A Forlorn Fortnight 【Complete】

[Roen]

Roen parted her lips to say something, then stopped. She just stared at Daegsatz for a long moment, incredulous.

 

“For my own sake…?” she finally managed, clearly affronted.

 

It was obvious. She did not understand the smuggler, at all. Or at least...

 

There were so many sides to Nero that as he switched to whatever persona would dictate their interactions, it just left her in a dizzying spin. But if what Daegsatz’s had surmised was true, there was a part of Nero that actually cared about her welfare, not to mention her virtues--the very thing the smuggler had ridiculed and dismissed as impractical since the moment they had first met.

 

Roen found that hard to believe. And yet…

 

"...You can prove me wrong. Change Ul'dah from within. Change Ul'dah with the law on your side. Rub my face in the fact that I had drowned myself in darkness for no reason."

 

Perhaps…there was some truth to the Sea Wolf’s insight. Perhaps Nero was just pushing her away.

 

Roen found it infuriating, truth be told. “Does he expect to do all he hopes to do all by himself?” She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “And I do not need saving. If he thinks me a helpless girl who cannot decide her own fate, well, he is grievously mistaken. I need not his misplaced chivalry.”

 

Even though indignation fueled her sentiments, the paladin felt the shadows of uncertainty starting to diminish within her. She would not yet again let someone else dictate her path--especially not some arrogant pirate who thought he knew what was best for her!

[Nero]

Daegsatz rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. That seemed to set her off. He waved his hands in her direction as if to ward off the flames of Roen's ire.

 

"Now, now, lass, it just be a possibility...even I not be knowin' everythin' that be passin' through the daft lad's 'ead." With some confusion, the Sea Wolf folded his arms, tilting his head in curiosity. "It not be a bad thing for 'im ta care 'bout yer wellbeing, is it? If'n what ye be sayin' is true--that 'e be breakin' from ye 'cause o' yer ideals--mayhaps this be ....good?" Such moral quandaries were far above the simple sailor's head, even as he clumsily tried to navigate his way to the right words that would soothe the paladin's wounded pride.

 

"'Sides, whatever 'e be doin' 'e's not doin' alone. Nero's got the Forte, an' th' crew. Well, s'pose I not be doin' much from in 'ere..." Daegsatz gave a scornful gaze to the all-too-familiar gaol. "But still."

[Roen]

“I…suppose…” Roen admitted reluctantly, still hesitant to fully relinquish her annoyance. “Caring about my well-being is…not a bad thing. If that is what this is! And if it is, he is going about it the most aggravating way possible!”

 

It took two more huffed breaths before she realized she was just letting all her frustrations out on poor Daegsatz. His awkward expressions made it clearly plain that this discussion had made him most uncomfortable. Roen let out a long exhale, her anger beginning to deflate.

 

“Perhap,” the paladin said with a defeated shake of her head. “Perhaps it is for the best. As you said, he is not alone. He has the entire crew.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if in protest. “Although even you did not really know what his plans were for that raid.”

 

Roen snorted and crossed her arms. “He might be protecting the crew as well, to a degree.” The thought that Nero considered himself capable of orchestrating everything without trusting in anyone fully...his arrogance piqued her irritation once more. But she forcibly pushed her resentment aside. He's not even here before me. She would punish the Sea Wolf with it no longer.

[Nero]

Daegsatz merely shrugged. His discomfort stemmed more from simply not knowing how to calm her down, as opposed to being the target of her venting. He grinned suddenly; typically, flustering people was Nero's job, but the smuggler's influence occasionally made its presence known.

 

"And why ye be so concerned with 'is 'ealth?" the Roegadyn questioned curiously. "Ye said ye not be thinkin' 'e can accomplish 'is goals 'imself. Ye be worried, or perhaps ye simply be wantin' ta be at 'is side?" Before he could even let her respond, Daegsatz let out a guffaw of laughter at the idea, patting her shoulder. "Ye need not be worryin' so much, lass. 'Bout 'im or yer partnership. What should be matterin' is yerself, and 'ow ye be doin' yer own goals, aye? No need ta draw 'im into it if he be aggravatin' ye so."

[Roen]

Roen wrinkled her nose.

 

Suddenly Daegsatz was starting to remind her a little too much of his captain. Roen cleared her throat, rising from her seat. The paladin dusted herself off and began to hastily empty out the contents of the basket onto the cot.

