Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter, its world or its characters. Only the original characters - Mar and Ulfvar - and this story are mine.

Author's note: Yes, I know Mar means "sea" in Spanish and Portuguese. When I started Where x There's x Smoke, I had no intention of taking Mar on a sea voyage, or even writing another story about her at all. By the time I finished that story, I had begun telling myself the tale of Mar and Morel's next adventure - this time at sea. The pun associated with Mar's name is not intended.

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We met Ulfvar at a noodle shop in Dolle Harbor. Shoot, who had recently lost his father and was eager to distract himself, had joined Morel, Knuckle, and me after our recent adventure searching for and eliminating a Nen-user who was driving Hunters insane. With nothing pressing to do, Morel had decided to search for the tentacled shark. To date, the only proof of its existence was the pieces found in the stomachs of Reev's whales.

"The odd thing is that Reev's whales don't normally seem to eat creatures larger than small fish," Morel said. "No one's found the remains of animals like seals or dolphins in the whales' stomachs. Why three whales have been discovered with pieces of these sharks in their bellies is a mystery."

Morel's boat, the Sea Fog, was relatively small, but he wanted a fifth crew member, so he arranged to interview Ulfvar, a rookie Hunter who had practically grown up on the ocean. The lanky man who approached our table looked barely out of his teens. He had blond hair that hadn't seen a comb in a while, and both of his arms were covered with colorful tattoos. "Hey, boss!" he said, taking the empty seat at the table. "I recognize you from the elections for the 13th Chairman!" Looking at me, he added, "I didn't know there was going to be a woman with us."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Not at all," he said "I really like women... if you know what I mean." He grinned.

Morel frowned. "Mar Switzer is a pro Hunter," he said, "You'll grant her the respect she deserves. And, I'm not your boss yet. This is an interview."

I was glad that Morel had introduced me as a pro Hunter, rather than mentioning our relationship. As far as I was concerned, who I was to Morel, and who he was to me, should have no bearing on how Ulfvar treated me. The fact that Morel seemed to see the situation the same way I did was just one more thing I loved about him.

"Of course," Ulfvar said. "Sorry about that." He extended his hand to me, and I accepted it, but I didn't smile.

For Ulfvar's benefit, Morel repeated what the rest of us knew: He planned to search for the sharks in the warm waters off the Yorbian continent, where Reev's whales could be found at this time of year. Ulfvar in his turn mentioned that besides being a skilled seaman, he had the ability to conjure spears. That was important, because my ability to identify Nen users at a distance wasn't going to come in handy on this mission, and Knuckle's APR was also unnecessary for the voyage.

Ulfvar was more than ready to join us, but Morel didn't want to decide on his participation without consulting his team. "I'll call you tonight and let you know," he said, dismissing him.

"What do you think? Should we take him on?" Morel asked after Ulfvar left. His questions were meant for all of us, but he looked pointedly at me.

"I think the guy's a little sleazy," said Knuckle.

"He apologized," Shoot remarked. "After that, he seemed fine. It would be good to have another Sea Hunter on this trip."

Morel was still looking at me. Apology or not, I didn't like the kid, but if I said that, Morel was sure to tell Ulfvar he wouldn't take him on. I hated to deny a young Hunter an opportunity like this, and I knew he'd be a useful crew member, so I swallowed my objections. "He did apologize," I said. "Let's go ahead and ask him to join us."

"Are you sure, Mar?" Morel asked. "I'd like you to make the call on this one. I don't want to take on someone who will disrupt the team."

"Yes," I said firmly. I figured Morel had set him in his place, and if he hadn't... well, I could handle him.

We decided to spend the night on the Sea Fog so that we could be ready to go soon after Ulfvar joined us. Knuckle and Shoot had been on board before, but Morel showed me around with great pride. I was... stunned. I had been on boats before, of course, but my overnight voyages had always been on large ships. The Sea Fog was tiny, barely big enough for the five of us. We'd all be sleeping belowdecks, crammed together without much room to move between our hammocks. I felt a little claustrophobic.

"What do you think?" Morel asked with a smile.

I wasn't about to insult his baby, so I just said, "She's cozy."

Morel laughed. "You'll grow to love her, Mar. It's not like camping in the open air, but you'll have a wonderful time."

I did my best to give him a confident smile. I hope so, Morel. Otherwise it's going to be a long trip.