Wolf's Rain

Chapter 21 - Convergence

*Warnings for strong language, violence, and self-harm

- Cheza -

Cheza couldn't remember much of what happened to her before. She was running out in search of the wolves and the next thing she knew she was doubled over on the ground in terrible pain.

There was a strange numbness that Cheza had only felt a number of times. When the scientists performed tests on her she experienced something similar to this. However, she'd never felt this much pain at one time. Her body was on fire. She couldn't run or cry out for help.

Cheza's vision was blurred by her tears and whatever strange power was affecting her. Still, she could see a tall man standing in the snow. He leaned in towards her, his blueish hair falling into his face. Cheza couldn't make out the man's face, however, it was covered by a strange white mask. Black feathers blew in the wind. The man's dark attire wasn't at all marred by the fast falling snow.

The man scooped Cheza up and started walking somewhere. Cheza wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She wanted to do something to get herself out of this situation. She wanted to squirm away from him but she still couldn't move.

The wolves were here, she'd finally felt their presence. Being forced to leave them made her sick.

Cher told Cheza not to go outside alone.

"Especially in the cities," she'd warned. "It's dangerous out there." Cher had never elaborated on what those dangers were but this had to be one of them.

" Surely," Cheza thought sometime before. " The outside world can't be so dangerous. It's filled with beautiful things and kind people."

Had Cheza been wrong before? This wasn't a good situation at all. Yet, she tried to see the positive in everything. There had to be an explanation to this. If only Cheza could speak, she could find the answers she desired.

The man didn't walk very far. Cheza hoped that this was all a misunderstanding. That he'd put her back down and the pain she felt would subside.

There was a loud whooshing sound and the clack of horse hooves. The man put Cheza down carefully. She fell slightly back into a wall. She was moving, probably in a wagon of some sort. The floors and walls were a soothing, warm to the touch wood. After spending time in the freezing snow, Cheza was grateful for this warmth. The floor started to tremble. The man sat across from her and slowly took off his mask.

Cheza's body didn't feel limp any more. That was great! The only problem was that now she was sure she was being taken away from the wolves.

Cheza's emotions overwhelmed her in the moment. She screamed so loudly that the wagon shook. The horses stopped and angrily bellowed. Her throat ached, her heart pounded, her eyes somehow filled with even more tears.

"No, no, no," Cheza screamed. She trembled and started to cry. " This one doesn't want to leave the wolves!" She felt so close to them now. All her hard work, all the work of the scientists who had helped her and the Nobles she was raised among would be for nothing.

She felt something hot on the side of her face. Her skin tingled in the same way it had before.

"Calm yourself," the voice was soothing yet firm; like the man's touch on her face.

Cheza coughed and recoiled, curling up into a little ball. She closed her eyes and took long deep breaths. Hysterics weren't going to get her anywhere.

" T-this one wants to find the wolves," Cheza said as she tried to hold back her tears.

" They are here… This one does not want to leave them. This one needs to stay with them!"

Cheza stared at the man's face intently. She had to reason with him at all costs. The longer she sat in this wagon the longer she'd be apart from the wolves.

The wagon began to move again. The man leaned back into the wall and sighed quietly. He was handsome in a sort of gloomy brooding sort of way.

One of his eyes were covered with a black eye patch. His uncovered eye was blue. He stared back at her, his hair fell back into his face. Stress and exhaustion showed plainly on his face. His eye was bloodshot and little bags were forming under it.

Cheza knew it was rude to stare but she couldn't just stop staring now. Wasn't it just as rude to stop staring now?

They continued to stare at each other.

But his presence was intimidating and unwelcoming. The look of him sent chills up her spine. He had a long sword sheaved to his side. It clicked over every bump in the wagon.

He exhaled loudly and closed his. Cheza gulped. Even still, it was impolite to show fear.

"Besides," Cheza thought, trying to reassure herself. "This one collapsed on the ground. Perhaps he was only trying to help."

A slight smile tugged at his lips. She wasn't sure why.

Cheza's eyes widened. She remembered who he was!

" L-lord Darcia!"

"Oh goodness," Cheza thought, flustered.

