I think issue is not quantity of pieces but something else that had gone on in the past and started yet again.
Ed, you compromise seems OK to me. Kinda feels like gym class when one person couldn't follow the 'rules' and then everyone has to do more push-ups [of course, that trouble-maker was usually me ;-) ]
But if that's the way it has to be, it is a reasonable compromise.
![[dgt SITOme]](/sue/imgs/sueid/suebar-dgt-id.gif)