Washington 2017: The U.S. Political RP: IC [CLOSED]

[Greater Arab State]

"I can assure you Senator that I will continue my candidacy."

Very well then. Is there anything else you would like to speak to me about? It has admittedly been mostly me speaking, as I do apologize for any rudeness.

"I don't have anything else to say. Thank you for your advice Senator."

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1702
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

"Darnell as a candidate is extremely vulnerable and he knows it. With our system and our base and the environment in which we run a victory here and another seat in Washington can be within our grip. But to grasp it requires holding too what we have established and using the strength it provides." Walton says.

*Lyla nodded*

I fully agree. Do you recommend that I run for the Senate, then?

[Tumblrena]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1702
Friday
24 February
2017

"Do you think you can meet that criteria?" Walton asks the weighted question.

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1702
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

"Do you think you can meet that criteria?" Walton asks the weighted question.

I certainly do believe so. However, given my experience as Speaker of the State House of Representatives, I feel as if my transition from state to federal legislatures shall be much easier, however more efficient, if I were to be elected to the House.

[The Portland Territory]

Very well then. Is there anything else you would like to speak to me about? It has admittedly been mostly me speaking, as I do apologize for any rudeness.

"I don't have anything else to say. Thank you for your advice Senator."

Of course, Senator Kramer.

*Egazarian stood up, extending his hand for a shake*

Feel free to call me for anything, mhm?

[Greater Arab State]

"I don't have anything else to say. Thank you for your advice Senator."

Of course, Senator Kramer.

*Egazarian stood up, extending his hand for a shake*

Feel free to call me for anything, mhm?

*Kramer shakes Egazarian's hand*
"I will most certainly do so if needed Senator."

[Tumblrena]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1703
Friday
24 February
2017

Walton flips over through a few papers then looks over at Lyla directly. "Why do you think you lost this last election?"

[The Portland Territory]

Of course, Senator Kramer.

*Egazarian stood up, extending his hand for a shake*

Feel free to call me for anything, mhm?

*Kramer stands up and shakes Egazarian's hand*
"I will most certainly do so if needed Senator."

Thank you. Enjoy your night mate, God bless.

*and with that, he nodded at Kramer and left*

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1703
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

Walton flips over through a few papers then looks over at Lyla directly. "Why do you think you lost this last election?"

Two reasons, one personal and one out of my control. Firstly, the Left was divided giving the Conservative candidate a much higher advantage, even in a state such as Washington. Secondly, the personal issue, is that I was too honest, ambitious. The accomplishments I helped achieve in Washington probably would never pass in DC, thus those even on the Left perhaps saw me as too radical.

*she looked to the side, then back at Walton*

It's good to be honest with your voters about your beliefs, grassroots democracy requires such a mindset. However sadly we as a party are in a moral dilemma where we have to choose between honesty and pseudo-pandering. I try to avoid the latter as much as possible and hope I continue to do so. But sadly, sometimes the best way to achieve the most good it to shield the best plans until the time is right.

[Tumblrena]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1704
Friday
24 February
2017

"Hmm. Interesting." Walton says.

"But I do not think correct.

I do not think being 'radical' was the reason you lost Ms. Beatrice. There are always some who do not understand the need for certain steps and sometimes it is needed to be cautious in making and pronouncing plans but I think it is very clear that that was not the issue.

Not all political issues are equal of course and many voters have deeper concerns on some issues than on others. If those concerns are not addressed by us then they will look elsewhere.

I was very disappointed when I saw you call yourself a "centrist" on guns Ms. Beatrice on that debate stage. While I understand some disagreement this was an issue of great importance and it looked like it was put too easily to the side without the proper weight it needed. I disagreed politically but I saw the flaw that had opened as well. Mr. Brankers had an odd tightrope to walk in this election between different types of voters and we had a clear path. As I said holding onto what we have established in this state will let a seat like that come inside our grasp as we represent the needs and concerns of the people. However by stepping away from gun safety we stepped away from assuring the voters who are worried about their lives and safety that we would be there to protect them. Maybe you did not mean it in the way that you said it Ms. Beatrice but what you did say and what the people heard made them have to look somewhere else for someone who would stand for them and they found Mr. Brankers. He has been showing that that belief of theirs was not a false one by voting against that truly extreme Minuteman Act as they expected for him. He will not represent their concerns in other areas but worry over guns led them to give him their votes and those voters that were going to him were leaving from you.

