Devils Roll The Dice, Angels Roll Their Eyes

Chapter 3 - Unearthing

"Pardon me, ma'am... you wouldn't happen to have coffee on hand, would you?"

Yanfei was practically crawling as she approached the service desk. She'd assumed that the trip to Qiaoying Village wouldn't take more than a night. As such, she'd traveled light. Now, with the sun high in the afternoon sky, she was paying the price for it.

The lawyer had already gotten a late start on her affairs for the day. The journey took more of a toll on her than she realized. Even after sleeping in, she was in no hurry to get up, limbs heavy on the cotton sheets.

When she saw that it was almost noon, she began a session of hastily flipping through what files she had on the case. She didn't have much information on Yanshang Teahouse, or Hua, for that matter. All she could find on short notice was that the deed had been passed along quite recently. The man who owned the place previously had passed it on to a trusted colleague. Unfortunately, a tragic accident claimed his life shortly after. That was the official story.

At a surface level, all of it checked out perfectly. Normally, that wouldn't have shaken Yanfei. She had a million ways to dig at cases like this. If records from the Ministry failed, often there were gaps to be had in the truth if the right people were asked.

This time, though, the depth of the case was unexpected. Yanfei had been caught off guard. Her trip was supposed to be in and out. Get a few statements of what happened, try to find an explanation. She didn't have friends or easy sources of information here. None of her usual methods were in place.

To make matters worse, time wasn't on her side. The next full moon was only a few days away. She didn't have time to request more records from Liyue Harbor or try to put together a perfect plan for the situation. She was being made to act on her instincts. Either Yanfei would have to crack this on her own, or she'd have to play Hua's game.

All of that led to Miss Huang, owner of the Blue Lotus Inn, coming face to face with a very frustrated woman. Yanfei's hair was frazzled, and her eyes were sunken in even without a sign of bags.

"Oh my, dear, give me one moment and I'll put on a pot." Her voice was soft and concerned. "Just have a seat anywhere." With that, the woman turned and headed for the back of the building, the light grey bun she wore her hair in briefly in view.

Yanfei found an open chair at a tea table in the lobby, not that they were hard to come by. Compared to the boisterous crowd at the teahouse, she barely saw anyone around at the inn. A couple merchants from Fontaine were chatting away in a corner, but most of the room was empty.

The space itself had a bit more charm to it compared to the rooms. Vivid landscapes were painted on the walls, framed by dark brown timber supports. A crystal chandelier hung above tables and chairs that, while plain, made perfectly comfortable spots to sit and rest. The lobby felt right at home, if a bit fancy to Yanfei's tastes. The gentlemen from Fontaine were clearly a bit more intrigued by the décor, but perhaps that was intended.

Soon enough, Miss Huang came back with a pot of coffee in one hand and two porcelain cups in the other. She was certainly a spritely figure, even if the wrinkles peppering her face were telling of her years. "How do you take it?"

"Ah, black is fine," Yanfei responded, not really wanting to trouble any more than she already had. She watched like a hawk while the innkeeper poured two cups and slid one across the table.

Huang took a sip before Yanfei'd even picked the cup up. "Something on your mind?" the innkeeper asked, the question sharp as a scalpel.

Yanfei was somewhat surprised that there was an interest taken. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Ah, guess I should introduce myself a bit better. I'm Yanfei, and I work as a legal expert for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. A lot of that is, of course, confidential, and I can't really risk compromising my clients."