Chapter 40: On the Road to Capstan Part 3: Stories Around the Campfire Part 1

They arrived at the copse by early evening just as the day was beginning to lose the light. After dismounting from the manticores they removed the riding gear and then everyone – manticores included – flopped to the ground to take a moment's rest.

"We should pitch the tents before we lose too much light," said Aranella, though her observation was half-hearted and laced with tiredness.

"Aye, we should," Batu agreed but made no move to get up.

"We'll do it in a minute," Tani added.

"I suppose we can spare that much at least," Aranella conceded.

"Higgle pig hig?" Runcible asked.

"Just relax, mun," Lofty replied as he waved dismissively. "We're not going anywhere after all now."

The higgledies exchanged looks and shrugged before flopping down on the ground with the others and gazed up at the stars twinkling overhead.

"Is that the sound of the ocean I can hear?" Tani asked of the distant sound of waves breaking against the shore.

"Yes it is," Ya Ya confirmed. "We're not that far from the cliff overlooking the beach. If you go through the trees, you'll be able to see it."

"I've not been to a beach before," said Evan.

"Nor have I," Aranella added.

"Same here," said Tani.

Batu nodded, "Aye." He continued. "We pirates were mostly keepin' te our Base in the mountains. We weren't'avin' no time fer such… frivolities."

"And Ding Dong Dell is landlocked," Aranella added. "As we are – or were I should say surrounded by mountains on all sides, it consequently means the nearest beach for anyone desiring to visit one is on the coastline of the Heartlands."

"Do you think we'll have time to visit the beach tomorrow?" Evan asked with a touch of hopefulness to his tone and question as he looked to Ya Ya with wide, entreating eyes.

"Perhaps," Ya Ya replied with a raised eyebrow. "We'll be making a stop for lunch of course, though I hadn't planned for us to be taking it on the beach. But if we are, that will depend on how early we get up tomorrow morning, or otherwise how much progress we will have made by then."

Evan and Tani both chorused eagerly, propping themselves up on their elbows. "Oh can we? Can we?" Aranella chuckled as Roland smiled.

"Oh go on, mun," Lofty encouraged. "Let them see the beach like. Even if it's just for a little bit."

"Well all right," Ya Ya relented. As they cheered she added. "I suppose it won't hurt to allow say, a half hour on the beach. But no more than that; We have another day's ride ahead of us and we want to arrive at the Halfway Lodge before nightfall."

There was a chorus of confirmation and understanding, and with the matter settled they all lapsed into silence, a silence that Roland eventually broke. "All right, come on you guys," he said as he pushed himself to his feet. "I don't know about the rest of you but if I lie there any longer I'm gonna doze off."

The others grumbled as his words spurred them to action and they all reluctantly struggled to their feet. They had to shift the manticores, who got to their feet voicing their protest, before they could begin pitching their tents. Once that task was completed, they moved onto the next; Gathering materials to start a fire.

They headed into the copse to collect fallen twigs and branches, or in the higgledies case fallen leaves for kindling. Tani and Aranella came back with some wild berries they'd found, and Lofty managed to produce some mushrooms. Roland half-wondered if he'd had them already and had pulled them from his equivalent of an arms band, or if he'd magicked them from the aether.

"So who's going to cook tonight?" Tani asked, looking from Aranella to Batu.

Batu thumped his chest. "Since Miss Ya Ya'ere's been treatin' us te Goldpaw grub these last few days, I reckon we pirates should be returnin' the favour."

She nodded in agreement. "Can't argue with that boss."

Ya Ya's eyes lit up at that. "Oh, that sounds delightful," she replied clasping her hands together. "I can't say I've had the opportunity to try a Sky Pirate dish before."

Evan clapped his hands together in a mirror of hers. "They make the most marvellous stew, Lady Ya Ya."

"They sure do!" Lofty chimed in.

"Then I should very much like to try some," she said.

Batu grinned at Tani. "It looks like we be'avin' stew tonight, girlie."

Tani returned his grin as she stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Then we'd best get started!"

Once the stew had been prepared and was cooking, Batu and Tani joined them around the campfire. "It'll be takin' some time afore the stew is ready," Batu announced. "We pirates like te be passin' the time by sharin' stories."

Tani gestured to Ya Ya as she said. "Why don't you tell us how you and Pugnacious met?"

"Certainly," Ya Ya replied with a nod and a smile. "If you would tell me a story in return."

