Sage: Hmm... The next chapter.
Jaffar: What's with you?
Sage: ...It's nothing. You know, this chapter was fun to write.
Lloyd: It couldn't be because of all the-
Sage: Lloyd...
Lloyd: Hah, you can't take a joke. Sage and Li don't own us, FE or Tales of Symphonia.
Sage: Please read!
Chapter 2: Hesitated Desecration
The group of six warped out of the small room, the Oracle completed. Colette and Nino chatted merrily together about the angel that had appeared, as Raine began lecturing about the importance of obtaining research information about the different species of people.
Genis shuddered at the thought of what his sister was planning…
Lloyd led the group out of the temple, knowing secretly that his vision would keep them safe – while still being "allies," of course – from harm. The wild animals surrounding the temple where merely pushed aside, fearful of the brown-haired teen's soul-piercing Aurion Glare. After ten minutes of walking, they re-entered the tiny village; Raine left the group, saying that she had something of some importance to do.
Down to five, they hurried over to Colette's House. Frank and Phaidra awaited them, smiling upon their arrival. However, a third person sat at the end of the table, his whiting hair showing his aging body.
"Ah, Chosen One, you have arrived." he said, standing up from his chair. "Now that you have arrived, we can begin our meeting."
"What meeting, Mr. Mayor?" Nino asked, twirling a bit of her green hair with her finger. She walked over to her grandmother, giving her a hug before she took a seat next to Frank.
"The meeting of who goes with the Chosen One, of course!" he said rather coarsely, rolling his eyes at the young girl. "We have to be successful this time or we may all die!"
"If that is the case," Jaffar said as he was leaning against the wall, "You should hire us, we can provide the 'safety' you speak of." he said as he closed his eyes.
"Humph. And who are you exactly?!" the mayor scoffed at him; Lloyd narrowed his eyes, a smirk slowly growing on his lips.
"I would well advise not aggravating him. It matters not of who you are; he will cut you down with one killing stroke." Lloyd told the man. "Trust me, he is my cousin – I've heard of him that angry before."
"Oh my. When was the last time he got that angry?" Phaidra asked, fearful of what she heard.
"It was-" Lloyd began, when Jaffar cut him off.
"No, cousin. I shall tell the tale." Jaffar said. "It happened when I was five. My parents had disappeared, and I was suffering. Everyone looked down on me, saying things about me that ate at my heart. I… I finally snapped and went berserk. After I had finally calmed down, I... was in pain. From that night on, they called me 'Angel of Death...' I was only five years old. I..." he paused, almost as if he was clutching a piece of his cloth. "Ever since that night, I began work to control my feelings. Such an incident had not happened since then. You can put your fears aside. Not only that, Lloyd is here to help me as well."
Phaidra looked at the teen warily, still rather shocked. "Did you regret what had happened?" she asked, looking over at him.
"Yes. I had regretted it so much I asked the goddess to forgive me on multiple occasions." he replied, trying to keep his laughter from revealing his cover. 'The goddess… Bah…'
"I see. You have suffered greatly, especially for one of your age."
"That doesn't matter! He's a monster!" the mayor shouted, pounding his fist onto the table. Jaffar lowered his face – as to hide his face's expression. Lloyd silently thanked anyone listening that the cape that his cousin wore was black and about as opaque as cloth could be; he could sense the death glare and killer intent radiating from his cousin even at this distance.
"Mayor, I would suggest you watch you who call 'monster' in my house." Phaidra replied to his outburst. "Everyone who repents to the goddess is to be forgiven, for the goddess forgives all who see the error in their ways. This boy has suffered enough as it is."
Jaffar looked up, a gentle smile on his face. "Thank you."
"Now, I suggest we move on. After all, Mayor, the decision is ultimately up to me, as I am the High Priestess of the Church. You are merely here to oversee this meeting." Phaidra said. "My personal opinion lies with Raine and the two boys, Lloyd and Jaffar." she said, a smile on her face.
"We have no objections to that." Lloyd replied from his place on the wall, crossing his arms.
"W-wait! If Raine's going, then I want to go too!" Genis said a loud.
"And if my sister is going, I have to go too! I have to help her somehow!" Nino shouted from her seat next to Frank.
