Beta read by: Crescent Sunrise
Recommended story: "It Started With Starvation" by rwbybomb21
Chapter 4: A job half done
The following morning Ruby Rose woke to a warm bed, warm blankets and without the dull throb of a hangover. She'd been drinking less lately, not having any chance to partake in her vice since the evening she last spent in the arms, and bed, of May Zedong. She was a woman on a mission, and while tempted to indulge, she didn't pack any of the amber fluid in her saddlebags. She had needed the room for ammo, water, and food. With a sigh she reached for the only vice she had made room for, her smokes. With a tap she pulled one from the half empty box, grateful for the full one still in her bags as she sets it alight and takes a slow drag before sitting up and blinking as the blankets pool around her waist.
She had gotten to used to sleeping naked. So much so that the nightgown felt strange as she climbed out of her bed. Still, it had been set out for her by her hostess and it would be rude to ignore the woman's grateful hospitality.
Ruby Rose was by no accounts rude. She was raised better than that… Most of the time.
Still, she washed up with the basin left for her and put on her clothes before making her way downstairs her smoke half done and hanging from her lip as she enters the main room.
"Sleep well?" Comes the soft spoken voice of Ren in quiet mandarin. As she enters the room. Thanking him quietly as she takes a bowl of oats cooked with cinnamon left out for her on the table. She takes a few bites in silence before responding.
"As well as I could hope for. Is Nora already gone?" Ruby asks in kind, getting a nod from him before he moves the conversation to english. He may enjoy being able to speak his native tongue but his english would only improve with practice.
"Yes. She opens the store at the same time every morning. I wanted her to hold off today." He admits with a small frown on his lips obviously worrying for the woman.
"Ya should just ask her, ya know. Ain't polite ta keep a girl waitin so long." Ruby comments. Usually she wouldn't butt into business that has nothing to do with her but, Nora was a decent woman, and Ruby did want to help her out. If she gave the woman's paramour a small push to tie the knot and make them both happier than Ruby didn't see the harm in it.
He sighs and sets his hands on the table slowly. "I'm not sure what you mean." He replies with his, apparently, calm demeanor.
"Sure ya don't. Well that's all the meddlin' I'm doin here. Just know ya won't be doin' either of you any service by draggin' your feet." Ruby says listening to him chuckle as she stands and takes her breakfast into the kitchen.
"I thought you said you were done meddling?" Ren counters, getting a smirk in return.
"I am, that last bit was just impartin' common sense."
Silence follows and she sees the man looking contemplative when she returns. All the better in her own opinion. Nora was a decent woman and here was the man she wanted, maybe he just needed a little push. She'd find out one day if it worked, provided she lived long enough.
She heads for the door to the outside, grabbing her cloak from a peg on the coat hanger as she leaves, finding a happy horse lazily munching on fresh oats from a feed bag waiting for her.
"Welcome change from prairie grass, huh girl?" Ruby comments, approaching Dahlia and running one of her small hands along the mare's long nose back and forth before patting the shoulder and moving to strap the saddle in place. "Ya want ta' finish that quick though girl. Soon as I get your saddle in place we're movin' on." She says, and with the added weight of the saddle it seems Dahlia get's the point, eating quicker from the bag.
Ruby takes her time giving the mare a chance to finish as she adjusts the saddle and sets the straps. A thin blanket set between leather and the horse's back to keep it from biting and causing Dahlia discomfort. When she's finished she moves to take the feed bag from Dahlia's muzzle giving her mare another slow petting before moving around and climbing up into her seat the reins in hand to lead her horse from the small stable and the two nags Dahlia had been sharing it with.
She grimaces once she's on the main road, having forgotten how distasteful the city was after staying with Ren and Nora. How easy the pair managed to distract her from the life of the city outside. At least in the morning it wasn't as bad as it had been the previous evening when she'd first arrived. She glances up at the sun and turns to lead her horse away from the home, keeping the sun on her right as it burns its way through the sky.
"Three days ride north of Vale. That's where we're going Dahlia, straight into the thick of it. Think you can make it back home if somethin' happens to me?" She asks patting along the horse's neck only to sigh when there isn't a response. "What am I talking about? Of course you won't. You'll probably trot up to the first person with an apple in hand and make friendly." She jokes to herself as the horse once again chooses to remain silent.