 

She was not concerned about Nero’s health or welfare. Not anymore. Or at least..she should not be. Roen told herself this as she set the wrapped fish and waterskin aside. Wanting to be by his side. Hah! His ever-grating presence…who would want that?

 

It was absurd. So then…

 

Why was she so disappointed?

 

“You are right, of course.” Roen agreed readily with the Sea Wolf, pushing her doubts aside. “I will do just that. Concentrate on my own objectives.” She nodded firmly and rose, empty basket in hand. She made her way quickly to the barred door; a part of her did not want Daegsatz to see the conflict on her face, or notice the regret in her tone.

 

“I will figure things out,” Roen said out loud, as much for the Sea Wolf’s ears as her own. She signalled for the jailor.

[Nero]

Day 10

 

The days were beginning to mutate into a mucilaginous mass of maddeningly mundane monotony.

 

Once again, the Roegadyn had been reduced to counting cracks on the ceiling and exercising however he could in the cramped confines of the gaol. Ten suns; nearly a fortnight. It felt much, much longer than that. It was an odd thing to contemplate; Daegsatz had no problem with spending entire moons out at sea, yet it went without saying that being on a ship was far superior to being locked in a cell. At least there was the sun, the sea, and wind. The air had begun to stagnate and every day spent within the gaol lead the air to become even stuffier.

 

Though the Sea Wolf had not deigned to show it, he was growing more desperate to escape and leave. After barely ten suns, Daegsatz felt he was beginning to reach his wit's end with the gaol. What was especially curious was that no one had come to question him; no interrogations, no promises for freedom, nothing of the sort.

 

If that were the case, why was he still in here?

[Roen]

Roen knew that look all too well.

 

The restlessness that seemed to both sap one’s strength and yet make them unable to sleep away the endless bells, the dulling of the senses, and the glazed look that settled over the eyes…she recognized it easily enough on the Sea Wolf. She had spent nearly a moon in the goals herself not too long ago, and even now she sometimes felt the suffocating effects of the thick stone walls and the static air.

 

The paladin did not have the heart to tell Daegsatz that Ser Jenlyns Straightblade had not agreed to set him free. In their short meeting, the Captain of the Sultansworns had listened carefully as she pleaded the First Mate’s case. But as he added his own thoughts on the matter, it was obvious that Ser Jenlyns already knew of the Sea Wolf, either through Ser Crofte’s report or a personal account from Jameson Taeros. While he did not side with the Monestarist, the Captain effectively washed his hands of the case, and told Roen to have Ser Crofte reassess the need for imprisonment.

 

This latter recommendation did give Roen some hope, that perhaps Coatleque would be easier to convince that Daegsatz did not belong in the gaols--especially when she saw it fit to let his pirate captain walk free.

 

But Roen would not speak of it to the Sea Wolf, at least until she had some specific news to share. Instead she withdrew a glass vase from the basket, one that held a small bouquet of chamomile and lavender. She set them onto the stony floor next to the pile of parchments, taking a seat herself.

 

“Lavender always reminded me of home,” Roen offered with a small smile. “And chamomile grows in Vylbrand?” It was her silent hope that the flower’s scent would soothe his nerves somewhat. She took up the sketchings, this time letting her eyes roam over them one by one, pausing to admire the details in them.

 

“Are these of your home as well? Can you tell me about them?” she prodded quietly, her tone coaxing and unassuming.

[Nero]

Daegsatz strained to lift his head up. The scent of the flowers only served to deepen his restlessness, but he knew that Roen had brought it out of kindness, and so he held his tongue. He sniffed slightly.

 

"Aye," he drawled in a tired, almost monotone voice. "We be callin' it mayweed. It be 'avin' pos'tive effects on 'ealth. Th' brewed tea be assistin' wit' sleeplessness an' hangovers, though I not be an alchemist on th' subject." Some inspiration flashed in his mind as idle thoughts occupied it; Daegsatz sat up, locating the quill and ink.

 

"Beggin' yer pardon, lass, but if ye can be doin' me a favour and sittin' on the cot fer me," Daegsatz said as he flipped through the stack of parchments. He found a blank one, reserved for this purpose. "If it pleases ye, I'd like ta draw ye."

[Roen]

Whatever words of modesty or refusal Roen may have had, she dismissed it when she noted the Sea Wolf’s lethargy. His movements were weighed, and his speech dulled. Her sense of sympathy chased away any reticence, for the idea seemed to ignite a flash of motivation in the Roegadyn.

