"Natsumi, where are you going?" asked Natsuki Naoko in a worried tone. She had her almond brown hair tied into a ponytail with an orange ribbon and she wore an apron dirtied from cooking. She stood in the middle of the kitchen with a ladle in her right hand, she'd been cooking dinner for her family.
Tonight's menu was her favorite. Curry with a heaping side of the Natsuki family secret ingredient: mayonnaise. She was paying careful attention to the flames on the stove until her focus was drawn to her daughter moving away from her side.
"We ran out of mayonnaise so I'm gonna head out to buy some." Replied a young girl. She had her mother's soft facial features and smooth pale skin. Her gorgeous hazel brown eyes had long, curly eyelashes, as well as a nasty glare courtesy of her mother. The only trait she had inherited from her father was her beautiful jet-black hair, which comfortably reached past her shoulders. She wore a black shirt patterned with orange stripes, comfortable shorts, and a colored apron like her mother.
"You can't go outside in pajamas, Natsumi." She frowned upon seeing her daughter heading for the door without changing.
"It's a five-minute trip, mom. By the time I changed, I could have come back already. And it's not like anybody is gonna care." Naoko sighed, shaking her head.
"I swear she is just like her father sometimes."
"Natsumi, at least change your shoes, or are you planning to go to the store in your slippers?"
Rolling her eyes, Natsumi changed out of her comfy slippers into more appropriate sneakers and messily threw her apron onto the couch without care.
As Natsumi began to turn the doorknob, she heard her mother's airheaded voice come calling from behind.
"Natsumi, I almost forgot."
"What is it now mom? My entrance exams are starting next week, and I still want to cram a little before going to bed." Turning back dejectedly, Natsumi answered, annoyed with her mother's constant pestering.
"Remember to take care." Standing at the kitchen door, Naoko, with a little wave of her hand, said farewell to her daughter.
Seeing her mother's warm, gentle smile, Natsumi felt her heart tug, as pangs of guilt struck at her chest. Clenching her hand Natsumi silently turned away from her mother. She twisted the door's handle and whispered.
"I will." With those words, Natsumi closed the door behind her and set off into the night, heading to the nearest convenience store before they closed.
Natsuki Subaru, or as she preferred to be called Natsumi, was always a lonely girl. Named after the shining star cluster Pleiades and being the child of the amazing Naoko and Kenichi Natsuki, Natsumi was destined for greatness. However, the shadow her name cast upon her and the expectations it brought with it was too much for her to climb.
Under the pressure of her name, she strived to be worthy of it. Working herself to the bone, she managed to always have the highest grades in her school. However, despite trying her hardest, there was always an "as expected of his daughter" or "it's all talent".
While she was indeed talented at sports, reducing all her efforts to mere "talent" angered her to no end. To deal with the stress, she resorted to hobbies like manga, anime, or video games.
As Natsumi was walking down the quiet street her sneakers squeaked at every step she took. Walking at a relaxed pace, the only thing on Natsumi's mind was hitting the books as soon as she got home. Maybe be she could get another couple of hours in before she went to bed. Lost in her thoughts, Natsumi continued to keep up her pace, but she was soon snapped out of it, as she heard a strange voice as quiet and smooth as the wind.
"Love you."
Natsumi felt a chill as goosebumps began to rise on her skin. However, when she turned her head, she saw nothing unusual. The flickering light of the streetlamp illuminated the quiet neighborhood street and the chirping cries of cicadas being the only sound she could hear.
"I shouldn't stay up so late. I'm starting to imagine things." She thought while rubbing her eyes.
Quickening her pace, Natsumi made her way to the convenience store.
She quickly bought the mayonnaise bottle she needed and took the chance to buy a few snacks for munching during her study sessions as well. Arriving at the cash register, Natsumi noticed a certain manga in the corner of the shelf.
"Oh, it's 'Under the moonlight'! I was waiting for the next volume! The last one finished right after Shizuku and Haru finally kissed…" She was taken out of her trance by a loud cough coming from the clerk who was giving her an annoyed look. Realizing she had gotten too excited and spoke out loud, Natsumi quickly turned red. After being embarrassed, she bought the manga in silence.
Or at least, she wanted to.
"Hey Natsumi, how are your studies going?" Asked the middle-aged clerk as he scanned the various items through the register with expertise.
