Little Pink Starfish

“Lord Nyne, a dispute resolution request has come from the Lotus Pavilion.”

“Oh? It’s been a while.”

There were dozens of Lesha residing in the Lotus Pavilion. Naturally, where people live, conflict follows, and the Lotus Pavilion was no exception. Usually, high-ranking priests mediated such issues, but if that didn’t suffice, the matter would be escalated to Nyne. Of course, anything that might disturb the Sha’s peace had to be serious to reach that point.

When Nyne stood up, Nafa, unwilling to part, held his robes with her mouth. He gently soothed her, promising to return another day. Lu, who had been waiting near the enclosure’s edge, lit up and hurried to open the gate. Before stepping out, Nyne addressed the nervous trainers.

“You’ve cared for Nafa well. I’ll see that you’re rewarded.”

“Th-thank you, Sha!”

Their faces brightened with joy. Nyne trusted that Popo or another priest would take care of the reward appropriately.

As he walked away from the enclosure, he asked, “Which Lesha are involved in the dispute?”

“Lesha Maz, Lesha Idre, and Lesha Gwen, Sha.”

“Lesha Gwen?”

Hearing the name, Nyne’s brow furrowed slightly. Only now did he recall the bold, strange Lesha he hadn’t thought about in some time. What could Gwen have possibly done to be involved in trouble so soon after entering the Lotus Pavilion?

Puzzled, Nyne climbed into the palanquin—one of many he owned. Today’s palanquin was particularly lavish, with strings of rare pearls hanging like a canopy. The white pearls sharply contrasted with the sun-darkened skin of the bearers, who now marched under the hot sun, sweating like the translucent beads they carried, en route to the Pavilion.

The Lotus Pavilion was slightly smaller than Nyne’s sanctum, built of pink-tinged granite and decorated with lotus carvings on each column, the most sacred plant in Trastasa. As expected of the dwelling of the Sha’s chosen, it was a place of beauty and reverence.

Priests, having awaited his arrival, prostrated themselves in greeting. As Nyne descended, the high priest in charge of the pavilion stepped forward.

“Your faithful servant greets Lord Nyne. May I guide you, Sha?”

“Do so.”

“Thank you, Sha.”

With Nyne’s consent, the priest rose and led the way. Nyne’s pace quickened with curiosity, and the priest kept up with careful urgency. His jewelry clinked with every step.

In the central courtyard, the Lesha involved in the dispute knelt, waiting under the merciless sun. Around them, other Lesha watched and gossiped, fanned by slaves, but the moment Nyne arrived, they fell silent and bowed deeply.

“True servants greet Lord Nyne.”

Dozens of black crowns of hair and gleaming jewels bowed before him. Nyne sat on a luxurious chair, shaded and elevated—perfect for looking down on them. The Lesha, by contrast, sweated under the harsh sun for disturbing the Sha’s peace. His gaze lingered longest on Lan Gwen.

“So, what matter brought you to summon me?”

“Great Lord Nyne, may Lesha Maz Jarena speak before you?”

The sharp-eyed Lesha quickly stepped forward. Nyne glanced at Gwen, who alone maintained a calm expression while wiping sweat from her brow. He nodded.

“Lord Nyne, the Lotus Pavilion is sacred and grand thanks to your grace. But a grave offense has been committed on this holy ground.”

“An offense?”

“Yes, Sha! The offender is Lesha Lan Gwen.”

Rather than anger, Nyne felt curiosity. What on earth had Gwen done now? Maz’s face was red—whether from heat or fury—and beside her, another Lesha glared as well. Yet Gwen looked up at Nyne with serene, almost angelic grace.

“What crime has Lesha Gwen committed?”

He recalled her previous altercation with someone as well. That one, he mused, made enemies with that innocent face remarkably easily.

“Lesha Gwen stole my clothes and jewelry, Sha. Imagine—stealing, in the Lotus Pavilion, among your chosen! It’s blasphemous!”

“She also killed and ate my cherished pet, Sha! How barbaric!”

Dumbfounded, Nyne stared at Gwen. As the two Lesha shouted their grievances in earnest, Gwen calmly straightened the creases in her robe. When Nyne looked at her, she smiled gently, placing her hands together.

“Lesha Gwen, is what they say true?”

“It is, Sha Nyne.”

She answered boldly, without shame. What confidence could she possibly have to admit to theft so calmly? The two Lesha beside her glared daggers.

“Why did you steal their belongings?”

“Because Lesha Maz and Lesha Idre stole from me first, Sha.”

Nyne’s gaze shifted. Maz and Idre protested furiously, calling the accusation absurd. Lu’s fanning slowed behind him, clearly absorbed.

“Continue, Lesha Gwen.”

“Thank you, Sha.”

Gwen smiled radiantly and explained in a crisp voice.

“I heard the Lotus Pavilion was a place of grace, where none lack. But I found myself lacking in many things. When I looked into it, I discovered my allotted goods had been diverted.”

“Diverted?”

“That’s a lie, Sha!”

“How dare she speak falsehood before the Sha!”

Maz and Idre shouted, but the priests behind them struck them hard with flat rods for causing a disturbance, silencing them. Idre sniffled pitifully.

Nyne tilted his head and signaled Gwen to go on.

“The gold, fabric, and food that should have come to me ended up in their quarters. Lesha Maz used my gold to buy jewelry and my fabric to make new garments. Lesha Idre fed my food to her rabbits and deer.”

Gwen glanced at the flustered pair and shrugged.

“What was done was done. So I took Lesha Maz’s clothes and jewelry and ate Lesha Idre’s rabbits and deer. I apologize, Sha Nyne—I’ve not been here long and have not yet shed all my savage tendencies.”

Only now did Nyne begin to understand what Yiwu meant by “she’s strange.” Gwen’s approach was anything but conventional. It even felt as if she wanted to escalate matters.

Still, if her claims were true, the greater offense lay in those who had stolen from her. Nyne turned a sharp gaze toward the priest managing the Pavilion.

“Is what she says true?”

The priest’s face went pale with confusion. He looked like he was hearing it for the first time. Perhaps the report had only come from Maz and Idre. Theft was no trivial matter here. Even Gwen had admitted to her retaliatory theft without hesitation.

Did she do it on purpose?

Nyne couldn’t shake the feeling that Gwen had engineered this entire scene just to summon him here. Regardless, everyone involved had offended him.

The priest bowed deeply. “Forgive us, Sha. We will investigate immediately.”

“It wasn’t just Maz and Idre who stole from me, Sha.”

Gwen’s voice rang out again, and the priest’s face flushed red and pale by turns. He looked desperate to silence her, but all he could do was press his forehead to the ground.

Maz and Idre shrieked again, demanding evidence. Gwen sighed, feigning regret.

“A simple comparison of my quarters to the others’ will make everything clear, Sha. At first, I thought the Pavilion’s budget was insufficient.”

“The budget… insufficient?”

Nyne murmured, and the managing priests looked stricken. Lesha were sacred—second only to the Sha himself. The idea that their pavilion lacked funding was absurd. The Pavilion received one of the largest budgets after the sanctums.

But Nyne had never paid much attention to the Pavilion. He didn’t think highly of the Lesha in general. He only attended the occasional feast, and never once had he inspected their living quarters.

“The Pavilion’s budget has never been short, Sha! How could we possibly…”

Nyne raised his hand, silencing the priest. With a quiet hum, he took a few sips of sweet wine brought by his attendants. The drink was made from sun-dried grapes, its aroma rich and heady.

A heavy silence fell over the square. Then Nyne stood up.

“Where is Lesha Maz’s room? I’ll take a look myself.”