 

Roen picked herself up and settled to a seat on the cot next to him. The paladin tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, suddenly wondering what to do with her hands. She set them onto her lap, then adjusted them twice awkwardly.

 

“I never had someone draw me before,” she chuckled nervously and fidgeted. “Do you just want me to sit here?”

[Nero]

Daegsatz' face spread into a wide grin. He had never had much experience drawing humanoid subjects; it was far too embarrassing for the fearsome Roegadyn pirate to ask someone to sit as a model. Yet now, with the gaol surrounding him, his inhibitions had lowered considerably, and this would prove to be an interesting diversion.

 

"Sittin' be just fine," he said, chuckling. With an artist's eye, he examined Roen's posture. "Now...keep yer hands like this." Gently Daegsatz manipulated the paladin's slim hands so that her right wrist lay atop her left. "Now curl yer fingers slightly. As fer yer head.." the Sea Wolf stepped back, attempting to visualize a perspective. The cramped confines of the gaol did little to assist in his assessment, but after a few minutes he managed to determine a suitable position.

 

With both hands he deftly tilted Roen's head this way and that, deciding that she should face the corner, her chin tilted upward slightly.

 

Satisfied, Daegsatz sat down on the floor of the gaol. "Alright. Now hold that fer jus' a few minutes," he said as he immediately began to scratch on the parchment with the quill.

 

Aware that it would be uncomfortable to hold such a pose, the Roegadyn tried his best to work quickly; the quill seemed to fly across the parchment. The image came together as if Roen had been his model for entire cycles; a graceful chin, slender arms, a regal posture that was simultaneously rigid and supple. Daegsatz found himself lost in his work; the image of Roen he had been scrawling wasn't the paladin sitting on a cot in a gaol, but of her sitting on a log on a La Noscean beach, a glimmering sun depicted in the sky, with gentle, minutely detailed waves lapping against the bottom of the log. Her expression personified the image; gentle and fair, with a spot of kindness.

 

In his reverie, the Sea Wolf let out a long exhale when he judged the work to be done. He spun the parchment around slowly so as not to whip the ink off of it, glancing at the paladin for her approval. "What ye be thinkin'?"

[Roen]

Roen held the pose as best she could for what felt like hours. It was not the stillness that bothered her, the meditation training with Gharen had taught her to let her thoughts drift and her muscles unwind.

 

It was the fact that someone was actively studying her features that made her squirm. But all her discomfort melted away when Daegsatz held up the finished picture for her inspection. It took her breath away.

 

The paladin shook her head with a grateful smile. “It is...wonderful,” she said in awe. Disbelief shadowed her expression as she shook her head slightly. Her eyes roamed about the face, the posture, and the scenery depicted within the sketch. While she did not say it out loud, Roen did not see herself in the woman he drew, but she want to be her. She was beautiful, with an air of grace about her and a sense of peace.

 

“I will have to find that log,” Roen said longingly, imagining herself in such a serene moment. She gave Daegsatz a bright smile. “Or you can point out to me your favorite spots someday.”

[Nero]

Daegsatz shrugged in some embarrassment. "Admittedly, I not be on shore long enough fer me ta know any such spots," he confessed. "Seemed hardly fittin' ta draw ye on a ship, though." The Roegadyn exhaled lightly so as to quicken the drying of the ink as it soaked through the parchment; when it seemed to settle, he held the image up to the paladin.

 

"It'd be doin' me honor if ye kept it fer me," he said. "Though, ye be bearin' in mind that not ev'ry Sea Wolf ye throw in 'ere is gonna make somethin' like this fer ye." Daegsatz' face split into a grin with his small joke.

[Roen]

Roen took the portrait with care in both hands. She took another moment to admire it, before mirroring Daegsatz’ grin with one of her own.

 

“Nay, I think you are...not like any other I have met,” she said quietly as she regarded him with fondness. Her gaze drifted to the picture again in her lap. “And gratitude, for not drawing me on a ship. I do have some trouble with seasickness. And...lately I have not fared very well on boats.” She winced, but shook her head to dismiss those thoughts quickly.

 

The paladin inhaled deeply as if to imagine herself on the beach. “But the view of the ocean and the sound of the waves...there is nothing else like it,” she said dreamily. “You honor me with this gift. I shall treasure it always.”