"They're going well."
"Is that so? When will you be done with exams? My manager forces me to work all afternoon so I can't visit my father…" He sighed as he handed a plastic bag to Natsumi.
"I'll be in over a week. I'll try to visit Takada-san once they're finished." Natsumi said as she smiled and took the bag with her purchases.
"Thank you."
Exiting the store, Natsumi sighed, feeling annoyed at her past decisions.
"I should have tried to make friends at school instead of studying and hanging around old people. It's because of my eyes isn't it?" In her attempt to follow her father's steps, she tried being more sociable. However, she wasn't as oblivious as to not notice her classmates' lack of interest in her.
Staring up at the night sky, her beautiful brown pupils reflected the night sky which was sprinkled with countless shining stars, their shapes looking as if they were jumping straight out of a painting, shining ever brightly.
"The stars sure are pretty today" she whispered under her breath, her eyes holding a misty look. As her eyes began to water Natsumi felt the brisk wind brush against her face, her jaw clenched as her emotions began to take control.
"What am I even doing anymore?"
Left alone with her thoughts, Natsumi felt the wind pick up as she balled her fists, her knuckles beginning to turn white as her nails dug into her palms. The pain snapped her back to reality.
"Well there is no point reminiscing about the past, I still have an exam I have to study for." slapping herself back awake, Natsumi set off on her journey home.
However, as soon as she stepped off the pavement, she didn't see the familiar sight of her local street. What she saw instead was a completely different world.
"Huh?" Natsumi winced as the bright light hit her eyes. Trying to adjust to the new change in lighting, Natsumi furiously rubbed her eyes, blinking them a couple of times so her pupils could adjust. When she opened them Natsumi was greeted with an enchanting sight that would engrave itself in her mind forever.
What greeted Natsumi's eyes was a bustling foreign marketplace. Instead of the asphalt streets of Tokyo, Natsumi stood on roads paved with golden bricks which reflected the light from the harsh sun. Instead of the towering skyscrapers she was used to, Natsumi was surrounded by buildings built of sand and mortar. They were archaic in structure but more than enough to get the job done.
But most surprising of all were the people she saw roaming the streets of the foreign marketplace. Among the various masses roaming the street, some had colorful hair that you would see only in anime, some even had fur! Furthermore, instead of the suits and ties she was used to seeing, some wore armor that gave them a medieval look.
They walked the golden roads, conducting their business at the plethora of stalls that sold various foreign fruits and products. Humanoid creatures with copious amounts of fur unpacked boxes full of spices from a carriage drawn by a hulking lizard, the various alien smells filling her nostrils.
Her eyes widened. Dropping her bag to the ground, her mouth went gape. Her mind was unable to keep up with her surroundings as the various sounds and smells assaulted her senses. Blinking a few times in quick succession, the realization had finally begun to hit her. Holding her head, she loudly exclaimed:
"I've been summoned to a parallel world!?"
Her scream garnered the attention of everyone in the street, who looked at the woman as if she belonged in a mental ward. Embarrassed about her outburst, Natsumi hurriedly picked up the plastic bag on the ground and scurried away from the judging eyes of the public.
Disappearing into a nearby alleyway, she began to ponder about her current situation.
"I was isekaid? Into a parallel world? I pinched my cheek so it must be true… Who would dye their hair green or blue? Giant lizards, beastmen, people with leather armor and swords… This must be a fantasy world!"
Realizing the truth, Natsumi fidgeted with excitement. She was in a fantasy world like those of her favorite stories, full of tropes like magic, swords, animal races, and demons!
"But what's my task… Defeat the demon lord? And shouldn't I have been summoned in the castle or have a goddess explain my powers?"
Unsure of who or why she was summoned, Natsumi took the next logical step: Learning about her powers. She focused on the mental image of a videogame menu in front of her and then proclaimed in a low voice:
"Status! Hm, it doesn't work? Skills! Menu! Hm… Sage! Analyze!" Despite her efforts, nothing happened.
"Perhaps this world doesn't have skills. Maybe it's something different, like ki or nen?" Natsumi imitated her favorite shonen, focusing her mind and looking inside her body. To her dismay, she felt nothing. No ki, no chakra, no nen, no stands, nothing. She was powerless.
