#IT Vendor Risk Management
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IT Vendor Risk Management
Unlock the power of IT vendor management with Century Solutions Group! Streamline operations, cut costs, and mitigate risks by keeping your partnerships in perfect harmony. Say hello to efficiency and bid farewell to headaches! #CenturySolutions #ITVendorManagementBenefits - https://okt.to/LGd3IC
#IT Vendor Risk Management#cybersecurity compliance#managed it services#managed it solutions#cloud technology services#cybersecurity
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Managing Vendor Relationships with Accounts Payable Automation
Vendor management is a cornerstone of your business operations because it ensures that you get the products and services you need to keep your systems moving and customers happy. But sometimes, managing vendor relationships can be easier said than done. Here are some common obstacles that damage interactions with third-party providers and how Accounts Payable Automation can help solidify productive vendor relationships.
The Key to Strong Vendor Relationships: Keeping the Lines of Communication Open
When you keep the lines of communication open, you help eliminate miscommunications that can strain the relationship. It’s best to always provide too much information, as opposed to not quite enough. In many situations, this involves enhancing the visibility between your vendor and your processes. With accounts payable automation, you can quickly surface important information regarding each vendor you do business with, making it easier to communicate key information.
For more information read our blog at https://pathquest.com/knowledge-center/blogs/managing-vendor-relationships-with-accounts-payable-automation/
#vendor relationships#accounts payable automation#financial management solutions#accounting technology trends#risk management in finance
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Transforming Compliance Training: The Power of Microlearning
Introduction:
In today's rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, compliance training is more crucial than ever for organizations across industries. However, traditional approaches to compliance training often fall short in engaging employees and ensuring long-term retention of critical information. Enter microlearning – a revolutionary approach to training that delivers short, focused bursts of content to learners. In this article, we'll explore how microlearning is transforming compliance training, its benefits, and best practices for implementation.
The Need for Effective Compliance Training:
Compliance training is a vital component of any organization's risk management strategy. It ensures that employees understand their obligations, adhere to regulatory requirements, and mitigate the risk of legal and financial repercussions. However, traditional compliance training methods, such as lengthy lectures or annual seminars, are often met with low engagement and retention rates. Employees may struggle to retain complex regulatory information, leading to compliance gaps and potential risks for the organization.
Introducing Microlearning for Compliance Training:
Microlearning offers a solution to the challenges of traditional compliance training. By breaking down complex regulatory topics into short, easily digestible modules, microlearning makes learning more accessible, engaging, and effective. Key features of microlearning for compliance training include:
Bite-sized Content: Microlearning delivers content in small, bite-sized modules that focus on specific learning objectives. This approach reduces cognitive overload and enables learners to absorb information more effectively.
Mobile Accessibility: Microlearning platforms are designed to be mobile-friendly, allowing employees to access training content anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This flexibility accommodates busy schedules and enables on-the-go learning.
Interactive Engagement: Microlearning encourages active participation through interactive elements such as quizzes, simulations, and multimedia content. This engagement not only enhances learning retention but also reinforces key concepts.
Personalized Learning Paths: Microlearning platforms often offer personalized learning pathways tailored to individual learner needs and preferences. By analyzing learner data and performance, microlearning platforms deliver targeted training content that meets the unique needs of each employee.
Benefits of Microlearning for Compliance Training:
Microlearning offers numerous benefits for compliance training, including:
Improved Knowledge Retention: The bite-sized nature of microlearning modules facilitates better knowledge retention among employees. By delivering information in short, focused bursts, employees can quickly grasp and retain critical regulatory information.
Enhanced Engagement: Microlearning engages employees through interactive elements and personalized learning experiences. This active engagement increases motivation and promotes a deeper understanding of compliance concepts.
Flexibility and Accessibility: Microlearning platforms are flexible and accessible, allowing employees to access training content whenever and wherever they need it. This accessibility accommodates diverse learning styles and enables continuous learning.
Cost-effectiveness: Compared to traditional training methods, microlearning offers a more cost-effective solution for compliance training. By reducing the time and resources required for training delivery, organizations can achieve significant cost savings while still providing high-quality training to their employees.
Implementing Microlearning for Compliance Training:
To maximize the effectiveness of microlearning for compliance training, organizations should follow these best practices:
Set Clear Learning Objectives: Define clear learning objectives and desired outcomes for each microlearning module. Focus on key regulatory topics and ensure that training content is relevant and up-to-date.
Create Engaging Content: Use a variety of interactive elements, multimedia content, and real-life scenarios to create engaging and impactful learning experiences. Incorporate storytelling techniques to make training content relatable and memorable.
Provide Ongoing Support: Offer ongoing support and reinforcement to employees throughout the learning process. Provide access to resources, coaching, and feedback to help reinforce learning and address any gaps in understanding.
Measure Learning Outcomes: Use analytics and reporting features provided by microlearning platforms to track employee progress and assess the effectiveness of training initiatives. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and inform future training strategies.
Conclusion:
Microlearning is revolutionizing compliance training by offering a flexible, engaging, and effective solution for organizations looking to ensure regulatory compliance. By delivering bite-sized content, personalized learning experiences, and interactive engagement, microlearning empowers employees to understand and adhere to regulatory requirements. As organizations continue to embrace microlearning for compliance training, they can expect to see improved compliance outcomes, reduced risks, and greater overall business success.
#compliance training#compliance training online#compliance training for employees#compliance courses#hr compliance training#corporate compliance training#compliance officer training#dot compliance training#hr compliance courses#environmental compliance training#staff compliance training#safety and compliance training#safety compliance training#annual compliance training#ethics and compliance training#training for compliance#regulatory and compliance training#compliance safety training#yearly compliance training#compliance training courses#compliance online training#compliance training vendors#compliance training providers#hr compliance training for employees#compliance and risk management courses#compliance training courses for employees#workplace compliance training#business compliance training#lab compliance training#laboratory compliance training
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Maximizing Retail Profits: Harnessing B2B Price Optimization Software
In the ever-evolving world of retail and e-commerce, businesses are constantly seeking ways to gain a competitive edge. Among the many strategies employed, B2B Price Optimization and Management Software stands out as a game-changer. Price optimisation and management (PO&M) software solutions enable businesses to oversee and optimize the prices of their goods and services. These services also provide a growing range of sales intelligence advice, such as best-next-action suggestions and customer churn warnings. In the industry, vendors either focus on back-office price management and product management roles, or they focus on providing real-time sales intelligence to sales representatives and B2B digital commerce websites, or both. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, a leading global advisory and consulting firm, has recognized the significance of this technology in their report, “B2B Price Optimization and Management Applications, 2023”. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions focuses on helping clients in achieving business transformation goals with Strategic Business, and Growth Advisory Services.
