. Oscar can you do the disclaimer?Oscar: SparkyIceblaze135 does not own Rwby it is owned by Roosterteeth.Me: Enjoy and if you like Rwby and Oscar centric stories you should check out my fanfic Cloqwork family.
Oscar watched Jaune storm up the stairs, followed closely by Nora and Ren. He couldn't help but flinch back as Jaune walked past him, merely seconds ago hitting his back on the wall where he could already feel a bruise forming. He tried to be suprised when he looked back at team Ruby and saw each pair go their separate ways, all voicing their worry if team JNR would be ok.
He sighed sadly because he couldn't act suprised that they had forgotten to ask him if he was ok, no one did as usual. Not when Qrow punched Ozpin and he was sent flying into a tree, not when he showed up out of the blue as Ozpin's new vessel, not once. Oscar smiled sadly, it suprised him that they even knew his name though it was all they did know since no one really talked to him... So no one got to know him...
He was standing alone in the living room, alone as usual. Would they even notice if he left? He felt tightness in his chest like he was suffocating. Tears were threatening to spill and he finally ran out the door he had been staring at for the past few minutes. He ran, running to where he wasn't sure but he wouldn't and couldn't stop, not even to apologise to the countless people he ran into.
Finally he felt his legs slow down and crumbled to his knees before looking at his surroundings. He was atop a cliff ledge by a forest on the outskirts of Argus. Oscar sat down by a tree and hugged his legs against his chest, what was he even doing here? The thought had danced around his mind for months but he got no answer, usually Ozpin would either help encourage him and give him the confidence to continue by trying to show him just how important he was to the team. Other times he would distract him with a tale of one of his previous lives, he wished Ozpin was here with him but understood why he wasn't.
Honestly if he could dissappear into his mind like Ozpin did he would've, he had time to think about his predacessors dissappearance and the revalations from Jinn and realised just how confused and jaded Ozpin had become. He was afraid to trust them, he was an adult and the teacher to most of the group and decades of experience may have taught him to hide things. Oscar just hopped that once Ozpin returned they could all talk properly but for now he didn't hold resentment towards him, he was human and had faults and many mistakes to his name they'd just have to work through them together.
A sad smile made its way to his face as he wiped tears from his eyes, a memory stirred in his mind of when his aunt had told him a similar thing when he saw some arguing children at a village they were visiting to sell crops. She mentioned that the children would be friends again when they talked about what was wrong and made amends together. He sniffled, taking the quilted scarf out of his pocket it had belonged to his mother.
His aunt. What must she think? All he had left her was a letter, she must hate him he sobbed, clutching the scarf tightly. Oscar missed her very much, he couldn't help but feel sad whenever he saw Qrow ruffle his nieces hair and make them laugh much like his aunt did for him.
Oscar didn't notice himself moving towards the cliff till he was sat dangling his feet over it. He noted that it was quite a long way down, his thoughts spiraled back to thinking of what he was doing here? Yeah, he was Ozpin's vessel and yeah he wanted to be more than a farm hand. But he wasn't needed, Ozpin was needed and the thought had drilled its way into his mind and recent events had only solidified that notion.
"Oscar?!" A voice called out and footsteps became faster and louder as they approached him. He didn't need to turn to see who it was and frankly he didn't want to turn around and face him. Jaune emerged from the forest and landed his worried yet relieved gaze on the farm boy. He sent a quick message on his scroll to the others to inform them that he had found Oscar and walked over to the farm boy but something was off.
"Oscar I'm... I'm so sorry for earlier.. I was way out of line earlier, and I'm sorry." Apologised Jaune, Oscar nodded mutely but in truth he was barely paying attention. All he could think about were the voices in his head, the voice of Qrow who told him reaffirmed that he would be just another of Ozpins lives, the anger and disgust in Yangs voice when she mentioned Ozpin that looked directly at him and Jaune earlier not believing he was himself.
The silence was unnerving to Jaune who stood awkwardly, he felt terrible for what had transpired earlier and wanted nothing more than to be able to make up with Oscar but the younger teen had barely acknowledged his presence. His gaze never left the sea, watching the waves slam themselves against the cliff side. "So erm.. We should probably be heading back, they'll be starting on dinner and Saff makes a great casserole." Rambled Jaune as he turned around to head back to the others.
