Sherry-By-The-Bend.
"I don't know what I'm going to do." Clive said in a tired voice.
He thought being in charge would allow him some measure of power, or at least a way to control the chaos. But it seems like since being given the mayorship he's had one problem after another thrown his way. It was like there was a cruel god out there that seemed intent on making his life difficult for shits and giggles.
There was so much on his plate that it was looking more and more likely that seeing Jeb for Thanksgiving would have to be put aside. Even if he wasn't dealing with an influx of National Guard potentially running into Sloth, and the shitshow that'll happen from an encounter, he didn't even want to think of what would happen to the colony while he was gone if the Big Families were left without some sort of check while away.
What were even his options? Leave and hope and pray that the colony didn't implode for the few hours he was gone? Put someone in charge, and if so who? Not like any of the halflings here would be any better than as figurehead mayors when it came to the Big Families. If he gave them power while he was away then he may as well just give up trying to be mayor all together!
Clive sighed as he rubbed his face. There really wasn't a good option. Either he stays here to try and keep things going and miss seeing Jeb. Or he leaves and whatever momentum he's gotten so far will be gone and he could find himself back at square one again!
"If it makes you feel any better. I 'eard this is 'ow good rulers feel." Kilpa replied from where she stood next to him.
"The feeling of helplessness as no matter what they do they realize they're screwed either way?" Clive replied as he looked around at the assembly tent and the seemingly never ending piles of soiled papers, dishes, and food.
No matter how much they got rid of it seemed like it just grew back the second the heads of the Big Families returned from whatever snack/break they took. Which made doing any sort of paperwork even harder as he then had to contend with their inane chatter about the most tedious of discussions involving stuff that didn't at all matter while they sipped and ate at a volume that made productivity even harder!
If they were leaving for Thanksgiving a few days ago he would've been able to leave without a care or worry. But the Big Families have been more involved since he was able to get what changes he could done. He couldn't just take off now without assurance that a firm hand was left behind to keep them in check.
Which circled back to his original statement. He didn't know what to do. Everything he could try and think of had a dozen different cons attached to it. He couldn't trust that any of the halflings could keep the Big Families from using the time he was gone to erode his influence. He couldn't turn to Fallmeadow since it would just be a return to the status quo.
Maybe the new halflings could step up, Clive thought idly. They were halflings sure, but they were "outsiders" compared to the rest of the colony. While they were wanting a measure of respect and welcome from the colony, they weren't above being gruff when they needed to.
Then again, he wasn't sure putting a freshly made, and not entirely popular, police force in charge for a few hours was a better idea than the others he's had. Not like the other options were any better though. It seemed like no matter what he picked he was going to be losing something from it.
"Think the police can take over while we left?" Clive asked aloud since it was just him and Kilpa within the tent for the time being.
"Tha new constables? You sure?" Kilpa asked with a cocked brow.
"Well, if we're going to leave, who're we going to leave to make sure things stay running?" Clive continued.
Kilpa started to speak, but stopped and got a look of contemplation on her face as she seemed to be going through the same thought process that he just did moments ago. Clive watched as her face began to fall more and more as she started to come to the same conclusion that he did. It'd be funny watching her face change while going through it if he wasn't aware that he probably had the same looks on his own a second ago.
Kilpa sighed and shook her head.
"It's ne'er a good idea ta let guards take power. Most o' 'em dinnae like givin' it up once given it."
"But there's little choice. As much as I want to stay and keep up our momentum, I HAVE to see my friend." Clive declared.
"I know, it's just-" Kilpa started before she trailed off. He was right though, she thought. They couldn't just stayed here and wait for the Big Families to drop their guard. There was appeasing them, then there was outright capitulation. If they were forced to remain in the colony then alot of work that needed doing, personal or otherwise, outside Sherry would need to be levied against potentially giving them a chance to stir trouble.
Kilpa sighed as she continued to think of a different solution. But no matter what nothing really came to mind that was any better than what Clive proposed. All the halflings in the colony were at least somewhat beholden to the influence of the Big Families. They couldn't ask some outsider to come in and take charge either. Clive had the good grace of being familiar and influential that his being given mayorship wasn't that big of a deal. But for him to leave and put some other human in charge?
