The thief and his princess
Summary:
When Zidane, the youngest thief in the infamous Tantalus group, meets the mysterious Dagger on the Alexandrian streets, he thinks of her as nothing but one of his many flirts. But with time, he will realize that the girl does not only hold the power to bind his heart forever, but that she is an unwilling part of a conspiracy that can easily destroy the world. - A FFIX AU Fan Fic
Chapter seventeen ~ Preparations
The sky was bloodred and stormy clouds dashed over it. Screams yelled through the air as an entire city was drowned in boiling water.
Dagger stood in the sea, hundreds of feet away from the scene but the cries would ring in her ears. Desperately, she tried to reach the helpless people and as she drew a deep breath, the water rose in front of her. As quick as an arrow, Dagger flew towards the coast but in the moment she left the water, her body felt heavy. Startled, she looked down, only to see that her feet had turned into a slimy tail and that her arms were purple wings. As she let out a scream, it was Leviathan's voice which sounded.
The Lord of All Waters stood at the edge of the continent and was struck by the sight of the village in which the people were boiled alive. A massive, torrid wave had splashed down on the houses and flushed out everyone and everything. Whenever it was about to seep to the soil, it illogically rose again to bring death once more. Leviathan's eyes, which usually only saw the world in colors of blue and purple, were almost blinded by the red sky and the steam rising from dead bodies. The serpent let out a deafening cry as he summoned the water of the sea to extinguish the heat when suddenly, he heard a laugh rising above all cries and screams.
He turned his head and saw a pale man flying above all the pain and devastation with a silver dragon. His hands were still glistening from the magic he used to torment the village beneath him. Leviathan whipped his tail as he opened his mouth to turn the sea into a storm to crush the sorcerer, but before the waves reached their target, the sorcerer disappeared, the sky cleared up and the deadly wave of heat seeped into the ground. As Leviathan turned his head to the survivals of the massacre, he saw hatred in their eyes – directed at him. And before the Eidolon could use his powers and intelligence, the summoners came and sealed him away, far from his beloved water as a punishment for a crime he did not commit.
Dagger woke up with a heavy chest, gasping. Her eyes went restlessly through the room as her heart was beating intensely and it took her a while to realize it had only been a dream.
A dream?, she thought to herself as her soul reached out for Leviathan. The Sea King seemed to be sleeping, at least his response was only weak and subconscious. Dagger shook her head. No, not a dream. A flashback. This is what happened to Leviathan over four hundred years ago. The people he protected and cared for mistook him for the aggressor and sealed him away. But the real culprit was...
"Kuja?!", she panted in realization and raised her hands to her mouth.
But, how can that be? This occurrence is four hundred years old – how could Kuja be present back then?
'He is a sorcerer', Dagger suddenly heard Ramuh's voice inside her head. 'Sorcerers have been present on this world for centuries – and some of them were said to have found the way to immortality.'
'But if he's truly immortal, then how...?', Dagger started to think but the God of Thunder gently interrupted her: 'My child, some sorcerers are said to have found a way to become immortal. But you can trust me when I say: No being born on the surface of this world is immortal. Only the creations of the Crystal itself are. Like my friends and I. But we are only a few and even our existence might tremble.'
'What do you mean by "trembling"?', the summoner carefully asked.
'Our existence is born with your beliefs. Even when no one on this world would remember our names and deeds, we would not die. But our appearances are not as stable. Have you ever heard of Ozma?'
Dagger took a moment to think about it. Somehow, she felt a resonance within herself, as if she had heard it somewhere, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not link any trace of a legend to the name.
'I thought so', Ramuh sighed. 'Ozma was a powerful Eidolon, thousands of years ago, even older than Bahamut, who is the eldest of us still present. He was said to live on the Mist Continent, as a ruler of its summoner tribes.
But the people who worshiped Ozma went extinct during catastrophes which destroyed most of the Mist Continent's civilization, and after hundreds of years without believers, he lost his original form and all that is left of him is a swirling pool of energy. Even we can not remember his appearance, as our memories faded along with yours.'
'Can Ozma still be summoned?', Dagger asked as she thought about the opportunity to gain such ancient wisdom, but suddenly, she felt Ramuh being uneasy.
