we've fought so hard. lance . blitz

It's oddly comforting, finding herself in the midst of a crowd where she can still claim anonymity. Ever since formally declaring her opposition to the established candidate, there'd been few that hadn't seen her and made the connection - either angry young men and women who were upset that she'd challenge dear Mayor Bloom or those with glee and even relief etched into their faces, thanking her for being the public face of the opposition.

It also made for some rather amusing moments, as well. Such as this one, for instance.

"'scuse me, do you happen to know much about this other candidate?" a voice said from behind her, in conjunction with a tap on her shoulder. "They gonna do any better than that useless Bloom lady?"

Were she a less professional woman, she might have chuckled right then and there, one for the irony and two for the wave of relief that came that this person wasn't predisposed to being biased against her solely for her status as the challenger. As it were, it was impossible to stop the wry grin from crossing her face, nor the twinkle of amusement from shining in her eye.

"As a matter of fact, I do know quite a bit about the other candidate," she responded, gazing on the other. A young woman, one of many that made up her home. Someone who likewise had been affected by Bloom's apathy, no less. "As to whether she'll do any better than dear old Mayor Bloom - well, I wouldn't be running if she was doing her job, that's for sure."

She does not relish the shock in the other's eyes like some might. She does not take pleasure in scaring young women just for the sake of seeing the whites of their eyes exposed through fear of upsetting someone powerful. And she realizes that perhaps she had been perhaps a bit too humorous, a bit too informal, to truly put the other at ease.

Damn politics and all of their posturing. Her mere presence alone was detrimental to the cause that she wanted to support. To overthrow. But perhaps it was that very fear of political figures that made such posturing necessary.

"How are you planning on helping everyone?" But therein lay their common ground. A desire to do better by the community. Do better by the district itself. "The district needs it, we're all struggling, we've lost so many, ma'me."

When Josephine smiled this time, there was nothing but warmth and compassion behind her expression as she regarded the young woman in a new light. Someone like her, no doubt, someone who had suffered under the system.

Someone who's suffering could have been prevented.

"I know, dear, believe me," she said, empathy lacing her tone in place of the condensation it was all too easy to believe would come from the mouth of her opponent. And there was nothing that she'd rather do than tear down each and every brick of her false throne personally - but that was not what was needed. Fighting fire with fire was not the way to win support.

She'd have to douse it with love instead.

"My first order of business is, of course, winning the election," she began, with that wry grin crossing her face. "And my second is ensuring that that we never have to suffer a tragedy on the scale of what happened this past year ever again."

Keep it nice and simple - better to have someone ask for more details instead of boring them to death with information they didn't ask for.