“Thanks to the money you gave me, I was able to move my mother to a better hospital. I really appreciate it.”

        “Nah, it was no big deal, really,” I said, waving my hand like it was nothing.
        “Have you guys had any luck deciphering it yet?”
        Al and I both turned away at the same time, scowling at the papers like they’d just insulted us. Sheska looked down, embarrassed.
        “Have you found another job yet?” Al asked gently.
        Her expression darkened. “… No. Not yet.” She fidgeted, then forced a small smile. “Anyway, you two made me feel better. It was nice to know that even a pathetic mess like me can still be useful. So… thanks for that as well.” She bowed low.
        “You’re not a pathetic mess,” Al said firmly. “I think the determination you show in reading is a talent all its own. And your memory; it’s incredible. You should have more faith in yourself.”
        A bright blush spread across her face as she straightened her glasses. “Thanks, Al…”
        I raised an eyebrow, smirking a little at the sight. Typical Al, always finding the right words.
        “Yo!”
        We all looked up to see Hughes barging through the doors, grinning as usual. But he wasn’t alone. Walking just behind him was someone I honestly didn’t expect to ever see again.
        "Nik?"
        For a moment, all I could do was stare, blinking to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. She looked so different out of uniform: her hair was longer, her frame thinner. It had been months since the last time we’d seen her back at the train station in East City. I’d assumed she’d been swallowed up in the chaos there, another casualty of that disaster. Truth is, I’d almost let her slip from my mind. The guilt of that stung.
       But here she was, alive.
        Not unchanged, though. A black eyepatch covered her right eye, and both of her arms had been replaced with automail. The sight hit me like a punch to the gut. She’d survived, but at a hell of a price. Relief and guilt tangled themselves within me and sat heavily in my chest.
        “Lt. Colonel Hughes,” Al greeted.
        “Major Armstrong told me you three were here,” Hughes said, strolling over to the desk, leaning down at us with that usual smirk. “What gives, Ed? I told you to give me a shout next time you were in Central.”
        I rubbed the back of my neck. “Oh… something urgent came up. Sorry about that.”
        Hughes sighed dramatically. “Figures. We’ve had a lot of cases to deal with lately, and we’re still working on settling the Tucker/Chimera situation.”
        Al and I both went quiet, our gazes dropping to the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Nicole looking away too, her jaw tightening.
        “I guess that brings up some unpleasant memories, huh?” Hughes asked, pulling up a chair across from me.
        “You have no idea…” Al muttered.
        “Anyway,” Hughes went on, “as if things weren’t bad enough, the First Branch had to burn down in the middle of all this.”
        “That’s been a problem, huh?” I asked.
        “A big one. Our case records were stored there, and without them, it hasn’t exactly been a picnic.”
        Al and I exchanged a glance, smirking.
        “…What?” Hughes asked suspiciously.
        We both turned toward Sheska, who blinked in shock, realizing what we meant.
        “Hey, Lt. Colonel,” I said, grinning, “I think we’ve got just the person for you.”
        “Well, I have read the military’s case records and remember them all…” Sheska said hesitantly.
        “That’s all I needed to hear, lady! You’re hired!” Hughes slapped the desk, making her jump. “My office pays well, so don’t you worry!”
        As Hughes was busy talking to Sheska, I leaned a little toward Al, lowering my voice. “Hey, Al… You think maybe we should ask Nik for help with Marcoh’s notes?”
        He tilted his helmet in thought. “Because she was there with us when we met him before?”
        “Yeah,” I muttered. “She saw the way he worked. Not to mention that Alkahestry stuff too. She might notice something we’ve been missing. Honestly, we could use another set of eyes on this.”
        Al nodded slowly, then looked back at her. “She looks like she's been through a lot, though, brother. Do you think it’s right to ask her to dive into something like this again?”
        I glanced at her eyepatch, the gleam of her automail arms. My jaw tensed, but I shook my head. “If I know Nicole, she’d rather help than sit on the sidelines.”
        I saw Hughes give us a wave as he hauled Sheska out the door, her voice trailing down the hall with a stream of thank-yous. The room fell quiet for the first time in what felt like hours.
        Nicole waved to us with a smile and started to follow Hughes. I quickly jumped from my seat and went running after her.
        “Hey, Nic-” I placed my hand on her shoulder.
        In the next second, the floor rushed up at me. My arm was twisted behind my back, my cheek inches from the tiles.
        “Oh, sorry,” she muttered, letting me go.
        I scrambled up, rubbing my shoulder. “W-What the hell was that?!”
        She just smirked. “Guess my training’s paying off.”
        I stared. Training? With automail that fresh, she shouldn’t even be walking without pain, let alone flipping people around. I shook the thought away and cleared my throat. “Anyway… you remember Marcoh, right?”
        “Of course I do,” she said without hesitation.
        “Good. We’ve got his notes now,” I explained as we started to walk back towards the room. “Problem is, they’re encrypted; buried in fake recipes, twisted up so only the right person can crack them.”
        She nodded before raising a finger to me. “Hold that thought.” She jogged over to Hughes, and they talked for a bit. A moment later, Hughes smirked, ruffled her hair, and waved her off before disappearing with Sheska.
        Nicole rejoined us, grinning. “Alright, sorry. Go on.”
        Al leaned forward eagerly. “We were hoping maybe you could help. With your background in Alkahestry and healing alchemy, you might see something we can’t.”
        Her expression sharpened, determination lighting her face. She flexed her automail hand into a fist. “Encrypted notes hidden in cookbooks? That’s my kind of puzzle.” Her eye gleamed as she smirked. “If Marcoh left something worth finding, then count me in. Let’s crack it wide open.”
        Nicole leaned over the table, eye flicking across the scattered stacks of papers and scribbled notes. “So what exactly are we looking at here? Recipes, right? Or, well, what they’re supposed to look like.”
        “Yeah,” I said, flipping one open. “Marcoh encrypted his research into cookbooks. Every page is a code. Al and I’ve been breaking it down, but it’s slow.”
        She arched a brow. “What was it for again?”
        Al hesitated, glancing at me. I caught the look, then exhaled through my nose. “The Philosopher’s Stone.”
        Nicole froze. Just for a second, but I caught it: the way her smirk faltered, her shoulders stiffened. Her good eye flicked to me, then down to the page.
        “The Philosopher’s Stone…” she repeated quietly, almost under her breath.
        Al tilted his head. “Something wrong?”
        She straightened, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eye. “No. Just… that’s a dangerous thing to be chasing. Remember just how paranoid Marcoh was about it?”
        I frowned. “We’re not after it for power, Nik. You know that.” I rested a hand on the notes, feeling the paper crinkle under my palm. “We just… need to know what Marcoh uncovered. If there’s even a chance it can help us get our bodies back, then we’ve got to follow it.”
        For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Then she nodded, lips pressed tight. “Alright. If that’s the case, then let’s tear this apart. I’ll do what I can.”
        But even as she leaned in, tracing a line of text with her automail finger, I couldn’t shake the unease in her tone or the look in her eye when I said “Philosopher’s Stone.”