Chapter 2: Shaping the Keystone

Alternative chapter title: In Which Lord Ashford Likes Gossip and Suzaku Hates Shogi

A Brief Overview of War:

Britannia is superior to other nations, due to our constant warfaring. War makes us strong. Because our people are accustomed to the battlefield we lead the world in innovations and medicine. It is the duty of every Noble heir to aid the war effort, for it is only through war, that they may establish themselves and prove worthy of their family name. In recent years, there has been a disturbing trend to prioritize the science of war instead of the honor of war. While such studies are necessary, the family heir should always seek honor on the battlefield, lest they not be taken seriously by their compatriots in court. A veteran baron is superior to the unblooded earl...

—The Two Types of War by Margrave Greenford

Private Airstrip, Japan

Tohdoh kept a close eye on his men, as the Britannian airplane rolled to a stop. It wouldn't do for them to attack first, even if this was Britannia's opening strike in the war that everyone knew was coming. The call to the Prime Minister had come in last night, informing them that they would be receiving two Britannian children. It had to be a ploy.

The gangway rolled up to the plane and the door opened. Tohdoh straightened his shoulder and walked out on the airway, aware of the sniper scopes covering him. Eight men, dressed in crisp black suits, walked out of the plane and snapped to attention at the side of the gangway. A young boy with an even younger girl clinging to his back, strode forward. He walked down the stairs unsteadily and Tohdoh pushed down the urge to help relieve the boy of his burden. It wouldn't be proper. A maid followed from a respectful distance, carrying a folded wheelchair.

Violet eyes locked onto him. "You are not the Prime Minister. Who are you supposed to be?"

"Kyoshiro Tohdoh, acting emissary of the Japanese Government," he replied curtly, but took care in enunciating the English words. He observed the boy's expensive clothes and elegant posture, despite carrying the younger girl on his back. "And you are?"

"Lelouch vi Britannia and this," he inclined his head towards the girl, "is my sister, Nunnally vi Britannia. The Emperor has sent us here to ease tensions between our countries."

On the plus side, he already had the Prime Minister on speed dial. On the other hand, what in the name of Kami was going on? The boy was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Truthfully, your highness, we weren't expecting you. I am going to have to make some phone calls."

Lelouch's face darkened and Tohdoh hoped he wasn't going to deal with a royal tantrum. This was a diplomatic disaster. He turned around and walked our of the prince's hearing range. He pressed the button.

The Prime Minister picked up immediately. "What's the situation Tohdoh? What are the Brits demanding?"

Resisting the urge to laugh, he replied, "It doesn't seem to be a ploy. There are really two royal children on Japanese soil. It is possible that they aren't who they claim to be, of course." He glanced back at the prince and watched in amusement as he tried to lower his sister into the wheelchair. The girl, Nunnally, was practically choking him as she clung to his neck. "There are just two kids. Eight guards and a maid."

"This wasn't what we were expecting. I can be there in thirty, but until then, keep them there. And search the plane. Such cowardly tactics don't suit the Brits, but sending children..."

The girl finally let go of her brother and sat down in the wheelchair. "I understand sir."

"Find out what the kids know."

The line cut off and Tohdoh walked back to the two children, noting how the boy immediately straightened upon noticing him and suspiciously regarded him.

"The Prime Minister will be here in an hour your highness. Unfortunately, I must request that you stay here in the meantime. My men will also be searching the plane."

The prince rolled his eyes. "So that is the extent of your Japanese hospitality. Very well."

"Lulu, don't be rude," said the princess. "I'm really sorry for my brother mister. He just didn't get a lot of sleep on the flight."

"Nunnally! You can't just say that. And I don't need sleep."

The boy was human after all. He watched a couple of his men entering the plane, before looking back at the boy. "How did you break your arm your highness.?"

Both of the children quieted immediately, the brief moment of levity evaporating. The princess spoke up first. "A cabinet fell on us. But the doctor says my legs are going to be just fine. Right Lulu?"

Lelouch nodded and his left hand settled on her shoulder. "Yes Nunnally. You're going to be able to run again. And when you do, I'll play all the tag you want."

"Really Lulu? But you hate tag."

"I would do it for you. Only you. So don't tell Nelly or Euphie."

The girl laughed. "How does it look Lulu?"