'Do not pursue that thought! Ozma might once have been a kind and wise Eidolon, but the millenniums of isolation and ignorance rendered him evil. Remember Leviathan – he was sealed away for four hundred years, and even though he hadn't been forgotten, his anger towards the summoners was magnificent. Leviathan is the master of water and though he can easily be upset, he can calm almost as quickly, much to your luck.
But Ozma is an ancient Eidolon and even without remembering his powers, I know that he was an Eidolon without gray sight – he only knew good and evil, just like the humans back in that time. His sadness turned to hate towards the human race. Long ago, though centuries after his deformation, summoners of your tribe encountered him, and many lost their lives in the attempt to seal him away. Now he's locked, in a place beyond your reach.'
Dagger nodded, though she didn't know whether Ramuh could feel it or not.
'About Leviathan... Had no one of you ever tried to clear up the misunderstanding concerning him? He must have suffered so much...'
'We tried. But as a princess, you might know how people can be – if they believe something, it's hard to convince them otherwise without proof. And Kuja, the sorcerer who devastated the village had vanished. We thought him to be dead – until now.'
Dagger stared through the window to her right. Birds were outside, chirping and singing and the sun was bright. She slowly recognized the place she was in. The red velvet carpet – it had to be a private guest room in Lindblum. She shivered, realizing how long she must have slept since they reached the Mist Continent again. Dagger tried to remember what had happened, but after Leviathan took place in her soul, her memories became blurry. Vaguely, she could remember seeing rough landscapes around her and the underground of the Fossil Roo, but nothing concrete.
Just as the summoner sighed, someone entered the room. Her head lifted up, her eyes glistened in expectation of Zidane, but it was Amarant. The redhead came up to her bed and took place on a chair.
"How are you feeling?"
Dagger smiled. "I'm feeling fine. How long was I asleep?"
"A week, roughly. We're at Lindblum, as you can tell", the warrior added and crossed his arms.
"It must have been a tough journey, carrying me from the Outer Continent all the way to the castle", Dagger lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Amarant."
"You don't need to apologize", he grumbled before he admitted: "Besides, it wasn't me who carried you."
"Zidane?!"
Amarant nodded, reluctantly. "He's currently in town, getting rest like Freya. Cid is planning our next route – before we see Bahamut and Odin, we should get Atomos, located on the Lost Continent. The ways are known better and not as dangerous."
Dagger vaguely remembered reading Atomos name. He was a strong Eidolon, with the power to suck in everything on its path if she recalled correctly. She was about to nod towards Amarant's report when suddenly, she could hear a faint whisper.
'Not Atomos.'
"What?", the summoner mumbled surprised before she realized it was Leviathan inside of her. Amarant raised his eyebrow, but as he saw how Dagger's eyes clouded, he remained silent.
"Why not? Atomos is a great Eidolon, isn't he? I fought Kuja once, and I'm sure I need every Eidolon I can get to defeat him," Dagger asked surprised.
'If you want to get Atomos, go ahead', Leviathan snapped, his temper rising, 'but don't expect me to save you when he decides to eat you up, Mortal.'
'Atomos does not accept female summoners', Shiva explained before Dagger could ask. 'He is the only one with a preference this definite.'
'Maybe because it was a female who misused his powers and made him destroy an entire city', Ifrit remarked.
'That's possible?', Dagger asked wide eyed, barely aware of Amarant's presence. 'You can be forced to act against your will?'
'If the summoner is strong enough', Ramuh confirmed. 'But we should mention that Atomos was really young back then – and betrayal from the summoner's side was unheard of.
He bind himself to a female summoner and once we belong to someone, we're connected to them until their death - or until they cast us out. But the summoner of that time was evil and she used his powers for the wrong. Atomos has an... unforgiving nature. Ever since, he refuses to bind himself to a female summoner. In the end, the summoners of Madain Sari decided to seal him away. They judged his position too dangerous towards apprentices. Even if you unsealed him, I doubt his gratitude would be big enough to accept you as his summoner.'
Dagger spent a while deep in thoughts. She never thought of it that way: Misusing the Eidolons for selfish needs. All her life, she was scared of the power she held and reluctant to call forth Shiva unless she had to. For someone to force an Eidolon to an act of any kind was unimaginable to her. Even now, when she had realized that the Eidolons were kind and forgiving and not as aggressive, she never thought about misusing them.
