Il Ji was whistling on his way to the meeting.
Normally, they were held by the super dramatic committee head, Adele Dromont.
Personally, Il Ji enjoyed the meetings. At most, they only lasted an hour and were held at noon.
Additionally, he enjoyed watching Adele Dromont talk about how her Antiquities store needed more customers and that Ijiit, the dark-skinned local blacksmith, needed to up his game and improve his store front.
Every time the two fought, Il Ji would subtly hand out and eat popcorn with everyone there. It became a thing.
Once he arrived at Adele's quaint shoppe, he once again let his eyes wander around the merchandise as he walked to the back.
Then, adeptly pressing the buttons on the microwave, he began to pop the popcorn.
Once the first bag had started, he walked around, shook hands, and signed the sheet marking his attendance.
Then, washing his hands again, he began to start making the rest of the bags. When each bag finished in the microwave, he added several shakes of a bottle marked "Il Ji's Shaken Secrets" to them.
His job complete, he began to pass them out. Adele and Ijiit began to eat out of their bags from the git-go.
As for everyone else, they waited politely for the meeting to 'start.'
At 12:05 sharp, Adele raised her voice. "Alright everyone, I have some news to share."
"First, I would like to thank Phil for being willing to share his Logo & Design capabilities for those of us here today. He is offering a free appointment for storefront and logo re-design consultation."
"As he has given us this FREE opportunity, I would ask that anyone who needs an OvErHaUl for their STOREFRONT to make use of his special skills."
She looked pointedly at Ijiit, who coughed twice.
Everyone started eating from their bags.
Adele had surely badgered Phil endlessly for this concession, and the only reason she had done it was to push at Ijit. Everyone knew. It was obvious.
"In OTHER news," Adele continued, "The National Day of Rest is coming up in two days. As such, all of our stores will be closed to comply with national regulations."
"I will be holding a small party here to celebrate. While I can't say anything about it at this time, I can tell you that, if you attend, your monthly profits will have the possibility to triple in size."
"To make the most of it, I only ask that you show up in full combat gear."
"We also have several announcements for this month. Mr. Addlesby of the Puzzle Emporium is soft retiring a portion of his business."
"As such, he will no longer be selling used and custom puzzles, and will instead be selling puzzles from different associated companies."
"He also wants us to be aware that there will be a sale starting tomorrow to sell his old inventory and replace it with the new."
"Thank you, Mr. Addlesby, for your announcement." At this, she gave him a dramatic bow.
"We also have a notice from Il Ji." She continued. "He says that, after a sudden opportunity, he has closed his shop for a month in order to work on his Creation Master's test."
Il Ji gave everyone a little wave.
"However, Il Ji broke the rules of this comittee, and put a sign on his door instead of going through me first."
"Il Ji, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I was… busy?"
"That excuse is hardly proper." Adele replied frostily.
"Hey, Adele! Leave the poor boy alone. If you opened your eyes just a crack you might be able to see out of your own butt." Ijiit shouted from the side.
"HOW DARE YOU USE SUCH CRASS LANGUAGE HERE?!"
"How dare you treat us like your underlings?!"
"I am the Commitee. Head!" She fumed. "COMMITTEE. HEAD!!"
"More like Comittee Butthead." Ijit quickly butted in.
"J- You! Ijit, come speak with me upstairs so we can settle this."
"Fine by me."
The two left and went upstairs. Half the popcorn bags were gone.
Il Ji took the moment to straighten his clothing. "Since we're all here, and they'll be up there for the next… oh, thirty minutes or so, let's start."
"To finish the announcement, yes, I am gunning for my Creation Master certificate. If it all works out, I'll be able to quickly turn my business from a Beast Supply Shop into a specialized Beast Shop."
"With any luck, this will bring more customers to the strip. Does anyone have anything they want to add?"
As the apartment above them began to ring out with the shouts and screams of the two above them, several people ate popcorn while the rest of them looked down at the floor. After a minute of speculation, a softer voice spoke up.