But putting the guards in charge? She wasn't too keen on the idea of going and seeing the kobolds again for a few reasons. But it seemed like no matter who they left in charge, if anyone, they would more than likely be coming back to a colony that could very well be hostile to them no matter what they decided. The constables weren't the worst choice to be fair, Kilpa thought. They were halflings. Even if they were "outsiders". Then again, they needed some sort of loyalists to rely on with how deep the Big Families' influence ran.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
She still didn't like the idea, and Clive didn't seem too keen on it either. But the fact of the matter was that they had few options open to them. Kilpa turned to Clive.
"I canae believe I'm sayin' this. But call in tha constables."
"You sure? You don't seem very positive about it either."
"I'm not. But tha fact remains tha' we'll need some loyalists among tha colony ta counter tha Big Families' influence. E'en halflin's friendly ta you would be hard pressed ta do so when pressured by tha Big Families. At least by courtin' tha constabulary we can get a force more loyal ta us than them." Kilpa explained.
Clive sighed. He still didn't like the idea of having to rely on a police force just to hold onto what little power he has. He didn't like the idea that he could easily be trading the Big Families for the Constabulary, or end up using them as a dictator. One man's peacekeeper is another's deathsquad, Clive thought.
He turned to Kilpa.
"Let's summon the constable."
Kilpa nodded and left to find the halfling they placed in charge of Sherry's police. Leaving Clive to hope that he wasn't trading one millstone for another.
-----
"Right! In you go!" The halflings jeered as they threw a particularly sloshed halfling into the mixed muck of the pigsty.
The assembled group of the constabulary of Sherry watched and laughed as the drunken halfling poked his head up from the pig pucky and stared glassy-eyed up at a curious hog.
"Ain't you *hic* a looker! Dinnae tell my *hic* wife I shaid tha' though!"
The constabulary laughed as the halfling seemed to pass out in a puddle of questionable make within the sty. Constable Martin Bigsby however only smiled at the nearby halflings as they whispered and glared at the rather "uncouth" constabulary.
Which was fine by him, he thought as he tipped his hat to them. Breaking up fights between farmers and farmhands was neither pretty nor friendly and it looked like keeping a halfling colony in order would be no different. Would he like that they treated him and the other halflings from Daele as friends and neighbors? Of course! He and the others missed that sense of community that they had back in their former homes being surrounded by kith and kin aplenty.
But he knew the inner workings of halfling society well enough that neither him nor his mates here would see more than some polite greetings no matter how hard they tried to assimilate. Maybe he'd get a marriage offer from a lower statused family if he was lucky. But given how his life has turned out he wasn't going to bet on being given the twelfth daughter of a family of cabbage farmers anytime soon.
Then again, they managed to make it away from the greenskins mostly intact. They came out of the dire situation in Daele more or less with all their callused fingers and hairy toes accounted for. They even managed to find a place where they could return to a semblance of their old lives and even given a profession that was so like their last one to boot!
"Maybe I'll get an eighth daughter at this rate!" He chuckled to himself as his lads finished their jeering at the drunken halfling and sauntered over to him.
"Wha' now Bigsby?" One of his lads asked.
"Well le's see 'ere." He muttered and pulled out some papers listed with complaints and issues that he was given to resolve or otherwise take care of. He skimmed over all the ones leveled against him and his lads and looked to some of the more pressing ones.
"Looks like we got us some food thieves, lads." He stated.
"Wha' should we do ta 'em?"
"Rack 'em o'er tha knuckles fer tha first time. We'll get creative ifin they dinnae wizen up." He declared.
His lads chuckled and set out to patrol the market, keeping an eye out for any halflings that decided that they could pinch an extra snack or two if they could. This was another familiarity that they had back when they were halfling help at some human farms. There was always at least one farmhand deciding that really ripe juicy looking melon was worth taking a bite out of.
Which meant a potential cut of THEIR pay! It was their job to keep pests and what have you out of the farmer's crops and if some farmhand wanted to take a literal bite out of it then they were going to get what was coming to them! Same went for farmers trying to short change them because of a less than ideal harvest. A couple of them tried to play it off like they weren't doing their jobs rather than the farmer just being poor at farming or poor weather.
But they didn't have to worry about that anymore, Constable Bigsby thought as he withdrew his club and racked it across the knuckles of a halfling thinking he's clever at trying to sneak a handful of forest berries from a stall. The halfling winced and yelped before sauntering off with a look of offense on his face. The halfling whose berries were the target gave him a polite smile and equally polite thanks, but he knew they'd rather just sacrifice the berries and save some sort of face rather than appear to be rude or ungrateful.
