In Conclusion, I Can't Do Anything

Be Careful Of Manholes, Because A Man Might Come Out Of That Hole

"Look at those poor kids..."

Passersby watch and gawk as they watch the trio walk downtown, with both Siegfried's and Solfrid's clothes all dirty. It doesn't help that Solfrid is walking barefoot on the rough cement. From the three of them, he is the one that stands out the most.

Azul stands on the asphalt road just next to the curb. His long hair tied into a low ponytail drags across the road, dirtying it. His feet step on something cold— there's a manhole on the ground. As the little 9 year old rascal he is, he becomes curious and decides to take a peek. It's all rusty and old. His tiny fingers grip the edges of the cover, attempting to lift it up to no avail.

"Ah.. It's too hot for my liking... And it's May too...." Siegfried wipes a bead of sweat on his forehead. He takes out his phone but unfortunately, it's still dead. He groans in annoyance, and turns to a random stranger window shopping. "Excuse me, what time is it?" he asks. The woman turns around from the window, glaring at the kid much shorter than her. Siegfried shudders at this— her gaze like sharp daggers penetrating his skin. He smiles nervously, "A-ah.. Nevermind. Pretend I never said that." He looks away, wishing for the woman to step away already as he watches Solfrid and Azul attempt to lift a manhole cover from the ground. He cups his hands around his mouth and yells: "Solfrid! Azul! What are you doing?!"

Solfrid looks up from the road. "We're performing an important task." Azul nods feverishly. He hums in agreement.

"What..? You do realize you're in the middle of a road right..?" He watches the two of them in disbelief. Moments later, a car's honk plays and what do you know, there's a car just up ahead. Siegfried shrieks, yelling at them to watch out. He leaps into the road, grabbing the hood of Solfrid's hoodie and the collar of Azul's shirt and yanks them back into the pavement. The car swerves left, then right, then happens to just barely graze an innocent bystander. He turns to the two dragons. "What the hell were you guys doing?!?" he yells, vexed.

Azul only flashes him a toothy grin. "My papa says that's a swear word. 'If you swear in my house, you get kicked out,' he told me. So don't swear!"

"Well we're not in your dad's home anymore, boy. Besides, if I were to fight your father, he'd get crushed. At least, when I was in my prime."

"You aren't in your prime anymore?"

"No, but I'd still crush you in this form anyway."

Siegfried snickers. "I like your funny words, magic man."

"What did you just call me?" Solfrid retorts.

"Nothing," he says in a singsong voice. "Anyways, from now on, don't go out on the road and don't go lifting random manhole covers. You may be dragons but I don't want to be charged with involuntary manslaughter!" Even though I'm just 12... I don't even have a permit yet!

Both dragons nod in agreement, and they continue sauntering about downtown. A while later, the sun shines brightly while it stands at its highest point in the sky. At this point, they're even hungrier as they haven't eaten anything for the day. Down the road, there is a fabulously decorated entrance, and that's where Siegfried points and exclaims: "That's Eden Feliz! Over there!" So the trio walk into the restaurant, and they are greeted by a waiter dressed in black and white.

"Welcome to Eden Feliz. How many?" he says.

"Three," Siegfried responds timidly. Solfrid and Azul look around in the restaurant, observing their surroundings. There are decorations placed on the wall intricately. Because Siegfried already has been here before, he stares at the waiter instead. He notes that his black hair is tied in a way that resembles a lion's tail. His eyes are an icy blue but his demeanor contradicts the cold gaze he gives Siegfried. The waiter squints at him and Solfrid. Siegfried wonders if he noticed Solfrid's fiery orange tail and horns, glowing inside the restaurant.

Then Siegfried inspects the waiter more, and realizes he has navy blue eyeshadow around his eyes. It reminds him of the orange eyeshadow around Solfrid's eyes.

His skin is so pale... he thinks.

The waiter guides them to a booth next to the window, where they can look outside and people-watch random citizens walk by. Some stare at their phone the whole time, while some hold a phone to their ear as they talk hurriedly. Siegfried stares at Azul. He finds the blue lock of hair to be a curious thing. "Hey Azul, where are you from?" he speaks up.

Azul perks up at this. "From Eden!"

Solfrid, who sits next to Azul, raises an eyebrow. He turns to the blonde boy just across from him. "Boy, you said Eden was from the south, right?"

"Mhm!" the kid next to him nods. "Eden, the country full of toucans and birds and plants and rivers! My papa calls it the Land of Flowing Streams... We're only here because my papa said we were searching for someone! Then I lost Papa... But I have you guys now! My papa says I shouldn't be afraid of people who have a flame like him, so I trust you!" He points to Solfrid. "And I trust you too!" He points to Siegfried as well.

Siegfried smiles gratefully. "Well, thank you."

Solfrid, on the other hand, is scratching his chin. He's staring up at the ceiling, pondering hard. "The Land of Flowing Streams... That was one of the dragon tribes of this continent right..? I wonder, boy, is your dad perhaps a Serpent of Spring? A feathered serpent, to be specific?"