Amalthus took the report without even a hint of anger. He simply held a statuesque face.

"So, in summary, your eminence... There is significant fire damage to the holy forest of Indol, the theives have made off to whereabouts unknown with technology beyond our scope, and we don't know their motives..." Finished Maria.

Amalthus spoke. "I see. This is somewhat troublesome."

"I say we'd better get after the blighters." Said Zeke. "Who knows what they'll be up to next?!"

Amalthus held up a hand for quiet, and it fell. "Not you, Zeke."

"Not me?!" Said Zeke, looking around. "I-"

"Silence." Hissed Maria.

"Of the four blades stolen, one had an ability comparable to my own blade, Fan la Norne." Amalthus explained. "She is called Obrona, and can purge ether from an area. Regardless of your skill, Zeke... That would stop your heart."

"Huh? Why?" Said Rhod.

Zeke grabbed his jacket, and peeled away the corner. "This."

Rhod clapped a hand over his mouth. "That's a- You're a blade?!"

"No. I just got stabbed in the heart once." Said Zeke casually. "Had to have the Praetorium implant a bit of Pandy's core crystal to keep me going. Actually had a bit of extra surgery the other day to get ready to put it back in her, but it'll need a year or so. Or more."

"That- that's not natural at all..." Whispered Nim. "It's-"

"Oh titan's foot, not in front of the Praetor. Nim, please." Whispered back Rhod.

"Then I will take it upon myself to track down this thief!" Said Maria boldly. "Your eminence, how can I serve?"

Amalthus turned. A great helix of core crystals floated in the air behind him. "Head to the Argentum trade guild. From there you ought to be able to track down this group. Once you have done so, then you will need this blade." He took a crystal. It's glow was dull, for a crystal that could be awakened. He passed it to Maria.

"What blade is this, your Eminence?"

"I do not know. They have exceptionally low power, so anyone could resonate with them easily. But they wield Twin Rings." Explained Amalthus. "These weapons are ideal for manipulating ambient ether, second only to Bitballs. Your best hope of taking on Obrona is to counter-disrupt the area's ether."

"Twin Rings..." Maria nodded. "I see..."

"And you, young driver." Said Amalthus.

"Y-yes, your eminence?"

"As praetor, I decree you are to assist my servant in her task." Said Amalthus, without room for argument. "Your driver registration numbers will temporarily be upgraded, so you can move through military areas unimpeded, to better complete this task."

"What... what about the rest of your forces?" Said Rhod nervously. "Surely they're better than a half-trained Gormotti?"

"I must reorganise the city guard against this threat." Answered Amalthus. "And I will keep Fan close for now, in case we are attacked. And besides... your healing blade should be invaluable to preventing the death of my servant."

"Your will be done, your eminence." Said Maria. "We'll depart at first opportunity. But I must ask one thing..."

"Speak."

"I wish to bond this blade to Rhod. I cannot afford to switch to a non-defensive blade in the heat of combat, nor am I ambidextrous."

"You may. Two more things, before you leave." Said Amalthus. "Fan will provide you some gold for this journey. Speak to her. And Zeke will help you select some appropriate supplies, as a seasoned traveller. That is all."

"Yes, your eminence." Said Maria.

"...I'll do my best, your eminence. Thank you for the core crystal." Rhod tried to bow, but then he saw Nim glaring.

"This is a suicide mission! Taking on something that unnatural, that powerful-"

"Nim!" Protested Rhod. "We can do this. Please, respect the Praetor. If anyone can judge what we're capable of, it's him."

"But... but that ship's technology looked even worse than Mor Ardain!"

"Be silent!" Said Maria.

"It's of no concern. I do not deny this is a dangerous task. But it must be done, for the good of all Alrest." Amalthus intoned. There was a slight hint of something in the air. Something impossibly powerful, like a black hole. "And who are you, to disobey your driver? If I will that something be done, then the architect wills it be done."

Nim wavered. "That's... that's really scary power..."

Amalthus relaxed, and the power vanished. "Be on your way."

Rhod dragged his blade away before anything more could happen.

"Oh my sweet, heavens, hells, and every last thing inbetween, would you EVER do that, Nim?" Said Rhod, as soon as he felt he was outside the hearing range of the building.

"I was just worried for you!"

Rhod sighed. "...Yeah. I guess. Maria, you'll still have us?"

