[center][h3]Edge of the Blue – Limsa Lominscuttle Town Housing District[/h3]
[@Zavazggg][/center]

Provided with a way out by Dulia-Chai, Sephiroth put her wits to work crafting what she hoped to be a convincing story. The lizard-tailed man cleared out before she even finished, for whatever reason, and the blue-suited fellow seemed satisfied, but if the long-haired swordswoman expected the cat-eared lady and the shorter of the two businessmen to eat it up, she was disappointed. Both wore skeptical looks, but the aristocrat objected first. 

“We?” she asked, incredulous. “My my, did you and the others get separated?” She shook her head, giving a disarming smile as she waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, I suppose you meant the royal 'we', how silly of me. But really, how odd that the navy would attend to such a matter, and not the city guard. My husband told me he heard that a major offensive was planned for tomorrow, you know. But rather than resting or preparing, you're here with cannons chasing down a fugitive in the Housing District? Goodness, I trust you weren't going to use them!” She crossed her arms, but even with a stern face on did not at all cut an imposing figure. The distance at which she stood from Sephiroth suggested that she didn't plan to get in her way at all, either. Neither did the businessmen. In the end they remained ordinary citizens faced with a heavily-armed shipgirl.

A swinging lantern light could be seen steadily crossing the bridge to the Housing District at about that time. Its speed suggested that whoever carried it moved with urgent purpose.

[center][h3]Frozen Highlands – Ice Fields Outside Snowdin[/h3]
[@Gentlemanvaultboy][@darkred][/center]

Doing his best to stifle his amusement for the sake of politeness, Albedo made room for the Skullgirl on his disc of crystalized earth energy. Scooting aboard essentially confirmed her agreement, and on cue the platform's glow weakened to begin the descent. With ease the pair descended the brand-new glacier, steadily approaching the snow of the ice field beneath. All the while the alchemist kept his eyes trained on his new companion, his gaze rather intense. He examined not just the girl herself, but the texture of her skin and hair, the glow and pattern of her eyes, the prominence of her ears, and the way that no mist formed when she breathed. “Pleasure to meet you, and especially to hear that you know something of this world's truth yourself. I'd be ecstatic to hear it. And yes, of course we can take a detour.” After a few moments of peace, quiet and still but for the breeze and its toying caress, they reached the ground.

Scant minutes later, the crunching of the pair's boots on the snow brought them to the threshold of another [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/1b74deea-c343-4039-96a8-5f78132f66df/daiq20r-4dbee063-f9b9-4673-967e-5d0da32f8034.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTpmaWxlLmRvd25sb2FkIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi8xYjc0ZGVlYS1jMzQzLTQwMzktOTZhOC01Zjc4MTMyZjY2ZGYvZGFpcTIwci00ZGJlZTA2My1mOWI5LTQ2NzMtOTY3ZS01ZDBkYTMyZjgwMzQucG5nIn1dXX0.Jkq9Hu0c1cwFcVpOZv2Kb81bG_IRyWMrKmeNj3Jozos]warmly-lit building[/url], this one of brick. The sign above the door read 'librarby'. Albedo pulled and held open the door for the Skullgirl to enter once she laid her sled to rest outside, then followed her in with the Corgi at his heels. The humble interior sported a wall of shelves, their contents color-coded, and a single table, luckily unoccupied. If the lizard librarian took notice of the new arrivals, he did not look up from his book, even when Albedo reached down to put his dog on the table before sitting down himself.

He placed a small pouch on the table, then his elbows on either side to prop up his head. “I must begin by thanking you for joining me, and for what I assume to be your cooperation. Not everyone is keen on my proposals, nor my conjectures. But research is in my nature. I cannot help but be fascinated by uniqueness, mystery, and the opportunity to make the unknown...well, known. When I saw you, my preliminary findings suggested that you were by far the most unique and mysterious individual I've found.” Leaning back, he bowed his head. “Your strength is unmistakable, and that your mission is to end the life of that brute, more so. You were wary of me at first despite your power, so I will be as straightforward as I can. I will admit to you right now that while I know him better than most, I do not know how he might be vanquished. That said, I hope to convince you that I have much to offer. My observations, my findings, and the power of alchemy.”

His renewed his gaze on the Skullgirl. “To begin with, I have hypothesized that you are dead. You go through the motions of breathing, but your breath does not mist. You also don't feel the cold, but unlike that man you do seem to feel pain. Had you taken my hand I might have checked your pulse, but...never mind.”

Unwilling to be ignored any longer, the dog yapped for attention, and Albedo began to stroke him. “Second, the fact that you're a wanderer is interesting enough. Since I found myself existing here, I've come to understand that nothing changes. People go about the same routine, day after day. Those that linger never leave. Those that travel never stop. Those who fight cannot stop until it's over. It's as if everything is bound by some sort of stasis, and our meeting has convinced me that my hypothesis is correct.” With a final pat on the Corgi, he opened the pouch and upended it on the table. A gray powder piled up on the wood. The dog sniffed at it, then sneezed. Albedo continued. “Like any alchemist, I understand the world through its constituent components. Its elements. Everyone I've met has an excess of light elements except you, and after no small amount of effort on my part, me.”

He gathered the powder into a mound. “What I have discovered is that alchemy can manipulate these elements, too. More easily than I ever remember it being. As if every single thing in [i]this[/i] world exists to be made, unmade, and remade.”

After taking a deep breath, he held his hands over the powder, and his voice grew stronger. "The universe is heaven reversed, and the earth is a dream lost to time. This is dust, the most basic form of complex life." As if to provide evidence for this claim, Albedo lifted the burnt ash in his hand. There came a shine of light, and from the ash sprouted forth a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gensin-impact/images/9/9b/Item_Cecilia.png]Cecilia flower[/url]. The alchemist smiled. “And this...is new birth.”

He offered the flower to the Skullgirl. “Would you say that is proof of my second hypothesis: that we can help one another?”