-Are you okay?
A young man with black hair and deep blue eyes looked with curiosity and some concern at The Woman of the Jasper who was still lying on his chest. Quickly, the woman hurried away and put distance between the two and then gave an answer that, between grief and fright, seemed more like a shriek than an assertion.
-I'm glad that this is the case, it is good that I was able to react in time.
The man gave her a smile and turned to ask a waiter for help to pick up the shards from the ground. The Woman of the Jasper was exasperated but she tried to recover her composure in the face of such a circus act that she had provoked. As the waiter and the man talked, she was able to better appreciate this individual who had provided her with assistance and avoided making an even more tragic and comical spectacle. Of average height, short hair, and eyes as calm as the ocean, the man standing a few inches away gave the impression of being a military man or mercenary. His toned build and noticeable muscles indicated that the subject was prone to exercise or at least, his daily routine required large amounts of effort. It was the first time that The Woman of the Jasper had noticed him since she had entered the room and to tell the truth she did not understand how she had not noticed it before: his figure differed to a certain degree from that of the participants in that meeting .
Although his build was stockier than the others, the suit the subject was wearing hinted that he was an individual of considerable resources. A classic royal blue suit with silver details highlighted the individual's defined figure. A silver watch with chrome highlights stood out in the pocket that, together with an elegant and sober chain, kept that device in place. The demeanor of The Man of Blue indicated that he was accustomed to wearing such clothes and his confident attitude, accompanied by an authoritarian tone in his voice, clearly gave the certainty that it was surely not the first time he had been in public. The Woman of the Jasper realized that she was looking more than she should when The Man of Blue turned his head and they ended up locking eyes. The woman's first impulse was to want to leave the place but she decided to approach and apologize for the mess she had caused.
-Thanks again for, you know, keeping me from falling to the ground and stuff.
-No problem, it's the least I could do. You are the envoy of the yellow flag kingdom, right?
-Yes, that's how it is. Sorry for bothering you, I think I'd better leave, thanks again for everything.
As The Woman of the Jasper went to turn in the direction of the opposite corner of the room, a hand rested gently on her shoulder and made her stop in her tracks.
-Hey, where are you going in such a hurry? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet and it's the least we can do when we're already in this mess.
The man laughed calmly and the woman calmed down a bit when she once again appreciated a white smile on the subject's lips. For some reason her mind eased in the presence of The Man of Blue, and she decided to give in to his request to introduce herself. It was the least she could do after leaving such a mess on his hands. Once the two of them were introduced, the conversation began to flow naturally and they were soon caught chatting like old friends. For the woman, having someone to talk to was a help to calm her nerves and feel more accepted in the place where she was. For the man, that conversation was the perfect opportunity to distract himself a little while the waiting time for the meeting passed. In the case of both, a look of complicity was enough to understand each other and end up passing the stress of the matter with a casual dialogue.
-Forgive me for asking, I hadn't seen you before. What place are you ruler of?
-Ruler? No not at all. I am just one more envoy on this site, just like you.
-Really? That explains why I didn't recognize you among the faces in the place. How did you knew I'm also a messenger?
-It happens that I know the ruler of that place. Nothing serious, I had only seen her from afar. I imagined that she had not been able to come and, instead of her, they had sent someone else.
-That would be me.
-Exactly.
Both of them laughed and in their minds they put aside the place and the moment in which they were. For The Woman of the Jasper it was comforting to know that she was not the only one unaware of the situation, and even more, that another person had found themselves in the same situation as her.
-You're from the south, right?
-What gives me away? The color of the suit?
-Yes, That's right. That and well, the fact that the leader of that area had not arrived. That one I recognize from afar. A good gentleman from right to left, somewhat advanced in years but with the joviality of a boy. Now that I think about it, you have a certain resemblance to him. Are you family?
-No, not at all. There in that place we all look alike. It must be the genes. In fact, I recently started working on government and international relations.
-And, what do you think?
-The truth, this is all a circus. Name one of those present here and I assure you that they have more than one problem.
-Am I right? It's just that you can see how fake they are.
-Well, it is to be expected that nobody wants to show themselves as they are. If you look closely, it is more dangerous, especially for someone on whom the lives of millions of people rest.
-You're right about that. It would be giving the enemy an advantage.
-And there are many of those these days.
The situation between countries and governments had deteriorated in recent years. Although pacifism had increased in the last century, in recent years expansionist pressures and economic warfares were once again beginning to erode the trust between neighboring regions. If the matter continued along the same path, it was not ruled out that large-scale wars would break out, as had happened a few centuries ago.
-Hopefully there will be no incident at today's meeting, if things get more tense they will end up closing borders and applying commercial sanctions. The last thing we need is another unnecessary quarrel like those of yesteryear.
-You can have hope, right?
-Hope is the last thing you lose.
-By the way, do you know anything about today's meeting? Everything seems to indicate that nobody knows for sure why the Pontiff invoked the governments, not even the Prime Minister.
-The fact that the Prime Minister does not know is in itself proof that it is a matter of urgency.
- Could it be that it has to do with the matter of the crisis of powers that they have been presenting here?
-If that were it, I see no reason why they would have called us all to this place.
-You're right. We can only wait to see what the Holy Father says.
The conversation was interrupted by a new blast on trumpets, which, although much shorter than the previous one, was just as strident. A deep voice announced that the Golden Hall was opening, and instructed the rulers to follow the guides stationed in the Royal Hall to arrive promptly at their destination. In a few seconds the crowd began to dissipate and one by one those present were steadily evacuating what had previously been a lively venue.
-I think it's time to find out what the Supreme Pontiff is up to. Let's go fast before the place fills up. Do you mind if we sit together?