Previously in NWC-
Reno and Luna, believe it or not, argue more. Medusa finds a work around to the rule of not leaving the F.T.G. Finally, Luna and Reno make their way to Lyn's house to help plan for the upcoming meeting...
Back on the streets of Bambadale, Luna and Reno round the corner, spotting CeCe and Lyn engaged in a seemingly important discussion. They approach quietly so as not to disturb the two. CeCe stood in front of Lyn; the cloak she normally wore swaying with her movements. "Hello everyone! In case any of you haven't met me, my name is CeCe! I'm a merchant who's originally from the Capital city. For a couple of years now I've been supporting Bambadale by personally handling the imports and exports of the town. However, after a lengthy business analysis, I've made the deduction that-"
Lyn holds her hand up, stopping CeCe. Slowly, she pushes her glasses up, looking at CeCe and speaking. "You sound too formal. Remember: your target audience is a bunch of farmers and stay at home mothers. There's no need for the corporate buzzwords. If you add too many unnecessary words then you'll start losing people."
CeCe lets out a small sigh of disappointment, clenching her fists and nodding her head. Smiling, she recovers. "Right!" She clears her throat, starting from the beginning. "After looking into things, I think Bambadale has a lot of potential. Bambadale controls a significant amount of land outside of the walls you've put up. That means there's a lot of room to grow and establish connections with larger cities, particularly the Capital city! Now, before anyone objects, I'd like to acknowledge the bad blood between Bambadale and the Capital. I know you all have been treated poorly by the King in the past, but if you build trade with the Capital then you can begin taking back some of that money the King's taken!"
Lyn thinks to herself, humming as she puts her hand to her chin. "Hmm… I'm not sure about that part. The way you're wording things is a bit off putting. I'm not entirely sure why, but it feels disingenuous."
CeCe's shoulders fall once more. "Ehh? I need a little more than that to go off of. I do care, and you know that. I'm just as invested in the future of Bambadale as you or even the Old Man!"
"I'm not questioning whether you care or not. I'm saying the way you're wording it makes it feel less personal."
Having previously been watching from afar, Reno approaches. "Glad to see you guys didn't drink yourself into a coma last night."
Lyn and CeCe's eyes perk up slightly, turning to face Reno and Luna. CeCe smiles and gives a small wave. "Hey Reno! Hey Loon!"
Lyn observes them, analyzing their every move. Finally, she greets them. "Luna. Business buddy."
Luna walks next to Reno, smiling gently and bowing slightly. "Greetings, CeCe and Lyn. How are you today?"
CeCe gives a flashy smiles and a thumbs up, her messy bun shifting with her exaggerated movements. "Doing amazing! How are you two?"
Luna sighs, shaking her head and holding her hands up to her side as she shrugs her shoulders. "Reno is being difficult, as per usual."
Reno glares at her, speaking plainly. "I'm not the one who threatened to blast a hole into someone's head."
Luna points at Reno, her finger right in his face. "You were more than deserving of such a comment."
"Like hell!" Reno grabs Luna's cheeks, pinching them and pulling them.
Before the two could argue anymore, Lyn sighs with annoyance. "It's great that you two have so much energy, but please take your childish behavior elsewhere. Unlike you two, CeCe and I are working."
Reno slowly let's go, his angered glare shifting to a look of curiosity as he turns to Lyn. "What are you guys working on?"
"Well, business buddy, if you must know, we're rehearsing for tonight."
Reno crosses his arms and sways his head from left to right. "Hmm, I see, I see. Is CeCe doing the speaking later then?"
Lyn nods her head, turning back to CeCe. "That would be correct. I was just telling CeCe that the way she's speaking felt unintentionally impersonal. However, I can't quite attribute the reason why."
Reno looks over to CeCe, seeing the slight hint of confusion on her face. "I heard a little of it. It was really good!"
CeCe smiles brightly, tilting her head slightly. "Thanks!"
"But, like Lyn said, it feels a little weird."
CeCe's smiles drops slightly as she returns to her tired demeanor. "I get that. But why?"