With a shiver, Dagger detached herself from the thoughts of the Eidolons. As she looked up, her eyes met Amarant's.
"We're not going to Atomos. I won't be able to receive him", the princess said with a shake of her head.
The warrior stared at her intensely, his mind searching for a reason, before he nodded. "If you say so. Then we will head to the next destination as soon as you've recovered." The redhead got up and walked to the door. "I will tell Cid about the change of plans. If I hear something new, I will inform you immediately."
"Thanks, Amarant", Dagger smiled.
When the warrior left the room, Dagger got up and stepped to the window. Her eyes wandered over Lindblum and she watched the people following their daily routine. Their chatter and laughter rose up to her and Dagger had to smile even more. She still felt angst inside of her when she thought about facing Kuja, but for the sake of those people, for the sake of all people innocently living their lives and being good, she had to do it.
"My aaaaarms!"
"I like you, my dear, but if you ever complain about your arms again, I will use my spear to give you something else to complain about!"
Zidane and Freya were sitting at a local pub and enjoyed their lunch. The thief was trying to cut his steak but whenever he used his muscles, a sharp pain went through his shoulder.
"Ah yeah? Well, I'd like to see you carrying Dag' around like that for a week – let's talk about your arms then."
"You could've switched with Amarant", Freya replied as she took a bite. "No one forced you to carry her alone. Even I offered my help, didn't I? But you insisted on doing it alone. I am sure Dagger is very thankful for that, so swallow your sore muscles and act like a man."
"If she even knows", Zidane muttered into his cup.
"Amarant wouldn't lie to her."
"But he wouldn't tell her either."
"You don't know about that", Freya sighed. "Listen, Zidane, if you want her to know what you did so badly, go to the castle and tell her yourself."
"It's not about her knowing it", Zidane said finally as he pushed his plate away.. "It's just about my hurting muscles! Damn, I got wobbly pudding in my arms – how am I supposed to swing the Rune Tooth on the Lost Continent?"
"We're not going to the Lost Continent", Amarant grunted as he entered the pub. He took a seat beside Zidane and ordered a giant plate of meat.
"Yo, Amarant! Wait, what? Why not?"
"She just woke up", the warrior started but interrupted his talk for a chug of water. "She can not receive Atomos."
"Ato-who?", Zidane slanted his head. With a sigh, Freya nudged him.
"The Eidolon, Zidane. On the Lost Continent. You know, the one who sucks in everything?"
"Ahh, the sucker", Zidane nodded as he remembered and Freya shook her head in dismay, whispering: "My dear."
"Well, what of it? She said she couldn't free Leviathan and she did. We should try before giving up so easily", Zidane said after a while. He cringed as he lifted the fork to his mouth and gave up with a sigh. Then, he lowered his head to the plate and ate straight from it.
"Zidane!", Freya panted and looked around, embarrassed.
"What? I told ya, my arms -"
"It's different this time", Amarant shook his head, interrupting the thief. "It looked like the Eidolons talked to her. Whatever they told her, it made her change her mind about Atomos. And I believe her. There must be a reason why we shouldn't waste our time searching for it."
For a moment, both Zidane and Freya thought about it. Then, they simultaneously shrugged.
"Well then, what's our next goal?", Zidane asked, his mouth full of bread.
"The Forgotten Continent", Freya replied in Amarant's stead. "Bahamut and Odin, in Ipsen's Castle."
At the top of Lindblum's castle, Cid was walking in circles. Usually, he would enjoy the magnificent view over the surrounding plains, turning his gaze to the South Gate to watch the busy airships or waiting for the rare sight of a Chocobo at the Chocobo's Forest.
But now, the king was in deep thoughts. Only a short while ago, Amarant had informed him that their journey to the Lost Continent was canceled on Dagger's command and aside from all the futile preparations for that, Cid now faced the obstacle of finding a way to the Forgotten Continent. The king of Lindblum had hoped that the party would take at least a few weeks for their way to the Lost Continent and back; in that time, he would've send out researchers to the Forgotten Continent on the western side of the world. Now, he had to come up with a route, a transportation and a crew in a matter of days – once Dagger was feeling well again.
