The corner of her mouth twitched, while she poured without comment and gestured with her chin toward the back. The steam rose in slow coils as he passed by, carrying heat against his hands.
He chose the second room, avoiding the first door completely. The table in the enclave bore shallow cuts from careless knives and darker stains that no amount of scrubbing had lifted.
A single oil lamp rested on a hook by the wall, its light illuminating the plain decor. Li Wei set his cup down and remained standing, with one hand resting against the table's edge.
The ebony wood was worn smooth where others had leaned in, to have various discussions on topics that could only be speculated on. He waited casually, as time passed in small measures. A kettle whistled faintly somewhere just beyond the paper screens.
Footsteps came and went, while a chair scraped the floor below. ~scrape~
