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Hunter chuckles at Rin's question.

"Who takes care of our ship? Our crew, of course! They always keep the ship at its best! Boss already seems to approve of the summon spirit plan and..."

His voice trails off and he places his hand on his chin, talking more quietly, but still audible enough for everyone to hear. His expression also changes from his usually cheery self to one of someone lost in thought and much more serious than his usual demeanor. He also calmly sits down in his chair and begins tapping the table with his fingers.

"Hmm...Max usually sides with Rhone on things, but she can also easily sway his decisions...and she's not too fond of having non-members of the crew on the boat. She wouldn't let me on until Rhone declared me to be a member of the crew. So if we're gonna do this...I have to spin this as if everyone here is joining up...at least temporarily. Rhone will catch on, but he knows how important this all is, so I doubt he'd interfere. This way everyone can use the ship, Max stays happy about things, and everything's smooth sailing...figuratively and literally."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Rhone was standing at the end of the table, having quietly walked inside during Hunter's rambling.

"I approve. I'll pitch that idea to Max. It'll work."

He glances at Azriel for a moment and folds his arms.

"Blues, when you're done, I need to have a word with you now that I've finished my...previous engagements. It's important. You'll know where to go."

With that, Rhone exits the room again and heads outside.

Hunter shrugs and relaxes his demeanor a bit.

"That could've gone worse."

Rin laughed lightly as Azriel mentioned how she liked to stand in the crow's nest with her wings stretched out. "Feel like the queen of the world up there? It does give a good view though." He said then glanced at Eduardo. Grinning a bit, he walked over behind him. "Come on, Ed!" He would smack the back of Eduardo's shoulder in a friendly manner. "A little water won't hurt anyone...well, unless if you're made a fire."

"Actually, we do have a friend who was afraid of water." ^.^; Colette said, remembering how Raine was so afraid of water. Of course, the Professor had tried to deny her fear.

"Seriously?" o.o "Huh, that's a shame." His feline ears then twitched from hearing Hunter's chuckle. "I actually curious to see your ship for myself." He blinked for a moment as he listened to Hunter speak more.

"So pretty much, we'll have to be part of the crew in order for us to use your ship?" Sirea asked before her fox ears twitched from hearing Rhone speak. It would seem that he was fine with Hunter's idea. She blinked for a moment at Rhone's request for wanting to speak Azriel, though she shrugged it off as she glanced over to the female wingfolk. "It was nice talking with you as well, Azriel." She smiled a bit.

"Likewise, Azriel. I do hope you get rested up as well." Colette said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks Azriel! See ya later!" Lloyd saw the Wingfolk girl off with a wave.

"Who wouldn't get a good rest after a nice meal like this?" Rin asked with a grin. After watching Rhone and Azriel make their leave, he shifted his gaze back to Hunter. "Gone worse? I dunno....A guy like that wanting to speak with a pretty girl alone? If I've known any better, I'd say that Rhone likes her." He laughed a bit, only teasing about Rhone's feelings. "Seriously though, I'm glad he was cool with your idea."

Lloyd, now generally done with his meal, leaned back in his chair and answered Hunter's question with a proud smile. "Colette and I, we have a son staying with my adoptive dad back in Iselia. His name is Kratos, after my biological dad. He's got a great passion for crafting and inventing."

Hunter listens intently and ends up looking confused as Rin tells his story.

"See, that's something I don't get! I'm pretty sure the ears and tail don't make you...not you. I think that's what I'm trying to say, here...hold on, I gotta concentrate for a moment."

After closing his eyes for a few seconds, Hunter opens them again, now wearing a much more studious expression.

"The way I see it, if he's a fisherman, and you're part cat, wouldn't that make you extremely useful? I've seen cats catch fish out of the water with nothing but their claws. I've also seen how quick and agile you can be."

He takes another bite of meat and crosses his arms.

"People are so quick to judge someone unfavorably due to the most inconsequential differences...even if that person would provide them an incredible asset. Very foolish."

Within an instant Hunter's expression returns to normal.

"You've got a kid, Lloyd? If he's good at inventing things, he might be someone useful to have around...and I bet Max would really enjoy having someone to talk shop with."

Lloyd couldn't help but watch Hunter carefully as he spoke. Sometimes the young man seemed like naive, idealistic dolt he himself was like a century ago, but for a few moments he had this wise look in his eyes and posture. The contrast was too stark to escape notice.

