ACT III: The Only Thing I Ask


"Sweetheart!" Varric's voice rang out through the open hall bouncing between the stones as he trekked toward me. With a small smile, I dismissed the maidservant with a small wave, and she bundled her fabric in her arms with a practiced and graceful curtsy before disappearing.

"What's got you so chipper this morning?" I grinned with my hands on my hips as he approached.

"I finished it." Varric proclaimed, flourishing a leather-bound book in his hand. Confusion swept me for a moment before I realized what he meant, and a tidal wave of excitement swept over me.

"The next installment of Swords and Shields!" I clapped my hands giddily and shuffled happily on my feet with the bubbling excitement in my stomach.

Varric barked with laughter, "Well now, if I knew that would be the response I was going to get from you, I would have written this sooner."

"Oh, this is gonna be great, Varric." I laughed with him. "She'll have something to preoccupy herself with while on the trip to the gala."

"Ehh," Varric chuckled hesitantly, flapping the book in his hand. "All right, so maybe I should wait after, I don't... think I'm ready to deal with a blushing Seeker."

"Excuse me, sir, what did you write?" My eyebrows shot up through my hairline as a grin split my lips. Cassandra had already confessed to the smutty literature with a straight face, I couldn't imagine what he would write to make her blush in public.

"Enough," Varric teased with a smirk, "I figured she'd need some education on wooing. Thankfully, no copper marigolds involved."

"If only I wasn't so excited for her to get it first," I snickered. The temptation had been tickling the back of my mind since I had caught Cassandra reading the series all that time ago. Even so, I wouldn't deprive my favorite adopted sister of the first read.

"Shall we, then?" Varric said, offering the book to me with a sly grin.

"We shall!" I announced, snatching the book from his hand faster than he'd expected, going by his shout of surprise behind me. I took the stairs down to the middle courtyard at a racing drift and cradled the book tightly to my chest.

Once down the stairs and at a fast trot to the training dummies, I shouted: "Cassandra!"

My Seeker was at her bench by the dummies, her sword laid across her lap with an oilcloth under it and her hand held a whetstone above it, she froze as I called out to her. She raised her gaze to me as I came at a dash to her with Varric hot on my heels. Like a child having won the race, I stumbled to a stop with a splitting grin plastered across my face, the book held out to her triumphantly.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "What have you done now?"

"Hey!" I huffed, scandalized. "Why do you think it's something I did?"

"When isn't it something you did?" Varric chirruped from behind, wrestling his breath back into his lungs. Cassandra snorted lightly and carefully set her sword onto the bench with the oilcloth wrapped around it for safety. As she stood, I bounced on the balls of my feet, the book burning in my arms.

"So," Varric started, his attention shifting to Cassandra, "I can understand if you're still a little upset from our little spat weeks ago..."

"I am not a child, Varric." Cassandra interrupted sharply. "Do not suggest I'm without reason."

Varric held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "A peace offering: the next chapter of Swords and Shields. I... heard you were a fan." I shot Varric a gnarly side-glare as I attempted to fight the smile from my lips. Not like I needed to give myself away, Cassandra's gaze shot to me with lightning speed.

"This is your doing." She accused me, growling low in her throat, her hands hooked on her hips.

I smiled sunnily, unrepentant. "It is! Did you really think I'd miss this, sis?"

Her stony glare was damning.

"Well," Varric sighed dramatically, shrugging his shoulders deeply, "if you're not interested... it still needs editing, anyhow." Varric winked at me and reached for the book that I held hostage in my arms. With an exaggerated pout, I slowly released the book to his grip.

He barely took a step away from us before Cassandra caved.

"Wait!" She stuttered forward with a jerk. Varric smirked and waved the book at her.

"You're probably wondering what happens to the knight-captain after the last chapter." Varric said while nodding sagely.

"Nothing should happen to her!" Cassandra dove forward in an attempt to snatch the book from his hand, nearly shoving me off my heels as she darted past me. "She was falsely accused!"

"Well, it turns out that the guardsman—"

"Don't tell me!" Cassandra cut him off just as she rescued the book with a swift swipe, gripping it tightly as she stumbled away to keep Varric from retrieving her precious prize. She spared me a small glance before turning her attention down to the book in her palms, smiling hesitantly.

