A/N.: This sprung from when I watched Summit first - a time where in canon it was highly unusual for Goa'ulds to even contemplate to work together. Yet we get two in a steady alliance. Clearly, this would be love - if they weren't villains that value their ego and power more than anything else. So, instead, they probably do this.
I also was experimenting a bit and decided to capture the self-aggrandisation of a Goa'uld the only possible way: purple prose.
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me and no copyright infrengement is intended. No money is being made of this. Title from "Dancing on the Wire" by Tarot.
At last, Kali dismisses the final servant from her personal quarters for the night. Without any Jaffa or human filth stinking up the room it is simply more pleasant. Of course, servants are a necessity, for a god without worshipers - their right, their due - is unthinkable. Still, as wonderful as adulation and being reveled is, Kali finds it almost… exhausting on some days. The primitive minds of her human slaves are only able to grasp part of her glory and in truth the lick spittle Jaffa retainers dogging her heels are no better. Today, she is secretly glad to see all of them gone.
Her host body does not need much to sustain, less sleep or food than a common human who is not being graced by her presence in its body, but it is not without its needs.
Tonight, the host is weary from being denied sleep so long that the tiredness sunk down to the bone and even deeper, burrowing under the scales of her true body. She is thankful to slither under the blankets and lie down on the mattress of a resting place made for her specification by the slaves of a planet she captured twice sixty-four years ago. As she arranges the last pillow (a task which had obviously been neglected by some sort of stupid ape – she will find out tomorrow and then enjoy stripping the flesh from its bones!) to perfection, she sees it.
On one of the side table lays unobtrusively a small folded square of paper with her name curling in familiar calligraphy on top it. In a snap she is awake again. There are no slaves around so Kali acts in a rare show of pure Goa'uld instincts without pretense and pounces onto the message.
She turns it over once, twice in her hands. There is no doubt that she knows the sender, the only System Lord to ever successfully leave a private message – on fragile organic material no less – in her personal quarters. She is still unsure how exactly Bastet does it. The material it is written on is pathetically flimsy and usually no Goa'uld would spare any thought of trying to fix some of their immortal glory upon it – but it is also almost impossible to hide any poison or threatening technology inside it. The ink itself shines as red as crushed slave entrails under her feet.
Kali folds the complicated pattern open and reads:
I, System Lord Bastet, the Mistress of Bubastis, Scourge of Vermin across the Galaxy, Slayer of Sobek, my claws shall stay ever sharp,
Demand that the wretched usurper who calls herself "Kali" submits her person and the star systems she robbed from my humble self, the true ruler of the universe, to me, their rightful owner, Bastet the Keen Clawed and swears her most eager allegiance so that the betrayer's life might be spared through the mercy of her Mistress.
The thusly-named rebel Kali has three days to appear before my throne in Bubastis.
Kali incinerates the message immediately. It would do no good for any of her servants to discover that she is being challenged by a powerless fool like Bastet. Without Kali she would barely be able to hold her own stronghold or any other planet. She has no right to make any demands of Kali, a system lord who is clearly her superior.
She leaves the bed to get her own small stack of paper, luxuriously thick, handmade from tons of lotus blossoms so it appears translucent nonetheless. A pointed griffel and a small ink stone are found soon. Normally she would let a servant make the ink but this, this is too personal, too full of raw emotions to let anyone but herself handle the work.
The water she takes from a pitcher by the bedside and a new bar of ink from a golden case. It is fitted into a holder made from Naquadah so it does not stain her fingers.
She starts grinding and mentally composes her answer.
I, System Lord Kali, the Destroyer, Devourer of Planets, Slayer of Sobek, my thighs will eternally girded by the hands my enemies dared to raise against me,
Demand that the liar who names herself Bastet…
Kali's palace is dipped into night only illuminated by the stars and the Ha'taks floating above. The silence in Kolkata is only broken by the guard shifts and the low grating of ink on ancient stone.
In three days the alliance agreement between Kali and Bastet will come to an end.
Bastet lazes behind Ra with his other retainers. In the corner she can hear Isis and Osiris plotting again, believing themselves to be subtle. Bastet would not hesitate to kill Ra herself if she found the right chance but she has no desire to court doom like these two. Soon enough someone will betray them and their plans and that will be the end of them.
