. I believe that if I ask you to keep an eye on the situation, make sure the accountants and Serah Sanjar are safe and not being pulled into committing crimes... You will be more than capable of such a task."
"So... an overseer. That's what you want of me."
"Yes."
"And if they start with extortion an' whatnot?"
"All you need to do is to report it to me and I will handle the investigation and the arrests. If you hide it, or decide to join in, I am afraid you will also be put on the same trial with them."
"Huh. Aye, aight. I'm in."
"Very good. Serah Sanjar is my employee, so they don't have a choice. What will the Coterie choose?"

"This is madness..." Edward said.
"Beats th' gallows. I'm in. If the company goes t' hell, it's not our fault," Gunvor said.
"There are many ways it could become your fault," he let her know. "If you commit crimes while running it, steal the company's money, or intentionally cause it to fail in some other ways, there will be consequences. From today at noon, any crimes the Coterie members commit will cause their immediate arrests and trials. Is that understood?"
"...yeah," she said.
"Very good. Mister Edward, you better run to your men and warn them to cease with their current activities before the clock strikes noon. Miss Gunvor, please proceed to Lord Secretary and his men along with Serah Sanjar and Mister Zaum. Explain the situation to him in full so that he can manage the rest appropriately. We weren't sure what you would choose, after all."
"Y' may as well release us, then!" Edward shouted.
"Of course," Zaum replied with a wide smile. "Allow me."

HE HAD A DAGGER. HE HAD A DAGGER THIS WHOLE DAMN- oh gods he had a dagger. Rosamund kept his face perfectly neutral while Zaum cut the squirming criminals free. At least this one didn't try to find its way to his neck. This was fine. The maniac could be trusted, hooray! He put the key into shivering hands of Sanjar, whose glasses were now foggy from the stress they were in. Hopefully their breathing would calm down before they collapse.

What a crew.

At least this whole ordeal helped him get his mind off of the fight...