"Well there's a great big palace up ahead. It's made out of artisan marble and it's catching the light in all the right ways. It's almost as impressive as the mausoleum. There are beautifully shaped hedges along the sides and a few willow trees. They have red and pink roses."

Nunnally was blind... and judging from the colorful descriptions her brother gave, it was a recent development. A cabinet. Right... The boy was high strung, reacting to every loud noise and keeping the armed men always in eyesight. Attempted assassination. They were here for protection because halfway around the world, in a hostile country, was apparently safer than home. He pulled out his phone and walked away, signalling for the men to fall back. No need for the boy to have a panic attack.

Switching back to Japanese, "Minister. They're here because of an assassination attempt."

"I'll be there in fifteen. You sure?"

"Yes Minister. I don't think they want me to know, but it makes sense."

He closed his phone and walked back towards the prince and princess. "Is there anything I can get for you, your highness?"

"No, thank you."

They stood there in awkward silence until the distant rumbling of the Prime Minister's escort, signaled their arrival.

Unknown Location, Pendragon

Charles looked out the window, enjoying the cool breeze. The early morning fog was slowly receding over the dry mountains. There hasn't been enough rain in the winter and the yellow grass mocked him. He would have to deal with Margrave Oberstein soon if he kept draining the Colorado River. Margrave Goldbaum was already complaining about the loss to his harvest. Then there was the Conservation Party, arguing for the wildlife. If he didn't settle the situation soon, someone would call a War of Honor, which would be detrimental for his invasion plans. War of Honors were a waste of resources, but tradition was hard to sweep away, especially with the Emblem of Blood seared into every Lord's mind. War of Honors were harmless in comparison, a lesser evil, but they wrecked grand intricate plans. And then the Guilds would step in, speculating, and seizing power beyond their station. If the commoners got too powerful, they might think of rebelling. A truly strange balance an Emperor must keep. Neither too poor, because desperate men are the most dangerous, but not too rich either since wealth brings forth dangerous ideas and the resources to act upon them. Wars of Conquest were much simpler.

V.V. stood at the door, waiting respectfully. "Brother, you wanted to see me?"

He continued to look out the window. "Marianne was attacked, if it hadn't been for Cornelia's timely intervention, she would have died."

"That is... unfortunate."

"It's rather strange Victor," he began, observing how V.V. stiffened, "how Nunnally and Lelouch were attacked, just a day after, in the royal palace."

V.V. didn't say anything.

"You are in charge of the Geass order aren't you V.V? And the OSI? The wielder of the shadows protecting his Emperor."

"Do you doubt me Charles? I will always protect you." V.V. dared to look distressed at the thought.

He turned around and faced his brother completely, "The assassin targeting Nunnally and Lelouch had a Geass you know. I wonder if you would consider him lucky or unlucky for surviving the stab wound Lelouch gave him? We had a very interesting conversation."

And there was the scowl he remembered from his youth. "Brother, whatever —"

"A lie of omission is still a lie brother. Do not evade the truth V.V, it's unbecoming. But really, I am curious, why did you squander resources on sending an assassin after Lelouch and Nunnally? Your man didn't know."

V.V. stepped forward. "Marianne is a threat. She is leading you astray. We made a contract and because of that woman, you would break it! She is a threat to you and I swore to eliminate them!"

"But Lelouch and Nunnally? Truly V.V, they weren't a threat. Or do you hate my wife so much to take revenge on her children when your plan was foiled?" He paused and turned back to the window. "How childish."

"There deaths would not have been a loss. The boy is impertinent. He disrespected you! And his sister —"

'Ruined your perfect little assassination. I've sent both of them away, for their own safety. Marianne was willing to be lenient, even knowing you tried to kill her. But then you attacked her children, and any mercy she requested for you, is scattered like ashes in the wind."

V.V. stared at the ground, his long hair falling in front of his face. "I understand you are upset brother because I broke our promise. I didn't know you extended family to include your children. You have never shown much interest in them before."

"No V.V, I'm mad because had you succeeded, I would have looked like a fool. There are already rumors beginning to circulate because Marianne, my publicly favored wife, nearly died in a terrorist attack. It makes us look weak and if your little soldier had succeeded in killing two of my children in the Royal Palace... I would have every Noble attempting to assassinate me because I would appear weak. Your petty actions got closer to destroying our plans than any other threat. You nearly ruined everything."

