In the Belly of the Beast

[Tida]

Griffon Headquarters, December 17th, mid - day

Tida was starting to have second thoughts about coming here.

At first, he was looking forward to meeting with an official of the griffon government of Manehatten, since he wanted to discuss a few things with them, the main one being the acquisition of a plot of land in the outskirts of Manehatten.  He completed the required paperwork, and he managed to save around 800 bits from working at the work camps in the outskirts, as well as performing other odd jobs around Manehatten.  He was becoming increasingly nervous as the day of his appointment with an official of the griffon government came closer, as he knew that he could not afford to screw it up as he had to acquire land.

On the day of the meeting, he packed his paperwork and his bits in his saddlebags, and he took his instrument that was inside a bag with him.  He departed from the Eastern Residential district, making sure that he left early enough so that he would arrive at the headquarters 30 minutes before his scheduled meeting time.  He spotted the headquarters in the distance, and he was starting to feel light - headed as he approached it.  The headquarters, with its barbed - wire fence, sentry posts manned by griffon soldiers, and concrete structure giving the entire facility a feeling of despair.  Even the weather didn't help to dispel that feeling as it only increased it; he felt as if he was walking towards his demise.

Making his way past the checkpoints to the inside of the facility, he had to be helped to a waiting room by one of the headquarter's personnel, since Tida was starting to have flashbacks during the time of the war in Neighpon, and all of the bad things associated with it.  Because of this, he felt like the weight of Canterlot was on his back, which made it harder and harder to walk forward.  The griffon who was escorting him was getting angry at him, telling him to hurry up and shoving him to the waiting room.  After being forcibly put on a chair, the griffon shot him a death glare and told him that if he did anything funny, he would be killed.  Tida tried to calm himself down, breathing in and out as he waited for his meeting with the official.

[Johan Tercel]

Adolphus was not having a good day. As the griffon in charge of allocating land to potential buyers, you would think his job would be pleasant. But oh no, of course not, that would be simple. Already he had a donkey, a displaced Minotaur, and a "Noble from the Kingdoms" come to demand he give them land without them paying a single bit or gold piece. Ridiculous. 

