"Those Two" (Dawnstarshine and I.K.A. Valian) and Fenrir of the Shadows provided the reviews. To address the concerns of Dawn and I.K.A., I have added a bit more humour in this chapter. Look for the jokes about a MINI Cooper and a senior's discount. As for Fenrir, I'm glad you put this story as one of your favourites, and I would like to assure you that if you read and review as frequently as Dawn and I.K.A., I will include you in the mention and switch "Those Two" into "These Three".
Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. Martin Scorsese owns The Departed. Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak own Infernal Affairs.
A younger Gilbert Irving was at the Asgard headquarters, listening to the orders given by Kvar, the Cruxis leader in Asgard. After a successful three years in Palmacosta with Magnius, Cruxis felt it was time to allow Gil to take part in more complex missions, and Forcystus sent the former police officer here. "Once all of these things have been taken, we will load them onto the vehicle, and then we will take them to the truck just outside of town, in a remote location where we can then send them to Magnius," Kvar explained in a low and somewhat slurred tone, "This could be beneficial to our group, since the Palmacosta branch is much larger than ours. By doing this deal, Magnius is providing us with some much needed funds."
As the group broke out to their positions, Gil trudged along, bringing up the rear. Realizing that his wife Anna was killed because she found out about Kvar's first attempt to establish Cruxis in Asgard, Gil was reluctant to take the mission to work under Kvar, knowing that returning to the last place she visited before her death would cause him much pain. But yet the only way to gain more trust by Cruxis members was to perform well, and Gil realized this was his chance to impress Forcystus and gaining an upper hand in his undercover mission.
Just before he stepped out, he took one last look at Kvar. The white-haired half-elf gave him one of the tougher roles, as he was in charge of coordinating the Cruxis vehicle through the streets of Asgard to ensure that it reached the truck. Somehow, he felt that Kvar was, like Magnius, wanting him to fail and used it as an excuse to get rid of humans in Cruxis. Knowing Kvar was crueller and more demanding than Magnius, the mission must be flawless to have any shot at gaining trust.
On the streets, Gil worked quickly and efficiently, guiding the Cruxis van to its destination and picking up the goods. All went well until sirens could be heard from the distance. The group turned to the streets and saw a series of police vehicles fly by. Before long, a blockade was set up, the police intent on searching every vehicle that came by that area. "I better call Kvar on this," the lead member of the Cruxis team muttered as he stepped away from the van, "Keep packing, you guys."
Gil also took the chance to step away from the scene. "Being the route planner, I have to find out another route for us to get out," Gil explained, "You keep packing while I consult my map." Just as he was out of sight and hearing distance from the group, he dialled for Chief Marshall in Iselia. "Chief, just because I told you Cruxis was making an exchange doesn't mean you send in a road block. I'm still trying to gain their trust here, and it doesn't send a good message if this mission ended up being botched," Gil snapped.
"Hey, it's not my idea. I can't control the Asgard police department, you know," Marshall pled his case, "All I can say is whatever alternative you think of, I will try and forward that to Asgard and tell them to let you off the hook."
"Chief, they're blocking off all vehicles and checking each and every single one, there's no way they'll let our van off the hook," Gil retorted desperately, "I doubt they'll have any exceptions on that, unless it's…"
"Unless it's what?" Marshall shouted from the other line, "Gil, what's going on over there? Can you hear me?"
But Gil was too busy observing his map that he forgot that he was still on the line. Just a couple of blocks on the other side of the blockade was a hospital, meaning there were ambulances that move in and out of that block. What if I tried that, Gil thought to himself. Turning back to the phone, Gil told the chief, "Can you check with Asgard if they make an exception to emergency vehicles going through a blockade?"
As he slapped his phone shut, Gil hurried back to the group and told them to take their goods out of the Cruxis van. The leader of the group, who returned just before Gil did, immediately got suspicious. He was about to question Gil when the former police officer raised his hand. "I have a better plan," Gil offered, "And from experience in knowing how police blockades work, this plan will succeed."
The half-elves looked at their field leader, who reluctantly shrugged and told the group to unload the goods. As Gil marched towards the hospital, he got the call from Marshall confirming his inquiry. Smiling, he marched to the hospital and, when nobody was looking, hopped onto an ambulance. Grabbing the keys from the glove department, he calmly started up the engine and roared out of the garage. Luckily, many ambulances were on duty at the time, and no one saw to it that Gil was, in fact, stealing one. Rather, they all thought he was another driver off to attend to another medical emergency.