"I'll discover my powers later. But still, no one explains anything to me?" Disheartened, she left the alleyway and started her adventure in an unknown city. Dressed in clothes she used as pajamas, and armed with the terrific weapon that was a plastic bag full of food, Natsuki Subaru started her life in a different world.
Over the next few hours, Natsumi's life descended into a downward spiral. The only notable thing she had done thus far was saving a small child from being run over by a carriage carried by those strange...lizards? She still had a hard time believing that dragons were used instead of horses. Cars didn't exist, given the obvious medieval setting, but using dragons for transportation? It was completely alien to her.
Aside from that small incident, in which she tore a small hole in her shirt due to a conveniently pointy rock with which she pierced her shirt after saving the child as if the gods of that world were mocking her. Thankfully it was a small hole, one would need to pay a lot of attention to spot it. After that, everything started going worse and worse.
"I shouldn't have gone out in pajamas." She sighed. Her clothes were actually nothing more than an old shirt and shorts she treated as pajamas despite not actually being so. She took a liking to them and when they became too old to wear on the outside, she started using them at home.
As she walked over a small canal, she slipped. Thankfully she managed to recover her balance. Having all her clothes wet would have been a terrible occurrence, which wouldn't help her sour mood.
Her misfortune didn't end there. She discovered she couldn't read the hard way: by accidentally entering the men's bathroom. She left it with her face completely flushed. Moreover, the little money she had was completely useless as she learned when trying to buy apples from a merchant on the street. Or 'appas', as he called them.
Disheartened and starving, she silently complained, while sitting on abandoned steps in one of the many alleys of Lugunica; which she'd discovered was the city she'd been transported to.
"I got lost, I can't read or write, I don't have any skills or magic, my money is useless, and I'm still in my pajamas… What am I even here for? Where's the goddess who summoned me? Does the Demon Lord even exist?" She whispered to herself, fidgeting on the cold stone surface. Her initial excitement was long gone.
Natsumi's silent complaints were cut short as she heard footsteps come down the alleyway. Looking up she found three strangers with ragged clothes and rough-looking faces.
"Give us all your money if you know what's good for ya!" Ordered the lanky thug in the middle as he licked his lips.
Natsumi's heart sank in fear. Now she realized how dangerous her position was. A young girl alone in an unknown world... She could be killed at any time… or worse. Natsumi darted her eyes in a panic, looking for something to help her escape her current situation.
Unfortunately for her, her one hope of escape: turning around and running through the backside of the alley; was unfeasible. She'd have to get up steps to escape, and the thugs would undoubtedly grab her at that time.
With an obstacle that would slow her down just enough at her back and thugs at the front, Natsumi was trapped.
"Did ya not hear us? Give us the money!" Repeated the shortest thug of the trio. Natsumi fell in despair: Her currency was completely worthless, how would they react?
Hidden from the public view and powerless, would she end up being taken advantage of? Chips and instant ramen would surely not be enough payment for the three thugs. As she panicked, she heard a loud crack coming from a nearby roof, a young blonde girl stumbling in the roof yet still managing to leap across the entire alley.
"Even the loot house's roof is more stable than this!" While the girl complained about the loose tile that almost caused her to fall to the ground, Natsumi decided to try and grab her attention.
"Hey! Can you help me?"
"Huh?" The golden-haired girl looked down from her place on the roof, setting her sights on the situation below.
Her gaze was first met by the scrawny thief, who tried to scare her away with a glare. She paid no mind to him and looked at Natsumi, examining her looks for a few seconds. She smirked, and while patting the brown bag wrapped around her waist, she turned back and left a message for the group below.
"Sorry, but I don't work for nobles! Live strong!" She then hopped away from the rooftop, leaving Natsumi stranded alone and to her fate.
"Wait no-" Natsumi tried to finish her sentence but it was already too late, the young girl was no longer in sight. Her hopes dashed, Natsumi's head began to swirl as she collapsed on the ground.
Finding herself trapped and abandoned by that little girl, her hopes dashed. Natsumi's head began to swirl as she collapsed on the ground. Natsumi gritted her teeth and took a deep breath to calm herself down. She wasn't going to give up here.
"I saw a couple of people in uniform earlier with swords at their waists. Maybe if I scream for help one of them will come, right?"
As Natsumi inhaled she let out a desperate cry for help.
"Guards!" To her dismay, no one came.