"No, it's too dangerous for kids like you! I'm already allowing those two over there to go as it is!" the mayor shouted again, ignorant of the words of the priestess. He instantly fell quiet once more when two pairs of wine red eyes glared metaphorical daggers at him.
"It'll be dangerous!" Colette said. "I don't want you to get hurt, Nino, Genis! I care too much to see you hurt because of me." she said, lowering her face slightly to hide her face.
Nino closed her eyes, sighing. "I understand what you are saying, but that doesn't mean that I feel the same… But you're my older sister so…" she replied, knowing that she was to stay.
"Thank you, Nino." Colette smiled, her fears slowly grounding. Nino smiled back.
"I'll leave you all be for right now. Make sure you hurry soon, Colette – we have to do something before you leave!" she said, exiting the house. Genis sighed, knowing that if Nino could not be allowed to come, he would not be able to. That was when he lightly gasped.
'Marble! I have to tell Marble about the Oracle!' he thought, a certain auburn-haired Seraph catching the shock. Lloyd had noticed as well. But upon noticing his cousin's reaction, Lloyd nodded his head; Jaffar was going to keep his eyes on them this time.
"I'm going to leave now. If you happen to see Raine, could you let me know? Thanks!" Genis said before a response could have been given, running through the door. Jaffar gave the nod, signifying it was time.
"If we are all in agreement, I must take leave for a while. Lloyd will handle everything else for now. Good-bye." He said, unfolding his arms and walking out of the house before anyone could protest. Lloyd watched his cousin go and shook his head in mild surprise.
"He's always been like that." he shrugged. Turning to face the mayor, who seemed to have become cowed after Phaidra's scolding, he spoke again. "So it is to be my cousin, an elven teacher, and myself that accompany the Chosen?" he asked, to which the priestess nodded. "Forgive me for asking, but why the teacher?"
"Raine is a healer; we fear that you might need one on this journey." Phaidra responded, bowing her head. "Although from what I saw, you can cast some basic magic, but a healing specialist would be recommended for such a long and treacherous journey."
'Treacherous? Compared to Dad and Jaffar angry at the same time, this is like a day at Altimira.' Lloyd thought, remembering how angry Kratos had been about the other angels tormenting his nephew. 'Or Dad after that one incident …' Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Lloyd smiled and nodded politely. "I thank you for your concern. If we are all in agreement on this, there is something I must see too; I won't take long." Phaidra nodded, and Lloyd stepped away from the wall, walking out of the house.
Stopping in the middle of the village to regain his bearings, Lloyd looked towards the forest and sighed. "It's now or never; I might not gain a chance to come here again …" He told himself silently, walking into the woods and towards the base of the cliff where the Iselia Human Ranch was located fifty feet above his head.
(--Genis and Nino…--)
Walking towards the ranch, Genis pulled away from where Nino and he were walking and headed towards it. "Here's my stop, Nino. I'll catch up to you later!" Nino looked at him as if he had suddenly grown a tail and cat ears.
"But that is the way towards the Iselia Ranch." Jaffar's solemn voice behind the two made them leap up and turn just as the auburn mercenary walked up the road. Nino stared at him, unable to form words to say: just how did he do that?!
"…There's someone that I really need to tell the Oracle about!" Genis replied, recovering from Jaffar's silent appearance. Now two pairs of eyes stared at him as if he were mentally inept. Finally, Nino spoke up.
"I don't want you to get hurt, so I'm going with you!" She declared suddenly, stepping towards the elf with a grin. Genis silently sighed and turned, and the two ran towards the Ranch. Jaffar looked after them and shook his head.
"If they were simply to go gallivanting into the forest, this would've been much easier to do …" he muttered to himself, following behind the pair at a walk. When he arrived, Jaffar was shocked to see the pair talking to an elderly lady kept within the ranch itself. From the sound of it, Genis was telling her about the Oracle. Cautious, he wandered over to where they stood; Nino noticed him first.
"Oh, hi Jaffar; Marble, this is Jaffar, one of the mercenaries that's going to be going with Colette on the journey!" Nino told the old woman; Jaffar nodded mutely to her. Marble looked at him with relief.
"That is good; let us pray to Martel that this journey is successful." She turned her gaze skyward, and Genis took the opportunity to speak again.
"The last chosen was killed by Desians along the Journey, right?" He inquired, to which Marble nodded. Nino looked at the ground in sorrow, praying silently that her big sister lived as well. Jaffar fought to keep a straight face; this confused him.
