Chapter Text
Rush Valley was a nice city. Far out from the hustle and bustle of Central, but with a bustle all its own— the whir of machinery sung throughout the roads and alleyways, a symphony of clanking metal reverberating out from the many automail shops lining the streets.
By all accounts it was a beautiful day, the slight breeze on the air managing to offset the high temperature typical of the area as the sun rose to its peak, bright against a clear blue sky. However, it didn’t seem so beautiful to you right now, wind rustling your hair as you trudged along the side of the road clutching 3 very large, very old, and very heavy books in your trembling arms.
You thought back to the face of the librarian as you had checked them out, her nervous smile masking a veritable torrent of concern and disbelief. In the moment you had dismissed her unspoken concerns— now, well, you weren’t too sure. You gulped, thanking god for the cool breeze and promising yourself a long nap as soon as you got back to your apartment.
That was when your toe hit the rock.
“Wuaghh!” A scream escaped your weary lungs as you scrambled to regain your balance, sending up a cloud of dust as you finally toppled onto the dirt road below. “Ouch...” you blinked the sediment from your eyes, face growing hot with embarrassment at the gasps that arose from all around you. Quickly you attempted to rise from the street, pants smudged with dirt and grime. Good thing your shirt had been protected by the...
wait.
You glanced down slowly, hesitant to even check. The first two books remained clutched in your arms— the third however, much to your dismay, had slid about a foot away from your collapsed body. What’s more, it had fallen open to allow a few bits of loose leaf and miscellaneous research notes to be caught up by the wind, floating lazily along the unpaved road.
“Wait, no!” You shouted in panic, scrambling to your knees as you frantically attempted to collect all of the books in your dust-streaked arms. This panic only intensified as you watched the papers drift further from your grasp. “Ah— the notes!”
You sighed in relief as you saw a hand pluck the runaway sheets carefully from the air. “Woah, that was quite a tumble there! Need a hand?” The figure approached you, his voice chipper and tinged with an accent hitherto unfamiliar to you. You looked up to see him extending his free hand, offering assistance.
Your cheeks burned red in embarrassment. “Oh, uh, thanks! Sorry for the trouble!” You stammered, grabbing onto his outstretched palm lightly as his fingers closed around yours, lifting you up from the street.
“Oh, no problem! I get it, I’ve collapsed like that more times than you can count.” You let out a breathy chuckle, not knowing whether to be concerned by his admission or to take it as a joke as you shifted the books in your arms, still somewhat dazed from your fall.
“Oh, and thanks for catching my-“ your voice faltered as you glanced up at your rescuer, getting a good look at him for the first time. He was tall, his features youthful and defined as he smiled cheerily down at you, both eyes closed. His sleek black hair hung over the right side of his face, tied in the back in a long ponytail which trailed lightly in the breeze. You felt yourself swallow involuntarily. Damn. “...pages.”
He released your hand, holding out the retrieved notes before pulling them back slightly, eyes fixed on one of the sheets. “This is Alkahestry, isn’t it?”
“Huh?” You blinked, confused. He studied the page for another moment before responding. “Yes, I believe in this country you call it alchemy.”
“Oh!” You chirped in recognition, quickly straightening up your posture. “Yeah, it’s alchemy. They’re for some research I’ve been doing. Why do you ask?”
He paused for a moment in silence before handing you the notes, smile returning to his face. “Why don’t we discuss this more over lunch? I’m starved!” Your face turned hot, and you could only hope that you weren’t flushing the color of a ripened tomato. Was this guy asking you out on a date? Your mind buzzing with confusion and excitement, you managed to nod your head in a quick, jolted motion.
“Uh huh!”
-
It was not a date. Your own fault for getting your hopes up, the back of your mind whispered harshly, though you tried your best not to let that line of thinking get you down too much.
You sat at an outdoor table across from the stranger as he stuffed his face with a vast multitude of dishes, the three books separating you as they spread their contents out over all the surface area that wasn’t occupied by the mountain of food opposite you.
