dramatispersonae | [GAME 105] EMERALD

[You find yourself in a large, tatami-floored room. Three of the walls are made of paper, the fourth side of the room has bamboo screens tied up to the ceiling to reveal a wide wooden corridor that serves as a porch. Beyond it is a lovely garden, though it's difficult to see clearly -- it's night, after all, and there are only so many lanterns. The room itself is well-illuminated by candles on tall stands. Its main feature is an elaborate sleeping area in the very center: what is presumably a futon and "bedroom" concealed from view by a canopied tent that hangs from the ceiling. It is tied closed. A row of lacquered screens and kimono stands draped in rich fabric stretch from either side of the canopy to the walls. You can't quite see past them, but you have the impression that there are people on the other side. The faint smell of incense wafts from a nearby burner.

Despite the opulent furnishings, the entire room gives the impression of faint decay, as though it has not been used in quite some time.]