Year 21

"The Bloody Smiles are lead by a vicious bandit calling himself the Grinning Man. Nobody has gotten a really good look at him as most don't survive his attacks, but based on this crude sketch, I implore anyone seeing him to run and contact Klyton militia immediately! This man and his band of cutthroats have been plaguing the roads and the surrounding area for years and hopefully now that his identity is known…"

You suddenly receive one of the many sketches a concerned citizen is handing out. You take one look at the sketch as you walk away from the crowd and shake your head.

"Doesn't even look like that asshole." You say and toss it in a nearby bin.

Jake's job has really been doing the trick as far as distracting the Klyton militia, though maybe it's been going a little too well. You suggested that Tom to pull him back from this two years ago, but predictably he never did.

Zalmora and Vaughn returned pretty quickly after this plan went into action, though in Zal's case it seemed to be more because she wanted to get back into regular burglary again. Vaughn said he couldn't deal with Jake anymore and was getting too crazy.

Now, he's given himself a nickname, gone on to call his group the Bloody Smiles and doesn't report back to Tom for months. When he does, he just sends one of the newer Talons with some goods and loot. While Tom as usual is taking a laid back approach to this figuring as long as he's still sending shit back then everything is good, you question whether Jake is even thinking about the Talons anymore.

Meanwhile, you've been more or less successful in building up the Talon's numbers. Not as much as you'd like, but since you're the only one doing it, it is what it is. Despite all this extra help however, it's not being utilized properly. Most of it is being sent to help Jake as his numbers get whittled down every now and then and that's really a waste you believe.

The ones you insist on keeping around to train are fewer in number and you're also the only one bothering to train them properly. You never thought you'd be in that sort of position. Occasionally Zal and Vaughn help out, but it's mostly fallen on you.

Basically, it's a case where the opportunity to expand is there, but once again Tom is failing to pull the trigger on it. You should be setting up another underground fighting pit, setting up gambling dens or even running a protection racket. Something needs to be done about Jake because the Crimson Talons can't proceed if half of the members aren't even Talons anymore and have declared allegiance to another leader.

"Something has to be done about Jake." You remark.
"Like what?" Vaughn asks.
"I dunno, but Tom can't just sit on his ass anymore about it. Jake hasn't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he splits off from the Crimson Talons altogether and takes half of our members that were assigned out there with him. Ideally we could just tell him to come home and his purpose out there is no longer necessary, but I doubt if he'll listen."
"So…what? You just going to go in there and tell Tom what he needs to do?" Zalmora asks.
"Someone needs to tell him something! As I remember it was me who told him to start changing shit up last time too."
"That's true, but doesn't that sort of mean you're sort of responsible of what's going on with Jake? Pretty sure that's what Tom will point out as well." Vaughn says.

You're about to tell Vaughn to shut the hell up when Zalmora interrupts.

"While you have some good ideas as usual, honestly, I'm not sure why anything needs to be done about him. I say if Jake has split from the Crimson Talons, well that's more for us." Zalmora remarks.
"Actually that's LESS for us since he won't even be sending his cut anymore." You say.
"Maybe in the short term, but you're not thinking long term. The militia hasn't been as much of a problem in the city for us because they've been focused mainly on catching Jake and the rest. That gives us a little more freedom to expand like you said. Hell, now that Jake has foolishly started to give his group their own name, they aren't even directly connected to the Talons anymore."
"So? If he gets caught he could still blab his mouth about our secret hideout."
"Jake's a lot of things, but he ain't no rat. Chances are they won't even take him in alive anyway."
"Okay, so maybe Jake's no rat, but what about some of others with him? I mean sure, we've all stressed how important loyalty is to the new recruits, but if Jake's gained their trust somehow, then they're loyal to him not to the Talons and they aren't going to think twice about ratting us out to save their own skin."
"Hmm, you might have a point there." Vaughn says.
"Look, all I'm saying is Jake not causing shit for us in the city and running around out there like a mad man is better for us. If he's gone, then the militia is just going to refocus more of their attention on the city again. I mean maybe it might be best to make it an official break up. Let Jake know he can go his way and we go ours. Might diffuse any potential problems with Jake. Dunno if Tom will be into that though." Zalmora says.
"That's true too." Vaughn remarks.

You rub your hands through your hair.

"I dunno. Maybe. Something still needs to be brought up to Tom though." You say.
"Oh I agree with you on that. It is time to give him a little push again." Zalmora remarks.
"Well? Aren't either of you coming in with me?" you ask.
"Um…I hadn't planned to. I mean it sounds like you've got this under control on what to discuss. I think me being there is just going to look like we're ganging up on him." Vaughn says.
"Yeah. And as you know, Tom has never been fond of me. So I would be more of a detriment. Just go in and talk to him, you did fine last time remember?" Zalmora says nudging into you a bit.
"(Sigh) Why do I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this organization?"
"Hey! That's not even true! I just gave you my fucking thoughts on the situation didn't I? You bring up whatever you want to Tom. I'm sure everything will work out fine, he likes you after all."

