[center][h3]Beneath the Mask II[/h3] [b]Location:[/b]The City of Glass - Vandelay Campus [b]Attendees:[/b] Susie, Raz, Goldlewis, Zenkichi, Roxas, Midna, Karin [b]Viewers:[/b] Blazermate, [s]Tora[/s], Giovanna, Geralt, Sakura, Pit, [s]Benedict, Partitio[/s] [b]Word Count:[/b] 2028 (+3)[/center] As the uproar from the candidates’ ferocious opening exchange died down, the moderator shook his head and reached out for a sip from his drink. It was a simple glass, half water and half syrup. Before drinking he made sure to swirl it around a few times, mixing up the bland water and saccharine sludge into something diluted and palatable. Once he refreshed himself, he straightened his rustling papers, and launched into the debate’s second question. “As we continue to address topics related to the Ever Crisis, please focus on the specifics of your policies. Gentlemen, the common conception is that the Psychonaut Other Suppression Force, known more commonly as Psych-OSF or the Scarlet Guardians, are Midgar’s greatest weapon against the Ever Crisis. How do you plan to leverage and if necessary change this organization moving forward? Mr. President, you first, please.” A question on the Psych-OSF for the man currently in charge of it? Raz couldn’t miss the opportunity. He focused his psi-energy on Shinra, prepared to read whatever thoughts passed through his mind on the subject. Shinra straightened up his posture slightly. “Under my administration, Psych-OSF will continue to grow in strength, scope, and range of deployment. While some might deride the organization as a tool of the elite confined to Sector 05, the reality is that Psych-OSF is frequently deployed to other Sectors, and to the undercities as well. The operation I previously mentioned is one such example, and we’re going to ramp up such deployments by establishing bases in as many sectors as possible. This is possible thanks to the OSF’s ongoing recruitment campaign. We’re seeing record numbers across the board, and planning even more expansion down the line, with a special focus on offering opportunities to the disadvantaged. I’m confident that Psych-OSF will be fighting not just against the Others, but on all fronts of the Ever Crisis within my first year of reelection.” When Raz cast his mind toward Shinra, he was able to lay his psychic touch on the right tracks to feel the rumbles of his train of thought. [i]Working a treat…commendable results…Hojo’s project…all thanks to Zanotto…don’t suspect a thing…soon they’ll be…won’t stand a chance…total control.[/i] Armstrong had been waiting almost eagerly for his turn. “Throwing more people at a problem won’t always get you better results, faster. If my opponent saw a woman who’d give birth in nine months, he’d assign eight more women to have the baby out in one. The higher you build on shaky foundations, the sooner everything comes crashing down. What Psych-OSF needs is reform.” He shook his fist for emphasis. “Right now it's a colossus of different platoons, committees, and divisions, all spiraling out of control in different directions, leaving countless loopholes and blindspots where corruption seeps in. Its Septentrions are celebrities with their own fashion lines and action figures, dedicated more to their public image than solving the Other crisis. It’s not professional, and it’s not right. And who’s in charge of all this power? The same man in charge of General Affairs, Neuron, [i]and[/i] Peace Preservation, Akira Konoe. That’s too much power -and responsibility- for any one man, even if he thinks he’s some kind of superhero. Where are the checks and balances? There’s only one entity not eating out of the government’s hand, and my opponent has already stated his intention to replace it with one that is.” He threw up his hands. “Once Psych-OSF is course-corrected by my comprehensive reforms, it can really start helping people, and not just those in Suoh!” Circling back to a point that Shinra already felt he defended against made the man massage the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Putting aside my opponent’s patently wrong metaphor, tasteless and crude though it is…his argument is merely another attempt to tear the Administration down without offering anything concrete of his own to back it up. Regardless of how the media portrays them, the Septentrions are strong, and fighting each day to ensure the safety of Midgar’s citizens. As for the consolidation of power, is it not more important now than ever to stand united against our common threats? It is rogue elements that operate behind the Administration’s back that offer the greatest threat to internal security, not any imagined phantoms of corruption within Psych-OSF.” “‘Imagined’?” Armstrong scoffed. “Give me a break. Sure, many of the psionics are fighting the good fight, but how much goes on behind the scenes? The sheer lengths that Grand head Zanotto has gone to cultivate the facade of the heroic Scarlet Guardians is telling. These cheap diversion tactics…the people aren’t fooled, Shinra! When I’m elected, I promise to investigate every inch of the Otherlobe, and bring every last trespass to light. The people deserve to know!” There was, Midna knew, quite a lot to find. From Other creation capability to the legacy of the Psyfish experiments and dumping. It was also interesting that the president seemed entirely aware of the dissidents, and thus, most likely what they were fighting against. Points in Armstrongs favor certainly, if such things were being tallied, though given he was on the attack, he certainly had an easier time scoring those. [Color=Gold]”Uh… is it bad if I’m starting to agree with that Senator?”[/color] Roxas asked the other Seekers with a soft whisper. Granted, he was a bit biased on this topic considering the feelings he displayed yesterday in Suoh. But, at least for the time being, Armstrong sounded like the one who was making the most sense. Which was kinda eerie, since moments earlier Roxas himself had been the one to suggest that Armstrong might have had some kind of spy network throughout the sectors. Really, the only good point Shinra seemed to have was that Armstrong didn’t offer any specific suggestions for how he would change things. [Color=Gold]”Ah, man.”