A Gauntlet Has Been Thrown

[Drew Conner]

"We cannot and will not stand idly by while these acts of injustice continue.  We will not live in fear.  We will take a stand.  But it's vital we do not retaliate.  A violent reaction would only perpetrate the fallacy of meta-humans being dangerous.  There's already been far too much bloodshed.  I know the majority of that blood has been of our brethren but I implore everyone to remember peace and acceptance are what we preach.  Equality, not superiority.  We want nothing more than to be able to walk the streets without fear of persecution or violence.  To have the same rights as anyone else.  But there is a right and wrong way to go about making this change."

Drew paused and glanced down to the podium he stood behind.  A contingent of reporters had gathered inside a large hall located just outside the gates of the Helios facility for a press conference.  Drew gathered his thoughts, calm under the pressure of the occasional flashbulb and the intense scrutiny of his words.  He'd always had a clear path laid out before him, one he gladly followed.  He was to continue along as the corporate head of the company his father had founded.  Drew was hardly looking to cast that life aside but he felt a detour of the utmost importance was necessary.  Drew's eyes lifted and regarded the gathered crowd with a nod.

"In trying times the onus of change and leadership often falls upon a select few.  Being able to choose these few is one of the many things that makes this country great.  As we move forward the need for our leaders to heed a new voice grows ever stronger.  It's this need that has brought each of you here today.  It's this need that has led me to make the decision to step away from my day-to-day duties as CEO of Helios Defense and Security in order to officially announce my candidacy for mayor of Kalispell."

Another pause followed as hushed whispers were exchanged among the reporters.  Drew understood the importance of the decision he was making even if few would understand it.  He calmly and decisively answered the bevy of questions that followed before, finally, excusing himself and leaving the stage for his publicist to take over.

"I think that went well."  Drew said, exhaling sharply as he settled into the back of the large limousine that had been waiting for him.  He unbuttoned his suit coat and tossed it onto the plush leather of the seat beside him before glancing to his personal assistant, Poppy Lockwood .  He turned his gaze out the window, propping his elbow up on the edge of the door as the limo started pulling away from the facility.  "At least they didn't lynch me."  He offered, shrugging and casting a smirk toward Poppy.  "You know, sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing this."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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With not as much as a hint as to what would happen, Poppy Lockwood walked into the hall that morning clueless, like most people too, she assumed. She went in thinking it was just another press conference where she would watch her boss charm and dazzle the stream of reporters. He had a way with words and kept his composure through it all. There were no signs of nervousness, and she highly doubted Drew Conner was nervous. The man was a confident one. A quality she admired and she was proud to be working for him. Getting the position was something she was tremendously happy about.

The man gave a great speech, no doubt about it. But the brunette did not put two and two together until it was spoken out loud. She had the similar stunned expressions that a few most people in the hall wore too when Drew straight up mention how he was basically running for mayor. That was big, no huge news. With the status he had, the announcement was definitely shocking news. Since she was on the clock, Poppy remained her professional composure. If she had any questions, she would have to bring it up with her boss later. Though she trust he must knew what he was doing -- hey, he hired her did he not? Stepping down from one position and taking on another one with bigger responsibilities was not something easy. But Drew Conner can do it.

"Yes, because not dying is always a perk," she said once they were in the limousine. "Was it not Eleanor Roosevelt who said to do one thing everyday that scares you? This...this definitely falls into that category I bet." The brunette chuckled. "Drew Conner for mayor. Equality, not superiority!" She returned the smirk as she recited his words from earlier. "Was this a long time coming?"

[Drew Conner]

Drew settled into the plush leather seat of the limo, a smirk playing faintly on his lips as he watched the scene he left behind grow more chaotic in his wake. He may not have been the most arrogant and cocky person in his position but even he had to admit he liked the attention such displays garnered. His head shook and he issued a bit of a sigh as his attention shifted to focus upon the young woman sitting in the limo with him. "I never even so much as ran for student council in school." He admitted almost sheepishly, confirming Poppy's assertion that this was most certainly well beyond his comfort zone. "If I've ever done anything that makes me feel like I'm stupidly taking on more than I can handle, it's this."

In spite of his words, Drew's obvious determination never wavered. He had a goal, a mission that he would see through to the end for better or worse. At Poppy's question she shrugged. "I haven't been thinking about it long but I'm not going to pretend something hasn't been building to this point for a while. It's a matter of knowing something needs to be done and understanding you're one of the few who can do it." He let out a light laugh then. "The alternative is let Elizabeth Fisher run unopposed. I may be inexperienced in politics but it'd be nowhere near as bad as having an ignorant, openly anti-mutant mayor, right?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The brunette chuckled at the confession by the man. This would be a big step in Drew's life, that she was sure and she felt fortunate to be witnessing it. "There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity," she said, for a brief moment remembering the students of the Hogwarts' House of Gryffindor. "But I trust the latter would not the case with this."

