@ynysafallach---
The city here is different than the ones they’ve visited in Chaldea. Even Fuyuki, with its charred-husk buildings and smoldering alleyways, is different somehow from this---the Mare Crisium is dark, foreboding, sprawling and winding to its core. Enkidu has barely spent a day wandering the streets, but they’re nearly disconcerted by just how little of the Sea they can say that they know. It’s made more inconvenient by the fact that they can’t feel out the landmarks they know are there, relying only on that twenty-foot radius of Presence Detection.
They walk back into the lobby of the Palilicium, intending on sitting by the fireplace for a bit and figuring out what they should do next. It’s evening by now, and the lighting inside of the building is scarcely brighter than the outside---but it’s not too dim for them to notice a ring of flowers sprouting up from between the floorboards.
They kneel down beside the plants, touching them curiously---gently---with a single finger; they’ve begun to wither, not having the elements to properly develop here in the gloomy building, but unmistakably, they’re daylilies, the flush of color across the petals apparent. Enkidu looks up, gray eyes just barely widened with surprise. The trail of wilting flowers leads across the lobby, up the staircase, in patches just the width of a footfall.
They cross the distance quickly and follow the path further, up a few more floors. Halfway there, they feel the presence they expected, a mana signature they’ve grown used to detecting. It’s only a short time before they look up to see white robes and pale hair, and a familiar face. Enkidu smiles genuinely as they straighten up to face him. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Grand Caster.”