Don't worry, I'm still writing. Just very very slowly...

Quarto

"Here. Eat up."

Yusei blinked as Crow shoved a plate full of food before his face. They had moved back inside the shack and he had vaguely heard the Satellite-born man preparing breakfast not far away.

"What's with the hesitance? I'm not going to poison you, if that's what you're thinking." Crow snorted. "By the way, if you can't remember, you've been asleep for a whole day." He grinned at Yusei's surprised expression. "That's right. It's been almost two days since you entered Satellite. I bet you're going to start feeling hungry very soon, don't you think?"

He made a point. Yusei grudgingly conceded and went on to eat.

They then spent the rest of the morning talking. Crow had told him that due to the recent disturbances, the recycling plants in Satellite had been temporarily closed. Therefore, most of the Staellite residents were relishing in the fact that they didn't have to work every day. Crow also explained he had been fiddling with the City-born man's red D-Wheel to fix the damage the machine had received when Rosewood had finally collapsed, and reassured the King that all was well with the D-Wheel now.

And then Crow proceeded to tell Yusei what had happened when he entered Rosewood, what and who had caused the building to collapse on top of the King, and Crow's own bargaining afterwards as he rescued Yusei. Yusei had simply sat unmoving while he let this unbelievable truth soak into his brain, all the time cradling the mug of hot tea that Crow had made. The burning touch of the rough ceramic mug reassured that yes, he was still connected to reality. And no, this was not a dream. This was real.

Crow had stopped. He had finished recounting the recent events, the events that caused Yusei to be stranded here in Satellite, pursuing after a woman whom he no longer knew.

But it was time for Crow to tell him everything else as well.

Everything that had led to this point. From Aki's entry into this world of unknowns, to the inexplicable connection running through that strange birthmark, to the destined meeting with Kiryu in that cursed 'hospital', and the reason behind her unreasonable fury and hatred toward the City. It was time for Yusei to hear it all.

As if sensing this thought from the blue-eyed young man, Crow coughed and shifted. They had been sitting in the shack for a while, and his cough had disturbed the silence that had so delicately fallen back upon this room.

"Crow…" Yusei started as he took a deep breath of the stale, heavy air in the room. "Let's talk about everything from the beginning, from the very beginning, if you please."

Instead of replying instantly, Crow took a long pause. Finally, he exhaled one long breath, his brow nodded together. "I knew this was coming sooner or later." He put his hands on top of his knees. "What do you want to know, Fudo Yusei?"

"Right from when she came to Rosewood," Yusei sighed with something close to resignation. Leaning back his head, he cradled the mug in his palms almost subconsciously. "From the moment that you met her in Satellite."

"Very well." With a cough, Crow looked like he was about to start. "I'll start from the day I actually saw her. I didn't meet her straightaway, so I can only tell you some facts or rumours about certain things. I've gotta warn you though, Fudo Yusei, this isn't going to be a pretty story."

"I knew that by now." Closing his eyes, Yusei flung the back of his hand to his forehead. "Just go ahead."

-\-\-\-\-\-

There was one rule in Rosewood that must not be broken no matter what – no Duel Monster games are allowed on the grounds.

This did not only restrict the 'patients' here, but the staff and all the guards and securities as well.

That was the loophole through which Crow Hogan managed to worm his way into the tightly-controlled institution.

It was unimaginable for anyone in this world to not play Duel Monsters. A deck was a pre-requisite for every man and woman, child and elderly. Those who did not have a mobile phone had a deck, those who did not have a house had a deck, and even those who lived as the lowest of the low had a deck.

Therefore, not to be able to play it and not having a Duel Disk to do so – was almost torture to the guards.

Crow relieved them of that torture.

He rented them clandestine Duel Disks, made in the slums of Satellite by local mechanics and untraceable by City systems. He also had black market cards for sale if certain parties were so inclined. Of course, he was walking a thin line. If he were ever caught doing this, then he would have more than just a few more Markers on his face. Not even all the money that he was making out of this could ever cover for the possible punishment.

But the money wasn't what was driving Crow to step into this murky world. It was Kiryu.