"This is the part where you thank the Inquisitor." Varric murmured, his humor slowly evaporating. "I don't normally give sneak peeks, after all."

"I..." Cassandra turned her brown eyes to me, and despite my initial giddiness in teasing my favorite Seeker, my heart melted at the sincerity in her expression and upturned mouth. "Thank you, Jaime."

"Ah, yeah, Cass." I swallowed past the heart that suddenly rolled in my throat. "But you should really be thanking Varric."

The dwarf laughed. "I am but a humble servant to my readers."

"I wonder if I have time to read the first part..." Cassandra murmured, already lost to the open book in her hands. I nearly rolled my eyes at the sight, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

Varric and I shared a small grin between us, and he nudged me away from our Seeker, patting my back as we made our way toward the tavern, it was still early in the morning and I hadn't yet eaten breakfast. Time for celebratory toast and eggs.

"That was completely worth it." Varric laughed. "Sore quill callouses and all."

"Thanks, buddy." I leaned down and kissed him smartly on his cheek as we walked. "You're a hero."

"Anything for you, sweetheart." Varric chuckled as he accepted the kiss. He paused, and then a beat after, his hand snagged my fingers in his grip, pulling me to a stop just before the tavern. "I actually... need to ask you about something."

"Yeah, sure." I immediately answered, concern tickling through my words. "What's going on?"

"So, remember back at the Temple of Ashes, how we had those sections of red lyrium cropping up everywhere?" Varric said, shooting me a cautious glance. Brow furrowed, I nodded. "And how... the Templars seem to have gotten a hold of it, too?" His lips went white under pressure, and he hesitantly sucked at his teeth.

Cold fear coiled at the base of my head at his words and I shifted us away from the entry way of the tavern to avoid eavesdroppers. I nodded again to urge him to continue.

"You also remember where it originally came from, right? In my book about the Deep Roads?" Varric added hastily, tripping over his words. Of course I did, I had used Varric's book of Hawke's escapades as source material to learn the common tongue of Thedas, as well as a basis for the political upheaval I found myself in.

"Varric," I tugged at his hand. Stop dragging it out.

"Right, right." He rolled his shoulder, his gaze flickering about, fixating on anything that wasn't my face. "I had written to every mining caste house in Orzammar to find its origins. No one's seen this stuff before or knows where it came from, aside from the idol I had found in the Deep Roads."

"I would think we'd have heard of a lyrium that causes hallucinations, sweats, paranoia, and haunts inanimate objects, Varric." I hissed under my breath, anxious to have him get to his point with my fingers wrapped tightly in his grip.

"Of course, sweetheart, but," Varric exhaled shakily. "I've... had someone else investigate it. Very quietly, because if anyone found out they were helping me, it would be a lot of trouble." My brow pinched together, like a criminal or someone off the books? When has that ever bothered him before?

"And I am being told because..." I prompted with a slight tug on his hand. A number of alibi-needed threads and solutions ghosted into existence in my thoughts as to what he would need from me if this person's identity was a concern.

"Because I have a hunch that they found something, but they're not going to tell me about it in a letter." Varric answered quietly. Ah, that made sense. The red lyrium situation was already a hot topic and discussing anything of its origins or its creation in a traceable letter that could be pickpocketed from a messenger's bag was definitely a cause for concern.

"Are you asking me to make sure my door stays open to them?" I asked, mentally going through the hoops I would need to jump. I knew that asking Leliana to allow an unknown person entry into Skyhold on only Varric's word would be tricky.

"Yes," Varric exhaled, the corners of his eyes pinched with pain. "If there's any connection to me at all..."

"Hey, consider it done." I brought my free hand to the one he held in his grip and rubbed his fingers between my palms, hoping to soothe some of his nerves despite my heart shivering in my chest with muted fear. "I'll handle the rest from here, Varric."

Fingers crossed.

His shoulders sagged with relief. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'm... sorry to toss this on you with everything else you have going on." My mind raked over the other troubles that currently sat on my war table, but quickly banished them from my attention. I'll get to that in due time. I have time.

"It's okay," I said with a rueful smile, "it's what I'm here for, right?" My dwarf offered me a grim smile that paled his cheeks with a nod, then led me into the tavern. The morning rush had already bled out from the tavern and left Cabot and Maryden to recover before the evening crowd filled in for dinner.

