The Pope returns to give his daily address. His eyebrows raise in astonishment at the volume of petitions to be answered today,
Well then, Joseph, he thinks to himself, you had better shake a papal leg and get to work,
To Countess Giovanna,
"Welcome, Countess. I'm pleased you saw fit to attend the talks in person, I imagine you fear gravely for the safety and future of Normandy."
To Cardinal Peter McMichael,
"I do not understand what you mean by "oh-kay", but if you are asking whether I approve of Sir Fargoth representing Eire at the talks, then, yes, by all means let him speak for the Emerald Isle."
To Cardinal d'Borja,
"Your Eminence, both sides involved in the conflict have agreed to our holding the talks at the Lateran. I suggest you remain here if you wish to represent Aragon... or was your realm not directly involved in the conflicts?...", the Pope briefly looks over a few, small pieces of parchment.
"...Could you clear that matter up, please, Your Eminence? Unless Aragon has declared war upon France or her allies, we would rather you did not involve yourself in the discussions."
To Cardinal von Webber,
"Thank you, Your Eminence. You have spoken well on behalf of His Highness, although I will wait and wait with great eagerness for the Emperor himself to arrive before I address your... if you will... 'take' on events."
To the Bishop of Auvergne,
"Your concerns regarding the flow of monies from Burgundy are heard, Your Grace. I look forward to giving the Emperor a chance to answer for this turn of events, upon his arrival."
To Cardinal Ortucchio and to lesser extent, all those present
"I think the question of this flow of money is a little academic, Your Eminence, since we are all gathered here to negotiate a peace which, hopefully will prevent further blood-shed. If this goal is achieved, then when the swords involved in this conflict are beaten down to plowhares, then those who have taken vast loans will find themselves with huge debts to pay and their creditors knocking on their doors for a long time to come. I recommend to all those here not to pursue financial aid for the moment, for, God willing, we shall all leave the Lateran each holding a treaty for a peace that satisfies all those concerned."
"But of course, the economic concerns of the realms you represent are not for me to dictate."
"However, Cardinal Ortucchio, do I detect that you are concerned that Burgundy has in some way ignored an imperial edict by sending gold reserves to England?"
To Richard Bouchier,
The Pope's eyes narrow shrewdly and he rubs his chin in thought.
"This is a very serious matter, Your Eminence. I have once allowed France a similar indulgence due to the difficulty of transmitting fresh orders over a long distance once an army has marched on the offensive."
"I do hope that you are not attempting to capitalise on the fact that I have, by necessity, turned a blind eye to a senseless slaughter on the European mainland in order to give the peace-talks a greater chance."
"If you think there is still a chance that John's armies can be contacted with orders, I will have Cardinal Bernardi pen a letter to England in the hope that the Church's clerical network is more efficient and faster than the usual channels."
To the messenger from the Palatinate,
Joseph briefly looks over the candidates for the new Count Palatine, but then forces himself to read them again as he realises his mind is still focused on the problem in the British Isles.
"Ah, jawohl, I remember Father Lukas Klein!", the Pope slips into his native German as his memory retreats back to his formative years growing up and joining the prieshood in Heidelberg.
Smiling and his problems momentarily forgotten, he continues, "Yes, he would make a fine Count Palatine, my son; please see to it that he hears of the approval of the Holy See..."
And leaning closer, he winks and adds soto voce, "...but tell him he'll need to cut down on those Livonian Stag ales now he's in charge of more than a cassock."
