Phase I.II- Canvassing

"Goddamn," Bethany, a blonde in a "Baker for Mayor" tee, sighed as she sat at a nearby bench.

"I know," Racquel, a brunette in an identical tee, sat next to her.

"Can I join," Patty sat in her grey double breasted pantsuit and kitten heels.

In the fourth week of the campaign, they were still canvassing. Most of the residents that they encountered didn't even realize there was a mayoral campaign going on. They politely accepted the brochures, or talked a little, but there didn't seem to be much interest. Some admitted they hadn't voted in a while! Some said they'd consult their husbands or spouses.

"You know, none of them said that they would actually vote." Racquel noted.

"Yeah, and most of the people staying at home were women," Bethany affirmed. Some were men or non-binary, but a majority of them were women in weirdly retro clot.

"Nothing that we can't overcome" Patty waved her hand. "But it's not been easy."

Patty was undeterred. She had met rich snobs like this before. She knew to poach them, but this was weirder than that. Still, she knew that it was early. If she just dug in, affirmed her credentials, and showed how much she could help, she could gain some ground.

"Some of these ladies, too, they just laid into us, the way we looked, the way we dressed." Racquel pouted.

"You notice no one here dresses normally," Bethany looked around the park. People were dressed like it was Pleasantville, men in dour suits, women in colorful dresses.

"Yeah." Patty looked at the people and wondered.

She noted the women seemed intimidated by her. By her whole persona, her forwardness, her tenacity, her ability.

She looked down at her own body. It seemed to project a lot of strength and presence. The women here didn't seem to have that. She eyed a woman about her mom's age, a blonde wearing a green sweater and a white and green striped skirt. She had a tiny waist, too.

Maybe I should try something different.

----------

Phoebe breathed in, held it for a bit, and breathed out.

She looked at the piece of paper. The PI had sent it to her. She dialed the number on it.

It rang.

"Hello?" Came a very cheery, high pitched voice. Phoebe was shocked for a minute, before answering.

"Di...Diana? Diana Tucker?"

"Oh, Phoebe! What a pleasant surprise! It's been too long!"

"Yeah, yeah," Phoebe wasn't quite sure what to think. The woman sounded a lot like Diana Tucker, one time Massachusetts Senator and Presidential candidate, but ... it also didn't. Diana was smart and confident and pretty formal. This woman sounded happy and carefree

"It's not Tucker anymore, though," Diana giggled, "Tommy insisted we change it to Cutler."

"Tommy did?" Thomas Cutler was Tucker's son. Like his father, Thomas, Sr., he was a military man.

"Yes, he's been absolutely wonderful. It was his idea to move here."

"Was it his idea for you to resign?"

"Well, he was very encouraging." Diana giggled again. Phoebe couldn't believe this was the same hardliner who was a Senate kingmaker.

"What exactly happened?"

"Oh, I would love to tell you, but I have so much to do. Tell you what, how about you come in with the girls sometime, they'll be so happy to see you!"

"The girls?"

"Our friends! Oh, we've been wondering if you'd come, we've all missed you terribly!"

Phoebe gave a small gasp and her heart started racing.

"Oh, goodness, are you okay?" Diana sounded concerned

"I'm fine." Phoebe struggled to keep calm with what she had just heard. "Uh, when do you meet?"

"Oh, we're so busy with our housework, we hardly have the time, but we're always planning. I'll call if we all come together."

"Alright. Uh, thanks."

"I am so excited! I have so much to tell you about! Well, I must go, Tommy hates it when I'm on the phone. Ta!"

Phoebe dropped the phone as it hung up and collapsed on the couch. She was too stunned to even stand. Just everything was confusing.

As the shock subsided, she calmed down, and took out Leah's laptop.

She needed more. She needed to look into this.

"And over here is Goldman Hall, our English department..."

The tour guide, a preppy blonde in a white, tight fitting sweater (with pretty large breasts) and a pale blue swing skirt with a big white bow and ponytail, showed off yet another building on campus to the group. Leah, in her own off-white sweater and short plaid skirt, took a brief inventory, before looking around again.

She had been here four weeks, and all she saw were these people and their weird anachronistic lifestyle. Like, they had 50's aesthetics all over, the clothes, the music, the buildings, the cars, diners, but also had cell phones, the internet, even some new movies (though, it seemed mostly their own weird retro stuff, )

So, the tour group, with their modern clothes and questions, was something of a return to normalcy. Even with the students looking like Grease extras.

Leah was on the campus tour because she had been frustrated with the online classes. With her mom campaigning and grandma doing... whatever, she was often alone at home with no company, either doing campaign work or homework. Not helping was the continued online ****.

Also, there weren't many online classes that were at her level. Eventually, she spoke to Admissions, and she learned that she could attend for a year before returning to Yale.

She was on the fence, but she agreed to take the tour, and ... it looked nice. It was a big campus, not as spread out as Yale, and consolidated. She liked it, even with the student body's strange behavior. She could see herself here for two semesters, even if she might not take to their clothes.

Finally the two ended, and the people dispersed. Leah was about to head home, but the blonde tour guide ( the nametag said Regina) stopped her.

"Hey! You're Leah Baker, that trans athlete from Yale?"

"Yeah?" Leah was still really confused by the support for her by these people,

"I was wondering if you would like to check out our LGBTQ+ club?"

"What? I'm not a student."

"It's fine! I think the club would be fine with you just coming to observe. I'll make sure it checks out."

"You're a member?" Leah was shocked. She definitely didn't look like the queer students at Yale.

"Me _and _my sweet girlfriend," Regina emphasized it to prove her point.

"Huh."

"Here," Regina pulled out a card from her tour bag. "Here's the information, if you want to come in."

"Okay, uh, thanks." Leah looked at the card. Regina smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hope to see you here on campus." She turned and left, leaving Leah to consider the card.

It couldn't hurt, I guess.