And I'm back with another chapter before Christmas! This chapter is a bit different than what I've usually written for, but I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far. Also personal thanks to DragonManMax for contributing to this chapter, he helped with some of the battle scenes.
Review Q&A
Jaune-R: Great chapter and update as usual. I love the interaction and how you're portraying the Grimm. Can't wait for the next update dude. Thanks man, I tried my best with coming up with the fairytale and 'implementing' the Grimm into the story. Many an hour was spent brainstorming.
DragonManMax: Haha, while there was no implementation of Miguel's name in there, the scene was well incorporated and made me smile. Also liked the blow of destruction that Blake gave to Jaune, tough now that I've written 'blow' and 'Blake' in the same sentence, I'm thinking of something else entirely. Saddened to hear about the lost words, but oh well. Try using GoogleDocs, as it auto saves and you can access it anywhere.
Glad you liked the incorporation, and losing word progress has happened one to many times to count...
Jkdelta38: Good chapter. And nice upgrades for weapons. Any chance for Jaune getting either a Huot Automatic rifle or a Farquhar hill semi auto rifle? RSC was a decent semi auto rifle for its time but given it's firing 8mm lebel round not the .303 british it'll be harder to get ammo for it then the SMLE and various machine guns firing .303.
It takes me the longest time to settle on a weapon for each of the RWBY cast, so while I probably won't give Jaune either of those weapons, I can try and add them into the story at some point. Also the 8mm Lebel round was the standard french ammunition just as the .303 was the standard for the British. So it's not rare I don't think.
Bookfisher: aww no Madsen machine gun? I'll see what I can do, shouldn't be to hard to include.
SnowPegasi: I'm so hype for the coming battle and I can't wait to see Blake's reaction to Jaune being the author of Ninjas of Love, Knightshade is the ship that makes no sense but just sorta works on so many levels, they're both socially awkward in different ways, Blake is slow to trust while Jaune trusts unconditionally, Jaune is an optimist while Blake is a pessimist, I guess opposites just attract one another.
I hope my rendition of the coming battle is up to your standard then, and Blake's reaction will be later in the story as I quite haven't figured out that scene in my head yet. As for your observation on Jaune and Blake, I think it holds a fair amount of truth to it. Good job!
(I do own RWBY)
The Soldier's Battleground
ザー・ソールジュズ・バタルフィールド
Chapter XVI: All is Fair in Love and War
The air was filled bullets flying in all direction mixing in with the sound of wounded. Creating a cacophony heard only on the battlefield. Jaune spit out the salty sea water from his mouth and wiped his face to clear his vision. A wave roughly washed in behind him making him stumble as he tried to make his way to dry land. Enemy rounds sprayed the water all around him and whizzed by him as he felt his feet sinking into the sandy ground.
Looking around, he saw countless dead bodies floating in the blood-soaked water. Grimacing at the sight he looked around for his squad and saw most them struggling just like him trying to make it to beach.
Heavy rain drops splattered off his helmet and he felt a chill run through his body from the cold. 'So much for an easy landing.' Gripping his rifle, he looked up at the hail of enemy gunfire coming from the beachhead and sluggishly made his way through the waist high water.
(A Few Days Ago…)
Blake squinted her eyes as she stepped through a bulkhead that lead to the outside deck. The warm sun beat down upon her and she briefly thought of removing her jacket to help cool off from the heat but decided against it, as the walk back to her quarters was quite the jaunt from where she currently was.
After receiving orders to land in the port city of Vale, Blake and the other soldiers, found themselves quite busy for the next few days loading onto to the ships in preparations for the upcoming attack.
But, once the fleet set sail though, boredom set in for the soldiers and many tried occupying themselves with anything they could find. Whether that be in the form of playing card games, sleeping below decks, or puking over the side of the railings from sea sickness. Most found a means to pass the time.
For Blake, she had played more than a few card games with the soldiers, but staying below decks in the cramped spacing made her feel slightly claustrophobic and she decided to head up to grab some fresh air. She looked to his right and saw a group of sailors holding fishing poles over the side of the ship as they casually chatted to each other.
Seeing that gave her an idea and she headed over to them to see were they got the equipment. Minutes later she too found herself casting a line over the edge and waiting for a bite. Leaning against the railing she closed her eyes and soaked in the suns rays as she relished in the warm weather.