[Nero]

Daegsatz nodded, rather proud of his work. He typically did not draw people; animals or landscapes suited him, but he found that it was satisfying to receive such gratitude for his work. "If'n I ever get bored o' plunderin', mayhaps I'll be come an artist," he said, the grin on his face saying that it was very unlikely to happen.

 

"I 'preciate th' company ye be providin' me, lass," the Roegadyn gave the heartfelt statement. "I be hopin' every sun that it be th' last we be forced ta meet in a gaol."

[Roen]

Roen sighed, a look of consternation quickly chasing away her enthusiasm. “I hope so too. My meeting with the Captain of the Sultansworns now leads me to seek out a good friend, Ser Crofte. She is honorable. I think if I can convince her that you do not belong here, she can get you released from the gaols.”

 

She paused a moment, before laying one hand on Daegsatz’s shoulder--a gesture he has afforded her a few times to comfort her. The paladin gave him a reassuring smile and a nod. “Perhaps I should go find her, hm? Rather than admiring all of your fine works.”

 

Roen rose from her seat, handling the sketch in her hand with care as if it was a prized, delicate thing. She paused by the door after she signalled the jailor, glancing back to the Sea Wolf.

 

“Perhaps when you return to the Second Forte, you can draw one of your captain as well?” she said absently, her thought finally returning to the smuggler. It had been refreshing to visit Daegsatz without a thought given to that tumultuous relationship. But Roen reminded herself that she still had to find him as well.

 

Ser Crofte first, to set his First Mate free. Then Nero, to set my own mind at ease.

[Nero]

Day 11

 

Were Daegsatz a writer, it would be around this time that he would realise constantly writing someone waking up in a gaol and having nothing to do was starting to get rather tedious. The monotony of waiting for the bells to pass had reduced any semblance of thought into mush the idly echoed around his mind. Sometimes he would revert to counting cracks on the ceiling, other times he would reminisce. The thought crossed his mind to attempt the sick man routine and try to escape, if only to liven up the days a bit.

[Roen]

It was twilight before Roen finally returned to the gaols.

 

The day had been spent in one futile search after another. Nero was nowhere to be found; he was not at his usual safehouse nor at any of the ports she had known him to use. Her search of him had been half-hearted however, she still was not sure what she wanted to say to the man.

 

Ser Crofte, on the other hand, was indisposed. Roen found her at Coffer & Coffin surrounded by friends: a Miqo’te woman named Leanne, Anelia, Franz, and Verad. The paladin’s relief at finding the Sultansworn was short-lived however, when she found Coatleque roaringly drunk. Her usual refined speech had given way to a harsh Highlander accent and she was rambling on about love and loss. Something had happened between her and Ser Castille, but Roen did not prod the woman in her inebriated state to find out what. But it was clear that she was in no condition to consider releasing a prisoner from the gaols.

 

So left to her own devices without an immediate method to get Daegsatz released, Roen contemplated on other ways to at least give him some brief respite from the suffocating cell. She would tell absolutely no one that she actually visited a brothel and considered inquiring about a Sea Wolf matching Daegsatz’ complexion and hair. It had worked for Natalie when she smuggled Roen out of her cell for a bell, to share a luncheon in the open expanse of the airship lounge. Perhaps Roen did not have Natalie’s gall or overconfidence (or maybe insanity) to think that such a switch could work; she changed her mind before she would even knock on the door of the bordello. Then when she recalled the Roegadyn’s mention of a conjugal visit, Roen did an about face and walked away quickly, her cheeks flushed.

 

By the time she entered Daegsatz’s cell, the paladin had brought the only thing she could think of. If it worked for Coatleque, why not for the Daegsatz? She held up a bottle in her hand. “Something different for you today. Mistress Momodi recommended this when I asked her for the strongest drink possible. She said this would even would put a Sea Wolf like you under the table before the bottle is done.”

[Nero]

Daegsatz eyed the bottle curiously, taking it and nodding at her as he sat on the cot. He placed the bottle gently under the cot, not even deigning to take a swig of it. "Thank ye, lass, though if what ye be sayin' be true, I think I be savin' it fer me release," he said, grinning weakly. "Strong drink be reserved fer celebrations. Mayhaps ye be joinin' me fer this drink on that day?" Daegsatz leaned forward in the cot, folding his fingers together, his face furrowed in quiet contemplation.

 

"Lass, ye be sayin' earlier...that ye be wantin' ta change Ul'dah," Daegsatz said, an unusually intellectual look on his face. "After bein' in th' gaol for nearly a fortnight...it be givin' a man time ta think." Daegsatz glanced at her. "This goal ye be workin' towards. Tell me 'bout it."