"Very well." Said Maria. "Your disrespect is something I have come to adapt to. At least you make an effort. Now, let's make preparations before we leave. We should stock up on supplies. Fan's provided us enough money to head out well-equipped, and I'll see my task through."

"Hold up!" Shouted Zeke. He jumped down the stairs, landing with a thump. "Just running off to leave The Zekenator all alone?"

"You know it's not like that."

"Well, the next ship out to Argentum isn't until late. So I thought I'd send you lot off with a boost! Come on, chaps. Let's get down to cafe Lutino."

The cafe was a truly nice place. Wooden designs that were polished to a fault, yet still modest. Zeke ordered at the counter and came over holding a few cups.

"Odifa." He explained. "They only make it here in Indol."

Rhod took a sip. "Ow! Hot!"

"Tsk. What were you expecting?" Said Maria, setting her drink on the table.

"I just guess I always went for cold drinks." Rhod started blowing on his Odifa.

"They do Frozen Odifa, chum. Try that sometime." Pointed out Zeke. "Now then you two, how much do you know about adventuring?"

"...Carry a water bottle." Offered Rhod.

"Not bad, but do you know how to start a campfire? Catching a chill's no fun."

Maria nodded. "As a servant of the praetorium, it is my job to be competent in all aspects. I need only some maps."

"Alrighty. And what core chips are you two using?" Zeke looked over to the two blades.

"I'm using a Pentagon Chip." Said Sanzang.

"What's a core chip?" Nim tilted her head away from one of her phonexes, and it instead chewed on her hair.

Pandoria giggled. "New to this whole thing, huh? Guess you don't have any aux cores, either!"

Rhod looked at the blades. "Anyone want to explain?"

"It's easy enough. Core chips will give you a different weapon. Aux cores boost your blade's power. Go head down to the smithy and grab a core chip. Aux cores are nice and all, but they're a bit expensive and you need to buy a map and some boat tickets." Zeke said. "Go on."

Rhod took an hour with Nim, as he went down to the shops for blades. They were surprisingly small. "Nim, tell me something..."

"Hm?"

"Before I became a driver... well, I met two kinds of people." Explained Rhod. "Most people agree you should treat blades like people who just have to prevent their driver dying as long as they want to stay alive. But... well, some people argue that blades should be used as tools, or living shields because they can regenerate from injuries."

"That sounds horrid!"

"Agreed. I was just wondering what I should do if we ever have to fight someone like that? I don't want to make the blade suffer. But I doubt they'll just sit aside and return to their core."

"Hmm... I don't know."

"Never mind. You're a bit too much of a nature lover to really-"

"Just go for the driver." Answered Nim.

"Wha-"

"People die as part of nature. Predator and prey. Those Ardainians shouldn't just be allowed to make blades suffer!"

Rhod put his hands in his pockets. "...I never mentioned the Ardainians. But yeah. They're known for it."

"Oh, I've had enough of this conversation. Let's talk about something better."

"Like what?" Rhod shrugged.

The orange phonex stretched down and plucked the half-full cup of Odifa right out of his hands, and tried to tip it back, instead splashing the lukewarm drink over Nim. "Sunny!" She shivered as the drink ran down her. "Greedyguts! Now we're soaked!"

Rhod couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Oh, it just went everywhere! Here, take my cloak, wipe yourself off." He passed the green cloth over to Nim.

"...Thanks."

"No worries. Just glad it wasn't hot enough to burn."

Another hour, and they were ready to depart. Rhod went over to Maria. "I got a chip. How do I use it?" He took his purchase out of his pocket.

"Touch it to your blade's core." Said Maria offhandedly. "What did you get?"

"Pentagon chip. Apparently it produces a special effect when it's used."

"An excellent choice." Agreed Sanzang.

"Prince Zeke provided me with some knowledge of what to do, based on his experiences. Once we arrive at Argentum, then Bana will acquiesce to a request from the praetorium for information. Then it's a matter of travelling to whichever titan our enemies hide on. Also, he gifted you a core chip."

"Wait, me? What for?"

"For your new blade. You didn't forget, did you?!"

It had been pushed out of Rhod's mind by Nim nearly insulting one of the most important individuals on the planet, in truth. "No, not at all. I was just... wondering what I did to deserve such kindness from a stranger."