"O'course!" Batu responded. "As I were sayin' afore, we pirates love ourselves the sharin' o'a good story; We love tellin'em as much as we love'earin'em."

"Why don't we all tell a story?" Tani suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," said Ya Ya. "Since we are to be travelling together for the time being," she glanced around at everyone, "it would help me get to know you all a little better."

"Then now's probably the best time to level with you about where I'm really from," said Roland.

As the others exchanged knowing looks, she blinked at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion, which was both understandable and to be expected. "I… beg your pardon? Whatever do you mean?"

"Yeah, so, I'm not actually from Broadleaf, or anywhere in this world for that matter. I'm from the other world, the one that's linked to yours."

Ya Ya's mouth fell open in disbelief. "W-what?" Then she looked to the others to gauge their reactions, or otherwise determine if they were in on the jest, but there was not the slightest hint of humour or hidden mirth in any of their expressions. "Are you being perfectly serious?" She asked at length.

"I am," he replied with a nod. "I'm being perfectly serious."

"He is," Lofty chimed in. "If you could see into people's hearts like I can, mun, then you could see it for youerself."

"Higgle pig," the higgledies added, nodding their little heads in agreement.

"How so?" She asked.

"Our world is full of magic see – or at least it was like," Lofty shrugged as he corrected himself. "There's not as much of it around these days, but being born in a world of magic means that some of that magic is absorbed into youer heart. A small percent of the population is then able to use that magic to cast spells and the like. But Roland's heart," he gestured to Roland, "doesn't have a single drop in it. Or it didn't anyway." He turned to Roland as he clarified, "Youe've been absorbing some of the magic since you came by hyur now, but it's way, way less than what it would be if you'd actually been born hyur." He turned back to Ya Ya. "And the only way that can be is if he's from a world with no magic see, which is exactly what the other world is, innit?"

Ya Ya blinked several times. "I… I see…" She turned to Roland herself, her expression still very much one of confusion and perhaps a hint of lingering disbelief. "But… why?"

"Why now?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. "Why after all these years?" She nodded wordlessly and Roland dropped his gaze to his feet as he considered his answer. "Let's just say that something bad happened in my world, and I'm hoping to fix it by helping out here."

"Something bad?" She repeated and tilted her head. "Like… the coup in Ding Dong Dell?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but," he closed his eyes, "I don't really want to talk about it." He shook his head. "Not yet anyway."

Her expression softened. "Oh… of course. I won't press you then."

"Thanks."

"Considering what we've been through together," she inclined her head, "I owe you that much at least. And perhaps the benefit of the doubt as well."

"I appreciate it."

"But this means that everything you have said regarding Broadleaf…"

"Was pretty much a lie yeah," he nodded, "sorry about that. But as my world doesn't have magic, it's a world of technology instead. So since Broadleaf is apparently the same, I made some guesses based on what I thought it'd be like." He shrugged apologetically, "But I've not been there yet, so we'll both be finding out what it's like, and how much of what I've said is true."

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "But I suppose I can understand the reason for the deception; Our two worlds have been apart for so long that it's beginning to fade into myth. Even after Lofty's assurances-"

"Higgle!"

"-And the higgledies, I still find it so… incredible to believe."

"It were'elpin us te be in'is company while'e were still learnin' about the world," Batu supplied. "So'e were'avin' lots o'oles in'is knowledge, the sort o'knowledge yer folks tell ye about, or that what they teach ye in school."

"I'm still learning though," Roland corrected, shaking his head in disagreement. "I've only been here a couple of weeks after all."

"Will you tell us a story about the other world?" Tani asked.

"Oh please do," Evan seconded. "I'd love to hear about what it's like."

"I'm sure we're all curious," Aranella added.

"Sure," Roland replied before scratching the back of his head. "Though I'm not sure where to begin."

But Tani just grinned. "If you can't think of anything, then we'll be able to help you with that. I'm sure we all have lots of questions."

He smiled. "Right. I'm sure you do." He looked from Tani to Ya Ya and back before he added. "But who's gonna go first? Me or Ya Ya? Or someone else?"

Tani folded her arms and looked around at the others. They gazed back patiently awaiting her decision. "Why don't we go around in a circle?" She suggested. "Ya Ya goes first, then Lofty, and Evan and so on. That means you'll go last, Roland, so everyone can think of a question they want to ask you, or you can think of a story to tell us."

He nodded. "All right." He rested his arms on his knees as he leant forward. "But maybe let's keep it to one question each, or we might end up talking through the night."

