Chapter 20: The Resort Colony, Xavix-Yuan PART 2
It was not long before Fox and Krystal began to get comfortable in their new hotel room. Fox immediately sat down on the large, white leather couch and took a deep sigh as he said to himself, "Man, it's gonna be tough gettin' around this resort if every other animal is gonna mob me like they did back at the docking bay…" Krystal sat down next to him and said with a curious gaze, "Did you say something Fox?" Fox shook his head and readjusted into a more comfortable position on the couch, "No, it's nothing you need to worry about." He paused as he grabbed a small remote control from off a small, glass table in front of him. "The only thing we need to worry about now is what we're doing today, we've already wasted an hour just trying to get to this hotel." Krystal replied with an almost mocking smile as she removed the long sapphire boots from her feet, "You know, we don't have to go out if you are worried about being hassled by other animals in the colony…" Fox looked at her with surprise and replied, "Well, I can't say I really appreciate all the attention…but I'm not going to let that get in the way. I can handle it."
Fox turned on the large TV screen and began flipping through the channels. As he continued cycling through the channels, he said, "Let's see what we can find out about this place, there must be something here that'll give us some information." After a while, Krystal became bored of watching the images on the screen continually change and said as she stood up, "While you're doing that, I might as well unpack our things." Fox nodded passively as he continued his quest to find something regarding the colony at all. Krystal walked out of the living room and grabbed the bag that was still sitting next to the door. With the small piece of luggage now in hand, she walked a short distance to the bedroom, where she set the bag down and began to place the few items it contained into a large brown dresser.
Fox meanwhile continued flipping through channel after channel until he finally stumbled across what he was searching for. He set the controller at his side as he watched a short depiction of the resort. Short descriptions came along with the images, making each of the sights seem like a great choice for Fox to select.
Suddenly, the image of the resort was cut off and a new picture was displayed on the screen. Fox blinked in confusion before realizing that the image on the television had completely changed. There was now a solid blue background that took up most of the screen, and slightly in front of that wall of blue, Fox could see the top of a brown desk, which had many short stacks of paper lined up in neat piles. Sitting just behind the desk was a well-groomed and well-dressed jaguar, who was looking straight into the camera. "We interrupt this program for a late breaking star-watch update." Fox rolled his eyes, "Great, the news…right when I finally find some good information too…wait…did he say star-watch!? Oh man…this better not mean what I think it does…" The jaguar continued as a small flat screen monitor lit up behind him. "As any of our local residents would tell you, the Xavix-Yuan resort is a wonderful place for the average tourist to take a break and see the sights, but every once in a while, our grand colony is graced by the presence of many different famous and influential animals. Just recently, our station has received several confirmed reports of seeing this ship in the Xavix-Yuan docking colony." Fox watched in horror as a picture of the Great Fox now appeared on the small screen behind the newscaster. The jaguar continued, "That's right, this is none other than the Great Fox, a ship that is crewed by the most famous mercenary team in the galaxy, Star Fox. This ship has been a staple in the Cornerian…"
The words seemed to trail off in Fox's mind as he realized that this exact broadcast was being sent through the entire colony.
Great, now the entire place is gonna know I'm here…I never expected anything like this to happen when we got here…I mean, I probably can't even walk outside this room…cause if I get pointed out in public, I'm just gonna get mobbed like I did back at the docking colony…and that's gonna make it really tough for me and Krystal to do anything…There's gotta be something I can do to fix this problem…but what?
Fox quickly snapped back into reality as he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder. He gave a small jump as he felt the hand against him, and shortly after he could hear a light giggle coming from his side. "You really are quite nervous for someone who is supposed to be having a relaxing time." He looked over the see Krystal sitting closely next to him on the couch. "Are you alright?" Fox replied with a sigh as he readjusted his posture on the couch, "Well, I guess I'm a little concerned about going out in public…I mean, you saw how they reacted back at the docking bay…How can we do anything if there's a heard of animals following us everywhere we go?" Krystal leaned back against the leather cushion and replied, "You do have a point…Well, maybe no one else will recognize you…maybe it was merely bad luck that happened at all." Fox shook his head and took another sigh, "I wish that were true, but it's not. I mean, even that little kit we saw back at the docking bay knew it was me just by looking at my uniform…And if young animals like that can tell who I am, there's no way I can just walk down the streets without anyone noticing…" There was a slight pause before Krystal replied, "Well…what if you were no longer in uniform?"