Adjusting the collar of his fine clothes, the fat griffon gave a belch and wiped his beak. According to the guard that had been on duty, a "customer" was here to see him, interested in actually buying a parcel of land. Giving a grim smile, the bureaucrat nodded at the current guard to bring the citizen in.

~~~~~

A large, scarred griffon approached Tida, and gave a small cough to grab his attention. "'Scuse me, but Sir Adolphus will be seeing you now. Bring yer things and don't be tardy."

[Tida]

Tida continued to breathe in and out in an effort to calm himself down when he heard a small cough, alerting him to the presence of a large, scarred griffon.  Upon hearing that an official was ready to see him, Tida nervously nodded and gathered his things.  "W-W-Where is Sir Adolphus' o-office?"

[Syron]

((Taking over the NPCs))

The griffon gave an annoyed huff and motioned the pony to follow him. The way to the office wasn't long, but still they passed several guards, some ignoring Tida, inequally more giving him disdainful or in one case even hateful looks. But they all let them pass without a bother.

Once they were at the door, the griffon knocked and waited a moment for a reply before opening the door and motioning Tida insight. He stayed outside and closed the door after the pony.

Inside, Tida didn't have any chance to say anything before he was already addressed. "I'm Sir Adophus. I've been informed you want to acquire some Land?", said the griffon behind the heavy desk, glancing at this 'customer' appraisingly. This obviously wasn't somebody with a bloated ego who thought himself above the rest, he was too nervous. This one might actually be intending to buy, not to simply demand land. The prospect did something to lighten Adophus' mood a bit, but he was still weary. Ponies usually didn't have all that much money, many of them having lost what they once had, and this one didn't exactly scream "I'm rich" either.

[Tida]

Being addressed by Sir Adophus, Tida gave him a deep bow of his head.  Rising slowly and taking a deep breath, Tida looked at Sir Adophus.  "Yes Sir Adophus, I would like to purchase some land."  Tida thought before continuing "I would like to discuss with you how I can possibly acquire land in or around Manehatten, how much it would cost, as well as anything else that I would need to do in order to acquire land" Tida said as he gave another deep bow to Sir Adophus.

[Syron]

Nervous... and respectful. Much more pleasant than many other equines. It was about time they accepted their defeat, and at least this one didn't seem intent to oppose the Kingdoms. And he really intended to actually purchase! Maybe this day wasn't so bad after all.

"I see. Please, take a seat", Adophus said with a polite nod. He opened a drawer in his desk and searched through some paper stacks inside while talking. "Now then, how much Land do you want to purchase, and for which purpose, Mister..." He looked up from his search at Tida. "I will also need your name."

[Tida]

Tida bowed deeply again, and took a seat on a chair in the office.  Alright, doing well so far... let's just hope that the bits that I brought is enough to purchase some land, or that he will be willing to negotiate a lower price if it isn't enough he thought.  He kept a very calm but respectful demeanor while answering Sir Adophus' questions, though he was still nervous in his presence, albeit only slightly now.

"I would like to purchase enough land to build a decent - sized house on it, with enough land around it to plant trees and such.  I'm trying to start a farm, so I would need land to help with that."  When asked for his name, Tida replied "My name is Tida" giving Sir Adophus another bow of the head.

[Syron]

((Why the heck did I read "Adophus" the whole time when it's actually "Adolphus"? Well, anyway, "Adophus" sounds funny, I'm gonna stick with it.))

"A farm, certainly useful", Adophus acknowledged and finally found the form he was looking for. He placed it down on the desk and jotted down the first few details. "Do you have any farming experience? Also, how much money are you planning to invest in land?"

[Tida]

Tida nodded "Yes, I have farming experience as I helped my family with the farming work that they had to do.  At the current moment, I have 800 bits to invest into land, though if more is required I'm willing to invest however much it takes to acquire a piece of land."  He hoped that the 800 bits was enough.

[Syron]

Adophus frowned when he heard the sum. At first this had been looking good, but it all was a joke. "That's not enough. Not for a farm, anyway. You'll need more than a small uneven piece of rocky ground", he grumbled, his bad mood from earlier returning. He leaned back in his chair and mustered Tida. "Where are you coming from that you think 800 bit can actually buy you a noteworthy amount of farm land?"

[Tida]

Tida wasn't really surprised that 800 bits wasn't enough.  He also wasn't surprised at the reaction that Adophus gave when he mentioned the amount that he had.  Tida gave a bow to Adophus "I'm sorry... I had no idea that land was that expensive" he said very sincerely, as he really had no idea that land was that expensive "but I thought that since many pieces of land have been abandoned, the land would be cheaper as it's not producing anything.  I would also think that the war would lower the quality of the land due to bombings and burnings, which is why I thought that land, especially in the outskirts of Manehatten would be around that price range.  Again, I'm sorry for not knowing"  Tida said as he gave another bow of his head.

"How much would I need to invest for a piece of land to start a farm on?" Tida asked curiously "like I said before, I'm willing to invest as much bits as it takes to acquire a piece of land suitable enough to start a farm on" he said with determination in his eyes.

[Syron]

"You're right that we have too much unused land. But I can't give it away for nothing", Adophus said. "About ten times the money you have now would be a good start, but I imagine you'll have a hard time earning that much. Which means do you have to make money?"

[Tida]

Tida nodded and looked at the floor, slightly crestfallen at Adophus' mention of the minimal amount that would be needed to invest in the size of land that would be necessary to start. "Yes... making that much would be difficult, as my primary means to make money currently is mainly through working at the work camps."  Looking back to Adophus with a determined look, Tida added "they don't pay much, but I'll keep working until I have the funds to make the purchase."

[Syron]

