Andrei's Journal #1

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A guard came to our shop one day. Some eager lad, freshly promoted to captain in Silberstein. Wanted to show me who’s the boss now, I guess. Or maybe he really believed he’d change things round here.

I’m a patient man, and a reasonable one to a fault. I told him what he should know – that I’m mates with the city watch. That I sometimes give them a gift or two, and they’re kind enough to look the other way while my boys and girls do their honest work. I told him if he played along, he’d be as happy as a well-fed pig.

He was having none of it. He started threatening me. That I could have let slide. But then he pushed me.

Nobody touches me. Not since my old man split my forehead open with his ring to teach me some discipline, and found out that I’m a slow learner in that respect.

The pigs were happy that night. And the next captain sent by the watch proved to be much more agreeable.