Download the sample report of Market Share: B2B Price Optimization and Management Software
Understanding the Retail and E-commerce Landscape
The retail and e-commerce industry is a highly dynamic and competitive space. Companies within this domain face the continuous challenge of pricing their products right to maximize profitability while staying attractive to their customers. In this context, pricing becomes a critical element of their strategy. Let's delve into some of these challenges:
Rapidly Changing Market Dynamics: Retail and e-commerce markets are highly volatile, with ever-shifting consumer preferences and market trends. Adapting to these changes in real-time is essential to stay competitive. Without the right tools, businesses risk making pricing decisions that are out of sync with market realities.
Intense Competition: In retail and e-commerce, competition is fierce. With numerous players offering similar products or services, pricing becomes a key differentiator. Setting prices too high can drive customers away, while pricing too low can erode profit margins.
Complex Supply Chain and Cost Structures: The retail and e-commerce sector often deals with complex supply chain operations and cost structures. Understanding the true costs associated with a product or service is essential for setting optimal prices. Traditional methods of cost calculation can be time-consuming and error-prone.
Customer Behaviour and Expectations: Today's consumers are more informed and price-sensitive than ever before. Their buying behaviour can change rapidly in response to various factors, including promotions, discounts, and market trends. Retailers must be agile in responding to these changes.
Competitor Pricing Strategies: Keeping a constant eye on competitor pricing is crucial. Businesses need to respond promptly to pricing moves made by competitors to remain competitive. Manual tracking and analysis of competitor pricing are arduous and inefficient processes.
Download the sample report of Market Forecast: B2B Price Optimization and Management Software
B2B Price Optimization and Management Software: A Necessity
B2B Price Optimization and Management Software is the solution to these challenges. This technology leverages advanced algorithms, data analytics, and real-time market insights to help businesses make data-driven pricing decisions. It empowers retail and e-commerce companies to optimize their prices efficiently while taking into account factors like demand fluctuations, competitor pricing, and customer behaviour.
Talk To Analyst: https://quadrant-solutions.com/talk-to-analyst
#In the ever-evolving world of retail and e-commerce#businesses are constantly seeking ways to gain a competitive edge. Among the many strategies employed#B2B Price Optimization and Management Software stands out as a game-changer. Price optimisation and management (PO&M) software solutions en#such as best-next-action suggestions and customer churn warnings. In the industry#vendors either focus on back-office price management and product management roles#or they focus on providing real-time sales intelligence to sales representatives and B2B digital commerce websites#or both. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions#a leading global advisory and consulting firm#has recognized the significance of this technology in their report#“B2B Price Optimization and Management Applications#2023”. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions focuses on helping clients in achieving business transformation goals with Strategic Business#and Growth Advisory Services.#Download the sample report of Market Share: B2B Price Optimization and Management Software#Understanding the Retail and E-commerce Landscape#The retail and e-commerce industry is a highly dynamic and competitive space. Companies within this domain face the continuous challenge of#pricing becomes a critical element of their strategy. Let's delve into some of these challenges:#Rapidly Changing Market Dynamics: Retail and e-commerce markets are highly volatile#with ever-shifting consumer preferences and market trends. Adapting to these changes in real-time is essential to stay competitive. Without#businesses risk making pricing decisions that are out of sync with market realities.#Intense Competition: In retail and e-commerce#competition is fierce. With numerous players offering similar products or services#pricing becomes a key differentiator. Setting prices too high can drive customers away#while pricing too low can erode profit margins.#Complex Supply Chain and Cost Structures: The retail and e-commerce sector often deals with complex supply chain operations and cost struct#Customer Behaviour and Expectations: Today's consumers are more informed and price-sensitive than ever before. Their buying behaviour can c#including promotions#discounts#and market trends. Retailers must be agile in responding to these changes.#Competitor Pricing Strategies: Keeping a constant eye on competitor pricing is crucial. Businesses need to respond promptly to pricing move#Download the sample report of Market Forecast: B2B Price Optimization and Management Software
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#vendor management system#vendor management software#vendor risk management program#vendor risk management#partner portal#blog post
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I can't stop thinking about Ghost with a motorcycle. The man dwarfs just about everything, but somehow he manages to find a nice either 600cc or 1000cc that fits him and he's set. He takes it everywhere, stares down cops and revs for the pretty things that wave at him from cars. All his gear is black, his helmet is tinted and he looks like a modern interpretation of death, but he also breaks to let turtles cross the road and doesn't let anyone on his bike without a helmet.
Backpacking for him is such a treat because he'll reach back and rub his hand along your leg at stoplights, tell you to "be good" every time you start squeezing somewhere you shouldn't. The man is a little bit of a stretch to get your legs around, but leaning against his back and watching the world whizz by is amazing. He always checks all your gear is on properly before starting the engine too, adjusting the strap on your helmet and bumping his black one against your more colorful one, helping you onto the bike even when you don't need it, and giving a little jolt forward to make you cling to him. The man knows what he's doing, and he's not going to risk precious cargo like you, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy having you cuddled close and hugging him the whole ride.
He follows your directions every time you pat his leg to signal a turn, and stands around while you run into shops or up to ice cream vendors. What's he supposed to do? Say no? Not a chance.
#cod x reader#x reader#simon ghost riley#simon ghost riley x reader#ghost x reader#simon riley#simon riley x reader#simon riley x you#simon ghost x reader#ghost mw2#mw2 ghost#ghost cod
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Certa Raises $35M to Bring AI to Third-Party Risk Management
Vendor Risk Management
Series B Funding Will Allow Certa to Further Automate Compliance, Procurement Tasks
Michael Novinson (MichaelNovinson) •
September 8, 2023
Jag Lamba, founder and CEO, Certa (Image: Certa)
A third-party management platform founded by a longtime McKinsey consultant closed a funding round to bring further automation to compliance and procurement tasks.
See Also: Live…
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Vendor Risk Management Market Scope and Overview, By Types, By Application, Estimates & Forecast 2030
This report is a fair prototype of the Vendor Risk Management industry containing an in-depth study of the global Vendor Risk Management market. This report serves as a valuable source of data and information related to this industry. It covers various industry aspects with a particular focus on market scope and application areas. The report identifies the fundamental business strategies adopted by industry experts and offers an insightful study on the value chains and distribution channels of the global market. The report authors have also analyzed current industry trends, growth potential, current overview, and market limitations.