If that is not fixed then we will not win another election in this state when we are weak on an issue that there is so much concern about among our people. One of our greatest moments came with Mr. Alphonsey's filibuster against that bill. The people were not scared of a radical in that election. They were worried that the person they had planned to vote for would not be strong enough."

[Vaquas]

City Hall, Manhattan, New York
(Image)

Everyone knew Kate Braum was going to run for something. Ever since the high powered, glamorous attorney had made her return to the public eye after a foray into motherhood, it had been clear.

Not satisfied with working in the privacy Gracie Mansion, she had taken to City Hall. There, she turned a relatively quiet position into a high profile one, taking on City Council and making herself known in a series of ambitious public projects. The carte blanche given to her by Beaumont was something she was careful to take advantage of. More importantly, the media the media had fallen for her. The glamorous self made woman had her face and name plastered all over the city. Something about her look, her brand, attracted people like flies.

Ever since she took at initial Gracie Mansion job, the speculation had no end. Would she run for House? Senate? Those in the well connected lady's social circles knew she had her sights set on that very same building. And those connections had proven fruitful: through the prep schools, through the Opera, through her legal career people had stuck to her like flies just as much as the general public. That had enabled her to amass quite a bit of pledged support even before her mayoral announcement was set to occur. Fundraising would be a breeze for Braum.

It was because of her attention, the speculation, the connections, that Braum chose a random Tuesday morning to run for mayor. Braum strode up the steps of city hall, her daughter Erin close behind. Behind her walked the miniature press gaggle that seemed to follow her everywhere. Even closer was Braum's presumptive campaign manager, the communications director for the Beaumont mayoral campaign and formal mayoral staffer, Richard Trowel.


Braum entered the building, and silently filed her candidacy papers for the Democratic and Liberal mayoral primaries. The press buzzed around her, asking a million unanswered questions.

Finally, with the forms submitted, Braum turned to face the cameras.

"This is my daughter, Erin Braum. Since I took a job as a legal advisor on the Beaumont campaign, I've been a working mom. But I have always made time for my little ladybug, Erin. I've watched her grow from an infant to the beautiful young lady she is today. She is my inspiration, my rock, and she is what pushes me to do my part in keeping New York the greatest city in the world. I wish to keep New York a dynamic, open place so that Erin may grow up to be successful, safe, and happy, along with all of the other children New York. As you can see, it is because of Erin that I am officially running for mayor. We are going to run a positive campaign based on hope for our city's future in the face of a toxic political environment, to reflect the outward nature of New York. Please, come and join me!"

The small crowd that had amassed clapped a bit. The press then resumed their questions.

"Mrs. Braum, are you at all considering running in the Republican or Progressive primaries as well?"

Braum thought for a moment then responded. "I am a centrist. I believe I can and will appeal to New Yorkers of all political stripes, as I believe we are fundamentally one city with one shared future. It's going to take us working together to make that future the best and brightest it can be. So if that means being pulled into one of those primaries, then by all means, I will run. We enjoy electoral fusion, after all."

Braum waited and prepared to field more questions.

"Mrs. Braum, does Mayor Beaumont support your candidacy?"

[Sanabel]

City Hall, Manhattan, New York

"Jeremy and I have been friends for some time, and he has supported all of my endeavors. Mr.Trowel is a member of my team upon the Jeremy's recommendation, as well. I would love to have him on board, but if he chooses to publicly withhold support until we are a teeny bit further down the road, I certainly understand."

Braum beamed to the reporter.