The party exchanged looks and nodded. "Yes, that seems fair," said Aranella.

"Very well," said Ya Ya. "Then I shall recount the tale of how I met Master Pugnacious."

Ya Ya clutched her growling stomach. It had been a year since her grandmother had died and five since her parents, leaving her all alone.

There were a few things her grandmother had ensured before her passing; That she would know how to cook and how to sew, and had secured her work in a noodle shop.

Of course at fourteen years of age, she was far too young for a proper job, so all she earned each day was pennies. Not enough to buy an adequate amount of food and certainly not enough to afford anything else. So in reality, her grandmother had left her with very little.

When she could afford to buy groceries, which was about once a week, it was just enough to last five days if she only ate one small meal such as a single fruit, either in the morning or during the day, and a moderate meal for dinner, such as a bowl of soup accompanied by a slice of bread. Often was the time when she woke up hungry, went hungry through the day or went to bed hungry, and she was consequently a thin, malnourished little slip of a girl with long stringy hair she kept tied back out of her gaunt face, and her fur was dull and had long since lost its sheen.

The last time she'd had a new article of clothing was her tenth birthday four years ago, most of her clothes she had long outgrown, and the dress she wore now had holes in it that she had ripped up her old clothes to patch. And she'd had to bind her shoes with strips of fabric to keep them falling further apart. All in all he looked about as poor as she actually was and many people gave her a sideways glance as she passed them on the street on the way to or from work.

"Gosh," Evan interrupted looking aghast. "Was it really that hard for you?"

"Yes, it was," she replied and sighed as she added, "Such are the penalties of being poor, and alone."

He clutched his heart as he said, "It's so different to life in the castle." And shook his head as he continued, "I couldn't imagine going hungry for even a day, or not having a proper bed to sleep in, or a wardrobe full of clothes, or books to read." He hung his head. "At least… I couldn't until the coup happened."

"Nor could I," Aranella added in agreement. "And it's only been a couple of weeks."

"Do you think… do you think it was like that for mousekind?"

"I'm sure it was, but that was before King Leonhard took the throne."

Ya Ya raised an eyebrow at her. "Or so you presume."

Aranella's expression darkened. "Yes, I suppose I do. But I would think that I have some awareness of what's going on within the walls of my… of Ding Dong Dell, given that I have friends who are mousekind; At least certainly more than you and Master Pugnacious. And I'm quite certain that none of the extremes of which you described was suffered by anyone, mousekind or otherwise."

Roland frowned and Ya Ya opened her mouth to reply, but Batu quickly cut in. "We pirates were sometimes be goin'ungry when the'untin' was bad, or the scavengin' didn't turn up nothin', and were'avin te ration our food then, but that were never more than a few weeks at a time." He shook his head as he added, "I couldn't imagine goin' a whole year like that."

"Yes, it certainly was a tough few years for me," Ya Ya replied, "And that last year alone was easily the toughest, but Master Pugnacious has since enacted measures to alleviate the hardship and poverty in the area."

"How so?" Roland asked.

"Let me continue and I will explain."

None of them stopped to help her of course, or ask her if she was all right, but she was hardly alone in her suffering either, and there were others she passed by who were clearly in the same boat as she was. There was little they could do for her, or she for them save for one thing; Offer each other support. They smiled and nodded to each other, their eyes and expressions filled with silent encouragement; Hang in there.

Ya Ya clutched her growling stomach as she walked through the market place, the scent of fresh food and spices hanging enticingly in the air as she passed. Many of the other poor children flocked here to steal what they could and when they could get away with it. Ya Ya had seen it happen many times, and though she vowed to herself that she would never follow their example, she never made any attempt to stop them or try to get them caught.

But it had been a year now; A year since her grandmother died, a year since she'd last eaten properly, a year of endless hunger and as the year wore on her resistance had been waning. There was just so much food out on display and she was just so hungry. She found herself hovering by one of the stalls, trying not to look too conspicuous. The vendors were well aware of the continuous thefts of their wares but she had the advantage of not having stolen anything from them before and so the vendor gave her only a cursory though disapproving glance. "I wasn't expecting to see you today," he remarked though he spoke down his nose at her.