"Yer a terrible conversationalist, partner. Then again I guess I ain't much better." She says pulling her next smoke out before tying the reins to her saddle.
If Yang were perfectly honest she would be the first one to tell you that she didn't like visiting the Rose Ranch. The place she grew up had changed a lot in the years since the previous owners died, and what was once her home now felt unwelcoming and foreign.
The biggest change she noticed every time she came by was the quiet. She had a lifetime of memories and all of them had the place vibrant and filled with noise. From the animals to her father's booming laugh and her sister's giggling. Her mother's soothing voice teaching them the basics the would need for taking care of themselves, and the deeper tones of her father telling stories with exaggerated and silly voices.
She had loved the ranch then and hated being away any longer than she had to. When they had died it was a month before Yang returned to see the place looking as it once was, only with an empty field where the cattle had been back then, and a pair of grave markers under the tree. The sight brought tears to her eyes for the next few years. Now she just focused on whatever she came out to the ranch to accomplish.
She had built a new home in her tavern, changing the name to "The Little Ember" and keeping her place behind the bar. She managed the girls and handled the customers who drank a little too much as gently as she could. Tossing out anyone who got too belligerent or anyone who tried to get rough with the girls.
She had wanted Ruby to move in and even had a room reserved for her little sister permanently, just in case. But the silver eyed girl refused it time and again, refusing to leave the home they grew up in and continuing to stubbornly keep up with the taxes on the property while managing to feed herself on what little she could manage. It helped that she also traded with the local tribes.
With a sigh, Yang turned her attention to the most prominent sound in the area. The gentle creak of a rocking chair on the porch occupied by the familiar face of Fox. He was Ruby's closest friend growing up. He had weathered her excitable nature when she was younger with a patient smile as he learned english. And after that, he was persistent and stubborn when it came to checking up on Ruby at the ranch. Yang never felt like she would be able to thank him enough for looking after her younger sister. She didn't even begrudge him the rocking chair, despite it being the same one her father used to always sit in.
"Welcome back." He says turning his head towards her as she got closer.
"How do you always know it's me?" Yang asks getting a cheeky grin in return.
"Ancient indian tracking technique." He retorts, his grin turning into a plain smirk when she starts to laugh at the blatant lie. "Three reasons really. One is that you're coming from the wrong direction to be from the tribe. The second is that you always stop in the same place. And the last is because no one else has bothered to come by since Ruby left, except you and your girls. Milking the cows?" He asks, already knowing it's what she's here to do. He doesn't know how and being blind only makes the task more difficult. He spent his time checking the coops in the morning and making food for Yang and the others. He never made anything fancy, but it was still appreciated.
Yang pulled the buckets out and started the busy task of milking the cows in the barn. It took her a few hours before she sealed them up and took the last one into the house, setting it on the table for Fox The rest she'll load up and sell it in town setting the money aside for Ruby when she gets back.
She was surprised however when she entered to see the beautiful teacher, Blake, the young tap house owner was definitely holding a torch for leave the kitchen first and smile at the stunned blonde.
"I was hoping I would catch up to you here." She says, setting a small pot down on the table as Fox entered behind her with bowls for the stew. "I haven't seen my favorite bartender in awhile so I wanted to check up on you." She says leaving Yang feeling a little confused.
"You don't even drink though, you just order water anytime you come in." Yang says, her mind blanking on higher forms of thought with the object of her affections standing so close and grinning at her. It doesn't help when she starts laughing and a pleasant tingle runs up the blonde's spine.
"I stop by more for the company." She says happily, ladling portions into the bowls as Fox sits, clearly amused as he moves his head from one speaker to the next.
"But, I've never seen you with any of the girls." Yang says, her confusion growing even as Fox snorts. Yang's not a big fan of being confused and even less at being made the butt of some joke so she glares at the Blind man trying to stifle his snickering missing Blake's blush.
"No, you haven't. Because I wasn't visiting for them." She says and Yang turns that over in her head for a moment before blinking in surprise.
"For me? I mean, Miss Belladonna you're always welcome in my humble establishment. I'm honored to be held in your esteem." She says giving the teacher an easy out in case Yang was misinterpreting what she said and desperately hoping she isn't.
"Yang, don't act stupid, we both know you aren't nearly a slow as you pretend." The black haired woman says, moving around the table with a casual elegance before cupping Yang's cheek with her hand. "And I've told you far too many times to call me Blake."