A few minutes later, he would reach the roadblock. Explaining to the officers that he had a medical emergency beyond, he managed to get a free pass to their equipment. Gil backed the ambulance into the alley and opened the back. "Put all the stuff inside," he instructed, "And then tell Kvar that we'll be on the way."
The field leader marched up to Gil. "Hold on, are you sure this will work? I don't think this plan is entirely foolproof," he challenged Gil.
"Look, I know that we haven't known each other for very long, and given the fact that I'm not a half-elf means the distrust is even greater, but we have one shot to get this done," Gil pointed out, "Are you in it or not?"
"Fine, but I'm keeping my eye on you, human," the leader replied, "I'm riding in the ambulance with you." He was about to step to the door when Gil grabbed him.
"You're not riding as my passenger," Gil stated, marching the leader to the back, where the group just finished loading on the equipment, "You're riding as my patient. In fact, we're going to have the original group that was to go into the van to be paramedics. Can everyone please get on?" He motioned as the leader was put onto the stretcher.
As the team got into position, Gil taxied the ambulance back onto the main road. Again, stopping at the blockade, he showed the police the stretcher in the back, which got him a free pass again. Once they got onto the highway headed to the truck, it was smooth sailing as the goods were loaded onto the truck. Once the truck left for Palmacosta, the group could not help but be admired at Gil's quick thinking. "For a human, you're not half bad," the leader complemented, "I ought to give praise of you in front of Kvar."
Gil nodded. "Meanwhile, I'll just return the ambulance and make sure no one would suspect anything," he informed the group as he hopped back on. As he drove off, he called Iselia again. "Chief, the goods are in the truck and heading for Palmacosta. Tell the cops on that side to get ready to intercept, and tell Asgard paramedics that I thank them for their ambulance, as that might have just guaranteed my stay in Asgard."
"Gil, wake up, we're just about to enter Asgard," Dell shook Gil's shoulder as he tried to wake Gil on the bus.
Gil shook his head to clear up his mind as he recounted his first days in Asgard, and the mission that would ultimately earn him some trust in Kvar's group. Not only had he succeeded in delivering the goods out of Asgard, but the truck was indeed intercepted before the goods reached Magnius' hands, courtesy of Palmacosta police. Kvar did not blame Gil for that, choosing to blame Magnius for his sloppy work instead. Rather, Kvar praised him for his good work and began letting him lead some missions in the latter part of his three-year tenure in Asgard's Cruxis branch.
"I think the first thing you have to do is to get cleaned up," Chatman pointed out, "You look like you're in a mess right now. But then again, aren't we all, with this police mole business and Magnius going boom?" he chuckled at the self-deprecating humour.
Gil sighed. It was also after that experience that he began changing his physical appearance, which included the goatee and the different wardrobe. Knowing the daring heist might have made him a marked man in Asgard, he went with the change to make it easier for himself to camouflage with the crowd. Luckily, it paid off, as he never needed to address Asgard police even once, not counting the times he got Marshall involved.
A few hours after Gil's arrival, Lloyd's MINI Cooper would pull into the Asgard region. As per Lloyd's request, Colette gave her father a call to see where the bus was at. "They're going to be coming in a couple of hours later, so they told us not to wait, and just go on doing whatever we wanted to do here," Colette reported, hanging up the phone, "Sheena also said she might need to pick up some stuff in Luin first, so I'm guessing that they won't be going to the Mausoleum for a couple days,"
"Hey, I've always wanted to go to Luin," Genis chimed in, "I heard that back in the days of reunification, that city was destroyed, but was rebuilt by the reunification group themselves. I heard they even had an entire museum dedicated to showcasing that topic. I've got to go visit it," he insisted, rubbing his video camera, "Not to mention get some good footage of the stuff in there."
"Well, I'm glad you guys are enjoying yourselves, especially with the visits to all these exotic sites," Lloyd commented, sighing. Here was another city where his father spent the majority of his time in back when he was on his "business trips," and Lloyd was beginning to think that his father knew the directions in these cities better than he knew what Lloyd did at school. What's more, this was the city that his mother had last visited before her death, which stirred up some emotion for the spiky-haired teen.