Her eyes shot upon when she felt a tug on the line and she excitedly started to reel in the line only to groan when she saw that a piece of seaweed was attached to the hook.
Reeling the fishing line in the rest of the way she placed the seaweed down beside her for later use, before rebaiting the hook and throwing it back into the ocean. This process was repeated for quite sometime until at last she felt a massive tug on the pole. The yank was so hard that she almost lost her grip on the fishing pole but was saved when a pair of hands reached out and grabbed ahold of the pole.
Turning her head, she saw that the pair of hands belonged to Jaune who was behind her. Giving him an appreciative nod the two of them struggled for a few moments before being rewarded with a flopping fish on the deck. Jaune started to pull out Crocea Mors but was stopped when she shook her head at him.
"You need a proper knife for cutting fish, fortunately, I have one with me." Jaune took note of the fishing gear beside her and nodded his agreement.
"Ah I see, well I don't know to much about fishing, I thought my knife would suffice for the cutting." She clicked her tongue at him which made him raise an eyebrow at the action.
"If your going to cut a fish you must do it properly. They deserve nothing less."
"Well if that's how you feel about fish, then you must obviously like to eat them. What's your favorite kind of fish then?"
She locked eyes with Jaune and smirked. "That would be hands down tuna, the way the meat just melts on the taste buds is heaven." He pursed his lips at the statement. "Huh, fair enough then. But now here's the real question, how well are you at cooking fish?"
At this, Blake paused in her cutting. "It's not my best strongpoint, my mother was always better at it than me." Jaune lightly snorted. "Well if memory serves me correct, I believe Corporal Ren is an avid cook. At least in the creation of pancakes."
"Perhaps so, we'll see if he's better than me after we catch some more fish."
"Would you mind teaching me how to gut fish then, I'd like to share the load." Blake nodded her head at his request and continued to skin the fish. Jaune reattached another bait on the hook and threw it over the edge before turning back to her.
"Well while were waiting, let's chat about something to pass the time. Hmm, ah I got it. Where are you from Belladonna?" Blake mulled the question in her head for a few moments and even glanced at Jaune for a second as she debated on her answer.
"My family is from the territory of Menagerie in a city called Kuo Kuana. The climate is warm weather most of the year with a rainy season that lasts a few months. I wouldn't go as far to say its tropical weather, but it's a fairly nice place to live."
"That sounds nice. I'm from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Mostly farmland now that I think about it. Everything was peaceful, and nothing ever happened. And by nothing, I seriously mean nothing went on there, it was so boring. Anyways, the weather there I guess was mild in temperature? Not chilly but neither was it really hot."
Blake leaned up against the railing as the sea breeze lightly blew through her hair. "That sounds like a nice place to live." A melancholic smile graced her face. "The last few months has only been mud and grime as far as the eyes can see. Keeping clean is almost impossible in those conditions." She looked over at Jaune. "Are planning on going back there when this is all over?"
"Ironically, I miss nothing ever happening. When I was leaving to go to war. They were looking for a school teacher. I think after all of this is over I'll head back and see if I can apply for that position."
"A teacher huh, hmm not a bad job to pick. I'm not sure what I want to do after the war, maybe I'll take over my family's business."
"Oh, and what's that?"
"My father is on the city council, he wanted me to take over for him, but the war happened and that has been put on hold until the war is over."
Jaune nodded as he cast the fishing line out again. "That type of job isn't really my cup of tea, but I wish the best of luck if you accept the offer."
The two of them continued to banter back and forth, pausing every once in awhile when Jaune would catch a fish. Time quickly passed by, and the two of them noticed the sun had started to set on the horizon. Seeing that they caught more than enough fish. Jaune called up the rest of his platoon and soon enough the smell of cooked fish filled the air.
Cheerful chatter filled the air as everyone partook in the feast with not a care in the world. Jaune laughed at a joke someone just told him as he turned the fish over, so it would not burn and noticed how the light reflected off Blake's eyes as she keenly watched the fish.
'Is she drooling?' Taking a closer look at her mouth he saw her lips glistening from the grill fire but no drool, so he dismissed the stray thought and politely turned his gaze away before being caught staring at her mouth.
He was about to take his first bite when a private from another platoon came up to him and told him Ozpin wanted to see him immediately.