And with that, Zal and Vaughn leave to let you go speak with Tom. You swear you never thought the day would come where you would be known as the "diplomat." You guess your sister's charm rubbed off on you just a little bit. You sometimes wonder how she's doing. Probably better than you are at any rate.

Mentally preparing yourself, you head to Tom's office, though when you think more about it, you don't know why you're mentally preparing yourself. It isn't like Tom's going to even threaten to kill you if he doesn't agree with what you have to say.

At this point you're practically his second in command anyway and you're still baffled by this since you haven't been here nearly as long, though you suppose with all these new folks coming in, you are starting to become a "vet" as it were.

"Hey Tom." You say entering his office.
"Hey kid, any new blood you need me to check out and make a final decision on?"
"Uh, no not today. I wanted to speak with you about another matter…it's about Jake."

Tom's head drops down briefly with a deep sigh and then he looks up.

"Yeah…I figured it might be getting close to dealing with that situation. Trust me, I HAVE been giving some thought to it, even though I'd rather not." Tom says.
"Well I'm afraid something is going to have to be done about him. You can't just have a divided organization with half of it's members calling themselves something else and primarily pledging allegiance to another leader." You say.
"Maybe it isn't that bad! I mean he's still providing a share of the loot to us right?" Tom says hopefully.
"Perhaps, but think how much longer the intervals are starting to get, not to mention how much is he actually holding back? How long before he just stops sending altogether? No, we have to do something."
"Are you suggesting an attack? Because while I know around where he's currently located, I'm not entirely sure of the exact area. He may have even moved since he has to do that a lot anyway. Fairly certain not only would he have the advantage, but even if we win, we're going to suffer heavy losses which sort of defeats the purpose."
"I was thinking more of a stealthy assassination."
"And you're going to do that?"
"I could try. Maybe I could take a few others with me to help."
"No offense kid, but even if he didn't have half our numbers with him and you had help I don't think you could take Jake. Jake is the best fighter we have and he's probably only gotten better since being out there. I'm not risking anyone in a foolish assassination attempt, let alone an internal conflict. Although…no…that's not an option…" Tom says trailing off.
"What? What is it?"
"Well…if we DID go this route, and I'm not saying we are. I know a few outside folks that might be able to do it without problems. Damn, I just wish there was a less messy way of handling this."
"(Sigh) Well I hate to bring this up, but I have thought of a diplomatic solution which might be possible." You say.
"Oh?"

You explain to Tom about a potential split with Jake altogether and just letting him go his own way since he seems happier anyway. Tom isn't too fond of the idea since it no longer means gaining a cut of Jake's looting profits, but he's not outright dismissing it. In fact out of all the options, Tom still seems to think the best plan is to do nothing.

At this point, you're wondering why you're bothering.

You diplomacy

Well Zalmora was correct last time with her advice, and you have been on a roll with the whole talking thing lately. Jake would probably jump at the chance to split off from the gang at this point and make his own way.

You explain to Tom in greater detail about how this could be beneficial. Tom is still reluctant on this idea, but as Zal has mentioned several time before, Tom seems to like and trust you so he agrees to your plan.

"So, are you going to be the one to speak with Jake? Because it sure isn't going to be me. That asshole has gone completely barmy and I'm not risking my life if he's feeling a little blood thirsty." Tom says.
"Yeah, but I think I should probably have Zal with me."
"While I guess he could be more willing to listen with his fuck buddy there, but aren't YOU her fuck buddy now? Not really a secret, and far be it from me to question your taste in women, but I'm not sure if Jake is going to be exactly pleased to see you anyway, let alone if you're with his former squeeze."
"I never got the impression it was serious."
"That shit doesn't matter with Jake, you know that. He'll just be looking for an excuse to cut your throat. In fact, I think you've got the right idea sending Zal to speak with him, but I don't think you should be there at all."

Tom might have a point there. A really good point actually though he's probably got the added idea that if shit goes wrong with Jake, then Zal will just be the one who suffers.

"Yeah, I guess. What if Zal refuses though?"
"She ain't got a fucking choice. She's going and you're staying. Last time I remember, I was the boss around here and have the final say." Tom says with a bit more authority than you're used to.
"Alright, fine. I'll inform her…I have to ask though. How come you don't like Zal?"
"Because she's an underhanded manipulator."
"Why not just get rid of her then?"
"Because I don't deny her skills as a thief and she's very capable in that regard. The fact is, she wants more power, but for whatever reason she doesn't want the actual position of being the boss. I assume it's because then she'd actually have a target on her back. No, much safer to just stand in the shadows and criticize and play mini-puppeteer…sort of like what she's doing with you."
"Zal is not manipulating me."
"Oh no? You don't think that this little idea that you came up with isn't some shit she whispered in your ear? Contrary to popular belief around here, I'm not the damn fool people seem to think I am. You don't think she hasn't tried her little feminine wiles on me long before you showed up and got me out that cage? So since this is probably all her idea, SHE can be the one to do it!"

