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"Hey, Bo?"
Bo looked up. He had been sitting by himself in catering, watching Konnor and Viktor hand feed each other at a neighboring table, but now he was not by himself. Bayley was standing next to him.
"Yes!" Bo said "I am Bo!"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You already did! And the answer is yes! I am Bo!"
Bo was not sure why Bayley laughed at that, or why she sat down next to him, or why she asked "So is it true that you and Bray are brothers?"
"Brothers?"
"Yeah. I thought I heard someone say that you're related."
"Related?" Bo tilted his head and smiled and looked into her mind to see what related was and if it was something that Bray was to him. "Yes. We are brothers!"
"Wow." Bayley blinked and leaned forward "You guys are nothing alike."
"No, we are not!"
Bo did not know how Bayley had known that, but it was certainly true. Bo had crafted his self out of sunshine and old snow and spare teeth, but his brother was a different thing entirely. Bray had taken a host.
"He's kind of… different, isn't he?"
"Yes!" Bo nodded, still smiling. "We are separate entities."
"Don't worry." Bayley said. She patted Bo's knee, which was a joint that bent in only one direction. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
---
Miracles poured forth from Bo like hot tar from a wounded mouth. He did not know at first that he should staunch the flow.
"You can't just come here and win the title like that."
"Yes I can." Bo rolled his eyes at Bray. "I can do anything I want!"
"No.You can't ." Bray grit out. "And you definitely can't do that. Pick those up."
"Why can't I?" Bo picked up one of his eyes and blew a piece of lint off of the optic nerve. "Humans roll their eyes."
"Not like that." Bray said. "I'm trying to help you, Bo. But you're not even- what are you doing?"
Bray thought that he was some kind of expert, now. Just because he had been here for longer and had an actual human body and had not had to figure out how many livers were supposed to be inside of it like Bo had. Sometimes it seemed like Bray had forgotten that, back home, he was still in the larval stages. But he still froze, as Bo stepped close and wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders of Bray's host.
"Brothers don't shake hands." Bo smiled wider, eyes wet in one of his hands. "Brothers hug!"
---
Bo stood very still in the dark offices of the Performance Center. The few people that remained in the building were not near to Bo, so he did not bother to breathe or to make his heart beat. Instead, Bo listened. He could hear the moon in the night sky and he could hear every dog and, much closer, he could hear the mildew growing in a damp corner of the building, white fungal hyphae spreading between ceiling tiles under a slow leak.
That would not do at all. Bo could not abide by such competition.
Humans could fix leaks, Bo knew. So there would be nothing odd about it if he went up into the plenum space to bind the molecules of the pipe back together and to consume the mildew colony. But William Regal had moved much closer to Bo while Bo had been listening, and William Regal would probably be upset if he saw that Bo was standing there and not breathing, so Bo turned around as the door opened and before William Regal could reach for the light switch he said
"Hello, William Regal!"
The light came on and Bo smiled. William Regal jumped backwards and made a loud noise that was not words before he asked
"Dallas? What're you doing here?"
"I am breathing!" Bo declared "Just like you!"
William Regal sighed deeply, as if to confirm Bo's statement. Then he frowned and pressed his fingers against his head. Bo copied the gesture, smiling proudly as he rubbed at the two indented junctures on the sides of his skull, which were just like the indented junctures that all humans had on the sides of their skulls.
"What are you doing." William Regal said again, speaking slow. "Here. In my office."
"You have a leak in your ceiling!"
"I have a leak in..." William Regal glanced up and frowned at the ceiling tiles before he stared back at Bo. "Great. Just wonderful. But what, exactly, does that have to do with you?"
"I am the Champion!" Bo said, and he gave a pat to the shining title on his shoulder. "It is my way or the doorway!"
"That's not -. Wait. You've still got your gear on? Have you been here all night?"
Bo nodded.
"You can't stay here, Dallas. You have to go home."
"No." said Bo. "I am home."