"What? Where are they!" Why is no one coming to help me!" Natsumi trembled as she bit on her lip drawing a small amount of blood. She had only one option left now. She had to fight.
The three thugs were spooked however their fear had quickly turned to anger as they realized no one was coming after a few seconds. As the enemies grew closer the skinny thug in the middle revealed a pair of twin blades and pointing one at Natsumi, he said:
"I thought we already told you dumb bitch. No one is gonna come to help you. Now, pay up or-" as he continued he was interrupted by the largest of the bunch who put his hand on his shoulder.
"Now Rachins, the girl is already scared," said the tallest of the bunch as he pointed to Natsumi who was trembling on the ground. Her teeth clattered as she glared at the trio. After a moment she held up her shaking fists and got ready to fight in a poor imitation of a fighting stance.
Rachins looked up at his friend and was about to say something. Before he could a powerful voice rang out.
"That's enough."
Turning back in unison, they saw a dashing figure clad in white.
"Red hair…"
"And a knight's sword scuffed from dragon claws…"
It didn't take the trio long to figure out who this new stranger was.
"Is that the Sword Saint?! Fuck! What's he doing here!?" Upon figuring it out, the trio cowered and ran away from him, cursing their bad luck.
"Damn it. We will get you back for this you whore." The trio left one final threat as they ran away with their tails tucked between their legs.
As the trio fled, Natsumi dropped her hands and relaxed. She felt a wave of relief flood over her as if the weight of the world was lifted off of her shoulders. When she started to calm down a hand extended towards her along with the stranger's smooth voice.
"Are you alright miss?"
Natsumi looked up and before her stood a very handsome young man. She had not gotten a good look at the stranger before, however now that she had seen him she could only look on in awe.
He had bright red hair as bright as the hottest flames and azure eyes as blue as the clearest ocean. A regal white outfit covered his body, and he wore a massive sword at his hip which looked like it could cleave through mountains. It was as if he had jumped straight out of the pages of a fairy tale novel ready to rescue any damsel in distress.
"Miss, are you okay?" The stranger asked again, snapping Natsumi out of her trance. Realizing that she had been staring like an idiot she quickly started to blush red.
"I-I'm fine,t-thanks…" Natsumi stuttered, her ears bright red as she recoiled in embarrassment.
"That's good to hear, I am glad that we are both safe," the red-haired young man affirmed with a nod and a bright smile.
Natsumi felt her heart skip a beat. The man's smile was too effective on her maidenly heart. In an attempt to regain control over the situation Natsumi stood up and dusted herself off.
"Um...can I have your name?" she asked shyly, moving a strand of her hair behind her ears, a tint of red still present on her cheeks.
"My name is not of much importance. But I am flattered that you ask. My name is Reinhard van Astrea of the Royal Knights of Lugunica. May I be so rude as to ask, what is your name miss?"
At Reinhard's words, Natsumi smiled and straightened her back, putting her hand over her chest.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru, however, you may call me Natsumi. I would once again like to thank you for saving my life!" Natsumi spoke in a grateful way, trying to look cool in front of Reinhard, who smiled at Natsumi's display.
"There is no need for such gratitude. The only reason why they fled was that once it was two against three they had lost their advantage. I'm sure things would have gone differently had I been alone."
"His nice guy index is way off the charts," Natsumi remarked, feeling a little put off by Reinhard's abnormally humble attitude.
"Is that so? They seemed scared of fighting you…" Natsumi doubted his words. His mere presence had been enough to make the thieves run for their lives.
"You said you were a knight, right?" She continued.
"Yes. Although today I'm not on duty." Admitted Reinhard, wondering why she had asked.
"Then can you… can you give me a tour of the city? I'm quite lost…" Natsumi asked sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.
"A tuur?" Reinhard asked, confused by the strange word the young lady in front of her had used. He had never heard anything like it.
"You don't know what it is? A tour is when you walk with someone around a city, showing the important places and stuff." She explained. Now understanding what she was referring to, Reinhard let out a shining smile and offered to help her.
"It would be my pleasure, Miss Natsumi." Natsumi recoiled at the respectful words Reinhard used.
"Miss?" Natsumi asked, confused.
Reinhard innocently tilted his head confused by her words.
"That girl called you a noble, didn't she? Therefore I must refer to you with respect."