Some of the vendors were nice, sympathetic to her plight even, and greeted her pleasantly when she came to buy from them, with a smaller handful offering her discounts whenever they were feeling particularly generous, or could afford to. There were others who weren't and would politely hurry her along so her presence would not discourage other customers, and the rest though a thankful small minority would take her money while openly insulting her appearance, or whatever else about her they'd decided on being offended by. Xiao Fan, the vendor she had unconsciously targeted wasn't even one of the worst of the lot and looking back she couldn't even say why she had chosen him in the first place. Maybe he'd just been the nearest vendor as the last of her resistance had slipped away.

"Yes, I know," she replied. "But I um…" She was about to say that she'd recently come into some money, but stopped herself just in time; If she came out and said that, then Xiao Fan would be expecting her to pay. So she just dropped her gaze and mumbled an apology. "I'm sorry, I was just hungry…"

His expression became a disapproving frown. "If you're not here to buy anything then," he moved his hand in a shooing gesture, "off with you." Assuming that she would do as she was told and simply leave, he turned his attention away from her and onto another customer who had been browsing his produce and was now ready to pay. This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for. She didn't have experience with stealing herself but she'd seen the other children do it many times. She cast a quick look around to check no one else was looking before scooping an armful of fruit and tucking it away down the front of her dress in one swift motion. Then she spun on her heel, tightening her belt to stop the fruit slipping down and out through the bottom of her dress, and walked away as fast as she could without breaking into a run as her heart pounded in her chest. Ya Ya couldn't say what had given her away; Her abrupt departure, the fact that she'd taken more than she could get away with, or perhaps it was even both, but she had only taken several steps before Xiao Fan barked out an exclamation of surprise and called after her. "Oi! You! Aren't you going to pay for that?!" She bolted without a backwards glance as her heart leapt into her throat. "Oi! Come back here!" He shouted after her fleeing back, then. "Guards! Guards! Thief! She's getting away!"

Immediately the cry went up. "Stop! Thief!" And over the sound of her own feet, her heart hammering in her ears and the cries of alarm and surprise as she pushed or dodged past people in the street, came the sound of pursuit.

Tani grimaced. "That went well."

"To be fair it was my first time."

She thumbed to herself as she said, "Well take a few lessons from me and I'll have you stealing like a pro in no time."

She couldn't hide her surprise at the offer. "Oh, ah, um, thank you for the offer, Miss Tani, but," she shook her head, "I don't think I'll ever match up to your skills."

Tani grinned. "Too right." She placed a thumb on her chest as she proudly declared, "I'm the best thief in the whole of Cloudcoil Canyon." Her expression faltered as she corrected herself. "I mean… Evermore."

As the theft had been a spur of the moment decision, she hadn't planned out an escape route ahead of time and so she simply ran aimlessly with tears building in her eyes and blurring her vision. Ya Ya knew the city probably about as well as the soldiers, but she had the advantage of a small frame which meant that she would be able to evade them if she could find somewhere small and narrow to squeeze through. If only she knew where such a place existed… And if only she could run long enough to find one; Already she could feel her arms and legs turning to leaden weights and her lungs were burning from the exertion. Then pain exploded in her toes as her foot caught the raised edge of a stone tile and she was flying forward. For a split second she was airborne before she was viciously reunited with the ground and more pain erupted in her wrists, elbows and knees.

"Goodness!" a voice exclaimed. As she shakily got to her hands and knees, he remarked. "That was quite a fall you had there." She scrubbed the tears from her face with one arm and looked up to find a hand being offered to her. The hand belonged to a portly dogfolk man who was smiling down at her kindly. He seemed familiar somehow, though for the moment she couldn't think why, and his face held all the warmth that her grandmother's once held, so she sniffled before taking the hand and allowing him to help her to her feet. "What were you running from if I may ask?" Ya Ya opened her mouth to respond but before she could, he added, gesturing to her dress, "It would not have something to do with those fruit stains would it?"

She looked down at the front of her dress to find it stained and sodden as all the fruit she had stolen had been smushed in the fall. And then the soldiers caught up. "You there!" They hurried over to her and did a double take at her companion. "M-Master Pugnacious! I see you have apprehended the thief."

So that was why he'd seemed familiar and as well as why she hadn't recognised him without his usual, formal attire.

"What was he doing there?" Roland asked. "Day off or something?"

"He later explained to me that he was visiting the area to see if there was anything that needed doing. Or as he put it, imbalances that needed balancing."

"Interesting. I'm guessing he was looking for anything that wasn't being brought to his attention. Like in your case," he gestured towards her, "it doesn't sound like there was an orphanage in the area to take you in if you'd been left to fend for yourself."

