The Woman of the Jasper's first impression was one of awe, followed by a single word: majestic. Inside there were vibrantly colored murals with scenes of saints and angels, various allusions to a messiah and its suffering were also remarkable paintings within the sober site. In that main entrance there seemed to be a considerable group of people who, absorbed in the works of art, commented among themselves as expert critics on the subject, even if they were not. The Royal Hall she was looking at was, without a doubt, the closest thing to paradise in this land of men and women, and yet, in the midst of holiness and virtue, hell was brewing.
The reason for the arrival of the visitors, as well as that of The Woman of the Jasper, was the same: a meeting that could be considered normal in the eyes of outsiders, a summit of rulers, envoys and representatives. The truth, yet to be presented, evaded the thoughts of the characters in that place. Between small conversations and banal compliments there were comments regarding the matter, and according to what The Woman of the Jasper could hear, it was not clear to anyone why their host today had summoned them in such a hurry.
Not only did the reasons for the meeting seem to lack weight, the presence of so many representatives in one place was also strange, and this only became more evident when among them were members with great rivalries and discord. The Woman of the Jasper could only sense that this meeting, scheduled with such urgency, had warning signs, and her intuition rarely failed.
In the enclosure the contrast between unstable humans and perfectionist art was palpable. From the beginning, the atmosphere presented a chaotic vapor that hinted at the great differences between the personalities attending said event. Although at the moment the situation seemed to flow without accidents, the woman's impression was that everything could change in a second, and she was grateful that second had not happened yet.
Worry occupied much of her mind, but she decided to concentrate on appreciating art like some others to avoid creating further tension. The portraits, the sculptures, the frescoes and the crucibles all showed religious references. Some paintings looked more recent than others but it was easily possible to ensure that the building remained true to the original designs with which it had been created. The Basilica used to be open to the public at certain times and during religious ceremonies, but its access was restricted only to the main chamber and the vestibule in which that group of people was wandering at the time. The minutes passed and between the characters the woman could hear comments about the host's delay and his rude unpunctuality. It was clear that the time scheduled for the meeting was beginning to fall behind.
The Woman of the Jasper shifted her focus and decided to try to hear something else in the conversations flowing around her. Any additional information could be decisive at the time of the meeting, especially if she managed to find out more about the background of it. In addition to the typical conversations, her ears soon perceived a male voice narrating some events of past years. It was this very peculiar situation that made her stop and continue listening.
The man was talking about a scandalous incident that had occurred in a region south of the place where they were. One of the women who was in the Winter Palace at the time of a diplomatic visit had been attacked by a man in the vicinity of the place. According to the man, the matter had reached the press because that woman was dating the son of the ruler of said site and the whole matter was made public, damaging the image of the diplomatic meeting and its participants.
For The Woman of the Jasper, that matter of public image was foreign to her situation, and that narrative made her think about the weight that the rulers had on them if they were to get involved in an unseemly or questionable situation. Most of those present were the leaders of each of their place of origin, and they had this additional burden on their shoulders. On the other hand, in the case of some leaders who had not been able to attend, representatives had been sent to make them aware of the situation. The Woman of the Jasper was one of them.
Her presence at that meeting was limited to listening to what those characters had to say, commenting on one thing or another, and withdrawing as quickly as possible to inform the high command of the reason for the meeting and how to proceed in the face of what arose in it, that and nothing else. Although for her this was a golden opportunity to demonstrate her capabilities and perhaps make a better impression on the government of which she was a part.
In recent years she had focused on safely climbing the branches of that serpentine line that was the state body. Although at the beginning her attempts had been unsuccessful, little by little luck was smiling at her and with effort and dedication she had managed to be an appropriate help for government work, being now the second in command of the intelligence agency of said place. Now, with this event on the table, it was clear that she had to deliver results; In her eyes this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
The voices were beginning to rise in the midst of group communications and in the absence of the host, the gossip seemed to take more and more strength. The Woman of the Jasper, on the other hand, walked calmly to the sandwich table, she had not had a chance to eat breakfast and at that moment said decision was beginning to take its toll.
She took a light-colored canapé in her hands and brought it to her mouth, in a matter of seconds the snack disappeared and she had no other choice but to take another in the face of her stomach's refusal to calm down. This time she reached out with her fingers for a salmon-colored roll with some fine herbs on its surface. Unlike the first snack, which was coarse in texture and sweet in taste, this time one bite hinted at a light, salty taste that slid gingerly across her tongue. The woman found it curious how much the snacks resembled the people in that place, all different in personality and form. She finally decided to take a brightly colored pastry from a silver tray, the snack looked better than any other on that table and seemed to assimilate the celestial halo that the holy place emitted. Amidst the golden glow emitted from the icing and white cream, she noticed what appeared to be a fluffy amber mass that made her stomach rumble in protest. She was definitely going to eat that delicacy and she would enjoy every second of it.
When she took the first bite, the expression on her face changed and her insides stirred intensely, the taste of said snack was completely different from its exterior: a brick texture and an ominous bitterness. She cursed for trying it and grabbing a napkin she spit out what was in her mouth then tossed it into a trash can along with the rest of the cupcake. That cake was even more accurate than the others, appearances are deceiving and The Woman of the Jasper found herself remembering that lesson, which seemed perfect in the presence of the rulers and regents present at said meeting.
She knew well from her superiors that more than one of them was different from what their public image showed. Hateful attitudes, capricious impulses and unprecedented contempt were some of the real traits of these characters. She couldn't be fooled in that meeting or else she would end up paying the price when she returned from the congregation. They all have something to hide, and they would kill to keep their secrets from getting out. The woman ended up walking away from the table with a disgusted face and negative thoughts. That slow-moving morning had ceased to seem beautiful to her and was now something a little more tedious, and she blamed that awful snack for that.
The Woman of the Jasper's string of complaints was interrupted by the sound of trumpets and a raucous melody, which ran through every corner of the hall. The faces of the guests turned in the direction of the sound and on an upper balcony from which white marble stairs descended they found the source of the noise. A group of seven musicians played the tune with an almost unnatural passion, their red and gold robes swaying from side to side to the beat of the vibrations. Rolls of red cloth were dropped from the balcony to form pennants on which the logo of that region soon appeared. Two keys stood out on the shield, which accompanied by the colors white and red symbolized the spirituality of a divine kingdom. The entire attention of the room was concentrated on said balcony, and by the time the music ended, one of the musicians left his trumpet to make an announcement in a loud and clear voice:
-Before you appears His Holiness, Supreme Pontiff and highest authority, representative of God on earth.