Despite his appearances, Crow cared for many things, even if not many people could perceive that through his loud and rowdy ways. Truth was, Crow felt guilty after Jack left. Kiryu's arrest left their gang in tatters. Crow had tried to persuade Jack to stay and recreate their power together, but the blond was dead set in what he wanted to do. He wanted to leave their old hideout and their old memories and start anew. On one night, Jack took a few of his most trusted men from what was left of their gang and left. Crow didn't want to keep holding together the remaining motley crew and the group was finally disbanded.

Crow lived quietly on while Jack rose to greatness. Crow gathered the orphans who had nowhere to go while Jack conquered territory after territory. And Crow remembered Kiryu. And Crow entered the darkness of Rosewood out of his own volition, trying to hold on to whatever was left of his oldest, and best, friend.

Therefore, he was genuinely surprised the first time he saw her, which must had been just a few days since she arrived. She was talking animatedly with Kiryu, he recalled. It was hard to miss her. The scarlet hair that reflected the dull sunlight seemed to defy the monochrome languidness of the hospital, and the long fringes flying suavely in the wind brought an unmistakable liveliness to her figure. He had watched, watched as she chatted to his friend with enthusiasm, watched as she blossomed so brightly in this desolation of thorns. Female admissions to Rosewood were rare, and ones as beautiful as her were even rarer.

"Crow, you ain't gonna talk to her?"

A guard, one of his regulars, winked at him.

He had declined the suggestion with a crooked grin, saying that she seemed content enough with Kiryu. He let them be, left the place on his black D-Wheel, and returned to roaming the shady alleyways of Satellite, away from her smiles in that place of lifeless sun. She and Kiryu had seemed happy together on that late July day. He did not wish to intrude into what small happiness Kiryu could afford to have in that strange prison. She was just another admission there, after all. He had plenty of time to get to know her better in the future.

He returned for another batch of goods a fortnight later. The guards had filled him in on the news. Divine, one of the most mysterious and protected inhabitants in the complex, had 'passed on'. While he merely nodded at what could only be regarded as a piece of trivia in this complex where men do not emerge alive, it was the fear and trepidation with which the guards had whispered the next piece of news that made him pause.

"That woman Izayoi had taken Divine's place."

"Izayoi…?" The uncommon surname rolled off his tongue as he questioned, confused.

"You know, that red-haired girl who was talking to Kiryu the last time you came. They took her upstairs. She even lives in the same room as Divine did. They're saying that the doctors made her his replacement."

Well, what did that actually mean?

The guards didn't know, nor did they want to know. They had nothing to tell him. Divine was a strange existence, a person that had been paid special attention even in this special institution, something to be locked up deep within the bowels of the building and never let out. At least, that was his impression over the years.

He had pondered what the guards meant as he walked out of their dormitories and sauntered slowly towards the main entrance in the suffocating sunlight that drowned out the courtyard in the late summer afternoon. The blanching heat had driven most inhabitants indoors. The sun reflected off the white stones on the ground, off the white buildings around him, and off the white dresses that all patients wore. It was a flaccid and lazy ocean of light that whispered drowsiness to his bones, a cage of brightness that enveloped everyone in its gentle lullaby. It was the ideal afternoon to take a nap, which he assumed the majority of the people here were actually doing.

However, in this whitewashed sea of haze, the red-haired woman sitting in the bench next to the courtyard wall managed to catch his eye as he walked toward the courtyard's front door.

The both turned and saw each other at the same time on that afternoon. He was in his usual riding gear of black and yellow, staring surprised at her, a stain on this pristine world. She was in the white patient robes, looking passively on, her sanguine hair the only sign of her identity in this whitewashed sea. He stood frozen, unsure of what to do, whether or not to approach her without being introduced first. He must admit, the talk of the guards had gotten to him.

"Um… you must be Izayoi Aki." She was still staring at him. Since he started the conversation, he saw no alternatives but keep talking. "Um…" the distance between them was eliminated with a few quick steps of his, "I'm Crow Hogan."

She remained silent, and only gazed up right into his face.

He shuddered. By God, those eyes.