"Exactly."

But the realisation of who he was made her heart sink. She had stolen food for the first time, been chased, had tripped and smashed all the fruit in her escape attempt so that now it could neither be eaten nor returned, her only wearable dress was now ruined as a result and she'd been caught. And to top it all off, the whole fiasco – or nearly all of it at least – had been witnessed by the Grand High Roller, the highest authority in the land. A multitude of emotions erupted through her all at once and tears gushed forth from her eyes like a dam breaking its embankment. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob loudly.

Pugnacious and the guards exchanged looks. "What has transpired here exactly?" He asked. "I gather she has stolen some fruit at least, but is that all?"

"As far as I am aware yes," the soldier nodded, "but I cannot say for certain until I search her, or question the other vendors."

He raised a hand. "That will not be necessary; I will handle the matter myself."

The guard blinked in surprise. "Are you… are you sure about that Master Pugnacious? She is just a petty thief-"

"Indeed. And it will be a simple matter for me to deal with."

The guard inclined his head in acquiescence. "As you… as you wish, Master Pugnacious. We will return to our duties." The soldiers bowed and departed.

Pugnacious turned back to Ya Ya who was still sobbing into her hands. "Come," he said gently. "Sit with me a moment and dry your tears." She did not resist when he guided her over to the nearby stone steps leading up the incline on which the street had been built, and they sat together until she'd regained enough of her composure to answer his questions. "What is your name, child?"

"Ya Ya," she replied through sniffles.

"And how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"I would ask where your parents are but… I suspect I already know the answer to that question." She hung her head and he sighed. "As I thought. Is there no one taking care of you?"

"My grandmother was but…" She dropped her gaze into her lap.

"She has passed on as well," he stated more than asked.

She nodded. "That was about a year ago."

He raised his eyebrows as he repeated, "A year ago? And you have been alone ever since?" She nodded and he frowned. "As you are fourteen and not yet of age, this makes you a ward of the state, Ya Ya; You should be in the care of an orphanage."

Ya Ya looked up with an expression of genuine surprise. "An orphanage? But they only take in babies and small children don't they?"

"They welcome children of all ages provided they have no else willing to take them in and raise them until they come of age."

"Oh, I see." She clasped her hands together in her lap. "I don't think there are any orphanages around here though. At least I've not heard of any. And there's lots of children my age or younger around too. I see them stealing a lot, so I don't know if there's anyone looking after them either."

"I see," he replied, his expression most troubled. "Then it would seem that I will need to place the opening of a new orphanage in the area on my agenda." Ya Ya said nothing, so he continued. "But speaking of theft, why not tell me what happened today?"

Ya Ya swallowed and she turned a pleading look on him as her eyes began watering. "I-I didn't mean to, honest." She shook her head, "I've never stolen from anyone before, but… I was just so hungry, and I… I wasn't really thinking." She clasped her hands together. "If I could take it all back I would, but… The fruit's been squashed and I don't have enough money to pay for them…" She hung her head and dropped her hands back into her lap. "What's going to happen to me, Master Pugnacious? Am I going to jail?"

"It is true that the punishment for petty thievery carries a short term prison sentence, but," he shook his head, "that applies to offenders who are of age. You are not. And as per your testimony this is a first time offence as well."

She looked up at him. "Then… what?"

"Community sentence," he replied. "But as for what that will entail," he stood. "We must return to the one from whom you stole, and then we shall see."

She hung her head. "But… what if that's what Xiao Fan wants?"

Pugnacious raised his eyebrows. "You really think this Xiao Fan is the sort of person who would demand such a punishment?"

"Well, um… He doesn't like me that much, even though I've never done anything to him. So, I guess?" She shrugged. "I mean, he's not going to want me helping him is he?"

"I see. Then perhaps he may be persuaded to be more forgiving if that is revealed to be true. But we will not know unless we return and find out." He held out a hand. Ya Ya stared at it, swallowed, gathered her courage with a deep breath then stood and took his hand. They returned to Xiao Fan hand in hand but Ya Ya kept her head down and so did not see the stares they drew as they passed, nor the mildly astonished expression on Xiao Fan's face as they approached. He bowed and spoke first. "Master Pugnacious, what a… surprise to see you."

He smiled. "Not an unwelcome one I hope."

"No, of course. I just wasn't expecting you to be the one returning with the girl."