The contract management segment revenue is expected to increase at a steady rate over the forecast period due to rising adoption of vendor contract management among organizations and maximize financial and operational performance. Vendor contract management is the technique that helps organizations to control costs, drive service excellence, and minimize risks to generate more value from their vendors throughout the transaction life cycle.
Get a sample of the report @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-sample/1206
Key market aspects studied in the report:
Market Scope: The report explains the scope of various commercial possibilities in the global Vendor Risk Management market over the upcoming years. The estimated revenue build-up over the forecast years has been included in the report. The report analyzes the key market segments and sub-segments and provides deep insights into the market to assist readers with the formulation of lucrative strategies for business expansion.
Competitive Outlook: The leading companies operating in the Vendor Risk Management market have been enumerated in this report. This section of the report lays emphasis on the geographical reach and production facilities of these companies. To get ahead of their rivals, the leading players are focusing more on offering products at competitive prices, according to our analysts.
Report Objective: The primary objective of this report is to provide the manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and buyers engaged in this sector with access to a deeper and improved understanding of the global Vendor Risk Management market.
The market is spread across several key geographical regions, and the report covers the regional analysis as well as the production, consumption, revenue, and market share in those regions for the forecast period of 2020-2027. The regions include North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa.
Comprehensive Regional Analysis Covers the Following Regions:
North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)
Europe (U.K., Italy, Germany, France, Rest of EU)
Asia Pacific (India, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, Rest of APAC)
Latin America (Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)
Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., South Africa, Rest of MEA)
Request a discount on the report @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-discount/1206
The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape of the market through extensive profiling of the key competitors. The section on the competitive analysis covers product portfolio, company overview, production and manufacturing capacity, financial standing, revenue and gross profit margins, and market position. It also sheds light on the mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships occurring in the market.
Key Players Profiled in the Report are:
BitSight Technologies Inc.
Genpact
MetricStream
SAI Global
IBM Corporation
Rapid Ratings International Inc.
ProcessUnity Inc.
LogicManager Inc.
Aravo Solutions Inc.
ACL Services Ltd.
Bitsight Technologies
NAVEX Global Inc.
To know more about the report, visit @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/vendor-risk-management-market
Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)
Vendor Information Management
Contract Management
Compliance Management
Financial Control
Audit Management
Quality Assurance Management
Services Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)
Professional Services
Consulting
Deployment and Integration
Support and Maintenance
Managed Services
Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)
Cloud
On-premises
Organization Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
Large Enterprises
End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)
Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)
Healthcare and Life Science
IT & Telecom
Energy & Utility
Retail
Government
Aerospace & Defense
Manufacturing
Others
The report provides a comprehensive analysis in an organized manner in the form of tables, graphs, charts, figures, and diagrams. The organized data paves the way for thorough examination and research of the current and future outlook of the market. The report further offers a thorough SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces analysis to impart a better understanding of the competitive landscape of the Vendor Risk Management market.
Request customization of the report @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-for-customization/1206
Some Key Highlights from the Report:
The professional service segment is expected to register a steady revenue growth rate over the forecast period due to rising need for third-party risk management among organizations. The professional services team works with clients who need assistance in keeping up with ever-changing cyber security risk landscape and managing their third-party vendor population.
On 07 June 2022, MetricStream, a U.S based integrated risk management service provider and global non-profit think tank and community OCEG officially disclosed the findings of joint investigation on GRC Readiness for Rapid Change in 2022. According to the survey, many firms struggle to manage volume and velocity of risks because they lack coordinated procedures and visibility. Visibility, common standards, and centralized GRC strategy are necessary for risk readiness and resilience.
Thank you for reading our report. Customization of this report is available as per client requirements. Please connect with us to know more about the report, and our team will ensure you get the report tailored according to your needs.
About Emergen Research
Emergen Research is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target, and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries, and help clients make smarter business decisions. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across multiple industries, including Healthcare, Touch Points, Chemicals, Types, and Energy.
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Why is Vendor Risk Management Program Essential for Companies
The cloud provider vendors are using VRM due to the increasing number of people opting to work from home following the pandemic. Thus, the digital transformation requires growing while simultaneously relying on vendors along with the cybersecurity consulting services from the experts.
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Complete Guidelines to Setup Vendor Risk Management Program
Read this blog to know about VRM. Also, get the complete detail about the steps to set up a vendor risk management program in your organisation.
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Patreon has laid off their security team
I know this isn't an update on my interactive fiction game but I just wanted interactive fiction creators and other people who have Patreons to be aware about this issue.
Whitney Merrill on Twitter: "Whoa @Patreon laid off their ENTIRE security team. Wouldn’t trust my data there. Also there’s some amazing talent to scoop up." / Twitter
For creators with a Patreon, I would recommend using a password manager to generate a randomly generated password so that when Patreon has (another) security breach, your password will be unique.
For creators that are uncomfortable with using Patreon and do not want to lose their Patreon content, you can import your Patreon content to a WordPress website with a WordPress plugin that can be used with a WordPress membership plugin like Paid Memberships Pro that lets patrons subscribe to your content like on Patreon. However, please keep in mind that WordPress plugins are also very vulnerable to attack so it is very important that you update the plugins frequently if you choose to go this route.
Ko-fi is also a good alternative that I know a lot of interactive fiction creators use for their work. SubscribeStar is a good option for NSFW artists.
Hopefully there won't be any serious security breaches with Patreon but who knows what will happen...
UPDATE (10th September 2022 - 11:30AM BST):
Patreon has confirmed to reporters that they are hiring an external security team to handle Patreon's security.
Kevin Collier on Twitter: "Wild. Patreon confirms the layoffs in emailed statement to me, says it's ok, they're using third-party security. https://t.co/zV9zw9yOlh" / Twitter
What this means is that Patreon has decided to go for the cheaper option by outsourcing their security to a team abroad instead of spending more money and resources on an in-house security team. This is what is known to infosec/cyber security experts as MSSP/MSP.
However, a lot of cyber security professionals have criticised this decision by Patreon because historically, organisations that have outsourced their security to a team abroad have usually had a lot of security issues/security breaches later on down the line because they do not check/scan the security of the company as frequently as an in-house security team would.
This also conflicts with what a laid-off security employee has said about the situation where they disputed Patreon's claims of this decision not impacting their security by alleging that Patreon has cut down of its use of external security vendors in the past four months.