[Dentali]

Harte Senate Building
Sen. Phillip Prejean

Prejean leans back in his chair, folds his hands, and nods his head. "One thing at a time. Does this affect anything regarding the border wall, added security elements, or gives anything to appease border security hardliners?"

"Thats exactly what i'm trying to figure out, i'm on a fact finding mission of sorts. But yes I expect security will be enhanced but thats not the focus of the bill."

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1704
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

"Hmm. Interesting." Walton says.

"But I do not think correct.

I do not think being 'radical' was the reason you lost Ms. Beatrice. There are always some who do not understand the need for certain steps and sometimes it is needed to be cautious in making and pronouncing plans but I think it is very clear that that was not the issue.

Not all political issues are equal of course and many voters have deeper concerns on some issues than on others. If those concerns are not addressed by us then they will look elsewhere.

I was very disappointed when I saw you call yourself a "centrist" on guns Ms. Beatrice on that debate stage. While I understand some disagreement this was an issue of great importance and it looked like it was put too easily to the side without the proper weight it needed. I disagreed politically but I saw the flaw that had opened as well. Mr. Brankers had an odd tightrope to walk in this election between different types of voters and we had a clear path. As I said holding onto what we have established in this state will let a seat like that come inside our grasp as we represent the needs and concerns of the people. However by stepping away from gun safety we stepped away from assuring the voters who are worried about their lives and safety that we would be there to protect them. Maybe you did not mean it in the way that you said it Ms. Beatrice but what you did say and what the people heard made them have to look somewhere else for someone who would stand for them and they found Mr. Brankers. He has been showing that that belief of theirs was not a false one by voting against that truly extreme Minuteman Act as they expected for him. He will not represent their concerns in other areas but worry over guns led them to give him their votes and those voters that were going to him were leaving from you.

If that is not fixed then we will not win another election in this state when we are weak on an issue that there is so much concern about among our people. One of our greatest moments came with Mr. Alphonsey's filibuster against that bill. The people were not scared of a radical in that election. They were worried that the person they had planned to vote for would not be strong enough."

*Lyla nodded through most of it*

I understand, and agree. Looking back on it, "Centrist" was definitely the wrong term. In American standards, I'm rather a centrist.

*she gave a small chuckle*

I think that is something which can be worked on.

[Bruke]

CNI Office, Arlington, Virginia



Greg Morton sat with the board of directors, patiently awaiting the arrival of the expected visitors to the office. This would be one of the most important moments in his life, heading an organization he had only heard of as a young man.

The Committee for National Interests did not involve itself in electoral politics, despite what its name suggested. Rather, it focused its efforts on educating lawmakers about the dangers of free trade. While other lobbying groups relied on big, flashy trips to exotic destinations for politicians, the CNI employed a different approach. Each week, the CNI would host interested politicans, policymakers, and civil servants, and show they what the group had found. The CNI documented the economic situation of the country through written reports, interviews with ordinary people, and photographs. While they were unsuccessful in changing minds of policymakers, they did build an archive of the changing American economy.

The CNI served as a center of thought for those who considered themselves the intellectual descendants of the Apologists and proponents of the American System. It was founded in the early 1920s by economists of the Apologist tradition as the Society for American Economics, based in Philadelphia. Early work was focused on producing scholarly research and analysis of the national economy. Over the next 30 years, the Society transformed into the CNI, starting a magazine and radio program. It grew quite slowly, opening an office in the Washington D.C. area, along with one office in New York and another in San Francisco.

The death knell of the CNI was in the 50s. Many of the Apologist economists had begun to die off, and mainstream economic thought had turned against protectionism. Their office was rented out by others in the intervening years.

Morton had first heard of the group when he attended a 1953 lecture sponsored by the CNI at its San Francisco office, with the encouragement of his grandfather. Nearly 30 years later, while running for Congress, he turned to one of its former economists to give him a crash course on the intellectual case against free trade.

