Chapter 10: Repairs
The simple meal was an entirely pleasant affair, for which Shyvana was becoming more grateful. As she rejoined Sylus at the door to finish it, she realized she was relaxed (despite all the emotional chaos) in a way she'd never felt before. Not truly. It was like a set of eyes she'd never realized she had were open. It was just so easy to be around him.
Sylus was crouched down at the bottom of the door this time, finishing the lower hinge. "Almost done," he managed, finagling with the bolt that kept the hinge together.
Shyvana glanced down at him around the door, just curious about his progress really, and then looked back up at the clear blue sky, and let her eyes pan around to the surviving trees in front of his home. "Can I ask an awkward question?" she began simply.
Sylus chuckled. "Of course."
"Do you still smell that… perfume?" It was an easy enough euphemism, and they both knew what she meant.
"No, in fact. Trying to get used to how you feel when it's apparent and not?"
"Precisely," she answered without qualm. "My father had explained certain basics of our nature to me before his death, but I've never yet dealt with that, so I'm trying to gain the proper mastery over it. I won't have my body disobeying me."
Sylus seemed to ease back from the hinge, and looked up at her with an easy smile. "Completely logical, my lady. I would likely do the same. I also believe the hinges are done, at last. Want to try it?"
He picked himself up, easing back into the cottage proper.
Shyvana rather playfully swung the door shut with a simple waft of air and small click of the lock.
"Looks good to me!" Sylus called, muffled by the door.
Smirking, Shyvana actually knocked on it. "Care to let me back in?"
"If I don't, will you kick it down again?"
Still amused, but giving the door a glare anyway, Shyvana retorted, "As long as I hit you on the way through it, yes."
Sylus opened it with a laugh, grinning as he bowed aside to let her in with a showy flourish of his free hand.
She stepped in, giving him a fond smile, and watched him close the door. For some reason, that simple gesture of containing the two of them within his home made her emotions flare abruptly, and she blinked, confused by the reaction. "…For some reason, this room feels… intimate," she realized the word fit the oddly powerful rush trying to thrill through her gut.
Sylus shared her confusion, blinking up at her from her left. "How so?"
Her hand reached up to the door, just pressing to it. "The world is safely hidden away behind this door. I can stand here, with you, and not need to think of prying eyes or false assumptions. That fact, somehow, makes me…" She groaned, rolling her eyes skyward. "…Can you smell it now?"
Sylus inhaled softly, then gave a gentle shrug. "May I come closer?"
She nodded, though blushing.
Sylus leaned to her, and sniffed again softly. This time he nodded, easing back. "Yes, you're right."
Shyvana sighed, a hand rubbing her forehead. "At least I'm starting to feel the difference that signals it."
"Exactly. Progress is progress, my lady."
"…Thank you for not teasing me about this topic. I appreciate it," she chose to say, looking at him seriously.
Sylus shrugged again. "I would feel exactly the same way, my lady. If my own body's reaction to… interest, let's say, was so clear to another person, I would be mortified." He smiled warmly, and swung his arms out. "To say something positive on the matter, I can freely admit that whoever you do share such intimacy with will find the scent deeply appealing. In the proper context, it will be a blessing rather than a curse."
Shyvana half-smiled, trying to control her embarrassment. It kept her blush subtle. Privately, she realized she couldn't imagine the possibility of anyone else being in that position compared to Sylus himself. She became pensive, glancing down at the self-realization.
Sylus cringed a bit. "Did I cross the line, Shyvana?"
She blinked, and then shook her head, giving him another wan smile. "You did nothing wrong, Sylus. Be at peace. I'm… learning things as we go." She glanced at the door again. "May we step back outside? I think my body is still generating the scent, and I don't want it to linger too much here."
Sylus easily walked out with her, just closing the door in their wake. They started to just walk around the woods beyond the scarred patch she had left, a casual path around the perimeter of his home.
"…I think pieces of this chaos are settling in my mind, at last," Shyvana said quietly.
"You seem troubled rather than relieved," Sylus pointed out with soft concern.
The dragoness nodded. "True. I think, however, it is a type of concern that stems from how to manage a choice's consequences rather than fear of the unknown."
Sylus nodded. "I see. Fair enough."
He didn't ask her what the choice was, she keenly noticed. She glanced at him sidelong, smiling a bit, and focused forward again. "You control your curiosity well."