So what does this mean for Patreon's future and how am I affected?
What this means is that there are things going on behind the scenes at Patreon that we do not know about yet, all we know is that the leadership over there is making incredibly unwise business decisions by firing their entire internal security team and what this usually means is there will either be a huge security breach down the line or an announcement of a merger or acquisition.
Another potential risk is supporter deanonymisation, where attackers with malicious intent could blackmail subscribers that pledge to NSFW artists and kink content creators and threaten to reveal their Patreon pledges to an employer.
Your payment information (credit/debit card information) should be safe because Patreon do not process payment information themselves, they outsource it to Stripe and PayPal.
This blogpost by a cyber security professional is worth reading to know more on what to do about this situation.
Should I delete my Patreon account?
If you have no other option, then I would not delete my Patreon account especially if it is your only active source of income. What I would do is what I have listed above: by turning on two factor authentication through an app like Google Authenticator or Authy and changing your password to a randomly generated password so that you are not too much at risk when a security breach inevitably happens.
If you do have other options and are not as financially dependent on Patreon alone, then I would think about switching to other crowdfunding services like Ko-fi, SubscribeStar (I hear SubscribeStar is a good option for NSFW artists) and Comradery
I was originally going to create a Patreon for my interactive fiction/narrative game studio after I release the demo/first chapter of the interactive fiction game I'm currently working on (Mutants of Mayprice) but Patreon's lack of communication about this situation and their unwise decision of firing their entire internal security team (which wasn't many people to begin with, five people) does not leave me with a lot of confidence about the future of the platform.
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Reinvent Compliance Training–
Using Microlearning With
A Risk-Specific Approach
#compliance training#compliance training online#compliance training for employees#compliance courses#hr compliance training#corporate compliance training#compliance officer training#dot compliance training#hr compliance courses#environmental compliance training#staff compliance training#safety and compliance training#safety compliance training#annual compliance training#ethics and compliance training#training for compliance#regulatory and compliance training#compliance safety training#yearly compliance training#compliance training courses#compliance online training#compliance training vendors#compliance training providers#hr compliance training for employees#compliance and risk management courses#compliance training courses for employees#workplace compliance training#business compliance training#lab compliance training#laboratory compliance training
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Why none of my books are available on Audible (and why Amazon owes me $3,218.55)
I love audiobooks. When I was a high-school-aged page at a public library in the 1980s, I would pass endless hours shelving and repairing books while listening to “books on tape” from the library’s collection. By the time iTunes came along, I’d amassed a huge collection of cassette and CD audiobooks and I painstakingly ripped them to my collection.
Then came Audible, and I was in heaven — all the audiobooks, none of the hassle of ripping CDs. There was only one problem: the Digital Rights Management (DRM). You see, I’ve spent most of my adult life campaigning against DRM, because I think it’s an existential danger to all computer users — and because it’s a way for tech companies to hijack the relationship between creators and their audiences.
In 2011, I gave a speech at Berlin’s Chaos Communications Congress called “The Coming War on General Purpose Computing.” In it, I explained that Digital Rights Management was technologically incoherent, a bizarre fantasy in which untrusted users of computers could be given encrypted files and all the tools needed to decrypt them, but somehow be prevented from using those decrypted files in ways that conflicted with the preferences of the company that supplied those files.
As I said then, computers are stubbornly, inescapably “general purpose.” The only computer we know how to make — the Turing-complete von Neumann machine — is the computer that can run all the programs we know how to write. When someone claims to have built a computer-powered “appliance” — say, a smart speaker or (God help us all) a smart toaster — that can only run certain programs, what they mean is that they’ve designed a computer that can run every program, but which will refuse to run programs unless the manufacturer approves them.
But this is also technological nonsense. The program that checks to see whether other programs are approved by the manufacturer is also running on an untrusted adversary’s computer (with DRM, you are the manufacturer’s untrusted adversary). Because that overseer program is running on a computer you own, you can replace it, alter it, or subvert it, allowing you to run programs that the manufacturer doesn’t like. That would include (for example) a modified DRM program that unscrambles the manufacturer-supplied video, audio or text file and then, rather than throwing away the unscrambled copy when you’re done with it, saves it so you can open it with a program that doesn’t restrict you from sharing it.
As a technical matter, DRM can’t work. Once one person figures out how to patch a DRM program so that it saves the files it descrambles, they can share that knowledge (or a program they’ve written based on that knowledge) with everyone in the world, instantaneously, at the push of a button. Anyone who has that new program can save unscrambled copies of the files they’ve bought and share those, too.
DRM vendors hand-wave this away, saying things like “this just keeps honest users honest.” As Ed Felten once said, “Keeping honest users honest is like keeping tall users tall.”
In reality, DRM vendors know that technical countermeasures aren’t the bulwark against unauthorized reproduction of their files. They aren’t technology companies at all — they’re legal companies.
In 1998, Bill Clinton signed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) into law. This is a complex law and a decidedly mixed bag, but of all the impacts that the DMCA’s many clauses have had on the world, none have been so quietly, profoundly terrible as Section 1201, the “anti-circumvention” clause that protects DRM.
Under DMCA 1201, it is a felony to “traffick” in tools that bypass DRM. Doing so can land you in prison for five years and hit you with a fine of up to $500,000 (for a first offense). This clause is so broadly written that merely passing on factual information about bugs in a system with DRM can put you in hot water.
Here’s where we get to the existential risk to all computer users part. As a technology, DRM has to run as code that is beyond your observation and control. If there’s a program running on your computer or phone called “DRM” you can delete it, or go into your process manager and force-quit it. No one wants DRM. No one woke up this morning and said, “Dammit, I wish there was a way I could do less with the entertainment files I buy online.” DRM has to hide itself from you, or the first time it gets in your way, you’ll get rid of it.
The proliferation of DRM means that all the commercial operating systems now have a way to run programs that the owners of computers can’t observe or control. Anything that a technologist does to weaken that sneaky, hidden facility risks DMCA 1201 prosecution — and half a decade in prison.
That means that every device with DRM is designed to run programs you can’t see or kill, and no one is allowed to investigate these devices and warn you if they have defects that would allow malicious software to run in that deliberately obscured part of your computer, stealing your data and covertly operating your device’s sensors and actuators. This isn’t just about hacking your camera and microphone: remember, every computerized “appliance” is capable of running every program, which means that your car’s steering and brakes are at risk from malicious software, as are your medical implants and the smart thermostat in your home.