"I... I miscalculated brother." He swallowed and looked up. "I sincerely apologize for my misconduct. I will do better."

The simmering anger cooled and he let himself sigh. "I have to discipline you V.V. And I find myself not being able to trust my Master of Shadows. There is no one able to take your place. I need to be able to trust you."

V.V. nodded. "I understand Charles. Allow me to prove that your faith in me isn't misplaced."

It was much too late for that now. Perhaps his brother was still loyal, but V.V.'s love for him clouded his vision. Yet, he couldn't dispose of him. "You will be working with Marianne closely, right now, I can trust her more than you. And should any harm happen to her, I will take your code. That is my contract to you."

"I... I accept your contract Charles."

V.V. turned to leave and Charles let him step through the doorway, before calling out to him again, "And leave Lelouch alone. He may have defeated your Geass user, but I will not have you recruit him into your organization."

"Of course Charles."

V.V. left and Charles could just stare out the window, as the hallway suddenly felt despairingly empty.

Unwilling to linger, Charles took the long way to his office. He had to meet with his sons. Schneizel was being rather too presumptuous of late. Masks upon mask shrouded Schneizel's true intentions. It was unfathomable how his son could turn out to be so duplicitous. He suspected that only Odysseus knew who the real Schneizel was. Completely ordinary defined Odysseus despite the numerous opportunities Charles afforded his son. It was baffling how Odysseus managed to be the Minister of Welfare and slide under the radar. Unspectacular. Unworthy of being the Crown Prince. Yet Odysseus had mastered one skill that eluded Charles, how to reign in Schneizel. Hopefully the favor wouldn't cost him an entire hospital this time.

Kururugi Shrine, Japan

Suzaku hated the Britannian prince and his companions. It was aggravating watching the Britannian guards walk through his honored home with a dismissive gaze. Their eyes would sweep over him as he entered their presence, assessing and then casting him aside as if he could possibly not be a threat. Worst of all, they never spoke. It rankled Suzaku that they could plot his and his family's death in their secret language of hands without anyone being the wiser.

But the worst offender, was the prince. He had taken Suzaku's playroom as his own. During dinner, he would covertly exchange his and his sister's dishes with someone else, only eat food after someone else served themselves first, and neither his father or Tohdoh-Sensei, would reprimand him. He even sneaked into the kitchen, to watch the cooks prepare their food. And when the prince slept in Suzaku's former den, he refused to sleep on the futons, instead sleeping in the corner curled around his sister. Why did his father forgive the Prince's continued insults to his family's honor? The Japanese weren't two faced lying bastards like the stupid Britannians. The only good thing about the Britannian's presence was that Tohdoh-Sensei didn't have the time to completely humiliate him at shogi anymore.

The water splashed violently into his face as he threw his gi into the bucket. The green stain on the otherwise pristine white uniform glared at him. Tohdoh-Sensei would kill if he turned up to training in that. It wasn't his fault. He didn't eat in his uniform. Somehow, he knew the prince had done it.

He poured in some soap and plunged his hands in, spinning the water and watching the bubbles form. Sighing, he grabbed the soft bristled brush and began to scrub. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the princess roll forward in her wheelchair, the wheels scraping across the stone slabs.

She stopped besides him, her nose twitching. "Is that soap Suzaku?"

The water splashed again as he glared at her despite knowing she couldn't see it. "Your brother," he spat, "stained my gi with wasabi."

She was silent and he looked away, creeped out by her eyes staring a little bit to the right of his head. He wondered where her brother was, who generally never let her leave his sight.

"That wasn't really nice of Lulu, but you were mean too."

"I'm sorry," he forced himself to look at her, "for tricking you."

A smile bloomed on her face and her hand reached out to settle on his arm. "Thank you. I think Lulu likes you."

The gi slipped from his hands, sinking to the bottom of the bucket. "What? But how?"

She laughed and rolled her wheelchair slightly forward, bumping into the bucket. "Brother plays tricks all the time on Nellie and Euphie cause he cares. That is why you tricked me right?" Her eyebrows drew together, "Friends! We are friends! Right Suzaku?"

His mouth was suddenly dry and he looked around, finding the prince silently observing him from behind the bushes. Of course he was there. It had been stupid to think that he wasn't near his sister. "We can be friends."