Before Fox could reply, Krystal had stood up from the couch and was, again, heading out of the living room. Fox quickly followed her across the carpeted floor until she came to a stop in front the large brown dresser that sat just to the side of the bed. Fox noticed that Krystal was searching through one of the drawers before she closed it and turned to face Fox. "I was wondering what exactly these where when I was arranging the dresser, but I'm supposing they are yours. If you were to wear these cloths in place of your uniform, perhaps that will eliminate the problem of being detected all together." Fox stared at the small pile of cloth that Krystal held in her hands.
Of course! If I'm not in uniform, I don't think I'll have any problem getting around the colony. I can't believe I didn't remember I had these old cloths…Come to think of it, I don't think I've really changed out of my uniform for years…
Fox smiled as he took the cloths from her and replied, "Krystal, that's great that you saw these, I don't think I'll have any problem getting around the colony with my old cloths on. Thanks." Krystal nodded and responded, "Of course, perhaps now you can begin to relax." Fox chuckled to himself before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him.
As Krystal waited for Fox outside in the bedroom, something caught the corner of her eye. She turned quickly and noticed the glimmering ocean that was visible a little distance away. She slowly walked over towards the large sliding window as she eyed the view in front of her. Krystal pushed a section of sliding glass to the side as she exited the room and soon found herself leaned against a metal handrail on the edge of the balcony. She watched as the tide slowly rolled in and out from the vast expanse of blue. The sounds of its gently lapping waves were soothing, even though the noise was faint. She could see hundreds of animals scattered across the beach, some basking in the sun that filtered through the clear dome that surrounded the colony, while many of the younger animals played happily with each other as the tide rushed around their feet.
"It's pretty impressive isn't it?" Krystal turned from the sight of the ocean to see Fox standing behind her in his new outfit. He was now wearing a long-sleeved black jacket that he had left unzipped, which revealed the dark green tee shirt that he was wearing underneath. He was also wearing a pair of dark brown pants that were supported at the waist by a slightly faded black belt, but because he left his jacket unzipped, the only visible part of the belt was the buckle, which was dull gray in color.
Fox slowly walked over next to Krystal and leaned an arm on the balcony's handrail as he looked out over the expanse of artificial ocean. Krystal replied, "Yes, it's quite amazing how they are able build something like this." Fox smiled without turning his eyes away from the ocean and responded, "I know, I've never seen anything like this…It looks so real too. I mean, it has waves and everything…" They stood in silence for a few moments as the quiet sound of the ocean waves filled their ears.
After a short while, Fox looked over at Krystal with a smile and said, "Let's go down there." Krystal returned her attention back to Fox and replied, "You mean, go down to the beach?" Fox responded, "Why not? I think it'd be nice just to relax down there. At least it's better than staring at it from this balcony." Krystal smiled and replied, "I think that is a wonderful idea. I have wanted to visit this beach ever since you mentioned it to me this morning. And now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I can't help but feel the need to walk on its shores for myself." Fox gently pushed away from the handrail he was leaning on and walked towards the sliding window that lead back inside, "I can't wait to see it for myself either, and besides, we might find something we want to do on the walk over there."
Fox walked back into the room with Krystal following shortly after him. Fox headed in the direction of the bathroom and slumped over to pick up the backpack that he had left laying on the ground next to the cloths he had just changed out of. He then took a few short steps back to the dresser and said, "Well, if we're going to head down to the beach, we'll have to bring something that we can wear in the water." Krystal walked towards the dresser as Fox pulled out a pair of green swimming trunks and placed them in his backpack. "I suppose it wouldn't be right to get my uniform soaked with water, It would probably be best if I wore my Cerinian clothing, don't you agree?" Fox nodded hesitantly and watched as Krystal placed her two-piece "outfit" into the backpack. She also found her pair of Cerinian sandals and slid them over her bare feet.