A device that is designed for sneaky code execution and is legally off-limits to independent auditing is bad. A world of those devices — devices we put inside our bodies and put our bodies inside of — is fucking terrifying.
DRM is bad news for our technological future, but it’s also terrible news for our commercial future. Because DMCA 1201 bans trafficking in circumvention devices under any circumstances, manufacturers who design their products with a thin skin of DRM around them can make using those products in the ways you prefer into a literal crime — what Jay Freeman calls “felony contempt of business model.”
The most obvious example of this is in the Right to Repair fight. Devices from tractors and cars to insulin pumps, wheelchairs and ventilators have been redesigned to use DRM to detect and block independent repair, even when the technician uses the manufacturer’s own parts. These devices are booby-trapped so that any “tampering” requires a new authorization code from the manufacturer, which is only given to the manufacturer’s own service technicians.
This allows manufacturers to gouge you on repair and parts, or to simply declare your device to be beyond repair and sell you a new one. Global, monopolistic corporations are drowning the planet in e-waste as a side-effect of their desire to block refurbished devices and parts from cutting into their sales of replacements:.
DRM laws like DMCA 1201 are now all over the world, spread by the US Trade Representative, who made DRM laws a condition of trading with the USA, and a feature of the WTO agreement. Whether you’re in South America, Australia, Europe, Canada, Japan, or even China, DRM-breaking tools are illegal. But remember: DRM is a technological fool’s errand. So while there is no above-ground, legal market for DRM-breaking tools, there is still a thriving underground for them.
For example, farmers all over the world replace the software on their John Deere tractors with software of rumored Ukrainian origin that floats around on the internet. This software lets them fix their tractors without having to wait days for a $200 visit from a John Deere technician, but no one knows what’s in the software, or who made it, or whether it has sneaky back-doors or other malicious code.
And yet, manufacturers keep putting DRM in their products. The prospect of making it a felony to displease your corporate shareholders is just too much to resist.
Which brings me back to Audible. Back before Amazon owned Audible, I bought thousands of dollars’ worth of Audible audiobooks, and they worked great — but they failed badly. When I switched operating systems and could no longer get an Audible playback program, I was in danger of losing my audibook investment. In the end, I had to rig up three old computers to play my Audible audiobooks out in real time and recapture them as plain old MP3s. It took weeks. If I’d made the switch a couple years later, it would have been months (the “audiobooks” folder on my current system has 281 days’ worth of audio!).
Amazon bought Audible during a brief interval in which the company was taking on DRM. They had just launched the Amazon MP3 store, as a rival to Apple’s iTunes Store, which sold music without DRM, so users wouldn’t be locked to Apple’s platform. This was a problem the music industry had just woken up to, after years of demanding DRM, they realized that nearly all the digital music they’d ever sold was locked to Apple’s platform, and that meant that Apple got to decide whether and how their catalog was sold.
Amazon’s MP3 store’s slogan was “DRM: Don’t Restrict Me.” They even sent me a free t-shirt to promote the launch, because they knew my feelings on DRM.
When Amazon announced its Audible acquisition, they promised that they would remove DRM from the Audible store, and I rejoiced. Then, after the acquisition…nothing. Not a word about DRM. The Amazon PR people who’d once enthusiastically pitched me on Amazon’s DRM-free virtue stopped answering my email.
When I got new PR pitches from Amazon, I’d reply by asking about DRM and I’d never hear from those PR people again. I got invited to give a talk at Amazon and I said sure, I’d do it for free — but I wanted to talk to someone from Audible about DRM. The invitation was rescinded.
Once on a book-tour, I gave a talk at Goodreads — another Amazon division — about my work and when they asked if I had any questions for them, I raised Audible’s DRM and the senior managers in the audience promised to look into it. I never heard from them again.
Today, Audible dominates the audiobook market. In some verticals, their market-share is over 90 percent! And Audible will not let authors or publishers opt out of DRM. If you want to publish an audiobook with Audible, you must let them add their DRM to it. That means that every time one of your readers buys one of your books, they’re locking themselves further into Audible. If you sell a million bucks’ worth of audiobooks on Audible, that’s a million bucks your readers have to forfeit to follow you to a rival platform.
As a rightsholder, I can’t authorize my users to strip off Audible’s DRM and switch to a competitor. I can’t even find out which of my readers bought my books from Audible and send them a download code for a free MP3. Even when I invest tens of thousands of dollars of my own money to hire professional narrators to record my audiobooks, if I sell them on Audible, they get the final say in how my readers use the product I paid to create. If I provide my readers with a tool to unwrap Audible’s DRM from my copyrighted books, I become a copyright infringer! I violate Section 1201 of the DMCA and I can go to prison for five years and face a $500,000 fine. For a first offense.
All of this is so glaringly terrible that it prompted me to coin Doctorow’s First Law:
“Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, but won’t give you the key, that lock is not there for your benefit.”
It’s been more than a decade since Amazon bought Audible and it’s clear that their DRM policy isn’t going anywhere.
Which is why none of my audiobooks are available on Audible.
I don’t want to contribute to the DRM-ification of our devices, turning them into a vast, unauditable attack-surface that is designed to run programs that we can’t see or terminate. I don’t want my work to be a lure into a DRM-poisoned platform. I don’t want to make myself beholden to Amazon, locking my customers to its platform with every sale.
This doesn’t mean I don’t have audiobooks — I do! Early on, I worked with great audiobook publishers like Random House and Blackstone and Macmillan to produce DRM-free audiobooks which were sold everywhere except Audible. But Audible has the vast majority of the market, and it just didn’t make financial sense for these publishers to pay me a decent sum for my audio rights and then pay great narrators and engineers to produce books.
So I started retaining my audio rights in my book deals, and paying to record my own audiobooks. The first one was Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free, recorded by @wilwheaton, with introductions by @neil-gaiman and Amanda Palmer, which explains Doctorow’s First Law in detail.
Since then, I’ve produced many more independent audiobooks, including the audio for Homeland (the bestselling sequel to my YA novel Little Brother, also narrated by Wil), Walkaway (a fabulous multi-cast audiobook starring Amber Benson, Wil Wheaton, Amanda Palmer, Miron Willis, Gabrielle de Cuir and others), and Attack Surface (the third Little Brother book, narrated by Amber Benson).
Generally, these books recoup and make a little money besides, but not nearly so much as I’d make if I sold through Audible. My agent tells me that if I’d been willing to set aside my ethics and allow Audible to slap DRM on my books, I’d have made enough money to pay off my mortgage and save enough to pay for my kid’s entire college education.
