A Privleged Audience

[Lent]

McCoy

While Arthur McCoy is a well off, powerful man, he had never much felt the need to get into Myrken politics. The problem, of course, is that he was not part of the old guard, the landed nobility. He is self-made, and being a man of pride he never stooped to buying a title. No, he had not even intended to marry his son off to some poor noble family in exchange for one.

Instead, he had married his son to Public Service, to the Constabulary, and that got the boy killed at the hands of the bastard Karolinger. They say his son struck first, but to strike against the Ex-Marshall for no reason? No, that was not his boy. He must have had damn good reason.

And Mr. McCoy had damn good reason to be here today out side of Cinnabar Calomel's office. Damn good reason to sit down in front of the man, to exchange the brief pleasantries, and then to put those chubby hands down upon the table. "Governor, the reason I am here, is that I wish to start a new business endevour. Farming. In fact, I was hoping to put some poorly used farms back into service." Oh? Didn't Calomel know? Mr. McCoy had seen a play or two in his life as well.

[Cinnabar]

The Governor is, as ever, polite and well-spoken. He's also been considering what to do with these properties, expropriated from the Monastery of St Thecla, and most of which have lain abandoned and untended for two years.

"It's interesting that you should mention that, sir, as the Government has a number of such holdings that are in need of being returned to active use, and a shrewd investor such as yourself would likely be quite interested in the opportunity this presents." His own fingers lace together on the desk in front of him as he sits there, neatly-dressed and well-scrubbed, every inch the confident, competent government official.

"What I had in mind, sir, was some sort of lease arrangement, whereby the Government would provide the land to a group of suitable tenants, who would then be expected to pay rent in the form of a proportion of the foodstuffs they produce. These foodstuffs would then be transferred to Government stockpiles to guard against potential food shortages." A fairly straightforward tenant farming arrangement, from all appearances.

"Specifically, we'd be interested in someone who would be able to provide the initial capital to restore these farms to working order. The buildings were stripped quite bare by their previous occupants and the ensuing two years of neglect have not been kind, so there will likely be some work required there; likewise the fields haven't been tended for two harvests, and will take some effort to become plantable again; also, tools, equipment, livestock and seedstock will be needed to get things running." Not an inconsequential outlay, considering the number of farms under discussion. "Such an investor would be entitled to a share of the farm's output for a fixed period, which would allow him to recoup his investment within a few years, and see an appreciable return on that investment each year thereafter. The Government would appoint bailiffs to oversee the operation of the farms, who would make regular reports to the Government and to any investors to assure them that matters are being managed properly. From both ends." Grey eyes are even upon the businessman as he sets out his plan.

"We are not interested in exploiting or misusing the citizenry of Myrken Wood to line our own pockets. There will be no use of indentured workers, and there will also be certain standards required in terms of living conditions for the tenants. I will warn you, sir, that this will not be an immediate money-maker, nor can I promise that it will make you wealthy beyond avarice. It is more of a long-term project to secure a reliable domestic source of food for the people of Myrken Wood, which may have the added benefit of offering a reasonable return of investment for those willing to offer assistance in seeing it come to pass. If you are still interested."

[Lent]

Strange things can happen to a man when he loses his legacy. Ask Kurt Lentham about that. This ruddy-faced lump of a man was old, old enough that another marriage and another child, well, it wasn't impossible, but it was improbable. Certain desires just weren't there anyway. They had been replaced by business and justice and other things. He had listened to the proposal, and now he spoke, first getting something out of the way. "I have enough to live off until I die, Cinnabar Calomel. Putting even a substantial investment into this will not hinder my operations, though I would hope that my efforts in such a low yielding enterprise with Myrken's well-being at stake would be considered when it comes to my taxes for the year."

He made a bit of a dark snort. "In principle, I will be willing to do this, Governor. I will be hoping that this opens the door for negotiations on other preferential contracts with the government in order to offset some of the cost of..." But then he waved that pudgy hand and let out another snort. "Old habits, Governor Calomel. Old habits. I did not get where I was today through such charity. My rise came at the cost of many people who had just tried to make an honest living. However, I did seek to make such amends later in life. That is why I pushed Charles towards service. He had no mind for business, really, and I thought he might... Ah, listen to me." There was a long sigh as Artie McCoy rubbed at the fatty skin under his neck.

