[Fortunately, they were not sworn enemies due to opposing sides (and a one-sided curb stomp battle) this time round! No, Byleth was a Meridian, and upon sighting him the two grabby Meridians attempting to abscond with Shez lit up with recognition. It was only recently that Byleth had helped destroy the portals that allowed dangerous monsters to roam free over the island of Alenroux, so he, along with others of that expedition team, were something like celebrities amongst the Meridians. They were the talk of the town!

Byleth, of course, found such open display of admiration distinctly uncomfortable, so quickly taking stock of the situation and how it was going to develop into potentially the both of them trapped by overeager fans, wisely used the power of time manipulation to get out of this awkward social situation - as Sothis had clearly intended when gifting him this power.

First, though...]

Ah, yes, I need to discuss something with my friend here. Excuse me-

[Cue Byleth boldly reaching over to scruff Shez like he was a cat before the world went... weird. It seemed to shudder to a slow, grinding halt, bleeding of all colour and infused with a creeping chill that wasn't enough to make one shudder, but one keenly aware of it all the same. Byleth, used to the disquieting effect of frozen (heh) time, just yanked Shez free from the now still Meridians and began hustling him.]

Quickly now, I can't hold this for longer than twenty seconds at most...

[He was already beginning to feel the strain!]