One can never really know what life has in store for them until it hits them straight in the face. In this case, making their nose bleed and smashing the hard-earned reputation the facility has gained over time.

And it was in his misfortune to fix it, being the primary figure turned to in these cases.

After a performance plan that went horribly wrong in light of a certain redheaded criminal taking part and deciding to leave -- in the process emptying her fellow actors' pockets and forcing the theater to pay for compensation, everything went back to zero. Though disturbingly nonchalant and confident in the universe's plans, Locklen was the one to take the biggest hit, reputation bashed in his short-notice cancel of a promised grandiose show; insulting even the local lord and his daughter who had, for once, agreed to attend the theater. The numerous, pompous noblemen invited would deliver harsh backlash and criticism, spreading how unprofessional it was and that by now, the theater should have closed down for good.

Seriously, it's just one play. How did things end up so badly because of that? The reason was, in its importance. And the worst part for the raven-haired was that there was little he could do to prevent it; taking the paining end of the price for his sense of justice. Ah, how poor a soul he was. The Sinese couldn't help but feel a terribly sour taste in his mouth when turned to, still worried from past attempts that an attempt would be made at the attendees, or worse; at Locklen himself. Fixing the theater's public image would take a lot of work, and certainly wasn't something that would be complete in a single day. Moreover, such a task would require him to head far from the building, potentially putting it at risk. With the looming danger in the back of his mind, this was a hard pill to swallow.

WC: 323/2,000

Regardless of the risks and his unwillingness to go with it under the given circumstances, a job is a job... And Locklen, as usual, offered to pay awfully handsomely for such a task. Granted, it would save the theater's ass with this simple 'errand', and as such the prize was justified; but really, where does this man get all his money from? How come he has this much to pay so many actors, development, script-writers and maintenance? Such a question would be saved for later, as now the young Sinese had to think up a way to complete the request given.

Now clearly, restoring the lost reputation in a single week's time or even a month, was a fever dream at best. With only so many people in Marigold and trade being held frequently but not intrudingly so, it meant the close circles would be the first targets; which means the locals. Noblemen, the royals, their attendants, the commonfolk and the farmers; all would have to be taken into account in the equation. In essence, this was a mission consisting of catering to such social groups' needs, first in an apologetic way for the 'insult' they've received on such short notice -- the urgency and intensity of such dependent on their initial expectations -- and second in a promoting, almost saleslike approach to desperately try bring them back.

This was not a foreign concept for Jan Ren. Having befriended and familiarized himself with many a person in the city, he was at least confident he could restore somewhat of a crowd to the theater grounds. However, that required much consistency, a lot of time to invest and efficiency; neither of which he could afford in the given time limit. Rather, he'd wanted to make sure they returned as fast as possible to their seats. So how does he go about it?

WC: 309
TWC: 632/2,000

Overthinking will lead to nowhere, as is beating around the bush. Wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible, Jan Ren decided that getting a glimmer of hope of these guys returning to watch the performances, would be a good start. That, he could accomplish in a good day. Or three. Luckily, with connections at the bay, the Sinese knew where the begin. The crowd most likely to attend the theater would be unexpectedly, the one that held the most criticism towards it in the first place; the pompous bunch which allowed themselves the haughty attitude of commenting on every whim. In other words... The Nobles.

Yes, there is no possible way he'd reach all the nobles in Marigold in three days.

Over the span of nearly a week, the Sinese went hard into work. By this point, he was a well-known figure in the city at least; as a respected wizard of Blue Pegasus and a constant helper to many a requester in town. Thus, with status gained through practical and social means, he was allowed time with most of the well-known, influential folk. Just what he'd needed, really.

To his surprise however, the Sinese bore little success. Despite his diplomatic tendencies and negotiation attempts, one clear message arrived from the majority of his meetings; the theater as it is, was not handled correctly. He'd offer several to be sponsors, the same way he did back when; to no avail. The managing in itself was the issue, if they could so flippantly go and cancel a huge play on such short notice; moreso if they were keen on hiring wanted criminals to play the lead part -- ultimately resulting in the performance's disbandment. Seems word of that, reached their ears as well. Much to his dismay, the results that came in brought few back to their seats. Rough start.

WC: 311
TWC: 943/2,000

The next group in line would be the common folk. Shop keepers, local construction workers, random citizens and the like. Following the supposed failure with the nobles, Jan Ren turned to Locklen in request to help out or to try change a couple things about the theater management and organization. To which, the young and ambitious producer simply seemed to laugh it off, while taking to account the criticism granted. One odd detail the Sinese would notice is how the young actor rolled up his sleeves at the end of their short-lived conversation, as if planning to work bare-handed on something.

Nevertheless, it was the next group's turn. In the following week (having took two days off in such failre), the young man went hard at work, creating slogans and drawing fliers with the help of his trusty crew of sixteen. Hung all around Marigold in honor of the theater and even 'hired' some of his people to make public apologies for the locals in several areas of the city. For thinking, the Sinese found himself locking himself in his Inn room or traveling to the Windmill to think up other strategies.