'Really, right as I'm about to eat! The madness and cruelty of it all.'
Making his way to the officer's quarters he knocked on the door to Ozpin's room and was motioned in. "Sir with all due respect, did you need to see me immediately, I'm missing a tasty dinner."
Ozpin swung around in his chair and shrugged. "This will only take a few moments of your time Lieutenant. We've received another report for the upcoming attack. As far as we know, you will be going up against Colonel Arthur Watts, he oversees and will be defending the area around Mt. Glenn. You're looking at around a regiment or so of enemy forces defending the Mt, with only a battalion defending the city. The plan is to remain the same, two battalions will go in on the first wave and securing a beachfront before bringing in additional reinforcements."
Jaune pinched his nose. "I've heard the name before, wasn't he a doctor or something before the war?"
"You are indeed correct, which makes me wonder why he's at Mt. Glenn, perhaps he's doing experiments for the Imperials?"
"Wouldn't know sir, I'll ask him if we bump into each other."
"Please do, but I won't hold you any longer, the rest of the report doesn't concern you or your platoon. This was the only thing I needed to tell you, go enjoy your dinner and interact with your men. We'll be starting the attack in a few days, prepare yourself. Dismissed."
Jaune saluted Ozpin and left the room. His thoughts dwelled on the new information briefly before his stomach shifted his thoughts to dinner. 'I wonder how good the fish will taste?'
He never did find out who ate all the fish, including his share that was on his plate…
"Go, Go! Get off the beach!" Jaune yanked up a soldier who had just stumbled on the wet sand. They sent him a thankful look right as a bullet smashed through their head, effectively ending their life. He grimaced at the sight and wiped the viscous matter off his face.
The sounds of machine guns could be heard thumping away as they sprayed the sand with hundreds of rounds. Field guns blew apart whole swaths of men and equipment as they tried to push up the beach. Many soldiers never even made it to land before their boat came under fire, and decimated them.
An explosion to his right made him dive to the ground as a mangled body flew right over him and knocked over another soldier who was right next to him. Raising his rifle, he saw the flash of muzzles coming from the opposing trench. Lining up a shot, he felt the kick in his shoulder as the round flew out and struck his target.
Looking to his left he saw a group of soldiers crouching down in a crater and he hastily made his way over to them. "What are you doing down there!?" They all looked up at him as a burst of machine gun fire sent a few bullets into his chest armor. He stumbled from the impacts, but stood right back up and returned fire. "If you wanna live, get your asses off this beach!" Another bullet ricochet off his arm bracer as he signaled for them to follow him. Seeing him shrug off the attack they scrambled out of the crater and followed closely behind him. A small embankment offered some protection from the enemy fire and they all dove for cover as another hail of bullets sprayed the ground around them.
The fighting grew intense as each side tried to push the other back, explosions filled the air as the hiss of bullets sought out their targets. With the enemy dug in securely, the Atlesian's lost hundreds of men before even reaching land and lost hundreds more as they stormed the beach.
Friendly artillery support was limited as Command wanted to keep civilian casualties as low as possible. This made it increasingly difficult for the allied soldiers to secure the beach and the casualties quickly pilled up.
More than a few times, a soldier would use the corpse of the soldier next to him as a meat shield against the onslaught. Until the beachhead was taken, no tank or mortar support would be given. Officers tried their best to rally their soldiers, but many were cut down, creating disorder among the ranks.
"Focus your fire on the ridge to the right, keep them suppressed!" Jaune fired the remaining rounds in his rifle and ducked back down to reload. He crawled over to a Lewis gun crew and pointed at a part of the enemy trench. "Shift your fire right, enemies on the ridge, take them out!"
He leaned over to the soldier next to him. "Third squad on my signal I want you to throw grenades onto that ridge over there." He pointed at nearby soldier. "Sergeant gather your men after they throw the grenades I want you to storm that trench. We'll provide covering fire."
Standing up he emptied his magazine and pointed at the trench. "Grenade's out!" The handheld explosives were lobbed into the air and exploded a few seconds later. The screams of Imperial soldiers wounded reached his ears and motioned at the sergeant. "Move up!" He tapped the helmet of the Lewis gunner. "Covering fire!"
