Dragon's Tail

"Why do you guys look so sad?"

Elijah asked as he approached the seemingly solemn duo.

Emir scoffed, while Lyra gestured for him to sit next to her.

"Come sit so we can tell you."

"…Okayyy?"

Although confused, Elijah complied and took a seat next to Lyra, feeling out of place.

At that exact moment, Emir let out a small chuckle and said:

"This bench is freshly painted."

"…What?"

"It was repainted this morning; you know how it is with the UEF; they don't spend more than they need to."

Lyra repeated, answering Elijah's question while taking a dig at the government as was usual for her.

The Academy, or rather the A-11 Sector in general, housed no protective dome, so most structures were acid rain-resistant.

But this bench wasn't, or so they implied.

Elijah soon came to that conclusion, and as a consequence, a question formed in his mind:

"But it didn't rain today? Or like at all for the past month."