He nodded. "I am sure, but I decided to take the matter into my own hands." He glanced at her before continuing, "Ya Ya tells me that this is her first time stealing. Given her apparent inexperience I can easily believe that, but it would unwise of me to simply take her at her word and so readily at that, so tell me… does she speak true?"

"Well…" Xiao Fan stroked his chin. "I can't speak for the others, but it's certainly the first time she's stolen from me at least."

"So what do you feel would be a suitable punishment for this transgression?"

"Well?" He scratched the back of his head in thought. "I certainly need to be reimbursed for the theft, but uh…" He glanced down at her for a moment before continuing. "If she had the money to buy the fruit then she wouldn't've stolen it in the first place."

"A reasonable deduction. Since that is off the table, what would be an acceptable alternative?"

He folded his arms. "Well… I can't say I didn't see her turn to thievery coming; Her kind invariably does, it's just a matter of time you see."

Pugnacious' expression became unreadable. "I don't follow…"

He held up a placating hand. "I don't mean it unkindly, or at least not like that. It's more of an observation. As a vendor of fresh food, well… perhaps you may have already guessed but that makes me a target of the, well," he spread his hands, "the desperate shall we say. Those who find themselves falling on hard times. Even if they don't want to turn to thievery and struggle as long as they can to get by, eventually, inevitably, they always do." He shrugged. "That's just the way it is."

"Is that why you were always treating me like that?" Ya Ya dared to ask.

"That's right," he nodded. "It wasn't anything personal, I just knew you'd end up doing this eventually." He shrugged matter of fact as he added, "And I was right." Ya Ya hung her head and said nothing. "I am not unaware of your background, Master Pugnacious," he added. "But do you deny the truth in what I said?"

"I cannot," Pugnacious reluctantly confessed. "But if this is such a problem for you then I wonder why you did not come to me sooner." He spread his hands, "I cannot solve matters such as these unless you bring them to my attention."

Xiao Fan chuckled in such a way that it was almost with derision. "They only way you're going to solve our troubles, Master Pugnacious, is ultimately with money. Lots of money."

"Indeed," he agreed. "If steps are taken to ensure money is distributed where it is needed, then money is what they shall receive."

He blinked. "Yes… I suppose so. Still," he folded his arms, "I'll believe it when I see it. And as for the girl," he shook his head, "I can't suggest a punishment for her actions because I know that in cases such as this, punishments are useless."

"Then would you object to my foregoing a punishment and treating her with kindness instead?"

"I guess not, but…" he frowned in confusion, "what do you intend to do?" Something Ya Ya wanted to know as well, as she regarded Pugnacious with hopeful but cautious curiosity.

Pugnacious fished out a handful of coins from his coin purse and laid them down on the wooden counter. "I believe this will cover the cost of the stolen fruit."

Xiao Fan went wide-eyed as his eyes passed over the amount and Ya Ya's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Yes, that… that certainly will."

"But-but, Master Pugnacious," she sputtered in protest, "There's no way I'll be able to repay that."

"Yes, I know," Pugnacious replied easily. "And I do not expect you to."

She clutched her hands together. "I don't understand…"

He smiled kindly and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Fate has not been kind to you has it?" She swallowed and shook her head, her lip trembling. "Well, sometimes fate has a way of balancing out, and it is within my power to offer you some good fortune for a change, if you would accept." She nodded, speechless and he smiled. "Very well then, let us get you cleaned up, and afterwards, you can tell me of the issues availing your community."

"As I had no one to look after me for the time being, he offered to take me in until the new orphanage was finally up and running. Then when the time came he offered me a choice; Stay with him, or go to the orphanage. Of course I chose to stay and the rest as they say is history."

Evan, Lofty and Tani aww'd in unison. "There's nice of him," Lofty complemented.

"Small wonder ye were so reluctant te be suspectin'im o'wrong doing after'earin' that tale," said Batu. "It weren't bein' like'im at all."

"No," she agreed. "Or at least, so I thought." She gazed into the fire as she added. "I suppose the corruption has shown us that anyone can be capable of doing anything if they believe they're right, or justified in their actions. That even good men like Master Pugnacious will lie and steal if they believe they're doing it for a good cause."

"Yeah, we have a saying in my world," said Roland. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"The road to… hell?" She repeated looking mildly confused.

"It's uh…" He paused to contemplate how to best summarise the concept of hell before settling on simply, "a very bad place. I guess you could say it's like a prison, but uh… a magical one."

