Equality for All (Open)

[Joe Honnick]

Joe had a political smile on his face and was lounging behind a banner covered table that had PUSE in bold print blowing in the wind in front of the table. There were a collection of PUSE pens and fliers that spelled out 'Equality for All'. It was Joe's task today to man the table and get as many people over to their side as possible. But today was not about politics, it was about visibility. His plan was to agree with equality and hopefully push back and meta-human crazies. He had a sign up sheet for people who might want to join the group and he had a small poster set up outlining their values. It read:

'Equality for All:
Regardless of
RACE
RELIGION
POLITICAL PARTY
WEALTH
META - POWER'

The last was the only note they had about those damn meta humans and Joe wanted to keep it that way. No one ever won elections by stomping down another group. It never worked and it wouldn't work now. No, Joe had to be careful, and he needed to make sure that his personal agenda did not affect the integrity of PUSE. They were not anti-meta. No, they were pro-equality. Regardless of everything. Power included. Joe glared at people as they passed by, a few meta humans had the gall to use their powers in public. The sunglasses allowed Joe to smile and give off a welcoming presence and his eyes still be hidden. Of course he would meet the eyes of anyone who approached the table. Regardless of standing.

The final item on the table was a platter of his wife's homemade cookies and he was hoping that their smell would at least insight people to take fliers. They were too small, if they wanted to do something they needed support. He'd gotten a few other PUSE members to help man the table and since it had been slow Joe had encouraged them to go join their families and enjoy the field day for a few hours. Then they would return and Joe would do the same. Jasmine was bringing Lesedi and Rachel in a few hours. Joe rose from his seat and gave a beaming smile as someone approached the table. "Hello, I hope you're enjoying the Field Day. I'm Joe Honnick, President of PUSE, can I interest you in a flier?" He held out his hand in greeting.

[Elizabeth Greene]

Showtime.

Elizabeth Greene was a politician - plain and simple. Yes, she was naturally a nice person, but there was a kind of calculation behind it. She had wanted to go into politics, to serve the people of Pilot Ridge, since she had interned at the City Council offices as a student at the Hammel Institute. Since then, she had been constantly thinking of her future, always calculating her next move. She left her job as a dancer at La Maison Magnifique, went to the local Democratic Party meetings to shmooze the more established public servants and activists, and made sure her grades - and looks - were impeccable: one was necessary to serve, the other to get elected.

The annual field day was just another opportunity for her to improve her visibility - name recognition, really - among her constituents. She always attended these public events, ostensibly in her 'official capacity' as City Councilor, but there was always an ulterior motive: get noticed, get support, get re-elected. Local officials were always in a state of campaigning, it was just a matter of making it look like they were above the fray.

Having just greeted some locals near the entrance of the fair, Elizabeth decided to go for a little walk and check out the booths. Perhaps she could find a stranger to introduce herself to and make a supporter of. She passed rows upon rows of tables, smiling and waving to everyone whose eye she could catch.

One booth caught her eye in particular. Something about equality? Sounded like a Democrat to her, so she took a few steps in that direction. Just as she had expected, the man greeted her. "PUSE?" She repeated, as she approached the booth. "And what exactly is PUSE?" She had a smile plastered on her face as she extended her hand towards the stack of fliers sitting on the table. She took a moment to feel this man's emotional energy. He seemed very sure of himself, though most people manning a table did. But there was something about him she couldn't quite place; she would remain alert until she 'figured him out.'

"Elizabeth Greene," she added, returning the introduction. "City Councilor."

[Joe Honnick]

Joe smiled charmingly at the woman. He recognized her face and he was fairly certain she was a politician herself. Interesting. “I’m glad you asked,” Joe said with a little laugh, “PUSE stands for People United for Safety and Equality.” He removed his sunglasses, a tactic that showed he had nothing to hide. She could be a potential ally or a potential threat either way he was going to treat her as his equal. Often times people misunderstood the term ‘equal’. He no doubt she had experienced this in her career as well, but often times people treated equal as special. As a black man Joe had indeed faced the kind of judgments and treatment that hadn’t sat well with him. He had fought hard to be treated as a peer to those around him, regardless of color or gender. He had always loved the idea of complete equality. And it was closer every day, even his own children didn’t see colors anymore.

Elizabeth Greene. She was a meta human, everyone knew that. Joe kept a smile on his face, if she used her powers now it would be a perfect example of the kind of thing Joe was fighting against in politics. “Oh I knew I recognized you! Welcome Councilor. I’d be happy to tell you a little about PUSE.” He picked up a flier and handed it over before she could take one herself. “So like I said PUSE is dedicated to the safety and equality of all. We are a nonpartisan group purely seeking to make sure that everyone has an equal voice in politics and in life.” If he recalled correctly she had a psychic power of some sort. The anger didn’t show in his face or polite demeanor and he suppressed the emotions as best he could, just in case she could read them. He had to remind himself that she hadn’t been the one that destroyed his daughter, but that kind of power always corrupted.

“Our goal is this,” he turned and pointed at the poster. “Now a’days politics are so partisan, I’m sure you can attest to that. You’ve got your liberal socialists and your right wing nuts. I, and PUSE, believe that people fall in the middle a lot of the time and all we really want is equality. Regardless of color, religion, sexual orientation, we’re all people.” He opened the flier and showed her a paragraph listing their purpose. “PUSE was created to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard in politics. We are seeking to make sure that people who are less… equipped have the ability to run for office.” He smiled at her, a major part of his sell was to keep meta-powers as equal in weight as other issue. “Do you have any questions, Councilor?”