The sun was setting slowly, casting a golden-brown hue over the city. The high-rise buildings cast long shadows on the ground, and the air carried a warmth mixed with an oddly out-of-place flowery scent—there were almost no trees in this metropolis.
Calyx and Haze sat on a bench, with Haze sipping from his drink and Calyx sipping from his coffee. They sat quietly, admiring the beautiful sunset, not too far from their school.
"But who the hell drinks coffee at this time?" Haze broke the silence, turning to Calyx, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
"Me, I guess," Calyx responded simply, taking another sip of his coffee without shifting his gaze from the sunset.
"You aren't even supposed to be drinking coffee. Aren't you like, what... twelve?" Haze said.
"Even if I was twelve, I'd still love coffee," Calyx said, turning to face Haze.
"What'd you get?" Calyx asked, looking at the white Styrofoam cup Haze held.
"A Sprite, like a normal person," Haze jabbed.
"Hmph, kid," Calyx mumbled, turning back to face the sunset.
"Halaine's sure taking her sweet time," Haze said as he drew the last remnants of the drink out of the cup, aiming for the nearby trash can and missing completely.
"You said she was fine for school today," Calyx said, reclining on the bench a little as Haze stood up.
"Yeah, maybe she had other reasons for not coming. She's coming for the tour, though," Haze explained as he walked over to the cup, picked it up, and put it in the trash bin.
"You think she got some kind of trauma from, you know... what happened?" Calyx asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"No, I doubt it. She's a strong girl; she's probably over it already," Haze said, walking back to the bench.
"Hmm, seems she's here," Haze noted, as Calyx turned his head to see Halaine approaching them.
"Yo, Hal," Haze exclaimed, waving at Halaine.
"Sup, sup," Halaine replied as she reached them, giving both of them fist bumps.
"Seems you finally found a way for your parents to let you skip school," Haze joked.
"For real, can't believe it only took my kidnapping to do it," Halaine laughed as she took the coffee from Calyx's hands.
"Ah, forgot I can't eat or drink anything in front of you without it being stolen," Calyx sighed as Halaine drank his coffee and smirked.
"Hmm, not bad," Halaine commented, smacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth as if relishing the taste.
"You all are so weird, coffee is disgusting," Haze interjected.
"Okay, kid," Halaine retorted as she fist-bumped Calyx, who was in agreement.
"Whatever, let's go. We're already late," Haze declared, leading the way to the train station.
The station wasn't far, so their walk was brief. They chatted about random things but avoided discussing the recent incident.
Once they boarded the train and settled into their seats, they fell silent. An unspoken issue hung in the air, but no one wanted to bring it up.
"Listen, Hal, what happened was our fault. We picked a fight with him and you got hurt because of it. We're sorry," Haze spoke up, deciding to address the elephant in the room.
"Yeah," Calyx agreed, his voice apologetic.
"Come on, guys, don't worry about it. I got a bruise on my face that they healed in a day. I'm fine. My kidnappers, on the other hand, aren't so well off," Halaine reassured.
"Oh, really? What could have happened to them?" Calyx queried, feigning surprise.
"Well, I can't remember much from that night, but I was told they were beaten up quite badly and will be in the hospital for weeks. Although, I have a guess about who might have done that," Halaine said with suspicious glares at both of them.
"Just weeks? Cal, we might need to visit the hospital," Haze suggested.
"You're right," Calyx agreed with a nod.
"What the hell?" Halaine exclaimed.
"We're kidding, we're kidding!" Haze chuckled.
The rest of the train ride was more lively as they continued their chat. Shortly after, the train came to a halt, and they all got off, taking the short walk to the Quasar HQ.
Halaine was excited, having never been there. Calyx, on the other hand, was nervous. He didn't want suppression, but as Dr. Aile had said, he had lost all bargaining rights he had, and now it seemed inevitable.
Halaine's eyes darted around, eagerly taking in every detail of the impressive architecture and advanced technology that made up the Quasar HQ complex. She experienced the same sense of awe and wonder that Calyx and Haze had during their first visit.
Near one section of the building, a group of people had gathered, seemingly awaiting the start of the guided tour.
Quickening their pace, Calyx, Haze, and Halaine approached the group, eager to join the tour before it began. However, their path was blocked by a man.
"Good, you boys are here early," the man said, standing in their way.
"Go that way, Calyx. That's where your resonance suppression will be happening," he pointed to a smaller entrance to the building.
"Resonance...suppression?" Halaine asked, a confused look on her face.