Breach of Contract

Theo and Cooker were exhausted by the end of the aftermorning. After securing a job they went about the second half of their business in Niveal, checking up on the establishments under Theo's care. Xyra was the one that usually came but Cooker was known to tag along from time to time. They made quick work of most of the brothels and other places that employed a large number of women. Theo acted as their protector of sorts, ensuring that owners and employers were paying fair wages, ensuring good working conditions, and putting rules in place for the safety of the women. It was not always easy to get the owners to cooperate but somehow in Niveal they always had an easy time. Problem was, most of the establishments on Stumbler's Row fell under Theo's protection. While the check-ins were easy and friendly, the number of businesses made it tedious and strenuous work.

They had an easy time, no problems. They had visited every single business that was under their jurisdiction except for one. They were greeted with friendly conversation and gifts from both employers and employees. The only one they had left, Wolf's Corner, was left last for a reason. Wolf, the owner, was a scumbag of the highest degree. He was difficult, rude, insubordinate, and nasty. Theo had half a mind to throw him into the bay with ten bricks tied to his legs every time they finished interacting with him. She wasn't a tyrant though and for the most part, Wolf followed the rules. She could not kill someone solely because they annoyed her.

Upon walking in, Theo found the nearest employee and stopped them, "Good aftermorning, I am here to see Wolf. He's expecting me."

"Captain Theo?" the woman asked and Theo nodded. Her eyes a little wide, having never met the pirate legend before, "Aye, Master Wolf had to head out. He told me to let you know he will be back shortly."

Theo thanked the girl then turned back to Cooker and rolled her eyes, "Fucker is going to make us wait."

"Wouldn't be anything new," Cooker grumbled and led them to go find a seat.

Wolf tended to disappear anytime they would come around. Theo had been in Niveal for four suns and every owner under Theo knew she came around on the fourth sun to check-up on everything. Wolf would make them wait for hours. Theo couldn't explain why. Perhaps he wanted to make them wait just to inconvenience her. Maybe he thought if he made them wait long enough they would leave. It never worked, they always stayed but he just kept doing it. Wolf was amicable compared to some of the other nightmares she had to deal with.

Wolf always ended up screwing himself over by making them wait. Without his threatening presence in the room, it was a lot easier to get the girls to talk. When he was out and it was only his second hand that was around, it was easier to take the girls away for a talk. Like the employers, the employees at these establishments also knew on the fourth sun of The Captain's stay on Niveal was the time to air out their grievances. Theo, Cooker, and Xyra had been doing these check-ins for so long that they had a system of being able to distract whoever they needed and pull who they wanted to speak to. With Wolf gone and his secondhand always holed up in a room with women, they didn't even need to sneak anyone away.

"We'll be here a while," Theo said, "I'm going to grab a drink at the bar and talk to some people. Go do the same."

Cooker walked to the staircase, going to interview some of the women that lived upstairs. Theo ordered a mug of ale and then began to walk around the room. She said hi to various of the girls she recognized and spoke with them a little. What she was hearing was not promising and she called all the girls that weren't working to join her at a large seating area. She sat back and began to ask questions. Theo was growing increasingly more angry at hearing what Wolf had been doing.

Wolf had a fucked up power thing and when Theo first came to know this place he had the girls call him Master. That was the first thing Theo made him change, she made it clear that the women were not his property but Wolf was at it again. He was paying the women the agreed-upon nightly right but was not honoring the paid night off the women got. He also wasn't honoring the agreed-upon limit of clients a woman could see in a night. He was being verbally abusive and overall breaking every code they had put in place for the safety of the women. Wolf had broken one or two rules in the past and it was always annoying to try and get him to fix it but it was never so many at once. His escalation was worrying and Theo did not have a good feeling about it.

Cooker came back with a scowl on her face and a pouch in her hand, "Found a fuckload of this in a locked closet upstairs.

She tossed it on the table and Theo leaned forward to swipe it up. She peeked inside and drew in a sharp breath, shocked at the sight. Theo was seething with anger, she stood up and tossed the bag back on the table.

"So, which one of you was going to tell me about this," Theo said, calmly not showing the women how angry she was. They stayed silent, none of them even daring to look up at Theo, "Has he been offering you ugali before your shifts?"

None of the women answered. Theo closed her eyes and tried not to pull out her expected Captain Theo thunder. She always tried her hardest to stay calm, collected, and nonthreatening with the women. They went through enough shit and they were always spared from witnessing Theo's anger and wrath, the stuff of stories and legends. She wanted to be gentle but she needed answers before Wolf came back.

"Everyone out!" Theo yelled to the room at large, "My colleague will give you gold for your troubles and reimburse you for whatever you spent on your time with the women."