[Roen]

Roen raised both her eyebrows, a sober countenance rising to the fore in the face of the Sea Wolf’s thoughtful and inquisitive mien.

 

She sat down next to him on the cot, her eyes going to the iron bars in front of them. “Ul’dah is a magnificent city. It is called the Jewel of the Desert for a reason. Wealth and gil flow here, like rivers through the plains of La Noscea. But too many are kept from the water. They are not allowed to drink from it, for fear that there is not enough for everyone.”

 

The paladin gave Daegsatz a sorrowful glance. “Surely you must have heard of the tales of woe that afflict Ul’dah--the overflowing wealth of the Syndicate still rejecting the crush of refugees that flock to the Jewel. All the citizens know of it, but no one speaks of it. And too many accept it as what must be. I have even heard it compared to the Nald’thal’s scale. The suffering balanced against prosperity.”

 

Roen shook her head. “To change such a thing... it would be a monumental endeavor. I am still not sure how it can be done. My hope is to change people’s perception of it somehow, to start--to show them that they should hold the Syndicate accountable for their greed, and for the disregard of the people that they take from.”

 

“Perhaps if we can first banish indifference, apathy and greed will follow. And compassion may take their place.”

[Nero]

Daegsatz rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I be naught but a simple pirate, lass," he confessed as he scratched his ash-coloured beard. "I admit, th' politics an' moral quandaries be above me. But I be tellin' ye what I see when I be lookin' at you, an' that be someone who wants ta see somethin' be better fer people." The Sea Wolf frowned, his thoughts spilling out of his mouth without a hint of restraint, as the blunt pirate was wont to do.

 

"Far be it from me ta try an' be th' cynic in all this, but what ye be proposin'...ye be tryin'a change th' nature o' th' mortal soul." It was rare for Daegsatz to take on such expressions of eloquence. At first glance--and second, and third, and fourth, and so on--the Roegadyn was the definition of simple. Where most people made the mistake, however, was believing that simple meant stupid.

 

"Ye be tryin'a change th' presence o' greed, yet greed be tied in wit' self-preservation," Daegsatz reasoned. "It not be inherently wrong fer self-interest to exist, though..." he passed a half-hearted grin towards the paladin sitting next to him. "I s'pose my opinion be biased. Pirate an' all." The Sea Wolf folded his fingers together. "Vail be fond o' askin' people questions. 'e used ta be sayin' that th' truly right questions be those where there be no wrong answer, 'cause those answers be providin' insight ta whoever ye be askin' th' question to." Daegsatz exhaled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, 'e be sayin' it far more eloquently than me. Point is, lass, one o' this questions be this: what do ye believe be capable o' alterin' th' nature o' a mortal soul?"

[Roen]

Roen canted her head, regarding the Sea Wolf contemplatively.

 

“To want to survive, thrive, and succeed...these are not what I am trying to change.” The paladin shook her head. “They are not all that dictate the nature of a mortal soul. I also believe that when we are born, there is an inherent need for us to love, and to be loved. That we are born with compassion, so that we can care for others, and we seek the same in return.”

 

Her voice was quiet and reflective, her thoughts elsewhere as she recalled memories of people she had known, children and adults alike, both in Eorzea and Garlemald. She had seen many at their worst, but she had also quietly watched mothers and fathers doting over their children as they played, laughter wafting through the air. Such memories always brought about a wistful smile to her.

 

“I think it is easy to push aside such concerns when we are buried by our own needs, pulled in too many directions by selfish desires and distractions. That we fail to see our neighbor who has taken ill or a stranger who has fallen nearby. Why take notice when we are too busy keeping ourselves warm and fed?” Roen bowed her head and gave a long exhale. “That is when someone needs to show them that it does not take but a moment to stop and do something, perhaps just extending a hand or a kind word...sometimes that is all it takes to make a difference in other people’s lives.”

 

The paladin looked back to the Sea Wolf, who watched her intently as she deliberated. “There are those who do this already everyday. The Immortal Flames tirelessly serve the people. The Sisters of the Church are kind and selfless. I just feel that we can do more, if we are can just open people’s eyes.”