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as Blake grows closer, her eyes shutting in response only to feel something she only dreamed about pressing into her. They kissed slowly, and held it for a long moment until the two sprang apart following the clearing of Fox's throat.
"I'm sure something touching is happening right now, but I'm unable to appreciate it beyond keeping this moment to tell Ruby about later. With that in mind, can we eat before you start wooing each other? I'm hungry, I have no idea where the food is and have no desire to touch a pot right off the stove." He says smirking to himself as he faces their general direction. Unfortunately unable to appreciate the blush sporting both womens cheeks.
The heiress to the Schnee family has no idea how long she's been trapped in her room. Occasionally opening her door just to stare at the dirt wall of the carved out tunnel opposite her room. She knows to the right of her room is the door leading to her captors room and the left leads outside. Not that she ever left the dubious safety of her room considering the threat leveled at her shortly after they arrived. Her door was never locked after that, it didn't need to be. The threat of Cinder's men alone was enough to keep her inside rather than risk being caught attempting an escape.
So for the moment she was in relative comfort, with her room being Cinder's old room it was furnished with a few amenities she's certain the gang outside did not have. She was fed regularly and with the exception of Cinder's rough handling when they first arrived, she was not abused in the slightest.
As grateful as she was that her treatment wasn't worse, like a cage outside or something, she could only wonder how long it would be before they realized the reward would not be paid and the noose hanging loosely around her neck would be drawn tight. She had no illusions that her virtue would be preserved once they learned that her father was more than willing to write her off.
She desperately hoped she was wrong about him. She found herself praying more in the relatively short time she has spent since arriving at their hideout than she had in the previous year. Still, she was a lot of things and helpless was one thing she refused to be. So with that in mind she turned back to the chair in the corner. It took her some time and effort to wiggle one of the legs free and to make a crude point on one side by slowly dragging it against the ground. It wouldn't last long, but she might be able to at least get one of them when they finally got tired of waiting.
She just hoped it would be awhile yet before it came to that.
It was a tired and weary Ruby Rose that made camp the night after leaving the city of Vale. She rode a bit quicker than she meant to and Dahlia was worn right out. The horse barely consuming her food and water before going to sleep, leaving her owner in silence as she starts a fire and fetches some of the salted meat from her pack and setting it above the fire. The red-themed girl lifts the saddle from her horse and sets it down leaning her back against it as she draws her cloak around herself, the hood drawn up to cover her head.
The salted provisions were tough when she finally drew them from the fire and began eating it. But it was cooked and provided the nourishment she needed. Swallowing it with a few sips of water was easy enough, anyway.
Deciding to poke her fire a bit higher so it wouldn't go out too soon, Ruby gathers as much wood as she can from nearby, adding it to her little fire before adding the paper that had been wrapping her meat to the flames. With a low sigh, she shifts to get comfortable when she hears the cadence of a horse approaching her little campsite.
She tenses and slips a hand under her cloak to settle on her Peacemaker. The wooden handle a comfortable feeling, and it allows her to pretend to be in a light daze as she listens to the rider dismount and start approaching her. Soon enough Ruby's hand springs from her side, lifting the gun to the approaching figure before her free hand moves to lower her hood, letting her see the person getting closer.
It takes her a moment to notice the pistol aimed right back at her in the hands of the tall redhead, standing across from her. But it's the badge pinned to her waist that gets Ruby to finally start lowering her gun.
"Mah apologies, Marshal. Girl's gotta keep on her toes out here alone, an' a stranger approachin' in the dark sets off all kinds ah warnin' bells." She says slowly, stowing her gun away as the woman aiming at her watches until it's back in its holster before relaxing her own stance and holstering her own.
"I understand. You have a point and no one was hurt. We won't make a thing of it. I was just going to ask if you minded sharing your fire for the night." She says already leading her horse towards where Dahlia is tied up and doing the same with her own pinto stallion. When she turns back, Ruby shrugs and waves at the vacant ground opposite the fire from herself.
"Yer welcome to it. I'd offer you some food too but I ain't got much an' I need what I do have to last until I can pick up a girl and get her back home." She says being purposefully vague about her task. Her eyes narrowing as a look of realization crosses the Marshal's face. Apparently she hadn't been vague enough.
