People were settled at a table. Nothing, politically, was settled. "But that's the best time to tawk." A woman with a normally different role in public life assured stone faces. She was not really paying attention to what she was doing as she started to unpack an eggcrate carton box on the seat next to her. "What is all this?"
While another person began to explain how much work people on all sides had been doing as "grassroots" effort, someone entered the room. Dipped head to speak to a world leader. Spoke in not-English. The wall-size TV posted the question automatically, in English.
"Is there a terrorist in the room?"
Stonefaces evil-eyed each other. "Did I call you?" The world leader asked.
"We may need you to see something." The leader jumped up. "You all come too."
The woman, (i)out of her element because nothing funny here(i), was reading testimonials of people who lived locally. "I'll stay right here," she chose.
Downstairs was a television that got news and shows. A person was explaining a vote to deem some organizations and its members "terrorists". People spoke to each other in many languages. Some were ushered out by armed people. "Maybe that's our space problem," one man said to another. "We have a space problem?" The other asked and swirled the liquor in his glass. "Air travel grounded has been great for my sex life," he said matter-of-factly and drained his glass.