Aaron had spent the last 24 hours exhausting every means he had to keep printers running all night and people working to help him design a slogan for his campaign.  He was handed fairly short notice, but either way, it was a chance to go back to New York and take over where his dad left off.  He’d come a long way, from being a bullet sponge for his old man, to running his own operations and taking over everything after his dad passed away.  Everyone had been in such a hurry trying to make posters, yard signs, button, stickers, the whole works, but Aaron had forgotten one thing.  “What are you gonna do about the speech?”  His most trusted friend and number one man had slipped in while he wasn’t paying attention.

“Speech?  Oh!  The speech...I’d umm, well shit.”

James looked at him and shook his head.  “Don’t tell me you forgot the speech.  You’re supposed to stand in front of the entire world in a couple of hours and explain to them why they should choose you to take up a spot.”   Aaron nods and drops what he’s doing then heads to his office to start thinking.

“You can handle this right?  I owe ya one.”

Aaron spends the next couple hours brewing over thoughts in his head.  Trying to organize the what’s and how’s of rebuilding a city.  After a couple refills of his glass, he looks at his almost empty bottle, then sighs and pours it out into his flask.  Strapping on his guns in a shoulder holster, and throwing his coat over his shoulders, Aaron finally steps out, tapping James on the shoulder on his way out the door.

“Lets go.”

After a short drive, and several looks over his speech, Aaron steps out in front of a crowd of people all gathering near the town hall.

“Well, I know I’m in the right place anyways.  Here goes.”

He steps into line and slips his name into the box then waits.  He listens to other people talking.  Some about a better place to live, this and that.  Bring back Omerta to our society.  Some more hocus about having money stolen from people’s pockets.  At least ten different racial slurs used and countless insults towards the guy before the current speakers.  Looking around he sees money change hands on a few occasions, and even spots a few intimidating looking men around the crowd, focused in on particular candidates.  Finally, he stands up, and takes his turn in front of everybody.  He takes one more swig from his flask, looks a second at the fading boar’s head on the front, then stows it away, takes a deep breath and begins.

“I grew up in New York, worked with my dad there, the day he sent me away, on another job, was the same day he died in his sleep.  I feel part to blame for that, but all I can do now is push forward.  Try to make something of the rubble there.  I don’t want to see everything that man worked his ass off for day in and day out go to waste, and for sure don’t want to live out my days knowing I could have done something to rebuild it and didn’t.”

“Now, I’ve sat here and listened to promises made, and insults cast, and even seen bribes given, and threats carried out, all in the last couple hours or so.  I’m here to tell you right now, I can’t see the future.  I can’t promise anybody a better life, or prosperity.  Hell I can’t even promise I’ll make it back across the street without getting run over when I’m done here.  What I can do, is tell you what I stand for, and what I believe in.  The only promises I can make are that I’ll stand by those beliefs, regardless of popular consensus.”

“This hubub I’ve heard about digging in people’s pockets, and all this about those people catching you and beating your ass over it.  I’m here to say, get over it.  Honestly, the chance you take by walking down the streets everyday, somebody is likely to reach in and steal a bit.  If you catch them, beat their ass, they deserve it, if you don’t, then let it go, they deserve the money if nothing else because you weren’t paying attention to your wallet.  Now that being said, if you’re going to dig in somebody’s pockets and cry about it when they beat your ass, it’s simple, don’t take what’s not yours.  It’s a risk you take, I’m 95% convinced that person never would have tried to beat you down if you hadn’t tried to steal their money, am I right?”

“That being said.  I grew up in New York.  All I want to see is it succeed.  It’s a tough world, and a tough city.  The place has been through a lot.  In all my families generations, notes passed down from father to son for years and years, I’ve seen where mistakes have been made, all over.  Even some accounts of days before the massacre, when the gods themselves wrought havoc and killed everyone.  Accounts from the days to come, the chaos and fighting all over the streets.  My family has been keeping records, they’ve seen changes in the world, for better and worse.  Looking back at those, I’ve learned more than my fair share from others mistakes.  I’ve gotten to see things that have gotten entire cities killed over simple greed and stupidity.  I don’t want to see that happen to New York.  I want to be able to take these accounts, and the wisdom I’ve learned from them, and be able to use it to help a city flourish.”