That’s a price I’m willing to pay. In the years since the Amazon acquisition, Audible has become the 800-pound gorilla of audiobooks. They have done all kinds of underhanded things — like buying up the first couple books in a series and releasing them as Audible-only recordings, then refusing to record the rest of the series, orphaning it. They’re also notorious among narrators for squeezing their hourly rates lower than anyone else. Audible also refuses to sell into libraries, so all the “Audible Original” titles are blocked from our public library systems.
I think audiences get that there’s something really wrong with a system where a single company controls an entire literary format. In 2020, I Kickstarted the independent audiobook of Attack Surface and broke every record for audiobook crowdfunding, raising $276,000.
But Audible continues to dominate. It is the only digital audiobook channel Amazon will allow, so anyone who searches Amazon for a book will only see the Audible audio edition. It’s also the exclusive audio partner for Apple’s iTunes/Apple Books channel, which is the only iOS audiobook store that doesn’t have to pay Apple a 30 percent commission on all its sales, so it’s the only audiobook store that lets you actually buy new audiobooks.
Other audiobook stores require you to buy your books with a web-browser (which avoids Apple’s sky-high commissions) and then switch back to the app to download them — a clunky experience that has ensured that Apple’s own audiobook channel — with its mandatory DRM — is the only one iOS customers really use.
Not surprisingly, a lot of people assume that if an Audible search for an author or book comes up empty, that means there is no audiobook available. They don’t think of searching for the book on Google Books, or Libro.fm, or Downpour. They never think to check to see whether the author maintains their own storefront, as I do, where you can get all their ebooks and audiobooks without DRM.
That’s bad enough, but it gets worse. So much worse.
Audible has a side-hustle called ACX: it’s a “self-serve” platform where writers and narrators can team up to self-produce their own audiobooks, which are locked to Audible’s platform and encumbered with Audible’s DRM.
ACX has some nominal checks to ensure that the audiobooks that land on its platform are duly licensed from the rightsholders, but these are trivial to circumvent. Here’s how I know that: on multiple occasions, I’ve discovered that my own books have been turned into unauthorized audiobooks over ACX.
Scammers claiming to have the rights to my books commission narrators to record them on the cheap, with the promise of a royalty split when they are live. Inexperienced narrators, excited at the prospect of recording a major book by a bestselling author, put long, grueling hours into recording them. Then the book goes live, and I discover it, and have it taken down. The scammer disappears with the profits from the sales in the interim, and the narrator is screwed.
As am I.
Because these illegal ACX audiobooks compete with my own, self-produced editions, for which I pay narrators, directors and editors a fair wage for their creative labor. These unauthorized ACX audiobooks show up in searches for my name on Audible and Amazon, where my own (vastly superior, authorized) DRM-free audiobooks are not allowed.
This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s happened over and over again. It just happened again.
Last week, I heard from Shawn Hartel, a narrator who got scammed on ACX by someone calling themself “Barbara M. Rushing,” who told Hartel that they held the audio rights to my 2017 novel Walkaway. They do not have those rights.
I spent about $50,000 recording a stupendous audiobook edition of Walkaway, which you can buy here for $24.95.
This audiobook has met with widespread critical acclaim and the print edition has been translated and celebrated around the world. But Hartel didn’t know that.
On January 11, 2021, he accepted an offer from “Barbara M. Rushing” to record the book and worked long hours to produce a 16-hour narration. On February 1, 2021, the book was accepted by Rushing. On July 7, 2021, ACX listed Walkaway for sale. On November 9, 2021, ACX took the book down, having figured out that it was infringing.
In the meantime, Rushing sold 119 copies and gave away ten more, diverting people from buying my own, DRM-free edition.
129 times $24.95 is $3,218.55, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s what Amazon owes me.
Now, I’m not going to sue them (probably). I don’t have the money or time to fight that kind of battle. For one thing, I have eight books (four novels, a YA graphic novel, a short story collection and two nonfiction books) in various stages of production right now, and I’m going to be producing my own audio editions for them, which is going to suck up a lot of time.
But Amazon does owe me $3,218.55.
I don’t expect they’ll pay it.
Anyone who’s paid attention to Audiblegate knows about Amazon’s dirty ACX dealing. The company has been credibly accused of more than $100 million in wage-theft from ACX authors and narrators, whom it has scammed with a combination of a one-sided refunds policy and out-and-out accounting fraud.
I know a lot about Audiblegate because there’s a whole chapter about it in Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back, the book on creative labor markets that Rebecca Giblin and I wrote for Beacon Press:
Chokepoint Capitalism explains how large media and tech companies have cornered the markets for creative labor, and why giving creators more copyright won’t unrig this rigged game. The tech and entertainment giants are like bullies at the school gate who shake down creators for their lunch money every day.
To reach your audience you have to go through the chokepoints they have erected, and when you do, any additional copyright powers Congress has granted you is taken away as a condition of entry (think of how Audible nonconsensually takes away your right to use DRM law if you want to list your audiobooks).
If you give your bullied kid more lunch money, you won’t buy them lunch — you’ll just make the bullies at the school-gate richer. Giving creators more copyright inevitably results in those copyrights being transferred to Amazon and other monopolists. To get lunch for your kid — or justice for creators — you have to get rid of the chokepoints.
That’s what Chokepoint Capitalism is really about — not just how the markets got rigged, but how to fix them, with a list of shovel-ready, practical actions for local governments, national legislatures, artists’ groups, as well as creators, technologists and audiences.
We’re going to be rolling out a crowdfunding campaign for the Chokepoint Capitalism audiobook in a couple of weeks (the book comes out in mid-September). We’ve scored an incredible narrator, Stefans Rudnicki, who you may have heard on the Ender’s Game books, Hubris by Michael Isikoff and David Corn, or any of 1,000 other audiobooks. Stefan’s won a Stoker, a Bradbury, dozens of Audies and Earphones, two Grammys, and two Hugos. It’s gonna be fucking great.
And it won’t be available on Audible. Who owe me $3,218.55.
But you know what will*be available on Audible?
This. This essay, which I am about to record as an audiobook, to be mastered by my brilliant sound engineer John Taylor Williams, and will thereafter upload to ACX as a self-published, free audiobook.
Perhaps you aren’t reading these words off your screen. Perhaps you are an Audible customer who searched for my books and only found this odd, short audiobook entitled: “Why none of my books are available on Audible: And why Amazon owes me $3,218.55.”