"It's simply how he is. Prince Zeke may not have the makings of a politician, but I would follow a heart as pure as his anywhere." Explained Maria. "Here. These are now yours. A twin rings blade, and a cube chip." She passed Rhod a second core chip, and the core crystal. At night, even its weaker glow stood out against the darkness. It was soft.

Rhod carefully held the crystal with his sleeve, feeling a little trepedition. "So, if I touch this another blade will be created. There's nothing else to it?"

Nim clapped her hands together. "Nope. That's all you have to do! Mother nature will handle the rest."

Rhod nodded. "Here goes..." He placed the crystal into his hand. "Summoning a blade!" He felt his body shake, like his heart was vibrating. There was a slight ache in his muscles, but compared to the agony he'd experienced awakening Nim, it wasn't much.

The crystal jumped from his hand, and ether began to gather where it had been. Two hoops solidified, as a body made of ether gathered.

"...At your service."

"Wow, you have a nice voice." Said Rhod, looking at the blade he'd awakened. Black and white, with a pair of small horns. "I'm Rhod, your driver."

"Understood. My name is Kouki, and I am bound to you." His voice was deep, and strangely wise. "How may I serve?"

"We'll be going to Argentum. We're after a criminal thief, and your weapons should help bring them down."

"Then let's prove our power." Kouki sat, and bowed his head. "Lead the way."

Maria got the attention of the new blade. "Greetings. I'm the leader of this group, Maria. I will handle defence in combat, while Rhod controls healing."

They were out on the cloud sea before long, Indol fading over the horizon. The night was chilly, but everyone was wrapped up, or ignoring the cold.

"So how do I use this?" Rhod held the core chip up, looking at Nim. "Does it go in the weapon?"

"Nope. Just touch it to my core crystal. That'll do it!"

"Got it..." Rhod reached out, and placed the core chip against the glowing crystal. Nothing happened.

"Are you sure you want me to have this? It'll use up the chip!" Said Nim.

"Of course I'm sure!"

The chip dissolved from Rhod's hands, and the weapons on his hips started to change, rapidly becoming something else. He took one and put it on, as the black shell turned an Indoline gold, smooth. He willed it to activate, and a strange lopsided loop of ether materialised.

"These are the Mirage Knuckles! They're much stronger than our old ones, and they make it harder for enemies to notice you." Said Nim, before looking confused. "Uh, how did I know that? Kit says the chip told me, so... go Kit, I guess."

"Maybe these will help us take down Rotbart? With Maria too..." Rhod smiled. "And now Kouki, as well. We've got quite the team! That gogol will never know what's hit it!"

"Oh, Rhod? Can I... um... I want to give Kouki his core chip."

"Well, okay. Why?"

"I, um, I really just like animals."

Rhod laughed. "Come on. I ought to get to know my newer blade, too."

They found Kouki with Maria and Sanzang, in the hallway of the ship. "What are you guys doing?" Called Rhod.

"We're dividing up the beds." Maria didn't miss a beat. "Would you rather room with Sanzang or Nim?"

"...No rules about boys not being in the same room as girls?"

Maria looked over with a frown carved from marble. "Blades are different from people. I'll leave it at that."

"...Right."

"And wait until you're married, you faithless hog."

"Hey! I never said I was thinking-"

Maria cut him off. "So, Sanzang or Nim? Kouki wants to room with you regardless, since he only just awakened."

"I choose Sanzang. It couldn't hurt to get to know him." Shrugged Rhod. "Nim, you're okay with this?"

"Yep!"

It turned out there wasn't much to talk over at that moment. Rhod could hardly commiserate over Maria with somebody entirely loyal to her. Kouki had existed for all of an hour. But there was one thing they could talk about, at least.

"So, have you ever heard the tale of the Aegis, Rhod?" Sanzang said. "All drivers hear it at some point."

"The Aegis? ...It's in the history books, but I don't know it well."

"Listen well then." Sanzang sat on one bed. "The tale of the Aegis. Long ago, a man climbed the world tree. A man called Amalthus.

"...And upon reaching the top, found Elysium." Said Maria, to a wide-eyed Nim.

"The Architect called to him, showing him two core crystals."

"One of shining emerald, another of deep amethyst."

"Amalthus returned, and found he could resonate with the amethyst crystal."