They stood up simultaneously and Fox threw his backpack over both his shoulders. "Well, I think we're all set to go, are you ready?" Krystal hesitated for a second before reaching for the chest of her light gray vest and removed the platinum Star Fox symbol that had previously rested there. Krystal responded with a smile, "I certainly wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention by wearing that pin in public, isn't that right Fox?" Fox nodded as he grabbed a room key from a counter next to the door, which quickly slid open in front of him as he approached it. Fox replied as he let Krystal walk past him and out the door, "Ya, It's a good thing you remembered you were wearing the team symbol. If you hadn't, we'd probably get pointed out the second we set foot out of this hotel." Fox continued as he walked behind Krystal into the hallway outside their room, "Time to see if these cloths do what I hope they will."
After a short and comfortable ride down one of the hotels main elevators and a pleasant walk through the hotel's opulent lobby, Fox and Krystal found themselves outside the hotel once again. Fox hesitated for a second as he watched many different animals walk past Krystal and himself, not one of them gave either of the vulpines a second glance as they sauntered past them and continued on their way down the street. Fox took a breath out of relief and said, "Well, looks like this is going to work after all." Krystal replied with a slight smirk, "That's a relief, and now the only problem we are faced with is finding this beach, with all these streets and roadways, we're bound to take a wrong turn somewhere along the way." Fox smirked as he reached into one of the pockets on his backpack and pulled out the map they had received earlier from the old goat back in the docking station. "I don't know how accurate this is, but at least it'll give us an idea of what this place looks like."
Fox turned past the cover page of the map and another opened up after it. This page, along with the one adjacent to it, gave a small-scale depiction of the area around the docking station. Fox immediately noticed the large picture of the ocean on the map, mostly because it took up a little less than half the page. Having easily located the beach on the map, he quickly scanned the rest of the illustrated area to find the hotel where they had chosen to stay. Fox commented as he found his destination, "Alright, here we go..." He held the map a slightly away from his body so that Krystal could see as well. Fox pointed as he explained, "Our hotel is right here…" He traced the path they would take on the map with his finger as he continued, "So it looks like all we'll have to do is walk down a few blocks and then head east." Fox looked over the map one more time to make sure he had the directions in his mind before he folded it and placed it in the same pocket of his backpack. "According to that map, it should only be about a ten minute walk." Krystal smiled as she took Fox's hand, "Then let's not waste anymore time." Fox smiled back as they began to make their way down the streets of the Xavix-Yuan.
Along the way, they passed many different buildings. Most where tall and imposing, much like the hotel they had just departed from, and then there were the smaller buildings that served as food markets or gift shops. A wide variety of animals moved back and forth between each of the buildings, and along with that came a buzz of voices that seemed to give off a slight echo between each row of buildings. The sound and sights of this resort could easily make you forget that you were drifting in space, but every time you looked past the buildings, you could see the millions of stars that lay just outside of the large domed window that enclosed around the entire colony. Fox and Krystal did not have time to stargaze, they, like many of the other animals, were taken in by the activity that surrounded them on the streets. The two vulpines took the opportunity to browse around in a few different shops, stopping just long enough to notice the large variety of wares each individual store had to offer.
It wasn't long before their destination came in sight, laying only a few blocks away, they could see the rolling tides of the ocean. Krystal raised her free hand out in front of her and said with a pointed finger, "There it is Fox, We've finally arrived." Fox looked ahead to the shining white beach and replied, "Ya, it looks even nicer from down here, and a little more crowded too…" Fox scanned across the beach and saw a throng of beach-going animals crowding onto the shoreline, from where he was standing; it looked like there was almost no room at all.
I should've figured every animal on the colony would come here…Oh well, I can't really say were not going after I told her we would, she seemed so excited back at the hotel when I said we would go to the beach…I wonder if she's ever seen one before…I mean, what was Cerinia really like? I've never really wanted to ask her, but now that she's a little more comfortable about this mission, maybe I should ask her…
"Fox? Are you coming?" Fox quickly blinked a few times as he saw Krystal looking back at him from a few feet away with a concerned look on her face. He walked up next to her with a smile and replied, "Or course I'm coming, did you think I'd let you have all the fun without me?" Krystal smiled back as they began their short walk to the shoreline, "I would certainly hope not."
In a matter of seconds, they were on the majestic Xavix-Yuan beach. At first they did not venture to far into the sand, but instead, Fox pointed out a small building that lay a short distance to their side, "Before we get on the beach, we'll have to change into our other cloths. We can go change in that building over there, then we can try and find a spot on the beach."
