Skarbie

17th

Skarbie (n)

The Polish word for "darling", a term of endearment

June 30, 2022 - Manila, Philippines

After a cut-throat presidential campaign that permanently broke a political family apart, and one of the casualties ending up as her own Vice President, Maria Leonora Robredo is now the seventeenth President of the Philippines.

The inauguration inside the Intramuros Golf Club had just ended and she was now back in Manila for the inauguration ball at the Malacañang Palace. As to why her inauguration had to be held in some golf club instead of some huge arena - it was simply because she wanted to break the norm like her predecessor did, but she also wanted to put some originality into it.

"At least the bastard isn't showing up." Maria Leonora, or Leni's, Vice President said as she walked into the drawing room which is being used as the holding room of the President and the Vice President before the inauguration ball starts.

"Okay, calling your father a bastard is too far, Sara." Leni said as she crossed her arms, "You might not be in good terms with him anymore, just as I am, but that's really going too far."

"Well I don't care." The Vice President, Sara, answered, "He managed not only to destroy this country in the six years that he was in office, but he also managed to destroy his own family."

"Well at least your younger sister still talks to you." Leni told Sara in an attempt to comfort her.

"That's because she doesn't hold grudges over people who are unrelated to the conflict unlike you." Sara said as a matter of factly, "You spent your entire presidential campaign holding grudges on me when it was my father who ran this country down. On the other hand, Kitty knows that though I am angry at our father, the anger does not extend to her."

"Maybe you're right on that one." Leni said, half-conceding to Sara, "Perhaps I may have been too harsh to you during the campaign though..."

"...you're going to blame me for allying with Ferdinand Junior." Sara said, referring to Ferdinand Marcos' only son, Bongbong (whose real name is Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.), "I do not regret that, for the record. Besides, he lost and you won."

"You literally had a lot of options, sis." Leni said, now sounding a bit informal, "You could have allied with Manny Pacquiao and I could have forgiven that."

Sara could not help but facepalm at this woman beside her - sure, that woman is her boss, but it doesn't change the way she thinks about her. That haughty crypto-influencer, she thought.

"Madam President, Madam Vice President," The event coordinator said as he walked into the drawing room, "Your presence is now required at the ballroom."

-

Leni sure wished that she was back in her condominium unit in Quezon City catching up on all those Netflix series that she missed...that's what she'd want you to think. She is actually enjoying all of this! All the attention showered towards her. In fact, she feels a bit jealous whenever people approached Sara instead of approaching her first.

She's been given toasts by the guests, and she has also given her toast to a more prosperous Philippines. At this point, she has already made it through the fifth round of dancing in the dance floor and as much as she wants to withdraw to the drawing room for a while to take a rest, she needed to keep up appearances.

Not so much with Sara who isn't quite the star of the show and could get away with sneaking out to the drawing room every now and then.

As she is about to exit the dance floor, she suddenly heard someone call her name.