"I'll have some of that wine from last time, if there's any left," he says to Ryou, meaning it both as a polite request and a coded way of saying hey, are we cool before perching on the arm of the couch, careful to keep his wings out of the way of the lion's claws.

"The Lighthouse? No, its mission is to help all monsters regardless of who they do or don't follow, how long they've been here, or whether they're trying to get home or not. So I can't, you know, glorify the Fog in the process of Lighthouse business because that would show a bias. But the humans? Honestly, the only thing that's going to affect is the Casino, but ... it was inevitable given how many of Her people work there. One of us was bound to do something big sooner or later."

He gives a heavy sigh. "I hate to say it, but ... you guys might not want to come around when it's busy. I can give you keys to the back door so you can come visit or play at night, though. I'm not gonna completely shut you out, that'd be bullshit."