Once the elevator had stopped and they were able to get off, he saw that Luggnagg had elected to wait for them in the heliport. Their transport had been arranged beforehand—he'd made certain that the staff had known of this as far in advance as was feasible.

"It's certainly good to see you again, Fried'rich," Luggnagg greeted cordially. "And it's very nice to see that you decided to come along with us." The dark-skinned Zoalord smiled, stepping forward to pat the boy's head.

"Thanks, Mr. Luggnagg," Kenji said, obviously pleased with the attention he was receiving.

"Oh, and I brought something for you to eat while we travel," Luggnagg said, smiling as he handed over a small brown bag.

"Thanks a lot!"

He guided the young Zoalord to his place inside the helicopter, helping him to get settled in the seat and making certain that he knew how to work his harness. With the way his father tended to coddle him, it was likely that he was unaware of how to use one. Merely seeing the act repeated however many times was not really equivalent to being taught. However, the boy was rather adept at handling the task. It was good to know that he could take care of himself to that extent, at least.

Briefing the pilot on his assigned course (it was likely that Luggnagg had given him directions already, but it was always best to be certain), Fried'rich turned back to Kenji when he heard a loud crunch. The food that Luggnagg had given him to eat was evidently chocolate chip cookies.

"Mind you don't eat them all before we arrive," he said, mildly incensed that Luggnagg would have been so cavalier as to give the boy sweets.

He was not looking forward to dealing with a hyper child-Zoalord once the boy had managed to fully metabolize the cookies. Dealing with him in his usual frame of mind was taxing sometimes, as he'd managed to forget almost completely the curiosity and eagerness of the young. Understandable, of course: he had spent most of his time dealing with those who had left childhood well behind years ago. Now that he was going to be spending so much time with Kenji, though, he would have ample time to relearn of it. Perhaps it would be best if he thought of the boy as an apprentice; he was, after all, going to be teaching him about the inner workings of Chronos.

Turning to watch the boy as he continued to eat, apparently heedless of Fried'rich's earlier admonition, the Zoalord in question sighed inaudibly. It would not do to have the boy disobeying him so blithely once they had reached the Pillars of Heaven—another thing that he would have to teach Imakarum's son. No time like the present, I suppose. Reaching out, he took the bag of cookies; it weighed enough that he knew there were at least three more contained therein.

"Why did you take my cookies, Mr. Fried'rich?" the child asked plaintively.

"Yes, why did you take the boy's food?" Luggnagg asked, turning a look that Fried'rich took to be mildly reproving in his direction. "He seemed to be enjoying it."

Fried'rich sighed. -You know as well as I do that children tend to become overstimulated when they are given sugared treats with nothing to eat beforehand. And I know for a fact that the only thing Kenji was doing before he came to meet with us was packing his things.-

To Kenji he said, "We're going to have dinner when we reach the Pillars of Heaven." Such had been their plan even if Kenji had decided to remain at Cloud Tower; he was not lying to the boy. "You will spoil your appetite if you eat any more."

Such a thing was not true in his experience: Zoalords could consume as much food as they pleased. It was something to do with their advanced metabolism—Dr. Balkus would likely know all there was to know about it. But such were more things that Kenji would not be able to understand at this juncture, and it was best to restrict their conversation to lighter topics at this time.

"We're going to have lunch there?" Kenji asked, bringing Fried'rich's attention back to the present moment from whence it had wandered.

"Indeed," he said, smiling gently; the boy really was quite charming when he was calm. "Once we have had the opportunity to settle into the base, we will eat."

"Are we going to stay there real long?"

"About a month or two, I would say," he said, watching Kenji's face for any signs of hesitance. He did not know how the boy would react to the thought of being separated from his father for so long. "Though you are free to leave whenever you wish."

Since he was still observing Kenji, looking for any unhappiness that Kenji might be expressing, Fried'rich saw Luggnagg reaching over to pat the boy's head. It was good that he was making such a concerted effort to connect with the boy. Imakarum would doubtless appreciate knowing that his son was making more friends among the Great Council of Chronos. At the very least, the man would appreciate the fact that Kenji was well liked and would very likely be well protected.

