The five of us wait around for the next two hours in the inner stadium lobby. While walking through a hallway of ivory and steel, past epic portraits of celebrated fighters, we come upon a stand that sells steamed buns and ginjo sake. The only ones who don’t eat or drink are Artemis and his genzaon, and Avodeus has gone completely pale.
“Ay man,” Raiko nods to him after taking a bite, “you all right?”
Avodeus doesn’t answer him. He swallows hard as he stares at the floor.
“I feel you,” Raiko continues anyway, “he shouldn’t have been killed like that.”
In that moment, I notice what I hadn’t before. There’s something standing atop one of Raiko’s shoulders.
“Raiko, is that a bird?”
“Huh?”
Raiko turns to look where I point, but a yellow chick skirts around the back of his neck and stand