"Not this way. I'm surprised you've managed to save 800 without starving yourself with a payment", Adophus snorted, and looked at Tida thoughtfully. For a pony, he seemed like a pleasant fellow, and he most definitely seemed honest. It was a virtue Adophus highly appreciated, and he didn't feel like sending Tida away with nothing. Especially not if there was a good deal for the city to be made. "I'll make you an offer that I think will be to the advantage of all involved", he eventually said. "After all, Manehatten needs farmers, and you need a way to get a farm. I'll give you the land you need, but not as your property. You can earn it by farming. Let's say... sixty percent of your harvest each year go to the city for free, until the debt is paid. Then the land is yours. What do you think."

[Tida]

Tida mentally jumped for joy when he heard that Adophus would be letting him use land for him to farm on.  There was the whole thing about 60% of what he produced had to go to the city, but he didn't care about that, since the majority of what he would produce would go to the city for free anyway.  He would need to get the specifics of Adophus' deal, since he wanted to make absolutely sure that it was clear to him, so that there would be no problems later on.

Calmly getting off of the chair, Tida gave a very deep bow to Adophus, with his face almost touching the floor "I accept the offer.  Thank you for allowing me to work the land, as I will be sure to make the necessary yearly payments.  Speaking of which..."  Tida looked back up to Adophus, continuing to keep a calm demeanor as he continued "I would like to know the specifics, such as who I make the payment to, or where, and around how much debt I will pay off when I make a yearly payment, as well as if there is any paperwork that I need to do.  I would like to make sure that everything is extremely clear so that there will be no trouble later on.  Also, would you want me to give you the 800 bits to start paying off the debt?"

[Syron]

"I think I've never seen a pony bow that much before. As if I was one of your princesses", Adophus chuckled. "Anyway, to your questions. The harvest will be collected like everyone else's. Only the payment will be smaller. As for how much you'll have to pay off and the paperwork, maybe we should decide on some land first." The griffon stood up and approached a cupboard to his right. The cubboard, as well as the desk, were simple, but heavy and well made, from wood from the northern kingdoms as a trained eye would recognize. Otherwise, the office's walls only featured some paintings of different griffons, but all with the same family emblem. Overall, Adophus found that this room described him quite well. He had no need for showing off like many sons of rich and noble families, who's behavior often was disgrace more than anything else. They complained that the ponies didn't treat them with the respect they deserved (if they ever bothered to actually meet the people they had concquered), but Adophus often thought that they actually didn't deserve any better. They were the victors, but that didn't mean that the losers were to be treated with disrespect.

He took a large scroll out of the cupboard and unrolled it on the desk. It showed a map of Manehatten and, more importantly, the land around the city itself. It showed ground level, forests, and most importantly some basic information about ground type. The areas outside Manehatten were divided into parcels, each with a small code written in one corner, and Adophus immediately pointed some of them out, a little distance away from the city where the rocky ground was replaced by more useful soil. "Manehatten sits on a huge rock, so you'll have to walk a bit into the city, unless you want to try rock farming", he explained. "To the south the soil seems to be best for most crops, but that also means that more land has already been claimed, and the rest is more expensive. North and east are cheaper, and the farms there seem to do well enough. But if you're still alone you might want to keep the amound of land you need to work small, so the south might not be a bad choice." Adolphus pointed out two specific parcels, one to the south, and the other, about one half larger, to the east. "Those would be my suggestions. I can offer you one of them for 12.000, plus ten percent interest for the loan."

[Tida]

Tida made his was to Adophus' desk to take a look at the plots of land that he was pointing out that was available for use.  The land to the south would probably be the best, since it has the best soil, but the one in the east would be good too, since it's closer to Serene and the Harmony Foundation, though... Tida thought.  After a few moments of thinking, he made his decision.  "I would like to use the piece of land to the south, as the soil would be good for growing crops" Tida nodded at Adophus' suggestion.  "With the selection of the land done, as well as the amount decided, what else do I need to know or do?"

[Syron]

"There'd be one more thing", Adophus said as he rolled up the map and put it back onto the cupboard. "No, actually two. To answer your earlier question, the 800 bit will make a sufficient deposit. I hope you have set aside enough for construction and the time until harvest. Secondly, I need to know which kind of crops you are planning to grow." While he was talking, the griffon had already returned to the form and began filling out more of it.

[Tida]

Tida mentally facehoofed I should have really been looking more into construction of a simple house and the acquisition of seeds before I came here, but at least I will probably get some land to start.  Trying to keep a calm demeanor, Tida thought for a while before answering.  "I'm planning to grow apples and vegetables such as tomatoes, turnips, and Cabbage among others, though I don't know if those seeds are available... but I will make this work" Tida said, determined.

Tida reached into his saddlebags and pulled out the bag of 800 bits, and put it down gently on Adophus' desk "Could you make sure that there is indeed 800 bits in there?  I don't mind waiting to make sure there is the amount that I have said, even though I've double and triple checked beforehand that there are 800 bits in there.  I wouldn't want to be giving you less than I've said" as Tida backed away from the desk slightly, waiting for Adophus to be satisfied.

[Syron]

"Apple seeds are available, and there should be enough vegetable seeds around to feed you until the trees are grown", the griffon commented while putting the finishing touches to the paper. "Still, it's risky to make such a long term investment directly at the beginning." However, he didn't push the topic; it was for Tida to decide how he used the opportunity he was given.