The Atlesian soldiers scrambled up the embankment and sadly many of them were cut down by the defenders. Jaune gestured for another squad to move up and when they reached the top, he heard a field gun as it blasted away the squad. He grimaced at the sight and looked around for a demolition expert. And saw a familiar person.
"Valkyrie get your ass up here! I need your expertise!" Moments later a soot covered Nora made her way over and looked at Jaune expectantly. "I need you to hit that gun, range thirty meters, you'll need to arc your shot!"
A massive grin broke out on her face as she loaded her weapon and aimed it into the air. "Fire in the hole!" The grenade was thrown into the air and everyone near her watched with hopeful eyes as it sailed through the air and out of view. Moments later an explosion, followed by a ball of fire was seen ahead of them and they all cheered.
Jaune gave her a thumb's up and pointed towards another part of the beach. "Follow me, we need to go help them out." The two of them ducked their heads as they crouch sprinted their way over to Yang who was currently loading in a shell. "Grenade! Get down!" A soldier yelled as they dove for cover.
Yang looked up and saw the grenade sailing through the air towards them and raised her shotgun into her shoulder. Lining up her sights, she pulled the trigger and shot the grenade out of the sky. She looked at the soldiers next to her. "Come on you guys, its just a grenade." Many of them gave her a flabbergasted look at what she had just done.
"Sergeant, it seems you have everything under control here." She shifted her attention to Jaune and Nora and grinned. "Completely." He nodded and scanned the area around him. "We need to push up off the beach, take your squad up the ridge over there, I'll take another squad up the ridge to your right." She nodded and signaled to her squad to follow her.
Jaune motioned to Nora who followed close behind him as they made their way up the hill, with the enemy putting up so much resistance, many Atlesian soldiers died before even reaching the enemy trenches overlooking the beaches. But with the help of Nora blowing up machine guns, and Yang's squad clearing out the trenches, a tenuous foothold had been secured on the beaches.
Jaune reloaded his rifle and noticed how he was getting low on ammo, looking around the wet ground he knelt in the mud and scavenged some ammo from a dead soldier. The moment of respite was interrupted when the sound of a shell whistled in the air. He looked up just in time to see it coming down near his position. "Everyone! Get down!" He lunged forward and tackled Nora to the ground as he covered with his body.
The shell exploded upon impact and blew apart flesh and ground like it was nothing. Jaune covered his head as he was pelted with the dirt and debris from the sky. Shaking of the feeling of nausea from the explosion he pushed himself off Nora and pushed off the debris that had landed on his back. Even though his vision was swimming and his ears were ringing he looked around to see bodies strewn out on the ground.
"Everyone who's not dead, sound off!" The sound of groaning and the occasional grunt filled the air as the soldiers around him called out that they were alive. Stumbling to his feet he located his rifle and picked it off the ground.
"We need to go find those field guns and take it out, we don't need anymore casualties. He shouldered his rifle and swept the trench in front of him as he made his down it. A group of enemy soldiers rounded the corner and he fired off a few rounds, dropping them. Stepping over the dead bodies he continued his search and finally found the field guns and its crews.
"Nora! Pop some red dust! We need to cover our attack." Jaune whispered just loud enough so his voice could be heard over the gunshots.
"Copy that boss." She reached down to her belt and took off one of the smoke canister's. Popping the pin, she wound her arm back before sending it to the field guns in front of them.
Jaune pulled the pin from the grenade in his hand and tossed it into the area. "Go!" He rounded the corner and opened fire on the confused gun crews. The soldiers behind him also followed suit and after a few tense moments the enemy field guns were silenced. Having a second to breath he turned to Nora with an annoyed expression.
"Nora, I said red dust, that's not red!" Surely enough, rather than a bright plume of red smoke covering the area, a large pink cloud furled away in the wind instead.
Grinning a bit too suspiciously, Nora shrugged as she reached for another canister marked with the word red. "No idea boss, must have gotten the red dust mixture off."
Jaune sighed at his subordinate's actions but decided not to think too deeply into the subject matter. The smoke worked just the same regardless of its color.
Approaching footsteps made everyone there aim their weapons down a trench only to lower them when a squad of friendlies rounded the corner. He sent a nod to the leader.
"Belladonna, glad to see your still with us." She was soaked head to toe and shivered slightly as she acknowledged his greeting. "Next time we all go to beach, let's go when its not raining." A round of agreement filled the air as everyone had very similar thought on their mind of the weather.