Which was something he and his lads need not worry about, he thought as he could hear a few other yelps as more than a few halflings were met with bruised knuckles and lighter bellies for their trouble. Maybe they wont get their love and affection, but they'll have their respect!
He racked his club over a quarterling's knuckle as he reached for a wedge of cheese as Kilpa Goldenfield marched across the way towards his direction. He sent the quarterling off with a grunt and turned towards the former adventurer.
"Wha' can I do fer you, Miss Goldenfield?"
"Constable. Tha mayor would 'ave words with you." She replied vaguely.
"Oh? Wha' fer?" He asked somewhat concerned.
"Follow me 'nd we'll discuss it more." She stated and started walking back towards the assembly tent. Constable Bigsby sighed and hurried after her, leaving his lads to continue their knuckle cracking.
He followed her and entered into the assembly tent where he saw the human mayor Clive shifting piles of trash out of the way. Kilpa sauntered over to his side as a tower of dirty plates and papers tumbled over the side of the table.
"'Ere he is."
Clive looked up from the wreckage and towards the Constable.
"Thanks for seeing me Mr.-?"
"Bigsby. Martin Bigsby." He replied as he dipped his head in a polite bow.
"Constable, tell me. How have you and your men been adjusting?" Clive asked.
"Cannae complain. We're startin' ta get our strides goin' though! Maintainin' order ain'y easy but someone 'as ta do it!" Constable Bigsby declared.
"So no complaints or issues?" Clive asked.
"No. Other than a lack o' formal quarters 'nd holdin' area tha' is."
"Which is something we're going to get taken care of soon. Other than that though?"
"Nothin'. Folk is typical halflin's. Dinnae like bein' told tha' their bein' a bother er told no. But me 'nd my lads dinnae mind."
"So no issues? No serious complaints?"
"Nothin' serious outside o' typical halflin' complainin'. Sure some folk might think we're a wee bit 'rough' sometimes, but tha's 'ow you gotta handle folk like 'em. A firm hand is needed else they'll walk all o'er you!" The Constable stated.
Clive got a conflicted and distasteful look on his face and peered down at Kilpa, who had a similar look on her own face. Eventually Clive sighed and turned back towards Constable Bigsby.
"So here's the deal. We're going out of the colony for a few hours in a day or so and we need someone we can trust to keep things afloat while we are."
"'Nd you turned ta us?" The Constable asked with a measure of pleasant surprise.
"Yes. We can't really turn to anyone else for various reasons. With you and your men we can leave for a few hours and not have to worry about the Big Families jumping on the chance that we left to change things back to the way they were."
Martin Bigsby just stared at the human for a long moment. Seven Hells, maybe he can get someone's fourth daughter with the way things were looking out for him, he thought as he cleared his throat and saluted Clive.
"Aye sir! Be not a worry, we'll keep thin's in order 'till yer return! Tha Constabulary will see ta it tha' yer trust isn'y misplaced!"
Clive returned a half-hearted salute and dismissed the constable. Bigsby turned around and left with a bit more pep in his step. It was rare for the farmers to give them even a modicum of power, even when it was in their best interest to do so. So that fact that the HUMAN mayor was giving him and his lads a chance to step up while he was away was a great honor that he wasn't going to let slip by him! If they can keep things stable enough while the mayor was gone, maybe he'll see that they can be given more responsibility.
-----
"Was this a good idea?" Clive asked as the constable left.
"Too late now. We made our choice 'nd now we 'ave ta stick with it. Otherwise this'll be a very short term as mayor." Kilpa replied.
As much as Clive wanted it to be otherwise, she was right. They lost no matter what they decided to do, at least he did. The halflings wouldn't care two wits if he missed out on seeing his friend. But with how Jeb was the last he saw him he didn't like the idea of leaving him alone without making sure he was okay.
Though he didn't really like the wording Kilpa had used though. Referring to the constabulary as "loyalists". It was just asking for some sort of conflict in the future. While there might still be one with or without him, he didn't like that HE might be considered a bad guy in this situation.
He sighed, he made his bed. Now all he could do was wait to leave for Jeb's and hope he didn't come back to a police state. Or civil war.