Three house-elves in gray uniforms silently appeared in the office.
One held up a tray piled with brightly colored fruit; another carried a purple clay teapot with a jade ruyi-shaped knob; the last cradled a purple clay teacup with a ruyi-shaped handle.
Another group of house-elves busily cleared away the used tea, fruit platters, and pastries from the coffee table, tidied up the scattered documents, and left a clean, refreshing space for the new guests.
Professor Emma held the Under the Moon Council report and pondered in silence.
The cloak she wore silently undid the buttons at its collar. Several house-elves tugged at its collar and hem, gracefully removing it from Professor Emma and carrying it to the coat rack in the corner. The red datewood rack extended several slender arms, propping up the cloak perfectly, while a soft little wool brush floated in midair, briskly dusting off the little dirt on it.
Neither of the two Archwizards in the room noticed these details.
Their gazes were always fixed on more distant worlds and weightier matters.
"...Before you left, what was the situation like in there?" Professor Yao asked, biting down on his pipe. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, both hands resting on the chair's armrests, his fingers casually tapping out a rhythm, as though a grand piece of music played within his heart.
Professor Emma clenched the Under the Moon Council report and dropped heavily onto the sofa.
The sofa let out a contented groan.
"The usual. The old wizards were bored enough to fall asleep, while the young ones were as nervous as a flock of startled quails."
Alpha Academy's dean clearly disapproved of the style of today's young wizards and launched into an unsparing critique. "...Even the hunting teams that returned from the