The mahogany irises that stared into his own steel-grey orbs were devoid anything except emptiness. Crow dug his heels into the soil to prevent himself from stumbling back. Glazed, empty, she simply moved her eyeballs to his direction, nothing more. It couldn't even be called a look, for he can't be sure if she even saw anything with those eyes. There was no emotion, no curiosity, and no life. The animated figure he had seen with Kiryu had disappeared into nothingness as if it was an illusion, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Indeed, he almost thought he was imagining things. Was this really the same girl he saw just a little while ago? Or was it…

Crow's heart skipped a beat. He was too late, just like with Kiryu. Similar to her, his friend's happy and joyous self had been swallowed up and lost in Rosewood before Crow managed to gather enough courage to help, and their empty shells were all that the orange-haired man was going to receive. He cursed beneath his breath, cursing his ill luck more than anything else.

"You… are…"

"Holy –!" She could still speak. That was a relief, but the abrupt way with which she began really startled him. Thank goodness she wasn't mute and creepy like Divine. Crow had only met Divine once and the man's silence had utterly unsettled him. "Err, Izayoi-san, I –"

"Did you say your name is… Crow?"

She interrupted him. He blinked, not sure what she meant.

"I've heard about you, Crow-san… from Kiryu."

"Ki-Kiryu mentioned me to you?" He laughed awkwardly, the sound echoing in the empty courtyard. "Ahaha, I… I'm honoured."

"My… apologies. Would you… like a seat?" Cautiously, she gestured to the space next to her. Her face had shifted. There was something on it now, something that he found rather incredulous. That blank visage had something he couldn't really read. Was it expectation, eagerness, or perhaps even relief?

"Um… Sure." Uncertain with what she wanted, he sat down gingerly. She no longer looked at him, but lifted her head up towards the sky, as if recalling something, or wondering about an ancient dream.

"Kiryu… grew up with you, didn't he?"

"Ah – yes."

"And had he – always been such a dreamer?"

"He can be one," he chimed along, feeling like he was speaking to one of his young kids back at his hideout rather than to a grown young woman.

"He told me his dream." She continued on in a serene voice, ignoring his puzzled look. "He told me he dreamt of liberating Satellite, of creating a new City where there are no prejudices and no poverty. Isn't that… a wonderful dream?"

He paused. He saw what was going on. Kiryu had told her of his ideals, and for some reason, she had bought it.

But Kiryu's dream was unachievable. It could only remain a dream, nothing more. As long as humanity remained as it is, there will always be discrimination and poverty. It was within humanity's very nature. At least, that was how Crow had concluded, and how he had wretched himself away from Kiryu's proposed utopia that only led them to more destruction.

"That's right. It was a wonderful dream. So what are –"

She ignored his attempt at changing the topic. As if determined to say everything at once, she did not allow him to interrupt her.

"Kiryu came and sat next to my bed the night after I replaced Divine-san and told me his dream… it was one of the best things I've ever heard. It would be utopia… wouldn't you agree, Crow-san?"

"I – err, Izayoi…"

He saw how much Kiryu's ideals had taken root within her as she turned to him. She was smiling. She was offering him a broken, desperate smile. Her eyes were glazed over, and he almost questioned her sanity. What had driven her to this state? What had driven her to escape into Kiryu's wild beliefs?

"Izayoi…" It hurt him to do this, but he had never believed in Kiryu's false hope. Kiryu was mad. His dream was an illusion. He killed a man for it. He had destroyed so much without moving even one step closer to his imaginary goal.

"That dream is something to live for, isn't it?"

"H-Hey, Izayoi." He leaned forward tentatively. "What's going on? Why are you saying all this?"

"They told me that it's all for the goodness of the City, for the goodness of humanity. I am to serve, to repent, and to benefit all." What was she saying now? "My sacrifice would bring joy to millions and would atone my sins… but I don't want to, Crow-san. They didn't allow me to understand." She was breathing quickly. Crow tensed up. What was going on? "Why is it always my fault? Why must I always be blamed? Kiryu showed me how the world should be. I –"

A single tear dropped down that beautiful, scarred face. Crow didn't know what to do. She didn't move to wipe that tear away. It was as if she was oblivious to its existence – no, she knew what was going on. She lowered her face and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. Her body shook with the effort to control herself.

"Where are you… Yusei?"

"Yusei? You mean, the Yusei? You know Fudo Yusei?" Hell, what was this? Sure, she was from the City, but he never expected her to be from so high up. Crow was simply stunned with what she had just said. Why would anyone ever put such a high-born City girl into a Satellite prison?

