Page 96 of Light Leech

“Can we blame her?” said Kyo. “The girl wants to live. She’s got a boy, now she wants to party.”

Naoma leaned on. “I’m not looking for partying. I want to build connections without having to set up meetings like this. This isn’t to say that we aren’t old friends reconnecting, but I don’t want people to see me as a desperate freelancer looking to leech off of others’ success. I want to blend in and have opportunities presented to me when people see what I’m capable of with their guards down.”

Koro scoffed. “That’s one way to put it. You do know what Zhou’s Dynasty and the parties are like, right?”

“I’ve heard.”

Kao clinked the ice in her glass. “You know just as well as I, Koro, that words do nothing to explain the Dynasty.”

Feeling I had been too silent–despite my lack of belonging–I put myself back in the conversation. “Is that positive or negative?”

Kyo winked at me. “Depends on what you’re into, du. I take it you’ve never been?”

I shook my head.

She placed a manicured hand against her breast. “I, for one, delight in Shou’s festivities.”

Naoma paused before sipping. “Shou? I thought it was Zhou?”

“Zhou is the disgraceful name given to him,” Kao said. “Shou is what his inner circle calls him.”

“And how large is that inner circle?” I asked.

“Ever expanding.” Kyo sighed with girlish glee. “Awe, Nay, I’ve missed you! We’re going to have so much fun. Going in with two Dynasty virgins is like taking a kid to their first mindshow.”

Koro rolled her eyes. “You’re overselling it.”

“You’re sure this is the direction you want to head in?” Kao asked.

Naoma nodded.

I trusted her but couldn’t bridle my curiosity. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“It’s a lot.”

“Don’t be such a party pooper,” Kyo said.

“I’m not, I’m just trying to be realistic. Look, we love you, Nay, but it didn’t surprise us that you were forbidden from participating in the Dynasty.”

“She’s not that sheltered.”

“I never said that she was, I just want her–” She faced Naoma. “I just want you to realize that the Dynasty is full of indulgences.”

“As you probably know,” Kyo said.

Koro groaned. “Stop beating around it. Naoma, if you see people you thought were saints there, you might realize that they’re not as perfect as you would have hoped.”

“Good. I’d rather meet people in their honest states.”

The sisters didn’t look too sure. Except for Kyo, whose excitement masked any other emotion. I hadn’t the faintest belief that any of the celebrities I knew avoided any indulgences when they were so readily available to them. Sex and drugs–both digital and physical–among all other forms of costly pleasure had to be only the surface level of delights available to those unconstrained by poverty’s vice. I had held a grudge ever since falling to the depths of desperation, especially after seeing them proclaim sorrow for refugees like me despite doing nothing for us. The less I had, the more I wanted to condemn them, yet here I was, in love with one of them. Was Naoma an exception? Or were there many puppets to corporate heads like her? If the Dynasty was as revealing as 3Rochi suggested, I would learn soon enough.

“I’ll get you in, then,” Kao said.

“How often do they have meetings?” I asked.

“Meetings?” Kyo shook her head. “The parties are every night. If we can get you in, we’ll have you in tonight.”

“I doubt there will be an ‘if’ ,“ said Kao. “You’re the zegging Neon Idol. People have been asking about your attendance for years. Give us a bit and you’ll be in, if you’re ready.”