Over the past few years, he had repaid what he saw as an immmense debt by reviving the once-active organization. Now he served on its board, the perfect position from which to launch his crusade against free trade... when his fellow crusaders arrived, of course.

[Greater Arab State]

*Kramer stands up and shakes Egazarian's hand*
"I will most certainly do so if needed Senator."

Thank you. Enjoy your night mate, God bless.

*and with that, he nodded at Kramer and left*

*After Egazarian had left Kramer wheels himself from the desk, gets a pen and some lined paper and begins writing.*

"Right now what did the good Senator say again?" Kramer thought to himself.

"Ah yes. Negotiate with the President and to give him the opportunity to prove himself competent but not to withdraw my campaign."

*At that point Kramer looked up with a slight smile towards the map of the US that he keeps in his study and begins wheeling to it after finishing writing down.*

"Now who else could I see?"

[Prolieum]

Big Hole River, Beaverhead County, Montana

Cal crouched, fiddling around with a few stones near the edge of the riverbed. The light frost glistened occasionally with early-morning light, and a slight breeze ruffled the local flora, matching occasional light chirps from birds as the only silence-breakers in the still, empty place. Aubrey stood a short ways back, watching as her husband go through whatever selection process had momentarily consumed him.

They had not made it all the way to Dillon. The ranch, well to the west of that city, had been where they were redirected after coming on a tired, thin figure waiting on the empty early-morning road with the news, Elizabeth. At road's end, they exited, the son returning home taking the lead.

There were no lights on, but Cal could have walked up the way, walked around the pens, the toolshed, up and into the house, all of it, with his eyes closed, perhaps backwards. His feet had walked that path so many times before, but the steps had never felt quite so heavy, requiring what felt like a Herculean effort to lift them up each stair, before pushing the wooden door open, the slight creak disrupting the stillness that had fallen over the entire homestead.

It was in the dining room where he had found them, that same place where a scarce few months earlier they had all gathered around for Christmas. His father's presence had filled the room, then, silenced every conversation when he entered. There were no longer any words to snatch away.

Harold, he had learned, had refused to let go of the body after what had happened, had kept it cradled they, are on the stage, still not truly understanding, or perhaps understanding more deeply than any of them even as doctors and officers tried to take Howland from him he held on, never swayed by the nervous requests that they themselves were not quite wiling to go beyond. It had taken the influence of Cal's mother, soothing, stroking, calming her simple son to coax him to relinquish his hold, and even then it was not until they were back, home, tucked away in the isolated cabin, that he relinquished his grip.

The patriarch lay on the table, now, blood still deeply staining his shirt. The long, flat surface was enough to provide a resting bed for the tall man, but it the dim light, he seemed even larger, as if he covered its entire surface. His long beard jutted out wild, not free, but in a sick feeling of chaos, like snarling roots or brambles, desperately reaching out, clinging. His face was twisted, his one hand clenched and arm wrenched, death contorting his visage and body. The pallor had drained fully from his skin, and even warm candlelight, the few burning sticks of wax that were all that held back the darkness, did not cast anything more than a shade of veined marble over his hands, his neck, his face. His eyes lay open. Mary could not bring herself to close them.

Aubrey had seen none of this. She had stopped outside, just before the steps, unwilling to violate the invisible, sacred boundary that she could feel instead of see. She had no right to intrude.

Her husband had not spent more than a few moments within the building, and she had not heard him say any words. Almost as soon as he had entered, he had left, returned down the steps and turned, not back towards the vehicle, but to his right, and started walking. She followed.

No words passed between them. Some of the detail had followed, at a distance, but there was no need to close, as there was no one near enough to worry about. They walked alone over the flat, cold plains.

The area was not unfamiliar to her. She had been here before. She had, in fact, been married here, or close by, and idly wondered as step followed step if that was where her husband was heading. It was not. He had bored up north and west before they finally came to a stop here, where he started playing with the ground as she watched, letting the minutes slip away.






Cal finally stood, and walked over to her, turning over a rock in his hands, looking at it.