Such a change in expression was not unnoticed by Lloyd's passengers, who read his face like a book. "What's wrong, Lloyd?" Colette asked, "Why so glum?"
Lloyd sighed again, realizing that there was no way he could hide the secrets. He explained to his friends what went through his mind, and how visiting Asgard truly made him feel. "It's just that it part of me is excited and wants to find out all the places that my dad has been to, but part of me is saddened by the fact that I may be walking through the last steps of my mother's life. I'm really in conflict with myself right now, wondering what type of attitude I should bring into this city. Know what I mean?" Lloyd asked.
"I guess you can consider yourself a lucky person to experience such something this unusual," Colette pointed out, "You get to experience the days and walk the so-called footsteps of both parents at the same time. I guess it can also bring closure, knowing that your mother accomplished lots by publishing her first book. I don't think anything can be more rewarding than that."
"Let's put it this way: sooner or later you're going to have to go through that stage in life where you try and find your roots. Consider this a chance for you to reconnect with your mother, since you haven't had that chance for ten years. If this doesn't bring closure to you, then I don't know what will," Genis added.
Lloyd nodded, trying to digest what his friends had to say. It was true that by knowing more about his mother's presence in Asgard it could bring closure, but would he be any closer to finding out what Gil was doing? Besides, they left Palmacosta knowing that he boarded a bus to Asgard, so what were the chances that he could run into his father and confront him with the information? Shaking his head and shoving the thoughts away, he returned to focusing on the road as it snaked its ways through the mountains and hills, and ultimately to into the city of Asgard.
"Look, just how many people are coming to Luin? Can anybody please give me an accurate number?" Lloyd demanded as the group met in the hotel parking lot. Lloyd originally expected to have Colette and Genis join him in touring Asgard, but Sheena insisted in dropping by Luin, and was intent to bring Mark along.
Further complicating the issue was when Raine wanted to tag along as well, and due to a tight budget, did not feel renting a car would be economical. Seeing that Lloyd was the only one with a vehicle, she requested that Lloyd be the driver to take them to Luin, which did not make the spiky-haired teen very happy, considering the fact that Raine did not have a good history of reimbursing people when she asked them for their help, particularly with transportation. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Raine," Lloyd repeated his words from Iselia, "you're the biggest cheapskate in the world!"
"Luin itself has a lot of interesting historical artefacts as well, and there's no way we can give up studying it, even if it means using more gas," Raine retorted, "Besides, we already promised to reimburse a quarter of the gas money. Isn't that enough?"
"First of all, you and Sheena are amongst two of the five passengers in the car, and with your heavy equipment in the back, I say that should take up about half of what the car carries. Anything less than a half reimbursement is insufficient. Secondly, I'm not fitting your heaviest equipment in, or I might as well drive without back tires, considering how the stuff can crush my car. Thirdly, if Dr. Owen jumps in I have six passengers, and that's one person too much. It's called a MINI Cooper, Raine, not a Giant Cooper!"
Finally, after some intense debate, Mark chose to bow out from the trip, staying in Asgard with Frank to plan their expedition into Balacruf Mausoleum. That left Sheena and Raine to join Colette, Genis, and a not-too-pleased Lloyd in the journey to Asgard. Luckily, Sheena was willing to compromise and bring less equipment to Luin, meaning Lloyd did not need to worry about changing his tires. Gasoline-wise, Raine did not relent completely, only promising to reimburse a third of the money.
"Why couldn't you just convert your car into a hybrid?" Colette asked Lloyd as Raine and Sheena loaded the back, "I heard the MINI Cooper is compatible with an engine that lets you use gas more efficiently. Wouldn't that solve your problem?"
"My problem is not with gas," Lloyd replied, "It's with a certain half-elf being too cheap for her own good. She and her 'I got to analyze history' antics are getting on my nerves, and me being against it is a matter of principle. She got so much time to care about archaeology but not enough to care about the gas tank? Give me a break!" Lloyd snorted as he entered the driver's seat, "Besides, it's probably too expensive to convert."
"Actually, my grandma knows someone that can convert engines for a relatively cheap price," Genis pointed out as he stepped into the back seat, "I recalled Grandma getting her car converted into a hybrid for a discount. Maybe you should try it out?"