He chuckled. "That transparent, am I? Sorry, my lady. I don't mean to pry. The entire purpose is for you to reach your decisions your way. I don't mean to pressure you, one way or another."
Shyvana shook her head. "You apply no pressure, Sylus. I am noting with appreciation how well you keep your word."
They shared a warm smile.
"Still, I do find myself wanting to ask you… unfair questions. Questions that imply certain choices have already been made, when they may not have been."
"Hypothetical analysis is a very useful tool, Shyvana. I understand, now that you've said that. I will not invest my emotions in any… implications, if you wish to ask specific questions," Sylus replied, serious and respectful of the topic.
Shyvana lifted her head fully from her pensive pose, and nodded. "My thanks. If we were to become a romantic pair, what would the League do to you or me?"
Sylus shrugged. "Technically speaking, there are no specific laws against fraternization, as long as a summoner can fulfill their duty. However, I think, in a practical light, they would probably demand I declare myself allied to Demacia."
Shyvana frowned. It wasn't a nightmare scenario, but she knew him. In their matches, she had felt his negative emotions toward political games within the Fields. He didn't like the nationalism that continued to breed hostility. "That would be deeply problematic for you, wouldn't it?"
His eyes glanced up and around. "…Within the hypothetical situation, were we romantic… I could not act against the nation I know you serve. It would be a bit hypocritical to proclaim my love for a dragoness loyal to Demacia, and then help summon for Noxus in a dispute-settlement match. I think, by default, I would be loyal to whatever nation you called home, my lady."
When she didn't immediately respond, he looked to her, and their eyes locked. She was reading him carefully, part of her astonished, but subtly so. Most of it was appraising.
At length, she asked, "Would that not earn your spite over time?"
He shook his head, looking forward again. "I wouldn't be able to partake in a match that countered your passions and loyalty. I would feel I was betraying you, whether you were directly involved or not. In that sense of betrayal, I would be failing my duty as a summoner for whatever champion was paired with me. I would have to recuse myself, to still call myself an honest summoner. If there is a time where Demacia is counter to what I believe is right… I would hope you and I would agree on what is to be done in such a case."
"…Thank you for the thoughtful answer," Shyvana began as they came around the back of the house. "It gives me much to think on."
"My pleasure, Shyvana," he responded with a tip of his head. "May I ask you a similarly hypothetical question?"
"Certainly."
"Do you have any interest in starting a family?"
Shyvana blinked, her eyebrows up. "I've honestly not considered it. The idea of being romantic at all is a bit strange to me still. I suppose… I simply don't know. I don't think I could be a very good… maternal creature," she chose with a cringe of uncertainty.
Sylus tipped his head. "Fair enough."
"…Does that bother you?" she continued, her head tilted.
Her companion winced a bit, looking up at the sky as he thought of how to answer. "To avoid dodging questions, I will say 'yes.' However, I wouldn't want to pressure you, or any woman that I might share a life with, on such an intrinsic issue. I've always had a hope—Well, perhaps I should call it a fantasy—that I would start a family with a woman I loved." An image of Shyvana holding a child in her arms, both smiling at him flashed through his mind, and he controlled his reaction.
Shyvana saw how much the topic meant to him. It caused a conflict for her, as the compassionate part of her wanted to ease his concern, offer amelioration, but the rest of her sincerely wasn't comfortable with the idea of having children. "…What is it you expect of the mother of your children, then?"
He glanced at her, finding her looking ahead. She was deep in mental analysis herself. "Other than being a good care-taker and teacher, as I hope to be myself to them, I wouldn't want to make assumptions. To be specific, if you were open to the idea of children, I wouldn't assume it meant you stopped fighting on the games or serving Prince Jarvan. In that case, I would likely retire from summoning, and make sure our children had the care I wanted them to have, while you performed your equally vital duties."
Shyvana stopped, facing him. Sylus turned to her, a little bit puzzled at her more powerful reaction.
Her eyes tightened, scanning his face intently. "…You would give up summoning to raise our children?"
Sylus nodded, serious and calm.
"I know how dedicated you are to your duty as a summoner, to the League…" she trailed off, her head pulling back a bit.
"You do, my lady," Sylus simply confirmed.
Her head tilted. "It is that important to you?"
