The Zhen Tea Room was old - exquisitely maintained, like a beauty preserved by a meticulous taxidermist centuries ago. It was a curious blend of cultures, although it leaned more toward Eastern Asian style than European. The velvet walls of dark jade-green had embroideries of lotus flowers. The chandelier was adorned with faint red rice papers. The subtly flowery scent in the air had undertones of burning incense sticks.
As I walked in, escorted by the two messengers that came to 'invite' me over here earlier, Councilor Zhen came and greeted me with a perfectly angled polite bow. It was a bow that showed great respect, but not deep enough to signal submission.
"Thank you very much for coming, Miss Roen," the lady had a gentle, whispering voice that carried cryptic wisdom.
"Thank you for the invitation, Councilor,"
"It is an honor to receive you here. I do apologize that I did not reach out sooner"
"It-, it is fine."