However Oscar didn't move, a sound barely above a whisper made its way from his lips." Go on without me." Jaune stopped midstep and turned back to Oscar and let out a suprised " huh?" He hasn't expected to hear that or the amount of pain and defeat dripping of Oscar's voice. "I said, go on without me. Go back to Ruby and the others without me, tell them I got lost or something." Repeated Oscar, looking down, he just wanted Jaune to leave him in peace they all do it all the time so why was it the one time he asked for it, it wasn't given.
"Why? Why would you want me to that? Are you ok, Oscar?" Asked Jaune in concern, Oscar froze before all hell broke lose. He spun around to face Jaune and walked up to him, pushing him back and onto the ground in fury. "OK?! Do I look ok to you?! It's not like I've spent the last few months worrying over the fact I'm going to merge souls with Ozpin! It's not like I up and left my house to go on some journey and left my aunt only a letter behind! It's not like I've been constantly ignored and belittled while I've been here and now I'm everyone's punching bag! Except, THAT'S ALL TRUE AND I'M TIRED OF IT! SO NO I'M NOT OK, JAUNE!"
Jaune meanwhile was looking up at him in shock, he had no idea this is how Oscar felt he doubted that anyone did and that made him feel guilty. "Oscar... I'm sorry I had no idea...Please come back to the house, we can all talk about this." He pleaded, getting up but Oscar wasn't done, the floodgate to all his repressed emotions had opened and it wasn't shutting anytime soon. "Didn't you hear me?! I'm not going back! Why should I after all I've had to put up with, I don't belong here with all of you, I'm just Ozpins vessel! Aren't I?!" He screamed, rage and pain echoing out of his tone that Jaune could practically hear the grim approaching from afar, he discreetly sent an emergency message to the others to hurry because he was at a complete loss of what to do.
Tears were spilling out of Oscar's eyes as he sank to his knees holding his head. Those aforementioned voices were louder and jumbling up his thoughts. He just wanted it all to stop, for all his pain and loneliness to just go away. The others didn't deserve this. Ozpin didn't deserve to have a vessel that was useless like him. Realization flickered in his eyes as he looked over at the cliff side, Oscar walked over transfixed while Jaune called out to him "Oscar! Careful, you could fall."
Oscar stopped just as he got to the edge and turned to face Jaune, what suprised Jaune the most was that Oscar was smiling. Mere seconds ago the farm boy looked to be in the middle of a mental breakdown but now he was smiling, his whole form looked lighter and carefree but it put Jaune on edge. "Oscar?" He asked, unconsciously walking closer to him.
"Don't worry, I've figured it out. Im sorry though, for all the trouble you'll have trying to refind Ozpin but hey they'll probably be better suited for this than me." He put down Ozpins cane and looked Jaune on the eye whos eyes were wide in horror as he put the pieces together mentally. "Tell the others I fell or that I got attacked out here. But they'll probably forget it in the morning so I'll save you guys the trouble of a burial."
With that Oscar closed his eyes and took a step back off the cliff. Time seemed to slow down, Oscar saw his aunt cradel his younger self in her arms when he ran to her in the night where she'd chase away the nightmares. He saw his life as a farm hand, meeting Ozpin, Qrow RNJR, all of it flashed through his mind along with memories that were and weren't his at the same time. For once in the past few months he was calm and at peace as he plummeted into the sea with a splash.
"OSCAR!" Screamed Jaune in horror, no he couldn't let this happen. He had already lost Pyrrha and than almost Weiss, he wasn't going to lose Oscar two. Throwing off his armour and sword he dived into the sea and swam underwater where Oscars limp body was descending. He wasted no time in hauling Oscars body into his arms and swimming upwards, Jane's blood ran cold as his head broke threw the water and he gasped for air but Oscar remained motionless.
Elsewhere, back at the Cotta-Arc House, Maria, Qrow, team RWBY along with Ren and Nora were preparing dinner with Ren and Nora talking about seeing Pyrrha's statue when the news suddenly switched on. Lisa Lavender stood where the cartoons were on a few seconds ago to Adrian's displeasure. "Breaking news from Argus, a large monstrous sea grim has emerged from the shore and is attacking the Atlas military base." She turned to see the godzilla like grim shooting fire at the airships attacking it. Ruby got up, Crescent Rose in hand when her scroll along with the others beeped showing an emergency SOS message from Jaune along with his location.