Two small arms reached around him. "I never had a friend before. Just lots of siblings. Do you have any siblings?"

Slowly disentangling himself from her embrace, he said, "No. I have a cousin, Kaguya. I'm supposed to marry her when we grow up. We don't play with another. She is too... proper."

He turned back to the bucket, noting with satisfaction the green stain fading. Tohdoh-Sensei might not kill him. Nunnally continued to chatter excitedly. "Clovis always tries to be grown-up. He never wants to get dirty... Unless it is paint. Brother Clovis loves art. For his birthday, his mom flew in a famous artist from Germany to teach him. He brags about it always. I like to paint too... What color is wasibi?"

Suzaku answered quietly. "Green. Lighter than grass."

Nunnally ran her hand along the bucket. "I'm scared to forget the colors. It's been so long. I don't want to forget, but sometimes Lulu tells me what color it is and I... I can't imagine it right. It's always wrong."

Looking up, he saw the prince's harsh, unforgiving stare. The gi was a warning for upsetting his sister. A cold feeling of dread settled over him as he thought of what the dishonorable prince could have done instead. The prince had been in his room, unnoticed.

"Hey Nunnally, we could make a secret fort?"

Her frown vanished and she turned her wheelchair, "Lulu! I know you're there! I heard you following me. Come over here."

The prince visibly sulked before begrudgingly walking over, his clothes somehow pristine despite hiding in the bushes. He stopped by Nunnally and gave him a curt nod, "Suzaku."

Oblivious to her brother's cold attitude, Nunnally grabbed the prince's hand. "Suzaku is going to make a secret fort with me! You can help too!"

"Of course Nunnally, whatever you want. But we'll need a secret place."

"We could probably find a place in the forest," said Suzaku.

The prince nodded. "We'll need a distraction. The cat will do. At dinner you can sneak some fish away Nunnally. It will do as encouragement."

"We can do it now."

"A good plan requires preparation—"

Nunnally cut in, ignoring her brother's annoyed spluttering. "He just wants to play shogi with Tohdoh."

Suzaku blinked. "You play shogi?"

"Tohdoh says you don't plan ahead enough."

That was completely unfair. He was a model student, always paying attention. He mastered martial arts moves easily. It wasn't his fault that shogi was boring. But the Britannian prince was playing a Japanese game and had saved him from Tohdoh-Sensei's regular attempts to teach him. Perhaps Lelouch wasn't that bad after all.

Ashford Labs, Location Classified

Reuben stared at the Glasgow prototype in dismay as the pilot guided across the hangar. The movements were too slow and jerky, making the machine look like a marionette. It should moved like a refined dancer, swift and precise. Or perhaps he was just too used to Marianne piloting his prototypes.

His lab assistant, hunched in front of the terminal, called out to him, "Lord Ashford, the readings are in. We have a fifty percent improvement in section C, although performance dropped by ten percent in the other sections."

Resisting the urge to pull out a cigarette, he watched the pilot come to a fumbling stop. "It's an abomination. Only thing it is good for is bait. It will fall over the second it comes under artillery fire."

His assistant sighed, pushing up her glasses. "The Emperor wants them done as soon as possible. We don't have time for nitpicking my lord."

Walking to the terminal, Reuben grumbled, "It's not nitpicking if it doesn't meet the objective." He sighed and pulled up the data from the last twenty prototypes. "It is obviously not working. Dumbing it down is a catastrophe and here we are adding more weight with better weapons. If it can't move quickly, it's dead weight. We should start over. Rethink the basics. I must have missed something."

"But Lord Ashford, the contract! You'll lose the Ganymede."

"No, that design is quite safe. Lady Marianne is technically leasing it. The only thing we may lose to our competitors is this piece of junk. And at this point, maybe they will be able to do something better with it."

"You would ruin the Ashford family. Margrave Oberstein would destroy you. We have to get this to work."

He humphed and sat down at his computer, already beginning to draft a new design. "Really, upgrading the Ganymede would be a better use of my time, but no, I have to make it so all the pretty noble boys can pilot a knightmare. It really shouldn't be this difficult to get the design to work, the hard part is the programming. Should have paid more attention to her work."

"She was a commoner."