When his thoughts turned to his niece, a frown darkened his face. He remembered how Artania had woken him up in the midst of the night, announcing the princess' arrival. While at first being pleasantly surprised by their quick return from the Outer Continent, the king was soon feeling distraction upon seeing her face. On the middle of Dagger's forehead, a white horn had appeared. After interrogating her guardians and the Dragon Hunter, Cid learned all about the events during their journey and the presumable reason for her horn – it had something to do with the Eidolons she had summoned and unsealed.
While the king was content to know that their travels to the Eidolon Wall have been a success, he was worried about Dagger's health. Zidane had told him that his niece passed out whenever she was confronted with a new Eidolon and Cid feared that any further contact might harm her permanently. But he knew, even before the thief said it, that their only way to defeat Kuja was to support Dagger during her search for the Eidolons.
While the princess had been away, Beatrix' soldiers had brought pain and suffering to almost every corner on the Mist Continent. The Alexandrian kingdom got into a tremendous war with Burmecia after soldiers devastated a small village on its borders. Cid had sent out as many soldiers and troops as he could spare to support his friends and allies, but the soldiers from Beatrix had been pushing on him, too, and it took almost every men in the army to hold them off the Lindblum kingdom. Time seemed to be running short and even though Kuja kept himself hidden, Cid was sure it was only a matter of time until the sorcerer would openly appear in search for the princess.
When he learned that Dagger encountered Kuja on her way to the summoner's village, Cid felt unable to follow Kuja's train of thoughts. Just like Amarant, he could not fathom why the sorcerer would give up on the Crystal when it was so close. But the king was wise and he knew that worrying about such matters would not help him.
Currently, he was waiting for someone to report to him. While the routes to the Lost Continent were fairly dangerous, ways to the Forgotten Continent were simply suicidal. The Lost Continent was still harboring a small population, and although their contact to them was only elementary, Cid had still been able to find a captain and a crew to sail to the continent. But the Forgotten Continent was devastated, bare and without any known civilization. Even before the natural disaster, which hit the entire planet thousands of years ago and destroyed most of its civilizations and flora, the Forgotten Continent was known to have little people and prosperity. The continent has not been touched in hundreds of years, after the people found out that the soil is dour.
And thus, the king had a hard time, finding a navigator courageous enough to sail there. He was grasping his last resort and although he trusted the man he was about to meet, he was worried that his skills alone might not be enough.
Finally, the king heard footsteps. With a smile, Cid turned and said: "Ah, you're here. I was wondering what might have taken you so long."
"Askin' for help and then complaining? Fine king you are, huh?"
Two days later, Dagger stared at the mirror. No matter how hard she tried, she could not avert her eyes from the horn on her forehead. It was at least two inches long and contrasted with her black hair so that no one could possibly not see it. The princess had hoped that the Eidolons' talk about the horn had been just part of one of her wild dreams. She kept mixing up reality and imagination when she tried to remember the past week and she had held on to the thought of her horn being only fantasy as well.
But now, feeling fully recovered and rested again, she could still see it. Not only that, she could also feel the horn. She was aware of it like she was aware of her arms or feet. When she touched it, a shiver went down her spine; it was an unpleasant feeling, like nails scratching over a wall.
Tears built in her already swollen eyes. A servant had come in only minutes ago, delivering Cid's request to meet her and her company in the throne room. As soon as the servant had finished his bow and spotted her horn, he was taken aback and had left the room as quickly as he could.
Will I be shunned for this horn?, Dagger asked herself, not for the first time on that day. She tried to coat her front with a hood, but the horn stretched the fabric, rendering it useless. The summoner sighed to herself.
"The horn is an indication of my heritage", she mumbled, recalling Shiva's words. The Ice Queen had explained it to her shortly after she woke up. Every human being capable of summoning Eidolons was born with a horn on the front. It was not only a sign for other summoners or common people. Its real purpose was to allow communication between the summoner and an Eidolon.
For whatever reason, Dagger was born without such a horn, despite her ability to call forth Shiva since her birth, and thus she never was able to talk to her. But during the unsealing of Leviathan, Dagger was pushed against her limits. Without a horn, it would have been impossible to completely unseal Leviathan. And in that moment, empowered by the Eidolons inside her and driven by the resolve to free him and fight Kuja, Dagger unconsciously created a horn to reach her goal.