"This doesnt look good, come on. Jaune needs our help." Announces Ruby and while the others grabbed their weapons she turned into rose petals and zoomed on ahead making it to the cliff area in a matter of seconds. What she saw terrified her, Ozpin's cane was laying on the ground along with Jane's sword and armour. "Jaune! Oscar!" She called out worriedly, she jumped when she heard a faint yell from Jaune and peered over the cliff edge to see him holding onto to Oscar and trying to keep them both afloat.
Ruby's eyes widened in shock and she quickly jumped off, dissolving into rose petals and grabbing Jaune who held Oscar tightly in his arms and set them both onto the cliffside. "What happened?!" She asked Jaune who rested his ear on Oscar's chest before feeling for his pulse and relaxed when he found one, albeit weak. "I'll explain later, first we gotta get the water out of his lungs although... I'm not sure where to begin." He said looking down and trailing off, Ruby frowned but didn't push for answers instead she helped Jaune roll Oscar onto his side where he did indeed start convulsing and coughing up water.
What happened here?" Jaune and Ruby turned to see Qrow standing there along with the others. She turned to Jaune who was shaking, holding Oscar's limp hand tightly in his."First... We gotta get him to a hospital. He's shivering and shaking and he's been underwater for at least a minute." Replied Ruby, going into leader mode. Maria nodded, putting a hand on Oscar's pale forehead "looks like he's developing a fever two. You heard the lady let's get him back to the house, their isn't exactly a hospital in Argus." She explained as Yang picked up Oscar and blinked in suprise at just how light he was before hurrying back to the house. She laid him on the sofa as Terra Cotta and Saffron got out the medical kit and blankets.
With Oscar being taken care off, Jaune was given no choice but to explain. "H-He... I found him and he didn't act like he saw me until I mentioned that we should go back. A-And... He started saying that I should go on without him and tell you guys he ran off or got lost. I asked why he said that and if he was ok." Jaune looked down, his head in his hands" if was like something opened up deep inside him because he went into a full blown rage, yelling and screaming about how I... We've treated him, how we've ignored him and left him alone, how he doesn't feel like he belongs with us because to us he's simply Oz's vessel."
Ren nodded solemnly, now he thought about it he could see the signs as could Nora who seemed to deflate and rest her head on his shoulder sadly. Blake looked away knowing she wasn't exactly the most sociable with Oscar. Infact she and Weiss had trouble remembering a time when they had actually held a conversation with the young teen.
Maria nodded sadly, she mentally scolded herself for not doing anything sooner as now she thought back on it, all the signs were there she blamed her old lady memory. Yang looked down, all the yelling and hatred towards Oz from her must've contributed to this, her big sister instincts screamed at her and she felt useless. Qrow cursed his bad luck but knew deep in his heart that for once his semblance wasn't to blame, he had used the kid as a way to talk to Oz never really Oscar and he did tell him that he'd be nothing more than Oz's vessel, he wished he had his flask on him to drink through the situation. Ruby felt the worse considering she spent the most time with Oscar and had begun to see him as a close friend but she hadn't noticed his inner turmoil, no all of them had been so focused on the mission, on their resentment towards Ozpin they had been blind to Oscar.
Jaune took in a large shaky breathe and continued. "Oscar than started to cry, breaking down on his knees and just crying his eyes out... Before he had this kind of realization in his eyes and went towards the cliff. He said... He said hopefully Oz can find a better vessel and that he wouldn't want to burden us with a burial.. And than he jumped in. But not before he said that we'd forget him by morning and that I should just say he ran off." Jaune couldn't hold it back after that and began to cry into Saffron's arms who walked in with hot choclate and gave Jaune a big hug, the vessel thing had been explained to her and Terra as Oscar taking over an important person's role which they accepted. "What have I done..." He said mournfully, Yang shook her head "no it's about what we've done.. All of us."
They all sat in silence waiting for Oscar to wake up, they did fear for what his state of mind when he woke up but all silently vowed to listen and hear him out as well as protect and help the farm boy... That is as long as they weren't already to late to act.
Meanwhile Oscar was floating in a sea of nothingness, he was floating completely weightless and honestly he loved it. After months of feeling like the burden of the world was on his shoulders he welcomed this feeling but like all good things it didn't last long. The empty space transformed into a wintery landscape, he looked around and saw the others talking. Oscar tried to approach Ruby and Maria but they didn't notice he was there, no one did and when he tried to shake Ruby's shoulder his hand simply phased through her.