How could she forget? All the information she'd learned about him came rushing back in a huff. Lord Darcia III; grandson of a man by the same name who loved wolves. Lady Hamona's husband, Lady Jaguara's brother in law. He was one of the Nobles that was helping her, funding the project to find Paradise. Project Paradise. Darcia presided over a small city network near Black City, which was a long distance from here. It was a strange dark place. It matched Lord Darcia's appearance.

Cheza felt her cheeks turn pink in embarrassment.

" This is no way to dress in front of Lord Darcia," she thought.

She wasn't wearing anything remotely appropriate for a meeting with someone if such a high status. Her red tunic was covered in dirt. She was barefoot, which she liked because she was closer to the earth this way,

Cheza looked down brushed off her tunic. She could still feel the carriage moving. Further and further away from the wolves.

Darcia nodded ever so slightly and started to speak.

" Flower Maiden," his voice was somber. "Cheza. " The wolves are here, yes. However, it is not the time for them. They must wait as you must. Paradise is something that they must wait for."

Cheza couldn't help but frown at this.

" Something terrible is happening to this world." Darcia's expression darkened further. " These problems will only continue to grow. I… we need to do something before this world falls into complete ruin."

Cheza nodded to this.

She didn't quite understand what Darcia meant. However, the severity of his words was clear. How was the world going to fall into ruin and what could she do to stop it? The end of the world and the betterment of humanity were drastically different things.

Her whole life, Cheza had studied and trained to help the wolves find Paradise. In finding Paradise, she could make everyone's lives better. The wolves could be at peace. All the fighting in the world would stop. Cheza's very existence was for this purpose. Her green veins coursed with lunar flowers. Her vibrant red eyes glimmered with hope. Her pink hair wet from tears and snow.

The scientists would say that it was up to Cheza to make the prophecy come true. So would Cher. Whatever information hints Cheza could lock onto could be helpful in the future. It wasn't as if there was a book that taught you how to find Paradise. It could never be that easy.

Still, Cheza had he doubts. She wanted to see the wolves right now and she didn't see how impeding the ruination of the world should stop that.

"There is something else that I need from you," Darcia said moved closer to Cheza and he held his hand to her chin. "My wife is ill. She was stricken with something called Paradise Sickness. It's something that only can cure."

Cheza's reply was immediate. "I-if Lady Hamona is ill… this one will save her."

" Thank you," Darcia said with a faint smile. His eye glimmered. For a moment he looked happy and alive. But his gaze turned distant and forbidding again, like even he himself didn't want to be happy.

Darcia's appearance, his scent, his aura; they all reminded Cheza of something familiar. But it was a strangely twisted formality that made her feel uncomfortable. He was like that girl that she'd met before. The one who looked like a wolf at times and a human at other times. Cheza still hadn't figured out why that was. It bothered her. She wished she'd had the chance to talk to Cher about it. One thing was for sure, somehow, Darcia reminded her of a wolf.

The moon rose more times than Cheza could count on her wagon journey. She stopped counting after fifteen. The wagon stopped frequently and it was hard to keep track. Cheza always felt a little on edge. She still wasn't exactly used to traveling outside of her home. Besides, she'd only ever traveled with Cher. It was hard to travel with people she hardly knew to a location she'd never been to.

Cheza admitted to herself that she was intimidated by Darcia. His ways and mannerisms were frightening and strange. He had a maid with him. Her name was Alina.

Alina wasn't much for conversation, much like Darcia. The two of them were very reserved. Neither Alina or Darcia said much of anything to Cheza. She rode in the back of the wagon while the two f them were in the front. They weren't mean to her but she got the impression that they could be very scary if they didn't get their way. Still, Cheza believed in the goodness of people.

Darcia and Alina were both solemn and subdued as well. Cheza couldn't blame either of them. Seeing your loved ones develop an illness had to be unbearable.

Cheza had studied illnesses. Nothing as expansive as what Cher knew. But the Flower Maiden knew how to treat basic Illnesses with herbs and things of that nature.

Paradise Sickness was a foreign illness. She didn't know what she could do to cure it but she would try her best.

Cheza frowned.

What if her best wasn't good enough? It'd taken her long enough to find the wolves and she still hadn't technically found them yet. A woman's life depended on her. She didn't have the luxury or hoping and waiting, even though that was all she could do.

Cheza wished Cher was there with her. With all the books Cher read and all the knowledge at her disposal surely she'd have a solution to this problem.