And now that I have it, I can't get rid of it, she thought to herself. When even the touch of it was troublesome, Dagger did not even dare to think what she might feel if she tried to forcefully remove it.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on her door. The princess jerked her head and pulled the hood closer to her face. "Yes?"
"Yo, Dag'!", Zidane barged in, simultaneously with Dagger's invite. "We're waiting for you. That old main said he got us some – what's wrong?", the thief abruptly interrupted himself when he saw Dagger's red eyes. The princess turned away as she wrapped her coat tighter around herself.
"It's nothing", she mumbled. "I was just about to come over." She tried to squeeze past Zidane but the thief caught her shoulders and looked at her face.
"You cried?", he asked worried and before Dagger knew it, he had closed the door and pushed her to a chair.
"What's bothering you?", the thief asked as he sat down in front of her. "You can tell me. Everything", he added when Dagger looked away. The princess opened and closed her mouth, unable to phrase her feelings while Zidane looked at her intensely.
"Are you scared?"
Faintly, Dagger nodded, still avoiding his eyes.
"Scared of what?", Zidane asked and leaned forward. "We're all by your side. Amarant, Freya, Cid – everyone. We won't leave you alone, Dagger."
Again, the princess nodded, but she didn't relax, staring at her clasped hands.
"Is it because of the Eidolons?", Zidane questioned further when Dagger remained strained. "You really shouldn't worry so much 'bout them. Usually, things seem to work out fine, don't they? You remember, right? How you were worried sick because of Leviathan and the seal? And then, you just walked in, got him and made it out fine, right? I really -"
"Does this look like fine to you?!", Dagger suddenly cried out and yanked the hood from her face. "Look at me! I'm wearing a horn, Zidane! This is not normal! I'm not normal! I'm harboring souls other than mine inside my body, I can command divine entities, I can read and understand a tongue that has been long forgotten! I am... a monster", she finally whispered as she sagged to the chair and tears broke out again, running down her cheeks and gathering into big drops at her chin before falling into her helpless hands. Her view got blurry and she could hear her blood rustling in her ears.
Suddenly, she felt something touching her fingers. Blinking, she brushed away the tears and saw Zidane, holding her hands with a smile.
"You're not, Dag'", he said softly. "I don't think you're a monster. No, it's not just thinking – I know you're not a monster. You are just you. If anything, I'd say you're an angel."
Dagger's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but Zidane went on: "You're kind, Dag'. You have been gifted with big powers and what are you using them for? For the good of the people! You go through this journey, you overcome your fears and you're determined to kick Kuja's butt!" Against her will, the princess had to chuckle and Zidane's smile transformed into a grin.
"Besides", the thief added and swiftly moved his tail to wipe away Dagger's tears, "what's the big deal about having a horn? Well, I guess I understand", he nodded as he got up, still wearing a grin. "I'd be disappointed, too. I mean, seriously, a horn? Come on, Dag', we both know you're just envious you didn't get something as cool as my tail!" With that, the thief jumped up and used his tail to dangle from the canopy bed. The princess laughed and brushed over her face as she got up.
"You're right", she said. She realized how Zidane's tail had never bothered her. Sure, when she had seen it the first time, she was shocked and confused, but Zidane carried his tail with confidence and pride, and after that first time, she never even thought about it. Zidane was Zidane and to her, it was no question he was human.
The thief let himself fall and pat her on the shoulder. "See? Everything's fine. Now, let's go to that old man. He's waiting at the docks, said he found a navigator for our ship."
"Our ship to where?", Dagger asked confused, her mind not following the sudden change of topic so quickly. Zidane nudged her before he took her hand. "Now, come on! You should know – the Forgotten Continent!"
When Dagger left Lindblum's castle walls through the Serpent's Gate, salty wind blew through her hair., causing her to catch it and tuck it behind her ears. The princess drew a deep breath as she examined the vast sea before her.
The Serpent's gate was located at the east of the city, underneath the castle. It directly lead to the harbor of Lindblum where its ships could dock and depart. It was the afternoon and only a few ships were present. While some were out carrying cargo, most were actually busy in fighting Beatrix' fleet of the coast.
This one ship in particular that was in front of Dagger, however, would have even stood out in an entire fleet.
"Amazing, huh?" Zidane nudged her and Dagger could only nod.