"I will be committed to this, and will take a direct interest. In fact, I will probablty be able to convince some of my fellows to invest as well. There is some benefit in spreading wealth around a bit, so long as enough ends up back in our pockets in the end, magnified. Stability helps with that, it really does. That is the general mindset, and I will have success with it." Ah, and now to the crux of the matter. "There is something of an infestation upon the land now, however. How will you deal with that?"

[Cinnabar]

A slight smile from the Governor at the mention of tax considerations, and preferential contracts and... so forth. Heh. Once a businessman, always a businessman. But there's that mention of his son, which has his demeanour growing more sombre, gaze dropping to his desk.

"He was a credit to the Constabulary and to yourself, sir, and will be remembered as such." Similar sentiments were expressed at Charles' funeral, but they're worth repeating. A senseless waste of a promising life and career, indeed. After a moment, though, the conversation returns to the business at hand.

"We would certainly remember assistance rendered to the Government and seek to reward it in kind. My intent is to favour those who most benefit Myrken Wood as a whole - while virtue is its own reward, I see no harm in adding a little extra incentive if necessary." A smile at that, though his tone grows more serious for a time. "It's worth stating, however, that my main priority is to attend to the needs of the citizens under my care. I am not willing to compromise on this matter, and contrary the impression given by certain... stage productions, I am not interested in benefitting an elite few at the expense of the many. This may prove unpopular with some of your fellows, and for that I am regretful, but decided. I would propose that the most mutually satisfying approach will be to find points at which the interests of both groups coincide, and acting upon them to allow everyone involved to reap the rewards. Prosperity through cooperation rather than exploitation, you see."

Then... ah, yes. Stability.

"Unfortunately, as you say, there is something of an infestation at the moment, and this is something that we will be working hard to resolve. Peacefully, I am hoping, though it will undoubtedly require careful negotiation to ensure that Myrken's interests are not compromised in the face of the Duke's ambitions. And should negotiations break down, as you have no doubt noticed the Council is taking measures to ensure the safety of Myrken's populace from hostile parties. I am a strong believer in making adequate preparations in case things do not go as intended."

[Lent]

McCoy

"He..." Hmm. McCoy thought long and hard about this, about his boy. "He was not yet a credit, no, but I could see it already. It was shaping him. That he died in the way that he did, that he found some backbone! That is something, Cinnabar Calomel. I am proud of that. He would have been a credit to you and yours and to me on top of that. He would have been." There were no tears, just a steady, steady gaze, a few moments without any coughs or grumbles or sighs.

And then there is a nod. What has happened in Derry had already hurt him, his business interests. They couldn't even move the damn wine in, could they? Not without a great risk. Of cousre war with Burel would be just as bad for him and his fellows, except for the few who would be able to profit off of thing.

"Stability comes in a great number of ways, Governor. You are handling things with Burel. And I think even with low margins of profit, with very few promises from the government, I will be able to convince a few of my more civic minded fellows that investing is for the best. There is a stability in having the peasants not rise up again, Calomel, in having them able to afford food with money left over so that they might buy other things as well. We shall see then." And the there was a hacking laugh. "And I'm sure they'll want to be able to stick it in the eyes of those noble bastards that we're the ones actually doing Myrken some good, you and I, upstarts as we are, as opposed to they who just sit on their asses twiddling their thumbs!"

[Cinnabar]

Quiet, then, only an affirmative nod in reply to the words on Charles' potential. A damnable waste.

"The best stability, sir, comes from a state of balance. As long as the prosperity of the few occurs in concert with the prosperity of the masses, as long as there is not a sense of unfairness, of iniquity or imbalance, as long as there are no grounds for resentment or envy, then matters are... steadier. More reliable, or as reliable as anything can be. In any case, conditions are far safer for those who would make longer-term investments." A genuine grin to echo McCoy's laugh, with his talk of the lassitude of the nobility.

"Those who already have all they could desire are not the ones who strive to improve things, sir. Why should they? Why rock the boat? That is left to those of us who know what it is like to have nothing." He nods firmly, then, glancing briefly to the papers on his desk.

"I shall have the appropriate documents and contracts of lease drawn up for the tenants, and order a survey of the properties to establish exactly what will be required to return them to working order. I'll also have their tax records reviewed, to give some idea of how much each property is capable of producing, and thus how long it might be before you and your partners will see a return on your investments."