For now, she tries to seem content with adoring Ra absolutely and impressing the delegation of the new alliance with the court's splendor.
Shiva to his credit sends another Goa'uld and does not try to insult them with a servant. His messenger is wrapped in layers upon layers of heavy brocade and light silk, designs and colours all shifting into one big pattern. Shiva's sign is incorporated in all of them. It should look hideous but whoever chose it had enough care to make Bastet grudgingly admit that it might even be something she would consider proper dress.
When the envoy steps closer to kneel before Ra, Bastet can hear the slight chime of metal under the rustling of their clothes and wonders just how many weapons are wrapped and woven into this spectacle.
"It is foolish to try to veil your visage before Ra who can see all what happens under the sun. Take off your wrappings unless you aim to insult Us!" thunders their god king. The messenger remains kneeling and starts to open the complicated garments. Their head remains high in the air regardless. With a flourish the coats and veils are flung to the floor.
Underneath the Goa'uld messenger inhabits another of the hairless apes clothed in remarkably less than any other god in the room. It is no surprise for Bastet that Shiva's fools don't know how to dress their hosts properly. The skirt around the host's hips and the cloth over her hair are as commonplace as if they belonged to one of the monkey life stock. On top of it her hips is girded by a string of hands, humanoid and reptilian alike, and a necklace of alternating grey Asgard skulls and pale bellied Goa'uld larvae wraps around her neck. It is as if Shiva and the morons following him think that they're still Unas bringing each other trophies to prove their might instead of the new gods of mankind and the universe.
While Ra's court examines the envoy and whispers about her fashion she keeps her eyes focused on Ra and does not look away. It is not what Bastet expected – all the rebels before were too intimidated and awed by her leader to look at his radiance too long.
Ra himself seems not as bored as before. A small wrinkle flits around his eyes – the one Bastet had decided usually indicates his amusement years ago. He waits many minutes before he speaks again. Bastet and her host slowly get impatient and try not to glare at her liege. The envoy stays silent in her disobedience.
"You said you come from Shiva? We haven't heard from him in so long. Listening to the miseries of his exile will be most entertaining. Does he still pursue vengeance for the just retribution We assigned to him?" he finally drawls, eyes hooded. The court eats it up, smirking and admiring arrogant assurance that Shiva is as unimportant as a human slave in his mind. Aside from Bastet only a handful of confidants are aware how seriously Ra takes this threat to his authority and how much resources are bound up in their scuffles. No one on either side can be sure who would win a full out war.
The mouth of Shiva's messenger broadens into a smirk for the fraction of a second and now Bastet is sure that she knows exactly in how much trouble Ra and Shiva are. She is even quicker at wiping any trace of it.
"You have my origin, Exalted Ra. I regret to say that I doubt my message could alleviate the boredom of your omniscience" Her eyes twinkle but her posture gives nothing away. "With its trivialness. My God Shiva has recently had time to examine his actions in the past and finally discovered the unintentional slights he brought your person. A god as humble and polite as my Lord cannot let the harm he caused by even the smallest negligence shame his honour. He wishes to make reparations so that any wound he may have caused in your fragile heart may heal." Osiris and Isis quickly feign yawning behind hands to hide their smirks and Bastet eats some tender grilled dove hearts to keep her composure. Ra no longer looks amused by their visitor.
Still, this is the armistice offering they so desperately need. As soon as they are not plagued by attacks on every end of the galaxy they can focus on eradicating Shiva and every one of his supporters.
"Shiva surely knows Us as the patient and merciful god We are. Having Shiva exiled also served as to grant him an opportunity to gain insight into his many mistakes, no matter how long it would take. It is good that he now sees his flaws and mistakes clearly. We will give his apology a consideration." Ra pauses and glances around the room. "As an indulgence for him, We will form this judgement alone with only you, envoy. Leave Us alone!"
It is always amusing to see the minor gods and goddesses of the court scramble out of the room, especially when one has the option of watching it from a nest of pillows and shawls. Behind the last of them the door closes with precision.
Ra does not give the envoy a seat but lets her stand. Bastet is silent throughout the bargaining. Offering the wrong advice to Ra or offering some at the wrong time is generally ill advised. Even if he does not immediately reprimand her now, his retribution usually comes swift and hard. She would do the same.
