Quinn - City of Marge | Sheriff's Office
The wooden doors of the Sheriff's Office creaked loudly as Boone pushed them open. The first thing that struck me was how old the building looked. He stepped inside first; I followed closely behind. For a moment, nobody seemed to notice us.
The walls were made of dark wooden planks, some of them scratched and worn from years of use. A few dusty lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting a warm yellow glow over the room. Several wooden desks sat throughout the office, each covered with stacks of papers, ink bottles, and various documents that looked as though they hadn't been touched in years.
A large wooden counter separated the entrance from the rest of the office. Behind it were several shelves filled with files, boxes, and old books. Wanted posters were pinned across one of the walls, some so old that their edges had curled inward.
Several men in uniforms were scattered around the room, some sitting behind desks while others stood around talking.
Then one of the constables looked up, his eyes widening immediately. He looked toward another constable, then back toward us, "Wait a minute..." The constable stood so quickly that his chair nearly fell backward. "Those are the two from the bounty!"
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Several heads turned toward us, and one of the men immediately reached for the weapon hanging at his side.
"Hands where I can see them!"
Boone slowly raised both hands, "Wait, we're here to explain—"
"Don't move!"
The officer reached for his weapon, causing me to instinctively step backward. Boone immediately grabbed my arm before I could react any further.
"Quinn, don't," Boone said concernedly.
Two more policemen moved toward us, surrounding the entrance. The entire room had suddenly become tense, and I could feel my heartbeat beginning to rise.
One of the constables grabbed Boone's arm, commanding, "You're under arrest for—"
"Hold on."
A deeper voice cut through the room.
A man emerged from behind one of the desks toward the back of the office. He was older, probably somewhere in his forties, with a thick mustache running across his upper lip. His uniform was considerably more worn than those of the younger constables, and a badge was pinned firmly against his chest.
His hair was graying around the sides; despite his age, his posture remained straight.
He looked at us for several seconds before turning toward the constables.
"Let them go."
The policeman warily confirmed his superior's order, "But Sheriff, they're the—"
"I know exactly who they are," he interrupted. "Let them go."
The constable hesitated before releasing Boone's arm.
The sheriff walked toward us, his eyes moving between the two of us.
"So you're the idiots."
I raised an eyebrow.
"...Excuse me?"
He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded newspaper. He opened it, revealing the same sketch of our faces.
"I've seen these two faces about twenty times this morning.
"Now, before anyone decides to make this more complicated than it already is, I'm going to ask you two a question. Are you here to surrender yourselves?"
Boone nodded.
"Yes, Sheriff. We came here because we saw the bounty and realized that running would probably make things worse. We wanted to explain what actually happened."
I looked at him before reluctantly nodding as well.
The sheriff studied us for a moment before gesturing toward the chairs in front of his desk.
"Then sit down."
We followed him toward his desk. The constables remained nearby, still watching us carefully, but the tension in the room had begun to settle.
The Sheriff sat behind his desk while Boone and I sat across from him. He folded his hands together.
"Now tell me what happened."
***
It took a couple of minutes for our point to get across that we didn't intentionally start the fire. Boone and I recounted our steps since we set foot in Marge, leaving out the incriminating details, like our motive.
After our explanation, the Sheriff contemplated for a few seconds before raising his eyebrow, "So you admit you caused the fire."
"Yes, sir," Boone answered. "But it wasn't intentional. We weren't trying to damage anything, and we certainly weren't trying to hurt anyone. We were simply trying to earn enough money to continue our journey."
I nodded in agreement, letting Boone do the talking, "We didn't steal anything from the town either. The newspaper makes it sound like we're some kind of criminals who deliberately attacked the city."
The Sheriff remained silent for several seconds, looking down at the newspaper beside him before raising his eyes toward us.
"Clearly, the two of you are fools... but I don't think you're criminals."
I scoffed inwardly, Hmmph… the irony
The Sheriff continued.
"If you intentionally started that fire, I doubt you'd be sitting in my office explaining yourselves. You'd have more damage on your record, someone would've likely been hurt, and you'd have run the moment you realized the town knew what happened.
"I can tell when someone is deliberately trying to hide something. You two ain't hiding anything very well."
Boone looked relieved. Truthfully, neither Boone nor I had expected the Sheriff to believe us so easily. Perhaps his wisdom in age gave him a different perspective. Either way, we were both satisfied.
Boone finally relaxed, leaning back more into his chair. I clasped my sweaty hands together under the table, shooting the clear question, "So what happens now?"
