Page 227 of Light Leech

Everyone except for Naoma, who stopped at my side with a face that mirrored mine. A silent conversation passed between us. What did this entail? Was the being connected to her a literal ghost from her forgotten past? Was the Neon Idol a goddess herself?

I tapped her shoulder, forced confidence into my grin, and nodded forward.

“Welcome!” The monk waved for us to sit around a table in the center of the room. Like those in Arabasia, this was meant to be sat at without a chair. The decor and style matched the Arabaian monasteries, though it lacked the authenticity. The table was worn and the flowered designs on the teacups at its center had faded, but it was enough to fill me with confidence that we were in the right place.

He left and returned a moment later with a steaming teapot, then proceeded to fill our cups. “So, how’s your day been?”

“Do we really need to start with small talk?” Boyband groaned. “We’ve been–”

Ralia smacked his shoulder with a smile on her face, instilling me with confidence that her personality perpetuated despite her modifications. “Treat the good monk with some decency, Babyband.” She sipped her tea and smiled through her initial grimace. “What is this? I like the… sterile, no… refreshing taste.”

“What did you call him?” the monk asked.

“Nothing worth repeating,” Boyband said.

The monk laughed. “I’m not gonna lie, I gotta hear it now.”

“Boyband isn’t much better,” Akna said.

“It’s a long story,” Boyband said.

“Not really,” I added.

“Wait.” The monk fought back laugher. “You actually go by Boyband?”

“I bet it’s better than your name.”

“What he means is, can you please introduce yourself?” Abbas asked.

“Says the most civil among us!” Boyband bit back.

“He’s changed, babe,” Ralia added.

“So you’re dating?” the monk pointed at Ralia and Boyband.

“Of course!” Ralia said, reaching for Boyband.

He fought back, slapping her arms and wincing as his hand hit her metallic skin. “No! No! No! Nothing like that! I’m–zeg!” He shouted at Kuni’s electric touch.

“Shut up everyone!” Naoma shouted. Her breathing was rapid and her hands shook. I could see the fear in her eyes. The chaos had exacerbated the fear of her spiritual half not only being the Luxist symbol, but their goddess.

“Thank you,” I said, hoping that my feigned confidence and forced stillness would rub off on her. If she knew me as well as I thought–though we still had so much to learn about each other–she had seen right through it.

“I get it,” the monk said. “After everything I heard, it makes sense that you’re all flustered. Drink your tea, take a second to calm down, and let’s just start from the beginning. My name is Bhate Denji. I’m the head of the Zingang Luxist chapter and I’m here to help you start on the track towards finding the Correction, right?”

“And answering our questions,” Boyband added.

“I’ll try my best, especially noting that the best place to begin is with your parents. Yes, I knew them. Not as well as you might hope, but I knew what they were doing and where we might want to start.”

Seeing how calm everyone had become, I admired Denji’s friendly demeanor. His lack of decorum did not entail a lack of experience. Recalling my memories in Arabasia, I remembered how Tenma and Xera differed. Denji was a larger step away, but he was also a Republic-born man. I still had a lot to learn about him, and even with time, I would never grasp his character. I would never let myself do that again after Cut.

But I had forgiven Abbas.

Naoma was a different person outside of Reef’s control.

Trust was beyond convolution. It would never be concrete. Hope was the only factor I could rely on.

Denji continued. “When Bhate Xera told me you were coming, I did my due diligence and went to check out your parents place, or what remained of it.”