XxXxX

As he continued to observe the young Zoalord, making gestures that would ingratiate him to the child and make the boy more inclined to trust him, he also kept an eye on Fried'rich. If his fellow Zoalord was going to insist on making an impasse of himself, then he was going to have to find ways to work around him. Getting the boy to mistrust the Zoalord of Lightning was obviously out of the question: the demonstration of affection between them was too deep to be feigned, even ignoring the fact that the boy was too naïve to feign anything in the first place.

It would be far too time consuming to work that way. He would just have to make sure that he arranged to have some time alone with the boy. This plan of his was audacious; that was what Khan or Hiyern were likely to say. But then, what was the point of eternal life, such as was enjoyed by all Zoalords, if it was not the risking of that same thing? Life without risk quickly became boring; an eternal one would have of course been interminable.

Moreover, playing these kinds of games with Imakarum's son – protective as a mother bear, that one – given his obvious favor in the company, was quite a risk. It also promised quite a gain if he played well, but Fried'rich would definitely prove to be an obstacle to their plans. He was far too loyal to Alkanphel to ever be trusted, as were Waferdanos, Shin, and most of the rest of the Council. The only one who might have been willing to see things in a different light was Gyou, and that man had been far too impulsive – far too forward – to ever be of any use to the kind of long-term plans that he, Khan, and Hiyern had set up.

Long-term was indeed the best way to do things such, especially when your own colleagues were privy to your innermost thoughts as a matter of course. None of them would be so intrusive as to actually read another Zoalord's mind without his expressed consent, but the threat of exposure was always there. It was part of what made things so interesting, and most of the reason that Gyou had failed so spectacularly. Supreme Overlord Alkanphel was not a man to be trifled with.

The boy seemed to be settling down now, having been placated by Fried'rich with the promise of having his sweets back after he'd eaten some proper food, so that was one less thing to stress over. The easiest way to make any child like you was to give them sweets, after all—something he'd learned over his time observing this boy and a few other children. Turning to look out the large windows of the transport, Luggnagg settled himself deeper into his seat. One way or another, this was going to be a most interesting journey.

XxXxX

Shin had been glad to see his old friend Fried'rich, and meeting the son that Imakarum was so clearly fond of was something he had been admittedly curious about, so having them both here – even if it was merely to conduct an inspection – was quite a treat. Even though they would be leaving for the Japan Section once they had inevitably ascertained that everything in the North American Section was in order, it was good to have the company of other Zoalords.

Krumeggnik, as was his wont, had chosen to dine alone. Shin was perfectly content with that, since he and the Ninth Zoalord had very little in common.

"So, how have things been at Cloud Tower?" he asked, looking to Fried'rich while doing his best to make it clear that Kenji was welcome to contribute to the conversation as well.

"Things are going rather well," Fried'rich said, pausing for a moment.

"You've no reason to be troubled over such good fortune on your part, my friend," he said, trying to reassure Fried'rich that, in spite of the many things that needed managing in this Section, he bore no ill-will toward him. "Kenji, you haven't said much," he stated, turning to regard Imakarum's son with curiosity. "Are you enjoying your stay here?"

"Yeah," the boy said with a nod, and Shin was pleased to note that he had the courtesy to swallow the food in his mouth before speaking. "It's really nice here. I…" He paused, clearly unsure what to say. "I kinda miss Dad, though." Oddly enough, the boy's gaze was focused on Fried'rich as he said this. "Is that okay, Mr. Fried'rich?"

"It's perfectly understandable, my boy," Shin said, reaching over to touch the boy's shoulder. -What have you been saying to him, Fried'rich?-

-Only that he needed to decide for himself if he truly wanted to come here,- Fried'rich paused, his eyes flickering briefly over the youngest of Chronos' Zoalords. -I think we all know that the way he clings to his father is not particularly healthy for either of them.-

-I suppose,- he conceded.

Anyone could see that Imakarum Mirabilis was far from the ideal father, or even the most stable of people, for the way he clung to the boy spoke of deep-seated fears. Considering the way the two of them had lived while they had been on the run from Chronos – an unfortunate situation that, but it was in the past now and the past could not be changed – it was understandable that they would feel that way about the other. It still did not make the relationship all that healthy, but understanding helped. Perhaps this temporary separation would prove beneficial to the both of them.