'Lord Yggdrasil wouldn't allow the Desians to kill the Chosen, so it has to be the Renegades.' He thought, cursing the man who led the subverting group for being so clever. All the while, his mind was trying to remember who the Grand Cardinal in charge was. He knew for a fact that it wasn't K'var or Pronyma; the latter was always around Lord Yggdrasil and didn't have a ranch, and the former was in charge of the Luin Ranch (as he and Lloyd had asked if it was alright to dispose of him along the journey due to what had happened to Lloyd's mother; Yggdrasil had said that only if they were in the ranch itself and they were "protecting" the Chosen would it be allowed.)
'So who is in charge here?' Jaffar scowled in his mind, but his thoughts were interrupted by a Desian's yell. Marble looked over her shoulder in a panic and then looked back at the three.
"Go! Get out of here before they see you!" She insisted. Genis looked at her in horror.
"B-but …!" he protested.
"Just go!" Marble cut in, voice gentle and frightened at the same time. Jaffar had already backed up a few paces, and as Nino and Genis apologized to Marble about being unable to help, he beckoned the two into the shadows provided by a tree nearby. Genis seemed crestfallen. Although Jaffar knew it would be risky if the children were seen, the Grand Cardinal would recognize him as a Seraph—he hoped.
"I want to see if Marble's okay." Genis sighed, eyes glancing worriedly towards the ranch. Nino, nodding in agreement, spied a series of ledges that they could see from, and were easily scaled.
"This way!" She hissed, making the two boys turn and look as she leapt onto the lowest ledge. Jaffar rolled his eyes and followed, Genis right behind him. It took nearly five minutes of leaping and heaving—which was only because Genis was too short to jump that high, meaning Jaffar had to help him climb up—but the three found themselves on a ledge overlooking the ranch.
Upon seeing Marble being mercilessly whipped by a group of Desians, the younger two were horrified. Nino would've screamed if Jaffar hadn't clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet; the cry would have given away their location. Laying flat down on the ground of their aerie, Genis began to tremble. "We've got to help her somehow!"
"Genis, do you think you can hit them with magic from this distance?" Nino asked just as quietly, earning a startled look from him and Jaffar. When the elf nodded, she beckoned towards the Desians at Marble's back. "Hit them with it then than run towards Uncle Dirk's place. I'll distract them!" Genis stared at her as if she was the insane one, before beginning to argue with her over it.
Jaffar sighed, impressed that Nino was so willing to give her friend a chance to escape, and vexed at the same time at her being so darn stubborn! Finally, in order to end the argument and to get at least Nino onto his side, he intervened. "It's the only thing that we could possibly do the help her. But so I don't have Lloyd and your friends and family in the village after my blood, I'll help as well." Nino beamed at him, and Genis sighed in defeat with a smile on his face.
"You two are mad." He commented, standing and drawing his kendama. "Be careful, alright?" Nino nodded, and Jaffar simply blinked. Leaning forward while Genis was muttering the "Fireball" incantation under his breath, the auburn leaned forward and began to whisper in Nino's ear.
"When we've got the guards' attention, run away from the village; I'll go down the cliff." He ordered. Nino shot him a looked that seemed to question his sanity when he mentioned going over the fifty foot drop opposite their cliff. But before she could get a word out to him, he pointed; Genis' three fireballs had just scored hits on the Desians. One of them swore loudly, and the three turned to look.
Taking it as a cue, Jaffar leapt onto part of the gate with Nino right behind him; the Seraph heard the order for the main gate to be opened, and he began to run for the cliff while Nino broke off onto the main road. Genis, who had been hiding in the bushes, began to move when he tripped.
"Ow!" he cried, only to clap his hands to his mouth a split second later as the three heard him. Jaffar cursed under his breath and glared at Nino to keep her moving; the girl was gone in a heartbeat.
Pulling out one of his knives, Jaffar threw it directly at the first Desian as he pivoted on one foot; it nailed him in the eye slot of his helmet, and he went down silently.
"What the-?!" the second hollered, only to see Jaffar rushing at him, palming the second blade as he planted a jump kick into the man and shoved him to the ground. While the second was still winded, Jaffar used the lull to grab his first knife and parried an overhand chop by the third's sword. Keeping an eye on the second—who had a whip—the auburn swept the Desian's feet out from under him with one of his own, using the momentum to go straight into a high kick aimed at the second's head.