"Ah. I see. Well, it would appear there is some truth in that saying."

"But how do you stop yourself from doing something like that?" Evan wondered aloud.

"It's important to remember that the end doesn't always justify the means," Roland replied. "And to maybe ask for advice or other people's opinions on what you're planning." He gestured with one hand as he added, "Of course thanks to the nature of the corruption, Pugnacious wasn't able to do either of those things. But it's not like being corrupted is necessary for someone to fall into that trap."

Evan nodded absently. "Right."

"We'll help you, Evan," Lofty assured him. "You won't be going wrong with us around."

He smiled. "Thank you, Lofty."

"So what were the measures you mentioned earlier?" Roland asked of Ya Ya. "Besides the orphanage that is."

"He encouraged the orphanage to take in the children of parents of who were struggling with long or short term illnesses, established or re-established shelters to provide the community with free meals and shelter of course, and offered free early school education to the children of parents earning below a certain threshold," Ya Ya explained.

"Not bad," he replied. "That would sure help take some of the pressure off low income earners, especially the free education."

"Indeed."

"But he's not giving them money like he said he would," Tani observed with a quizzical expression.

"Not technically, no," Roland nodded slowly in agreement. "But needing less to buy or having less to pay for means they'll be keeping some of the money they would otherwise be spending."

"Right but if they didn't have enough money to spend, then why not just give them more so they can?"

"Well…" He hesitated and glanced at Ya Ya silently imploring her assistance, but she returned his gaze with a similar expression. "Good question," he conceded as he began to form an answer. "If they need to spend money on something like education, then if you offer to cover the cost of that education for them, they can use the money they would've spent to either save for a rainy day, or spend on something else of their choosing."

"Yeah but-"

"Different families will face different problems and burdens in their lives, Tani. So if you alleviate a burden that they all share or have in common, it gives them the means to take some control over the ones they don't."

"But wouldn't they all share the problem of buying food?"

"Sure but not necessarily in the same way; Some will have different dietary requirements, or medical problems affecting what they can or cannot eat. Some families could then use the money they would've spent on education to spend on medicine instead, or maybe their children will need extra help in school that the parents can hopefully now pay for."

"Sometimes there will be more than one way to deal with a situation, Miss Tani," Ya Ya added, "and in some cases you'll find that simply throwing money at it won't be the only way," she spread her hands, "or the best."

Tani looked thoughtful as she absorbed the information. "All right," she said, nodding slowly.

"You have quite the political mind, Mr Roland," Ya Ya said, turning to him with an expression that belied her impression.

"Thanks," he replied with a wry smile, "but I should do. I was in politics in my world."

She looked amazed. "So young?" Roland opened his mouth to respond, but she continued. "Ah, but perhaps I am one to talk. I became Second Roller at only twenty five years of age."

"Does that make you the youngest then?"

"Actually no, the current record is twenty four."

"Is there a minimum age for the post of Second Roller?"

"The minimum age is twenty five though not many take the position so young. But an exception can be made if the candidate can pass the aptitude test before then. The test can be conducted by any number of members of the current administration but this excludes the Grand High Roller."

"So he can't play favourites?"

"Exactly."

"And you had to pass the aptitude test yourself?"

She nodded. "Yes I did, but..." Her expression fell as she hung her head and gripped an arm with one hand. "If I were to take the test now I would surely fail…"

"Chin up lass," Batu encouraged. "Ye can't be expectin' yerself te be a model Second Roller every second o'the day."

"He's right," Roland added, gesturing in agreement. "Even people with lots of experience can sometimes make a bad call. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to avoid it, but a good leader doesn't wallow in self pity, or pin the blame on someone else, especially if that bad call was well meant. You acknowledge it, make amends and move on. People will ultimately judge you by your actions anyway, more than your words."

"What if they don't forgive you?" Evan asked quietly.

He shrugged. "Then maybe that's their right. And maybe they'll have their reasons. But the point should never be about earning people's forgiveness anyway, but doing what's right."

"If only I had all of your confidence," Ya Ya sighed, looking around at them all in wistful longing.

"Then stick with us, lass," Batu grinned as he thumbed to himself, "an'ye soon will."

"Is it my turn like?" Lofty piped up looking from Roland and Ya Ya to Batu.

"Uh yeah, I think we're done," Roland replied.

"Indeed," Ya Ya agreed. She gestured to Lofty as she said, "You have the floor then, Master Lofty."