Late at night on the third floor of Zog's Toy Store, two humans and two dragons sat huddled around a table, their faces tense.
Soron took a deep breath and reached for the wall of tiles. He skillfully rubbed the face of the tile with his thumb. 'A smooth surface... it's a White Dragon!'
He was nervous. Furin, the player opposite him, had hardly discarded any honor tiles, playing only middle-numbered ones. 'She must be going for a Thirteen Orphans hand.'
But she had discarded a White Dragon earlier, so she probably didn't need this one. Besides, he was already waiting on a single tile to win.
'It's safe!'
Soron steeled himself and discarded the tile. "White Dragon!"
"Mahjong!"
Furin slammed her tiles down, revealing a perfect Thirteen Orphans hand.
"Quick, quick! Put the sticky notes on him!"
All the players at the table already had several white paper strips plastered on their faces. They had the combined age of a small village, yet they were playing like children.