"What type of a discount did your Grandma get?" Lloyd asked, curious to know.
"A senior's discount," Genis said, as he and Colette burst into laughter.
"How old do you think I am?" Lloyd yelled, "I'm turning seventeen, not seventy!"
"Well, give it a try anyway, okay?" Genis suggested, trying to suppress his laughter. Lloyd could have sworn that if the half-elf tried any harder to contain it, Genis would split apart at the seams. However, if Genis continued laughing, Lloyd would make Genis ride the trip tied to the roof. Nevertheless, the silver-haired boy continued, "I'm sure Grandma would put in a good word for you and get a price cut."
Lloyd groaned and banged his head on the wheel as Sheena and Raine hopped into the back. With a roar of the engine, the MINI Cooper pulled out of the parking lot and onto the streets, destined for Luin. But little did the group know that they were being watched the entire time. A mysterious figure stepped out from the alley and dialled on his phone. "Sir, our target is indeed in Asgard, and they're heading towards Luin as of we speak. They may be regrouping with the leader," he informed the other line.
After a few minutes, the figure nodded again. "Alright, we'll send a few vans to Luin and see what they're up to. I think somewhere between fifteen to twenty people will be enough, just in case we need to attack." With that, he hung up and hurried off.
"Keep a close eye on them, and bring a fair number of people with you. When they contact each other, you can disrupt and invade their operation immediately," the white-haired man ordered. Gil looked on uncomfortably as the phone conversation endured, as if taunting his efforts to have the older man pay attention to him.
Then, as suddenly as the phone rang, the dialogue ended with a distinctive click as the receiver was put back into its place. "So, Gil, what were you trying to say earlier?" the white-haired man asked in a sickeningly degrading tone.
"Forcystus was mentioning how there may be spies appearing in parts of Cruxis, as the Iselia branch was infiltrated by the police. With a mole in our group, it's becoming increasingly difficult to carry out our operations. Due to that, he sent me here along with two others to check if similar events have been happening in Cruxis' other branches," the former police officer explained, "We saw what harm it did to Magnius, and I do anticipate that it's a matter of time before you're hit, Kvar."
Kvar smirked and gave that disturbing chuckle under his breath. "Magnius was a fool, thinking that by being in an alliance with me, that he can gain the upper hand. But in all fairness to him, he wouldn't be making it on his own. I consider him lucky to last this long, both in the alliance with me and in Cruxis as a whole," he sneered.
Gil tried to stay emotionless, knowing that it would put him at a disadvantage. The situation in the room was like a chess match, with each move potentially crucial in determining the outcome of the battle. "Again, all I can say is this: if it can happen to Forcystus and Magnius, it can happen to you," Gil pointed out firmly.
"Well, I suppose you're right, considering the fact that Magnius isn't with us any longer," Kvar replied, emotionless as well, "It was quite foolish of him to attempt things that were by far out of his reach, such as the Thoda Geyser incident."
Gil stared nails into Kvar, trying to read his expression and anticipating his next move. "The story I heard from the two or three members that I've sent into Palmacosta told me that there was indeed some communication with the authorities, meaning there was a spy with Magnius," Kvar continued, "Unfortunately, the great oaf was not smart enough to notice. I, on the other hand, have taken note that there is a rival group located nearby, and that they have been targeting me for the last two or three years. That's why I have decided that a Cruxis team will go into Luin to, let's say, eliminate said rival?"
Again, Gil remained silent, which prompted another make-you-uncomfortable chuckle from Kvar. "Relax, I have more faith in my men than I have on Magnius. I'm sure the end results will be just as explosive as Palmacosta, except it's the rivals that will be all lit up. Just keep your eyes on Luin, you won't be disappointed."
Conceding defeat, Gil stepped out of the room and back out to the streets, where his two partners were waiting for him. "No dice," he reported, "Kvar won't listen to a thing I say, and he's focused on attacking Luin instead. He said something about a rival group that was after him for the last few years being located there?"
Dell looked down, dejected, while Chatman's response was quite the opposite. "I say we cause some trouble right now," he suggested, determined to proceed, "I say we go in there and mess everything up, and force Kvar to deal with us. Then, we don't stop questioning his men about the mole until he is forced to give out the information." Stepping up into a dramatic pose, he called to Gil and Dell, "You guys with me?"