"For the longest time, this was the one thing I really cared about. The one thing I wanted was to go and throw a rock over this river."

He stood there, looking at the stone, breath making clouds before him in the chill.

"I tried to do it after school, but that never worked out how it should. So I'd get up early. Everyone got up early, but I'd get up really early. I'd do all my chores as fast as I could, and I'd come up here. Collect some rocks. Try to throw across the river, at the widest part I could find."

"I think I moved that bank back a dozen feet just from all the rocks I picked up from it. Maybe made it shallower on the other side, too. But, I just kept on throwing."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face.

"I still remember the first time I made it. I nearly lost it. It was, it probably was the best moment in my life to that point. I ran all the way back, all the way. Found Pa, up before everyone. One of the fences, he was fixing one of the fences. It wasn't even light out."

His eyes glistened, and he swallowed.

"I went and told him, told him what I had done. I was so excited. And he..." Cal shook his head, almost chuckled. "Heh, he asked me if my chores were done."

He lowered himself down, sat on the stony ground, just off of the slow-moving waters. He drew up one knee to his chest, lay back on an elbow, looking out over the river. Almost idly, he whipped his arm around, sending the smooth sphere of sediment flying through the air, over and across.

"He never gave me anything I didn't deserve, and he never punished me for anything I didn't bring on myself. He was a good father. He was a good father."

He finally looked over at Aubrey, looked her up and down, almost appraisingly, or maybe it was just in reflection.

"I didn't stop throwing after that. I got bigger rocks. I tried to find wider parts. Did it from the road, over that little lake. Always could find another something to add onto it."

He sighed. He didn't know quite where to go from there.

"I suppose....."

"Well we both know what that led to. Where I went, what I did."

"I loved it. Pitching, throwing. But...it was never that different for me. It was just this, here, again. There was more people, there was more complexity, but it was all just...it was all just throwing over the river. The river was wins...strikeouts....ERA....but I was just trying to throw over it, every time."

"It wasn't...that was my life. It wasn't just a career, but that, that's what I'd been doing my whole life, before I did Little League, or any of it. It's just what I did. And I stopped. I mean...my whole life...and then I stopped."

He looked her in the eyes.

"I didn't..."

He sighed.

"I never left baseball to be President. I left it for you. You, and Mia, Lauren and Catherine, even if I didn't know it yet."

"That was my whole life, but....you were worth changing it for."

Aubrey swallowed through a lump in her throat as he continued.

"If you had come to me, come to me back in March when it happened, come and said I would be President someday, if I just stepped away from the game, I'd never have done it. I wouldn't have. Thanks, but no thanks. I would have stayed. Turned it down. I would have thought about it, sure, but I never would have accepted it. It wouldn't have been worth giving it up."

He snatched up another stone, sent it blazing across the way, and squeezed his forehead, frustration building.

"So why...." he shook his head. "If it wasn't worth it...if the Presidency was never going to be worth giving up baseball for, if only you, you and the girls were worth that...then why, why would I ever give you up for it?"

Aubrey finally stepped in. "You never left us Cal..."

He gave a bitter chuckle. "You gave me a black eye when I did, remember? Garestaer...that should have been the moment, right then. That should have been when I called it quits, when I said it wasn't worth it, wasn't worth the risk, wasn't worth what I was putting you and Mia through. I should have ended my campaign. Egazarian should have been President."

"But I didn't. I didn't. I just kept on going, and I don't know why, and now...."

"I've ruined your life. I had to abandon my daughters, for weeks to fly to some God-forsaken desert and play nice with some backwards monarchy that should have been destroyed decades ago. And now I've killed my own father."

Aubrey tried to raise a voice in objection, Cal was having none of it.