After a short walk, they reached the small cement building that held only two doors, each of which led to separate rooms on opposite sides of the building. After a brief explanation about how the pictures on the doors represented which room was used by the "Gentlemen" and "Ladies," Fox took off his backpack and handed Krystal her cloths. Soon after, they separated and went into their designated changing areas where they changed into their swimwear.
Fox emerged not long after, now wearing only his dark green swimming trunks. He quickly scanned the area to see if Krystal had already changed, but there was no sight of her yet. He leaned against the cold cement building and looked out over the blue expanse that lay in front of him. Fox hadn't realized just how long it had been since he had been to a beach, the last time he could remember ever being on the coast like this was back when he was a young kit on Corneria with his Father and Mother. The thoughts of his Father and Mother brought back painful memories, he had lost them both at an early age. He thought how different his life would've been if none of that ever happened. But he realized as he looked out over the peaceful ocean…
My past is something I'll never be able to change…what happened has happened; it's impossible to change that now. No matter how many things have brought me down in the past, I can always look up to what the future has in store, accepting the good with the bad. I may not have had the greatest childhood, but I do have something to look forward to now…
Fox hesitated in mid-thought as he caught a blue figure approaching from his side. He looked up to see Krystal coming towards him, adorning her original clothing. Fox watched as she walked towards him, her figure was so perfect, but her body wasn't the only thing that seemed perfect to Fox. He strongly admired her kind nature and her increasingly strong determination in the face of danger. If there was anything Fox had ever wanted in a vixen, it fit Krystal's description entirely. She walked up to him and said with the same caring smile that he had grown admire, "Ready to go?"
How can anything mean more to me, the past is gone, all I can do is look towards the future, and now I'm positive… I'm looking towards that very future right now…
Fox shook off the deep emotion he was feeling at that moment and replied with his usual mellow cheerfulness, "If you're ready, so am I." For the first time Fox stretched out his hand and took her hand in his own. Whether Krystal actually realized this or not, she returned the favor by firming the grip on his hand. She looked into his eyes with that same smile, "Then let's go."
They took their time walking across the beach, letting the sound of the ocean again calm their minds. They ambled slowly across the beach, looking for a less crowded place to sit down, even walking was made much more difficult due to the sheer amount of animals that were scattered across the shoreline. More than one, the couple would have to dodge a few young animals that ran happily down the beach until they dove into the rushing water that lay below them.
After a short stroll across the beach, they managed to escape from most of the crowd and came to a part of the beach that was considerably less populated. They stopped as Fox scanned the area to find the best place to sit down. He pointed out an area that was about mid-way between the buildings that lay behind the ocean and the ocean itself. They walked over towards the spot and Fox said, "I think this will be fine, I'll just have to go grab some towels, I think I saw some back a little ways. Why don't you stay here and wait for me while I go grab em'?" Krystal nodded in agreement and Fox smiled in return, "Don't worry, I should be back in a minute."
Krystal nodded again in reply and watched as Fox walked away and became mixed in with the crowd that dotted the beach. She slowly refocused her eyes back over the ocean and admired its quiet serenity. It was so amazing to her, an ocean floating in space, and instead of a blue horizon that would usually occupy the entire area behind any other ocean; this one had a starlit backdrop. It seemed quite strange, inside the colony, it was sunny and warm, as if it were late in the day, but outside, the stars were brightly shining, almost as though it were night. There were so many things she didn't understand about this new world that had just opened up to her, and she understood just how lucky she had been to find someone like Fox to show her all of it. She was deeply thankful for what Fox had done, for saving her on Dinosaur Planet, but far more important than that, he showed her compassion and kindness like no one else had before.
Krystal broke out of her thoughts as she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see an unfamiliar figure walking over towards her. She now focused on this new animal as it slowly approached her. The figure that approached her looked to be a pure black, male leopard. He stopped only a few feet short of her before saying in a slightly deep voice, "What's a beautiful vixen like you doing on the beach by yourself?" Krystal answered with a slightly embarrassed tone of voice, "Well…that's very nice of you to say…Mr.…" The jaguar smiled back and gave a slight laugh, "Mr.? I don't get that very often. My name's Xavier, what's yours?" Krystal replied hesitantly, "It's Krystal nice to meet you." The leopard smiled as he took a step closer to her, "Krystal huh? That's a lovely name, nice to meet you too. Say, how about we go back to my place so we can talk some more. I've got a great view of the ocean from my bedroom."