The wagon moved quickly on the unpaved roads. Cheza didn't sleep at first. She felt uneasy, not knowing where they were going, and it wasn't as if she actually needed rest.

" Sleeping would make the time pass more quickly," Cheza thought to herself.

So she closed her eyes to try and rest but it wasn't for long.

Cheza kept waiting for the either Alina or Darcia to rest but it didn't look like they ever did. They got out of the wagon every once in a while. When that happened, there was usually a lot of screaming and blood being shed. The presence of violence made Cheza's skin crawl. She didn't dare ask what was going on. They were already in a bad enough mood as it was. Maybe, once they got to know Cheza better they'd explain what in the world was going on.

Nothing good could come from violence. Cheza hoped for the best, perhaps there was a simple explanation for this bloodshed

.

" They could be hunting," Cheza thought. Not that she wanted to see innocent animals killed but she knew it was the circle of life. Sometimes, humans had to kill to live.

Cheza's sense of dread never went away. The moon rose and set some more. More blood was spilled. There was still hardly any speaking. She could only assume that they were going to Lord Darcia's home. He'd never told her but that wasn't much of a surprise, Darcia hadn't told Cheza much of anything. She couldn't remember how far away Freeze City was from Black City or any other major hub so she could only guess how long their journey would be.

At times, Cheza peered out of the wagon. Darcia stood on a faraway hilltop. He was screamed, howling almost, in pain. Cheza closed her eyes and prayed that everything would be ok.

She was so afraid. She wanted to run away and cry somewhere. At the same time, Cheza had made a promise, to herself and to Darcia, that she would do her best to help Lady Hamona. She promised herself that she'd do whatever it took to help the wolves find Paradise and to make the world a better place.

More days passed. In the early morning, the wagon came to a loud screeching halt.

Darcia opened up the door and scooped Cheza up.

" You must hide your face," he said as he pulled her hood over her head and pushed her towards his maid.

" Go together for now," we will regroup once the fighting concedes.

"Yes milord," Alina said quietly with a slight bow.

Cheza followed her into the dusty town. She wasn't sure why she had to hide her face. Though she assumed it had something to do with her strange appearance. Cheza knew it wasn't natural. She couldn't guess how people would feel about her. Darcia and Alina must have to not wanted to draw attention to themselves.

Cheza did what she was told and hid her face. Darcia went off somewhere on his own. She watched as he slowly became a small black dot in the far away sandy void.

The road into the heart of the town was crowded Cheza enjoyed spending time around people, even though she didn't always get the chance to do so. She had her duties to fulfill. Even if she had no duties, Cheza knew that she wouldn't exactly blend into the "normal" human population. Cheza wouldn't have minded if, for only a short while, she could blend in with everyone else.

Cheza knew she wasn't quite human. While lunar flowers coursed through her veins she knew she wasn't a plant either. There was an affinity towards wolves coursing through her heart. Cheza hadn't ever seen a wolf. She'd had visions of them; she and the wolves happy together. That was why she truly wanted to help the wolves find Paradise. They'd be happy and because of their happiness would be happy.

Cheza would never be human, flower, or wolf. Striving to see everyone's happiness was her only wish.

Before Cheza had come to Freeze City, she considered herself inexperienced when it came to wolf tracking. She'd felt the presence of wolves there. She'd sensed their spilled blood. It horrified her. The next time she sensed wolves around her, no matter what Darcia said, she didn't want to leave them behind.

It was hot and sunny in Leesburg, which Cheza liked. But it was much too dry. Her body practically withered. Darcia had given her water before and some sort of meat, she was grateful for that. But with the sun blaring down on her and the sand practically blowing into her mouth Cheza felt kind of terrible.

Being in a new place was exciting. Cheza couldn't help but glance at people as she walked by, trying to catch a glimpse of people's everyday lives. She frowned. They didn't look happy.

Unhappiness seemed to be the least of these people's concerns. The city was under attack. Someone's scream made Cheza's ears ring. Metal scraped against metal. A strange mechanical whoosh filled the air. The smell of blood was so pungent that Cheza nearly gagged. But the population of the town didn't seem to bothered by it. People were shouting, running and boarding up their doors, sure. But it was as if the attack was simply part of a routine.

