A questionably-well-dressed man offering candy to small children would have raised eyebrows, even in York Shin, had not everybody been busy buying and selling in the crowded marketplace. As it was, something as small and insignificant as taking her eyes off her father for an instant meant she had been swallowed up by the crowd completely. With no one and nothing familiar in sight, a questionably-well-dressed man stopping to ask if she was all right was all it took.

Mars walked down the long dock to where he was supposed to meet the others with the hand of his new acquaintance in his. 

“Mister, are you taking me home now?”

“Yes child, I just have a short errand I have to take care of on the way. It shouldn’t take long, and when it’s done, I’ll bring you directly to your home. Honestly, you’re lucky I’m the one who ran into you. This city is no place for a child to be alone. There are bad people who could snatch you right up!”

As he said it, Mars grabbed the girl and threw her into the air above his head, catching her under the arms as she fell and tickling her into laughter. 

“Yeah, daddy told me that it’s dangerous to be alone and not to talk to strangers.”

“He sounds very smart.”

“Uh huh, he is!”

Uncertain of the exact airship he was looking for, Mars pulled out his phone to confirmed the location. The girl looked up at it and asked if he could call her parents.

“I would child, but I don’t know their number. If you do, I can call them right here and now.”

The child bit her lip and pouted. She obviously hadn’t memorized her parent’s number. No surprise, very few children her age did.

“No matter, so long as the address you told me is right, I should be able to get you home without any problem.” At this his companion brightened again. Adorable, how easily their minds worked. So adorable. Mars allowed a grin to stretch across his face.

Mars finally found his airship, right where it was supposed to be. How odd, that. What would something be doing being where it was supposed to be? How odd. The man’s grin broke into joyous laughter, startling his companion and earning him a confused look.

He pointed at the ship and explained, “The ship, it’s also a whale. Does that mean it swims as well as flies?” She was thoroughly confused at this point, not only at her savior’s mannerisms, but also at his destination. He noticed this. “Don’t worry my dear; the business I have to take care of involves the ship." He noticed two individuals standing a short distance away. "And it appears it will be taking place on the dock, so no worries." He smiled down at her in reassurance.

He walked over two the two people who were talking, but the girl's hand slipped from his grasp. "What is it? Shy? I'll be right over there talking to those people, so if you want to you can stay right here. Don't worry, no one will harm you, not with me around." He grinned at her uncertainty. Adorable.

“U-um, I’ll stay with you.”

Mars grinned. “Very well, I prefer it that way too.” He turned back towards the pair, and right into a wave of En, causing his good-natured grin to slip and fall upside-down for an instant. But then the good-natured grin was back in place, and he was introducing himself two the two.

"Hello, my name is Mars Mondelez." His smile appeared genuine, but for an instant his eyes met the good doctor's, and what they said then would have seemed to contradict the smile. "And this is Kati," he said with an even wider smile as he lifted up the young girl. "I would like to know the ship's policy on pets."