"He awakened the first Aegis. And was made Praetor for the success of his journey."

"But it was his greatest mistake."

"The Aegis he had awakened ran wild from his control, abandoning him, destroying without reason, and setting its sights upon the world."

"So, calling upon wisdom from the architect, Amalthus sought out a driver who could awaken the second Aegis."

"The hero Addam."

"Aegis of light at his side, Addam waged war against the dark Aegis."

"It was a terrible war. Even with the full strength of the Praetorium, and of the nations old, the war dragged on for a long time."

"Three titans were sunk to the bed of the cloud sea in the fighting. Such was the strength of the Aegis', they alone felled two, while another was a casualty of a battle between armies."

"And, when the days of war drew to a close, dark Aegis defeated, Addam vanished."

"And the Aegis of light with him."

"The divine servant of the architect sleeps forever, for the day she will be needed again."

"Many drivers yearn to be the one to find and awaken the Aegis." Said Sanzang. "But those who know Amalthus know better. She will not be awoken until grave times are upon us all."

"Of course, the current world is somewhat dire." Said Kouki. "Mor Ardain's titan is going to perish all too soon."

"...Really?" Said Rhod. "...That's some knowledge to be born with. The first I've heard of it, even. That could probably make more than a few people panic."

Kouki looked like he might have frowned. "It's of no consequence at the moment. You ought to rest, young master. And tell me more about this thief. It pays to be prepared."

As Rhod recounted what had occurred while Akhos robbed the temple, the ship continued to sail through the night. The captain was ever vigilant at the helm, on watch for anything that could threaten the ship.

For just a minute, he gazed up at the World Tree. The encirclement of lights around it had never changed, making navigation of this great sea far easier. But even when not navigating, it was truly a beautiful tree. It seemed to stretch up high enough to reach the stars.

But if, at that moment, he'd looked the other way, then on the very furthest brink of the horizon, he might have seen a strange black ship, flying with technology long lost to man.

"Akhos, I want you to reconsider."

"Now? After I went to all the trouble of making a daring excursion into the very den of our enemies?" Ahkos gestured around. "I'll be a better driver than anyone, Jin. You can understand why."

Jin frowned. "..."

"Ah, let me have this moment in the spotlight. I'll use the blade I awaken no more than is needed, I promise."

"And what about the other three?" Said Jin.

"Well, I'll be using one of them for sure." Malos walked in, eyeing up the four crystals on the desk. "And that leaves one for Patroka and one for Mikhail."

"I don't like this."

"Heh, I wonder why." Smirked Malos. "I know it's a painful notion, but face it. We're not gonna be able to see things through without these blades. And we even stole them from Amalthus, as a nice little 'fuck you' to the backstabber."

Jin's mouth remained immovable. "..."

"Or!" Suggested Akhos. He hit a button on his desk for an intercom. "Nia! Nia, come here!"

There was the sound of footsteps, before someone came into the room. "Akhos? Is something wrong?"

"Help me out, my fellow blade. I need to convince our stony friend here to let me play my part." Akhos gestured dramatically to Jin.

"He wants you to convince Jin that we need these blades." Deadpanned Malos. "You're the only one here with a bonded blade."

"It's worth it." Said Nia instantly. "Dromarch is the only reason I lasted even a quarter as long as I did on the run. I... I-" She clammed up, and looked down.

"Still afraid, I see?" Said Jin.

"I shouldn't be. Things are... they're going to be different here, right?" Said Nia.

"Well, only one way to find out." Malos took one of the crystals off the desk. "Here's the one for me. I can feel it." He looked over to Jin.

"...I'm still against this. It goes against everything we've worked on, trying to not use blades."

"Heh. If there's one thing I can teach you, boys and girls, sometimes you've got to damage what you're working on!" Malos grabbed the crystal, and the room lit up.

"Passengers, we have docked at the Argentum Trade Guild! Remember, anything left in your rooms will be pawned off before I leave port." Announced the captain.

"Master Rhod, are you prepared?"

Rhod was already walking off the boat, stepping into Argentum. "I've been here twice before, actually."

"What a weird place!" Said Nim. "Nothing's natural, but nature's still everywhere! I bet there's a tree up on those decks!" She waved a hand at one of the upper balconies.