He decided to add his two cents to Hunter and Rin's exchange, though with a crestfallen expression.

"It's easy to forget when you're the kind of person who learns and dares to look past it and seek understanding, but sadly and unfortunately, fear is still a powerful thing."

He pauses to take a drink and continues, "People hear how easily the Werefolks' condition is passed and are afraid of becoming like something they've always thought is beneath them. On another note, while it's completely understandable, it also doesn't help when some Werefolk lash back out of bitterness and frustration, giving rise and fueling the unsavory rumors surrounding them. It's all just one...sad and disappointing cycle."

He shrugs. "I guess the best we can do is to keep on being the change we want to see in the world. It can't be helped that it's a slow process, but surely more people who think like we do will become less afraid to act more openly on these ideals."

Now lightening up, he grinned and replied to Hunter's remarks about his son, "Heh, well, yeah Kratos is pretty good but he still has quite a challenge ahead of him before he's on par with Dad. He likes to take up a lot of his time perfecting his craft, but I'm sure he'll be glad to lend a hand any way he can. I think he'll get along pretty well with all of you."

Lloyd was a little startled and caught off-guard at Lilith's jab and her apparent knowledge of his biological father's true nature, but before he said anything about it, he caught himself in an "oh yeah" kind of moment. He had openly shown his wings on a few occasions, so it simply must've been that Lilith put two and two together.

He also noticed her mood suddenly take a dip. Given the subject matter, he figured it might've been something deeply personal...he considered not prodding, but also thought a little venting could help her. A little comfort in being able to talk about troubles could serve to strengthen a group bond. "Hmm? Lilith? Something wrong?" If she really didn't want to talk about it, she could just say so. But if there was anything old experiences taught him, there was a chance that what was bothering her could be something important for the rest of the group to know, that could save them a lot of time.

~~~

[Continuing from the side event: Discoveries in Frozen Time]

After that whole spell challenge she just got over with, Azriel had proceeded to the variety shop Toyama to see if she could gather what Eloysio was requesting. She was, however, directed by the shopkeeper that she would have better luck going to the village fabric weaver's shop. After making it there, she bought up a few yards of a few different kinds of fabric, and finding that her husband also processed leather, bought some of that as well.

She proceeded to store those things in the room she was going to be using for the overnight stay, then went back outside just to enjoy a simple walk, exploring more of the town while at the same time look for Rhone to hear of any results of his inquiries with Sheena.

~~~

After a few moments, one of those nearby voices gave a shout. "Here! Subject appears to gone over here!"

But very much fortunately, that voice wasn't projected in the direction the tired figure was running. It, along with accompanying footfalls of a group, actually seemed to go in the opposite direction. Unbeknownst to the person and the group pursuing him, they were actually chasing a ninja illusion.

From the shadows near where the person stopped to hide and catch a breather, a voice called out in fair warning once the pursuing party's noise sounded far enough away.

"...Lord Christopher? Is that you...?"

It was just one of Sheena's low-ranking field agents stepping out from behind the nearby trees, followed by a couple more. They stopped at a comfortable distance so as to not startle him badly. Their eyes betrayed no emotion, but he was surprised at how the young man's appearance was...kind of abnormal. Still, the Chief wouldn't want her son to be regarded any differently.

Rin blinked for a moment as he noticed Hunter's expression as he gave his two-cents while the feline werefolk's ears would twitch every now and then. "Becoming a werefolk was a bit scary at first to be honest. Aside from all the hostility towards werefolk, it's not so bad after a while. I mean, who haven't ever thought of what it's like to be to be a certain animal they're fond of like a bird, a cat, a wolf, or whatever? Being werefolk is kinda like that. Too bad not many people would think that." A purr then escape his throat from Hunter mentioning how quick and agile Rin could be. "Why thank you. I've been doing alot of fishing, even after leaving Izoold. Perhaps I could help catch some fish for you all sometime." He said with a grin. "Me and my bro had always enjoyed going fishing together. There were times he would take me with him on his fishing trips, while other times his girlfriend would watch over me." His expression then soften before sighing a bit. "I wish he could see past that. He was really upset that I kept getting bit a secret."

"Perhaps he will someday. I think that deep down he still cares for you, Rin." Colette said with a small smile.