The envoy – she calls herself Kali, probably another name of the apes – does not bow an inch to Ra's demands and feigns a casual stance. For Bastet who has watched Ra for almost a century it is easy to see the exhaustion and tension below. Ra is the same. He watches her gliding up and down the floor before him as well looking for an opening. But Ra rarely pays attention to anyone but himself and he is so novice at it that it seems like he does not see any of the cracks.
Maybe it is good that he did not see because after many hours they finally reach a basic and tenuous agreement and the doors open again. Kali leaves as she came, holding her head high and swathed in fabrics. The doors close behind her and Ra turns his head towards his retainers.
"Let us prepare for war." He says with a smile on his lips.
Kali and Bastet normally exchange a few more letters angrily demanding submission and eternal adulation from the other but they do not have the time for it this century. An unknown Goa'uld has been attacking various outposts and the Tau'ri have been busy as well.
Kali spends the morning listening to the newest reports from her Naquadah mines. Most of them are acceptable but on two planets small units of the mineral ore regularly vanish and on another the Tau'ri almost managed to entice her slaves to rebel. Both are unacceptable. It is not only the audacity that affronts Kali – the inevitable task of having to execute and transplant thousands of slaves into a new environment after a rebellion is hard work and it fuels her anger.
There have been no new attacks against her territories since the last one by the cowardly competitor but the battle she fought in Zeldor is still on her mind.
At least the other System Lords are plagued just as much by the upstart Tau'ri and kept busy enough by that instead of wondering how to best take advantage of the small stinging wounds left in her empire.
Normally the task of reviewing has brought her joy by slowly unfolding the full glory of her empire before her but it has soured in the last months. It seems there are new accounts of her enemies' accomplishments nearly every day.
She is torn between eagerness and bitterness when she is informed around midday that Bastet sent her a messenger. Maybe she should let the slave bearing it wait to show her how unimportant Kali thinks Bastet. She often had to wait a good time until she was acknowledged in her days as an envoy and each time she was insulted like this she wants to pay back. Let Bastet wait for a change like she waited for her and Ra, the pompous fool.
The idea is sweet and seductive. She turns it over and over in her mind, thinking with glee of the rage it will kindle in Bastet. Bastet who never forgets any slights and carries grudges buried deep in her heart for millennia. Who can be patient for a right time to strike and unleash a fury no other Goa'uld can reach onto her foes when an opportune moment arrives. Kali trumps Bastet in greatness and fighting but even she cannot match her fury.
In the end she decides to grant the messenger reprieve of the wait. She is certain that she could win any fight between her and Bastet but it is bothersome and Bastet simply does not stop once she is suitably enraged. Getting her to calm down and accept her place beneath Kali would be too much effort for the small revenge the wait offers.
The Jaffa send to her seems a bit familiar. Maybe it is the same as last year? Probably a coincidence as there is no gain for Bastet in sending the same slave. Meeting slaves more than once only makes them easier to manipulate. She kneels, is silent and does not try to meet her eyes. Kali is content with that so far.
"A messenger from the so-called System Lord Bastet who does not fully acknowledge the might of our grand goddess Kali!" her Jaffa announce when Kali has arranged herself into a proper position. The throne in her back is cold and unrelenting, just as she likes it.
"Speak." Kali says.
"I bring a message from my most wonderful System Lord Bastet – her tail that brushes the rats beneath aside may never rest, her feet may stay as wind-fast as ever – to Goa'uld Kali with the skulls as clean and pure as ibis feathers." She pauses and digs out a small data pad from her simple coat. After a few pressed buttons she begins reading. "The retainer Kali, who calls herself System Lord without the official leave of her Mistress Bastet and has been somewhat helpful here or there in the last year, but System Lord Bastet cannot continue to overlook the audacity of assuming a title that is rightfully hers. However, in the light of the services the retainer Kali has accomplished in the name of Bastet she is willing to show her mercy despite the obvious insult to her person by her continued claim to belong to the rank of System Lord. She is hereby given leave to appear before our goddess tomorrow in Bubastis to apologise and swear her allegiance again."
It is both infuriating and amusing to hear Bastet make such demands from her when it is her who is obviously subordinate to Kali. Bastet likes to fool around and pretend that she is greater than Kali but she can only let this go on for so long.
"You will bring my reply to my retainer Bastet."