"I-I see." Replied Natsumi, slightly embarrassed about his attitude towards her, yet not wanting to clear the misunderstanding.
"What if he leaves me once he knows I'm not a noble? Perhaps the guards don't care about the commoners…" With that doubt in her heart, she kept her small secret hidden.
"Now, shall we go, Miss Natsumi?" Reinhard extended his arm towards her. Natsumi grasped his hand and the duo then proceeded to explore the capital.
Natsumi dragged Reinhard along by the wrist, the duo setting off on their tour of the capital. Natsumi was as curious as she was energetic. She and Reinhard visited every stall in sight, sampling all the foods they could find.
"Oh, what's that!" Natsumi pushed through the heavy crowd as if she was chasing the gates of heaven. Like a child that had seen the outside world for the first time she was curious about everything and wanted to try everything.
As she finally managed to push past the horde of merchants and shoppers in the bustling marketplace she arrived at the stall. The stall sold candy in sticks of various colors: blue, pink, and purple.
"That's fluffyfluffy, Miss Natsumi." Answered Reinhard, who effortlessly navigated through the crowd to arrive at Natsumi's side.
"Ah, so it's cotton candy. I want some!" Begged Natsumi as she looked at Reinhard with puppy eyes. It had worked so far, she stuffed her stomach with all kinds of food, all of them with a different name that she knew.
"Seriously, fluffyfluffy? Does everyone here have a terrible naming sense for food? Appas, tatoes, now this… What's next, giri instead of onigiri?"
"Coton kendy? For you to come up with all those names, where do you come from Miss Natsumi?" Asked Reinhard, curious about where she had lived before coming to Lugunica. It was obvious she was a sheltered noble, but how isolated was she to not even know how to read or write?
"And I believe you've eaten more than enough. It's not fitting for a lady to eat so much at this hour."
Slightly upset, she left the stall. Reinhard followed her through the street.
"It's not my fault! I was transported before dinner, I haven't eaten anything since lunch!"
"And I come from an island to the east of the map."
"But there are no nations to the east. Lugunica is the furthest east nation of the four countries. And what's an island?" To Reinhard's knowledge, the world was organized into four great countries. The frozen land of Gusteko at the north, the arid merchant states of Kararagi at the west, the tropical fertile lands of Vollachia at the south, and finally, the vast plains of Lugunica at the east.
Unable to leave the country, Reinhard had read every single book about the other countries he could find. He was sure of the fact that nothing was further east than the Augria sand dunes.
"Eh? Nothing's there?" Even without his armada of Divine Protections, Reinhard was able to sense the confusion oozing out of her. Just who was she? Her words about her place of origin were unmistakably true, or at least she believed them to be. Just how isolated was she?
He had read that black hair was common in Kararagi. Moreover, her appearance was well kept and her clothes looked expensive. Could she be from a powerful merchant family? But that didn't explain her obliviousness… In fact, it made Reinhard even more confused. Why would a powerful merchant family not educate her daughter?
"Let's just say that I come from a faraway place." Natsumi said, putting an end to the discussion.
The pair kept walking around the city for half an hour. Reinhard taught her common knowledge, such as the current situation in Lugnica, mana stones, magic...
Natsumi was more than enthusiastic to know about magic. However, once Reinhard told her he couldn't use magic of any type, she weakly punched him in the chest with a pout, saying how he shouldn't have gotten her excited for anything.
Arriving at a balcony, Natsumi sat on a bench, tired after walking for so long. Reinhard stood at her side, before telling her about how he had to go now.
"Miss Natsumi, I'm afraid I need to go. Even though this was my free day, I must inform my superiors of the patrol." He wasn't looking forward to Marcos' face after informing him that he patrolled even on his free day.
"Why do you insist on calling me, Miss?" She asked.
"I don't want to be disrespectful." Replied Reinhard with a smile.
"Is it because you're a knight?"
"The duty of a Royal Knight is to protect the Royal Family. However, protecting the citizens of the country is also the duty of all knights in the military."
"So you have to protect everyone? Even commoners?" Asked Natsumi, tilting her head to the right.
"Yes. Why do you ask, Miss Natsumi?"
"Because I'm not a noble. I was scared of you leaving me if I told you the truth, so I didn't say anything." She admitted as she sheepishly played with her fingers.
"I would never leave a lost miss such as yourself alone in an unknown city."
