Stice stuck to the window
Rooms’ vents were recessed, hallway-vents protrusive. E.T.A.’s annular heating system produced a lubricated hum I had stopped really hearing years ago.
Context
Hal at the sinks, late: the academy's heat is an "annular" system, humming below attention. The ring as unnoticed background infrastructure — which is the texture stratum's whole thesis, really.