"It is. For me, Shyvana, love is… meant for family. It is a bond and a connection that is meant to bear fruit and flourish beyond itself. If it remains self-contained, I see it as a kind of… tragedy. Well… perhaps I should simply say a wasted opportunity for something better."
Her eyes remained tightened, but she nodded to his words, and then started their walk again. After a few moment's of silence in the wake of his declaration, she felt compelled to ask, "You're certain I wouldn't make a terrible mother?"
Sylus had to chuckled faintly. "I think you would be an amazing mother, Shyvana. Power, wisdom, courage. To have such a fine example in one's very mother would be an amazing benefit for a child. I've also seen your tenderness, however alien you feel it is to you."
She gave him a faint smirk for the finishing comment, but then replied, "I appreciate your positive opinion." Then she started to chuckle, glancing down to the side.
Sylus raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I realized you likely don't know something. Do you know how I would have children?"
He tilted his head, trying to control the embarrassing reactions her challenge spawned in his mind. "I suppose I should say I do not."
"Oh, everything would seem quite human for the most part, don't worry. Just the final piece is… unique to my nature."
Sylus chuckled. "Are you trying to tell me that you lay eggs, my lady?"
"Indeed," she answered, both amused and serious.
"Did you think that would distress me?" Sylus rejoined, perfectly at ease.
She raised an eyebrow, but still had some dry humor. "Are you sure it wouldn't? I understand humans are quite attached to the 'miracle of childbirth,' as they have it. Seeing an egg come out of me instead of a crying newborn might be rather disturbing for you, Sylus."
Sylus smiled at her, and looked forward. "I think you underestimate how much I like your dragon form, my lady."
Her eyebrows rose up, watching him for a moment in sincere, but calm surprise. "…You wouldn't be disturbed by intimacy with me while I was in my true form?"
He was still wearing the same smile, but looked at her again. "My lady, if showing you affection ever disturbed me, I couldn't conscience the idea of us being a romantic pair. Your dragon form is just as much your shape as the one you use walking beside me now. If I find pleasure in your human lips kissing mine, it would be a cruel and vicious thing to not find pleasure in your scales and wings."
Shyvana looked forward, a moue on her lips. "I see. I've always appreciated how well you see my dragon form, but I'll admit I'd assumed the idea of romantic intimacy while I was in that shape would… at the very least make you uncomfortable."
A bit playful, he actually said, "Nope," and almost laughed out of it.
It was surprised Shyvana how much she liked the fact that he had already embraced the concept of her dragon form even in a moment of affection.
Then her eyes looked up, and found the charred patch of woods in front of his house again. They had gone a full loop around the small building. She frowned a bit. "Sylus?"
"Yes?" he responded immediately.
"Would you like me to speak to Soraka about… fixing your trees?"
Sylus blinked. "Pardon?"
Shyvana waved toward the charred patch. "The part of the woods that I blasted apart. I believe Soraka has talents that could heal it back to its previous state."
Sylus was still astonished. "My lady, I wouldn't presume such favor. It doesn't distress me. I meant what I said before. It's a kind of badge of your concern for me."
"I don't like leaving your things ruined by my hand," she admitted with a sour turn to her expression as they came to a stop at the edge of the burnt space.
Her companion regarded her gently for a moment, surprised at the power of her guilt for the (to him) small event. His hand reached up to her shoulder, getting her to look at him again. "It bothers you so?"
Shyvana nodded, looking out again, but calmer. "It represents a failure of discipline as much as it is proof of concern. I would prefer if guests of your home didn't learn that the one distinguishing mark I left on it was a giant scorch."
"It's hardly the only distinguishing mark you've left on my home, my lady," Sylus replied with warm humor.
"Well, we just fixed the door," she dryly retorted.
"Shyvana," he declared in playful exasperation.
She smirked a bit, but it was clear she was still bothered.
Sylus exhaled, calming his humor, and said, "I wouldn't have you remain concerned, my lady. When we are next at the hall, let us seek Soraka out together. At the very least, she may be amused by the request."
The image of Soraka bursting into giggles in her face made Shyvana pinch the bridge of her nose, but she chuckled a bit. "My thanks." Thinking on the hall reminded her of how she first came to know this remarkable human man at her side. He'd impressed her from the first match, but it had built over time to the strong, fervent appreciation of his respect she now felt. "Sylus?"
