Page 117 of Light Leech

“I learned to ask questions.”

The skyride drifted down into a crowded roundabout.

Koro scoffed. “The girl turned off her neurosystem once and thinks she gets it all.” The whole time she spoke, she was staring at me.

Kao reached for the door. “Leave this conversation behind for now. I’m begging you to keep your old self at the forefront Naoma, at least until you leave. Taint your image later, but not under our invitation. You might think stepping out of Reef woke you up to the world, but all it takes for a hermit crab to appreciate its shell is stepping out into the cold grasp of the sea.”

Kyo waved for Naoma to proceed her out of the skyride. “What she means is, don’t burn your bridges. Look, I’m all for seeing the world and such. Explore yourself and all of that–”

Koro followed her out of the vehicle. “But don’t think you know better just because of a bad experience with Anton.”

As I left last, I looked at them in all of their glamor–not yet caring to bask in the light of the palace–wondering if they had an inkling of the catastrophes we were dealing facing compared to their frivolities. I couldn’t blame them. Even if they thought publicity and marketing were at the forefront of politics, they had no concept of the beings whose politics dealt with planets themselves.

Koro glared at Naoma, her eyes pensive as if attempting to decipher the source of this sudden betrayal. Kao mirrored her, but Kyo didn’t seem perturbed. Was she hiding disgust under her charisma?

She stroked Naoma’s arm then held her hand. “Enjoy yourself. You and your boy have some fun. Mingle. Drink and hit fixes. We’ll meet after you two have some personal time feeling out the Dynasty. Do whatever you want but just try to remain politically positive.”

“Don’t you mean politically neutral?” Kyo kept a tenacious grip as Naoma failed to pull her hand free.

“No. I mean don’t be a zegging idiot. You’re a part of the Entertainment party at least until you leave. You want connections? You’re an entertainer. That is your income. Your worth and personality. Zhou permitted your presence because you, by definition, are a zegging politician. We all are. Humans consume. They must be fed something or they become worthless corpses. Nutrition and in media. Humans must consume something at all times or their senses will breed chaos. That is what we offer. Entertainment isn’t some leisure to pass time. Entertainment is the modern nutrition and the only means by which you can hope to accomplish anything. Pharma and that SocStan guk are businesses with clever marketing. People are becoming too smart for advertisements. Entertainment is the only way you can accomplish anything, Naoma. Even Haven understood that when they employed you for their ads. People are too stupid to think for themselves. That is why we feed them. Words and studies don’t hold the sway they used to when information and evidence can be so easily forced and manipulated. Most people won’t buy that guk anymore, they’ll only take it when it’s forced into their mouths with a sweet coating around that corrupt pill. You, Naoma. Trash the Entertainment party all you want, but it’s no single ideology. It’s the capacity to make the world better through molding people’s minds in a way they enjoy. You want a purpose? Make it tonight. This idea of a corrupt party doesn’t exist. You, me, all of us are different people with different purposes who make the world a better place by our media outlets. Freedom. That is what entertainment is.”

“And if Zhou decides my purpose doesn’t fit here? Will he ruin my reputation to fit his design? That doesn’t sound very liberating to me.”

“Then your purpose is wrong.“ She dropped Naoma’s hand. “Fix it.”

“Do you need me to stay with you?” Kao asked.

Naoma shook her head. “I trust I’ll find my way.”

“As do all lost teenagers,” Kyo said.

They pivoted in unison and headed along the pulsing emerald pavement towards a tower more majestic than anything I had seen in Arabasia. Even though those pagodas and temples had been masterful reconstructions, this made me forget the appeal of time-tested culture to savor the allure of modern light.

The palace stretched to the width of a colosseum and rose five levels, each slightly smaller than the previous. An illuminated staircase stretched up to the grand entrance under a red arch. Similar arches, though smaller in size, spanned the rim of each level, some opening out onto balconies upon which stood guests in a variety of clothing that only the Violet District could understand.

A small stream with blue and green lights ran along the side of the jade path. Upon further inspection, I saw that the lights were bioluminescent jellyfish with Arabasian characters imprinted on their bodies with thin gold.

Naoma pulled me along, leaving no time to wonder if they were living creatures as I turned back to the palace under the grey sky. It was the shade of grey seen in sleepless cities whose lights never permitted a true rest of black sky. I didn’t check the time in my neurospace, knowing that seeing how late it was would only tire me out more.

That small reservation didn’t matter. Fatigue was setting in. I recognized it through the cognitive delay and lethargy in my motions.

This fatigue was more concerning. I pulled myself away from focusing on the palace.

I moved closer to Naoma and whispered, “I need to feed.”

“Now? Really?”

“I know, I should have before we got here.”

“No, it’s fine we’ll find someone. I’m sure there are an abundance of unsavory celebrities here for you to choose from.”

“No, we don’t need to cause a scene.”

“That or a groundskeeper? I’m sure someone will be drunk or zegged out on fixes. With the extremes of parties like this people occasionally go too far.”

“We’ll have Ral fabricate a story if questions come up.”

“I doubt it will be hard to pin it on someone. They might all be united under this Dynasty thing, but that doesn’t dissolve old grudges.”