I have work to do tonight, yes. But. I kind of desperately needed to Get Something Done and Be Productive On Fun Stuff so I finally posted another story in the Adynaton series.
Decoupage, 928 words. Probably the fluffiest piece that will ever exist in the Adynaton universe.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16249352
Seven girls sat around the dining room table, each with a planner open on their tablet. Ms. Star sat at the head. She tapped an icon and charts opened on all of the screens.
"Now," she began. "Before I go over January's numbers, there’s a bit of housekeeping. I am sending you all the information for May's camp retreat. Make sure you go over that and see if you'll be able to attend. As a reminder, you must reach quota for a full quarter before the retreat in order to qualify for the Troop rate. Anyone who is not at quota will be required to pay the Individual price in order to attend. This is a great opportunity to invest in yourselves, so definitely push to hit those numbers. They have some great speakers lined up and you will definitely learn some great sales techniques. Plus, it's being held at a horse ranch so high achievers will also have opportunities to ride.”
There was an excited murmur from the table.
Ms. Star tapped again and a particular chart was highlighted.
"I'd like to congratulate Patt for having top sales three months in a row." She smiled proudly at Patt. When Ms. Star began clapping, the rest of the girls clapped along.
Patt's neighbor, Nanci, leaned over and whispered "Good job!"
Patt's cheeks turned pink. She never was much for being the center of attention. "Thanks," she whispered to the table.
"You should be very proud of yourself, Patt," said Ms. Star. "I even got a call from District Headquarters when they sent out this month's numbers to say how well you are doing and to tell you to keep up the good work. You are growing into quite the saleswoman."
Patt's cheeks were downright red now.
Marta sat quietly at her spot while the other girls congratulated Patt. She knew that Patt's parents bought all of the candies through friends. They did it that way rather than a direct dues donation or buying candy themselves so it would look like Patt was doing well. Patt couldn't sell water to a man dying of thirst. Everyone had to know that something was up, but there they were, telling Patt what a good job she was doing.
After the commotion died down, Ms. Star continued. Nanci, Marta, and Tyffyny were all above 120% of quota, and were duly praised. Orange and Ylonda were both averaging quota.
"And that brings us to Chandra." There was an ominous pause. "Chandra, this is the third month in a row that you are below 80% of quota." The girls made appropriately concerned-sounding noises. Chandra looked at her feet. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. We all have off months." Chandra nodded. "But I'm confident that with some rallying, we can make up that deficit, right?" Chandra silently nodded again. “After all, District Headquarters is counting on our candy sales to continue. Right?”
The girls chorused “Right.”
“You remember that last month they announced the new headquarters, so now more than ever they are relying on our sales numbers to keep advancing the program. And we know the motto: The more you earn, the more you learn. Say it with me.”
“The more you earn, the more you learn.”
“And while we haven’t had any notifications of cuts to the program yet, I know from speaking with Ms. Bernie at District Headquarters that they have considered it. Overall, our Troop is doing quite well, but that doesn’t mean that our Troop is safe. I know they’ll be looking at all underperformers in the next few months, so everyone, not just Chandra, needs to stay on their game. Right?”
All but Chandra answered, “Right.”
"I have an idea,” Ms. Star said. “As a project, girls, let's all help Chandra. While we work on our craft for today, I want you to think of the best sales advice that you can. We have some great achievers on our team. Some of you have just started and are seeing a lot of success. Let's not dwell on the bad news. No-one is in danger of getting kicked out of the Troop. But we'll spend ten minutes at the end helping Chandra out. Okay? Patt, I especially want to hear from you since you are rocking it!"
Patt looked quite intently at her left thumbnail. There was a murmur of assent among the other girls. Ms. Star smiled. "Now, everyone get your supplies from your cubby. Today we'll be continuing to work on our decoupage projects. Remember, once you are out working in the world, it’s important to have a hobby to keep yourself grounded. That’s why we also focus on crafts, and not just career-readiness."
Marta looked around the room as everyone got out their scissors, magazines, and glue. Patt looked horrified at the prospect of revealing her secret. Orange and Nanci couldn't care less about Chandra's situation, but, she expected, would be happy to share some platitudes. At least one of them would rely on “Always Be Closing.” Tyffyny, of course, would be happy to share her years of experience and might offer some actual wisdom. She was the oldest of the bunch, after all, being in seventh grade.
As for Marta? She would try to help. Chandra was not a lost case. Not like Patt. Marta was a realist, unlike Ms. Star, with her motivational speeches copied from the Troop Leader's handbook. Marta knew that with enough motivation, Chandra might do well.
She handed a magazine over to Chandra. "Here," she said. "This one has horses."