He was surprised to hear her voice so distant and dreamlike. "Yes, my lady?" he returned with a gentler voice himself.
She looked at him casually, her head tilting. "Was the first time you summoned me from this home?"
His face brightened with a sincerely happy smile. "Yes."
"May I see? The… tools you use to summon, I mean."
"Of course! This way."
(Inside…)
She'd forgotten it was in his bedroom. She'd caught a glance of his summoning apparatus before, when she'd first broken into the cottage to search for him, and again found it in the right-hand wall as she followed him in. For some reason, this time, she felt tall compared to him. Perhaps it was seeing him next to the crystalline, magical machines arrayed around the large, comfortable chair.
Sylus gave a playful gesture of presentation, and even a little, "Ta-dah," with a soft laugh.
Shyvana shared the humor quietly, smiling, and eased closer, a hand brushing over the top of the chair as her eyes danced over the different parts of it. "…A strange way to meet someone, isn't it?"
Sylus tipped his head. "Certainly, but wonderful in its way, I feel."
"How do you mean?" Her voice was warm and cordial, in fact, a pleasant smile lighting her elegant features. It wasn't a challenge, but a sincere request for information.
"A connection of the mind, first and foremost. A true meeting of intent and ideas." He was looking at the crystals as he gestured, clearly passionate about the topic, fire in his eyes again. "Cooperation by design, even among the harshest personalities. This strange, alien, wonderful magic we call summoning is the very example of what I fight for… well, fight for in the ways I am able," he conceded with a self-deprecating laugh, focusing on the dragoness again.
She was happy. It was clear to both of them in that splendid moment. Seeing him, hearing his words, sharing these ideas. "Peace and cooperation, assumed and accepted before an action is even set upon," she rephrased in a soft voice.
Sylus tipped his head. "Precisely so, my lady. If a summoner can work together with a nightmare like Nocturne or a magnificent dragoness like yourself, then maybe, just maybe, there's hope for real peace in this world. I hope in that, and it drives me. I have to believe peace is possible, but I fully understand the need to fight, too. Turning fighting into a deathless sport, however grim that fact may be, is at least a step in the right direction."
Shyvana nodded, and looked back at the magical device, her hands resting on the chair together this time. After a moment, though, her eyes tightened.
"May I ask what you're thinking, Shyvana?" Sylus pressed with soft intrigue.
At first, she nodded again, but it was very subtle. A full pause came before she turned to him, one arm still resting on the top of the chair. "Does the blood on my hands disturb you?"
Sylus fully embraced the serious topic, gave a tip of his head, but said, "It does, but not in a way that would diminish my respect for you, Shyvana. It disturbs me because any violence does. Death is a tragedy… even when it has to happen. I believe that, but would I go back and stop you from killing Stalk? From those mercenaries you defeated? No. Stalk's genius being lost is a tragedy… of his own making. Those mercenaries fully intended to slaughter us, and you showed your capacity to stay your hand many times over even just in this week we've shared, Shyvana. I grieve that you've had to take lives, but I do not blame or feel disgusted by you."
The dragoness slowly nodded once more, looking down. It rang true, her experiences with him never giving her a sense of his disgust beyond his attempting to stay her after the bridge collapsed. Yet he'd not been reviled by her, only afraid of going too far, crossing a threshold. "I appreciate your understanding. More than I can express, I think."
"You express more than you estimate, my lady," Sylus chose to answer in an oddly powerful, quiet response.
She half-smiled, and idly glanced around at his room. Her eyes caught his window just over his shoulder, and he actually eased back to let her focus on it.
"…Pardon me," she whispered, dreamlike again, and moved just past him, a hand out toward him to add to the quiet apology.
Near the window, she watched it more intently, and then crouched down to her haunches, looking out through it.
It wasn't perfect, but she'd seen this view before, and it was making her eyes softly flare.
That strange moment during their journey, when Sylus woke her, she had felt she was in a soft bed, looking out through this window, completely comfortable and warm.
A strange kind of manic thrill rippled through her abdomen, and she rose up again, turning to look at his bed. With a twist, she faced the summoner himself. "This will sound completely mad, but may I please lay in your bed?"
He blinked, sincerely confused, but nodded. "Certainly, my lady. Go ahead."