"I made everyone, I made you, I made Mia, I made every member of my family a target by doing this. Do you think Kramer comes here if I'm just a husband running a charity in Baltimore? Do you think Noble does? No, he'd just be back in Alabama fantasizing about lynchings and she'd be spraying graffiti on mosques somewhere. They'd never even heard of Dillon, never even heard of Beaverhead County, until I made it known. They never had a reason to come here until I gave them one. I brought them here. And because of what I did, because of the evil I brought in, my father had to come to fix my mistakes, repel an invasion I had launched, and they killed him for it. They killed him for it. I killed him for it."

The tears finally broke free and ran down his cheeks.

"He should never have let me leave the d**** farm."

He looked up.

"Don't you see? From the start, this was all because of him. He never had to let me go to Purdue. He never had to let me join Little League. He could have just made me stay. Made me stay a ranchhand. Stay here, like Harold, like Eliza. And he should have. He was too good for his own good. He gave me rope, and I hanged him with it. He let me set my own path and it dragged this town into Hell."

He choked up.

"I killed him because he was too good a father."

They sat in silence for a long few moments that drifted into minutes.

"I just don't know if I can make that mistake again."

[The Free Territory of Makhnovia]

CNI Office, Arlington, Virginia

Marlowe drove do Arlington himself, so he was a little tired when he arrived. He was dressed in impeccable tan suit and blue necktie. He had UMW badge in his lapel and he shook hands and chatted with everyone as he entered.

"Greg, it is a great honor to be here." he told Morton, shaking his hand firmly.

[Velahor]

Sundowner Motel
Dillon, MT
6:00 AM

Governor Stephens sat on a bench outside of his motel room, puffing on a Marlboro Black and sipping on black coffee. It wasn’t much above freezing, but even though he smoked himself the govetone couldn’t stand hotel rooms that allowed smoking, hence why he was outside.

Sleep was hard to come by that night, and the nightmares were getting stronger each time he dozed off. He figured it would be easier to face the day earlier than planned than to go back to sleep.

The cold air blended with the rich tobacco smoke felt harsh on his lungs, and he began to cough, eventually grabbing a handkerchief out of his pocket to cough into.

He looked down at the white rag in his hand and noticed a red spot. His weakened alertness the lack of sleep had brought on delayed his recognition that it was in fact blood he had coughed up.

He took one last drag off the cigarette, and then tossed it on the ground and stomped its fire out with the tip of his boot.

“F*ck...” he muttered under his breath. He sent a text message to his secretary to set up a doctor’s appointment for him immediately upon his return to Helena in a couple days.

He looked down and stared at the stomped out cigarette butt for several seconds.

He turned away and walked back into his room to watch the news and prepare for the day.

[Tumblrena]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1713
Friday
24 February
2017

Walton frowns as Lyla repeats the same label that had been the election losing problem before.

"I do hope so. We cannot lose a valuable opportunity such as this again."

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1713
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

Walton frowns as Lyla repeats the same label that had been the election losing problem before.

"I do hope so. We cannot lose a valuable opportunity such as this again."

Indeed. However, I come to this meeting not just for a tea get together and small talk.

*Lyla took out a suitcase confidently. opening it, she placed it on the desk and spun it around for Walton to view*

Inside is a private plan to Unite the Left under our values. Please, take your time reading it and ask any questions.

(I'll tg it to you in a second)

[The Portland Territory]

Weber Institute, Chicago, Illinois

Check, Bernard. stated Harvey Barrington, one of Weber's most trusted employees.

Barrington was one of the few people who could consistently challenge Weber in a game of chess. Being a quick learner of strategy and judgement of personal actions, Weber seemingly exponentially grew in his skills of the game each time he played. He methodically thought out every move he made and what may happen afterwards, in both his opponent's and his own actions. Every day he would play the game to "productively unwind" with any one of his employees who was willing to play. Being the statisticians that they were, under an oath of secrecy, most of his opponents created a "file" on all of their own strategies they used with Weber, Weber's own strategies, and how he defeated them just to see Weber's possible face of defeat. Initially a cheap notebook, all of the information was later transferred to an Excel sheet which took up hundreds of rows from over the years. Yet, with such vast information, they could never predict his next move, and thus could never defeat him.