Genis, seeing that he had a chance, fled, running in the same direction as Nino, a sole thought going through his head 'Note to self; never piss Jaffar off!' Glancing back once, he saw the whip man catch the auburn's arm with his weapon and pull him into kicking range, only for Jaffar to drive a knife into his torso. The sight scared him and he ran off, leaving the scene behind him.
As the second went down, Jaffar turned. "And then there was one." He looked calmly at the third Desian, who hollered and charged at him. Sweeping out with the blade, the armored man didn't notice he had missed the teen until a dagger was at his neck. Jaffar stood still behind him, looking at the Desian with distaste.
"Game over." With that, he dragged the dagger towards him, severing the half-elf's jugular. Letting him go down in a spray of blood, he wiped the daggers and stowed them away. Jaffar stared straight into the hidden camera and said something into it, just as a small horde rushed out at him. Grinning behind his cape, he ran towards the cliff and leapt.
Landing lightly, Jaffar went to turn and run back towards the forest when an odd patch of red near the cliff's base caught his attention. Turning to look, his curiosity was perked when he noticed it was his cousin. 'What is Lloyd doing here?' Jaffar asked himself, walking towards the brunette and hiding himself behind a tree.
Now that he was closer, Jaffar could see that Lloyd was kneeling in front of something with his head bowed, utterly silent. Leaning more to see what could command his cousin's short attention span like this, he nearly gasped aloud when he saw the marble stone. 'T-that's Aunt's grave…' Jaffar thought, stunned 'How long has Lloyd known it was here?' The auburn's first thought was to go towards his cousin, but his mind stopped him for two reasons.
The first was that Nino and Genis were probably worried that he'd been captured.
The second was that he really didn't want an angry Lloyd first thing on the Journey; he'd probably come to his mother's grave for some peace in the first place.
With little choice left, Jaffar turned and walked back into the forest, thoughts preoccupied. He went through the forest unknowingly, hoping he could sense the two children from his location. He had not heard Nino's call.
"Jaffar, over here!" Nino shouted, waving her arm in the air. She smiled with relief, knowing that he was safe. "I'm so glad you're safe! Genis told me what happened… Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine." he said plainly. He looked around and saw a tiny wooden cottage by a small creek. He wondered who could possibly live in this place when the front door opened. He watched as a dwarf made his way outside, Genis following behind.
"So, who's this feller ye both been talkin' about?" Dirk said gruffly, looking around at the scenery. He then noticed the auburn-haired Seraph standing completely still, his black garments flowing calmly behind him. The teen's eyes were closed as the dwarf came closer. "Aye, are ye him?"
"Perhaps. It all depends on what these two have told you." Jaffar spoke coolly, having spent too much time around his uncle and cousin. The dwarf laughed heartily, a smile growing on his face soon after.
"Aye, you be the one they told me of – cool, calm, collected, and wears an outfit of black." he replied, slapping Jaffar on the back; the seraph temporarily lost balance, nearly falling onto the ground. Except for the fact that he was very agile in his movements, he flipped backwards, landing on his feet.
"Then yes, that is I." he said with slight annoyance.
"I'm Dirk. Nice ta meet'cha." he said, suddenly narrowing his eyes. "Nino told me ya went to tha ranch. I thought someone like you shoulda known better." Jaffar suddenly opened his eyes, instantly sending a mild glare.
"While it is true that I went there, it was not my original intent. Why don't you talk to the two younger ones before questioning me?" he said with slight anger. Dirk turned his attention to Nino and Genis, who began laughing weakly.
"What does he mean, you two?" Dirk asked with curiosity, eying them with a moderate glare.
"We-well… We had to save this old lady! She was being whipped, and we had to!" Nino shouted, desperate for understanding. Genis turned himself back towards the dwarf – as he was nervous at the time – and backed the girl up.
"Yeah! It was our fault she was taken back!" Jaffar smirked slightly, a noise slipping from his mouth.
"In the end however, I dealt with everything. This should soon be under wraps, as long as no one else knows of this. Understood?" he said as he began heading for the exit of the household grounds, Nino and Genis looking at him with moderate shock.