Shyvana almost ran to it, taking the moment to pull her boots off, and she quickly lay down on her side, facing the window.
Sylus watched her shift a few times, clearly trying to strike a certain pose in reference to the window itself. He was puzzled, but not embarrassed. She was so clearly trying to sort through a puzzle of her own, he was more curious than conscious of her being in his own bed.
Shyvana froze at last, nestled in the bed on her left side, one hand on the pillow in front of her eyes, the other down at her front. This was it. This was almost the exact vision from that strange and wonderful daydream. It would never have occurred to her it was his bedroom until she was back in it.
Her voice started to speak before she really thought about it. "I've seen this before. In my dream."
Sylus eased closer, but only to crouch beside the bed, about at the same line as her waist. "The view through the window?"
She nodded, focused on the view still. "While lying in this bed." Her eyes tightened softly. "…Call my name?"
Sylus wanted to ask her why, but he saw the simultaneous haze and intensity in her eyes. This was deeply important for her. "…Shyvana?" He wasn't sure if his gentle call was what she had in mind, but he didn't want to shout at her so close.
Not looking at him yet, her eyebrows rose slowly, water shining over her eyes. "…Again?" she asked quietly.
Sylus was becoming sympathetic to her obviously powerful emotions, but didn't want to hurt her in such a sensitive state either. He obeyed her request with another gentle, "Shyvana?"
She exhaled, and then slowly started to sit up, carefully pulling her legs around him to put her feet on the floor from the edge of the bed. The dragoness was staring down into nothing, only a single tear dripping quietly down her cheek.
There had never been a time in her life when she felt so comfortable. Even with her absurd little experiment, it had felt… perfect. Not in the ways she expected either. The bed was cheap and lumpy, the window looked out over the tops of trees instead of the midst of their forest, and her clothes had been uncomfortable, but just being there, relaxed, hearing his voice, being in his home without obligations acting upon her for just a moment…
"…I've been looking for this," she whispered.
He had to ask, "For what, my lady?"
Her eyes turned up to his, still pouring with emotion. "A sense of belonging, of welcome. A sense of… home."
The dragoness watched her companion's expression blossom with warmth and happiness for her.
"I am so glad for you, my lady."
His arms, his home, this peace. More and more was calming in her storm. It wasn't really a storm anymore, she realized. It was just a side of herself she'd not known well enough before.
Shyvana's hand came up, gently startling Sylus when it cupped his cheek and chin. "There is something I must attend to in Demacia tonight. Join me at the hall before I go? We may catch Soraka."
Sylus first tilted his head gently into her hand, making them both smile softly, and then he nodded. "Lead on, my dragoness."
Her smile remained, and she stood up, helping him rise with a light pull on his hand. They were off the next moment.
(At the League…)
Soraka was, indeed, at the League Hall that afternoon. She was out on the grounds, meditating, when Shyvana and Sylus approached her after receiving guidance from an Ionian summoner inside the building proper.
"…Champion?" Sylus called gently from the edge of the clearing the mystical creature was using. Shyvana had asked him to start things, as her own manner tended to be too gruff.
Soraka opened her large, radiant eyes, and turned her head to focus on the human summoner and much taller dragoness (surprisingly in casual attire). If not for Shyvana's distinctive eyes, hair, and skin, she wouldn't have recognized the other champion.
A sparkle of light danced over her horn, and Soraka rose up, gripping her staff, and walked toward them, gently curious. "Yes, summoner?" Her eyes included them both with a quick dance between them, but she addressed the one who spoke.
"We apologize for disturbing your meditation," Sylus began with a formal bow that Shyvana awkwardly copied (which, in and of itself, got Soraka's attention). "We wished to ask a… favor of you."
Now quite confused, the formerly celestial woman shifted her staff to her other hand, and tilted her head. "You're not going to ask me to marry the pair of you, are you?"
Both champion and summoner gawked, blushing furiously. Shyvana was too embarrassed to even bluster a furious response, staring fixedly at the ground, and Sylus took a moment to find his voice.
"N-no, my lady. We are all friends here, nothing so mighty as a wedding, I assure you," Sylus tried to explain with light humor, but still clearly feeling the affects of Soraka's comment.
