(no subject)

The room is tidy and cozy, walls and ceiling a very pale tan, with a thick green carpet covering the floor. A few pieces of exquisite Chinese calligraphy hang on the walls in simple wood frames -- "Peace," and "Love," and a poem about stillness and ponds at the heart of a forest -- and a delicate screen stands in one corner. The beds are tucked into niches in the walls, and in the center of the room is a low table with a small lamp, and a huge comfortable couch.

Simon unlocks the door and opens it, only vaguely noticing the decor. He leads River across the room to one of the beds, and gently pushes her to sit down on it, sitting beside her with an arm still around her shoulders. She follows obediently and silently, like a tired child, and when they sit her hands fall limply into her lap as she leans into him.