Cheza trembled and drew closer to Alina. The maid as looked completely unfazed by the situation. She wore a stern expression on her face and didn't say a word.

" What will we do," Cheza didn't know if she'd said or thought this. She wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Her tears dampened Alina's dress.

"Keep quiet," the maid whispered sternly.

Alina pushed herself and Cheza into a narrow alleyway. She steadied Cheza with her right hand and held a short sword in her left.

" Heavens knows where she was hiding that," Cheza thought.

Alina pushed Cheza down. She grabbed Cheza's tunic and pulled it over the Flower Maidens head.

"Don't move," Alina ordered.

Cheza could hear the sound of her receding footsteps.

Cheza didn't move, not voluntary at least. She started to shake and sob uncontrollably. Her tunic muffled her cry. She held her knees to her chest and tried to make herself as small as she could. This gave Cheza the appearance of a big red rock.

The fear and blood of humans drowned out everything, except for one thing. Hidden somewhere, there was the blood of wolves. Their scent lingered in this strange and violent place. Cheza's eyes widened. She could barely breathe. Here in this town, somewhere, there were wolves. Still, now, the way things were, she didn't dare move.

- Kiba -

Kiba was so tired of these foul human infested places. Hige had nearly gotten himself killed, again, so there they all were, hiding in yet another sewer.

"Ugh," Hige groaned. "I can't believe we're hiding a sewer again."

No one was happy to be there, that was clear. Even Toboe seemed in lower spirits than usual. Though it was hard to tell with the smallish brown wolf at times. He'd spent most of his time fretting over Tsume. He was acting as if the grey wolves injuries were so terrible he shouldn't even be standing.

Tsume was his usual rude self.

" Would you rather us throw you back up there to get maimed?"

" No, of course not," Hige yelped. " But we shouldn't have left that other wolf out there by herself."

"Yeah, we should rescue her," Toboe chimed in.

" I'm not helping her," Tsume grumbled.

The shock and dismay showed on Hige and Toboe's faces. Kiba wasn't anywhere near as shocked as they were

"That's terrible" Hige groaned. " You should be ashamed!"

" I've met that wolf before," Tsume said without any sort of hint that he cared. " She tried to kill me."

" I thought you were telling us why we shouldn't help her," Kiba couldn't help but say.

"Listen," Tsume growled. " If you three want to help that bitch so much then get off your asses and do it."

That wasn't going to happen. Toboe looked scared out of his mind. Even if he wasn't, what could he hope to accomplish? While Hige did look determined to fight, he was injured. His injuries seemed to be mostly internal. Kiba could see the dried blood at his mouth.

That left Kiba who honestly had no excuse. Still, he wasn't sure he had the time to spare.

Kiba sighed as a shiver of guilt went down his spine. He didn't want to leave a fellow wolf behind. But every second he spent not looking for the Flower Maiden was wasted time.

"I'm sure she managed to get away..."

Kiba hoped.

" Besides," Tsume said as he walked towards the exit. " Porky's wounded. He wouldn't last another second up there, fighting those bastards."

Hige looked at the ground.

"You are?" Toboe shouted, already running over with his bandages.

"Of course he is," Tsume said with scathing disinterest. "Didn't you see him getting his ass kicked out there?"

Tsume sighed, " You'd think that you'd of realized that yourself, Runt. Considering you dragged me here to help Porky in the first place."

"Tsume I am not a Runt," Toboe shouted as he started to rub some herbs he found from God knows where on one of Hige's injuries.

Kiba stood up and followed Tsume.

"Where are you to going?" Hige asked, still trying to resist Toboe's invasive first aid.

"To find the Flower Maiden," Kiba replied simply.

" Stealing weapons" was all Tsume said.

They'd somehow ended up leaving together.

Tsume peeked out of the manhole and then slowly lifted it up. The streets reeked of blood. Kiba's nose was still polluted from the sewer so, blessedly, it wasn't too jarring.

People were still screaming, metal was still clanging; it was Freeze City all over again. It was a nightmare for Kiba's ears.

Tsume scaled the wall, using drain pipes and torn siding. Kiba followed suit.

The grey wolf looked down from the rooftop, disgust plainly showing on his face.

Kiba stared at him and almost started laughing.

" You were grumbling like that down there but you were the one who threw that knife.

