A/N: I wanted to do something cute after all of my angst... have an awkward dad!
A month had passed since the last veil breach, and the city was calming down quite nicely, even if there were a handful of weak Attic Reapers attacking local stray animals. But, they could easily be hunted down and banished without a power struggle in the slightest. As of currently, Raiden and Allie were at a lunch with their fathers, who were in the midst of discussing déjà vu.
"I can assure you, I don't believe we've ever met formally. I have the best memory out of everyone in my family, and I'm sure I'd remember someone like you." Ken chuckled softly at his own inside joke, and Ray nearly choked on his drink upon hearing it, stifling back a laugh himself. Allie was enjoying the conversation as well, but was messing around with her phone as well. She suddenly gave a very exasperated sigh as a small beep of a notification popped up.
"What's up?" Ray asked, as Allie pocketed her phone in disgust. "Ugh, nothing important. Just spam being sent from whoever's running Carny's dad's re-election campaign. As if!" She mimed vomiting as her father scoffed in annoyance.
"Man, what I wouldn't give for someone to give him what he deserves! Someone brave, strong-worded, firmly grasping his beliefs with both hands and not taking no for an answer…" He froze immediately as an idea came to him. "Someone like you!" he said, directing his attention to Ray's father.
"…What?" Ken looked up, with an almost horrified tone in and upon his face. "No. I'm sorry, what?! I-I have no idea how politics even work! I was a fisherman, and that is not exactly a job for someone you'd consider a 'people person' or... whatever you think I'm cut out to be."
"You're humble, too! It'll work beautifully." Artie was getting a dreamy look on his face as he stared off into the space above Ken's shoulder. Allie and Raiden sat quietly, stewing quietly in the secondhand embarrassment. "And I'll be your campaign manager, I can do that just fine. Not, uh, not good with crowds. More of a one-on-one guy." He held out his hand. "What do you say?"
Ken hesitated, but deemed the most polite course of action was to agree. After all, it was most likely just a spur of the moment decision or joke, and he wasn't going to act upon it. He firmly took his hand, only to be pulled into an awkward half-hug over the table. A rather tight awkward hug. "This is gonna be great, just you wait and see!"
"I… can't wait." Ken grumbled under his breath with a guttural sigh. The rest of the lunch proceeded to consist of Mr. Underhill loudly talking about the best ways to get media attention, brainstorming campaign slogans (as well as posters) as Ken could only sit by idly and pray for it to mercifully end soon. And, while it did, this only led him to more discomfort.
"I don't understand him," Ken said to Master Nadia, as she watched over Panoptic. "He's borderline obsessed with this campaign, and we haven't even begun it yet! Why is it that I'm to be his cure-all to his crippling lack of self-image?"
"I think the better question is why you came to discuss politics with me," Master Nadia said sardonically. "My views are a bit more eccentric." She stopped, and then gasped quietly as she zoomed in on a stalker-sphere taken from downtown San Campion, of a Specter creature exiting from a man-made portal directly outside the city's bank.
"Mm, equal creature rights is more up Ray's…" Ken noticed it as well, despite being lost in his own thoughts. "Not this again. I'll take care of this." He turned to leave, only for Nadia to suddenly grab his shoulder. "Master Chavez is the closest to the area, Takahashi." She said, only to sigh and shrug. "But, if it will help you get your mind off of this politics nonsense. Go."
"That… seems a bit weird."
"Exactly my thoughts! I just don't understand it."
Master Chavez and Ken were now both atop the bank's roof, as Roaming Bloodmane and Gilaflame both viciously attacked the Specter, which was clutching a disc in one of its claws. He'd been a bit less blunt to Ken's venting, but hadn't much else to offer him in advice. As of current, the main course of action was to both banish the creature and reclaim the disc without a scratch. Of course, nobody said anything about not being allowed to multi-task.
"Why doesn't he just speak? There's no real point in using me as a buffer, right?" Ken complained, dodging a blast of Darkness energy and putting up his shields as he recoiled from the near miss.
"He's extremely shy, even you know that. He needs to put others on pedestals to make himself feel better about his own feelings." Chavez motioned for Gilaflame to divert the attack towards itself and away from the tops of the other buildings.
"That's extremely articulate, considering…" His sentence was cut off as Bloodmane was launched backwards by an attack and nearly hit him.
"My father was a doctor." He said, as Gilaflame sped forwards into the Specter, arm blades coated in flame and teeth bared. But, this seemed to be all they could do to it, as it disappeared transparently into the night carrying the disc. Ken growled in annoyance as he watched it leave, this being a horrible end to an equally horrible day. But, like everything else in his life, this was interrupted by a banging on the door leading up to the roof.
Chavez and Ken quickly banished their creatures, and rushed over to open the door. Out came Ariana, the head security chief of the building, still looking a bit worse for wear after nearly being attacked by the creature. "What… what just happened? What did you see?" she gasped, clearly out of breath. "Hey, aren't you Ken Okamoto?"
Ken froze, and nearly sputtered out "Yes…? I am." Her face lit up, and she nearly yelled out her response. "Well! I guess you're really all Arthur made you up to be. Not sure how you got on the roof, but I appreciate your help. Good thing you're running for mayor and not security guard, or I'd be out of a job."
"Well, at least you're getting good publicity," Chavez whispered to Ken as the older man could feel the dread building up inside of him. Oh, there was no turning back from this now.