"Ye be sure to make it back to the village in one piece, ya hear? I won't tell anyone what happen'd, just get yerself back home." Dirk replied with a frown, watching as they left, entering the forest. Nino and Genis ran up to Jaffar, who was casually walking down the slope; to their right was the ominous building they were previously at…
Instantly breaking into a run – as they were unsure of the possibilities of a Desian ambush, they swept past the black-garbed Seraph, pulling him with them. "What is the meaning of grabbing my arms?" he asked coolly after the two had released him and was now walking slowly.
"Well… We were going past the Human Ranch! We don't want them to see us coming back to the village!" Nino replied, kicking a nearby rock into the bushes. "Sorry that we had to grab your arms though…" Nino blushed, having felt the muscle-toned bicep. Jaffar sighed; better to play it safe with these two or else more complications would occur…
"It's fine. However," Jaffar began, turning a glance at the girl, "give me a warning next time you plan to do something like that." he smiled lightly, continuing his march back into the village. With the two at his heels, they arrived at the village with a sigh of relief – Iselia was still there… "I would suggest getting back to the Chosen's House. Come on."
(--Iselia Ranch…--)
Forcystus walked into the security room upon hearing of the supposed intrusion; the Desian in charge of watching over the cameras at that time was sitting at the controls, scanning over the clips from over an hour ago.
"Now what's this about a violation?" he barked at the Desian.
"Lord Forcystus, as you can see," he began, pointing to the central screen, "A few of the Desian guardsmen were hit by three fireballs. And on the camera at the front gates… There appears to be a human." he said, fingering the screen two places away from the previous one.
"I see," Forcystus said, not knowing what to do, "let me take a look at what is present and I shall decide what course of action we will take." he said, turning his back on the Desian. That was when he heard him call out.
"Sir, there's something else you should know about. Something you should hear." The Desian shouted, rewinding the clip of the black-garbed being. "This human was saying something to the camera. But it was very strange, sir…"
Forcystus watched the video closely, staring at the blood-red eyes of the teen. After he had finished with the Desians, he intently looked into the hidden camera. That was when he spoke.
"Meet me later tonight, Forcystus…" he said and ran off, appearing onto another screen; he was seen jumping off of the cliff.
"'Meet me later tonight?' Who is-?!" he began, when the thought finally registered. "I see. I will have to meet with him."
"Sir, he is-!" the Desian watch shouted, Forcystus interrupting him.
"…Lord Jaffar of the Five Seraphim. And if he must see me, I am not the one to invoke his wrath. I will have to see what the young lord wishes to see me for." he said and left to prepare for the night.
(--Iselia…--)
Lloyd walked back into the village, having spent far longer at the gravesite than he thought; he entered the house of the Chosen, where he saw the trio sitting within.Curious as to what they could be talking about, Lloyd walked back into the quaint house, thoughts still slightly distracted when Colette noticed him.
"Hi Lloyd. Glad to see that you're okay!" She chirped, drawing the attention of the other three present in the room at the moment. Lloyd smiled politely in return, and then noticed the way Jaffar was looking at him; he needed to tell him something. Signaling later to the older teen, Lloyd sat himself down at the table just as Phaidra and Frank came back into the room, followed by Raine.
"Ah, Lloyd; we have something to discuss with you." Phaidra spoke kindly, settling herself down at the table. "As you have probably noticed, this house is rather small, and we were questioning where to place you for the evening." Lloyd raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and even Jaffar drifted over to the table to hear the decision, and possibly to give his own input.
"If you don't mind," Lloyd began, shifting his eyes over to his cousin, "since – as you said yourself – the house is small, we would prefer to spend this night in that building over there, as we don't want to be an inconvenience for you. Is that acceptable?" he said smoothly; Phaidra looked at the boy with a smile on her face.
"I understand, my child. We can provide what little we have for you." Phaidra replied, walking toward the closet, pulling out two blankets and pillows. "Here you are, boys. Here, let this old woman fix you something to eat." she said, heading to the stove. "What would you like me to fix?"
Startled at the turn of events, the two slightly gaped. "Uh…" Lloyd stuttered, completely at a loss for words.
"It does not matter to us. You can fix whatever your heart's delight – we would eat anything. Although," Jaffar paused, a smirk growing on his face as he turned his head toward Lloyd, "anything with tomatoes is not something that would be eaten by a certain relative of mine."