He purred more from listening to Colette. "I'd like to think that too." His gaze then shifted to Lloyd as the red-clad swordsman gave his two-cents on the matter. "Sad, but true."

"It's even more hurtful when you're given such hostility from your own family. They see it like their loved one had died and a monster had taken their place." Sirea said with a frown as she shook her head.

"It's hurtful alright." He lowered his gaze for a moment. "However..." He said as he then looked up to Lloyd. "I got something good out of the whole thing, despite it all. I got to meet you, Colette, and Sheena, and learn alot about you guys aside from all the rumors and stories I've heard about your journey." He said with a smile. "Not only that, I got to meet some new friends, and got a hug from a pretty girl." He laughed a bit. His ears twitched as Hunter and Lloyd spoke about Kratos. "I would like to meet your son sometime. I can bet he could be as fun to be around with like you and Colette."

"I'm certain he would like to meet you all as well." Colette said with a smile.

"If we do have him around, perhaps traveling with us could help him discover new things for his craft." Rin said with a nod. It was then both his and Sirea's ears perked up from hearing what Lilith had said regarding Lloyd's biological father. "Seraphim?" Both werefolk said in unison.

Sirea's heterochromic eyes widen as she glanced at Lloyd. "Wait a minute. Am I hearing this right? Your father...is an angel?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Gadzooks, Lloyd!" emotion_jawdrop "Who would've thunk..." Rin kept his shocked expression for a moment before he shook his head. "Wow. The son of an angel....Does that mean you can sprout wings like Colette does?" He asked curiously.

Colette had a sheepish expression from watching the two werefolk's reaction before she had noticed the serious expression was making. The blonde Chosen's expression had changed to that of concern until Lilith mentioned that it was nothing to worry about. "If you do need to talk, we'll be more than happy to help in any way we can."

Rhone would find that he had opened the door to....a showering room. It looked like it had been used very recently, in fact, there was still a puddle of soap suds slowly spiraling into the drain.

But VERY much fortunately for him, there wasn't an unsuspecting naked Sheena inside. Instead, bathrobed-and-wet-hair-bundled-up-in-a-towel-turban Sheena was right behind him. She was a ninja, after all.

She made an exasperated sigh and a slightly ticked-off expression as she crossed her arms. For goodness' sake, this was her home, her private space, and he just barged in like that? "Rhone, would it have killed you to knock and be a little more patient?" she questioned with an annoyed growl in her voice. She might have seemed surprisingly calm, but her yelling was more reserved for the kind of barging in for the sake of being a pervert. Which she might have misinterpreted if Rhone had flung that door open a little earlier. Cocking an eyebrow in suspicion, she added, "How...did you get in, anyway? I was sure I locked my door..."

~~~

Lloyd jolted a bit, very startled and surprised to find out that his nature as an angel perhaps wasn't as common knowledge as he thought. "Eheheh...yeah? I wouldn't unfurl my wings here, though. I have no idea why, but they ended up weirdly huge. sweatdrop

My angel background...it's kind of a long story better saved for another time. Maybe after we've got this all sorted out and have all the time in the world to just settle down and talk like this more." Glancing out a window, he noticed the sun was already starting to set. "Gotta get all rested up so we can set out feeling great tomorrow. Time sure flies, huh?"

~~~

Azriel hadn't realized it, but she was beginning to wander into an area of Mizuho that was more residential than a place where social activity was common. Eventually she chanced upon a more ornate-looking house where Max was leaning back idly by the front door, appearing to be waiting for something. And then she noticed that front door seemed to be left wide open. That struck her as odd; no matter where, people wouldn't just leave their houses open like that. Especially if they lived in an important-looking house like this?

Oscuro smirked. "Pfft. This looks an awful lot like a breaking-and-entering situation."

Eloysio made an amused sort of huff. "Oh, come now. Max hasn't shown herself to be a common thief."

"I know that, but we don't know a whole lot about these people yet either." ;P

Curious, Azriel drew closer. "Uh...Max? What's going on here?"

~~~

The ninjas that had approached Christopher grew alarmed when he fainted. The one that had first spoke rushed to his side.

"Bring him to the infirmary! I will go inform the Chief that her son has been found!"

The two accompanying ninjas nodded and went over to pick up Christopher; one supporting him under each of his arms and carrying him off as quickly as he could.