It was a hot, muggy summer day in Vale. It was kind of day where just stepping outside saps all of your energy in an instant. And although small white clouds drifted across the sky, they did little to shelter the citizens from the blazing yellow sun overhead. People scurried back and forth across Vale Plaza, the largest shopping complex in the city, eager to get into shops and out of the heat.
Yang Xiao Long, on the other hand, sat bathed in a pool of sunlight, her hair and eyes seeming to glow with the same scorching warmth. Yang had always enjoyed the heat, and was currently basking in it like some sort of lizard. She regarded the man sitting across from her. He appeared to be deep in thought, though his stoic features gave no insight as to what these thoughts might be. They were the only two people to have braved the outdoor seating area of Ren's Diner, one of Vale's best eateries—at least in Yang's humble opinion. As a result, it was perfectly quiet as Yang waited for the man to respond. The eerie stillness of the hot air surrounding them did nothing to ease her nerves. She stealthily checked her watch. 11:38. Her leg began shaking impatiently, bouncing her knee up and down rapidly.
Finally, the man stirred. He pushed up his round glasses and met Yang's eyes with his piercing gaze.
"I'm afraid that I cannot do what you ask of me, Yang. At least, not at this juncture," he said calmly. Yang sat up straighter, an indignant reply already at her lips.
"But Ozpin—"
"No. Listen. I do not know enough about your opponents to be able to make this judgement right now. Perhaps in the future, I'll be in a position where I can. But for now, all I can do is wish you the best of luck in your campaign." He sat back in his chair as he stopped speaking with an air of finality. But Yang wasn't quite done yet.
"Okay, okay. I get where you're coming from, but we've been friends for years! And if I can get some momentum early on, I can increase my lead in the polls and maybe—"
"Yang. This is a decision I must make with my head, not my heart. Do you understand?"
"I do," Yang replied quickly. "But hey, you don't have to worry about your reputation anymore. You're retiring anyway, so it's not like this could come back and hurt your career." Yang realized it was a poor argument, but she was somewhat desperate at this point. Unfortunately, her attempt backfired almost immediately. Ozpin's expression darkened almost imperceptibly, and Yang internally cringed.
"This election is not about me, and it's not about you. It is about the future of Vale, and I will endorse the candidate that I think is best for Vale." He spoke in an even sterner tone than earlier, and his eyes were hard.
"Of course," Yang said, staring at the woven fibers of the table. "I'm sorry Oz, I didn't mean to imply anything." Ozpin's expression softened slightly.
"It's fine Yang. You were just trying to be candid. Although it would behoove you to think more before speaking in the future."
"Great, now you sound like Qrow," Yang said with a grin. Ozpin smiled back.
"Yang, I do think that you'd make for an excellent mayor." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "But just make sure that you are doing this for the right reasons." With that cryptic message, he stood to take his leave. Yang rose as well to shake his hand and bid him goodbye. She sighed softly as she watched him saunter off across the plaza.
"And what reasons are that?" she muttered to herself.
Yang turned to leave, pulling her phone from her pocket. Just as she did, it began vibrating. She sighed internally as she answered it.
"Hey Qrow, I was about to call you."
"Where the hell are you?! Your vote's at 12 in case you forgot. And please tell me you got him to endorse you?"
"Really? Not even a 'hello' before you start grilling me?"
"Yang…"
"Alright, alright. Geez, calm down old man, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack," Yang said with a grin.
"Hey, I still got it," Qrow protested in a somewhat lighter tone.
"Gross," Yang said, although she was still grinning. She took a breath before speaking again, the smile vanishing from her face. "Qrow, I couldn't get the endorsement."
"Shit. What happened?"
"Nothing, I swear! It just wasn't the right time. You know how Oz is." Yang kicked a pebble as she spoke. It skittered across the pavement and fell into a nearby sewer grate.
"Yeah, I do," Qrow said with a sigh. "Well hurry your ass back over here. You got about 10 minutes."
"Alright seeya soon," Yang replied. She hung up just as she approached her car. Yang slid behind the wheel, hurriedly starting the ignition and backing out of her spot. As much as she liked the car, she couldn't help but miss Bumblebee, her old motorcycle. But apparently motorcycles weren't seen as very professional, and as a result Qrow had suggested she trade hers in for a regular car. Well, more like demanded. Yang hadn't had the heart to completely abandon Bumblebee though, instead leaving it in a corner of her dad's garage.
Yang zipped down the few blocks to city hall, trying her best not to speed too much. That was another one of her habits that Qrow had put a swift stop to. She pulled into her spot in front of the building and all but leapt out of the car. She checked the time as she scurried up the steps to the front door. 11.57.
"Yikes. Okay, okay, still got time," Yang said in a low voice as she walked as fast as humanly possible down the main entryway. Luckily the council chambers were on the first floor, so she didn't have too far to travel.
"Hellooo Yang!" a red-haired woman called out. Yang slowed down a little, her trademark grin blossoming on her face.
"Hey Pyrrha," she said. "Hey Jaune," she continued, addressing the tall blonde man beside Pyrrha. The two of them worked in the Vale Public Works Department, and it had been a joke around city hall for years that Jaune was simply too thick to notice Pyrrha's obvious feelings for him. But amazingly, they had started dating a few months back, and bets were already circulating about when they would get married.
"How's it going you two?" Yang asked them cordially.
"Uh, we're good," Jaune replied. "But don't you have a vote to get to?"
"SHIT."
Yang bolted down the hallway, whipping around the corner to collide head on with Qrow, who chuckled at her disheveled state. He swiftly straightened her shirt before practically shoving her into the council chambers.
The doors slammed open, drawing the attention of the other four council members as well as the scattered citizens who had come to watch the vote. Yang cleared her throat and took a breath.
"Good afternoon everybody!" she said, smiling widely. She glanced at the clock on the wall opposite her. 12:00.
"Nailed it."
AN: Thank you for reading!
I apologize for the delay between these first two chapters, I promise updates will be more frequent in the future. I've been super busy these past two weeks (life, y'know) and sadly I'm a pretty slow writer. Regardless, the second half of this chapter should be up in the next few days. Or at least it won't take another two weeks... Also, while this story starts off fairly slow, I swear the bees are coming! In due time :3
Anyway, super big thank you to everyone who reviewed! THB4, I did think about making it a presidential race but I wanted to have Yang be younger. But yeah, keep letting me know what you think or if you have any predictions because I'd love to hear them :)
Thanks again for reading, have a good day!