She started to smile a bit. "Forgive my assumption." She directed it mostly to Shyvana, the two sharing a surprisingly strong gaze before the dragoness tipped her head in appreciation of the apology. Continuing, Soraka asked, "What do you ask, then?"
Sylus turned to Shyvana with a gentle wave to the celestial.
Stepping forward slightly, Shyvana tipped her head again, and explained, "I hoped you might help… regrow some trees and other plants that I… incinerated."
The horned woman blinked, and then seemed almost stern for a moment. "…You feel bad for destroying trees, Shyvana?" Her tone actually remained serious, but the faint emphasis on 'trees' still made it sound like it was a joke.
A bit disgruntled, the dragoness managed, "In this case, yes."
Soraka raised an eyebrow, and focused on Sylus for a moment. He just smiled politely. Looking back to Shyvana, she went on, "Where are they?"
"…Outside his home," Shyvana answered quietly, waving toward Sylus, her blush still persisting on her cheeks.
Soraka idly frowned, her head nodding. "…So… Already married then?"
Sylus held a hand to his face, and Shyvana finally burst from frustration and embarrassment. "Please, stop the ridiculous insinuations of marriage! I destroyed them when I thought he was dead!"
Remaining completely unfazed, Soraka replied, "That doesn't counter my question."
Shyvana was confused for a heartbeat, and then realized Soraka was right. Being furious enough to burn random things over his death really only implied they might be married more so.
And finally Soraka started to grin. "Forgive my games at your expense, Shyvana, Summoner Hale."
Sylus blinked. "You know my name?"
Soraka giggled, and actually used her staff to bonk his head. "You're famous around here now, Sylus." Pulling the weapon and focus back, she nodded casually. "I'll be happy to at least see what I can manage. May it wait until tomorrow, however? There are certain things I must finish today."
Sylus looked to Shyvana. "That works well, doesn't it? You needed to return to Demacia as well, yes?"
Shyvana nodded. "Indeed. Shall we meet outside Sylus' home tomorrow… an hour before noon?" she offered casually.
Soraka tipped her head. "Acceptable. Sylus, can you give me directions?"
He bowed faintly again. "Of course, champion."
"My thanks," Shyvana said clearly, and then eased away with a calm wave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sylus, and you, Soraka."
Sylus waved back happily, Soraka simply smiling.
Once the celestial and human were effectively alone, she grinned impishly. Sylus became a bit wary
"You do realize sparks are so explosive between you two it could incinerate THIS forest, yes?" the celestial chose to point out.
Sylus twitched. "I suppose so, but please don't tease Shyvana about it. She is coming to terms with herself on such things. Teasing her is more damaging than most would realize."
Soraka softened her expression for his thoughtful response. "…So I see. Forgive me for hurting your beloved, summoner."
He blushed, but smiled gently, and tipped his head. "My thanks."
"So… how does someone find your home that is NOT a furiously jealous dragon?"
Sylus groaned, rubbing his temple. "Does anyone NOT know about the refectory incident?"
"Do you really want the answer to that?"
"…No."
Soraka giggled.
(Author's Note)
Ah, such a lovely chapter. I'm quite fond of pretty much everything contained herein. One thing I feel I should make a comment on is the 'egg laying.' Technically speaking, Riot Game's official comments heavily imply that Shyvana would, in fact, bare children as a normal human woman. Honestly, I just found that boring, so I hybridized it. Effectively she would carry as a human, give birth to an egg, that would then almost immediately hatch with a humanoid newborn. The real POINT of this information is that it doesn't bother Sylus. The conversation is an establishment of understanding, each learning about the other, and seeing what is accepted or rejected. As they discover, very little is rejected outright on either side.
Soraka's cameo here (which isn't over yet, by any means) mainly stems from my being fond of the character, and my wife very much liking her as well. Soraka's connection with nature and the cosmos made her a good go-to character for the concern Shyvana had about scarring the forest near Sylus' house.
Soraka's sense of humor just turned the scene into a gem. I'm more proud of 'sparks' than I should be.
The 'perfume' issue between Shyvana and Sylus was simply another route of showing how the two work very well together. Sylus isn't teasing her about something humiliating, and she's learning how to properly control it so it doesn't cause her trouble at other times. Also handling such an obvious signal with maturity is an example I think is not set often enough, so I thought this noble pair would be a good chance to legitimately show that off without being heavy-handed.
I hope you enjoyed!