For a moment, the messenger looks strangely longsuffering. Kali can emphatise with that for a change, having to follow and cater to Bastet's demands could not ever be anything but aggravating.
"I will, Goa'uld Kali."
"Good. Bring me something to write!" Her own Jaffa follow her call and bring another data pad. She writes her reply:
System Lord Kali remembers the deeds her retainer Bastet managed in the last year to multiply the glory of her goddess well and she intends to be forgiving for this reason alone. Nevertheless, she cannot abide her own follower rising above the rank granted to her even in jest. Bastet is hereby allowed to approach the Destroyer tomorrow in her residence in Kolkata and a chance to repent in front of her System Lord Kali.
"From System Lord Kali to Goa'uld Bastet." She hands the pad to one of her own Jaffa to accompany the messenger back to Bubastis.
She tries to bury herself into more reports about failed attacks on the as of yet unknown usurper and successful raids by the Tau'ri while they leave the room but her concentration is strained.
It takes three more exchanges back and forth on the same day until both Bastet and Kali agree to meet on Uruk, a neutral planet at the border of both their territories.
In two days the alliance between them will be null and void.
The peace agreement between Ra and Shiva is a full success while the secret attack plans still remain unfinished and fragmentary. They try to gather as much intelligence as possible by sending their own envoys but it seems like there is no process made at all. Kali comes over with the most basic requests just as often. She rarely bothers with fabrics anymore and displays her necklace and skirt instead of her allegiance to Shiva.
Bastet is too distracted to keep up with her comings and goings. Ra himself is keeping both eyes on her to make sure she cannot plant any traitors into their middle. Meanwhile, Bastet has been busy with Sobek's rise into the rank of retainer. His territory is near her own and he is expanding his armies at a breakneck pace. For now, she could single handedly deal with him if he were to attack her. But without the leave of Ra and no provocation from his side she has no excuse that would stand up to Ra's inquiries. And he is as guarded and paranoid as ever - whatever Osiris and Isis might believe.
Instead, she tries to gather as much information about her enemy as she can. Whenever she has to meet up with him she is exactly as courteous as she needs to be and as mysterious as a sphinx. She learns soon that his slaves fear him too much to be won to her side without a demonstration of her power. Getting information about his armies and his leaders is a tedious process and most of it quickly becomes out of date. She is however seriously considering copying his punishment for gossip – a cut-off tongue – because it proves so effective.
Almost all her free time is spend on trawling through what little she knows, again and again. She closes her files when she hears a knock on the door one evening. To her surprise, her slaves lead in Kali.
"Ambassador." she acknowledges.
"Mistress." Kali returns her greeting.
Bastet orders them to bring some beer. They both take small sips and are silent for a while.
"I hear that Sobek is quite a thorn in your side."
"Seeing Shiva so concerned for the harmony between Ra's retainers is quite unusual."
Kali puts down her beaker onto the gold tablet with a click. "Shiva is not concerned here but I am."
Bastet mulls that over for a while but in the end she has to ask. "What do you mean?"
"Exalted Lord Ra and God Shiva are very similar to each other. Even their might is almost the same. I'm sure you can imagine that my feelings regarding Shiva therefore resemble yours towards Ra." Kali pauses and gives her a meaningful glance. "I am glad to serve God Shiva and am honoured by the trust he puts in me. However, since I've taken the duties of an ambassador I have had almost no time to dedicate to my own domain."
"He must value your military power."
Kali answers her false compliment with a look of disdain clear on her face. "I am certain God Shiva is just all too aware of my martial capacities."
"I am sure there will come a time when your diplomatic talent is no longer needed."
"I would rather ensure that by bringing it about myself, I have to confess. Just being at court all day is so exhausting for me."
"Maybe I could tell Lord Ra about your desire to exert yourself and ensure that your wishes are met. Only the best for our visitors, after all. But what would I get as compensation for my troubles from you?" Bastet wonders what Kali is willing to offer her. It must be quite much for her being willing to risk her tipping off Shiva if Bastet is not satisfied with whatever she brings to the table.
Kali laughs slightly. "No wonder you don't say much in court, you're not patient enough for scheming and lying all day long. Without doubt, Lord Ra will reward you with something for bringing you my message. Maybe it will be a higher rank?" Or the disputed border territory she shares with Sobek. "I am willing to offer you a favour from me as well. If you ever need a strategist you might find me useful."
