[center][h3]Sky Blues[/h3]
Lvl 8 Sandalphon (31/80), Lvl 5 Captain Falcon (26/50)
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1335

[img]https://i.imgur.com/s9B2mtb.png[/img][/center]

When the Avenger first touched down, kicking up dust and sand in its wake, the area around the strange mountain had been drab and overcast, almost lifeless, but the winds had continued to blow in the hours since then. Their ceaseless circulation had ushered in a resplendent season of plenty, with the afternoon sun shining down from the radiant heavens on countless forms of plant and animal life. Together they formed a gorgeous tapestry, and from her vantage point on top of the airship itself, Sandalphon was content to simply stand and observe the stunning landscape. She could see for miles and miles, from the red rock canyons and buttes to the east across the yellow-grass plains to the northeast, and she could ponder the avocado-shaped trees to the north. In the distance, an old woman the size of an ant hung her blouses and socks on the clothesline attached to her hovel, and racecars scuttled along their tracks like roaches startled by a light.

No matter what she saw, though, the archangel could not banish the dreadful, gnawing sensation that she was wasting her time. That her time could be better spent elsewhere. For once, Sandalphon didn’t know what to do.

[color=1f66b2]”See anything interesting?”[/color] Came the voice of Captain Falcon as he climbed up from the access hatch, now fresh from a nap he had just taken in his personal quarters that he shared with Geralt. Although he looked like he wasn’t expecting much of an answer. [color=1f66b2]”Yeah… this particular region doesn’t have a whole lot in the way of scenery. Mostly wide open spaces. Good for racing though, I’ll give it that.”[/color] Clearly he already had some familiarity with the Paved Wilderness.

Rather than look over at him, Sandalphon kept her eyes on the landscape. “I see all sorts of things that interest me. Anthills taller than houses. Shacks stitched together like quilts. Birds with the features of amphibians. Chitinous coral, capable of explosive growth. Immense stone formations shaped by eons of wind, like clay in a divine potter’s hands. Reptilian pangolins that move in herds. Avocados…” She paused, not sure how else to describe those surreal, tree-like growths. “And countless feats of engineering, each a marvellous union of function and form. Maybe these things are mundane to you, but for someone like me, it’s a whole new world.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, cradling her staff in the crook of her arm.

The Captain rubbed the back of his neck, [color=1f66b2]”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”[/color] He said apologetically. [color=1f66b2]”You’ve got a point though. I’ve spent some time in the Paved Wilderness before this so I guess that’s why I took its environment for granted.”[/color] He paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. [color=1f66b2]”I wonder if I could spot Death Wind from up here?”[/color] He mused, referring to an F-Zero track he could recall being located in the Paved Wilderness. It wasn’t the [i]real[/i] Death Wind, the original track being located on its own planet in his world. But the one he briefly raced on here in the World of Light was a spot on copy of it, nonetheless.

“I'm not offended,” Sandalphon clarified. “It's simply a difference in perspective.” She paused for a moment, her pupils inverted triangles as she thought. “Actually, your perspective may be of interest to me, Captain. Our lack of acquaintance makes you an ideal candidate. If you're willing, I would like to offer you a hypothetical question.”

[color=1f66b2]”By all means.”[/color] Falcon said with a welcoming gesture. [color=1f66b2]”Shoot.”[/color]

“Thank you.” Sandalphon considered her phrasing for a moment, her pupils in the shape of loading rings. Then they became pound signs. “If you were one day diagnosed with a terminal illness, and told that you had only a matter of months to live, how would that make you feel? And what actions would it prompt you to undertake?”

[color=1f66b2]”Personally, I’d spend as much time as I could with the people I care about most.”[/color] The Captain answered initially. But after a moment of further thought his own curiosity got the better of him. [color=1f66b2]”Is this about that whole Ten Year Time Limit business?”[/color] He asked, [color=1f66b2]”Because that would change my answer slightly, and instead I’d be more determined than ever to find a way to solve the problem.”[/color]

After a moment, Sandalphon nodded. “I admit that was my real consideration, yes. Of course, the dilemma at that point is whether or not the problem is solvable in the time that remains. Or that solving it would change the termination date.”

[color=1f66b2]”Valid points.”[/color] The Captain readily admitted. In spite of the subject matter, he was still remarkably good at keeping his spirits up. [color=1f66b2]”But maybe we aren’t the ones who were meant to solve the problem?”[/color] He suggested with a slight shrug of his broad shoulders.

Sandalphon’s eyes narrowed, her pupils changing to question marks.

[color=1f66b2]”This ship and all of its facilities were built up, not by the Seekers, but by the [i]Lost Numbers[/i].”[/color] Falcon clarified, [color=1f66b2]”We’re only here for ten years maximum before we become reset by the system and our memories along with it. But them? They stick around, they keep going, with or without us.”[/color] Cap exhaled a long breath to give the sentence a chance to hang in the air before he finally concluded, [color=1f66b2]”Maybe this is really meant to be [i]their[/i] fight? [i]Their[/i] race to win?”[/color]

The archangel shook her head. “The Lost Numbers cannot win without us, or more accurately, those born of the system like us. They have neither the numbers nor the power to challenge Moebius. Moreover…” She paused, her pupils replaced by stress marks. “Were we to succeed, defeat Galeem, and restore everything, would those born in this world not cease to be? How could it be their fight if it is not their future?” For once, Sandalphon seemed genuinely perturbed. Almost distraught.

[color=1f66b2]”Do you know that for certain?”[/color] The Captain countered. [color=1f66b2]”How much of a certainty is it - really - that they’ll disappear?”[/color] He pressed, [color=1f66b2]”We all assume that they would disappear along with this world. But at the end of the day, that’s all it really is - an assumption. Even the Lost Numbers themselves don’t seem to be a hundred percent sure what will happen to them, otherwise why would they be doing this at all?”[/color]

After a brief pause, Cap hammered in one more point. [color=1f66b2]”We’ve been told that people like us aren’t even real - that we’re just copies of the real thing for use in this system.”[/color] A pause, [color=1f66b2]”But are we, really? Could fake copies be capable of developing feelings for one another and bearing offspring? That sounds like something only real people can do, to me.”[/color]

While he spoke, Sandalphon averted her eyes. “Assumptions…yes. How foolish of me.” Her gaze rested on the savannah that stretched out across the dusty wilderness. “In the end, we have so few answers. All we can do is continue to fight as long and hard as we can, and hope that others will carry the torch when we’re gone.” The broad, vaguely optimistic statement coupled with her body language indicated that she had no more questions, and was not interested in further conversation.

Cap, able to read the room, offered a shrug and turned back toward the hatch he climbed up out of. [color=1f66b2]”Well, I think I’ll hit the gym for a bit. Just because I’m not out there right now that’s no excuse for me to be slacking off.”[/color] He said as he opened the hatch, [color=1f66b2]”Thanks, Halo. Good talk.”[/color]