The leopard suddenly cut himself short as he noticed someone staring him down from a good distance away. The leopard gestured over to the slow advancing figure and said in a slightly uncomfortable voice, "Do you know that guy coming towards us?" Krystal glanced over to her side and saw that Fox was returning with a towel under each of his arms. She replied, "Yes, he went to retrieve a few towels for us, and it appears that he has found them." The leopard began to back off slowly as the uneasiness in his voice increased, "So you do know him…Well, actually, I've gotta go, nice talking to you." With that the black leopard made his way across the beach promptly in the other direction.
Fox watched with a questioning gaze as the leopard began to walk away from him. As he approached Krystal, he asked, "Who was that guy?" Krystal replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders, "He said his name was Xavier, he began talking with me shortly after you left. He seemed like a nice animal, although he didn't stay long." Fox nodded with a slight confused look and responded, "Alright…Well anyway, I got the towels right here." Fox kneeled down and laid the towels out flat on the ground, creating a surface that prevented them from becoming covered in sand when they laid down. Krystal took a seat on one of them and quickly looked over towards Fox, who had set down his backpack and stood up as she had sat down. She hesitated as she watched him begin to walk away before asking with a playfully curious tone, "And just where are you going Fox?" Fox turned only his face back to her and replied with a smile, "I've gotta see if this water is as real as they say."
He then took off in a slight jog down to the shoreline where he was meet with a rush of cool water. The feeling of the small, crawling waves washing around his feet was soothing, and the gentle noise that accompanied it enhanced the effect even further. He then knelt down and took a seat on the wet sand that the tide had created and let the quickly flowing water run over his legs. His concentration on the ocean was momentarily broken by a group of young kits that ran up from behind him, screaming and laughing as they came into contact with the water. Fox watched them as they happily splashed water at each other. Their young, vibrant voices filled the air around the area, which only served to add to the tranquility that this beach seemed to hold. He could have sat in that spot for hours and not felt the need to move; the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded this area was something that he had not experienced for a long time. This was the first time in many years that Fox finally had the chance to simply sit back and relax. No fighting, no pressures, no worries, just him, a first-class resort, and a calm beach that he could enjoy.
"So how do you like it?" Fox turned to see Krystal, who was now walking past him a little further into the water. Fox replied, "I can't see any difference, I guess it really is just like the real thing." Krystal stopped walking after she waded out into ankle high water and responded, "I see, but how does it taste?" Fox looked up at her with a confused expression, "What are you…" Before Fox could finish, Krystal raised her foot slightly above the water level and playfully kicked a small amount of water onto Fox's body. Fox closed his eyes and let out a mellow dramatic yelp as the cold water hit his face and exposed upper body. Fox slowly wiped the salty water out of his eyes as Krystal giggled to herself and said, "So how is it?" Fox smirked as he slowly stood up and replied, "After that, I think you're gonna have to find out for yourself." Fox then came after her in a gentle sprint as she turned and tried her best to avoid him. After a short chase, Fox finally came within arms reach of Krystal. He threw his arm out around her stomach, which brought the pursuit to an abrupt end. Krystal tried to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. After a short fit of playful growling and laughter, Fox managed to pull both himself, and Krystal completely under the water with a small splash.
Fox quickly resurfaced and Krystal followed shortly after, taking a gasping breath as she came up due to the fact that she did not have time inhale before Fox pulled her under. Fox chuckled lightly and asked with a smirk, "So how is it?" Krystal smiled and retaliated by splashing him with her hand, "I find it quite salty, but wouldn't it have been so much easier to just tell me?" Fox smiled back as he attempted to shake some water out of his fur, "Maybe, but where's the fun in that?" Krystal began to walk back onto the shore as she replied, "You do have a point, but you know, it takes a long time for wet fur to completely dry out. I think I'll go back to our spot on the beach and dry off a bit." Fox nodded as he watched her walk up the slight slope of the beach back towards the two blankets that Fox had set up earlier. He on the other hand, found it comfortable enough where he was currently, where the small waves began to break against his body.