"Oi!" Sera's clear voice rang through the rafters. "Jam-jar, come up here!"

"Did... did she just call you jam-jar?" Varric stuttered.

"God almighty, I hope that doesn't stick." I lamented and let go of Varric's hand after a squeeze. "Either she's calling me fat or she thinks she's funny." Varric snorted quietly into a fist and dismissed me with a wave. As I made my way over to the stairs, Bull and Krem were nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't surprising as the Chargers had been sent ahead of the main party to help secure the camp area for the Inquisition personnel that weren't going to be staying in the palace.

I saluted Cabot playfully as I trekked up the stairs to the second floor. Sera's room was sectioned off in a little alcove that overlooked the training dummies and Requisitions Office. When I entered with a quick knock at her door, I found her steaming from the ears and pink in the face. Her room was oddly tidy, a clear sign of her distress as she had shifted and moved things about in her room in an effort to distract herself from whatever had irritated her.

"Jam-jar, huh? How long it take you to come up with that one?" I teased as I leaned against the door frame and crossed my arms. She turned on me with a whip-quick snarl at the corners of her mouth.

"Is yer name, innit?" She retorted testily. For the second time that day, my brow shot up to my hairline at the sharp tone of accusation. Before I could comment, she wrecked the bob of her hair with angry fingers and held a palm up to shush me. I waited; wonder who shook her beehive to make her this mad?

"I just got word of some nasty business out in Verchiel." Sera nearly clipped me as she paced the room, twisting her fingers together angrily. "Some nobles got it in th're heads 'bout squabblin' over some farmland or som'thin'."

I swallowed my sigh and rubbed a finger over the bridge of my nose. "Is this a Red Jenny request?"

"No!" She snapped with a click of her teeth, her eyes lighting up with fire. "Just... just a friend. Li'l people gittin' step'd on and push'd 'round b'cause the bastards don' want th're hands dirty!"

"How big is this squabble and what are you asking me to do about it, Sera?" I prompted, waggling a hand at her and gesturing to the world outside her window. "I can't send the whole Inquisition down into a small town without looking like a tyrant."

"But you could send some!" Sera surged into my face; her nostrils flaring. I leaned back on a heel to keep myself steady. "Yer able to send a small march or som'thin' to git them to reconsider throwin' th're servants to the pits!"

I stood my ground and gently exhaled. Slowly, I ran my hand down my face to give myself a moment to think. It could be a small contingent, maybe? The Chargers are too far out by Orlais to make it worth it. I'll have to ask Cullen if we've got a patrol nearby.

Another problem to add to the pile.

"Sure," I relented, my hand dropping down to my hip. "I'll look into it and see if we've got someone close that we can send and get the nobles to clear up."

"Thank you." Sera said emphatically, her hands anchored to her hips. "Fer a mome't thought you were gonna be too big for yer breeches."

"Not quite that big yet." I muttered, picking at my pant leg. "So, dress ready for the gala?"

Sera snorted. "Big ol' fancy waste of food and time. Yeh, 'm ready when its important."

It's all I can ask for, really.

-0-

"Inquisitor." Solas greeted me at the top of the stairs into the Main Hall as I returned from the tavern. A nagging yank of annoyance zipped down my spine and I paused beside him with a frown, wondering what else would be asked of me today. The line of his jaw was sharp under his skin, tense, and though his gaze was just as solemn as it had ever been, the patience that normally lined his brow was gone.

"Something wrong, Solas?" I asked quietly, moving past him and into the hall proper. People mingled under the decorative chandeliers and rippling curtains that hung from the rafters and pillars. Varric's table right by the entrance had a few dwarven visitors taking up the chairs while the nobility fluttered around them with their fans to their masked faces, impatiently waiting for an audience with Josephine.

Solas eyed me quietly. "I would ask the same of you; I hadn't expected such suspicion so soon."

"Yeah, well." I tiredly interjected. "When it rains, it pours."

"I see. Perhaps my request can wait another day, then." He nodded his head, set to turn from my side back to his room at the base of the tower. I reached out to hook his arm before he got too far away, accompanying him from the small pockets of people that eyed me hungrily as it rippled through the hall where I had made an appearance.