"You're a liar, Yusei…" She only sobbed, letting out whatever she had been holding up within her. "You said you'd be here for me. You said you'll help me deal with myself. But for all your promises… there was nothing. You lied. You only said it because it was the proper thing to say. You aren't here for me, not now, not ever. You left me here to rot –"

"Izayoi-san!" With a terrified yell, a white-clad young nurse sprang out of the main doors and rushed toward Izayoi Aki, obviously having just realised the City girl's absence. She rushed toward Aki while the girl kept muttering and sobbing.

"Izayoi-san, what's going on?" Taking her hand, the nurse quickly checked her pulse and temperature, her face overcast with fear. "Please don't exert yourself, Izayoi-san. I'll get you back right away."

"And you, Crow!" Crow winced for the lecture that he knew was coming. "Please do not trouble Izayoi-san again. We allow you to come here out of mutual benefit, but Izayoi-san is out of bounds for you. If you're ever seen with her again, I'll have to warn you that you may be removed from Rosewood for good."

Crow swallowed and tried to defend himself. "But I wasn't even doing any –"

"Come, Izayoi-san. Let's go back." The nurse was already helping the sobbing girl up and walking away from Crow, ignoring his protests completely. Defeated, he shut his mouth, and sank back into the chair.

What the hell had that been about?

He had thought Rosewood was for Satellite criminals only. Surely the City had its full of prisons. But it seemed he was wrong. That girl wasn't just anyone. She knew the King personally, for heaven's sake. Who would put someone like her in here? And what had Rosewood done to her?

Crow recalled how she had been when he saw her just a little while ago. It didn't make sense. There was something going on in Rosewood. Something very wrong.

-\-\-\-\-\-

"We need to go."

"What?" Yusei sat up as Crow suddenly muttered in a low voice. The Satellite resident abruptly stopped talking, and sat very still as if he was a hare trying to hide from the eyes of an eagle. The dense silence of the hut returned, drowning out all memories of their conversation, and even their breathing sounded loud on Yusei's eardrums.

"Kiryu's here".

Crow whispered even quieter. He motioned toward a red dot flashing on his Duel Disk, which was strapped on his arm. "Didn't know how he found me this quickly, but he's here."

Slowly and deliberately, the grey-eyed young man stood up and approached the door. "Can you still ride, Yusei?"

"Still a bit dizzy, but I'll be fine." Yusei carefully massaged his temples. They still throbbed quite a bit.

"He's here for you, no doubt." Crow murmured and gave Yusei a look. "You've got your deck. Let's move to somewhere safer in Satellite then. I know a spot where he wouldn't dare to attack. This way."

As Crow mentioned for the King to follow him, Yusei stood up – and stumbled.

No, it was only fair to say that he tumbled down towards the ground the moment he took one step forward. Instinctively, he reached out for the table next to him, but the wood slipped away from his feeble grip. Yusei bit his teeth and prepared himself a hard fall into the floor, only to find a strong arm holding onto his waist and bodily heaving him up.

"Like hell you're fine." Crow swore under his breath. "No way can you ride a D-Wheel in your condition." The Satellite young man's brows knotted together. "I guess we have no choice. I'll go hide the D-Wheels, and we'll sit this out."

Crow dashed out after he made sure Yusei was sitting down again. The blue-eyed young man could hear the other rummaging through some fabric and wooden pieces outside, then the screech of wheels as the vehicles were moved away. Yusei wanted to stand up again, but decided against it. He wasn't too eager for landing face first on the hard, earthen floor.

"Done." Crow emerged through the curtain a few minutes later. "Now all we have to do is hide."

The Satellite man grabbed Yusei's arm before the latter could protest and ducked through a door frame. Beyond was a much smaller room littered with broken furniture. Crow inched toward a large wardrobe, checked around it, then started to push it aside. As the dark passage cut into the wall began to emerge behind the wardrobe, Yusei could feel a breeze of fresh air coming from that black vent, pushing against the staleness of the room, indicating that it led to the outside.

"Get in, Fudo Yusei. I'll close this after us."

Yusei obediently ducked in. He could hear Crow grunt heavily behind him as the Satellite-born young man heaved the wardrobe back into place from the inside. In the pitch-black passage, he suddenly heard Crow whisper: "This way."

