Previously in NWC-
The party have a mock campout to do one final equipment check before setting out. It quickly becomes apparent that Reno has never set up a tent, and this causes Luna to finally have a meltdown. Not being able to put up with Reno, Luna ends up tenting with CeCe and venting to her about her issues with Reno. Reno goes to sleep, completely oblivious as to why Luna is angry. The night passes uneventfully and the party begins to wake up...
Morning comes and Reno is not surprised to find himself immobile. He waits for a couple minutes before hearing CeCe and Luna waking up. "(Please help me.)" He thinks to himself.
"Morning, Luna!" CeCe, even immediately after waking up, sounds just as cheerful as ever. She exits her tent, standing and stretching. "It's a great morning to start an adventure!"
Luna slowly follows after, yawning as she slowly wakes up. "Good morning, CeCe." The two slowly make their way towards Reno's tent.
"Reno! Are you awake yet? It's time to start getting out of here." CeCe playfully pushes Reno's tent, getting a muffled response.
"If I was forced to guess he's being smothered my Medusa."
CeCe looks at Luna with confusion before slowly opening Reno's tent. "Oh! You were being serious!" CeCe gazes upon the piece of art before them. Reno stares at them through two of Medusa's vines, looking entirely indifferent to his situation. "Reno, do you need help?"
Reno shakes his head. He knows that fighting would be pointless and only make things worse. Half an hour later he is freed and is able to begin breaking down his tent. CeCe and Luna sigh with relief after Reno is finally able to pack the tent. "Hey! Don't give me that huffing and puffin shit! I've never had to put one of these up, let alone put one away!"
CeCe giggles at Reno's irritated response. "No judgement! We're just super excited to get things on the road! Let's do one final check to make sure we're good to go!" CeCe begins their precheck by starting with a role call. "Reno!"
"Here." Reno raises a hand.
"Luna?"
"Here" Luna's voice is tinged with excitement.
"Medusa?"
Medusa waves her vines and shouts with joy. "Medusa!"
CeCe claps her hands together happily, tilting her head. "Great! We're all present! I'm assuming we all have our food and water. You guys have extra clothes?" Reno responds with a thumbs up. "Great! Self-defense?"
Reno wears a cocky smile as he grabs the hilt of his sword. "Don't worry, I've got Merlin right here."
CeCe stops and turns to Reno. "You named your sword Merlin?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? You don't name your swords?"
CeCe stops and contemplates her answer. "I've never really been good at naming things, but I think it's perfectly fine to name swords!" She pushes past this and carries on. "I think that's everything! We know the tents and sleeping bags are all good, so we can head off!"
"Yeah!" The part of four raise their arms, vines, and luminosity in unison as they let out a cheer, taking the first step towards their destination. Reno quickly begins to get bored, attempting small talk to pass the time. "So, CeCe. Do you normally go on trips like this?"
"I've gone on some, but I usually try to avoid them. This one however, I couldn't pass up."
"You don't like them?"
CeCe shakes her head. "That's not it. I just don't normally have access to a tag along. I was really lucky you agreed to come, that's why I'm paying you what I am. I obviously can't guarantee what either of us are looking for is there, but it's a risk worth taking!"
"Really? I would've thought a merchant would have pretty good connections, especially for hired muscle."
"It's not so much about having connections, it's about trustworthy connections. I feel I can trust you because the mayor put a good word in!"
Reno chuckles. "That's funny, because the reason I agreed is because the mayor said good things about you."
"I see our mutual friend enjoys talking as much as he always has!"
"Have you know the mayor for a long time?"
"I wouldn't say a long time. Less than three years. He just has one of those personalities that you can't stop talking once you start!"
Reno smiles, thinking back to his interactions with the mayor. "I'll second that. It's not a bad thing though!"
Luna, listening intently, decides to join the conversation. "Where are you from, if you don't mind sharing."
"I'm actually from Rosaire city! I was born and raised in the capital."
Luna becomes increasingly curious the more the conversation continues. Her mind races with questions as she tries to gather her thoughts. "How did you end up this far out?! That's an entire week of traveling, and that's if the weather is perfect!"
CeCe rubs her neck, smiling brightly. "I've always been adventurous! I love exploring and meeting new people! It's part of why I became a merchant! You get to see so many fun things and meet so many fun people. Like you guys!"
Reno tilts his head. "Yeah, but why Bambadale? It's not like there's anything exciting there. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad place, but it's far from perfect."
"That's what makes it so great, silly! The possibilities in a small town are endless! All it needs is a little love and it could be a great place! I'm sure the old man's told you all about his ambitious plans to make Bambadale bigger than the capital, correct?"
Reno sighs, letting off a small smile. "He didn't say he wanted it to be bigger than the capital, but he was talking his plans up pretty big."
"Well, I don't know about making it bigger than the capital, but it definitely has the potential to be close! The location is pretty far from the capital, but that just makes it a perfect location to expand. The initial cost of getting the resources there is going to severely outweigh the initial profits, but that's just how a startup investment works! The capital's population has already begun increasing slower compared to 10, or even 5 years ago. Bambadale, however, doesn't have a developed market or established boundaries. Rosaire city might be one of the largest cities in the world, but it's history shows what's popular and what's not. Basically, it's markets lack diversity due to the high level of competition." Reno begins to glance at Luna and Medusa as he slowly becomes increasingly lost. Despite his obvious inability to process what's being told to him, CeCe continues. "In a small town you have the ability to narrow in on specific markets that Rosaire can't. I think the old man is on the right track with wanting to expand Bambadale, but he's focused on the wrong goal. Instead of trying to compete with Rosaire, he should be trying to make Bambadale into a completely different entity entirely. Tell me, Reno, what does Bambadale excel at that Rosaire fails?"
Reno flinches slightly as his name is called. "Huh?! I mean- I'm not sure? I haven't been to the capital before so I don't really know anything outside of Bambadale."
CeCe smiles and nods her head. "That's fine! Rosaire is a big city, and with big cities come big problems. I mean, even small places like Bambadale have issues, like with the bandits! The main problem Rosaire has is it's history. Less than 200 years ago the place was a large human settlement. The first Rosarian king declared the city of Rosaire a kingdom and waged war on an entire country. Despite the odds being impossibly against him, his small army somehow managed to bring down what was considered a super power at the time. When that happened, instead of taking over the land, he invited the people to move in to Rosaire. This predominately human city now had a whole slew of races migrating to seek asylum from the aftermath of war. As you can imagine, there are still a large group of humans who believe Rosaire should be a human city because of generations of poor parental figures. Bambadale, however, has been nothing but open from what I've witnessed. I've never once heard anyone speak of another race with disdain, and believe me, I've tried bating a response before. The town has a culture of acceptance, and that is what I think should be cultivated to make Bambadale its own unique place!"
Reno nods his head, listening intently. "I guess I didn't really consider the fact of other races." Reno sees CeCe's eyebrows furrow as a negative response to his remark. "I mean! I come from a place that's only humans, so I've literally never met anyone from another race before!"
CeCe observes Reno's face before smiling slightly. "Well, are you interested in meeting any?"
"Yeah, actually. It sounds like a really cool idea!" Reno speaks genuinely and from his heart.
CeCe's smile widens and she nods her head. "Great! I'll have to take you to Rosaire one day! There's so many people, and I think it would be a great opportunity for you to get an idea of what Bambadale could look like!" The party tosses around ideas for the future of Bambadale, quickly losing track of time.
TO BE CONTINUED...