"H-Huh? Ruby?" He tried calling out to her but to no avail, he tried approaching the others and the same thing happened until he approached Qrow. Unlike the others he turned around to Oscar's relief which turned into confusion and fear at the sheer anger radiating off the older man. Now Oscar had seen Qrow angry before, but it paled into how enraged he looked now and it was all aimed at him. "What are you still doing here?" Oscar raised an eyebrow in confusion while taking a step back "what do you mean?" Qrow rolled his eyes as if it was obvious "you don't have Ozpin anymore, that's the only reason we needed you so why are you still here. Get lost already."
Oscar felt his chest tighten like before, he shook his head "no... You can't mean that." Right? Qrow was just joking...Right? Qrow sighed in annoyance "look kid I'm not a babysitter and frankly I don't want to keep having to make sure you don't screw something up. Take a hint and beat it, you're not useful to us anymore." Maria laughed mockingly and the rest turned to look at Oscar, there expressions were hatefilled. "Exactly, he should just find Ozpin a more suitable host preferably one that is at least somewhat skilled." Said Weiss, her tone matched her old ice queen behavior and she looked at Oscar like he was something horrid she'd got on her shoes.
Blake wouldn't even look at him while Yangs eyes flashed a deadly red as if preparing to attack. Ren looked disappointed while Nora held up her hammer with a mad grin on her face "Oh well now I have a new toy, let's see what he looks like without his legs!" The worst however was Ruby who walked right up to him and backhanded his cheek hard "to think I actually thought of you as a friend, when you're more like the enemy." Oscar flinched back as if the words themselves were fire and rubbed his aching cheek as he looked for a place to run when he saw Jaune approach and froze. "You're just one of his lives, all of this is because of you." He said coldly, grabbing Oscar by the shoulders and slamming him into a tree while the rest laughed and jeered insults.
The scene shifted to heaven academy, Oscar gasped in horror at the dead, limp bodies off his friends. Walking in was Hazel, electric and fire dust injected into his skin as he began to back Oscar into a wall. Oscar couldn't find his cane and was completely alone with no where to go, completely helpless. "It seems the child isn't as light as I thought especially with that monster inhabiting you're soul. No matter, you're blood won't be on my hands it'll be on his and all these deaths will be on yours." Hazel bought down his fists onto Oscar's head.
_Line break_
Jaune frowned worriedly as Oscar tossed and turned in his sleep, fever dreams was what Saffron had said. Oscar continued to mumble and whimper in his sleep, countless apologises spilling out of his lips." Is he still apologising?" Asked Yang, stepping into the room with her arms folded. "Yeah, he keeps mumbling out our names and apologising over and over" sighed Jaune when he was suddenly interrupted by Oscar screaming, it was so loud the others ran in with their weapons drawn before seeing its source and put them away while Adrian began to cry into Terra's shirt.
Oscar jolted awake, shaking and cold but he looked around and was suprised to see he was back in the house. On a sofa and wrapped in blankets, with the concerned faces of the others looking at him which he didn't notice. Instead he suprised them all by letting loose a string of curse words, the sweet innocent farm boy was cussing up a storm and it looked like he had a dirtier mouth than Yang and Qrow. Once he finished he sighed "are you kidding me I can't even kill myself properly, I'm that fucking useless!"
He buried his head into his hands and sighed. "You have nothing to be sorry for" Said Ruby stepping forward, she wasn't angry like he half expected but upset which he blamed on himself. She very gently pulled him into a hug with Nora joining in "You can tell us what's going on, we'll be all ears." Said Nora with a sweet smile, Oscar blinked and looked down. "... I erm... I don't know where to begin." He confessed, the whole situation of everyone wanting to listen to him and not Oz as him was bizarre.
"I find the beginning is usually the best place" replied Blake with a small smile and Oscar sighed "ok... Well, I was working on the farm like I do everyday and I started hearing a voice. It was Ozpins and he explained to me who he was, why he was taking a holiday in my mind and about Hunters/Huntresses, the kingdoms and well you get the idea. After convincing me I wasn't going insane he told me about Salem and the his curse... And than reminded me I wasnt going insane." The others were suprised, having never imagined the meeting from Oscar's perspective "don't blame you for thinking you were going crazy" Said Weiss and Oscar smiled a little before frowning.
