32 – Arguing

The room was large, but the complex assortment of little wooden things, carpets, drapes and the single long darkwood table at its center made it appear cramped and small. Fingers of light penetrated the dusty air through square gaps in the windows, let through by the crisscrossing byzantine patterns of the decorations, illuminating the incense burning on the treated shelves, the silverware on display behind a thin glass, the scrolls curled up and stacked inside jade vases, and the fruit overflowing the plate at the center of the table. Shadows hid the corners of the room, where almost imperceptible the glint of metal could be made out by a keen eye, while the warm light of the torches mingled with what was left of the light of day and plunged the room in deep orange.