"Yup. They said they're relatives of yours." Flat explained as they walked. Cars and people begun passing by them. The noises which came from those mechanical machines, and the words which came from the organic machines mixed and melded into a blur.

It was just starting to transition to summer now, as noted by the dark grey and nigh-black clouds which rumbled across the sky every day. Water lingered in the air enough to be noticeable, stripping away the excess clothing some may have been wearing from the remnant cold that carried over. It must've been maybe 3 or 4 PM, but the sun barely punctured the defiant rain clouds, only emanating a somber, gray tone to all buildings and creatures alike.

Liam himself had never really been in the actual city of London, nor in any city of similar scale. He had to strain his senses to just keep up with Flat.

"Since they're affiliated with the Chinese's own Mages Association it was pretty hard for them to get any messages to you." He hummed, practically skipping along the sidewalk, as well as almost causing head on collisions with others walking past. "They said... something along the lines of 'we wanna talk to you about stuff' and 'meet us in Japan in two weeks.'" He nodded, happy with his clearly abridged retelling of events.

"Japan?" Liam furrowed his brows in confusion, at least initially. If he were to expect them to fight him again, then it wasn't a half bad move. While their own magecraft would still be fairly effective due to being further East, it also wasn't their homeland. Liam's own magecraft would operate fairly well too, due to the countries connection to the ocean.

Although, he truly hoped it wouldn't come to combat.

"How the hell am I supposed to come up enough money to travel in two weeks?" He huffed to himself. Since he got to the Clock Tower, he was, to put it nicely, penniless. He didn't make much money back in Canada as it was, and the Association didn't cover his ticket to London either.

Liam turned to Flat with a mischievous grin. His intent was clear from his green eyes.

"If only some sort of 'boy-genius', who happens to have blonde hair, could provide some financial support-"

"No can do, I'm afraid. All this money is for my new phone!" The boy exclaimed with a smile. Liam hung his head, dejected.

While he wouldn't beg, he definitely wouldn't give up.

- -

"Sorry, I just built my new PC," Svin said plainly.

"...I don't have any money," Gray muttered into the phone.

And just like that, he exhausted all possible options within ten minutes.

Liam let out an obnoxious sigh, throwing himself back onto his rock-hard mattress. He didn't really have any other "friends" he might be able to extort money from, and even if he did, he figured not many would be willing to foot the bill for a journey across a whole continent. Thus, he was forced to take drastic measures.

The phone rang exactly two rings before the man picked up the receiver.

"Lord El-Melloi II." He said drearily. Liam could practically hear the man trying to massage away a headache.

"Hey, this is Sinclair. I was-"

"If you are under the impression that I can loan you money, allow me to tear it down." He spoke immediately. Liam swore the man could read minds, but from consulting with other students of his, it appeared that his intellect was just that good.

"No, actually. Everyone knows you're flat broke too." He assured his teacher. As much as pointing out money issues may console a person. "I was wondering if you had any ideas for... alternative methods for traveling."

A silence hung between the two phones. The air between them took a suddenly serious turn as the Lord considered the question, exhausting all possibilities and finding the best solution for his student.

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"You could attempt to brainwash the workers at the airport. However, a single mistake may lead you to getting hunted down by the Association."

Liam's eyes widened. He had never even thought of using magecraft to get his ticket, although direct brainwashing wasn't exactly an action he'd like to take besides a last resort. Not to mention he was not at all confident in performing covert magic.

"I'll pass on that."

"Thought so." The Lord let out a small chuckle before continuing. "Touko Travel is a possibility, if you're not afraid at flying at 70 miles per hour-"

He perked up at the suggestion, but before he could voice his enthusiasm, the thought was quickly shut down by the words,

"-on a broom."

"Hell no."

El-Melloi let out a louder laugh this time. He began to talk over the magical efficiency of such a method, such as how the distance between the anchors leading to Japan would be far too energy-taxing for Liam, as well as the concept of "males flying on brooms" not having much strength in humanities unconscious. Right around the point where Liam felt the urge to shout at the man lecturing him, El-Melloi froze.