"Yeah, the thing is even though I've always wanted to be a farm hand, I didn't want to go. Being a farmhand was all I knew I'd have to leave my aunt behind, my aunt who's raised me as her own since I was a baby." He looked down, leaving her had been the hardest thing he had to do." Oscar sat up on the sofa still wrapped in a blanket and began to search his pockets in panic as he realised his scarf was missing. "Where's...wheres my scarf..." He asked, no he couldn't have lost it..."here, its right here it fell out of your pocket before you... Fell." Explained Jaune as he handed it over to Oscar who held it tightly, relaxing.
"Thank you... It was my moms." He said, putting it back into his pocket safely. Yang perked up "wait your mom?" She asked with the others looking up at Oscar feeling ever so guilty at the fact they knew nothing about his past.
"Yeah, my parents both worked on the farm with my aunt and uncle. We weren't exactly rich or anything so my dad and uncle would also work in a dust quarry. I was going to be born in a few months an they wanted to have enough money so I could live happily. One day there was a miming accident, a landslide and they went back in to grab some children who were stuck inside. The kids made it out but they weren't so lucky, and my mom died minutes after I was born, she named me Oscar after my father. My aunt took me in and has raised me ever since."
Oscar wiped the tears that had started to slip down his cheeks, he hadn't talked about his parents in so long. He loved them both, his aunt would always tell him stories from when they were younger and how his parents fell in love as teens and the antics they'd all get involved in. He looked over at team Ruby "You guys kinda remind me of them" at their suprised looks he continued. "My mom was really sweet and one of the most hardworking ladies you'd ever meet, she always saw the best in people and kept my father and uncle in line. My aunts a protective spitfire who takes no shit from anyone but she's a big softy underneath it all, my uncle was quiet and soft spoken but told many stories about his life and he always did what was right. My dad's family didn't want anything to do with him after he married a farm girl but he didn't care, he loved my mom and worked hard so he could be useful at the farm. They'd get into all kinds of trouble."
Yang laughed and exchanged looks with the rest of team Ruby who were smiling that did sound like them." Your uncle and your father sound like great people but... Why were there children in a mine?" Asked Weiss, Oscar shrugged "they were faunus kids trying to help their parents, they were actually my cousins. Make no mistake none of my family wanted them to work but we were getting desperate and the guys in charge didn't see anything wrong with it."
Blake's eyes widened "your a faunus?!" She yelled uncharacteristically loudly, staring at him in shock. Oscar shook his head "not really well kinda. My aunt is a tiger faunus while my mom wasn't born with the traits, my dad was a lion fanus and my cousins were part tiger and human." He explained, resting his head back onto the sofa and rubbing his head "I wasn't exactly born with any physical traits unless you count loving fish, hissing when I'm angry and if I get pissed off I try and claw someone's eyes out." He replied sheepishly, Blake chuckled.
"OH MY GOD, CUTE BOY OZ IS A KITTY CAT!" Squeeled Nora excitedly, Oscar looked down at the Oz part which confused Nora while Yang tried to change the conversation. "Your aunt sounds like a great lady" she said and Oscar smiled sadly "she is, it was hard to write that letter but I realised that whether I chose it or not this was something I had to do. If I sat and let Salem and the others get their way I'd lose my aunt two...and I couldn't lose her no matter what. Than I went on a train and found Qrow in the first bar I walked into."
"And than you found us and realised I had silver eyes?" Asked Ruby, Oscar blushed in embarrassment "Hey living on a farm doesn't give you much social interaction." He sighed and continued "and than it all began, training and than the fight at Haven...with Hazel, and the incident with Oz..." He looked down, laying back down onto the sofa "think that's when I started feeling like I shouldn't be here... That fate had picked the wrong guy..." Ruby frowned "we made you feel like that?" She asked, Oscar snorted in response "yeah... I mean after you guys blew up at Ozpin and he hid himself in my head... Everyone's been putting a distance between me, at Brunswick I was just told to go out and fix the tyre while everyone went to go retrieve the relic. And generally everyone only went and talked to me when I was Oz...I wasn't needed, he was I'm only needed because I'm gonna be another one of his lives."
