Blood and Change : Prolog by James MacEachern

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Moisture droplets coalesced on the shelves and slowly slid down tracing over the carved flowers and vines like the caress of the last light rays of sunset. The effect left the shelves looking like a garden right after a gentle rain and always held Kassandra briefly in its power.
Shaking her head, Kassandra spoke "Grab the tea leaves, please, and get the door."
Obediently, Kalinda fetched the leaves and lead the slightly hunched women to the door. Just as Kassandra was about to pass the end of the shelves she stopped, set down her tray, and rubbed one of the carved flowers with her thumb. Kalinda glanced back as Kassandra picked up the tray and noticed one of the flowers was now purple with yellow at its center. Pausing, the young girl gazed at the altered flower and put one finger of her free hand to her lips thoughtfully. "Purple and yellow" she mused, "why do those colors stir my thoughts?"
"Don't be obnoxious, it bodes ill for the future" as curt as the response was, Kassandra had a slight smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.
Kalinda's expression changed to one of mock astonishment. "The dashing Gilad, those were his colors if I do recall. Oh, you romantic old vixen you" she then proceeded to wag her finger at the old women in a motherly fashion while shaking her head.
Kassandra opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off, "How can you two take so long in a kitchen so small?!"
The old women closed her mouth and rolled her eyes, looking at Kalinda she smiled as the little girl smiled and opened the door.
Soft white and cream colors massaged both their eyes as the door opened unto a massive room. Entering the room their gazes were drawn to the roof, which stretched thirty feet into the air and displayed a masterful fresco depicting human struggle. Kalinda sighed, "The colors are soothing, but I loathe Tanchuian architecture, why create a room so large and fill it with nothing?"
Kalinda closed the door behind them, appraised the dark metal side of the kitchen door with its three metal bars running across it and began to cross the room."This was a poor job," Kassandra said, waving her hand to encompass the five sculptures which were the only things in the center of the room. " A Tanchu master could make you weep with five simple rocks and a table."
The old woman led the younger toward the right side of the room where a fireplace was carved directly into the soft white wall. Beside it stood a tall standing mirror encased in bronze and surrounding
them both were a great assortment of pillows. All the colors and shades imaginable were contained within the pile, as well as a beautiful young woman."If I knew tea would take so long I would have asked for food as well." Kaya said with an impish grin.
Kassandra set the tray down in front of the young women and groaned her way to a comfortable position on the pillows."If you were so impatient, you should have made a smaller room" the old women muttered as she finished moving pillows to her satisfaction.
"You like the room though, don't you?"
"The room is lovely Kaya" soothed Kalinda as she knelt beside the tray and placed three tea leaves in each cup.