Lapis and Dewey both head towards back stage where Pearl and Peridot are waiting for them.

"You're destroying the competition, Lazuli!" Peridot yells in excitement.

Lapis blushes at the compliment. "Thanks, but its not like I'm doing anything special. I'm just talking."

"Talking is one of the most important parts of politics." Dewey says with reassurance. "Keeping calm and doing damage control is very important. It keeps the people feeling safe."

"That is a good point..." Lapis says as she rubs her chin. She then looks like she has an idea. "Know what? When I win, I'll appoint you to my pantry!"

Dewey looks confused. Peridot starts snickering.

"I think you mean cabinet." Pearl corrects Lapis.

"That too." Lapis agrees with a smile.

Dewey lets out a sigh and also smiles. "Well, I have no plans to give up just yet..." Dewey smiles. "But that doesn't sound like a bad alternative."

Pearl gives Dewey a glass of water, and the rest of the break is filled with casual conversation and political advice. Eventually Mr Smiley gives the 2 minute warning, and Lapis and Dewey return to their podiums.

"Excuse me!" Mr Smiley says to Pearl.

"Yes?" Pearl replies.

"Out speakers are acting up. Mind taking a look at it?" Mr Smiley asks.

"Alright." Pearl agrees. "Now Peridot, don't get into trouble when I'm gone." Pearl jokingly states.

Peridot groans at the remark, and Pearl leaves. When she returns, Peridot is nowhere to be seen.

"Now where did she run off to?" Pearl asks herself, looking around.

Meanwhile back on the stage... With the speaker system being plugged back in the debate has continued.

Up next is Mr Fryman. "Hey, Mayor Dewey." Fryman says. "Your opponent actually listened to my problems and offered to help. What makes you think you can top that?"

Dewey isn't shocked by the question at all. The rest of the audience is though, and the silence is only broken by seagulls and the tide. Dewey sighs.

"Honestly." Dewey pauses before continuing. "I'm not sure if I can." The crowd murmurs, but Dewey doesn't pay attention to them and continues. "You see. My opponent here is kind and idealistic. She wants to help you as much as I do, and with her different way of looking at things she may do a better job at it. I don't know..." The crowd is sitting in silence as Dewey breathes in deep and slowly exhales before continuing. "And she's already helped me... Through seeing her campaign, I've learned a lot about myself, what I have and have not done as mayor... I used to be ambitious but have lost my edge over the years. But in the face of this challenge, I feel a renewed purpose! I am going to fight for the Beach City that I love, and I'm going to do it with a change in policy! Its about time that we retool our local business assistance laws and reevaluate our construction contracts! With the recent rise in dangerous occurrences, it's time that we increase funding to our emergency responders! Not only do we need to be here for each other... I need to be here for you."

Dewey finishes his statement and breathes a sigh of relief. The silence is broken by Lapis giving Dewey a round of applause. The audience follows suit, and soon the mayor Dewey chants begin. Eventually Mr Smiley is able to quiet the audience, and the debate goes on...

"Alright everyone!" Mr Smiley says into the microphone. "We've all had one heck of a good debate this evening, but now Its time for closing statements! We'll start with ladies first! And please no fart noises!"

"Water you getting at?" Lapis says with a satisfied grin.

The audience moans at the horrible pun... Except for one guy in the very back who just yells "Eyyyyyy!"

Lapis points towards the guys in the back and smiles replying with her own "Eyyyyyy!" She then clears her throat with a cough. "All joking aside. When I started this campaign, I originally thought that being mayor would be easy. I mean if Mayor Dewey could do it then it couldn't be that hard, right?... I was wrong. Listening to the grievances of the people, developing a platform to run on, and surviving the half-cracked schemes of my campaign manager... By the way, calendars are being given out on the boardwalk... But yeah. Its tough, and I didn't even win the election yet. But I'm going to see this through, and I promise... Even though it'll be hard... Just like the ocean, this gem isn't going anywhere."

The audience claps.

Among the audience Peedee Fryman says "But she took the ocean once... So... It did disappear."

"She's being dramatic!" Steven says with starry-eyed approval.

When the audience dies down, Dewey speaks up.

"Unlike my opponent, my jokes don't hold water." The audience doesn't even groan. Its just silence. Not even crickets are dignifying that with a chirp. Lapis cringes at the bad joke. "... My point is proven... Anyways. Beach City is at a major crossroads right now. Both Lapis Lazuli and myself have plans for major changes here in Beach City. So I implore you all. Please. Think long and hard about who you believe is the best person for the job and then vote to make it happen. Thank you."

With the debate being officially over, people begin to disperse. Dewey meets up with his son Buck, and the two of them head home. The crowd disperses. Several people stopping to pick up a calendar. Lapis notices that the calendar seems to be very popular among the older people of Beach City given the fact that the parents seem so eager to take them away from their children.

Lapis can't help but smile. Today had just gone so well, and she can't wait to see everyone else's reaction. When she got back stage, her smile got bigger. Everyone was there, standing in a circle. Steven, Greg, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and... Lapis couldn't see Peridot anywhere. Maybe she was hidden by Garnet or Greg?

Lapis joins the group. Her smile vanishes when she sees what everyone is looking at. In Pearl's hands is a cracked visor. "I went looking for her during the debate. This was all I found."

((Dun dun dunnnnn! *dramatic pause for emphasis* Yeah. I can hear it now. "Dammit SC! We waited so long for an update and now you put a cliff hangar at the end of this one! GAH! Looks like we're gonna have to wait another 10 days!" Yeah... Sorry about the long time between updates. Actually had this one written a few days ago. But real life's a clod. But fear not! the next chapter will be up by Friday! As in 3 days from now!

On the topic of real life sucking, my schedule will get even more unpredictable come May. My job has decided to keep me on fulltime and with that comes schedule changes I need to plan around.

That whole "Eyyyyy" thing is a bit of a shout out to the folks from the Larp I went to a few weeks back. We had a Sho and a Sans larper there. So there were lots of puns and everytime a pun was made, somebody said "eyyyyyy"

And now that the debate has concluded, the ballots are out. Vote now at this address:

https

:/www

.surveymonkey.

com/

r/XD7P8GS

FFdotNet really doesn't like outside links... So I gave it to you in pieces.))