“I've known him since I was little. I might be a bit biased because of it, but Khonshu's always felt like a third parent to me.” you said, practically pouring your heart to these people you just met today. “He's always been there when I needed him, and now I'm in a position to repay the favor. And…”

You paused for a moment, unsure if you should go on. But when you felt Mercy’s cloth rubbing against your shoulders, as if urging you to keep going, you ended up sharing one of your most private thoughts with these people.

“I believe in him because…he still listens to me.” you admitted, feeling a little exposed, even while being clothed by a devout follower of Khonshu. “Even though I'm listening to him less and less. I'm not sure how much use I am to him, but he still believes in me. And to me, that's worth…”

You met everyone's eyes in turn.

“Everything.”

For once, Deadhead didn't look like he had anything smart to say. Harpy and the others were similarly speechless. Not out of awe or shock, or anything so dramatic. It was more like everyone came to the same conclusion—that your faith was coming from a deeply personal place.

They would either choose to respect it, or not talk about it at all.

After a few moments of respectful silence, Deadhead nodded slowly and casually threw up his hands.

“Alright...I guess that's not the worst reason to devote your life to an Egyptian moon god.”

“And your ‘afterlife’.” Harpy added, playing with a shiny silver bell.

“Not the worst moon god she could've devoted herself to, either.” Shaggy said, not noticing as Janine snuck a pair of purple crystals past him. “Khonshu's a bit of a nut, but then again…what god isn't?”

Janine secretly placed the crystals directly into your hand, as gently as she could manage. Each was about as large as a baby's fist, and were somewhat ovular in shape, like an egg with slightly jagged edges.

The girl gave a furtive glance over her shoulder, before turning back to give you the cheesiest wink you've ever seen.

“If you clack them together, they release a beam of concentrated mana that pushes stuff away.” she said in a hushed tone. “But if you get good at using them, they can help you fly!”

Your eyes widened at that, but you quickly schooled your expression when you saw Shaggy turning back around to inspect Janine's latest find.

You hid the stones behind sight, and Mercy graciously bound them in separate pouches and tied them onto your belt. As if he suspected your treachery, Shaggy came sniffing around a moment later. Both of you tried to act natural, but you were worried that Janine's odd facial expressions would give you away.

Somehow, Shaggy didn't find any real proof of wrongdoing, and he eventually went back to check on what Harpy was up to. Janine breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and the two of you shared a conspiratory grin.

“Hold on. I'll try and find some more…!” she whispered.

(Cont.)