I send you greetings, fellow audiobook listener!
I invite you to buy all my audiobooks at prices lower than Amazon’s, free from DRM and unencumbered by comedy-of-the-absurd “user agreements” that no one in their right mind would ever*agree to. They are for sale at craphound.com/shop.
Among those audiobooks, the $15 edition of Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free, where I explain not just Doctorow’s First Law, but also my Second and Third Laws (my agent was Arthur C. Clarke’s agent; when I told him I had come up with “Doctorow’s Law,” he told me that I needed three laws). As noted, this is superbly read by Wil Wheaton, and Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer read their own intros:
Of course, you will only find this book if Amazon ACX accepts it. I’ve combed quite carefully through their terms of service and I don’t see anything that would disqualify this from being listed as an ACX book.
But then again, they say they ban books produced without permission from the copyright holder and we’ve seen how that works out, right? From poking around on ACX, it looks like Amazon’s main way of checking whether a user has the rights to a book is by looking in Amazon’s catalog to see if there’s already an audiobook edition. That means that if a writer refuses to sell on Audible because of their DRM policies, Audible will use that boycott as an excuse to let ripoff artists bilk the writer, the narrator and the listeners — because if there’s no Audible edition, they assume that the audio rights must be up for grabs.
Will Audible let me use its platform to give away a book that criticizes Audible? Or will they exercise their overwhelming market power to both abet a $3,218.55 ripoff and suppress a critique of their role in that ripoff?
Only time will tell.
#
[Image ID: A screengrab of the ACX page for the audiobook, showing that it is 'pending audio review]
Addendum: I wrote the above on July 4, 2022, just before submitting the audiobook to Amazon and leaving for a holiday. Over the past two weeks, I've checked in with ACX daily, but the audiobook still shows as "Pending Audio Review." ACX advises that this process should take a maximum of ten business days. It's been 15. Perhaps they're very backlogged.
Or maybe they're hoping that if they delay the process long enough, I'll give up.
In the meantime, there is now a Kindle edition of this text:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5RWTPR7/
I had to put this up, it's a prerequisite for posting the audio to ACX. I hadn't planned on posting it, but since they made me, I did.
[Image ID: A screengrab of the Kindle listing page for my ebook showing it as the number one new release in antitrust.]
Bizarrely, this is currently the number one new Amazon book on Antitrust Law!
Also bizarrely - given the context - this book was taken down for several days due to a spurious copyright issue over the cover art, a cack-handed collage of some Creative Commons icons I put together with The GIMP. Amazon flagged this as a copyright violation (despite correct Creative Commons attribution) and took the book down, demanding that I change the cover art, ignoring my explanations. I was ultimately able to get the book restored by contacting someone I know at Amazon legal, who intervened.
I don't know if Amazon will ever release my audiobook, but I hope they do. In the meantime, you can listen to the audiobook of this essay for free via my podcast:
https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_431/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_431_-_Why_none_of_my_books_are_available_on_Audible.mp3
#
ETA: Within a few hours of my publishing this thread, ACX released my audiobook. https://audible.com/pd/B0B7KH8KSD
Image: Paris 16 (modified)/CC BY-SA 4.0; Dmitry Baranovskiy (modified) CC BY 4.0
[Image ID: An anti-pickpocketing graphic featuring a stick figure reaching into an adjacent stick-figure's shoulder-bag. The robber's chest is emblazoned with an Amazon 'a' logo. The victim's chest is emblazoned with an icon of a fountain-pen. The robber's face has an Amazon 'smile' logo. The victim's face has an inverted Amazon 'smile' logo (and is thus frowning). Beneath these two figures is a wordmark reading 'Audible: Am Amazon Company.']
#audible#amazon#amazongate#creator economy#ripoffs#drm#digital rights management#audiobooks#books#publishing#writing#monopoly#doctorow's first law#pluralistic
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Text
“Take This One”
Ais helps you after you’re terribly wounded by a Soulless.
Tags for blood, mostly, but pretty much just hurt/comfort. 1800 words.
—
You didn’t mean to be outside after sunset. It just happened that you were hungry for a late night snack and had a few extra coins, and the waft of cinnamon rolls wouldn’t leave your room at the Wet Wick. After all that you’d been through, wasn’t it fair that you deserved something a little more delicious than rotten nuts or unleavened bread from the bar?
Well, that had been, at minimum, a terrible idea.
Any stall open at midnight on a weekday wouldn’t normally be a red flag, but you should have gone back to your room when you noticed the vendor’s eyes shifting back and forth as they served your snack. Quickly, after you paid, they abandoned their post before you could get five steps back down the road.
For good reason, you now realized, lying on your back in an alleyway with a Soulless staring you down from the roof of the Wet Wick.
There was no time to take in their appearance or their snarl before they descended, soaring in an arc until they launched at your weak little body. Claws gnashed at your legs, at your arms, at your chest.
As swiftly as they attacked, pain welled with a hot rush of liquid over your clothes.
And just as quickly as it happened, it disappeared with a screech of a whine. Through your half-closed eyes, you swore you caught sight of a glowing red light shining on the alley walls, but maybe that was simply Death coming for you. Your heavy body shifted an inch before demanding that you stop moving by shooting a wave of agony up your side.
Footsteps approached, and someone squatted by your side. Gasping and gritting your bloodstained teeth, you peered up at the newcomer and, recognizing him, glared.
He smiled, his bright crimson eyes practically the only light in the alley. “Got yourself in a mess, huh?” he asked with a smirk.
“A-Ais…” you managed before coughing up what felt like a pint of blood.
“Took care of that Soulless for you. Sent it back to the Seaspring for a time out,” he said, far too calm given the situation. Maybe, since it was so dark, he didn’t notice the pooling blood beneath your body. “What’s up? Cat got your tongue?”
“I-I…”
“C’mon. Get up, little sparrow.”
“I…I can’t,” you breathed, trying your hardest to sit up on your elbows. A shard of pain exploded through your chest and dropped you back to the icy concrete with a wail.
Finally, his gaze wandered from your stained face down your chest, where his eyes widened. He reached out a hand and touched the blood beneath you. “Fresh,” he mumbled. Then, his gaze shot back up to yours. “Sparrow. Show me where it hurts.”
You lifted your left arm, practically the only thing that could move without excruciating pain, and motioned to your right side before your body gave into exhaustion again.
“It got you, huh?” he asked, eyes darkening. “Let me see.”