Once the form was completely filled, Adophus took the bag and placed it on a weighing scale standing on the desk. After fiddling around with the counter weights for a moment, it was in balance, and the griffon nodded. "Definitely weights enough." He then turned the paper so that Tida could read it (basically all the questions Adophus had asked with Tida's answers, as well as information about the parcel and payment method), and held out his quill. "Please sign at the bottom, and the deal is done."

[Tida]

Nodding, Tida took the quill that Adophus held up to him, and used it to sign at the bottom, sealing the deal.  He was glad that he didn't send him out of his office without a second thought, but listened to him and even gave him a chance to use any land at all.  If only more ponies and griffons took the time to listen to each other, the state of Manehatten would probably be better than what it is now Tida thought.  He put the quill back on the desk.

[Syron]

"Well then, congratulations to your new future farm", Adophus said with a polite nod and took the paper back. "I'll just need a minute to write up your certificate." The griffon lit a red candle, then took another paper out of the desk's drawer, and began writing. Once he was done he took a seal stamp and used the candle's liquid wax on both documents. He gave the second document to Tida.

"This identifies you as caretaker of the parcel. Don't lose it, and if you do, come to me as quickly as possible. Best you lock it up somewhere until you need it", he instructed the stallion. "That's it. I'll get you a guide to the parcel so that you know what piece of land is yours", he continued as he rounded the desk and opened the office door. After a few words with a guard nearby he turned back to Tida. He'll be in the waiting room in a few minutes." He smiled and held out a talon. "It's been a pleasure making business with you, Mister Tida."

[Tida]

Tida took the document that Adophus gave to him and put it away in his saddlebags.  This document was pretty much his reason for coming to the Griffon headquarters, so he wanted to make absolutely sure that he doesn't lose it.  He also took note on what to do if he were to ever lose it, something that he hope would never happen.  Seeing Adophus' outstretched talon, Tida reached out with a hoof and shook his talon, smiling warmly and bowing as he was doing so.  "It has been been a pleasure, Sir Adophus.  Thank you again for allowing me to use land to farm, as well as giving me a chance to own it.  I hope that we can conduct more business in the future."

Making his way to the door, Tida stopped before he exited.  He remembered a few more questions that he wanted to ask Adophus.  Turning back towards him, Tida started to ask his questions.  "If you don't mind, I have a few more questions that I want to ask.  The first question is if I manage to grow extra vegetables while waiting for the apple seeds to grow into trees, would it be possible to use that as a part of my payment?  I know that it would be desired that the payment is collected all at one time, but I unfortunately don't have a way to preserve produce for long periods of time, and I don't want it to go to waste."

"The second question that I have is would I need to talk to the griffon government about the approval of building structures in or around Manehatten?  If the griffon government doesn't work with the approval of new structures, who would I need to talk to?"

[Syron]

"All your crops will be considered", Adophus said. "60% of what you have each year will go to Manehatten, regardless of what it is. If you wish to give more than 60%, either to pay off your debt more quickly or to get money into your purse, you can do so. I only need to know if you want the money or a reduction of the debt for everything that goes over the 60%. And collection is after every harvest, no sense in storing food over several years only to pay all at once."

"As for construction, once you have the plans for a building you'll need to get approval from Cornelius, directly next to my office. It's mainly to make sure that you're actually building a farm, and nothing else, you should have little trouble with it. Though..." He gave apologetic smile. "To be honest, he can be a stickler for details, especially towards ponies I regret to say. But as long as you're not trying to hide something in your construction plans, he'll have to let you proceed."

"Anything else I can help you with?"

[Tida]

Tida rested his muzzle on his forehoof in thought.  A moment later, he remembered something else that he asked, but didn't receive an answer to.  Tida nodded "Yes, there is something else that I wanted to know.  For the collection of the harvest, who specifically collects it?  Also, would I have to let them know that I would like to make a payment?"

[Syron]

"I can't say for sure who will oversee the collection on-site, not yet at least. Usually it's a couple of guards. And they won't know anything about your debts, they'll only know that they'll have to get at least 60% of your harvest. Otherwise they'll also note how much they got from you and any payment will be usually delivered a few days afterwards. If you already know if you want to use the surplus for, extra bits or repayment, you can tell me right away and I'll make sure that it's handled accordingly."

[Tida]

Tida nodded, and thought about what he wanted to do.  "Instead of 60% of the crops that I grow being used as repayment, I would like to increase that amount to 85%."  Giving Adophus a bow of his head, Tida made his way to the door.

Turning around to face Adophus before he left the room, Tida smiled warmly.  "Thank you for all of the help that you've provided.  I greatly appreciate that you took time to meet with me and listen.  Please excuse me as I have to get the guide to the parcel of land" Tida said as he gave Adophus a final, deep bow before he exited the room and made his way back to the waiting room.

[Syron]

"Farewell, and good luck with your farm. I hope you get everything running before spring", Adophus said, before closing the door and getting back to his desk. He pulled out more papers and finished the paperwork. He certainly didn't want to be the reason that Tida got into trouble because some document was missing.

-------------

Characters: Tida, Sir Adophus (NPC, Land Steward of Manehatten)

Summary: Tida goes to the Griffon Headquarters to buy some land for a farm, but finds that he has greatly underestimated the price. Adophus however offers the possibility to get the land on a loan, to be payed off with most of the harvest for several years. Tida gladly accepts.

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