"Don't delude yourself, blade." Said Maria, as she finished speaking with the captain. "In a place like this you're not that likely to have any kind of plants."

"There is actually a farm up there." Said Rhod. "They use it to grow spuds. Cheap and effective way to supplement the food stores of a place as busy as this." Internally, he was giving a fist pump at finally having some kind of superior knowledge or ANYTHING compared to Maria. Even if it was literally just the location of some veg.

"I see. Alright then, I'll go and request an audience with Bana, and demand to see the record of vessels that have passed through. In the meantime, you need to go and ask every guard in this place if they've seen any kind of strange ship." Said Maria. "Sanzang, attend me." Her blade stepped up to her side, and she was off, leaving Rhod alone with his two blades.

"Alright then, where should we search?"

Asking around was a long and tedious process. And no matter who he asked, the answer was always the same.

"No, we've not seen a ship like that."

"No, and nobody really looks."

And of course, all the nopon wanted money for information, and Rhod really didn't have much. He wandered up to the top deck. "Come on, you two. If we can't manage to find out anything useful then we might as well see the flight deck."

It was a very strange place, being both a farm and an airfield, mounted on top of a giant ship, that was suspended below a titan. Nim wasted no time in going to look at all the plants, while Kouki kept looking around, trying to find something to be helpful.

Eventually, Rhod wandered back into the guild, looking for some shade from the sun. The canteen bustled, and he'd have been lying if he said he didn't want to go and buy lunch, but Maria had all the money. Of course.

He headed down the stairs, to the lowest floor, searching for Maria. Or at least something to do. "Guys, I hate to say it in a place like this, but it's been five hours. I'm bored."

"If I may make a suggestion..." Started Kouki. "You could stand to get some practice with my weapons. Consider searching out a fight."

"A fight... hmm." Rhod looked around. "In a place like this? We're in a merchant city. No forests or caves for monsters to hide in."

"I know where you an find one!" Said Nim. "Well, um, he told me, by there." She glanced at a crate. "They haul up a lot of monsters on the docks when people go salvaging."

"Oh, thanks. Okay then, so if you stay around here and look out for Maria, then I'll go get some practice in. And please, please, I'm literally begging you, don't go and start a fight." Rhod passed her the knuckles, and headed to the salvaging port with Kouki.

"It's okay to give any salvagers that haul up monsters a hand?" He called to a nopon on watch, who nodded.

So he sat and waited. Eventually, one of the cranes started to winch up a haul. Rhod crossed his fingers, and got his weapons into his hands.

Someone in a small suit came jumping off the crane, as it lifted a net with a big crate in it out of the water. As the crate was dropped onto the deck, they lifted the helmet off their suit, and hit a good number of buckles to make some segments fall away.

"Ahoy, salvager! Mind if I lend a hand against any monster you've hauled up?" Shouted Rhod. Now that he saw closely, this salvager was awfully young... But given that they strode over and grabbed a mechanical broadsword from a waiting barrel as if they'd done it a hundred times before, they'd probably been salvaging since they could walk!

"Always glad to have a hand! I reckon there's a Medooz in there, so look out for the ether bubbles." Rex walked over, and jabbed the tip of his sword into a little crack in the crate, before suddenly ripping the entire front off. True to prediction, the strange monster floated up and out. "Okay, time to take you down."

"Let's get 'em!" Rhod activated his Twin rings, and moved in.

"Master, I can provide high ether resistance. It might be a good idea for us to handle the defence." Kouki instructed, as Rhod moved in.

"Sworrrd bash!" Rex made a hard jab, spurring Rhod into action.

Rhod swung his rings around. The first few slices were awkward, as he adapted to the weapon type, but after that he grasped how to properly cut with them, and went to work. He was aware of Kouki's presence behind him, a blue stream of ether transferring between them. Time for arts.

"Recurrence cut!" Rhod yelled, as he lined up and made a two-part X cut with his weapons, and the second one seemed to find a chink in the enemy armour. Rhod felt though he could do that again. But onto the next art! "Encircle edge!" He threw his rings to each side, and they curved through the air with the help of their ether, circling around the target. A flicker of green light seemed to appear on the floor.

"Double spinning edge!" Rex had moved to the side and suddenly whirlwinded in, hacking through the monster with ease. He my not have had a blade weapon, but he was a terror with that broadsword. The monster blew a few bubbles out. They popped, and Rex shielded his eyes from the spray of liquid ether, while Rhod did brush it off.