Gil immediately grabbed Chatman by the jacket and hauled him back down. "Don't be causing a scene, we don't know what's going to happen yet," he warned the half-elf, "I say we go with Magnius' strategy, which is to observe his so-called invasion and keep contacts with Forcystus as much as possible. Here's the plan…"
After a quick lunch in Luin, Lloyd's group decided to split up and do their own thing. Raine headed straight for the museum, while Lloyd, Genis and Colette decided to explore the city. As for Sheena, the group wasn't completely sure where she was headed. "I'm just meeting someone I know, I'll meet you back here later in the day," she explained.
As she strolled off, Lloyd could not help but wonder aloud, "What's so secretive about this friend? Why couldn't she tell us anything about this person?"
Colette shrugged. "It's her privacy, right? I don't think it's right for us to interfere in her meeting. Besides, Sheena's from Tethe'alla, so maybe it's a friend that she may have known for a long time and happens to be in town?"
"I heard from Raine that Sheena was originally from Mizuho. Didn't they have a somewhat interesting history with regards to world reunification?" Genis asked.
"Yes, in fact, shortly after the world reunification, Mizuho's people began moving from their village to cities across the world, meaning there are likely many people living in Sylvarant that are of Mizuho descent," Colette explained, "I heard from my dad that every year at around the day of world reunification, Mizuho will hold their own special celebration in which most of these descendents return to their roots and get back in touch with their traditions. Sounds like something pretty exciting, don't you think?"
"Just don't let Raine hear that, or she'd go nuts," Genis mumbled as the three returned to their vehicle. Lloyd was about to turn on the ignition when a van suddenly swerved in front of them, blocking their path. A bunch of people hopped out and had the MINI Cooper surrounded and cornered like a wounded animal.
"Hey, what gives?" Lloyd shouted from the driver seat, about to jump out and protest further. But a swift jab to the windshield by a gunman quickly prompted Lloyd to change his mind. The threesome followed the intruders' orders and slowly stepped out of the car. "You better not have damaged my windshield, or you're going to get it," Lloyd threatened defiantly, feeling the glass to ensure there were no dents.
"Cut your whining or you're going to get it," one person retorted, "It just so happens that our target was in your vehicle, meaning you must have something to do with her operation. You can either do this the easy way by cooperating, or you can do it the hard way and have us force the info out of you!"
The threesome was led away, protesting the move and claiming their innocence. Just as they were led into the captors' van, Raine showed up from the other side, wanting to retrieve her forgotten notebook. Just as she turned onto the walk where the car was parked, she saw the three being dragged into the van. She hurried down the walkway, trying to safe her three friends when, without notice, the van made a sharp turn and took off. Grabbing her phone, she dialled for Sheena to tell her of the emergency, all the while memorizing the license plate of the van when she had to call the police after this call.
Meanwhile, inside the van, Lloyd, Colette, and Genis struggled against their captors and tried to find anyway of escaping, but the efforts seemed fruitless at the time. "Shut them up," the driver called from the front, "It's getting annoying to hear them,"
"You heard what the boss said, no sudden moves until we know what the rivals are doing," the man in the passenger seat ordered. From Lloyd's deduction, he guessed that this was probably the leader of the group. While staying quiet, Lloyd leaned forward to listen closely to their directions. He watched closely as the man dialled a number into his cell phone. "We don't have the target, but we have a group of people that were travelling with her earlier." Lloyd gasped as the man continued his conversation, knowing that whatever the outcome might decide their fates.
"I say keep those kids around for another little while, just to use as leverage against the targets when we do meet up," Kvar decided in Asgard, "But until then, squeeze as much info out of them as possible. If they don't cooperate, you know what to do; and after they give you the info, you know what to do as well." With an arrogant smirk, he hung up.
Meanwhile, Gil and company returned into the Cruxis building, sneaking in through a back door. "So is this it? We're going to cause mayhem?" Chatman asked excitedly.
"For the last time, we're not causing mayhem," Gil snapped, irritated, "I told you, we're going to see what's going on with Kvar and what his plans are in Luin. The second he messes up the way Magnius did..."
"We're going to jump all over him and nail him to the wall," Chatman finished for Gil, proud of his achievement, "Which is just another definition of causing mayhem. So why couldn't you just say that in the first place?" Beside him, Dell covered his face.