" I was aiming for his head," Tsume replied, his eyes transfixed on a group of humans fighting in the streets.

"I didn't say you weren't," Kiba smirked. " I guess your aims just bad then."

Tsume didn't say anything, neither did Kiba. They listened to the sounds of the anguished humans. Kiba could hear a muffled cry. The flower scent from before hung in the air, battling against the egregious smells of the city.

Kiba's eyes widened. His fur frizzled.

His thoughts burst out of his mouth.

" The Flower Maiden is here."

Kiba ran as fast as his legs would take him. He climbed down the building the same way he'd climbed up. He could practically feel his heart pounding out of his chest. He wasn't sure where he was going what human-related crap he was running through. It didn't matter and he didn't care.

It was happening, or at least, he hoped it was. No, Kiba knew. He'd dreamed of her, day and night, so vividly that sometimes she really seemed real. But she was real and she was close to him. Somehow Kiba knew. Kiba was going to find the Flower Maiden, no matter what.

- Blue -

Blue was truly starting to believe she'd gone crazy. When she looked down at her shadow it wasn't that of a young woman's that she saw but a young wolf.

Blue gagged.

She kept moving forward, quickly, to a destination unknown even to her. She jumped aimlessly from rooftop to rooftop. A feeling of helplessness wrapped itself around Blue's body.

Where would she go? What should she do?

Cher thought she was a wolf. Blue couldn't go back to her now.

The brown wolf that'd protected her? Could she join his pack?

No, she wouldn't bring herself to believe it. Believing that some wolves were good was already enough of a stretch.

To even consider partnering up with them was deplorable.

"I should be ashamed of myself," Blue thought angrily.

Pops would surely kill her.

Blue's body shook. She forced herself to breathe. She forced herself to live another moment in this accursed wolf body.

Pops would kill her but that might not be such a bad thing.

Blue wasn't sure she deserved to live at this point.

If God existed, if karma was real, this had to be their way of getting back at Blue for all she'd done.

She shook her head. " The wolves started it. They took my family away from me. I might end up in hell but they deserve to be there with me," her thoughts made her hair bristle.

Still, as much as Blue tried to convince herself, thoughts of death filled her mind. How easy would it be to miscalculate one of her jumps and fall to her death?

She knew any hunter worth his salt would kill her, she couldn't let herself die.

The thought still of killing all wolves still persisted in Blues mind. She clung to her vow of violence just as much as she clung to her newly found wish to be free of this curse.

"It's selfish to admit, I'm sure," Blue thought. " But I want to continue living, no matter what form I take. To complete my tasks and… just for my own selfish sake.

Traveling may be the only way to make her wishes come true.

Doubts continued to weigh Blue down as if someone had poured hot cement all over her body. Still, she jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

" What exactly am I looking for," she asked herself.

Wolves, Cher, that strange girl who smelled of Flowers? Blue noticed she could smell the Flowers again. Cher would be delighted at this revelation. Blue herself felt a sense of calm and happiness from the girl. Maybe if she found the girl again, the Flower Maiden, she could find a way to free this curse.

Blue's excellent hearing came in handy again. Not too far away she could hear Cher's voice. She jumped quickly, from rooftop to rooftop, listening for the scientist's voice. After a while, she landed on what she thought was the right roof. Blue was tired and at this point, she could only hope that's where Cher was. Blue peered down from the side of the roof. The armored thugs were circling the perimeter.

Blue sighed. She didn't feel like another battle. Her body felt like crap.

She decided to take a gamble, jumping downward silently, towards the barricaded door.

"Cher," Blue whispered. Her voice sounded a lot more scratchy and harsh than anything else. " It's me, Blue. Let me in."

She heard the slamming of a book. Within the next second, the rubble shifted.

Cher's voice was as clear and even as it ever was. " The second you think you can fit through, proceed," the scientist ordered.

The second she could, Blue did what she was told.

She tumbled into the floor but quickly jumped to her feet.

A group of women was already moving the pile of debris back into place.

The who place was filled with scared-looking women.

" I think she's here," Blue said in her same foreign sounding voice as before

Cher was staring intently at her book. Blue wasn't even sure she'd heard her until she watched her place a bookmark in her book and nod. It was hard to see, especially in this low light, but Cher was smiling slightly.

" Don't let people in here! It's too risky," a woman shouted.