[Nero]

"Ye not be tryin'a change th' city, then, lass," Daegsatz said thoughtfully. "A city be naught but a system o' buildings. It can be destroyed, or conquer'd. Now, if'n ye be tryin'a get in wit' politics," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I not be any 'elp there. What ye be tryin'a do be more...insubstantial." The Roegadyn frowned and pursed his lips as he reconsidered his diction. "Nay, that not be th' right word...not physical, is what I be tryin'a say."

 

"That said, lass, if'n ye be askin' me, th' first step ta changin' people be changin' th' culture." He patted her on the shoulder. "In th' end, we all be pack animals o' some sort or anoth'r. When we be seein' our peers follow an icon, it be an urge within us ta follow that icon. So paint th' art. Sing th' music. Write th' stories. Surround th' people wit' evidence that they can improve."

 

"If ye be 'avin' the power ta change a culture, well, there be little stoppin' ye from changin' the world if ye choose."

[Roen]

Roen found herself nodding eagerly. “Aye! I think people just need to see that things can improve!”

 

The paladin tapped her cheek in thought. “Ul’dah is where I see the indifference take hold of the populus like an epidemic. But if the culture can be changed here...it can be changed anywhere, I suppose.” She snorted and shook her head with a rueful chuckle. “But one city-state at a time."

 

"I am no bard, I cannot write songs or stories. But I can bring injustice to light. Show people that corruption is wrong. That it should have no place in Ul'dah, that there are people who will fight against it. Perhaps, if enough citizens see it, they too will no longer accept it as a norm." Roen drew herself up, sitting up taller than before. "It sounds like an impossible dream. But...it does not mean we cannot try, no?"

[Nero]

Daegsatz frowned in disapproval. "Ye be punishin' crime an' corruption, but removin' evil not be th' same as creatin' good," he said. "Ye be hangin' a metaphorical blade 'bove th' people's necks, threatenin' the lifestyle o' th' majority because ye disagree with it. From what I know, this city be th' sort o' place where th' rules exist to be broken, aye?" The Roegadyn clasped his hands together in thought.

 

"Ye be bringin' yer brand o' justice ta those who be doin' wrong, but what motivation ye be offerin' fer people to follow yer path?" Daegsatz asked frankly. "As it is, what ye be holdin' in yer hands is naught but a sword: ye be holdin' on ta th' deterrent. To many o' these people, ye be seen as naught but another oppressor, attemptin' ta force yer ways on those who don't want it, even if'n those ways be just an' good in yer eyes."

 

"Why do people be driven ta crime, lass? Because that way be th' most effective an' safe way fer them ta secure a livin'. Ye be takin' Limsa Lominsa as an example. We be 'avin' our own share o' problems, sure, but th' city be sidin' with the Maelstrom, not 'cause th' Maelstrom be tyrannical, but 'cause it be seen as more profitable by th' majority ta side with the rule o' law." Daegsatz snorted. "Ye be damn'd sure that if th' course o' the Maelstrom cease bein' worth it, th' free pirates be takin' control and everyone be jumpin' that ship like rats, and from what ye be tellin' me, 'ere in Ul'dah," He gestured to the gaol. "That concept o' findin' profitability wit' honesty not be th' case. Fer a city that be extollin' the virtues o' coin 'bove all else, what ye be offerin' them ta convince them ta change course?"

 

He patted her shoulder again. "Th' key ta changin' 'ow people act, is ta arrange things such that their self-interest be causin' 'em ta act in yer favour."

[Roen]

Roen sighed loudly as she cupped her chin with her hands and leaned forward. She gave Daegsatz a helpless look and a shrug.

 

“Somehow make the rich think it is in their best interests to spend their wealth helping to banish poverty.” Roen frowned at the premise. It seemed an impossible goal at first. “But if we can find a way to put the people to work through some enterprise which could also profit those who would sponsor it…” she pondered out loud, then groaned. “I know very little about business or any of these sorts of ventures.”

 

The paladin drummed her fingers against her cheeks, looking stumped. She had never thought this way before. But what Daegsatz had pointed out made sense. It surprised her, the understanding the Sea Wolf had of human nature, and the way society behaved. He was right. She did not want people to change because they feared the law or repercussions. Roen wanted the city to reform the way things worked because the people themselves saw that it could work for the better. The trouble was that those who were comfortable did not want to recognize that there was a problem, and those who were suffering, they could very well stand and shout that they were being repressed, but no one would hear them.

 

Roen reflected in silence for a moment longer before she gave Daegsatz a sidelong glance. “Well, you have insights I had never considered before. Do you have any ideas?”