Lloyd turned his head towards the wall, a red blush appearing on his face. "Jaffar-!" he said as his eyes narrowed angrily. Jaffar released a short chuckle as he stepped outside for some fresh air. When he came back in, the food was already prepared, and they began to eat. After dinner, Phaidra led the two to the schoolroom for the night…
(--That Night…--)
Jaffar and Lloyd noticed the calm night as the sneaked out of the village. Luckily for them, the secrets of the night are revealed, and nothing is hidden from their eyes. With Lloyd leading – as his eyesight is better than the other – they navigated through the forest, until they reached the crossroad. Making a left, they followed the road to the Human Ranch of Iselia.
Sitting there waiting for them was Forcystus, who seemed rather irate. When he saw the two angels approaching him, the half-elf bowed and spoke softly, "You said to meet me later tonight, but I am curious as to what you wished to speak with me about." Making a mental note that Forcystus was not like the other Cardinals in the fact that he didn't try to suck up to those in power, Lloyd smiled and nodded to his cousin. Jaffar looked at the half-elf before them and smiled coolly.
"So nice to see you, Forcystus," he began, a cold smile on his face. "I take it you heard about the little incident earlier today?"
"Of course; the Desian on watch showed me the tape shortly after you left, my lord." Forcystus replied smoothly, a part of his mind stating tartly. 'Of course I saw, and if that girl was who I believe her to be …' pushing the thought aside, he smirked coldly at the younger angel. "I figured that I would wait until you spoke with me to decide what to do about such an event though." This made Lloyd raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"A hero of the Extremist skirmishes having qualms about attacking humans? Are you feeling well, Forcystus?" Lloyd's comment was met with a light smack from Jaffar and an amused chuckle from Forcystus.
"It is not that, Lord Lloyd; simply the fact that Iselia has a non-aggression treaty with my ranch." He half lied, not wanting to give away the rest of his reasoning for hesitation; he didn't want these angels to use it against him in the future. Jaffar, not knowing what was going through the half-elf's head, crossed his arms over his chest.
"While normally this would qualify for raising the village to the ground and taking all hostage, the Chosen shall be beginning her journey as well." He mused silently, with Lloyd finally coming up with the conclusion.
"Simply burn some houses to the ground and make a scene out of breaking the treaty, but take no lives." The brunette walked up to stand beside Jaffar with a wry grin. "It wouldn't be a very good omen for people in the Chosen's home village to die so soon after the Oracle, now would it?" The other two present smiled and shook their heads lightly, making Lloyd grin once more. "Well, I shall head back to the village now; I think one of my swords might need sharpening." With a casual wave of his hand, Lloyd trotted down towards Iselia.
Jaffar waited until his cousin was well out of hearing range before speaking again. "And about that old woman … while I know that it might be … entertaining to turn her into a monster," Forcystus didn't miss the disgusted tone that Jaffar had used briefly. "I hope you know that Lloyd will refuse to fight one of those. If you do take that course of action it doesn't matter to me, just be certain we are gone before attacking then."
"I understand, Lord Jaffar." Forcystus bowed lightly, voice level. "Have a safe Journey." Jaffar chortled lightly at the jest and left. Forcystus waited until he was certain that the two Seraphim were back at the village before speaking to himself. "So the rumors about Lords Lloyd and Jaffar despising Exubla with a passion are true; I wonder if the story about how Lord Jaffar earned the title 'Angel of Death' is true as well." He chuckled weakly to himself before growing somber; he should be grateful that Lords Jaffar and Lloyd hadn't made himself go through with the entire punishment for such a violation.
Turning while musing over the next morning's actions to himself, a small part of Forcystus grimaced at the thought entirely; his other reason for not attacking Iselia being a tad more … personal. 'You wanted her to be safe, eh?' A small, cutting sharp voice nagged at him. 'Wanted to keep her out of the life of a Desian? So does attacking the village that she's raised in fall under the "sheltering" category, or more of the "keeping her safe" category?'
Forcystus couldn't bring himself to answer truthfully.
Li: I love dramatic irony! XD So much fun!! Now who would live in Iselia that Forcystus would want to keep safe, eh?
Sage: Oho! Like we'd tell! Review please!