Cooker took the coin purse from Theo's waist and made her way to the door, handing out the compensation Theo promised with no grumbles to be heard. One gold was more than a fair trade when the patrons could just walk ten feet to the next establishment that was just the same. When the patrons in the main room had left, Cooker made her rounds to each of the rooms found in the building, knocking and kicking the men out. Theo stood in the middle of the group of women the whole time, nodding at each of the women that exited a room and came to join them.

Theo cleared her throat once all the women were gathered and looked around at all of them, "I will not hurt you. I will not tell Wolf who it is that says anything. I know some of the old girls know that but I'm letting the new girls know if something is wrong to come forward. It is the only way I can do something about it. You help him sweep something under the rug, it will only make him stronger."

She was trying to reason with them. She wondered how much had changed and what nightmares the women had to endure since the last time she had been there. They look terrified like if someone spoke then Wolf himself would appear from thin air. The other rules that had been broken were major but had fewer repercussions. Theo had made it clear with every single business owner that's establishment was under her protection that there would be no drugging their employees. No matter the line of work, no matter the type of drug; the employers were to never give or encourage the use of substances. In brothels, it was commonplace for the owner to provide women with mild to heavy sedative drugs, usually highly addictive substances. It created a dependency between the employee and the employer. The drugs were far too expensive for average workers to afford for regular use so their employers would become their supplier.

It led to a myriad of problems. The physical and mental repercussions of being drugged before having sex were profound and that was only the surface of the consequences it had. These women would not only grow dependent on the drug and their boss but they would also begin to fear speaking up in fear of retaliation. Retaliation being withholding the supply of drugs.

It kept them from speaking up, kept them from being present and able to consent, it kept them from leaving. Out of all the despicable practices Theo tried to stop, drugs in the workplace was her main priority. As a user of recreational substances herself, Theo did not care for what the women took part in during their free time but this was different. This was manipulation, something only evil people did.

"Girls," Theo sat back down to be on their level, "This is strong stuff. It clouds judgments and is easy to get hooked on. I need to know if he is giving you this or if it was just in a random closet. I need to know if he is blameless here."

She was practically pleading with them. Wolf could be back at any minute and the girls would be in trouble if he walked in to see this. Theo needed proof before he came back. There were many familiar faces, girls Theo had worked with for lengths, she didn't understand why they weren't speaking. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, frustrated at their lack of cooperation. Theo observed them, most of them looking away or fidgeting with their clothes. She could threaten them, she could say she was going to throw away the stash but she didn't want to operate that way.

"I know you are all scared," she tried again, "I know that what he's been giving you is really strong. It's really easy to get hooked on. If any of you right now are feeling numb, like you're drowning, like you want to stop but you can't then please, tell me the truth. I can get you help and keep you safe from him."

Theo's words seemed to begin to speak to some of them. Some of them were in deep, she could tell by the sunken look in their eyes that the ugali had dug in its claws. One of the girls who was curled in on herself began to cry and Theo's heart hurt for her

"He gives us some before we start and after if we've met his quota," the girl said in a whisper, afraid that any louder and she'd be heard by Wolf.

Once the silence was broken the women let the details flow. At first, he didn't offer it to all of them, just the ones that had been getting lower numbers. He told them it would help them on days they weren't feeling up to working. Once they were hooked it became a motivator for them. Theo tried to stay reactionless but she was sick to her stomach. It was something she had seen countless times but never in a brothel under her protection. She had failed these women. Why hadn't any of them written to her or spoken about it with her? Had Wolf managed to manipulate them all into addiction?

The confirmation that Wolf giving ugali to the girls was all she needed. Wolf had broken the one rule he couldn't. When businesses came under Theo's jurisdiction it was for one of two reasons: protection for the employers or protection for the employee. The former was a more amicable agreement. Theo would offer protection to a business in exchange for certain favors. A bookstore that had been consistently harassed by the local gang would come under Theo's protection and in return, Theo would get a discount on their books. Or a winery at risk of being looted offered the crew first pick of the batch before shipping it out. Theo's name and the Scorned Woman carried a lot of weight in Baethos and a business simply having Theo's name attached was usually enough to keep people away.

The second relationship she had with the establishments under her was for the protection of the employee and was far less amicable. Theo would swoop in and rather threateningly force the owner into a legally binding contract. The contract stated a list of rules that the owner would agree to abide by or face consequences. There, of course, were perks to being in partnership with Theo, increase in business was one of them. Theo and her crew being constantly vocal about the unacceptable situation in brothels had turned a few heads in the lengths they had been sailing. The culture around brothels and the sex industry was changing and it was thanks to their efforts. Now, patrons wanted to know that the women they were hiring were being taken care of. It was to justify the morality of it, so the clients could have peace of mind. Theo would take it, whatever the reason. It was now common that brothel owners requested Theo come in and partner with them, the stamp of approval from Theo was worth that restriction, in a business sense.

