Kenji was twenty-eight and had been transcendent for six years when Chen Wei found him drinking alone on a rooftop in Tokyo.
Not drunk. Transcendent bodies processed alcohol too efficiently for that. But the intention was clear the same intention Chen Wei had seen in Ghost years ago and in himself once or twice in the worst of the gutter years.
Some nights a person just needed to sit with something and the something did not matter as much as the sitting.
Chen Wei appeared beside him without announcement. Sat on the ledge. Looked out at the city.
"Tang Yong said you skipped the council session."
"Tang Yong worries too much."
"He worries exactly enough. He always has." Chen Wei accepted the bottle Kenji offered without looking. "What happened?"
Kenji was quiet for a moment. Below, Tok