Crow's hand grabbed Yusei's arm. Stumbling, Yusei made through the impossibly dark passage with his companion, its path so convoluted that only its designer would have known the way. The only guidance Yusei had was that the air on his face was getting increasingly fresh, a sign that they were indeed heading out. He expected them to come out in the open anytime now. Therefore, he uttered a small yell of surprise when Crow suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, and Yusei bumped right into him.

"We've gonna stop here." Crow dragged Yusei aside. "There should be a seat somewhere. Sit."

Yusei's hands found the chipped surface of a wooden bench as he fumbled in the darkness, and he sank down into it. Crow had also settled down next to him, it seemed. The Satellite man's voice came from the air not too far away. "We're going to wait here. At least till Kiryu goes away."

As Crow stopped talking, silence once again fell around them. Yusei held his breath. Far away, he could hear the sound of a lone bird's cry. It was shrill and echoing, like the voice of a seagull surfing on the tip of the wind. Do these birds gather in the polluted air of Satellite? Yusei didn't think so. "Crow, what was that –"

"Shh." Crow's voice was tenser than before. "He's... here."

The distant sound reverberated all around them. Yusei kept very still as the sound kept echoing without end. It was drawn out, one cry after the other, and was certainly not made by any bird that Yusei knew of. Was it really the sound of beast or man? There were no gaps in the sound, no pauses to let the creature take a new breath, just one long wailing that seemed to go on and on. As the sound finally began to fade and gradually die away, he heard Crow sigh in relief. "Finally. He's gone."

After what seemed like eternity to Yusei – which, in fact, must have only been about two minutes – the alien sound disappeared completely.

"Let's stay here for a bit." Yusei heard Crow say this as the bench creaked a little under their weight. "Kiryu can be a devious bastard. I'm not too keen to rush back." There was a pause. "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Yusei leaned gingerly back against the wall behind him. "Although… what was that just before?"

"A dragon." Matter-of-factly, Crow said that word as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Dra –!" Yusei swore that he had more surprises hitting him today than the past few years added together. "Ki-Kiryu's not a Psychic Duelist, is he?"

Crow gave a wry chuckle. "You caught on fast. No, he's not. But… let's just say that someone here in Satellite had found a way to harness the power of Psychic Duelists and can distribute it to normal duelists, and Kiryu now possess one of these contraptions. Do you know what I mean?"

Yusei gritted his teeth. "How… how can that be done?"

"I'm currently carrying a black Duel Disk, right? That's how it was done. To cut a long story short, it used the power of Momentum's endless energy. But instead of positive energy that Momentum normally supplies, these black discs take its reverse-flow."

"But Momentum is located in the City, and Satellite gets no supply from Momentum's output. Isn't that right?" Yusei tried to grasp the situation.

He knew as much about Momentum as just about anyone ever could. It was his father's masterpiece, after all. Yusei had literally grown up with it. Heck, his father had even named him after the Yusei Particle, the dimensionless and ethereal particle that kept the eternal machine in never-ending motion. Momentum was the machine responsible for all of the City's electricity, the contraption which transcended the very foundations of modern physics. Satellite had nothing to do with this divine machine's power.

"You're sure you aren't forgetting something, Fudo Yusei?" Crow's tone sounded weary as he replied. "Your father's first experimental ground was here, in Satellite, where he built his very first Momentum machine. The Old Momentum is still running even today, though it only supplies a little of the City's power bill. It used to be the main generator though, before Momentum was re-built over at the City about a decade ago. Surely your father told you that?"

"Are you saying that… someone got into the Old Momentum system, and began to supply these black Duel Disks with reverse-flow?" Yusei paused as the unfamiliar phrase escaped from his lips.

"What is reverse-flow, anyways? Sure, theoretically you can make Momentum turn the other way, but that would only generate the opposite of energy, which would be…" The City man's voice faltered. Physics did not have a term for the concept of 'the opposite of energy'. It would be a black hole, perhaps, or dark energy, or something that humans hadn't even began comprehending.

"Bull's-eye, Yusei. You're right. The maker of these duel disks had reversed Old Momentum. Momentum is an infinite power source whether it was cranking forwards or backwards. And these duel disks… have been programmed to use its reverse-flow to physically materialise Duel Monsters," Crow heaved a gloomy sigh, "giving everyone the power of Psychic Duelists. I have no idea how it works out. Then again, does anyone understand how the mind of a Psychic Duelist manages to materialise digital projections into physical beings?"

