"...I'll go along with this if you can convince them to let me tour their ship. If it's not a wreck waiting to happen, I'm in."

"Common sense! I like that in a young man."

Rilah sighs. "Well, I can't say I don't miss how things used to be. And we can't do nothing."

"It's decided, apparently. What arrangements do we need to make?"

"Me and mine will need blood for the journey, but I think we can manage with rats. I took the liberty of preparing us sets of documentation in case we encounter the powers that be."

"We'll be on foot for some of the trip? I could probably make a small walker to carry our things, once we're done with the crab-ship. Could be a useful escape tool too."

"That would be helpful, yes." 

Meanwhile, in the paddock next to the inn, Winona's children are making a friend, at least hopefully.

"So...you're a werewolf?" he says, too low for humans to hear.

"Yeah. And you're vampires?"

"Yep. Hardly seems like it sometimes, though."

"I knooow. 'Don't change here, Sam. They might see you, Sam.' My mom's nice but we never get to be wolfy together..."

"And pretending to be clumsy."

"I had to pretend to be sick one time because the other girls in class were getting suspicious I never did."

"Once I managed to scrape my knee. I had to run off before anyone saw how not hurt I was."

"What do you think our moms are talking about? And who was that other guy?"

"Mum said it was about a 'change of pace for us'. And he smelt birdy."

"Yeah he smelt birdy, but I don't know who he is."

"We must interrogate him!"

"He doesn't look quite adult. Think he's, like, thirty? I wonder what his job is?"

"I heard him talking to the inn-keeper about fixing his boiler. Maybe he's an engineer or something?"

"That makes sense. Engineers get paid lots these days."

"Hey, if we can get out of sight of the humans, we show you ours, you show us yours?"

"Could be fun. But mom wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I go off on my own."

"Ah, but you're not going off on your own. You're going off with us two." 

"Hm..." She's carefully considering...

She never gets to do anything.

"If you can find a good spot, maybe."