Of the consequences mentioned in the contracts, the most severe and only one explicitly laid out in the was the loss of an owner's business in the case they were using drugs to coerce or manipulate employees. No one had broken that rule before and now Theo had to figure out what the fuck to do. If she got the ball rolling before Wolf came back then the momentum would be hard to stop.

"I need you all to go up to your rooms and lock the doors. Do not come out until either Cooker or I come and get you," Theo said and watched as the women scrambled upstairs, "Cook, I'm going to need you to go raid his office and find the contract. I've gotta go get someone to handle the legal stuff."

Cooker didn't even verbally confirm she understood her instructions before she rushed to where the office was. Theo was going to have to run to another establishment and hope there was a lawyer there. Theo knew it was airtight and with only two witnesses and a lawyer present to sign, the business could be turned over to whoever Theo wanted. But she had to find a lawyer. Theo ran like her life depended on it. She hopped from place to place, yelling through the crowded bars for a lawyer. After four tries, she finally found one, and with a promise to pay him 10 gold they were on their way. Wolf had not returned yet and Theo was thankful for once that the man was hard-headed and intent on making a point. The longer he made Theo wait, the worse it would be for him.

Theo returned with the lawyer and went into the office. Wolf's second hand was sitting in a chair and Cooker was sitting on the desk in front of him, pointing her dagger at him.

"Found this one lurking around in his room, too scared to come out," Cooker chuckled and leaned forward pressing the dagger into his neck, "Thought it would be fun having him watch us sign away a business that was soon to be his. Have we got the law on our side captain?"

"Aye, cost me 10 fucking gold. Told him it would just be a minute and the greedy fucker wouldn't budge from that price," Theo explained as if he wasn't in the room, "Alright sir, Cooker here will show you what paperwork to review and I will bring down a witness to testify that there has been a violation of the contract and also to view the signing. I'm sure you'll find the paperwork is orderly."

Theo walked out of the room and walked upstairs. There were a few rooms where all the women slept and Theo knocked on the one she knew belonged to the lady of the house. The one in charge of looking after the women, their problems, finances, and day to day administration. The door opened and Theo walked in. There were three other girls in the room and Theo cleared her throat fixing the lady with a look.

"Girls, leave," the woman said, "Go into Poks' room."

The girls hurried out and to where they were instructed and Theo closed the door behind them. Theo walked towards the lady of the house and put her hands behind her back.

"Bea, I have known you for a while so I expect you to answer these next questions honestly," Theo said, taking a step closer to the woman, "Have you been taking ugali?"

Bea shook her head no.

"So you have been sitting on the sidelines? Clear-headed while the girls you are supposed to care for are being run into the ground. While he drugged them so they could work more, you were sober and witnessing it? You did nothing."

"What was I supposed to do? You know him. He would strangle me if I tried to stand up to him," Bea tried to defend herself.

"That is my whole job. To stand up to him for you. You should have written," Theo insisted and Bea lowered her head.

"I know! I'm sorry. I thought maybe it was better for them. Thought it would be easier if they were a little out of it with clients. Less to remember and regret at night," Bea reasoned.

"That was not your choice to make. You've fucked them over, Bea. The road to recovery is fucking brutal and some might not ever bounce back from this. You were supposed to protect them and you didn't," Theo said harshly. She knew it was a lot to put on Bea but it was a responsibility she promised to uphold. Not doing so proved costly and Bea needed to know that.

"Don't judge me! It was hard for me too. I never wanted this responsibility," Bea began to cry, tears running down her cheek and Theo grew infuriated with the girl.

"You begged for it! You campaigned for this spot, Bea! Don't sit there and lie to me and think I've forgotten you edged out someone who had been here for a classification!" Theo yelled, raising her voice for the first time that day. Bea said nothing in return she just fell to the ground and sobbed into her hands. Theo did not soften instead she began to walk out, "Once you compose yourself you are going to go to the office and act as a witness to Wolf's actions. As the lady of the house and one of the only sober ones here, you are the most credible. It's the least you can do to repay them."

Theo walked out without as much as a glance in Bea's direction. Once the door was shut and she was alone in the hallway she took a second. Her fists were clenched and her jaw was tight, she needed to relax but couldn't. She had never spoken to any of the women in that way before. She had never pointed blame and sure as fuck never made any of them cry. She felt guilty for a second then she remembered the circumstances. If there was one thing Theo couldn't stand it was a liar. There was something deeper going on between Bea, Wolf, and the girls. She was getting something out of the arrangement, Bea's profits were upped or something of the sort.

Theo couldn't care to find out. Wolf was out and Bea was sure to lose whatever power she once had. Theo hadn't even taken a second to think through what was about to happen. She had never had to take someone's business away before, she had never been pushed that far. They had prepared for the moment that an owner did defect and she was glad they had. Theo wouldn't have even known where to begin with the process if they hadn't. She thought about how lucky she was to have competent people by her side and found her way back to the office. They sat waiting for Bea as the lawyer flipped through the contract.