Intuitive response my good sir. Amen begins to applaud before noticing this gentleman has dropped dead. Shuddering from the thought of having congratulated a corpse, he continues. It is necessary to bond and even in the process vet your new recruits. Any new leaders certainly listen intently through these comments. Though far too many of the legendary recipients on this particular street corner have passed. May their souls rest and their descendants have a glorious inheritance.  Upon completing his speech, Amen returns to the streets. In search of yet another conversation to protrude into.

Well in this new landscape we now see this is a topical subject. With free cities needing to prove themselves and kin still grieving or angry it leaves an interesting gap for both people seeking a family and those looking to actively recruit too.

The terrain seems a little uncertain: the streets have yet to become a 'name and shame' place of being but I am sensing a move in that direction - those that behave in a professional way need not loose sleep, others might be currently turning to the bottle for solace.

I don't judge any new face - having said that a person with half a brain can usually get a measure of someone over a coffee and a chat as part of recruiting. Really good communication makes it irrelevant if the person who might join your family is new / old / salty etc...all aspects of those things can be utilised for good if dealt with well.

I do think we have an interesting mix of free cities 'proving' themselves and sometimes quantity over quality is not in line yet. The streets are an example as is recruiting practices. Until the understanding on shouting loud and proud here in the streets is made clear especially for those of us in free cities is made clear I will only say that recruiting is a skill, developing recruits once they join is a skill - to fill a HQ with anything or anyone is not. I see, and you might argue it is none of my fucking business, new members join families who have yet to learn to write a single telegram, they seem to flock to the same families.

All I can comment on is our family - I know each and every member. They have had a coffee and a chat and sometimes a bacon sandwich or a cocktail before joining us, that isn't to find out who their parents were it is to check they are a good match for our family. Quality is the thing that seems to be slipping in the desperation of free cities to prove themselves and many are choosing quantity instead.