The Sheriff reached toward a stack of papers on his desk and pulled one closer.
"According to the bounty, you're wanted alive. One Irid for each of you." He glanced between us. "The bounty itself isn't particularly large, mainly due to this town's small funds, but that's beside the point. I can't simply erase it because you've explained your side of the story.
"And honestly speaking, I'd rather not put you two in a cell."
Boone and my faces contorted into an expression of confusion. At our obvious puzzlement, the Sheriff explained.
"Yes. Think about what happens if I arrest you. I have to process the arrest, file the paperwork, arrange the trial, determine your sentence, and eventually deal with your release. Then, once you're out, you'll probably come right back to Marge and cause another accident.
"I could lock you up again, but then we'll do this rodeo over and over. I'm jerkin' your knot in tail. At some point, I could give ya'll the old execution treatment, but that'll take even more paperwork and permission from the big ol' bureaucracy."
The Sheriff's thick accent and oddly weird sayings made me think he was from the southern part of Elor, maybe the Crealotch. But his accent, one of the thickest I've ever heard, made me rethink that he might be from a smaller, rural town.
His concerns were clear, though. Although he didn't mention it, I can assume the only reason he isn't exiling us from Marge is that it also requires authority from the World Council, or as he says, the bureaucracy.
The Sheriff says he doesn't want to give us the execution sentence because of the long chain of command he has to request, but I'll also bet he doesn't want our blood on his hands. After all, this wise Sheriff most likely has kids, or even grandkids of his own.
After a brief pause, he offered a solution:
"You pay it."
Boone looked confused before speaking, "That's it? Really?"
"That's it. One Irid for each of ya'll. Once the bounty is paid, it's considered settled, and you're scot-free."
As wonderful a solution as this is, there was one problem. Boone's silence gave me a chance to speak up: "And if we don't have the money?"
The Sheriff sighed, staring at us blankly, "Then we're gonna have a problem."
"W-we can earn it. Anywhere there is work, we'll do it, an-and pay it off..." Boone immediately leaned forward.
The Sheriff clicked his tongue, appearing semi-satisfied with Boone's solution. After another second, he dropped a bomb on us, "Well, you sure as hell ain't gonna find work in Marge anymore, not for the time being."
Despite the City of Marge being a comparably small town, not as small as other towns, it definitely had work to do. My forehead tensed up.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you folk are not taking another job inside this city until that bounty is paid."
Boone leaned forward, his hands instinctively clutching his thighs. He immediately questioned why he and I couldn't take any more jobs around.
"Because the last time you two found work, you nearly turned half the city into charcoal.
"The bounty stays active until it's paid," he continued. "That means anyone who recognizes you can attempt to collect it. Bounty hunters, constables, travelers, whoever happens to see your faces and decides one Irid is worth their trouble."
As much as Boone and I were upset with this, we saw it coming. If the Sheriff were to take the bounty down, he'd most likely have to go through another level of the chain of command and explain his mistake, which is a lot of work for a two-Irid mistake.
Sensing our dullness, he rubbed his temples as he spoke up:
"You know, this is a spectacular deal for you? But fine, if you can't pay it off, then simply leave my damn town. In fact, I'd prefer it. The further away you two are from my city, the better."
Boone gave me a quick glance, so I spoke for the two of us: "Not an option. We don't even have enough rations or supplies to reach the nearest town. Hmm, unless..."
"Not happening." The Sheriff immediately shut me down before I could even ask for supplies.
It would make sense for the Sheriff to provide the minimum supplies necessary for a voyage to another town; however, that would mean he would be aiding active criminals in the eyes of the public.
Boone cut back into the conversation after a brief moment of disbelief at my stupidity, "It's fine, we'll find work on the outskirts of Marge and pay off our bounty. After that, we'll earn our own supplies and leave Marge as soon as possible."
The Sheriff gave us a nod of encouragement before pointing to the door. As Boone and I stood up, I asked another question with a skeptical look, "Your constables aren't going to arrest us after we walk out those doors, right?"
The Sheriff gave an exasperated chuckle, "As I said, the bounty is still active, and anyone can claim it." He paused before continuing again, "That being said, we'll let you walk out those doors freely. If any of us officers catch you later, it's really game over.
"I apologize, mates, but we'd be breaking the law if we turned a blind eye to y'all in public. Giving you two this chance is already touching the line."
Boone nodded strongly, and I followed. The Sheriff gave us one final look.
"Then get out of my office and go earn your two Irids."