"Would you happen to be Miss Rose?" The marshal asks and Ruby shifts her look of frustration hidden under her hood. Not vague enough by half. Her hand slips back over the handle of her gun. She's not sure she can outdraw the marshal, but she might at least be able to get a shot off on the woman if it came to that.
With her free hand she brings it up to her hood and draws it back after schooling her face into a picture of cold indifference. It was a look she'd grown so used to wearing over the years that it was just normal for her at this point. As the fabric settles around her shoulders her silver eyes meet the emerald orbs of the tall red head across from her. "Ya seem ta' have me at a disadvantage, Marshal. You know my name but ah'm unaware of us havin' any prior connection."
The woman nods and relaxes, taking a seat on the ground with a soft grunt. Her legs crossing in front of her. "I am Pyrrha Nikos. As you are plainly aware, I am in fact a Territory Marshal." She starts before continuing on to explain her arrival in Beacon, her conversation with the Mayor and her subsequent decision to follow after the revenge seeking woman in front of her. Thankfully as her story continues, Ruby slowly relaxes and once more moves her hand away from the grip of the Peacemaker at her waist.
"So, ya found me. Now what are you plannin' on doin'?" The short woman asks, putting her hood back up. It wasn't winter yet, but the bite of cold that preceded it was starting to settle in over the plains at night. During the day, the sun would keep you warm but at night, the wind would strip your heat quick.
"I don't suppose I could convince you to turn around and head back? I'm more than willing to retrieve the heiress on my own." Nikos asks in a tone that suggests she already knows the answer. It's a foolish question anyway and when Ruby doesn't bother answering, she sighs. "I knew you wouldn't. It's not really about the heiress for you after all, even if she is the priority."
"I said I would focus on getting her back safe before entertaining any thoughts of my rightful vengeance. Doesn't mean I won't put Cinder below snakes if I get half the chance." Ruby states coldly, glaring at the ground as her hands grip the sides of her cloak, drawing it tighter around her.
Pyrrha however, just moves closer to the fire adding a little more kindling to keep it going as she studies the small woman. It was hard to believe someone so small and pretty, so well thought of by her town, to be so cold and distant. Pyrrha stands and moves to her horse, removing the saddle and taking the blanket from it's back to wrap herself in before returning. Having come to a decision, she opens her mouth speaking words in a tone that suggests memorization.
"And be it further enacted, That a Marshal shall be appointed in and for each district for a term of four years, but shall be removable from office at pleasure, whose duty it shall be to attend the district and circuit courts when sitting therein, and also the Supreme Court in the district in which that court shall sit. And to execute throughout the district, all lawful precepts directed to him, and issued under the authority of the United States, and he shall have the power to command all necessary assistance in the execution of his duty, and to appoint as shall be occasion, one or more deputies."
There's a long silence before Ruby looks at her campfire guest quizzically. "Okay, an' what's that got to do with anythin'?" She asks with no small amount of trepidation as a metal star is tossed across the fire and lands against her chest the words 'DEPUTY MARSHAL' stamped onto a six pointed steel star. "Ah, I don't need this. My bounty makes what ah'm doin' perfectly legal." She protests reaching for the star so she can toss it back.
"It's the last line of what I quoted that apply here. I have to power to 'command all necessary assistance in the execution of my duty' and appoint, should I feel the need, deputies to help me. I'm deputizing you Ruby Rose. What it has to do with you, is that I don't know you well enough to know one way or the other what your word is worth. This way I can at least tell myself that if it comes to a choice you will listen to me and prioritize Miss Schnee's well being over the death of Cinder Fall. Either you put that badge on and help me, or you can turn your horse around in the morning." The Marshal states in a steely tone. As much as she wanted to trust the short woman to do what's right, when they arrived, there had to be no question what Ruby would do if forced to choose between protecting Weiss, or killing Cinder.
The message was clear enough for Ruby, and she gritted her teeth as her eyes fell on the badge glimmering in the firelight. She only loosened her jaw when her teeth started to hurt and settled for glaring at the woman sitting across from her, watching with stoic certainty. The temptation to throw the badge back at her and saddle Dahlia was there despite the advancing night and cold temperature. But doing so would give the Marshal all kinds of chance to make Ruby's life very, very difficult with the law. She wasn't certain Pyrrha would do so, the woman had seemed the kind sort when she first approached the fire. But it wasn't a bluff Ruby wanted to consider calling.