"No, I can hear it now, Solas." I amended, slipping my arm fully through his, giving it a slight squeeze so he wouldn't shoo me away. "What do you have for me?"

"Two concerns, Inquisitor." Solas began, his voice trimmed at the edges and ironed with sharper edge professionalism. Something far more serious, then. He brought us around to his table and pulled out the chair for me before making his way over to the other side. It's not often he brings out the full nine yards.

"Sure, shoot when ready." I tapped the table anxiously with my fingers

"First is Cole. He has been agitated as of late, ever since we had returned from Adamant." Solas took his seat and folded his palms together upon the table, his gaze examining the grains in the wood. "He has not mentioned any disturbance to me as of yet, but I suspect it will not be long before he does."

"Are we concerned that he's in danger?" I perked up; my elbows anchored to the tabletop as I straightened.

Solas inclined his head thoughtfully. "Of that, I am not certain. He has not become hostile and he hasn't attempted to flee friendly advances, but there is clearly something that has disturbed him. He has been avoiding you, am I correct?"

"I, what?" I jolted in my seat with surprise. "No? Has he? I... I hadn't noticed. He seemed fine when we were at Val Royeaux looking for garments."

"Indeed, but he never truly made an appearance, did he?" Solas explained with a twirl of his index finger. "Our spirit kept to the shadows and exerted enough energy to speak to us, but never manifested." Like dead leaves breaking against the pavement as they were raked, my mind shifted through my memories to the last time I had seen Cole.

I hadn't seen him head-on since Adamant. Even at Adamant, I had only his voice in my ear, but he hadn't stood in the physical realm long enough for me to see him properly. I slumped against the back of the chair, my arms dropping from the table.

"I didn't realize..." I murmured sourly, my heart squeezing painfully.

"No, I don't suspect you would have, not with all other disasters that filled the agenda." Solas said, his brow twitching over his eyes. "As it is, I only noticed when I went actively searching for him at the top of the tavern, in the attic, and he vanished from my sight."

"Damn it, what's got him so spooked?" I asked in frustration.

"I cannot say. When I find out, I will make it my priority to inform you. Until then, I thought it prudent to bring it to your attention, in such an event that he comes to you first." Solas said folding his hands flat on the tabletop and waited for a few heartbeats before continuing. With a soul-sucking sigh that escaped me, I gestured with an open hand for him to give me the rest of his concerns.

"As for my request... it is... personal." Solas tread lightly with his words, his gaze focused on my face. "Over the years, I had cultivated a friendship with a particular individual, and recently, I have a worriment for their safety."

"Solas, that's a whole mouthful and a half." I groused with fingers pressing against my forehead, troubled over the fact that another of my companions was having back-alley dealings with unknown individuals. "Are you telling me your friend got involved in, like, some criminal organization and we're gonna bust them out?"

"No, don't be foolish." Solas glared at me, but I could spy that his knuckles were slowly turning white. The normally stoic elf would shoot my jokes down with sarcasm, not anger. I lent back in my seat and waited. He continued calmer: "They've been distant as of late, and I am disquieted by their silence, and for their wellbeing. When possible, I would like to request your assistance."

"In what?" I frowned. "If I'm not rescuing someone, what am I doing?"

Solas eyed the Anchor in my hand. "I would require a focus to find them."

I pause with some confusion, and then a click echoed through my mind.

"Oh." I said as the revelation hit me. "That kind of individual. You need the net to pull them in."

"Yes, but I would not place undue strain on you without proper accommodation. It will take some time." Solas' hands relaxed and slowly blood flooded back into his pale knuckles and fingers.

"Yeah, that's fine, Solas. Christ, you had me scared for a minute there." I laughed weakly as I felt the lie of my words slip through my teeth. "Just... tell me when you need me, and I'll find some time for you."

"I appreciate it, Inquisitor."

-0-

"Inquisitor." Leliana's voice echoed softly through the wooden beams and in between the crows' cages as I scaled the stairs toward her loft. Heavily, my feet trudged over the steps and landed with a thump at the top, my hand resting on the smooth banister as all the world's worries dragged along behind me.

Leliana quirked an eyebrow. "Ah, I see it has been a busy day for you."