He shook his head and improved the leg design. "She was the most brilliant woman I ever met. A true computer scientist and the reason the Ganymede works so well. Now getting her program to play nice with anyone besides Marianne is proving truly difficult."

The elevator door pinged and Reuben turned around, expecting to chastise his granddaughter. Instead he saw Marianne sitting in a wheelchair, pushed by a timid maid. He narrowed his eyes at the servant, she hadn't been cleared by him.

"Hello Reuben."

He turned back to his work. "Hello Marianne. I see there is some truth to the rumors this time. You know I don't like people who aren't cleared in my labs."

Marianne scoffed and he could hear the wheelchair rolling closer. "She won't talk to anyone. Well... maybe Charles. And what rumors?"

He cast a glance at the maid again, apparently she was one of those people. He hadn't heard of the Emperor continuing the practice although he could acknowledge the benefit.

"Just that you were brutally murdered and the Emperor is mad in grief and pretending you are still alive. Apparently he has taken a likeness to a prostitute who resembles you. The Lady Cassandra has a rather fantastical tale where Charle's elder twin survived the assassination and attempted to kill you out of jealousy. I'm rather fond of the one where Lelouch is a demon and Nunnally an angel and upon discovering the other's true nature had an epic battle that left you tragically wounded."

Violent coughing erupted from his assistant and he looked at her in concern. "Sarah, you alright?"

She put down her mug again and he could see the tears in the corner of her eyes. "You can't just say that to the Empress!"

Marianne laughed. "So that's your new assistant. What happened to your last one?"

"Margrave Obsertein poached him. Not that it will help him, the poor lad is neck deep in non-disclosure agreements. Maybe I should rescue him? But never mind that, tell me what happened? Spill all your delicious secrets." He turned away from his work, eager for the new gossip.

"It was a terrorist attack."

Waving his hand, he spun back to the computer. "Fine, fine, keep your precious secrets. How are the kids? My granddaughter is visiting. Perhaps I should introduce them?"

Marianne was silent and he turned his head, catching sight of her despondent face.

"They are alright?" Surely Marianne wouldn't be here if her children weren't. She had changed at Charles's side, but the eager little girl was still there, and she would never be callous enough to throw them away.

She took a deep breath and forced her face to return to the neutral court mask. "They both got caught up in the terrorist attack. Their injuries were mostly from a cabinet that fell on them. Lelouch did a fine job protecting his little sister."

"I would be willing to watch them. The lab is quite secure, even if I generally don't want children in here."

Marianne shook her head. "Charles and I agreed it would be safer for them out of the country while we finish wrapping up the investigation here. The commotion will die down eventually, replaced with a bigger story, and then they can come back."

The attempted assassination of an Empress was big news. It seemed that Lelouch and Nunnally would be out of the country for a while... A shame. "And how are you Marianne? Your injuries healing well?"

Her smile was suddenly a lot more brittle. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I need a new knightmare. The attack injured me, I cannot use my legs anymore."

Reuben frowned as he considered the news. The Ganymede, his baby, would never fly again. It seemed the Glasgow would indeed come to fruition despite its awful design. A prosthetic perhaps... he still had some plans flying around somewhere. Perhaps he could pivot and focus on the much more humanitarian options. "It will be a lot of work. Getting a knightmare that works like the Ganymede. We will need to revamp completely the controls and that makes finishing the Glasgow on time for the invasion... well, difficult."

Something flashed across Marianne's face at the mention of Japan, but it was too quick for him to decipher. "No new controls. I want to control it through my nervous system. My cousin had plans for that. It was the original idea wasn't it Reuben, before your wife enforced a budget on you?"

Oh, his darling late wife, Rosalind. "Yes, but it will take quite some time to adapt those plans to the Ganymede design although I have some interesting design modifications we should implement if we're making you a new Knightmare. Hmm... We'll need a name. Perhaps something more simple instead of the mouthful that is the Ganymede... Lefay."

Marianne smiled. "Thank you Reuben. The Lefay... it is rather different, but you were always rather particular when it came to naming. How are the Glasgows going. You are finishing up the designs?"

His assistant shifted in her seat, but thankfully didn't say anything. "They work, but dear Marianne, I cannot finalize them if I'm working on your frame. Perhaps I'll license the plans and the technology?" Reuben considered the possibility. The Glasgow would never become a machine capable of greatness, it was flawed. "Should help with production too if I license out the plans. Personal customized knightmare frames are much more my thing. Now Lady Marianne, care to push through the paperwork? As a favor to your old mentor?"