Just before Gil could set the record straight, Kvar swiftly moved out of his office and down a hallway. Motioning to Dell and Chatman, the threesome raced after the older half-elf, and again found themselves outside of a main command room. And, in just like in Palmacosta, they were not allowed in. "Kvar said Cruxis members only, so you three stay out," the guard barked, holding his ground.
And in an obvious case of déjà vu, Chatman tried to cause a scene again, a move anticipated since the beginning by Dell and Gil, who pulled a side to discuss strategy. Amid their discussion, Chatman's shouting with the guard, and intense scheming from inside the room, a single phone call placed to Kvar was received. "So, they're willing to negotiate now," Kvar could be heard saying, "Very well, take the hostages to the meeting spot, and once the drop was made, make sure nobody except our target get out alive."
For the second time that afternoon, Lloyd and company were herded into the large Cruxis van like cattle. Again, the captors did not disclose any information regarding their next move, but something told Lloyd that this might be their chance to escape. The uneventful ride in the van finally ended with the captors hauling them out into the central park of Luin, where the statues of three members of the world reunification group were erected when the town was rebuilt. Lloyd and Colette were taken to the centre of the park, while another member took Genis to the side, near the fountain.
The group with Lloyd and Colette approached the open area, where across from them another group stood. Lloyd could not see properly from the back, but it seemed like he might have seen someone from the other group some time before. "Do you see anyone familiar from the other group?" he leaned over to ask Colette.
"You mean Sheena?" Colette replied, pointing at the edge of that group.
That statement prompted Lloyd to crane his neck to get a good look. Indeed, the Palmacosta researcher was among that group, standing near the edge with a determined look on her face. "What's going on? Why is Sheena with those guys?" Lloyd wondered aloud, trying to assess the situation before him.
But Lloyd's train of thought would be disrupted as the leader of the opposite group spoke. "So you have the hostages that we want, and it's a good thing you still have them alive," he called from across the park, "But we also have what you want right here, and we're only making the exchange if there's no funny business."
Again, Lloyd was getting a feeling that he had heard that voice somewhere before. But as he continued to rack his brain, the leader of the captors replied, "I don't think you're in any position to talk, we have two of the kidnapped, but a third we have put somewhere in another location, which means if you want all three back alive, you're going to do this our way, understood?"
The leader of the opposite group did not flinch, but Lloyd could tell that he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Would the groups be willing to risk four lives just to make this drop go smoothly, or were the lives of Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Sheena of no significance to these two groups? And in the middle of all this, where was Raine?
The tense atmosphere in the park would continue for another few minutes, as each group tried to negotiate the drop in ways to their respective advantages. There was a strange silence within the members of each group as the leaders called out each group's demands across the park. Lloyd and Colette could feel their hearts pound out of their ribcages as they fretted over what the next move might have in store for them, and all the while worrying over the safety of Genis. Finally, the groups agreed on the way the drop was to be made. "Our two will step forward at the same time you send your member up," the leader of the captors ordered, "Once she's on our side, we'll check her to make sure she is not armed or anything, then we'll reveal where the half-elf is for you to pick up."
Seeing there was no choice, the other group relented, and began to send Sheena forward. The captors responded by prodding Lloyd and Colette in the back, forcing them to step up as well. The threesome took the long, solemn walk to their new respective positions, very much resembling a death march.
In the distance, the captor with Genis watched on as he had Genis' arm in a death grip, making sure the young half-elf could not escape. The exchange was not on Genis' mind, as he had his eyes on the fountain. "I'm starting to get experience in manipulating mana, and Undine is the water elemental. I've learned some stuff from the mana piece, so I wonder if I could cast a water spell? Maybe it'll increase my chance of escape." Genis kept the option open, just in case his life would be at risk, not that it wasn't at the time.
Just as Lloyd and Colette passed Sheena on the way, the shrill sirens of police cars cut through the air. Both groups were caught off guard as men in uniform surrounded the entire area. As the police positioned themselves, the captors group accused their rivals of botching the deal by calling the police, and weapons were drawn. Before long, bullets were fired into the air, causing major mayhem in the park.
Please give me a fair judgment on the jokes, as I realized that I'm not that good in writing comedy. Thank you and take care.