"Ma'am," I raised a hand, my eyes closed with exhaustion. "I am down to the last brain cell. Tell me what you do know, so I can just fill in the rest."

"Very well." Leliana nodded. "Sera submitted her request to have a march on Verchiel. Cullen is reviewing it now; I do believe we have a regular patrol that can be supplemented with a few conscripts from the nearby villages."

"Check," I marked it off in the air, moving to take a seat at a table she had set up. "Next?"

"I hear tell that we are expecting a visitor soon. Though I may not know who they are yet, we have enough of a buffer between guards and messengers that they will have no trouble entering. They will be anonymous from all except you and myself." Leliana made her way over toward the table, her arms secured behind her back.

"Good to know. Hopefully, that doesn't cause too much of a problem." I replied, leaning back into my seat with my feet kicked out under the table. A few of the crows cawed as Leliana walked past them and she spared them careful glances before her attention riveted to me.

"No, it shouldn't. The Chargers are away from home, they are usually the hardest hounds to keep from barking." Leliana teased. I snorted; she wasn't wrong. Even when the Chargers, or more to the point, Skinner and Grim, weren't on patrol, they were everywhere and nearly impossible to herd when trying to keep them from patrolling Skyhold.

"Beyond that, you have your personal matters with Solas and Cole. I have heard very little, but I suspect Solas will have it well in hand." Leliana concluded with a small shrug. "I do not believe any of this will be a concern until after the gala."

"Which we're leaving for today, correct?" I asked, gesturing down the stairs toward the crowd of nobles that had filled the Hall. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have these nobles yipping at us."

Leliana chuckled. "Yipping. Indeed. But yes, they will be your train into Val Royeaux, and those not invited will remain there, while the rest go on ahead to announce their arrivals."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "Trying to be a part of the party without actually having to do any of the work."

"Oh yes," The corners of her mouth ticked with a wicked mischief coloring her face. "It will be a boon to their reputation to be found leading the entourage into the gala."

There was a pause and her stoic expression remained the same.

I narrowed my gaze at her, scrying for any hint of her plans.

"Ma'am." I accused.

Leliana's lips twitched for a moment. "It would be a terrible shame if they misread the instructions that would delay them by a few hours after our arrival, wouldn't it?"

"You're a monster, and I love you." I snickered and coughed into a fist. "Oh, man. They're gonna be so pissed, Leliana." The woman shrugged, remorseless. I wouldn't deny her any opportunity to stick it to the nobility.

"Aside from that, as we now have our way cleared to Empress Celene, we need to concentrate on where our enemy is hiding." Leliana continued steadily, shedding the impishness, her gaze passing over my head to the stairs that led to the levels below.

"Isn't Celene holding this whole thing up because some duchess asked for a ball?" I said as I absently scratched at the back of my head. From the scraps of information I could retain from Josephine's history lesson, the gala was a front for war negotiations between Celene and her cousin, Gaspard.

"Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons, yes." Leliana aceded with a nod. "The Grand Duchess promotes the ball as a platform for peace talks between her brother, Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons, and her cousin, Empress Celene Valmont."

"You're gonna test me, aren't you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her and silently accusing her of reading my mind. The only reply I got was a cocked eyebrow. "Fine. You're as bad as Josie is."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Leliana retorted affectionately. "The nobility will ask you questions. They will hound you for your opinion on the war and its participants. We need to make sure we do not cause too much offense."

Too much offense, she says. Hmph.

"Your faith in me is humbling, Leliana." I grumbled, as I knew disagreeing with her was not a fight I would win. "Alright, so we know that there is some bad blood between Gaspard and Celene, because he was passed over for the throne for his cousin."

"Correct." Leliana nodded, at a soldier's rest upon her feet.

"And we know that Florianne is attempting to get Gaspard on the throne and is hoping the peace talks will give him some authority in that?" I speculated aloud thoughtfully to my spymaster, eyeing her for some hint that I was on the right track.

"Florianne was always left as a second thought, a woman, a secondborn, and she finds herself neither at the top nor the bottom of the court once she was taken in by the Empress," Leliana considered her next words. "In a way, a perfect position to be left unnoticed, forgotten. It's common knowledge that she and Gaspard are close, and she has influence over him, yet her actions make little sense considering that she is not in line to the throne."