That is, except Barrington. The weekly Weber-Barrington chess match was a match no loyal employee could miss, and with a tally of 46-53, Barrington's lead. If there was anything the fellow coworkers could decipher, it was those two's general style. Weber was the master of deception and was unpredictable enough for his opponents, even Barrington, to not effectively be able to guess their next move. Barrington, on the other hand, was a master of trapping higher pieces, but also a master of attrition.

King, A-12. stated Bernard

Be like an underground rock band, my father told me. Do not be afraid to show your past songs and your idols, but keep your next album a secret. And even then, do not advertise it or sign under a large label. Let others of true passion for the genre find it out for themselves......... Weber thought to himself

Unpredictability was a key strategy in his era of pure business. Long before the founding of the WIRD, Weber was notorious for making the most implausible yet successful investments. One day he would buy hundreds of bonds for a rising company, the literal next day he would bet against the same industry he invested in. For he knew that if he would succeed in life, he would need to be the one making the decisions, whether publicly or behind the curtain. "The secret of tyranny is in keeping them (the people) ignorant". He always intended to put his financial opponents constantly on the defensive and focused on what he would do next rather than themselves. A mixture of unpredictability and gentleman offensiveness to ensure that his investments were safe helped earn Weber all his wealth over the years. His philosophy on manipulation never changed.

[Prolieum]

Big Hole River, Beaverhead County, Montana

There was a great deal of silence after that. Cal picked up another stone to throw, then cast it aside.

When Aubrey screwed herself up to speak, a tense fear of worsening matters keeper on a tight edge as she spoke slowly, selecting each words with care, it was to repeat, in almost the same form, what he had said last.

"You can't make that same mistake again."

Cal turned to look over, a difficult to decipher expression on his face, maybe eve a hopeful one. Wincing, she continued.

"It's already done, Cal. I wish I could tell you otherwise but it's happened. You can't go back, can't change it." She did all she could to keep a sympathy in her voice as she laid down lines that seemed just too standard. Her line of work had given her more than one opportunity to console the grieving. She had never been sure how good sure was at it.

"Maybe....maybe you just have to keep going...but you can keep going how he would have wanted."

"Even if you can't change the past, maybe you can keep going in a way that would make him proud."

She spread her arms slightly, opened her hands to gesture, closed them, thinking better of it, bit down and tried to make the case.

"I know that this position has problems but...." She stopped the line of thought she was going down. Reminding him that even an ex-President would still have enemies waiting and danger to his family seemed more likely to push him over the edge than help him.

She went for the comparison.

"With my father, I did what he did, followed his footsteps...but coming to be where I am today, where we are, I just, I can think about how much I can do towards what he would want, things I could never do as a Mountie."

She was contorting the situation, and it hurt. She never spoke of it, but still had scarcely come to terms with the death of her own Dad, Justin. It was painful to re-imagine the past like this, but right now, it was necessary, she told herself. The way events had gone after he had passed only reinforced that.

"Cal, you've been blessed with something here, and I know it's hard, and I know it hurts but...callings always do. There's..." No, no, that would seem to be trivializing the situation. How to say it....

"But there's a chance to, not to just make him proud but...if you make changes that he would have wanted, you use that power for so many others...then it's more than just you, it's honoring him with a legacy...and it's making this a country where any good father would want to raise a son."

She bit her lip, watching him, as she let the last words fade.

[Tumblrena]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1721
Friday
24 February
2017

Walton reads over the document provided by Lyla thoroughly before setting the papers down on the desk and looking up.

"A very nice title. You do make it sound quite like an "operation". However I do not see much for implementation."

[The Portland Territory]

Seattle, Washington
Mayor's Office
1721
Friday
24 February
2017

(Image)

Walton reads over the document provided by Lyla thoroughly before setting the papers down on the desk and looking up.

"A very nice title. You do make it sound quite like an "operation". However I do not see much for implementation."

For what reason, if I may ask?