What he said next only confirmed what she thought. Drew Conner certainly had his wits and it was not a stupid act on his part to branch out into a field he had never even ventured in. Whilst Poppy had not taken much interest in current public affairs, she was not completely oblivious to the hate Elizabeth Fisher was spreading around town. "It's good to know that there are still some of us who are courageous enough to put the importance of a cause at the top of their list before all else. Besides, god forbid if she did win, I don't think there'd be a town to govern. Most would pack up and go," she joked.

"Anyway, what now? Have you gotten your campaign team yet?" She was not sure how the process worked. The only thing she knew about it was from the movies and the books. But even then, she never had a clear image of it. Poppy did not personally know a lot of people who ran for mayor.

[Drew Conner]

Drew chuckled softly at Poppy's well-timed quote. He nodded, letting a bit of his trademark smirk shine through in the process. He was no stranger to making bold moves against the warnings of others. His decision to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building the state of the art facility they were now leaving behind along with the formation of the world's first all-mutant division of a private military corporation could easily have driven Conner Industries' flagship company to the ground and left a stain on his still brief corporate career he might never recover from. He'd also taken chances with his personal life in pursuing the girl who would become his wife. And through it all there was absolutely nothing that could have prepared himself for the monumental task that he had just undertaken.

"Either that or they'll burn the city to the ground." Drew replied, his head shaking. He took the matter of Elizabeth Fisher gravely serious. He didn't believe in evil as it were but if he did he couldn't imagine anyone else to be the standard for what it would be than her. She was a despicable example of the human race who he suspected had been behind the recent rise in violence against mutants. Her anti-mutant message had to be the culprit, Drew just couldn't prove it. "But a lot of use don't have anywhere else to go. For many mutants Bellefonte and Kalispell are the only homes they've ever known." His head shook definitely. "We can't sit by and let someone like her gain any sort of political power."

"I've quietly assembled my team." He confirmed with a nod even though he still wasn't all that sure whether or not this all fell under the 'brave' or 'stupid' category. "I didn't want to attract attention before I made all the arrangements and decided if I was going to pull the trigger." Drew exhaled slowly in a rare visible display of having to calm his nerves. "Sorry about keeping you in the dark. I know you signed on to assist someone in the corporate world, hopefully you don't mind the switch to a politician."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The girl had a faraway look in her eyes as she looked out the window and see the buildings pass by. Poppy Lockwood had been living in this town for over seven years. She had a life in Kalispell, one where it was pleasant to live in. When she had manifested, the then twelve year old did not immediately embrace her ability. Of course she had not exactly learnt the full extent of her power yet, but at first she feared being part of the minority population. Even with how cool of an idea it was to manipulate gravity, the lone wolf knew a fair bit about the strength in numbers.

"It would be chaotic that's for sure. Heck, it's happening now a little anyway. Is it too late to ask for world peace?" she said rhetorically. It was a shame that there were still groups of humans and mutants that could not coexist. From the many books she had read, this was starting to feel like a dystopian novel. However, a tiny part of Poppy was intrigue to be in with the action.

The nineteen year old chuckled when he mentioned about keeping her in the dark. "Yeah, you have a penchant for doing that." The first time would have been at his home where he interviewed her. She had not been told much except to get into the limousine that would lead her to the appointed destination. "Hey, you don't see me quitting or complaining," she mentioned, shrugging. Truthfully, she was glad Drew was keeping her around at all. Like he said, because she had not signed for a politician field, she worried she would get the boot.

"But perhaps you could bring me out of the dark now. Where are we going exactly?" the girl asked curiously.

[Drew Conner]

Drew let out a soft chuckle and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I've always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic." He smirked a little and turned his attention away from his personal assistant long enough to reach over to the small fridge sitting nearby. He produced a small glass and dropped a pair of ice cube in it before filling it partially with scotch from a crystal decanter. "No one ever talks about how this is all a show." He settled back into the seat and shook his head. "Business, politics. It's all a manufactured act."

Poppy's question brought out a bit more of that sly smirk Drew had become known for over the years. He took a short sip from his glass and focused his attention on the young woman. "We're going to open our new headquarters downtown and meet the campaign team."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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"The world is your stage," she muttered out under her breath as she looked out the window, seeing the buildings they passed by. Shops and stores she sometimes saw whenever she took the bus downtown.

