the roads we travel; kiah. blitz

Archibald Sartorius felt a little out of his comfort zone as people moved around him. Nodding his head he throws polite greeting out here and there. If he was being perfectly honest he was a little overwhelmed, not used to being spotlighted in events as large as this. But it was something that he was going to have to get used too if he was serious about running for Mayor. And serious he was.

“Mr.Sartorious!” He is greeted with the tip of a head, hand out stretched, “Good to meet you, I’m glad I’m not the only one looking to improve things in district ten. Quite the turnout, eh?" Archie takes the out stretched hand, a polite smile hooking back his lips. Mr. McFadden. District Ten's mayor a good time ago.

"Mr. McFadden, how do you do?" He didn't know a lot about the retired Mayor, but was grateful that he had not steered the conversation towards his past- unlike a few others who were milling around this evening. "District Ten is heading down the right track, but definatly missed opportunities! Hopefully change will do some good." His eyes shuffle around the room again, "quite the turnout, indeed."

"True. Maybe it's time they lifted them, ya know, just every now and then." Maybe it was wishful thinking. People didn't like sticking their necks out, always so fearful of the outcome, of getting their heads chopped off clean. For so long he had kept his head down, maybe this was his way of looking up.

A chuckle rumbles deep in McFadden throat, “say, you’ve got kids dontcha?” Kids. Something inside him clenches, his smile turning tense. The way he says it is so light hearted, so casual and for most the mention of kids might not stir up so many uncomfortable emotions.

"Mhmm, three." Kelvin, Lucas and Ryan. Thinking of them doesn't fill him with joy, but with regret and pain. He had failed them, he would spend the rest of his life making it up to them. "They are all special kids. I'm doing this for them, to right some- to help give them a future that they deserve." He just hoped that he deserved them.

Shaking himself clasps McFadden on the shoulder, an attempt to bring back some of the light hearted energy, "just remind them that the whole of district ten is your family!"

"A year to remember, that's for sure." He quickly grabs two soda's off a waiter walking by, thank him as he walks past. "Seems like we've been lucky this year, dodging some bullets such as those explosions. They say rebels, yeah? But I don't know, something seemed off about the whole ordeal. Could only imagine the shit storm it left behind. Here-" he passes one of the glasses to McFadden.

"To have avoided shit storm! And a successful new year." He raises his glass, before taking a large sip, the feeling of the fizzy liquids dances on his tongue as it slides down his throat. Doesn't hit quite the same as an alcoholic drink, but it would suffice. "Snow's death came as quite a shock." Slowly Achire felt himself relax, becoming more comfortable around the retired Mayor, the earlier tension raised by the mention of his children fading into the background.

"Tell me Mr McFadden, you haven't been in office for a few many years now, why come back now?" He raises his eyebrow, taking another swing of his soda. "What changed?"