You don't think you've ever seen Tom quite so angry before, or at least extremely annoyed. Not wishing for this to get worse, you back away and leave Tom's office.

You soon meet up with Zal.

"So, how did it go with Tom?" Zalmora asks.
"He says he wants you to go talk with Jake and making a formal split about there being no hard feelings and such." You say.
"Hm. I see. And you're not going to be there at all?"
"Tom says he wants me here. Says you'd be better for the job seeing as you have a past with Jake and how he hates me."
"Well…I suppose I can see the logic in that. (Sigh) Very well, I suppose I can do it. I guess it was sort of my idea in the first place. Guess I better get that old bottle of absinium. Jake's gonna want a peace offering…and probably something else. Just hope he doesn't pass out like he always does. Ugh."
"Zal, you shouldn't have to go do this if you don't want to. Why don't I go instead or we can go together?"

Zal smiles at you and pats you on the face a couple times.

"That's sweet dear, but if you show up there by yourself, Jake's gonna kill you. If he see both of us there together, he'll probably do worse than kill you. And more importantly he could even kill me, so no you're not going. For once Tom made the right decision even if he's hoping I probably get killed in the process." Zal remarks.
"Tom said some pretty interesting things about you." You say.
"I'm sure he did and I don't care. I'm sure you can make up your own mind about me. I'm off."
"Wait, don't you need to know where Jake even is?"
"I know the general area of where he's probably located and I know Jake. He's not going to be hard to find for me. See you later maybe."

And with those last words, Zalmora takes her leave of you presumably to go gather a few more items before heading out to seek Jake.

You have some mixed feelings about all this, but really this is probably the best way to handle all this.

With that plan in motion, it's business as usual in the organization.

A week passes and there still isn't any word from Zal. No word from Jake or anyone from the Bloody Smiles either.

While it isn't certain that Zal was successful and just stayed or she was killed, what is certain is that enough time has passed that it's pretty clear that the Bloody Smiles are no longer sending anything back to the Crimson Talons. A "clean break" or not, Jake has gone his own way.

Tom doesn't seem to care about it anymore. He's not exactly happy, but he seems to have an "oh well" approach and isn't concerning himself with the situation any longer.

Almost everyone else in the organization has some thoughts on the matter and most of them aren't good.

A lot of folks are just planning to go find Jake and follow him instead, a few have just mentioned going independent. Still others have mentioned maybe it's time for new leadership within the Crimson Talons.

You're more in favor of ousting Tom. After all you've been putting most of the major effort into this organization, while Tom doesn't seem to give a shit at all and you don't see why he should be running things if that's the case.

Not to mention, he's the one that sucks, why should you leave?

It doesn't take long before you, Vaughn and a few others confront Tom in his office. He's pretty surprised.

"Um, has something come up?" Tom asks.
"Yeah, you're stepping down as head of Crimson Talons. You're no longer fit to lead." You say.
"Oh, is that right? And who is? You?"
"This organization could do worse." You answer.
"Pfft, not much worse." Tom says.
"Why are we still talking, let's just gut this old asshole and get on with it." Camid, one of the younger members shouts.
"Gut him? I thought we were just removing him from power." Vaughn remarks.
"Well how the hell did you think we were going to do that Vaughn? We can't just let this asshole walk away! That's what HE did with Jake and the rest! And that's why he's a pussy leader. We do the same thing and we're pussies too!" Camid remarks.
"Just because the man's a pussy doesn't mean we need to kill the guy."
"Oh big surprise coming from someone who takes dick like a pussy." Camid shouts.

Vaughn's temper at this point starts to rise at Camid's remark and now those two are nearly coming to blows.

While you're telling them to shut the hell up and focus, you notice that Tom is getting something out of his desk. It's probably going to be a flintlock pistol.

Wasting no time, you leap halfway across Tom's desk in an effort to stop him from pulling out a pistol. You were correct as you manage to grab his hand in the drawer and indeed see it grabbing a pistol.

"Let it fucking go!" you say.
"Fuck you!" Tom shouts, but instead of struggling for the pistol he instead grabs a sharp quill off his desk and stabs you deep in the eye with it.

You scream in agony and roll off the desk clutching you face. Despite the pain and the screaming, you manage to pull the quill out of your destroyed eyeball, which makes a sickening squishy sound. Blood leaks out on your face.

By this time however, Tom has gained complete control over the situation and everyone else who was rebelling have stopped doing whatever they were doing and stepped back.

"You fuckers think you can take over? You assholes can't even get along with each other! And you, I actually liked you kid, but I can see that I was severely wrong on that front. Y'know if you weren't happy here, you could have just left. I've never held anyone here against their will. But no you had to try this shit, well that ain't happening and now you have to pay. I'm the fucking boss around here and you're the example."

And with those last words, Tom makes you an example by shooting you in the other eye. This time the wound is fatal.