The nineteen year old still found it supremely awesome she managed to score a job as a personal assistant. Moreover, it was not just for anyone, but the Drew Conner. Who apparently now was running for mayor. "Were you on the drama team back in high school then?" Poppy returned her gaze back to her boss, jokingly questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Ah, the team you've assembled quietly." The limousine then came to a stop and she guessed they had arrived at their destination. "Will you be needing this?" She picked up the discarded suit coat.

"Show time."

[Drew Conner]

Drew waved a hand, dismissing the suit coat. He was going casual for the rest of the day. He'd already dropped a hell of a bomb that resonated within himself more than anything. Announcing his candidacy to the world only made it real. In his gut he knew it was the right thing to do but that did little to ease his mind or settle his heart which had been pounding in his chest since he'd taken the podium to speak. This signaled a change that would not only affect him but that of his family as well.

Any sign of apprehension and nerves melted away the moment the limosuine slowed to a stop. In the blink of an eye the confident, in control corporate CEO and newly announced mayoral candidate took over. He breezed through the introductions of his campaign staff, pausing during the meeting to shake the hands of and engage everyone who had been brought in. He handled the entire thing with his usual ease but the relief was apparent when he'd finally gotten to his new office and closed the door behind himself and his assistant.

"Good lord." He muttered, rounding the desk and taking a seat. "Ever get the feeling you've bitten off more than you can chew?" Drew asked with a light chuckle as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. "It's going to be a long few months, isn't it?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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Neatly folding the suit coat, she draped it over her hand before following her boss out the limousine and met up with the team. Besides the polite smiles, hellos and the occasional handshakes, Poppy mostly hung behind the man, ready to take notes or step in whenever needed.

From her observation, Drew Conner handled the meeting like a pro. He probably was anyway. It was one thing she liked and hoped to learn as his personal assistant. Whilst she rarely considered other people's thoughts, she was not always the ever Miss Confident as much as she liked to think she was.

Once in the office, she hung his suit coat on the coat hanger. "Oh yeah. Like literally, at any all-you-can-eat buffets," she replied lightheartedly before nodding in agreement. "Curious. Have you ever met this crazed anti mutant Elizabeth Fisher? In person that is."

[Drew Conner]

The stoic, serious mood of the office was immediately shattered by the seemingly innocuous reply about buffets. Drew didn't bother stifling the laugh that erupted and quickly subdued the tension he was feeling in every fiber of his being. "You know, that's one of the reasons I love having you around." He said without missing a beat. The joke wasn't particularly clever or unexpected rather the timing and seamless manner in which Poppy had inserted it into the conversation proceeded to lighten the mood considerably. It was almost as if it served as a reminder that he shouldn't take himself too seriously.

"I haven't had the displeasure of meeting Miss Fisher in person, no." Drew said, shaking his head in near disgust at the mention of the name. "We've been in contact, though, and I'm familiar with the platform she's running with." Drew leaned forward, opening the bottom drawer of his desk and withdrawing an ornately etched, glass decanter partially filled with a dull, brown liquid and a pair of glasses. "I wish I could say her ignorant speeches and advocacy of violence and intolerance toward our kind were seen as sideshow in this day and age." He placed the glasses on the desk and poured a small bit of the liquid from the decanter into each one before moving one of them over in front of Poppy. Having a drink was customary at the end of the day. Or sometimes in the middle of it. "But I'm afraid it looks like she has a considerable amount of support." He leaned back in his chair and swirled the glass around a moment before lifting his eyes to Poppy. "How about you? What do you know about her?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The brunette smiled warmly at her boss. Just because she was working for him, Poppy Lockwood did not think everything should all just be so serious. She reckoned he probably noticed that about her when he first interviewed her and she joked about what she could do using her power like making a pencil float in midair which was really silly. Ha, that day still felt like it was only yesterday.

After hanging his coat, she made her way and sat in the seat across the desk from Drew and listened to him. She held the glass and pushed it away from her, back to him, silently reminding him that she was underage and it was technically not legal yet for the nineteen year old to be consuming alcohol.

It did not take long for the brunette to reply. "Hair as black as a raven's wings, skin white as snow, she's practically Snow White." Poppy laughed. She did not know much on the political field but she supposed that would change now. "I am curious however to know where the hatred stemmed from. She is something," said the girl. She rolled her eyes as she remembered the posters she sometimes saw around town with their not to kindly taglines.