And for the most part, his efforts worked. As the theater continued to run throughout the week, mostly thanks to the advertisement hung by the lot, some several of the locals came to visit, paying their respects and hard-earned Jewels to watch the plays. However. The looming air in the building wasn't of amusement, but of sarcasm and criticism. As if the invited guests were over with it and simply came out of obligation; a scenario the Blue Pegasus wizard had dreaded. In some survey held by yours truly, such turned out to be the real case. The majority of the guests did come simply out of 'debt' or 'habit', and not curiosity or interest. So what really was going on?

WC: 313
TWC: 1,256

While he hadn't much hope for the bunch, the farmers were next. While technically counted as the simple yet more prestigious folk of Marigold, thanks mostly to their high-quality crops and their appreciated work. The farmers were simple folk; arguably the toughest to persuade into such entertainment business, not only because of their apparent lack of interest but mostly in their guaranteed lack of time. As he went around asking the cityfolk for their appearances in the theater, the Sinese made special point to arrive by the farmlands often and have at least, a good chat with the simple men.

His special brainstorming spot being the windmill held quite the advantage in that regard; Jan Ren had immediate access to these guys' fields, and could inspect their lifestyle and work firsthand. He could strike up conversation easily and with him being known by now, would be easily invited. It also helped that despite their somewhat threatening appearance, his band of sixteen were overall good kids who meant well; reflected in how liked they were among the farmers. With such a positive basis, the Blue Pegasus mage hoped he could score considerable leeway with this group.

And he did! Perhaps out of obligation or constantly bringing it up, most if not all of the farmers he and his helpers came in contact with, showed their face in the theater building at least once. The problem was, however, in frequency and quantity. The plays were nice and adhered to their tastes, definitely but besides that, the folk didn't seem all that hyped to come back after a visit or two at most. The reason laying, of course, in their lack of interest and time (just as expected). Despite his efforts, that was not a factor he could change while working outside. Perhaps if he was on management himself, it might have worked.

...Management, huh?

WC: 312
TWC: 1,568/2,000

With the three major groups in Marigold approached with his best attempts, Jan Ren was left with few more options. What more could be done to bring these people to the theater? What was he missing? There were certainly enough actors, enough volunteers and enough scripts and plays to run the business smoothly. Every accessory imaginable, collected over a long, long time of running was present in the dressing room, and the quality of the equipment surrounding the theater stage was easily top-notch. Moreover, should any damages be done, Locklen was easily capable of patching such up, either by his power or others' abilities, thanks to the hefty sum of Jewels he always, somehow, seemed to have on hand.

With few options left and a loss for a way, the Sinese figured these past two weeks may not be for naught. Time was an important factor, and good things came to those who wait. Consistency was the name of the game, and if he wanted to make sure the cityfolk arrived at the theater, he had to keep going even in the face of some significant rejection. Except that no matter how much he'd tried, the same result came up; the numbers visiting after the advertisement and negotiating spike, dwindling even after a while.

This won't do. At this rate, they'd be back to square one. What's all this gear worth if it's not being put to use? When confronted Locklen about the subject, the nonchalant actor, befitting of his nature, shrugged it off as nothing special and held his hopes in the theater's success, still. That's when the Sinese thought of a bold, extremely risky move that could potentially, cost him this very job. The whole two weeks' worth of work thrown out the window if he just suggested it.

That Locklen might be the issue.

WC: 307
TWC: 1,875

With yet another week passing by with his best efforts showing no significant advance, Jan Ren was getting desperate himself. It only bothered him more that Locklen was, as good as ever. Not a shred of doubt in his mind, not an ounce of despair or stress. Even at the man's own house (yes, the Sinese found himself frantically stressing over this enough to outright spy on Locklen back to his own house and observe;) such wasn't nearly the case. So one day, after a long three weeks of tirelessly going around Marigold in attempt to persuade some poor sods to come to this goddamned facility, the Blue Pegasus mage finally made his suggestion.

Locklen would stop managing the theater, instead getting relegated to simple sponsorship, the same way many a noble was. He would provide funds for the building, the facility and its management; which would pass for one of the other actors -- probably Deliah with how passionate an actor she was herself -- and watch, the same way every other citizen did, from the sidelines.

Naturally, this was met with an easy threat to dock away from Jan Ren's pay, if not outright fire the Sinese from his tasks. It was an outrageous idea to suggest to a business owner, much less one supposedly as passionate as this. However, that is where the rich man pulled through, showing how much he cared about this facility; deciding to swallow his ever-present ego and nonchalant attitude, to take a step back.

Unfortunately... It did wonders.

With the property transferred to someone else and word spreading around Marigold quite quickly, the theater was soon back to relative success. Not nearly as much a hit as it was during Alice in Wonderland, but still very welcoming and in some days, even full.

The request was successful, and the main issue was traced down well. However... With how uncomfortable the solution ended up being, and understanding that his position in the theater wasn't much welcome anymore with the new fundraiser, the Sinese left with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. Thinking that for the next while, he may be best leaving the city to manage on its own. Without his help...

WC: 367
TWC: 2,242