She hated being cornered like this, and had no trouble turning her ire on the woman who put her in the position to begin with. Unwilling to turn back now however, she took the badge and pinned it to her shirt over her heart before once more wrapping herself up and settling herself in for the night ignoring the quiet thanks she received from Pyrrha as she turned away, letting her silence speak for her.
The next two days spent getting to the gorge had Pyrrha second guessing her decision to deputize the young woman next to her. She had hoped once Ruby's ire had subsided she would calm down and perhaps they could be more amicable, maybe even come to understand each other a little more.
There was no such luck. Apparently, Ruby Rose was the type to hold a grudge and had rebuffed all attempts at conversation with silence or short, monosyllabic answers. She left her hood up to protect her skin from the sun as much as possible and refused to so much as make eye contact as they traveled. The only time Ruby spoke without prompting was to talk to her horse or to inform Pyrrha they should stop and rest the horses.
At least the horses didn't seem to mind each other. Small victories.
She was just turning over the decision for the thousandth time when Ruby drew to a halt next to her. Her head snapped up in response before squinting ahead as the gorge they were heading for came into view. "We should wait for nightfall before we do anything. If we want to get her out safe, night is our best chance."
With a nod from Ruby, the two turn their horses and head for the cliff wall. Best to have the horses waiting in a place easy for them to find in the dark after they've gotten the girl and are making their escape.
Securing the horses didn't take too long, and after they decided to scout as much as they could. "We'll need a distraction. More than one would be best." Pyrrha says once they've crept as close as either woman dared to get. There were at least thirty men and women milling around the gang's camp Ruby spots the tunnel carved into the cliff face first. And points it out before looking around the camp.
"We ought ta' start a fire far as we can from that tunnel. Then we can cut them horses loose in the confusion. With them runnin' every which way, they shouldn't notice me slip in an' grab the girl." Ruby suggests.
"Are you sure that's wise? You'll be alone and completely surrounded. If there's anyone in there…" She leads, clearly unhappy with the plan her new deputy has come up with.
"You're dressed way too nice for it, an' you talk to proper. Don't fit in no how. Just light the fires, cut the horses loose, an' I'll get the girl." Ruby counters. The fact that she has a better chance of catching Cinder in that tunnel went unsaid. It didn't need to be. Both of them knew exactly what Ruby was after, and trying to stop her now would likely just backfire spectacularly. Pyrrha just had to hope Ruby would prioritize correctly.
When the commotion started, Weiss was asleep but soon the sounds of shouting filled the tunnel and she listened as Cinder hurried out of her room. Weiss had been tempted to look out into the hall, but at the same time thought better of it. Fear pricking at the back of her mind. Could the uproar be due to the men finding out her father wasn't going to pay for her? It's possible, and she began to grow more and more paranoid the more time passed.
Slowly she pulled herself from her bed and moved the the chair with the broken leg to retrieve her make-shift weapon. She began to panic when she heard the door handle to her room turning. Weapon in hand she picked a corner and made herself as small as possible while the door opened and in stepped a large man with an equally large knife. The grin on his face screaming ill-intent for anyone inside.
He made it two steps inside before the smile turned to a look of confusion as his eyes scanned the room until they landed on the heiress and the smile returned with it's wicked edge. "There ya are. C'mere girl an' I won't hurt you much at all." He stated while advancing, clearly not willing to wait for her to comply, or just assuming she wouldn't.
She was getting ready to lunge when a sharp crack filled the air. And the man fell forward hard, a short woman standing behind him wearing a red cloak with a revolver held in her hand by the muzzle. There was a short pause as they made eye contact before Weiss held her pointy stick up defensively. Sure, the newcomer saved her from the man and didn't look like much with her short stature, but she was still plainly armed and was the second stranger to enter her room today without carrying food.
Meal times were just about the only times Weiss saw anyone who wasn't Cinder and that woman she only got to see when she left her door open and the bandit queen was passing by her room.
"Ain't much time 'for they come to check on you ah'm sure. Hurry up an' put this on." The shorter woman demanded as she removed her cloak and held it out for the Heiress. Just expecting her to put it on without any sort of idea who this stranger is or why she's here.