"Well whether were fighting or not, its still going to rain. So, let's get this battle over and we can find somewhere dry and warm." This time disheartened grunt met his ears, and he couldn't blame them. He was tired of being in his wet uniform as well. "Alright, cut the belly aching, let's move out."
The initial push into the city had been mostly successful, but the struggle continued for a foothold. Currently Jaune and his group were tasked with the mission to silence an enemy machine gun nest that was the only resistance left in their district of the city. Once taken, a solid foothold on the city would be theirs for the night.
Jaune dove for cover as a hail of bullets shattered the stone wall behind him. Leaning out he popped off a few rounds before taking cover once more. Glancing beside him he saw Blake stand up and fire a burst from her weapon. Not wanting to be outdone, he leaned out and killed an enemy soldier as they tried to cross the open street.
He signaled to Nora who quickly made her way up to him. "I need you to nail that machine gun nest and take it out." She shook her head sadly. "Sorry boss, I'm out of ammo for the grenade launcher." He gave her a surprised look. "What, seriously!? Damn, well this made things much harder."
Racking his brain for a plan he snorted when one came to him. Nora having been apart of many of his improvised plans grinned at the snort. "What's your ingenious plan!"
He reached over and took a grenade off Blake's belt and gestured to Nora's club. "You ever play baseball Valkyrie?" Catching onto his plan, Nora pulled out her club and laid in on her shoulder. "Indeed, I have! you ready?" Giving her a nod he took a deep breath and pulled the pin on the grenade. She cocked her arm back as the two of them stepped out of cover into the street.
He tossed the grenade into the air and ducked down just in time as she swung her arm forward and smashed her club into the grenade, making it soar through the air. "Fore!" Pulling out his pistol, he returned fire as the two of them quickly made their way back into cover.
The explosive soared through the air and landed near the nest. The ensuing explosion disabled the machine gun and made anyone who had seen the grenade flying dive for cover.
"Great job, but I'm not about to run headlong into them on this open street. Belladonna take six soldiers and go up the alleyway on the right, I'll take another six and go up the left side. The rest of you stay here and provide support."
Taking another calming breath, he sprinted as fast as his legs could go and ran across the street. Bullets whizzed by him as he crossed to the other side and took cover behind the building. The rest of the soldiers made it across safely as well and he motioned for them to follow him.
Carefully making their way down the alleyway, the small group of soldiers scanned the surrounding buildings around them for any signs of enemy activity. Catching movement to his upper left, Jaune aimed his rifle and sighed in relief when he saw that it was only a cat.
The hiss of a bullet filled the air and the soldier directly behind him cried out in pain as the bullet struck them in the arm. Scanning the windows, Jaune tried to locate the shooter but was not quick enough as more shots were fired on them.
"Spread out!" Jaune lowered his rifle and smashed the buttstock against a door that was right next to him, before lunging in just in time, as a few bullets impacted the area he was previously occupying. Unfortunately, not all the soldiers had gotten out of the way in time, as two lay wounded on the ground with another dead lying beside them.
Cursing under his breath he pulled a dust canister from his belt and was about to pull the pin when more enemy shots killed the two wounded soldiers.
"Fuck." He pointed at one of the soldiers with him and gestured to the stairs across from them. "Get up stairs and give me some cover, I'll try and flush the enemy out."
He carefully peered out the door and recoiled back sharply as the wood splintered next to him from the enemy firing. Taking a calming breath, he lay down on his back and shouldered the rife before kicking himself out of the door.
Locating the enemy in the upper floor window of the house in front of him, he fired and saw the soldier drop from view when they were hit. Signaling for the other soldier to follow him, he ran to the house and sent a wordless hand signal. Jaune wasted no time and kicked in the door scanning for any enemy soldiers.
"First floor clear! Moving up." The two of them made their way to second story and saw the dead Imperial soldier on the wooden floor. "House secured, let's go."
Making his way back down stairs, they were joined by the other soldier and the three of them made their way down the rest of the alleyway and saw the enemy still firing from the machine gun nest, albeit with no machine gun as it was damaged.
