04-19-2020, 07:57 PM
Fleura House, Presidential Residence
10:30pm
“I’m kind of relieved, to be honest,” President Marwick commented, throwing and catching a tennis ball as he lay back on the couch. The election coverage was playing on the TV, but he wasn’t paying all that much attention. Some cardboard boxes were already packed and sitting by the door of the residential wing, even though he wouldn’t be moving out for another week.
“Why did you even do this?” his cousin Steve asked, opening another beer and flicking the top across the coffee table.
“Well, I didn’t think I’d actually win!” the President laughed. “But seriously, though, during the war I was helping people with my broadcasts. It helped keep up morale among the resistance and it helped them to have a figurehead for their cause. I thought that I could provide that for the country, make it clear which side won in spite of the fact it ended in a treaty. Make sure the pro-democracy side had a figurehead. Of course, the job turned out to be far harder than I expected, and I found out what happened to my sister, and it all went to hell.”
“Your half-sister? The one who vanished? What does she have to do with anything?” Steve’s brother, Karl, frowned, taking a bite of a packet of crisps.
“Just… don’t. Alvarez has promised to find out the full story and until then I’m just gonna not deal with it, because I can’t.”
“Okay…” Steve said, offering Alex a beer. “So, who’s gonna win?”
“The election?” Alex shrugged, taking the beer. “It’s anyone’s guess. The people who voted for me last time will probably go for Obando, but I think some’ll go to Clavell or Sandoval. Same with Paloma’s votes. Zavala will get the Left Alliance votes and any Yervian anarchists who bother to vote. Course, there’s the Aelurian nationalists too, and they’re really unpredictable when it comes to voting for mainland parties. It’ll be a close one.”
“Does any part of you wish you’d run again?” Karl asked.
“Nah,” Alex shook his head forcefully. “I’m done. I’m gonna go and transfer to a university out of the country and finish my PhD. Honestly, I’m kind of embarrassed at this whole thing, I feel like I messed up when I could’ve done something good. I wonder if Shuellian universities take foreign students, they seem to really like me for some reason!”
“I don’t think anyone’s travelling to Shuell anytime soon,” remarked Steve.
“True, but maybe it’ll have calmed down by September. They probably get less foreign news so maybe I could actually go a day or two without being recognised.”
“If you’re trying to avoid foreign media, you should go to Kerlile,” teased Karl. “I hear they’re letting men go to university these days.”
“I will never set foot in that godforsaken country!” Alex shouted suddenly, standing up and shocking his two cousins. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”
With that, the President stormed out of the room. He grabbed a tie which was strung over the top of a door, and pushed out of the residential wing, pulling it around him and attempting to tie it as he walked to his office. Upon arrival, he startled some members of staff who had rarely seen him at work this late.
“Mr. President, is everything ok?” one woman, Lyssa, asked.
“My cousins drink too much,” he replied, to her confusion, then added, “is there anything I need to do before the elections are all concluded?”
“Well, there are several matters, but I was under the impression you were waiting to give these tasks to your successor?” Lyssa said, pushing her glasses further up her nose.
“Yeah, but I don’t really want to sit up all night doing nothing but drink, y’know?”
“There’s no legislation, foreign leaders are waiting until the elections to call, but we have information on the Xiomeran coup situation, and our ambassador to Shuell is calling everyone in a panic again,” Lyssa informed him.
“I’m not touching the Xiomera situation with a barge pole,” Marwick shuddered. “I’ll call our ambassador to Shuell. The usual, is it? ‘Help, I don’t want to get adenovirus, please evacuate me?’”
“That is correct, Mr. President.”
“Cool, I’ll be in my office.”
10:30pm
“I’m kind of relieved, to be honest,” President Marwick commented, throwing and catching a tennis ball as he lay back on the couch. The election coverage was playing on the TV, but he wasn’t paying all that much attention. Some cardboard boxes were already packed and sitting by the door of the residential wing, even though he wouldn’t be moving out for another week.
“Why did you even do this?” his cousin Steve asked, opening another beer and flicking the top across the coffee table.
“Well, I didn’t think I’d actually win!” the President laughed. “But seriously, though, during the war I was helping people with my broadcasts. It helped keep up morale among the resistance and it helped them to have a figurehead for their cause. I thought that I could provide that for the country, make it clear which side won in spite of the fact it ended in a treaty. Make sure the pro-democracy side had a figurehead. Of course, the job turned out to be far harder than I expected, and I found out what happened to my sister, and it all went to hell.”
“Your half-sister? The one who vanished? What does she have to do with anything?” Steve’s brother, Karl, frowned, taking a bite of a packet of crisps.
“Just… don’t. Alvarez has promised to find out the full story and until then I’m just gonna not deal with it, because I can’t.”
“Okay…” Steve said, offering Alex a beer. “So, who’s gonna win?”
“The election?” Alex shrugged, taking the beer. “It’s anyone’s guess. The people who voted for me last time will probably go for Obando, but I think some’ll go to Clavell or Sandoval. Same with Paloma’s votes. Zavala will get the Left Alliance votes and any Yervian anarchists who bother to vote. Course, there’s the Aelurian nationalists too, and they’re really unpredictable when it comes to voting for mainland parties. It’ll be a close one.”
“Does any part of you wish you’d run again?” Karl asked.
“Nah,” Alex shook his head forcefully. “I’m done. I’m gonna go and transfer to a university out of the country and finish my PhD. Honestly, I’m kind of embarrassed at this whole thing, I feel like I messed up when I could’ve done something good. I wonder if Shuellian universities take foreign students, they seem to really like me for some reason!”
“I don’t think anyone’s travelling to Shuell anytime soon,” remarked Steve.
“True, but maybe it’ll have calmed down by September. They probably get less foreign news so maybe I could actually go a day or two without being recognised.”
“If you’re trying to avoid foreign media, you should go to Kerlile,” teased Karl. “I hear they’re letting men go to university these days.”
“I will never set foot in that godforsaken country!” Alex shouted suddenly, standing up and shocking his two cousins. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”
With that, the President stormed out of the room. He grabbed a tie which was strung over the top of a door, and pushed out of the residential wing, pulling it around him and attempting to tie it as he walked to his office. Upon arrival, he startled some members of staff who had rarely seen him at work this late.
“Mr. President, is everything ok?” one woman, Lyssa, asked.
“My cousins drink too much,” he replied, to her confusion, then added, “is there anything I need to do before the elections are all concluded?”
“Well, there are several matters, but I was under the impression you were waiting to give these tasks to your successor?” Lyssa said, pushing her glasses further up her nose.
“Yeah, but I don’t really want to sit up all night doing nothing but drink, y’know?”
“There’s no legislation, foreign leaders are waiting until the elections to call, but we have information on the Xiomeran coup situation, and our ambassador to Shuell is calling everyone in a panic again,” Lyssa informed him.
“I’m not touching the Xiomera situation with a barge pole,” Marwick shuddered. “I’ll call our ambassador to Shuell. The usual, is it? ‘Help, I don’t want to get adenovirus, please evacuate me?’”
“That is correct, Mr. President.”
“Cool, I’ll be in my office.”
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax