Part The First

A Strange Encounter

Edward Elric let out a lingering, drawn-out sigh. His brother, Alphonse, gave him a sidelong glance, but said nothing. There hadn't been even the slightest hint of a lead on the Philosopher's Stone in ages. The street they walked was crowded in the noonday rush, with people scampering like so many ants in and out of the many shops that lined the avenue. They kept their distance from the brothers Elric, however, made uneasy by Alphonse's hulking steel frame. Al tried to scrunch down, but to no avail; the spiked armor that encased him rattled with every move, and glinted dully in the sun. People often mistook him for the elder of the two brothers, when in fact he was the younger of the two by a year, as Alphonse's seven-foot frame dwarfed his already petite brother.

Edward, heedless of the distance maintained by the crowd, was lost in thought. He had that look on his face again, the eyebrows knitted tightly together, the eyes sharp, perceptive yet distant, a slight frown bending the corners of his mouth. Edward had always had a superb ability to concentrate, blocking out everything but his own thoughts. Alphonse glanced over at him again, feeling as though he should say something, although he was unsure of what exactly needed to be said. But he didn't want to break his brother's concentration.

Edward walked with his hands behind his head, looking up at the tops of the buildings. So many thoughts were rushing through his head, and he was unable to slow the montage. What if they never found the stone, if he could never get their bodies back? What would they do if they didn't find it? But.. What would they do if they did? Edward didn't want to stay with the military, but it seemed as though settling back down in their hometown wasn't an option, either. After all they'd been through.. Edward loved his hometown, but it was just too peaceful, too slow to return to permanently. He shook his head, in a vain attempt to clear it, or at least bring some semblance of order to the wild string of thoughts. As his mind rushed down to earth, a sudden scent of warm coffee wafted by him. His stomach rumbled loudly, and he realized he'd not eaten breakfast. He looked to see from where the scent had come, and his eyes fell on a nearby sign, emblazoned with the words, "Secret's Garden Coffee Shoppe". The words were surrounded by leaves and vines, painted a deep and fading green on the old, dark wood.

"Hey, Al." Edward said suddenly, looking over at his brother. "I'm kinda hungry, let's stop in there."

"Actually, I wanted to pick up a new can of oil. I'm getting kind of dirty." Alphonse replied.

"Okay. You up to it by yourself?" Edward asked, glancing up at his little brother.

"Yup." Al said, nodding.

"Alright, we'll met back up at our room, then." Edward said, turning to leave. He raised a hand towards Al as he walked into the small building. Alphonse waved to his back before continuing down the street.

The bell above the door rang out quietly, announcing another customer. The girl at the counter turned around to look. It was a boy about her own age, rather short, but slim and well-built. He glanced casually around, his honey-colored eyes scanning the small shop, hands shoved in the pockets of his leather pants. She looked down, at his clunky boots, black with red trim and red soles. Elevator boots. A long red jacket, almost a trench coat, hung down to the backs his knees, with an emblem she couldn't make out printed on the back, due to both her position and the fact that a hood obscured part of the top. An open black coat under the almost trench coat, with a high collar and white trim, a silver clasp at the neck, and a black shirt underneath. 'Great. A goth.' She thought, then, upon seeing the long blond hair pulled back in a braid, retracted her opinion. 'Emo? Scene? I can never tell the difference. Wait.. Are there even scenes here? I've yet to see one. Or a skater. Or an emo. Goths, though. Seen a few of them. …Why am I labeling him? There's no point to that…' While she thought all this, she looked at the hair framing his face, obviously too short to go into the braid, and had either, judging by the volume, had been included and slipped out, or he used root-lifting gel. 'But there's no hair gel here…' She thought. 'But what else could explain the massive volume?' She pondered this while staring at the cowlick ('There's really no other word for it,' she thought) that shot up into the air and hung above his head like an antenna. He had a soft, boyish face, the eyes large, yet hard and inexpressive, world-weary, in a way, the nose straight and defined, the mouth set firmly in place. His eyebrows arched up, giving him the impression of looking quite angry. 'Hmm.. He's pretty, though.' She thought with approval.

Meanwhile, the boy had moved easily through the room, with an almost feline grace, his smooth, rolling gait carrying him easily and quickly to a corner table. He seemed quite comfortable and at home, but then, this was the feeling one got from the sort of easy, slow-paced coffee shops such as this. The girl looked away, the boy having not noticed her in the least. 'Thank god...' The girl thought, returning to her order. 'One dark chocolate mocha, extra whipped cream, easy on the cocoa powder, not too much cream, four spoonfuls sugar, extra espresso. This dude's gonna be awake for weeks.' The thought passed unbidden, and she smiled, picking up a china plate with the clever little design done in gold and placed on it the large hunk of chocolate cake he had requested. 'Mmm.. looks good...' She thought.

Seated, Edward looked around him. The place was large and sunny, the light streaming in from the large bay windows set on all sides of the room. There were only a few other people inside, huddled in their chairs, hunched over books or newspapers. He leaned back, settling himself in his seat. The atmosphere was calm, and he let his guard down a bit. From his seat in the corner, Edward had a complete view of the place. There was a single employee at the counter, tall, and clearly feminine, with her back turned to him. She wore what he assumed was the company's uniform, a long-sleeved white dress shirt under a form-fitting emerald vest, black pants that tightly hugged her rather curvaceous butt and thighs, and high, shiny black pumps. 'Rather bottom-heavy..' He thought, noticing how thin her lower legs and arms were, her slim stomach, and her long, slender neck. Her hair, a soft-looking deep brown, was done up in a messy bun, and, even from this distance, he could see the flash of her rings. 'Expensive.' He labeled her, as the glint of her jewelry captured his attention once more.
The interior of the coffehouse, for the most part, consisted of dark wood and caramel-colored paneling. The tables were small and round, scattered about the room. Looking down, Edward noticed that there was a fading ring of gold paint on the outer edge. He sat on a high, backed stool, with a soft, yielding cushion upholstered in dark, plush material. Across the room was a long bar-like counter, the shelves behind stocked full of canisters he assumed were full of ground coffee beans. Placed at even intervals along the counter were tiered dishes holding various kinds of pastries, with a tall glass cover placed on top of each.

"May I take your order?" Asked a bright, but quiet voice beside him, with a slight accent he couldn't quite place. He jumped in surprise. He'd learned to be wary of anything that snuck up without catching his attention. His gaze traveled up the slim figure. "Oh, did I scare you? I'm sorry!" She said, smiling a little, in a sad, apologetic way.

"No, no.." Edward trailed off, hardly aware of what he'd said. For a moment, just a flickering second that he could hardly recall, as his eyes finally reached her face, she had seemed almost heavenly... The sunlight shone behind her, illuminating her in a glow that could only be described as holy. He shook his head, clearing it. She was just a waitress. An expensive waitress.

"Oh.. So are you ready to order, then?" She asked, staring at him in a shy, almost fearful manner. It was the girl he had seen at the counter when he walked in. Upon closer inspection, he found that she was actually quite short, perhaps, ('Dare I say it..?' he wondered,) shorter than himself, with smooth, pale skin, and a strip of freckles running from cheek to cheek, across a classic nose, wide, silver-pink half-frame glasses, and wide, dark brown eyes rimmed in heavy black eyeliner. Her cherry-red mouth was perhaps a little small, but the fullness of her lips made it appear somehow fitting that it should be so. Deep green eyeshadow, almost the exact colour of her vest, covered her eyelids and stretched out from the corners of her eyes in a cat-like fashion. A soft, thin layer of blunt-cut bangs ran across the top of her forehead just above her glasses, and two thick strands of hair hung down on either side of her face. Judging by their length, her hair was quite long. In a way, ('It was the hairstyle', he thought later,) she reminded him of Winry. Unlike Winry, however, she was only pretty… not ugly, but not honestly beautiful. Though he would only admit so to himself. Maybe if she hadn't rimmed her eyes so thickly in eyeliner and mascara, or if her lips weren't so startlingly red she'd look prettier. Or maybe it was just that her hairstyle wasn't the most flattering. Anyhow, he wiped his previous thought from his mind. She wasn't so beautiful. His eyes traveled down, past the black leather choker from which a gold dream catcher charm with silver feathers dangled, to the name tag pinned to her vest. In a leafy, scrolling font it read in emerald letters, 'Savina'. Edward shook his head again, noticing the quizzical look she gave him. He glanced back at the open menu, realizing he hadn't even glanced at it.

"What do you recommend?" He asked. She became suddenly tense, and all of a sudden, Edward felt a shiver run through his body. There was definitely something... off about her. He was getting a strange vibe from her, and he couldn't figure out why.

"Well, I rather fancy the raspberry-chocolate mocha, and the strawberry shortcake. They're both really sweet, though, so it's like a massive dose of sugar in one sitting..." She said in a sweet voice, the voice of a little girl of about five, he thought without thinking.

"I think I can handle it." Edward said smugly. "That sounds really good, in fact. I'll take it." He watched her intently.

"Right, then." She said, scribbling down his order and turning back to the counter. 'She clearly is not the best person to work as a waitress'' Edward thought. Even from this brief encounter he could tell she was painfully shy and introverted... Was that what was wrong here? No.. it couldn't be something so simple. He'd never gotten a feeling like this just because some one was shy... It had to be something else.
He looked out the window next to him, gazing at a tiny, unevenly paved back street and an empty lot. His exams were coming up fast… But what was it about that Savina waitress? The issue kept surfacing in his mind... there seemed to be a sort of loneliness akin to what he sometimes felt when he saw a happy family. She looked so innocent and shy, but yet… there was something defiant in her self-conscious manner. Like somehow she just didn't belong and she knew it, but yet she stayed on her path… like he stayed on his, no matter what obstacles he must overcome. He shook his head. That's stupid. She's a shy waitress working at a tiny coffee dive. We're nothing alike, He thought. But still...

Ed leaned back in his chair once more, drumming his fingers on the table. The automail made a deep, heavy sound through the glove as it landed on the lacquered wood. He glanced around the room once more, then turned his attention toward the window and watched as a few people roamed the back streets, pondering.

"Here you go!" Savina the Waitress said quietly as she placed Edward's order on the table. She had managed, somehow, to evenly weave around the tables with tight, precise turns. Edward smiled, an idea forming in his mind. But before she could go, he stopped her again.

"Why don't you sit down? There's nobody here, and you look like you could use a break." He smiled his best smile. He had a sudden urge to talk to her, to find out who she was and why she seemed so out of place. He had to; he knew he wouldn't be able to let it go.

"I really shouldn't.." She began. "My boss would really have it out with me if he caught me.."

"Aw, come on, there's hardly anyone here." Edward countered.

So she sat down across from him despite her excuses, looking shyly down with a slight blush, pulling on her sleeves under the table. "I haven't seen you around here before." She said to her knees, her glance skittering to his face.

Edward smiled as he took a bite of cake. "I don't really come to Central too often, but I'm here for my assessment." He replied easily. 'Start simple, and get her talking,' He thought to himself.

"Oh, so you're a student?" She asked, looking up quickly. He eyes were wider, showing interest.

"Naw.. I'm in the military. State alchemist." He said, picking up the coffee cup and watching for a reaction. Savina's eyes widened even more in surprise. He took a sip of the coffee.

"You're a state alchemist? But.. then you're…" She trailed off, staring at him in amazement, head cocked to one side. Edward nodded. 'Good, she knows who I am.' He thought, then amended, 'I guess it's hard not to, in Central, at least.'

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." He repeated the title for the umpteenth time. Savina smiled, looking down and then back up at him. 'Odd mannerisms..' He noted to himself. She was still tugging on her sleeves, as though trying to stretch them so they would cover her hands. 'But why?'

"Oh.. That's cool. So, how'd you do it?" She asked, and then colored, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Well.." Edward began, strangely wanting to tell her the truth, but unsure if he could trust her. "I was recommended by Colonel Mustang to take the test, and I passed, so I got the license." He said, shrugging as though it was a common experience for twelve-year-old boys to become high-ranking military officials.

"Wow, that's pretty awesome." She said with a smile and another blush.

"I guess." Edward said nonchalantly. He took a bite of the shortcake. 'Nothing so far... Damn.'

"Hmm.." She sighed, looking down at the table. She pulled her left hand out of her lap and placed her elbow on the table, resting her head in her hand. She wore a ring on her left hand, silver with a single small diamond. 'Is she involved with somebody?' He wondered. She wore another ring, too, on her first finger. It was large and silver, with intricate detailing around some sort of flat, light blue stone. On the thumb was a ring of some dark, reflective metal. On her right hand, now also on the table, he noticed a silver ring, in the shape of a cat, coiling around her thumb. A silver ring on her first finger, with large, intentionally-made nicks around the center, and on the middle, an obnoxious ring that showed traces of once having been silver, with what seemed to be a large pink diamond set in the intricately made, raised setting. Edward glanced up at her. Nothing wrong with her hands, except all that obnoxious jewelry.

"Are your rings real?" He asked, in an attempt to confirm his suspicions of her expensiveness.

"Oh, no.. I ahm.. I think the only real one is this cat and this one..." She held up both her thumbs for him to see. He nodded, thrusting his lower lip up in a sign of appreciation.

"So how long have you been working here?" He asked. She raised her head, her hand falling to her shoulder.

"Mmh, not too long, I guess… Ever since I got here." She replied, her eyes softening.

"Ah… So, where'd you move from?" He asked, in a rather indifferent tone, taking another bite of cake. 'Crunch time. Let's see where this takes us.' He thought.

"Well.. I guess you could say it was a whole other world." A faint smile tugged at her lips. Edward's mind raced at her reply.. a whole other world...? A sudden laugh broke the short silence. "But that's silly." She shook her head. "It was just different, that's all."

"Different how?" Edward asked, his interest piqued. His eyes became sharp and bright.

"Just.. Well… It's kind of hard to explain, I guess. We had a lot of different customs, I suppose, different technology, government, just.. Lots of things, I guess." Savina replied vaguely, waving her hand as though to brush the subject away.

"Oh, so you're not going to give me a specific place, then?" He asked playfully. "Who knows, all the places I've been, I may have passed through." He employed a honey sweet, dribbling tone to his voice. He wanted her to talk. And he wanted answers. Now. He had a hunch, and he'd follow it to the end.

"Mmh, I don't know.." She said quietly, a nostalgic expression on her face.

"Really?" He asked, leaning forward.

"Really." She said, leaning back a little, a small smile blossoming. Her now crossed arms rested on the table as support.

"And why is that?" He smirked.

"I told you, it's a whole other world. Another country." There was a strange look in her eyes, as though she expected him to see something else in her words… something… like…! Wait, she isn't…? That's it, why she's so out of place! Then… maybe…! But.. Am I jumping to conclusions, or is she really..? Maybe she has it! The Philosopher's Stone... what they'd been searching for for so many years... that alchemical substance that could bypass the laws of equivalent exchange, and allow the brothers Elric to get their bodies back. It was so close..

"Like the one across the Gate?" He said, all the playfulness running from his tone. She sat back, smiling.

"Yeah. That one." She chuckled. "You really are as clever as they say you are."

"They say it for a reason, you know. So. How'd you cross it? And why are you telling this to me? And what do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?" There was a long silence during which Savina seemed to be collecting her thoughts as she stared down at the table. Edward grew restless.

