.... yes i know it was a few days ago but-

"Why's the moon RED?!" Rei screamed, pointing at the sky in horror.

I didn't look up from my book. "Lunar eclipse."

"...Lunar what?"

I finally looked up from my book.

"Lunar eclipse."

He pointed at the sky again.

"THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING!"

I blinked.

"...It kind of does."

"THE MOON IS RED!"

"Yes."

"WHY?!"

"Because of an eclipse."

"WHAT IS AN ECLIPSE?!"

I closed my book with a sigh.

"Okay, okay. Come here."

Rei immediately shuffled closer.

I pointed toward the sky.

"Basically, the sun, Earth, and moon line up."

He frowned.

"...And?"

"The Earth gets in the way of the sunlight."

Rei's eyes widened.

"So the Earth is blocking the sun from the moon?"

"Mhm."

"...We're attacking the moon."

"What?"

"We're attacking the moon."

"No!"

"You said we're blocking its sunlight!"

"That's not an attack!"

Rei crossed his arms.

"Sounds like an attack."

I rolled my eyes.

"The reason the moon looks red is because some sunlight still gets through Earth's atmosphere and bends toward the moon."

Rei stared at me.

"...You lost me at atmosphere."

I sighed.

"Okay. Forget everything I just said."

"Gladly."

"Think of it like this."

I grabbed a nearby stick and drew three circles in the dirt.

"This is the sun."

I drew another.

"This is Earth."

Then another.

"And this is the moon."

Rei crouched beside me.

"Okay."

"When they line up like this—"

I positioned the circles.

"—Earth blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the moon."

Rei nodded slowly.

"So the moon gets dark."

"Right."

"But it's red."

"Right."

"...Why?"

I stared at him.

"We just went over this."

"I forgot."

I groaned.

"Some light still gets through our atmosphere."

"And that makes it red?"

"Exactly."

Rei looked back toward the sky.

The moon hung above Jubilife, glowing an eerie reddish-orange against the night.

"...That's actually really pretty."

I smiled.

"Yeah."

He was quiet for a moment.

Then his expression suddenly changed.

"...Wait."

"What?"

"If the Earth is blocking the sun..."

"Mhm."

"...why isn't the Earth red?"

I slowly turned toward him.

"...Rei."

"What?"

"The Earth isn't being illuminated the same way."

"Oh."

A pause.

"...So only the moon gets to be red?"

"Pretty much."

Rei nodded thoughtfully.

"...Lucky moon."

I laughed.

"You know, I'm surprised you're not freaking out anymore."

"Why would I?"

"You thought the moon was dying thirty seconds ago."

"I did not."

"You screamed."

"I was surprised!"

"You yelled, 'THE MOON IS RED!'"

"Because it was!"

I grinned.

"Fair."

Rei looked at the moon again.

"...So this happens in your time too?"

"Yeah."

"People aren't scared?"

"Not usually."

"Nobody thinks it's some divine warning?"

I paused.

"...Well."

Rei slowly looked at me.

"...Mia."

"What?"

"Don't."

"I'm just saying, there are definitely people who would think that."

He stared suspiciously.

"You aren't one of them, are you?"

I smiled innocently.

"No."

A beat.

"...Probably."

"MIA."

"WHAT?!"

"Don't summon Arceus because the moon is red!"

"I wasn't going to!"

"You absolutely were."

"...Okay, maybe a little."

Rei groaned, covering his face.

"Why am I friends with you?"

I opened my book again.

"Because I'm entertaining."

"...You're exhausting."

"Same thing."

He sighed.

But when I glanced over a few seconds later, he was still standing beside me, quietly watching the red moon.

"...It's pretty, though."

"...Yeah." i mumbed.

"It is."