@downxbyxaxcove
Who: Zora and Mayor Beauchamp (plus Lakota and Logan)
Where: City Hall
Zora had almost talked herself out of coming. Not because she regretted the petition. She didn't. If anything, Logan's comment about what every July felt like for him had only reaffirmed why she'd started it in the first place. The wildlife. Pets. Veterans. Families. It had never been about taking something away. It had been about asking whether there was a better way. What she did regret was everything that had happened around it. The comment section had become less about fireworks and more about people. Her cousin had gone after the mayor. Her brother had gotten involved. Zach had ended up in the middle of it, trying to remind everyone that words mattered when your family wore a badge. She understood where he was coming from, even if it had hurt to watch the conversation unravel into something she had never intended.
When Mayor Beauchamp invited her to continue the discussion in person, she'd accepted almost immediately. Because this was what she'd wanted from the beginning. A conversation about change. She adjusted the folder filled with articles, studies, and a handful of notes she'd scribbled over the weekend under her arm. She wasn't there to demand. She wasn't there to accuse. She was there to listen just as much as she hoped to be heard. She glanced toward Lakota, offering him a grateful smile. Having him there to support her really helped. Logan stood nearby as well, and she was equally grateful for him. There were parts of this conversation that statistics could never explain as well as someone who had lived them. When his secretary said they could go in, Zora took a deep breath before opening the door. "Good morning, Mayor Beauchamp. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us."