It looked more like an air ship than a boat with its huge blue sails at each side. They resembled dragon wings while the back of the ship was shaped like a tail fin. Indeed, it bore some resemblance to Leviathan himself. While Alexandria had an impressive fleet, this ship was more spectacular and detailed than any other Dagger had ever seen.
"Completely ignoring me like that – trying to play cool?"
Dagger turned her head in surprise at a voice she faintly remembered. From the corners of her eyes, she could see Zidane jerking his head to the direction the voice had come from.
In front of the ship stood Blank, his red hair burning against the blue sails, and he grinned widely.
"Blank!" Zidane called out and ran up to him.
"Man, what are you doing here?"
"Saving your sorry ass, what else?" Blank replied with a smirk before he was hugged by his friend.
"I missed ya, bro," Zidane said as he let go off the redhead who did his hair in an embarrassed fashion.
"No need to come at me like that," he mumbled before going back to his usual attitude.
"Well, as for your question. Cid told me you need a navigator to the Forgotten Continent, so here I am."
"You'll be the pilot of this ship?" Dagger asked surprised as she came up to the two.
"Yeah. There's no better navigator than me!" Blank proudly called out and Zidane rolled his eyes.
"It's a shame I gotta admit he's right about that," the younger thief half-whispered to Dagger with a grin. "He's goes on and on about it, since it's the only thing he's good for."
"What!? Are you picking a fight, boy?" The redhead playfully growled.
"Alright, children, let's get serious!" Cid's voice appeared. The king sent a smile towards his niece and Dagger felt her heart warming up as she realized he didn't pay any attention to her horn.
Come to think of it, neither did Blank – my worries have been unnecessary after all, the princess thought to herself.
"I'm sorry that this ship is all I can do to help you, Garnet," Cid said apologetically, but Dagger shook her head.
"No, uncle, you're a great help! Without you, we would have no means to search for the Eidolons at all. If I'm able to defeat Kuja, it is thanks to you as well."
The regent gave his niece a smile. He pointed towards the ship, on which Amarant and Freya were already arranging their belongings.
"This is the Blue Narciss – it is the fastest and newest creation of mine! Blank will be your navigator for the trip, along with a hand-picked crew. Hopefully, your journey to the Forgotten Continent will be smooth."
The princess nodded once more. "I'm sure it will be. Thank you uncle Cid! Once I've acquired Odin and Bahamut, I can go and face Kuja and free this world from his evil."
Cid lowered his head.
"I am sorry you have to carry such a heavy burden on your own."
"Hey, hold on a sec', she's not alone one bit!" Zidane interrupted the king as he wrapped his arm around Dagger's shoulder.
"Seriously, old man, what are you getting all sad over? Just a few more days, and Kuja will get his ass kicked! Aren't ya looking forward to that?"
The regent seemed startled for a second, but then, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"You are right Zidane. I trust you to protect my niece with your life, so that soon, we can end all this nonsense."
"You can count on me!" Zidane enthusiastically said and gave him a thumbs up.
"Oi, we should leave now!" Blank called from behind. "The water and wind is just right, and it's a long way to the Forgotten Continent. You can have your chit-chat once that Kuja is done for."
"Coming!" Zidane shouted back and ran up to his friend, nudging him in a playful manner.
Dagger gave her uncle one last smile before she too boarded the ship.
The Blue Narciss set off, towards the Forgotten Continent. Despite her acting prepared and secure, Dagger felt a sickness in her stomach.
It's so soon, she thought to herself and worry started to rise inside of her.
Suddenly, she felt someone brushing over her back and when she turned her head, she saw Zidane walking by, playfully winking at her, and the princess' lips curled up into a smile.
It's alright. I am not alone.
Author's note
Phew, sorry it took me so long! Only needed to finish that ship scene in March, but then, I got distracted.
Those of you who liked me on facebook (which would totally make my day!) know that I'm currently also working on another fan fiction, based on an Anime.
Don't worry, I have not forgotten about this fan fiction and I definitely plan on finishing this one! But I also want to go with my inspiration for the other one as long as it's there, so bear with me when updates won't come as frequently.
Also, sorry this story takes so long to move forward – maybe I'll make longer chapters from now on with more content, but I wanted to upload this now so you know I'm not gone!
Thanks for your continued support! Please keep your reviews coming, they are very, very much appreciated!
Until next time, take care!
- Ruska