To fill a blank slate...

“Do you ever think they’ll show up, ma’am?”, Hua Mei’s aide inquired the mighty one, who have been exhaling menthol smoke like a chimney during the 1940s surge of industry. Hua Mei, who have been so accustomed to kick her heels whenever esteemed guests are afoot, simply waved off the anxiety that always occurred when they always seem to have whenever the waiting game had to be played.

“Camille. Seriously, how long have you been in the ‘game’, man! Of course they’re gonna come. They’re top brass … you know, or rather top brass there. They’re gonna be ehh … top copper when I’m done ‘diplo-ing’ with them if you know what I mean”, she joked as they spot the transport from afar.

Before the landing gear even screeched past the tarmac, the carpet meant to receive dignitaries had been rolled out onto the scorching hot asphalt. Besides the usual fanfare such as pillars of flowers and hampers of candy and freshly cut tropical fruits, Hua Mei had prepared two smoke machines parallel to each other; its purpose unbeknownst to all but one. As the doors sneezed open, the greeting party had gotten into their routine.

“Welcome to the Community, may you enjoy our company and our country!”, they all cheered out loud, kowtowing ever so briefly to display the hospitality they strived to achieve. Just as their prized visitors take their second step, the smoke machine had suddenly jolted to life, spewing fog onto the path of unstoppable force. Hua Mei, came cutting through the thick smoke, with both her hands raised up to emulate professional wrestlers from her days of watching sport entertainment.

With a deep bow, she welcomed Thaeroden and Baroden, “I hope your flight has been pleasant, kind sirs.”. With a motion of a finger, hampers bursting with delectable fruit and wrapped sweets came rushing in front of the party, a sliced melon almost stabbing Thaeroden with its slimy edge. Hua Mei picked up a candy from the bunch, popping the taffy onto her mouth casually. Noticing the president subtly gnawing on some gum, Hua Mei offered some more sweets by placing a handful on his palm.

“Didn’t know you love chewing on sweets, maybe we do have something in common after all. Here I am wondering how to approach your stoicism but I guess I answered that pretty quickly.”, she jested, her minions laughing at the remark.

The moment the clapping of soles hit the tarmac, Hua Mei’s aides almost knew what was about to happen. With one smooth motion, one of her aides, an agile young man in his 20s, dumped his hamper onto his colleague’s arms and slid in front of Hua Mei with arms cuffed in a fighting stance.

Hua Mei whispered to him, “Jung, you don’t have a gun?”

“Uhh .. no, the security detail is waiting for us at the doorway to the lounge.”

Hua Mei furrowed her brows, “So, what the fuck are you gonna do? Swat the bullets away? Ju-just get back to holding the hampers.”. Much to her aide’s chagrin, he abided the command and returned to his post, his head never retracting to its once proud angle.

There was no hiding the chuckles that Hua Mei produced as Thaeroden reprimanded his seemingly seasoned guards. As they retreat to the comforts of the plane, she commented, “Well, we can head on to the Blue House to elevate the meeting to the next level. There really isn’t much commonality left in the tarmac … unless you let me berate your soldiers and pinch their ears for being too naughty.”

As she led the way back to the lounge holding their transport, she turned around and consoled the soldiers who may have heard her jab, “By the way, I was joking about the last bit. Please don’t actually do that. I have my husband for that.”

The aides, wary of the sensitivity of the leader’s guards, mostly shuffled and steered clear of their path. Hua Mei seemed unfazed at the lightest, always trying to crack up jokes with pop culture references that none of the Umbra Regium’s finest would understand. The transport back was uneventful to say the least, with the Communals wanting their Regium counterparts to get some rest from the jet lag.

Soon, the Blue House was in eyes’ reach. True to its name, the governmental building donned blue tilings at the roof, giving it a rebellious aesthetic, fighting for the spotlight with the national colour pink. As they were seated in a room big enough to stash the detail, Hua Mei kickstarted the discussion.

“To be very frank, I am rather surprised that you have chosen to come visit our humble abode in person. It’s a guarantee that things are pretty busy, it seems, so I really would like to thank you for taking the time to meet with us personally. As you may know, we really have a stark contrast in how we operate, our country is still infantile compared to the Umbra Empirium. We aren’t seasoned for the world stage yet, oh no no, we’re not. Not in the slightest! But I would love to know the true intentions for the visit, leader?”