Bastet drinks another beaker and pretends she is not yet convinced. "I will inform Exalted Ra of your struggles."
Kali nods her thanks and leaves for her own quarters.
On the next day, Bastet tells Ra in private that Kali is willing to switch sides in the war. He seems pleased and starts adjusting his strategies accordingly.
When Benares falls and Shiva's corpse is pinned above the main gate Bastet gets the border territories and some of Shiva's old domains as well.
Kali arrives in Uruk first. They both bring only one Jaffa and make them work together to set up their tent. This part of the planet is mostly just stone hills and sand with one or two bend trees every flight hour. They grow only to one side, slanting slowly upwards instead of piercing the sky as they should. It is utterly boring to look at.
She stands a few feet away from Bastet who is sipping her beer and stares at the gate as if she has never seen one before. Kali herself pretends to be utterly fascinated by the sparse trees. In her mind she goes through her complaints arisen from last year and her demands. There is the list of requirements she brings forth every year that Bastet never is willing to fulfill. The list of annual needs that are always granted. The list of new requests she made this year, some of which are probably going to be integrated into their partnership and some she will have to drop.
Bastet surely has something similar on her mind. Their alliance has become more and more elaborate over the years but for Kali it becomes easier and easier to negotiate it every year. She wonders how much longer it will hold.
Their slaves finally finish the tent and they go inside. Each brought a data pad and stylus. Their slaves man the guard posts in front of the entrance while they settle on the cushions in anticipation of beginning their struggle with each other.
They have one day until the covenant between them is at its end.
Bastet would love to say that she was done dealing with Sobek after Shiva's fall. She is not particularly surprised that he renews his efforts to subtly conquer her territory again. It is exactly what she would do after such a slight but still a hassle to deal with.
Instead of trying to deal with this mess alone again she calls in Kali's favour. Kali comes as soon as possible.
They need a lot of time to plan Sobek's eventual demise. Kali spend the first few days in Bubastis explaining why Bastet should not declare an all-out war by slashing his throat the next time she meets him. The main argument seems to be mainly because it would make herself vulnerable for other attacks. In the following days she proposes a complicated long scheme to let Sobek fall into disgrace and exile. Bastet declines because she has her pride and is barely able to bow to Ra.
In the end they declare a secret pact and Kali goes to Sobek for help. She feigns a border dispute between herself and Bastet and asks him to parley an armistice between them. She lets Bastet determine the place. She picks her stronghold Bubastis.
At the opening feast Bastet slashes his throat and Kali hoists his head with half of the symbiont still tuck in it onto her spear. They start dividing his troops and influence spheres immediately.
In the same night they become System Lords and decide to extend the no-longer secret pact because of their success.
Finally, they come to the point where they have solved most arguments or decided to table them. They both save their copies for a final time, stash the data pads out of the way and tell their slaves to walk a perimeter.
Kali watches Bastet carefully while they listen to the steps of the guards receding. She is smiling enigmatically, coiled to strike as if on the eve of a battle leading her host – that is, her army – into combat. She would look good in the sand beneath Kali, in her rightful place, begging. Finally, even their fine senses cannot hear anything from the outside anymore – and it is on.
Kali flies into Bastet just as she jumps forward as well. They collide in midair and fortuitously make their fall unto the low futon, neither registering it; at first Bastet is on top until Kali bucks her off, forcing her to the side. They grapple on. Where Kali tries to force Bastet to the ground and between her thighs, her antagonist tries to pull her head down by her hair, make her bow down in front of her. The idea of being even in a mockery of this position as if to curry favour from Bastet brings new fervour into Kali and is matched by Bastet's growing zeal.
For a while they struggle. Then, it becomes more than struggle. Bastet's bites and claws are just as vicious as before and leave behind a trail of dark marks and blood on Kali's skin. At the beginning of the fight they were painful, now the sting has healed enough that it feels sweet against her skin, driving Kali into a frenzy. When Bastet sinks her teeth into the nearest shoulder and Kali feels like she stepped on a current. She digs her own nails into Bastet's back and watches her shudder like the weak thing she is.