(Meanwhile on the Great Fox)
"Great Fox sensor systems, operating at approximately 70.464 percent. Multiple errors detected in section E-102 sensor plates." ROB spoke in the same monotonous voice as he always did as he informed Slippy of the work that was still to be completed. Slippy sighed as he leaned back in his assigned chair on the bridge, "Well, I guess that's better than when we started, and we've already got the fuel cells replaced. Right ROB?" ROB pressed a few keys on his computer and replied shortly after, "Affirmative, Fuel cell levels are currently reading at 99.5 percent. Approximate time until refueling is required, 460 sectors." Slippy nodded as he stood up from his chair, "Great, so the only thing I have left is that sensor system." Slippy glanced up at the holographic clock that glowed above the bridge door. Slippy yawned as he continued, "It's only six, so I'm sure I can get that sensor system fixed before this day ends." Slippy hesitated as he reached the door and said to himself, "Wow, I guess I can really get a lot more things done when I'm alone on the ship." Slippy gave a slight jump as ROB unexpectedly replied, "Affirmative, production increase of 64 percent, total accident reduction of 85 percent. At current rate, without predicted accidents, repair will be complete by approximately 20:04." Slippy rolled his eyes and responded, "ROB, I don't make that many mistakes. I don't see why everyone thinks I always…" ROB interrupted Slippy and said, "Production has gone down by 2 percent, further inaction will result in a lower production ratio." Slippy blushed slightly and sighed to himself as he quickly walked off the bridge, "Well, I guess…it can happen to anyone…"
(Back on the beach)
It had been almost an hour since either of the vulpines had touched the water, they were both currently laying on the beach, trying to dry off their wet fur before the sun rapidly fading sun fell below the edge of the colony's huge domed window. It was strange, but as the sun started to fade, the town began to fade into a light orange or red color. But the cause of this couldn't be the sky, seeing as how there was none, but rather it was the ocean that gave off this brilliant light. It was an incredible sight to be sure, but Fox had a different kind of feeling at that moment as he slowly sat up on his towel.
"Man…I'm hungry." Krystal laughed as she heard his stomach growl quite loudly, "Well, you didn't even have breakfast did you? Now that it has been brought to my attention though, I find myself to be quite hungry as well." Fox stood up and brushed a little bit of sand that had gotten into his fur, "I think I'm dry enough anyway, we've probably been out here for more than an hour." Krystal replied, "Yes, I believe we've had enough time on this beach, no sense using all of our time here when there are so many other things this place has to offer." She then rolled up onto her knees and moved off the towel. She quickly and neatly folded it up and handed it to Fox, who already had his under his arm. "We'll just have to head back to that cement building and change back into our other cloths before we leave, plus I have to drop off these towels." Krystal nodded in response as they began to make their was slowly back across the now considerably less populated beach.
No longer where the voices of the young animals heard in this area, the majority of the remaining animals on the beach were young couples. Most of which sat and watched admiringly as the sunset settled over the beach. The atmosphere in that area seemed to completely change. In a manner of what seemed like only minutes, the beach had gone from a place of activity and constant commotion, to a sort of quiet sanctuary that held a sort of idealistic charm that animals could escape to at any time they desired. It was a difference that even Fox and Krystal felt as they walked across the slightly orange-tinted sand. Their attitudes almost instantly became much more solicitous as they walked, causing them to walk slightly closer together, somehow feeling that the sunset was encouraging them to do so. They continued like this for quite some time, neither of them said anything during that entire walk, whether either of them wanted to or not. They were content for that period of time just being able to share that sunset.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi, remember me? I write this story…and I say I'll post every month, and I don't, and then I feel really bad and cry all night…well, not really, and I've said sorry enough times for being slow as of late, but I have b-ball practices and school, so there, don't get mad at me. I'm trying my best…and that's all anyone can ask for, that's what my daddy tells me anyway…
Sidestory #4!
What? You say you want to know what happens to Falco and Katt during their stay on Xavix-Yuan? Well lucky you! Here comes a First Person assault from the POV of both of those stubborn animals! A nice little diversion from the main story, this'll give you what they really fell about each other. Expect emotional drama on parade folks, so until next time…uhh, bye.
By the way, Happy non-denominational winter season!