"And why should I go with you?" She asks, mentally wincing after when she realized just how that sounded. If this is supposed to be her rescuer, than irritating them was not how she wanted to start things off.
The answering glare and the flash of a Deputy Marshal badge hidden under her shirt was enough of an answer for the time being and she put on the cloak with a small grimace. It was warm and soft, but it smelled strongly of soil and horses. It was unlikely that the cloak had been washed in the last few days, if not longer.
Drawing the hood up, with her rescuer impatiently watching the door, she was surprised when the pistol the woman had been carrying is shoved into her hands.
"Finger off the trigger unless you're planning on shooting someone, then just point and pull, ain't hard. Don't shoot unless you got no option, otherwise we'll have the whole gang droppin' on our heads, an' I ain't got enough bullets for all of'em." The woman explains as she removes the lever action rifle from her shoulder where it had been previously concealed by the long cloak.
They made their way out slowly with Ruby leading the through the tunnels. Her silver eyes open and alert as they round corners. When the entrance of the tunnel came into sight, Weiss almost mistook the light for daylight until the smell of smoke met her nostrils. The light of the fires outside wavering and shifting in a way shadows alone can't account for. "We get spotted an' you'll have to run. If i get shot, ya follow the cliff face on the right until ya' hit the Marshal, she'll get you the rest of the way."
With that they were moving. Weiss tried to crouch and make herself as small as possible only to get hauled upright by the silver eyed deputy escorting her. The harsh whisper spoken by the shorter girl reaching her ears over the shouting of the gang members. "Don't do that, anyone lookin' this way's gunna see us. Best to not look out of place than obviously trying not to be seen."
The words made sense but every one of Weiss's instincts were screaming at her to crouch and present a smaller target. Still, she followed the shorter woman closely bumping into her when Ruby came to an abrupt stop, the rifle in her hands starting to lift. Weiss followed the muzzle and her eyes went wide as they landed on Cinder Fall. The murderer that kidnapped her in the first place. It didn't take a genius to see what was about to happen and she knew that that shot would get them both killed even if it did hit.
She pushed the rifle down only to have the short woman snarl and push her away re-aiming her rifle before cursing softly and glaring at the white haired victim with a hate that made the heiress wonder if the rifle was going to be pointed at her next. There was a long pause before Ruby turned away and continued walking. Without much choice, Weiss followed as quickly as she could. They were almost out when a shout from behind them alerted the pair that the time for stealth was finished. The realization compounded when bullets started impacting the cliff next to them and they took off as fast as they could into the dark.
Weiss was not built for sprinting. She did enough to keep her figure slim and attractive, but muscles were unseemly on a woman in the higher echelons of society. So by the time they grouped up with the tall redhead, Weiss was panting roughly and sweat drenched her. The rush of adrenaline that came with the crack of bullets having worn off shortly after the bullets stopped coming. Still, the shouting behind would have given them a good idea of how far away their pursuit was had the torches carried by the gang members not already made it abundantly clear.
Weiss had barely enough time to register the horses before her wrist was grabbed by the now saddled silver haired girl and she felt herself being pulled up in front of the shorter girl. Weiss was forced to lean forward awkwardly so Ruby could see as she forced the overburdened horse into a gallop.
They didn't stop for nearly an hour, and the heiress was very sore when they finally did. She was rubbing her legs after dismounting. The marshal gave a quick introduction as Ruby retrieved her cloak and Peacemaker from the white haired woman. She spun the cylinder on it before holstering it and turning her glare on the white haired girl.
"You weren't wrong ta' stop me from puttin' that bitch down back there. But you step 'tween me an' my vengeance again and I'll knock yer teeth loose." Ruby stated simply before pulling her hood up and tossing Weiss a blanket to protect from the chill in the air. There wouldn't be a fire that night. Not while being so close to the gang, still, Ruby spent that night with her rifle propped against her shoulder, facing away from the heiress and the marshal. Torn between wanting the two women safe, and wanting Cinder to find them so she could put a bullet in the evil bitch, and damn the consequences.
AN:
No note this time, have a great day!
Special thanks to my wonderful reviewers RatedRSuperstar87, GrnDrgnzrd, BlackJakXXI, Fencer22, and Ninjapandas0010.
I love getting reviews and they're always appreciated. a follow or favorite is always appreciated as well. But even just knowing people are reading these is enough to make me happy. I love you all, thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next time!