He had an urge, and decided to go with it. "Healing disc!" He twirled his rings in the air over his head. The small burns on Rex disappeared.

"Hit it, now!" Rex encouraged.

"To you!" Rhod tossed the weapons back to his blade.

"Dual Fang!" The weapons floated in the air of their own accord, and without warning two beams of ice suddenly fired. Each one struck the enemy, and it disintegrated. There was a small pause.

"Excellent work, although we could stand to practice more." Said Kouki.

"Thanks for that." Said Rhod. "Bye."

"Thanks to you!" Said Rex. "Nice to have a hand dealing with the monsters!"

Rhod walked away from the boy, not knowing what fate had in store.

He was about halfway back into the market when he felt a chill down his spine. "...Is someone watching us?"

"I am indeed." Said Maria sternly. "Could you really not remain vigilant for half a day?"

Rhod flinched. "Aw, crap."

"Sorry." Nim said from the side. "I didn't think she'd freak out if I told her what we'd been doing all day."

Rhod put his hands up and turned around. "I did at least try to do something with the time. I do need to learn how to use these weapons."

"But did I order you to? What if the theif had slipped right under our very noses?"

"Sunny has a pretty good sense of smell, I think he'd-"

"She wasn't asking you." Sanzang interrupted.

"..." Rhod internally knew Maria actually had a point. He wasn't about to admit that. "Don't be such a control freak!"

"Control freak?! I'm working for the safety of all Alrest! How can you be so... so arrogant as to believe your boredom is more important that the lives of innocent people!"

"I never said anything like that!"

"Then what were you saying?"

"I... I..." Rhod shut his mouth. "Why did I even agree to work with you? You get so uppity, so..."

"You know what? I don't actually need you for this. I'll finish the job myself." Maria turned and walked off, leaving Rhod silenced.

It took a good half hour for him to get to the canteen.

"...I really blew it, huh." Said Rhod.

"We didn't need her!" Encouraged Nim.

"We did. I don't think I can beat Rotbart without her expertise." Rhod slumped, and let his face hit the table. "I am a moron."

"Do not be so hard on yourself. You became defensive because she criticised actions you thought were reasonable." Said Kouki. "Fixing this is not impossible."

"Really? Sure feels that way."

"It's not like she's dead or anything!" Nim said.

"...Way to remind me." Rhod deadpanned. Nim put a hand over her mouth. He sighed, and sat up. "Okay, so what CAN we do? We could-" Something caught his eye. "Hey..."

"Huh? What is it?" Nim looked around.

"Look at that man's armor." Said Rhod. The shoulders were what had stood out. While they were black, the design was otherwise the exact same as Akhos'.

"Keen eye, master."

"Armor designs are mostly exclusive to each maker. If he'll tell us who made his, then we could be in business." Rhod got up, and walked over. "Excuse me? 'Scuse me!"

Malos turned around. "Get lost, you arse."

Rhod sucked air between his teeth. "I just wanted to know who made your armor."

"Didn't you hear me? Scram!"

"Please! It's to help catch a thief!" Said Rhod desperately.

Malos' tune changed instantly, as he connected the dots in a matter of moments. "A thief?"

"Yes. He robbed the Indoline Praetorium." Said Rhod. "I need to track him down and recover what he stole."

"Alright then, boy." Malos folded his arms, and smirked. "Try Garfont Village, Uraya."

"Kouki, Nim. You both remember that."

"Affirmative."

"We got it! Right Kit?" Said Nim. "Right."

"Come on guys. Let's go get Maria back! We have a new lead to chase up!" Rhod ran off, into the market.

Malos watched the boy run down the stairs, and smirked. He went into the inn, where a man in blue was sitting on the bed.

"Akhos, you're going to Uraya. I have a loose end that needs tying up."

"A playwright after my own heart!" Akhos grinned. "What can I do?"

Author's notes: So about Kouki. I was personally pretty disappointed to learn that there are no Twin Rings rare blades in the game, so I did make an effort to get at least one beast up to S-rank affinity on each driver. The first one I got, on Rex, was Kouki. He was actually pretty handy a few times, despite having weak skills compared to everyone else.

I won't be adding any more blades to Rhod, however. Two is enough to keep track of.