"I'm not sure, honestly, why I wanted to tell you. But.. I don't know anything about the Philosopher's Stone." She finally replied, looking at her knees again.

"How can you not be sure? This is.." He trailed off. "Wait, how many people have you told this to?" He asked suspiciously. "And how could you not know about the Stone? How were you able to cross the Gate?"

"I don't know, it just happened. And I haven't told anyone." She said in a soft voice, her eyes staring straight into his. Edward sighed. Another false lead. It was obvious she wasn't lying; Edward had a keen eye for that.

"Good. There are people… things… that would kill to have that information." He breathed in a sigh of half relief. Even though she didn't have the Stone, she might still be able to help them.

"Yeah.. There generally are with things like this." She replied. Now her voice sounded what seemed to be normal for her. It still sounded young, but not as obscenely so as when she'd first spoken. Edward guessed her to be only fourteen or fifteen, at the most. "So. What do you know about it, while we're on the subject? The Gate, or whatever." Edward gave her a quizzical look. She had an odd ability to make it sound like they were discussing something as trivial as the weather.

"Not too much.." He replied.

"I take it then, that you've seen it, too. And, that's partly why you carry the title you do."

"Yeah." He sighed again. Her innocent countenance hid her perceptive nature.

"Well, aren't we in a pretty situation?" She remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah, tell me about it.. Where are you staying?" Edward asked suddenly. They had to talk this over in detail, somewhere safe. Somewhere nothing and no one harmful could overhear them. He needed to know every ounce of information he could, just in case it might help him. In order to get his brother's body back, he needed all the help he could get.

"Uh.. What?" Savina shot up, clearly taken aback.

"Where are you staying? We need to talk this over in depth." Edward explained.

"Oh." She gave him a suspicious sidelong glance, resettling herself in her seat. Savina seemed to trust him to some extent, at least. "Watercrest Ardour." She replied, the timid aspect resurfacing in her voice. "You know, that little apartment place."

"Yeah, I think I've passed it." Edward replied.

"Okay, ah, I live in the third building, on the fourth fourth floor, the fifth room on the right. Easy to remember." She laughed a bit, a gentle sound ending in a squeak. "I'd get so lost otherwise, I'd be up all night looking for my room.." Edward laughed uncertainly, unsure if it was a joke or not.

"Alright. When should I stop by?" He asked after a short silence. Savina's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she hadn't imagined him in her sorry little dump of a home, even though it was plain to see he meant to gain every bit of knowledge he could from her. 'And what then..? Should I really trust him?' She wondered to herself.

"Well, uh.." She trailed off. 'I get off at five.. Ten minute walk.. Two and a half hours to clean?' "How about around seven thirty?" She asked hopefully. Edward frowned a bit.

"Hmm, that might be a bit late, the military rooms close at nine.." 'Oh jeez, how long does he plan to stay?' Savina thought, distraught. "When do you get off?"

"Well, uh, I get off at five, technically, but my room's kinda messy, so.." She trailed off again, laughing nervously.

"Ah, I see." Edward leaned back. Most girls don't tell people that.. 'Do they?' Edward wondered. In his limited experience, he'd found that girls tend to lie about things like that. 'It must be her young age that makes her so honest.' Edward decided.

"Well, uh, I guess you can stay at my place for a night, if it's really going to take that long.." Savina's face burned with embarrassment.

"Nah, I don't want to be a burden." Edward replied, shaking his head and holding up a hand.

"Oh, okay." She said nervously, clasping her hands tightly in her lap, her face bright red again.

"Right then, seven it is." Edward nodded, making a decision on the time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my brother.." He stood up. Savina noticed that he'd devoured everything without her noticing.

"Okay.." Savina said, standing as well. She moved towards him and reached for his dishes, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't tell anyone." He warned in a voice not a little dangerous.

"I know." Savina replied nonchalantly. His hand lingered for a moment more before he released her and quickly left the building, not looking back. Savina sank into his chair and buried her head in her hands. 'What have I gotten myself into?'