Shrug. "Who knows. It probably didn't matter, to him. He still gave someone them and then they were used to kill his family."

And here's their coffees.

"Why did he give the guns away like that?"

"He used to say it was the great equaliser. The robbers could do what they wanted because the situation wasn't equal; give the people as much power as the robbers had and then it would work out."

"...and then he was confronted with the fact that everyone being equally capable of killing each other still means people die."

"Mmhm."

"Well that's absolutely tragic."

"That's a day on this wretched planet of ours."

"It doesn't have to be."

"You're very idealistic."

"...yeah I get that kind of a lot."

"I'd say that'll get you killed someday but mother's talked a lot about your gun. You've been around, haven't you? Either you're not that idealistic when push comes to shove or you're so badass that you can just be that idealistic and not die."

"Maybe I'm just a coward who runs from danger the moment it shows up."

Snort. "You're not. How are you liking your coffee?"

"Oh it's very nice. You got my number."

"That I do."

"A separate thing I was curious about is, well... Mearii seemed pretty down on the bank."

"...yeah. That. Is complicated."

"It sounds it."

"Warrens City has always been a trading outpost. It's a lot easier for people coming here and back to just sell their goods, buy their goods, then go back where they came from. If someone coming from Crane's End doesn't have to go all the way to Inepril to sell their raw metals and buy their manufactured goods then that's just a lot easier and cheaper for all involved."

"And the bank came after? Mearii says that the city was doing fine without them."

"Yeah. Banks are necessary for credit chits to be reliable, and carrying cash is very dangerous for the kinds of trading caravans that visit. Makes them a prime target."

"Sounds like a positive for all involved, but it's not?"

"Crime will go for the weakest targets. Before, that was caravans on the road; now that they don't carry any money and their chits are useless the city itself is where you go if you want to steal the money."

"So, more crime here even as everyone gets richer and the city grows."

"We didn't use to have a sheriff, before. Now we do."