Chapter 189 Group of Six
"Hello again, Em," Aleshia said, extending her hand for a handshake.
Em accepted it and looked around before replying, "Hello to you too. It looks like Tristan is putting together a five-person party for you."
"I hadn't thought of it that way," Aleshia remarked.
"Hey, it's seven if you include me," Lucia said, though only Aleshia could hear her.
"It seems you've already met Em," Tristan said, a hint of disappointment in his cheerful voice. "Now, let's go look for some jobs."
After he said that, the group took part in a farewell ritual. They stacked their hands on one another, ready to begin the send-off. However, Tristan noticed Aleshia had not joined them and called her over. "You can place your hand here if you'd like. It's a lucky ritual."
Aleshia approached slowly, feeling curious yet slightly embarrassed. She outstretched her hand and tentatively placed it on top of the others. After a few seconds, the group lifted their hands to the sky and cheerfully exclaimed various forms of "Alright!"
Aleshia, feeling confused, weakly said, "Yeah," as she returned her hand to her side.
Rey seemed to sense Aleshia's confusion and kindly said, "You don't need to understand what we're doing. It's a tradition we have—no significant meaning behind it, not enough to exclude anyone."
"Okay," Aleshia responded, feeling somewhat reassured.
The others patiently waited for their conversation to finish before entering the door and leaving. Outside, it was daytime; however, the dreary backdrop made everything look gloomy. Despite this, when Aleshia looked back, she realized that the enclosed camp emanated joy from its walls. As they all walked down the dirty street, they frequently encountered ragged but friendly residents of the slums. Some locals spoke to her, while most only interacted with the children she was accompanied by, as they knew them well. Aleshia noticed these locals were cautious around her; they seemed to be probing about her identity and story through the kids. After a brief explanation, they appeared satisfied and promised the kids something for later.
A while later, they arrived at a cluster of dilapidated houses. Two from the group, Rey and Tristan, approached the door of one of the houses and knocked gently. After a moment, they heard some movement inside. It was clear that they were familiar with this person, as just before the door swung open, they both stepped back to avoid the door.