"So, is there anywhere you plan to visit on Earth?" m-Taa asked. "I've only been here a couple of times."

"Not that I know of, but there was a lot they kept us in the dark about," White Fire said.

"I don't know much about it," Blue Fire said.

Rah raised an eyebrow.

"You were an important spiritual figure, but they didn't tell you anything?" she said.  "Suspicious, honestly."

"It's a very varied planet, because it has a lot of climactic zones, and its culture is highly pluralistic," m-Taa said. "It's interesting just to travel around to see how different everything is."

White Fire shrugged.

"It was how we were raised."

"I suppose  I should check it out sometime. A lot of Legionnaires seem to come from there or from colonies of it," Blue Fire said.

"So what did you get to do with your time?" Rah asked.

"Yeah, it's odd how most species don't have multiple Legionnaires, but that doesn't seem to apply to humans," m-Taa replied. "Maybe it's because I don't think of my empathic abilities as a superpower, unlike someone who acquires an ability they weren't born with."

"Various rituals and religious performances. Fighting off the occasional invader or giant creature," White Fire said.

"Dunno. I don't get humans either...but then I haven't really tried," Blue Fire said.

"Technically not that different from my time, honestly," said Rah.  "I mean, the rituals were military, mostly... except that half the stuff the Titan corps does is Koja practice disguised as military tradition.  And we probably fought giant creatures more than you.  But we did get time off to celebrate or relax or whatever."

"They tend to wear broadcast emotions fairly openly," m-Taa said, "but they also put a lot more emphasis on facial expression and body language than I'm used to."

"What's a koja?" White Fire asked.

"That does sound like it'd be difficult," Blue Fire said.

"Koja is a religion," said Rah.  "Or someone who practices it.  Basically everyone who follows it is a Chiren, as far as I can know.  It's kind of a Solan sect?  Or derived from it?  We don't talk much about it to outsiders, and officially, only about one in ten of us actually follow it.  But it's still everywhere, and even Chiren who say outright that they're CJD or Universalists or something still bow their heads a bit when the Great Bell rings."

"Let me know if I'm not emoting visibly enough," m-Taa said. "I've learned to do it when dealing with aliens, but it's not a natural habit."

"Ah, okay. I see," White Fire said.

"You've been doing fine," Blue Fire said.

"Is it like that for you?" Rah asked.  "Your practices underlying everything in your day-to-day life?"

"Thanks," m-Taa said, remembering to smile.

"We did kind of...escape from the temple," White Fire said.

"Has it been hard for you being around non-empaths?" Blue Fire asked.

"Wow!" laughed Rah.  "Okay, that's a story I've got to hear!  Tell me more!"

"It's easier when I can keep my barriers up," m-Taa said. "Non-empaths don't know how to damp their broadcasting, and don't usually understand how much it can be for us, even when they're not doing anything."