Without waiting for permission, Ais grabbed at your clothes and tore the fabric hole around your wound further apart, ignoring your scream of agony at the sudden movement. For a moment, he stared, silently absorbing the new information.
Then, he released your clothes and bundled them around your side. “Looks superficial,” he said. “You can wait until morning to see Kuras if you want, but I wouldn’t risk it.”
“B-but—“ You gritted your teeth, trying again to pull yourself up and failing even worse than the last time. Your head clacked onto the ground with a thud, your muscles destroyed by the blood loss and the pain.
“What’s your plan now? Doubt you can walk to the clinic in this state.”
“I-I’m f-f-fine,” you growled, stubborn but staring at the moonlit sky with a yearning to close your eyes until the pain disappeared. Maybe if you let yourself sleep, it would all go away.
Your eyes slipped shut, and your body grew a little colder as it began to tremble.
“Wake up, sparrow.”
Annoyed, your eyes opened, finding Ais a bit closer and a bit more concerned.
“At this rate, you’re gonna die out here if you don’t get to Kuras quick,” he said, stern.
Again, without asking, he grabbed the collar of your overcoat and yanked you upward so that you sat on the ground. With a bloodcurdling scream, you clutched his forearm with so much strength that your nails dug slices into the flesh.
“Easy now.” His voice was quiet and soothing, like an angel getting ready to carry you into the heavens. “I’m gonna lift you up, all right?”
“Lift…me?” you asked, eyes closing again as you leaned heavily against his chest. “Ais…I’m so…tired…”
“Hey. Stay awake, dumbass,” he ordered, sliding his thick arms beneath you and hauling you into him as he stood. Another shock of pain seared through your body, stirring you awake and bringing tears to your swollen eyes. A sudden cough sputtered spit and blood onto Ais’ collar, but he neither noticed nor cared.
Silently, he adjusted you in his arms with a couple of bounces, carrying you bridal style with your body held firmly against his chest. With each step through Eridia, he kept you in place as best as he could. The walk was long and arduous; every time you thought your eyes could close and you could relax, Ais squeezed your arm until it would clearly bruise or puffed a sharp breath of air in your face.
After what felt like hours, your heavy eyelids lowered, giving you just enough sight to see the sign for Kuras’ clinic. Ais pushed through the crowd and cut the line until he kicked open the door, breaking the lock.
Despite the darkness encroaching your sight, your hearing continued to work well. “Kuras. Take this one next.”
The doctor was quiet for a few seconds before he sighed. “This one again,” he mumbled, and a wheeled chair slid over the tile floor. “Put them on the bed. I’ll see what I can do.”
Your mind followed dreamily. What about the other patients? Was Kuras on a break? Did Ais know that?
A gentle shifting placed you on a cloud, the pain now so familiar that you hardly acknowledged it—or maybe you were so delirious from blood loss that it didn’t register anymore.
“You can save them, right?” Ais asked, the smallest note of worry in his low voice. He spoke softly as though making sure you couldn’t hear.
Kuras chuckled and seemingly waved Ais away, because the warm arms that had enveloped you disappeared. The door opened and closed, and there you were, alone with the doctor.
Within minutes of the silence, your vision faded into a deep and soothing sleep.
When you woke later, you peered around the white room with exhaustion. Your stiff neck cracked as you looked from side to side. Sure enough, this was the same room you woke up in when you first arrived in Eridia. No one was with you, and you were far too tired to move. With nothing else to do, you closed your eyes again.
After some time, the door opened and closed, the lock clicking, which you found unusual.
“You awake?”
The familiar voice made you cringe. How humiliating that Ais had to save your life by carrying you to Kuras. All that energy expended just to help you survive an idiotic decision.
“Your nose is twitching. Cute,” he laughed, dragging over a chair to sit by the bedside. “Brought you something, but you need to look at me first.”
Taking in a deep breath and feeling the ache of stitches pulling at your side, you opened your eyes and turned your head. There, only a foot away, sat Ais with a mischievous smile plastered on his too-handsome face.
He held up a brown paper bag. “Cinnamon roll and a pint of milk.”
Your brow furrowed in your confusion. “H-huh?”
“What, did you want the bloody one instead?” he teased. “Fed that one to Princess. She said thanks for the snack.”
Without waiting, he pulled out the pastry and held it firmly to your lips, giving you no room to speak without him shoving it down your throat. Even though your tongue was dry, saliva pooled in your mouth at the scent of sugar and warm dough. The bite was perfect—nothing less.
Ais laughed, pulling away the bun after you took your bite and holding a straw to your lips next. “You’re such a kid,” he said, narrowing his eyes with amusement. “One night, you’re hiding with me in a cramped alley, and the next, you’re bleeding out over a mashed cinnamon bun. Pretty stupid, if you ask me.”
Scoffing, you rolled your eyes. “Didn’t ask you for your opinion.”
“Didn’t give my opinion. Just stated facts.” He shrugged with that bastard smile. “Looks like Kuras fixed you up pretty good. How do you feel?”
“Dizzy.”
“Mm. He must’ve given you the good stuff. That was a hell of a wound.”
“You said it was superficial!” you argued, heat from frustration rising into your cheeks.
Again, he shrugged. “Thought it’d be better if you weren’t freaking out while I got you to the hospital.”
With all of your strength, you snatched the rest of the pastry from his hand and shoved it into your mouth. Now being in debt to him, you didn’t want to mouth off.
“It’s all yours,” he said calmly, leaning his elbows on the bed and sitting with his face much closer. “So? Anything to say after what happened?”
You choked on the food. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” He shot you a shit-eating grin.
Groaning, you chased the dry snack with a gulp of milk before averting your eyes to your blanketed feet. “Thanks,” you mumbled, closing your eyes in embarrassment. “Quit looking at me like that now.”
“Aww. But you’re cute when you’re shy.”
You ignored the tease in favor of another bite of the cinnamon roll. “And thanks for the meal too.”
“Figured you’d be hungry since you’ve been out cold for a week,” he said.
“What?” you exclaimed, jolting to attention so suddenly that your stitches yanked and sent sparks behind your vision.
Ais laughed and leaned back into his chair. “Just kidding. It was overnight. It’s only noon.”
Sighing, you collapsed onto the pillow and groaned, an arm falling over your eyes before you crossed them over your chest. “Why are you such an asshole?”
“You wouldn’t care about me if I wasn’t one,” he countered, standing slowly.
And before you could react, the gentle, unmistakable touch of lips pressed to the top of your head.
“See you later, sparrow.”
The door unlocked, and Ais left with a confident stride and the last word.
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