a/n: One possible explanation for why there are so many hibiscuses in NLA. If only there was a reason for all the tank tops.
All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.
Apriltober 2018 21 Orchid
Solan swiped his screen with resolution. "Last point. Project Orchid." A ruffle of unease swept the room, as three of the four remaining members also pulled up the appropriate page, by turns eagerly or sulkily, and prepared to face the issue. So much promise, so close to the edge of disaster.
The fifth person remained poised and attentive, but she made no move to turn to the newest data, as she hadn't during the previous point, or the one before that. Solan wasn't sure why Eleonora even bothered to bring her comm device to the meetings if she never looked at the details. On the other hand, she had never NOT known any detail, right down to numbers that hadn't been completely distributed to all members yet. Once she'd corrected him, gently, on an issue he himself was presenting for the first time that day. He resumed his focus on the current issue and looked at the others. "Well?"
"The distribution has stalled. Only a handful have been purchased, even though we've has marked them down to an easily accessible price point, and introduced the newest color, lovestruck, which is, I believe, golden in color."
"That was the initial model's color," contradicted a blonde man. Kent was being his standard, hyper-specific self.
"You're thinking of the youthful one. Only the edges of that one are yellow. The new model is a solid color, much paler." Sherry nodded enthusiastically, lifting her comm device to demonstrate. "As you can see…."
"I don't think the color palette is going to make a difference," snapped Solan. "Any other suggestions?"
"Perhaps a different model entirely? Something with a different shape. Maybe a something that looks like a real orchid."
"The hibiscus form was chosen to meet specific needs," Eleonora put in simply.
Time to move the discussion along, because that was that, though Solan. There would be no changing the shape. "Without changing the antennae, how can we distribute them more widely?"
Suggestions and counter-arguments bloomed. "Celebrity endorsement." "Do we have celebrities?" "Free with pizza." "We'd get too many civilians." "Free with skell insurance." "The Harriers would get them all. We want even distribution." "Add treasure augments." "The weather augment is necessary for transmission."
Eleonora sighed. "We're trying too hard. Distribution isn't the real goal. It would be better to reach a select few than ten times as many of the weaker BLADEs."
"Present them to team leaders only, then," suggested Solan. "That might work. If we can monitor the leader of any team out in the field, we'd get a thorough view of activities."
"It might even make them more popular. People with aspirations would wear them,' chimed in Kent.
Sherry objected. "Two problems: a lot of BLADEs are leery of hierarchy. They might not want signs of it that obvious. Second, I don't think team leaders want a bright pink rank insignia on their foreheads. Kinda works as a target for the enemy."
"Third point: We already have an entry point for following up on teams," Eleonora said modestly. She turned to the last member of the group, until then silent. "Professor B., you haven't given a suggestion. Any thoughts?"
"You want to cover the &9&*%$ odd ducks, but not the weak ones. The ones that might just go off and cause trouble."
"Perhaps."
A fierce frown creased his strange visage. "Make them harder to get. Not as a #$. /. -3%*%&, because that's too obvious. Make them a pointless award."
Solan shook his head. "No one will want them then."
"They won't want them, but they'll wear them as proof they did the *%*). .(^ thing. Especially the # . .-((} weirdos you're most interested in."
Eleonora smiled brilliantly. "I know just the challenge. Thank you, Professor."
a/n: It's going to be interesting how Fan Fiction messes up Prof. B's speech in an effort to prevent http linkage. Best explanation I've heard for tank tops: Vandham molts them.
Next up: 22 Spray Bottle. Have I mentioned that H.B. and Frye are terrible friends? That holds true outside of NLA as well.