Leliana added after another pause, her words carefully paid out like gold coins. "She is a spare heir working as a low-ranking member of the court, and though Gaspard was second in line to the throne as he was, it is almost odd how little attention has been paid to her. Always watching on the sidelines, but never engaging. Until now."

"Is she hoping that by bringing Gaspard and Celene together, she can have Gaspard oust Celene and be rewarded with more favor or a higher position?" I asked, trying to somehow keep the tangled lace of lies separated to follow the flow. It seemed unlikely that Florianne would risk running her brother afoul of the Empress for a chance at a throne he had already lost, or for any influence she could already receive from Celene.

"My speculation is that she is hoping to draw a confession from Celene." Leliana shook her head. "There have been rumors that Empress Celene and Ambassador Briala were former lovers."

I blinked, sidetracked immediately. "Hold up. Back up for a moment. Lovers? I know Josephine mentioned that Celene had some… dubious relationships, but she didn't mention an actual lover or that it would be the Ambassador for the elves."

"Nor would she, as Ambassador Briala is a city-elf and was elevated to be the Empress' handmaiden when Celene was only ten years old." Leliana informed me dutifully. "They share a checkered history together, and a few years ago Briala had removed herself from the Empress' service and has been amassing a network of spies and sleuthers to improve the lives of elves within the empire."

"That's a mess." I heaved a sigh, my brain throbbing with the new information overload. "Not sure how outing their love affair is going to make her give up the throne, though."

"As I mentioned, Briala is currently the leader of an underground army of elven spies in Halamshiral, whom Celene is attempting to bring to her side of the war." Leliana said, filling in the gaps. "The elves would be a boon against Gaspard's chevaliers. As such, even if it is just a rumor, any of it could be used as blackmail to destroy Celene's court and her standing with the Council of Heralds."

"... who, if I remember correctly, were the ones that bestowed the title of Empress to Celene over the next in line, Gaspard." I finished with a slow exhale, the puzzle pieces neatly slotting into place. "Oh, I see."

Leliana pursed her lips sharply, "Yes, it all comes together. We have Gaspard and Florianne, Celene, and Briala. Any of these factions may be hiding our assassin."

I rubbed my hands over the top of my head, agitated. "Ooh, Christ. Okay. So, we have… Jesus, I don't even know where to start, here we go— we have Celene, who is stalemated with Gaspard because she's seen as antimilitary and has a weak hold on the actual army of Orlais."

"Correct," Leliana nodded.

"Briala wants a chance at the throne for a better chance at improving the lives of the elves, and stands to gain that with either Celene or Gaspard on the throne." I dropped my hands on the table's surface and drummed them nervously. "And Gaspard and his sister are looking to take the throne back after Celene convinced the Council to give the title to her, but he can't take it by force because the nobility doesn't like him. Right? Right."

"Right." Leliana nodded lightly. "Impressive retention and regurgitation. You may survive this ball yet, Inquisitor."

"Piss off," I playfully groused. I leaned back in my chair and raised my arms over my head, dropping my hands onto my brow. What a fucking mess. There were only so many eyes we would be able to keep available to make sure Celene's assassin didn't slip through any of those factions, or that Celene herself didn't stumble into the hands of an opportunist.

"So I got a question," I asked the ceiling above me. "Why haven't we sent a message to Celene or her guards about this issue? Wouldn't they be better at handling her safety?"

"We made the attempt." Leliana's feet shuffled quietly. "But it seems our message never reached her. She is surrounded at all times by guards, courtiers, servants, and handmaidens; it could be that any of her household is in league with our assassin or being paid to intercept suspicious mail."

I inhaled deeply, "Son of a bitch."

"Precisely." Leliana deadpanned.

"I suppose it's better this way. If Corypheus is really involved, we can't have Orlais fall." I murmured tiredly.

"For what it may be worth, Inquisitor, I will attempt to make this as seamless as possible." Leliana replied confidently. I snorted softly and slipped my hands over my eyes.

I can only hope.


Note: A relatively short chapter this time. I have had a lot of things pop up (as is customary in this day and age of chaos, one would assume), and as always, I am eternally and deeply grateful for all of you who return and leave me comments and words of encouragement. Hoping to post a chapter at ANY point is always a highlight of my day. All my love, and be safe, wherever you may be.