Seeing movement across from him, he saw a familiar black-haired woman and gave the hand signal for a grenade. He unclipped a grenade from his belt, and pulled the pin before cooking the grenade for a few seconds. "Grenade!" He lobed it in the direction of the nest and saw Blake doing the same. Moments later the two grenades went off and the nearby firing stopped. Leaning out, Jaune saw the dead bodies and signaled the all clear sign.
Stepping out, he took note of Blake missing two soldiers in her group and mentally sighed at the losses.
"Everyone good work, mission complete, take a moment to rest. We've captured this area. Belladonna I need you too…" He turned around expecting to the young woman only to find that she had vanished from sight. "Sir the sergeant went over that way." A private pointed down a narrow alleyway. He mumbled underneath his breath as he thanked the private and made his way over to the alleyway...
Blake leaned out from the side of a ruined a building and cautiously scanned the surrounding area for any enemies. Using her superior sense of hearing, she had heard a sound coming from her right a few yards ahead of her and she went to investigate.
Following the noise, she heard someone groaning and upon entering a mostly destroyed house, she saw an injured child lying on the floor under some rubble.
Quickly making her way over she knelt, and upon moving the debris away, noticed that there was a large gash across their stomach exposing the organs with a big pool of blood beneath them. Grimacing at the sight. She was no medic, but even she could tell that there was no saving the child from dying. Starting to unpack her medical supplies she found a vial of morphine packed neatly with a small roll of bandages.
Wanting to ease the suffering of the child she would administer just enough morphine to put them to sleep and probably kill them afterwards. Just as she was about to stick the needle into their leg, the kid's eyes fluttered open and bleary looked towards her.
"M-mommy?" She paused and looked at the child's face and sadly smiled. "Mommy's here, just lay still, I'm going to give you something to make you feel better." Sticking the needle into their shoulder she rubbed the area for a few seconds.
"Mommy my tummy hurts!" Reaching down she grabbed their small bloody hands and grasped them firmly in her own. "I know it does, but I gave you some medicine to make the pain go away." A small noise behind her made her turn her head around to see Jaune standing in the doorway.
She turned back around to child, "M-mommy, I wish daddy was here. Why did he leave?" Blake didn't quite know how to answer at first, but taking a quick glance back she knew her answer. "Daddy's here, he just got back from work. Here he is." She waved Jaune over who slung his weapon over his shoulder and made his away to kneel beside Blake.
"Hey there, daddy's back from work." He gently grabbed one of the child's hands from Blake's hands and held it in his. The child nodded their head weakly at the lie and smiled. "Daddy now that your home, can we go to the park and have a picnic, all three of us?" Jaune smiled and squeezed their small hand. "Of course, but why don't you close your eyes and take a small nap, that way mommy and I can change."
When they closed their eyes, Jaune and Blake both shared a look between each other before looking back at the child. A peaceful expression was now on their face. Their breathing slowed down and after a few more minutes they lay still. Jaune squeezed their hand again before laying it across their chest. "Sleep tight, kiddo."
He looked over at Blake who had a conflicted look on her face. "Hey you okay?" She looked at him with glistening eyes. "I killed them." he gave her an incredulous look. "How?" She held up the vial of morphine and Jaune knew what she meant, he reached over and softly grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, listen to me, you didn't kill them, you eased their suffering and let them pass on in peace, this isn't your fault."
"Isn't it though?! We fight for freedom and yet innocent people get killed because of our actions. This kid may have been on the other side, but they still had their whole life ahead of them! So yes, I killed them because I am fighting in this forsaken war!" A tear slid down her face and Jaune leaned over and brushed it away before gently pulling her head to his shoulder. She hit his chest weakly and he felt her body softly shaking. "It's not fair."
He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on hers. "War's not fair, and that's why we need to fight to end it so something like never happens again." He felt her nod under his head and after a few moments felt her shift away from his arms. "You alright?"
She took a deep breath in and exhaled. "Yes, sorry about that, its my burden to bear." Jaune lightly grasped her shoulder and looked directly at her. "It doesn't have to be, I'm right here whenever you need someone to share the burden." An appreciative look was sent his way before she gestured to the child. "Will you help me lay them to rest?" Jaune sadly smiled. "I can do that."
Wanted to add some more bonding moments between Jaune and Blake, hope you don't mind. And as always, any and all feedback and reviews is greatly appreciated. I don't think I would have gotten this far without all the support you all have given me.