Jiao Jie had dressed for the night, her hair worn loose as she settled down in the window sill with a precious brush inlaid with jade for luck. She dragged the brush through her hair and quietly counted the strokes as she watched the shades of black beyond her window. A curtain of rain distorted the shadows and she opened her window, enjoying the sudden rush of cold, fresh air invading her bedroom. The sound of the downpour grew, it didn’t sound as if it would stop anytime soon, and the petite woman sighed, casting a longing glance to the darkness beyond.