Reno thinks, crossing his arms and letting out a slight noise of deep contemplation. "You always talk about Bambadale like it's your home away from home, but when you were talking about the bad blood with the King, you were saying things that kinda separated you from the rest of the village."
Lyn and CeCe both look at Reno with intrigue, CeCe's expression slightly interested. "Yeah? How so?"
"Well, you said 'you' multiple times. If you really want to seem like you're with everyone then wouldn't you say things like 'we' or 'us'? Instead of saying something like 'I know how badly you've been treated by the King,' it should be more like 'I know how badly WE'VE been treated by the King.'"
Luna nods her head, adding on to Reno's point. "You started by saying you thought Bambadale had a lot of potential, but then you started using those 'you' statements. It came off as Bambadale and its people were simply resources for that potential, and you were a separate entity. The townspeople may be offput by that sort of misunderstanding."
CeCe, while slightly down from being picked apart, nodded her head with enthusiasm. "Right, that makes sense! Nobody wants to be told somethings gonna be a lot of work, just for the person telling them to sound like they're not gonna help in any way! So: keep it simple and avoid separating myself! Thanks you two!"
Lyn lets out a small hum of satisfaction, finally taking her eyes off of Reno. "Then let's try again. Just pick up from where you left off."
CeCe, with her newfound confidence, continues. "We've all been left to our own devices as a result of the King's poor leadership! That's why I propose we try to establish trade with the capital! By doing so, we'd have more resources coming into Bambadale. With more resources comes more stability. Our little town could be full of life again! We aren't asking for money or resources, we simply ask for one thing: Your blessing. Bambadale isn't just a tiny little town in the Rosaire kingdom. It's a community nit tighter than any other! Together we can make Bambadale even more amazing!" CeCe finishes her practice speech, looking expectantly at her three observers.
They all remain silent, thinking to themselves and looking at each other, waiting for someone else to speak. Finally, Lyn speaks up. "It's good. It's short and to the point but also makes the objective clear. If you want to avoid being asked questions on the spot then I'd add a short little bit at the end about asking you questions afterwards. That way you're less likely to get hit with a difficult question in front of everyone." CeCe, happy with this, nods her head and looks to Luna.
Luna nods her head in agreement, attempting to add on to Lyn's assessment. "As she stated, it's good. By removing the 'you' statements it felt much more personal. It felt less like a boss trying to encourage their associates for a less than desirable policy change."
CeCe smiles and nods her head faster, clenching her fists in excitement, her eyes sparkling as she feels the praise raising her spirits. Finally, she turns to Reno. Reno sees the look in her eyes and nervously rubs the back of his neck. He glances up to avoid her piercing gaze before finally speaking, hesitating slightly. "Well… it's… good."
CeCe aggressively nods her head, speaking quickly. "It's good/ Good! What else?!"
Reno's gaze finally returns to CeCe's excited face. He sighs and shakes his head, speaking with a slightly disappointed voice. "That's it really. It's good. It's weird, really. I don't think it's a bad speech at all, but at the same time it feels too scripted."
CeCe's excitement finally ebbs away. "Oh, I see. But Reno, it's supposed to be scripted. That's the point of rehearsing."
"I know that much, obviously. But, like, at the same time it's like hearing another student's essay they had to do to pass a class."
CeCe's arms slowly lower back to her sides. She cocks her head as her expression progressively becomes more confused, with a slight hint of disappointment. "I do have to do this, though. We can't just make a decision like this without everyone else on board. If we do, they'll likely start to push back, making things more difficult in the long run."
Reno looks at Lyn and Luna, hoping for backup. However, disappointingly, they were silent. They didn't disagree, but they didn't have it in them to openly ruin CeCe's mood. "That's what I mean. You're only doing this because you HAVE to. The speech almost had TOO much structure. Like Lyn said, know your target audience. Yes, it's technically a business proposal, but that doesn't mean it has to be so professional. It's not about the language, either, just the way your logical process flowed TOO well."
The three women stare at each other, dumbfounded. Finally, Lyn speaks up. "I'm amazed your brain was capable of thinking that hard, business buddy."
Reno's temple flexes as he holds back an angered expression. "Screw you."
TO BE CONTINUED...