Kirent Borough should've been basking in a clear, ordinary day as was predicted. But the weather had once again played its usual prank on the forecast.
Rain came down in cold, relentless sheets, as if the sky had decided that this entire town was getting a thorough cleansing that very instant.
From the blurry window of her ride, Severine watched this foreign city with mild annoyance.
The streets around her were alive with the heavy percussion of droplets striking pavement and plastic raincoats as people hurried toward their jobs.
At nearly every shopfront, there was a small, unguarded corner stacked with free umbrellas. People took what they needed, vanished into the rain, and returned them later without a second thought.
After all, in a place where umbrellas were everywhere—practically free, almost disposable—most people didn't bother committing a crime over one.
To Severine, this place was a disaster waiting to happen.