It doesn't matter with what weapons you win a battle, as long as you win, Kali believes. She bucks her hips into Bastet's, feeling her answer the movement with her own. So she does it again. Against the skin of the host, the gauze of the underskirts Kali wears is usually like a caress, but with the friction they both create the material clings to her thighs and the mound between. It's a discomfort Kali ignores steadfastly; how the woven strands feel like a grater, but Bastet seems to notice her reaction nonetheless; reaches in and tries to rip the whole thing away with the golden claws atop her fingers. The skirt layers rip as Kali manages to dodge the motion so that in the end only her ass is laid bare. Bastet lays her claws onto it, digging in her fingers enough to leave bruises.
She kneads the cheeks in her palms, not drawing any blood, but always leaving a hint of sharp claws in her wake that sends shivers down Kali's spine.
This cannot stand. Kali busies herself with the knotted sash holding the wrapped robe Bastet is clad in today. The knot is surprisingly easy, springing apart with only a tug. Beneath it, the host is bare. Kali takes a moment to survey the domain and the claws on her ass clench. Whether in encouragement or warning, Kali does not know or care. She will do whatever she wants – if Bastet wants to stop her she will have to put up a fight and not rely on her mercy.
Right now, Bastet is opening her legs wide, leaving all the access Kali desires. They're both breathing hard, possibly due to exhaustion from the earlier battle. So, Kali raises a knee and presses it into the vulva of her adversary. She earns a moan and keeps on rubbing the knee back and forth as a rhythm comes to her. Bastet herself is not idle. With one hand she lets go off her claimed territory and swiftly nudges Kali's second leg out of the way, so that she can return the favour of rubbing her knee between Kali's legs.
The effect on Kali is much more pronounced now, between the harsh stimulation of the vulva and the claws digging and kneading her ass cheeks, she can't get away from the sensations. The host body seems to love it and alternately moves into either direction. It is weak to this, already breathing more pronounced and building up wetness between the legs. Most unbecoming to any Goa'uld, Kali should be above this. Why isn't she able to control the host better?
In any case, Bastet seems just as caught up in the instincts of the stupid mammal, grinding against the knee with intent. Kali grabs her advantage and lets her hands play over the host's sexual organs. Bastet hisses angrily at her, a Goa'uld sound being forced from the human throat. The vagina of her host body is wet, lubing the way for two fingers.
Kali merely has to imitate the motions she ripped out of the mind of the human when she first gained possession of this body, motions she has occasionally used on the body herself when she was bored. A mixture of crooking the appendages in the right direction and rubbing has Bastet snarling at her with affront. The pleasure is shaking her body. Kali is very pleased with the information her host divulged to her.
She succeeds in making Bastet let go of her ass, but the reprieve is not for long. With her claws Bastet makes short work of surviving skirt tatters, tossing the remains to the side to give better access to her knee. Her hands renew their efforts as well, trailing along the flanks of Kali's body, making stops to rub and pinch the nipples with the claws. The host body is shuddering from the deliberate teasing, reflexes almost overriding the iron coil of Kali around its spine. Bastet responds with renewing her biting, pausing only to pant.
For a while, they're in a deadlock, neither willing to move from their position in fear of giving up ground to the other. The sensations build and get more intense until at last Bastet acts and rolls them both onto their sides. The position gives both of them more leverage and they continue to push into each other until Kali removes her fingers. Bastet smirks her pleasure, leaving no doubt in Kali's mind about her smugness at the successful turn.
She uses the opportunity to glide the hand incrementally higher until she can rub the clitoris of Bastet's body. Her pace is not gentle, instead fiercely her fingers smooth over and over the head peeking out of the hood. Its large surface is attention grabbing amid the trimmed curls framing the genitals of Bastet's host. The combination of knee and fingers is clearly getting to Bastet now, making her more uninhibited. Claws now break the skin carelessly, bringing forth shudders and hasty breaths.
The instincts of their warm blooded hosts are finally taking over, automatically finding a good rhythm for them and the Goa'uld both let it unfold. Giving up control to the bodies until finally they reach a climax. As oxytocin and serotonin are set free, the chemicals even wash over the snake-like forms fused to the spines of unfortunate owners and for a long cold heart beat the coils relax.
They lie side by side and just breathe, hands and claws now almost tenderly clasping the form of the other. In the dark void of space where no other living thing can see, for a moment, Kali and Bastet embrace.
The alliance of Kali and Bastet is renewed.
They start planning their trip to the summit on the day after.