“I don’t know for sure what I can accomplish there.  My biggest goal is to at least build a foundation again.  Give the city something to work off of.  I don’t plan on doing it alone, I’d like to be able to bring new faces to it at some point as well.  Rebuild businesses there and give it the look of something respectable again.  If I can achieve that in my time there I can be happy with it.  Oh, and of course, it would be nice to get across the street in one piece when I’m done here, that’s a lovely goal to have as well.”

“I know every man is entitled to their secrets, and that’s fine for all my opponents, I’m sure if they don’t want to talk about something they have a good reason.  It’s my opinion that you have to be able to trust the people leading a community.  To me, that means opening the closet doors and letting my skeletons fall out.  That’s a big step towards it anyways.  So now, I’d like to open it up, whoever has a question, shoot.  I don’t have anything to hide, no matter how ugly it may be.  My record isn’t squeaky clean, but then again, who’s really is?  You have to wonder how much a man hides to look that great right?”

 At that, Aaron steps back, straightens his coat, then takes a short swig from his flask, finishing it off and sliding it back in his pocket.  Then looks out ready to field questions and defend against opponents.

Aaron nods at Ragnarok.

"Well put my friend, I can assure you, I know the city and it's history well.  I can't promise that will be different, but I'd like to believe it can be.  I hope, if I'm chosen, to build a solid relation with the others chosen with me, and from there build the foundation of a secure city.  One thing I would certainly push for is far better internal workings than New York has had in the past.  If I can do something to keep everyone in the city working together, who knows?  Maybe it will be worth living in again."

Fedelta stands around for quite some time and watches as Aaron Mckeever makes his speech and then answers Ragnarok's questions. He stands in the crowd making small talk with a few people, he then walks up to Aaron a shakes his hand, and grabs his shoulder with a tight squeeze. He then nods at him and begins speaking.

" I know how hard it can be to build up a city, I also know that my friend Aaron is more than capable of doing this! I would also like to let you know that I will be beside him ti'll the end supporting him through it all! He says he wishes to bring new people in sooner or later but, he is already giving someone a chance if voted in. I have never held a position of power, but he is willing to give me a chance! So Aaron no only has what it takes but he is also one who will give new people a chance! We would love it if he got your vote when it comes time to vote!"

He then nods at him, then addresses Ragnarok.

"Any bloodline that has been around for a while knows how much bloodshed there has been and will be with these coming events. I don't want to say that it won't happen because I cannot tell the future. But, I can tell you that if it does happen we will handle the situation as we see fit and with the up most respect to everyone! Of course we will avoid this at all possible cost, but sometimes it just has to happen. If you have any more questions feel free to ask, we are both more than willing to answer anything. We will hold no secrets from the public."

He then looks out among the crowd standing beside his dear friend Aaron Mckeever.

Aaron, I have a question for you; but it is perhaps a little bit of a different kind of question to the ones you may have already fielded. See, it's easy to answer questions about yourself and your principles, a little too easy I'd say.

To look at one of your competitors; Roquelaure is currently well out in front of the voting. Some people would say this could be down to her networking - I feel that's a fair assumption. Do you think that's a good thing? Contacts within this world are pretty crucial for a Leader; a full address book is one of the most potent weapons one can have.

For you personally, do you think you can use this to your advantage; is your campaign perhaps of more substance, do you think there is maybe a little complacency from the Roquelaure campaign and her supporters; a little something for you and the other candidates to exploit?

Aaron smiles, seeing his Godfather approaching him, then turns to greet him with a solid handshake.

"Cantona, my friend!  I'm so glad you could find me here.  You know, it's funny you should ask that mate.  I was just having lunch with Miss Roguelaure the other day, as I've tried to do with many of the candidates here, to discuss with them personally what we could do to make Staten Island, and more importantly, New York a better place should we both end up over there.  In a couple cases I had to suggest firing their writers and editors, but that's off the topic."

"I'll be the first to admit, Miss Roguelaure is right near the top of my list of people I would want to stand beside over there anyways, and even if there was something to capitalize on, I'm not sure I'd be able to undercut her quite like that.  She seems like an honorable woman, with lots of support and influence in our world and I respect her too much because of that to try and ruin her campaign that way."

"That being said, there is very little complacency in her campaign.  In fact, she'll be the first one to tell anyone that it's far from over, and she knows first and foremost that any of her votes are subject to change at a moments notice.  She has said to me herself, that it's not over yet and still anybody's game.  At the risk of sounding like I'm rooting for her too much, I'd think she would make a fine addition to the city of New York, and I would love to be able to work there alongside her."