Qrow frowned "kid, Oscar you've got that wrong. Your your own person kid. " Oscar laughed yet it was humourless and devoid of joy. It was unnerving to everyone in the room especially when he looked Qrow in the eye, his eyes emotionless that didn't match the grin on his face."Really? I thought you were better than that?" Qrow blinked in suprise and Oscar continued "I thought you said you were better than him, that you wouldn't lie to me like that. Remember? Or did you forget what happened after you sent my body flying into a tree?"
Oscar started to cough as the fever took a hold of him but his focus on Qrow didn't waver, Qrow for his part blanched and looked down. His anger towards Oz had been so fresh in his mind that he'd allowed himself to take that anger out on Oscar believing it to be fair since right than to him they were the same. "Oscar, I'm sorry kid, I didn't realise just how badly that'd affect you." The apology felt so superficial and fake when spoken like that, the grin faded and Oscar looked down his voice quiet.
"I've been scared since day 1 about what could happen to me after what Jinn showed us it.. Intensified... I was scared I'd be erased from time... Or that my existence would be meaningless. That's why I jumped...i figured I wasn't cut out for this.. And if I died than you guys would find someone better, Oz would find a better vessel and..." He blinked when he was suddenly pulled into a hug by none other than Yang."I'm sorry...im so sorry Oscar, we weren't here for you quite the opposite actually. We directed all the confusion, hate for Ozpin onto you... And that wasn't fair. We also just saw you as his vessel instead of a person which you are."
Oscar felt tears well up in his eyes and buried his head sobbing, he chalked it up to Yang being an older sister because he suddenly felt a sense of security be hadn't realised had been missing for these past months. "And now we're going to do better, we're going to get that relic to Atlas and make sure you're all prepared and trained for this. Ok, we're gonna have you combat ready in no time. And no more werid awkwardly conversations you're apart of our group... High time we realised it."
Said Ruby with a sad smile before Weiss poked Oscar in the chest and spoke firmly "so we better not see you distancing yourself or hear you put yourself down, I don't know how Oz's reincarnation works but fate must've decided you were the right person although you have got to stop using you're staff as a cricket bat." She said with a deadpanned look before giving a small nice Weiss smile. "And I can help you with the faunus part of yourself" Said Blake before putting on a teasing grin "although you're now going to be the tiny kitten of the group." Oscar tried to glare but let out a very cute kitty sneeze.
"Yesss! Oh my god Ren! Can we adopt him!" Squealed Nora, throwing her arms around Oscar "and I'm gonna show you the fine art of breaking people's legs! Eeep this is going to be so much fun!" Oscar looked panicked and turned to Ren for help and just saw him give Nora a thumbs up with a dark pink jumper (when had he put that on?!) That said "new dad", Jaune gave his own thumbs up "yeah, you are and whatever happens we'll be right there with you."
Oscar blinked and couldn't help but laugh. He got out of the hug and faced them all, the team.. His family. "Thank you, for all of this really I mean it. I may never stop being afraid of what could happen...But I have you guys to help me and I can be the best me. Oscar Pine, not Ozpin but me. I finally feel like I belong..." And he did, he felt like things would get better even if his future was uncertain. These guys were his family, they'd learned to listen and talk to him and it filled the hole in his heart. They were the people he'd would fight to protect, with all the time he had left.
Maria chose that moment to walk in with some shopping bags. "Since I figured you'd all talk and get things in order and finally act like you know this kid. I bought some stuff because this isn't a farm boy, hunters gotta dress properly. I saw you doodling something like this down and tada." She handed the bags to Oscar who took out the outfit and he tried it on and walked into the room.
"That combat gear looks good on you" smiled Ruby as Oscar walked in, wearing his new outfit. "Thanks Maria" He said with a smile, she waved her hand in dismal "no need to thank me, honestly I'm suprised those old clothes lasted for so long in fights." She turned to Qrow "and you! Letting a child fight with no combat gear, have you lost you're mind!" While Qrow tried and failed to escape the wrath of Maria, Oscar smiled he felt different more confident, more assure of the path he had taken and deep inside his mind he heard two words "you're wanted" and while the voice faded away its smile never left.
I tried my best I hope you guys like it. Took me a long time and I know they'll be some grammar mistakes and I apologise. Comment if you want me to do something like this again
XXX Sparky