"Well, you don't need to do it anymore. We're friends after all."
"Friends?" Asked Reinhard confused. Who would want to be friends with him? A murderer like him. Someone who killed his own grandmother. Only Julius and Felix pitied him enough to pass time with him.
"We walked around, ate food, and had fun. That what friends do, so we're friends now." Natsumi's cheeks were painted with a pale red as she realized the implication behind her words.
"Wait, isn't this a date? I had a date with a boy, not even a day after being transported to a different world?"
Noticing her flushed look, Reinhard asked Natsumi if anything was wrong.
"Is something wrong?"
Natsumi fiercely shook her head, forcing her blush away. She then stood up and approached the balcony's edge, taking her phone out of her pocket. With a wave of her hand, she ordered Reinhard to come closer.
Reinhard obeyed, and once he was at her left he saw the screen of what he deduced to be a metia, and saw both his figure and hers reflected on it.
Before he could ask about its function, Natsumi spoke.
"Friends always take pictures together. I never had that many friends and I always wanted to do this… Can we take one?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.
"It would be my pleasure." In response to her words, Reinhard stood still, waiting for Natsumi to use her metia. Noticing his expression, she frowned.
"Just relax. Be natural, that smile looks too forced."
The two now sincerely smiling, Natsumi pressed the button on her phone, and a flash momentarily illuminated the pair. The picture was forever saved in Natsumi's phone storage: Her ponytail fluttering in the air as both she and Reinhard smiled, with a beautiful sunset behind.
"So what do I do now?" Natsumi walked down a crowded street with no destination in particular. As the sun was setting, the street was less and less crowded by the minute: Merchants were closing their stalls and husbands came home after a long day of hard work.
Natsumi was unsure of what her next objective would be. Reinhard had offered her a place in his household, but that embarrassed her so much she denied it. Living in the house of someone else was too much for her.
"Perhaps I should become a waitress… Though finding a job and earning money wasn't my dream. I wanted to kill the Demon King, not serve food all day long." Thinking about a possible way to survive, she sighed in disappointment. Seeing an open tavern nearby, she decided to try her luck.
"Excuse me..." As she was entering the building, the ground rumbled, making her lose her footing for a split second. Thanks to her hold on the door she managed to avoid falling to the ground. Stepping outside, she turned back and saw a massive figure towering over the city from the slums.
A frigid wind then enveloped the streets, quickly freezing all fountains, streams, and water in the slums, before steadily advancing towards the rest of the city. Birds attempted to run away from the beast and the impending danger, but most fell to the ground from mid-air, cracking into several shards of ice upon impact. Rats, dogs, and any other animal soon froze to death.
This sense of impending demise wasn't lost on Natsumi. In a panic, she hugged herself, attempting to conserve heat even for a single second. Shaking, she thought about what was happening.
"What's this? So cold cold cold…"
Despite the slums being more than an hour away by foot, a grave voice boomed through the sky, almost as chilling as the ice consuming her body.
"Sleep. Along with my daughter."
Natsumi racked her brain attempting to find a possible explanation. With every breath, her life grew shorter and shorter. She hadn't even noticed that it started snowing.
"Why why why why why? What's happening?"
She stopped shivering.
"Uh? Hot?"
She slowly moved her hands downwards, towards her hips, and she attempted to remove her shirt, as the frigid sensation made her brain confuse cold with heat.
Suddenly, everything started moving slower, until everything froze. Her vision went dark, and a loud crack echoed in the silent street as her hands crumbled and fell to the ground.
She opened her mouth gasping for air, filling her mouth with frost from the raging blizzard. The sound of statues cracking into fine dust filled her ears. Her jaw cracked, vanishing into icy powder upon touching the fine layer of snow on the ground, exposing her throat to the frozen wasteland that was the capital.
"Ah, I…"
No longer did she want to meet Reinhard again. Or see her parents smile. Or know what was happening. The only thing in her mind was to run from her impending demise.
"I'm going to…"
She didn't finish that last thought, as her leg cracked and she fell to the ground head on. Upon impact, her body shattered, turning into nothing more than one of the many victims of the sudden glaciation.
There, Natsumi met her end.
AN: This fic was written in a collaboration with Dyn. Many thanks to Not Flugel and Bob Doorman for reading this and giving both me and Dyn many tips. And to Otey and Wombat as well.