[2196] The Players, Chapter 1

This is the beginning of the novel I'm currently editing. I wrote it to explore the themes of power, democracy, and the strangeness of politics. The story, characters and arc are clear to me. However I'm unsure how to introduce the story.

In the first chapter I want to give a clear picture of the main character and her flaws since the story is about her transformation, but I am not doing enough of that. There's an opportunity in the Lou/Armand/Condé scene and I'll rewrite that. I need to establish that Lou is passive/an observer, and that she lets Armand take the lead.

One thing to know is that the sun is one of the motifs. Also, I deliberately chose present tense since the story and the characters are mirrors of the past (it's revealed at the end, but I leave clues throughout the story). English is not my native language, but I don't think that's a big issue. Cheerio.

Any comments, suggestions, even short remarks would be appreciated, thank you.

*edited to give more details about the piece and what I'm looking for.

Critique: [3027]

Link: [2196] The Players, Chapter 1