" It's fine, she looks like she's on death's door anyway," another woman whispered.

"Are they talking about me," Blue asked herself. She looked down at herself. She really did look awful. Covered in blood, fur, dust, and cuts.

Blue fell to the floor, involuntarily.

" Are you alright?" Cher asked in an almost concerned sounding tone.

"Y-yes" Blue croaked

"Good, we're staying here for a while. As I'm sure should be obvious. They're attacking."

Blue was painfully aware of this.

She hated hiding but she was glad she didn't have to do any fighting for now. Blue wanted to stay away. There were things she needed to tell Cher. She tried to fight it, but she found herself drifting to sleep. At least for now, she and Cher were safe.

- Quent –

" Alright then," Quent said cracking his knuckles. " Are you sure your ready?"

Quent stopped the wagon by the side of the dusty road. His horses looked as tired as he did. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and looked up at the sky. A gloomy reddish moon had started to make its way into the sky. The air was still oppressively warm.

Quent was not looking forward to the journey down the mountain whatsoever.

" I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Hubb answered with a chuckle.

Quent rolled his eyes. He'd agreed to let Hubb tag along with him, because what choice did he really have in the matter. But he still wasn't all that thrilled at the current situation, to say the least.

Hubb was a nice enough man. Quent had no idea why he wanted to " find wolves for his work," as he'd said. He was a detective. It probably had something to do with the Nobles.

Quent didn't see the need to ask. Sure, there was a part of him that cared.

But the less Quent knew about the strangers that'd decided to travel with him, the better. Hubb asked enough questions for the both of them. He was polite and quiet enough most times but Quent could tell he'd some sort of scheme inside his head.

Still, Quent wondered.

" Why is someone else's life being consumed by wolves," he thought. "Did they take something away from him too?"

Take something away is an understatement though. The understatement of the century.

" Hey," Hubb half shouted. " Old man, why are we walking down this way instead of going down the main path in the wagon?"

Quent sighed and steadied himself. It was horribly rocky. The shifting sand made the mountainside ever more treacherous.

" Call me old man again and I'll shoot you in the throat."

Quent hadn't put any heat behind his threat. He hadn't meant it. But he'd been caught off guard. Quent thought, that after he left Blue, he'd be alone again forever.

"Yikes," Hubb yelped. The rocks behind Quent crackled loudly.

Reluctantly, Quent turned partially around, to watch Hubb slip on some rocks and regain his balance.

He sighed and looked towards the town. Nobles were everywhere. They'd closed off the main gates.

" Are you blind," Quent asked, rhetorically. " We won't be able to get in that way. They're killing each other. I'm not getting swept this bullshit."

" Well" Hubb started, a little irritation in his own voice this time. "Why are we bothering with this place then?"

" Wherever there is chaos… bloodshed…ruin they're likely to be there. Wolves are like a plague, thriving on bloodshed and violence."

They were a plague that needed to be wiped out, for humanity's sake. Quent thought of his family. Those that'd been killed by wolves. If he didn't travel around, killing all the wolves he could find, how many more innocent lives would be stolen?

Quent's thoughts shifted to Blue. He thought of her a lot. At least she was safe. The world could be a cruel place but Blue was strong. She could take care of herself. There had to be a life for her away from the horror and blood of wolf hunting. He hadn't wanted to leave her. She was the only family he had left after all. He loved her, but that was exactly why he'd had to let her go. Blue deserved a real life. One where she could learn to be happy again

Quent was to far gone. Killing wolves was his life now. Whatever blood he'd gotten on his hands was there to stay. He'd lived his life in happiness and peace for years. His past was gone, both literally and figuratively. All that was left was murder, violence and inevitably, his death.

Hello and thank you for reading my Wolf's Rain fanfiction! Please support the original authors. Well, sorry if there are to many POV changes, I just had a lot of stuff to cover and no other way to cover it. I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. Its taken a while but Darcia's finally here. I don't like him at all but I sort of feel bad for him. I mean, before he went insane and all that, he was just a normal guy who's wife got taken away from him. ...I feel like every chapter I put Blue through more crap. All in all, I feel that things are going to get worse for the characters before they get better. But at least everyone's in the same area now.

Comments,follows and feedback is always appreciated!

Happy early Memorial Day and se you guys next time!