"...her again." He could hear the man mumble to himself, sitting eagerly to hear the breakthrough his teacher had made. The Lord let out a sigh before regressing to their original topic.

"One of your fellow classmates will actually be traveling to Japan tomorrow." El-Melloi explained. "I'm sure she would appreciate an assistant helping her with the cargo."

Liam paused at his words, the gears in his head slowly turning.

"...this wouldn't happen to be that 'Devil' I met, would it?"

His teachers silence spoke volumes.

- -

It was when he arrived at the dock that they met again.

The clouds were surprisingly compliant that early morning, although with the sun just now rising, the sky still had a cool blue blanket laid over it. The water itself seemed like an amethyst, an utterly dark shade of purple. The dock was as drab as Liam expected it be-the ground being made solely of a worn and grey concrete. The ships around him were of a weathered white and blue metal, which for some reason seemed oddly flimsy to Liam. As he watched numerous men and women carry crates onto the metal vessel, he saw Rin Tohsaka.

She wore much more practical clothing than last time he saw her. A white button down shirt tucked into dark brown, slim pants. Despite summer invading the country, the water seemed to call forth stronger winds than he was used to, leaving a heavy yet wet chill in the air. Rin turned after inspecting one of the wooden crates, her expression shifting quickly from surprise to amusement.

"I see you took my advice. You're my assistant?"

"Haha." Liam laughed sarcastically as he rubbed his arms for warmth. He hadn't anticipated such a sudden chill, wearing a simple white shirt with no collar and short sleeves. He was slightly happy his black hair grew out more, providing precious heat.

"If I wasn't broke, I'd be at a nice height of 30,000 feet, in a much more safe vessel." He continued, eyeing the boat behind the woman.

"Well seeing as you are broke, I'd appreciate it if you got a move on, assistant." Rin gestured to the cargo which was being transported.

Liam sighed before giving in, reinforcing his body to lift the boxes with ease.

They managed to finish within an hour, leaving the boy caked with sweat despite his body being enhanced. The moisture only added to the increasing chill. Rin nodded as the two boarded the ship, as if she was only barely satisfied with the workers’ job. Once the ship was moving, she led him down to his makeshift bedroom.

While the cargo was stored at the very bottom of the ship, the crews living quarters was the next level up, separated by several feet of dense, heavy metal. Above that was the deck.

"So why the sudden trip?" The woman questioned as they walked through the metal halls. It made Liam suddenly feel claustrophobic, for a reason he couldn't quite understand. The fact that practically all of the ship was made out of some form of metal sent chills down his spine. The image of metal in his mind was of sharpness-a thin, dangerous, but likewise delicate object used for a specific purpose. Seeing such a large contraption made out of it didn't fit in his small view of reality.

"Family, sort of." He responded eventually, walking beside her through the narrow corridor. "It's complicated."

"Ah." She let out a sound that Liam assumed was a sort of apology for bringing it up. They stopped at one of the many doors through the hall, where she pulled down the handle and pushed open the door to his quarters.

"What about you? Just hired to protect the goods?" Liam questioned, referring to the many crates that was inside of the ship.

"Yeah, but also for a small vacation. My hometown is in Japan." Rin explained, gesturing for him to enter.

The room was frighteningly similar to his room at the Norwich Dormitories. A small and uncomfortable looking bed sat in the left corner, while a small wooden desk was pushed against the right way directly across from it. There was no closet or bureau, though he never expected to have one in the first place. Liam walked in and tossed his bag onto the bed, turning around as he got a feel for the room.

"So, you gonna hold up your end of the deal?"

Rin went to close the door but stopped, looking at him with confused eyes. Liam grinned as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I'm your unofficial assistant right? Now you have to teach me to fight."

She rolled her eyes before slamming the door shut. Liam took that as a yes.