"Momentum's reverse-flow is against the law of physics." Yusei muttered. He had been through the construction and theories behind Momentum when he completed his tertiary studies, marvelling at his father's ingenuity and secretly swore to himself to one day continue his father's divine work. Even so, he could not understand how a machine made to create pure energy could reverse its motion without damaging the rules of the physical world, such as time and space. "It must be done by someone who understood Momentum very well."

"Nice analysis. Well… Izayoi and Kiryu aren't the only ones to walk out of Rosewood alive, I'll tell you that. There is another ghost from that place. They say he's one of the original researchers for Momentum in your father's first team, and that he was driven mad by the project. Apparently, he's the one behind all the tech." Crow grunted. "I just hope Kiryu hadn't handed too many of these out to Satellite thugs and started to actually create an army to take on the City."

Yusei didn't know how to respond to that. The two of them sat in silence, each troubled by his own thoughts over what was just said. Yusei stared unblinking at the darkness before him, his mind reeling as he placed all the pieces together.

He wished he had come to Satellite sooner. He wished he had acted in a rasher manner and paid less attention to his schedules and duties as a King. While he duelled in his silver-white stadium and quietly searched for Aki during his precious moments of spare time, a seething madness was silently blooming in the heart of Satellite.

And others were fighting for Aki while Yusei did not. They fought to protect her, or to claim her. And all the while he was oblivious to it all.

Then, what did that make of Crow?

"Why are you in this, Crow?"

"Hmm?" Curiosity rose in Crow's voice as he addressed Yusei's question.

"Why are you helping me?" Yusei chose his words carefully. "You're effectively helping the City. I mean, shouldn't you be…?"

"Ah… well, let's put it this way." Crow gave an awkward chuckle. "It's partly my fault… that Izayoi Aki became who she is today."

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Rua greeted the morning sun with a large yawn and a delicious stretch as he walked out into his lounge. Last night had been a little hectic in his house, to say the least. He would have slept in this morning, but today was a school day. Some things can't be helped.

"Morning, Ruaaaaa-." His sister seemed to be similarly affected by a lack of sleep as her early morning greeting was drawn out into a long yawn. Rubbing her eyes, Ruka looked blurrily at her brother, who was trying hard to stifle another big yawn.

"I so shouldn't have stayed up late with you guys last night." Sinking into the sofa, the little boy grumbled and reached out for the glass of cold water left on the table from last night. He downed it in one go, hoping it would wake him up.

"At least we got something done." Ruka dragged herself toward the kitchen instead and pulled out milk and cereals to get breakfast over and done with. "I can't turn Jack and Carly away when they rushed in like that. Want some cereals too, Rua?"

"Yes please." Rua stretched himself out on the sofa. "Speaking of these two… Do you actually believe what they said last night, though…?"

Ruka paused in her breakfast preparations, and a blanket of silence briefly enveloped them as they each reflected on what had happened last night. Jack and Carly had called with a piece of urgent news – that Yusei was still alive and well in Satellite, and he needed help. The twins had understandably been wary of this information, but Jack insisted, and showed them the messages that Crow had sent to his D-Wheel requesting help. Not to mention Jack had told them everything about how Crow and he grew up together.

"Do you trust Jack, Ruka?" Rua made a face and looked straight at his sister. "He may not have a Mark, but he is called the King of Satellite, after all. And he acts like such a jerk too."

"I believe him." Ruka poured milk into their cereal bowls. "I've held Crow-san's card once. Its owner didn't want to hurt me, and I believe the same goes to Jack."

"I just hope Jack and Carly can manage to bring Yusei back quickly." Rua's face fell as he pushed back another yawn. "I guess we should be glad to have at least some news from Yusei. It's better than just have him missing."

"Yep, and hopefully we'll be hearing from Jack and Carly from Satellite sometime tonight." Ruka smiled with that thought and carried two bowls of cereals over to the lounge, plonking one down in front of Rua. "The special shipment that we got Dad's logistic company to ship over to Satellite should have arrived by now, wouldn't you say?"

Graduating this year, so the weight of studies is bearing down heavily on me. Nevertheless, it's still possible to squeeze out some odd times for personal hobbies. This chapter was written up on my phone during bus rides to and from the university. Life never really gives you a breather, doesn't it?