"Of course," she dipped her head in agreement, "but in return you will make the LeFay, even if I disagree with such a simple name."

Near the Kururugi Shrine

Lelouch could still hear the cries of the chickens as walked into the forest with Nunnally on his back. A few moments later, Suzaku burst through the bushes, out of breath, an exhilarated grin on his face, and leaves stuck in his hair.

"I can't believe that worked," said Suzaku.

Laughing, Nunnally replied, "Lulu's plans always work. I brought cake for the hideout. We're going to have a tea party."

Lelouch held in an undignified snicker as he observed Suzaku's face contort. "Of course Nunnally. You can get everything ready while Suzaku and I work on the defenses."

Suzaku mouthed "thank you" and then turned back to the bushes to pull out a bag. "I stored the wood near the other side of the shrine in case the adults get too interested."

"That was a good idea," said Lelouch. It seemed Suzaku could think ahead despite his usual modus operandi. "I managed to borrow some of the sakuradite cells from our Britannian guards."

Suzaku hoisted the bag over his shoulder as the began the trek to their secret hideout, "They won't tell anyone?"

"I took it from the newest shipment before anyone counted. If anyone notices, they'll assume that someone miscounted on the supplier's end. Besides, it is a moot point. They don't talk."

"They really don't talk? I thought they just did that while on duty. I don't know, as some weird Britannian thing."

A twig snapped beneath his foot and he cringed as the crack echoed through the woods and the grasshoppers fell silent. "They're unspeakables. They don't talk."

Nunnally shifted and tightened her arms around his neck. "Mommy told me that they used to cut out their tongues because they did a bad thing. And then because they can't talk, they can never tell your secrets to anyone. "

"That's barbaric."

Lelouch chuckled as Nunnally continued, "Uh uh. Besides it's better than being forced to dance in burning shoes until you die. And they did something really bad... or their family did something really bad."

Seeing his friend's dubious face, Lelouch said, "If you break your lord's trust, he can kill you and your entire family. So to save them, you become an unspeakable. As long as you serve your lord faithfully, your family gets immunity for their past crimes. But people don't do that anymore since you need the Emperor's permission. And they had a nasty habit of assassinating their lords."

Suzaku shuddered and they could hear the soft gurgling of a nearby stream. "It is still barbaric. If they had honor, the would commit seppuku and let their death atone for their sins."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. How could the dead atone for their sins? They were dead. He turned right, letting Nunnally slide off his back and sit on the ground. Hidden behind the eager greenery was their secret cave. And today, he would make sure that it was safe for him and Nunnally should the worst happen. Suzaku could join them as well, if he agreed to be Nunnally's knight. He had to admit that the boy was a formidable martial artists... and physically better suited to protect Nunnally.

Worldbuilding Thoughts:

-The Emblem of Blood started before 1955 and seems to have ended in 1998. This is a massive period of time of there to be a bunch of wanton killing. It also begs the question how Odysseus managed to survive 14 years in such a violent time period. He has to have some skill to not get assassinated.

-Apparently Britannia has its own calendar that starts about 50 years earlier. I feel that is rather... well stupid. I will maintain that a.t.b. = c.e. The calendars align.

-When I watched the anime, I thought the Holy Britannian Empire formed after Napoleon kicked Queen Elizabeth III out of England. Apparently that isn't so... but I like for my alternate history to make some remote sense so I'm saying that there were a few more Elizabeths and history diverged during the Seven Years' War and follow what I originally thought was the case. This sort of solves my Canada is Area 2 problem, probably introduces a bunch of other history issues, and leaves the question of how the Britannians went through 100 Emperors in 200 years. Considering they called it the Emblem of Blood, my head cannon is that a bunch of nobles just started called themselves the Emperor and were nice enough to do it sequentially. Might really be best not to think about this too hard...

Author's Note:

Still looking for a beta.

Next up: The invasion of Japan.

I had to get all the major consequences of Marianne not dying out of the way in this chapter and I actually had to cut scenes because it was getting too long. Still, I'm excited for Lelouch to finally become an active player instead of the little kid with no real power or ambitions.