You sighed, supporting your chin with your hand as you waited for him to finish his meal. “Guess you weren’t kidding about being starving, huh?” You said, your mellow tone offsetting the sardonic bite of your comment. He didn’t seem to notice, simply nodding as he swallowed the last bit of the drumstick he’d been gnawing on.
You found yourself drumming your fingers on the table, having already finished your meal, left to ponder how hard you’d have to work to pay off your tab after this. As hot as this guy was, this was decidedly not worth the trouble.
Suddenly, you were snapped back into reality by the clinking of plates, realizing that your companion had finally finished his meal. “Ah, that’s much better! I thought I was going to pass out from hunger there for a minute!” He smiled brightly, his expression making your annoyance with him falter.
You straightened up in your chair, trying to look like you hadn’t been mentally trash talking him for the last few minutes. “So, you were interested in my research?” You said, leaning forward with your elbows pressed to the table.
He nodded, a mellow smile gracing his lips. “Yes. You see, I came to this country from Xing to do research into alkahestry— what you here call alchemy.”
You leaned back on your chair, eyebrows raised. “Wow. All the way from Xing, huh?” You chuckled, scratching the back of your head nervously. “I’m not sure why you’re bothering with me, then, having come all this way. I’m just researching alchemy for a few personal projects.”
“Well, some help is better than none.” You looked back up at him quizzically as he leaned in closer, chin resting on one of his hands. “Tell me... are you an alchemist yourself?” He questioned.
You blinked, shrugging your shoulders humbly and training your gaze down at the table. “Well, I suppose, but I’m not very good. I’ve always been capable of it to some extent, but up until fairly recently I was just way more focused on my other areas of study, and I guess I ended up neglecting my natural talent somewhat.”
You paused for a moment in silence before jolting your chin slightly upwards to face the stranger. “Oh, how rude of me!” You extended your right hand, smiling sweetly. “I’m (Y/N). Glad to meet you!”
The stranger returned your smile, grasping your hand with his own. “My name is Ling Yao. It’s a pleasure.” After a moment your hands unclasped, yours knitting together with the other on your lap, his once again supporting his chin as he leaned over the table.
“There’s actually something else I wanted to ask you.” He said, his warm smile abruptly fading into a more serious expression.
You gulped. “And what would that be?”
“Have you ever heard of...” his usually closed eyes opened, punctuating the latter half of his query. “The philosopher’s stone?”
You blinked in surprise. What would this guy want with a philosopher’s stone? “Well... yeah, I’ve heard about it. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into its capabilities, in fact. Why do you ask?”
His smile returned in full force, immediately easing the tension introduced by his earlier query. “Wonderful! I knew you’d be a great help!” He rose from his chair, pressing his hands to the surface of the table. “Would you mind sharing some of your research with me? I’d love to have a look at your findings, if you don’t mind!”
Your eyebrows rose in surprise at Ling’s enthusiasm. “A-are you sure? I mean, I’ve told you I’m not exactly a professional here, I’m still pretty new at this stuff.”
You bent down from your chair, picking up a piece of limestone about the size of your palm and using it to draw a transmutation circle onto the surface of the table, followed by placing the stone itself in the center. “See, this is about the extent of what I can do right now...” You pressed your hands to the symbol, creating a feint crackle of blue sparks. All at once the limestone began to reshape itself until it came to resemble a small, humanoid statue.
You took a breath, wiping a few droplets of sweat away from your forehead as you plucked the reshaped stone from the table and turned it around to face Ling. “Look, it’s you!” You chuckled, cracking a feint smile.
Ling leaned in, inspecting the object closely. Sure enough, the tiny sculpture did resemble him in striking detail. “See, I don’t really know all the elements and stuff that’s involved by heart yet, so without my notes handy I can’t really do much more than reshape what’s already there. I’m really sorry...” You said apologetically as Ling took the statue in his hands, looking at it intently.
His bright smile returned. “Are you kidding? This is fantastic! It’s so detailed!” You felt your cheeks flush at the praise, hugging your arms together subconsciously.
“Well, regardless of your skill level, I’d still appreciate you letting me look over your work.” Ling said, his expression warm. “And can I keep this?” He continued, lifting the statue once more.
You chuckled. “Yeah, sure, go nuts!”