You slide out of your chair and hug Lyra, who immediately squeezes you back.

“You’re a good kid, Liza. Just… stay out of trouble, alright?“

You nod and Lyra lets go. She wipes her eye and opens her laptop back up, “You should go ahead back to the statue. I need to finish up here, but I’ll be along shortly.“ She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a green piece of paper, “You can use this like money. Did you ride the bus? You can see the bus stop from here.“ You nod and Lyra smiles, then looks out the window, “Looks like your friends are gone. You can either chase after them, possibly get lost in the process, or trust that they’ll get back on their own. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.“

Lyra turns her body away from you and back to the laptop without another word. You thank her and she smiles again, then you head back outside. She was right, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are nowhere to be found.