(Untitled)

[legendarymadman]

The coming of elections on the island is what they have instead of the turning of the seasons, a way of marking time and watching the island change half-year by half-year. And so Geoffrey finds himself on the stage again, not to start up a new play (but soon, very soon) but to announce the semiannual candidate speeches

Comments

[honestlyrubbish]

"I believe my strongest contributions to the Island Council would be twofold- an analytical mind and a strong sense of dedication. One of my greatest strengths throughout the years has been my attention to detail, which makes me a fast learner and helps me see what many other people don't initially. I believe that this is a critical skill to have on the Council, to have someone who can properly estimate the amount of resources we need to support the population and how to get there. The land that we're on is limited, the needs of the whole are great, and the sometimes unpredictable nature of the island means that we need to plan in advance for emergencies or vast changes to the environment. I can say with great confidence that I don't mind paperwork and in fact actually quite enjoy keeping records and am efficient with such tasks. To complement this strength, I am also always committed to my responsibilities. I fully devote myself to causes that I deem worthy and recognize that chasing after any such goal or purpose involves a lot of hard work. Because it would be such an honor and a sign of trust, should I be elected to the Council, I can promise you that I would give the role nothing but my best efforts and would put the welfare of this community first and foremost.

"Once again, I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to speak with all of you, and I highly encourage any questions the audience may have. Thank you."

[dogbitesman]

"MIss Granger," William said. "Sorry, this is a newspaper thing, we always include it- could I get your age?"

[honestlyrubbish]

Hermione nodded her understanding, wondering in the back of her mind how heavily her age would be taken into account. "Of course, Mister de Worde. I am eighteen years of age," she replied, smile not losing its confidence.

[dogbitesman]

"Thank you," he said. "Now... that is quite young, isn't it? For public office?"

The thing was, asking questions like that was also a newspaper thing.

[honestlyrubbish]

"Statistically speaking, yes, I believe that eighteen is younger than the average age of Council members past and present. Whether or not my age is reflective of ability is up to each citizen to decide, but I did collect the required number of signatures to be included on the final ballot, and if we look to past examples, there was a Council member who served in spite of being underage," Hermione said, tilting her head and recalling all of the details about the island's history that she'd tried tirelessly to learn over the past couple of weeks. The corner of her lips quirked almost imperceptibly. "I only have a few minutes to leave an impression on those who don't know me personally at these speeches, but I do hope that if people doubt my decision-making ability- whether because of age or any other factor- that they feel free to ask the difficult questions. And of course, I'd be happy to speak with anyone personally before they cast their vote."

[dogbitesman]

"Then aren't you glad I brought it up, so you could make those points," William murmured, pen flicking across the page of his notebook as he recorded them.

He looked up again."Could you give us some examples of where your attention to detail has helped you in the past?"

[honestlyrubbish]

"Certainly," Hermione replied graciously, even as her gaze grazed over William's pen and the way it flew across the paper, thinking of one particular reporter in the past that she was none too fond of. Allowing her finger to tap the podium a couple of times, Hermione pressed her lips briefly together and continued on.

"From what I've gathered about the Island Council, much of the work involves accounting and forecasting- if there are any people in the audience who specialize in mathematics or economics, I would be more than happy to be given a problem and work it out as best I can. As for some key examples, I would cite instances where I had to reason under a great deal of pressure." Hermione's gaze lowered slightly, hands folding on the podium and gripping one another. "In my world, there was a powerful man with a sharp intelligence that he used to gain momentum and target certain types of people he hated. He was unafraid to kill. He ruled by fear. And I think any of us who have lived in a world with dictators know that it can be an uphill battle, and that the key when one is at a disadvantage is to look for the cracks in the opponent's defense. You don't know what details may come in handy in the future- remembering the properties of venom from a snake slain years ago, knowing the advantages of certain types of weapons, the lay and limitations of a particular building, certain words spoken by people in the past that expose intent, medicinal properties of plants... I don't want to take up too much time explaining the context for each of those, but I've had to come up with quick fixes for injuries, often when defending against enemies, I've inventoried supplies for prolonged trips, and one of my favorite subjects is essentially a twist on probability theory. It's a mixture of patience and practice."