[/color] Roxas rubbed the sides of his head, [Color=Gold]”Thinkin’ about this stuff is giving me a headache.”[/color] [color=BFBFBF]"...Huh. Yeah, he's…actually one hundred percent right about Konoe. Guy thinks he's the only real hero left, or he did in my world. I don't know if he's the same here."[/color] Zenkichi shook his head. It was really easy to get swept up in the rhetoric, especially when you knew the guy had a damn good point. But it was still very much rhetoric. Armstrong talked a big game of change, reform, and rooting out corruption, but between the deep roots of the corruption, his own attachment to DesporHado and brutes like Khamsin, and the general resistance of large organizations to radical changes to their function and structure, Zenkichi wondered how much of this was just the political equivalent of two drunks in a bar saying how they could do a better job than their boss. [color=fff200]”Of course you’re agreeing with him.”[/color] Karin said. [color=fff200]”He’s a charismatic speaker. People are unhappy with how things are, so he promises change, with a fiery demeanor.”[/color] Karin brushed a coil of golden ringlets behind her ear. [color=fff200]”It’s boring to argue for the status quo. Fortunately, being the incumbent means most people will vote for Shinra on name recognition and stability alone.”[/color] Karin said. [color=fff200]”All he has to do is not perform some kind of blunder. Best case scenario, he gets his opponent to flub, to damage his optics and make himself look better.”[/color] Karin smiled. [color=ec008c]”Politics are politics. I’m just hearing ‘complaint complaint complaint’ from Armstrong with only vague ways of fixing things. He might be a hulky man, and his charisma does carry him, but he's said nothing of substance so far.”[/color] Susie said, replying to the others. [color=BFBFBF]"Exactly."[/color] Zenkichi followed up, shaking his head. [color=BFBFBF]"Armstrong talks a big game, and he might at least have a good eye for people, but that doesn't make him a strategist or a commander that can win a war on three fronts. And if Konoe has as much in his pocket as I think he does, he might just be making himself a target…" [/color] There were pretty obvious problems with both candidates that Zenkichi could see, though the average citizen in Midgar had no idea whether either of them were telling the truth or not. Some part of him wondered why Shinra was willing to admit to 'rogue elements' in the ranks, however. That felt like something to keep close to your chest. [color=FF8c00]”Well, President Shinra is definitely running the Turning People Into Others plot,”[/color] Raz said after a while of silence, just trying to process what thoughts he picked up on. [color=FF8c00]”Something about it being this ‘Hojo’ guy’s project, and…”[/color] He hesitated, afraid of what the next part meant. [color=FF8c00]”And it sounds like… like Grand Head Truman Zanotto is involved too. But he wouldn’t be a part of something like that!”[/color] That earned him a glance from Goldlewis. Had the little psychic really gleaned a direct confirmation from Shinra’s mind? If that plot went all the way to the top, no-one was safe. Just the thought that there might be snipers with metamorphosis cartridges in this very room made the big man shiver. [hr] Sakura blinked slowly, watching the TV. Her cheek was pushed up on her palm now, her fingers drumming on the table. This was her toughest challenge yet. Sakura might be nearing her limit. [color=f49ac2]”Limbs…failing…consciousness…fading…”[/color] Sakura said dramatically, thunking her head against the table. Her theatrics earned her a glance from Giovanna. While the secret agent might be better at hiding it thanks to the demands of her profession, she felt pretty much the same way. Neither of these men represented a bright future for anyone as far as she could tell, much less all of Midgar. That just left two old brutes bantering back and forth in a punchy exchange of barbed words, which didn’t exactly make for enjoyable television. After another moment, Giovanna strode over to the street fighter and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey. Wanna play a game of darts?” She jabbed a thumb at one of the machines along Penguin Sniper’s far wall. Sakura shot back up to sitting and blushed, feeling immature. But it was clear the offer intrigued her greatly. [color=f49ac2]”Could we? I mean, can we? I mean, is that allowed?”[/color] Sakura asked, already standing. She had tried to stay focused on the debate, on account of all the trouble they went through and its alleged importance. So the guilt of just goofing off after all that had kept her trying to remain focused on politics. But if Giovanna, who seemed like she knew what she was doing, offered her an out…she’d take it! Giovanna nodded, slightly amused by Sakura’s tentative response. “Yeah, that’s what this place is for. C’mon.” Sakura clapped and then bowed, before eagerly following Giovanna to play a game. [color=0072bc]”Man… This is why I don’t care for politics. I just wanna see them fight each other. That’d be way more entertaining.”[/color] Blazermate said, still hovering near Tora to make sure he didn’t do anything silly, but since he ate she was’t hovering over his shoulder anymore. Pit watched Sakura and Giovanna wander off to play a round before his gaze floated back to one of the large wall-mounted TVs, glancing at Blazermate along the way. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Are debates always like this? Seems like they're just arguing without really saying anything."[/color] If he wasn't occupying a stool he would have started slumping in his seat. Instead, he took to swinging his legs. "Wouldn't know." Geralt replied simply. "Politics isn't exactly a matter of public opinion where I'm from. Even the tribes of Skellige elected their king from among the nobility rather than passing it down by blood, but it was feats of strength and bravery that showed your aptitude, not talking at each other. And no, they didn't fight each other for the crown." Geralt added to keep Blazermate from getting the wrong idea.