By the time Uncle Zashi arrives, Sensei and I both have fallen asleep on the floor. Curled up into his warm side, I really don't want to get up.

"Yo, what's up! How's it kickin'? You two been in here sleepin' this whole time?"

Sensei gives the blonde a sour look and flips him his middle finger.

I startle, staring wide-eyed, but Yamada-sensei just laughs.

"C'mere Rin! I want a hug, I was worried 'bout yah! Don't know who decides to go on a joy ride halfway across Japan on a school day, but I'm glad you're back safe!"

I flush, my skin lighting the entire room pink, and shuffle over.

The blonde just laughs though, dragging me into a hug and dropping a loud, squelching kiss across my head.

I make a noise at that, immediately trying to slide away.

"H-Hey!"

Uncle Zashi snickers, releasing me instantly, and turns back to unloading the food.

"Why don't you go change and wash up? You smell like commute, ugh! We can talk as we eat, yeah?"

Sensei, who had already made his way to the kitchen, turns on the sink faucet and yawns.

Obediently, I dip my head and head to my room. I'm halfway back when I hear part of their conversation.

"Have you told her yet?"

"Not yet, she cried..."

I don't stop to listen.

Instead, I pass through my bedroom door, aware as it swings shut behind me. Changing my clothes takes only moments, so I cross to the bathroom as soon as I'm done. I can't help but linger there though, distracted suddenly by my reflection.

Dark strings of hair with pale skin and red-rimmed eyes.

I… I look like Mama.

Especially when I blink, staring blurrily at the image. For a moment, I can almost remember her clearly, one of the nights after Daddy had been arrested and she cried all night at the table. Stop crying. Pretty girls don't have tangles. Hand over the money. I still, staring at the long, winding braid.

It... Half-asleep, it looks like hers…

I push the braid back behind me, undoing it and redoing it back, before shaking my head, trying to clear the image.

Uncle Zashi and Sensei are already seated, voices low when I enter with utensils in hand and food already piled on their plates. There's a plate set out for me too. And even knowing I'm being stupid, I… I can't help but stare at it, caught once again by… by how…

Why are they so nice?

I sink into my chair silent, eyes lowered as Uncle—as my English teacher passes around boxes of takeout.

I ran away. I left and didn't tell them and they…

And they got takeout.

What is wrong with them?

"Something wrong glowworm?" the blonde hero asks, pulling up my attention. He raises a brow curiously. "Stomach hurt?"

"Why do you care?"

Both Aizawa-sensei and Yamada-sensei blink at that, Aizawa shifting immediately to pin me with a sharp look, and I realize, far too late, just how terrible that sounded. I scowl, hands twisting at my sleeves, before glowering down at my dinner plate in frustration.

"I don't- It doesn't-" I glare at the table, hating my inability to use words. "I- I don't understand. Why are you so- so nice!"

Both men stare, and when I finally look up, part of me is startled to see their surprise.

Yamada-sensei cocks his head, the majority of his hair going with it, and leans over to scratch quizzically at his mustache. He makes a face, ridiculously expressive, but Aizawa-sensei just looks annoyed.

"I'm not being nice," my guardian says, sounding petulant as he scoops food lazily onto his plate. "It's common decency to feed hungry kids."

The blonde snorts, sending the dark-haired man an incredulous look, before turning back.

"And what are we doing that's so nice, Rin-chan?"

I just stare.

How did he-

How could he not-

"Fix your plate before I make it," my guardian interrupts, passing over a container and ignoring both of us. I stare, confused, but he ignores it easily, instead turning to a container of chicken.

Yamada-sensei clears his throat, looking like he wants to ask again, but my guardian makes a face and clearly gestures against it.

I…

I don't really understand, but I fill my plate instead, certain Sensei will pick the blandest thing out of spite if I don't.

Then I listen quietly as the blonde draws Aizawa-sensei into a conversation, talking about the hospital, questioning him about Eri, the little girl that he was watching, and something about an upcoming school festival. I don't really pay that much attention, dozing, when someone suddenly calls my name.

I look up, food hanging out of my mouth, only to find them both staring back expectantly.

My entire face heats.

I gulp down my noodles audibly, trying to ignore the red hue spilling across the room.

"Ahhh… sir?"

Uncle Zashi snorts, shakes his head, and somehow, manages to look more serious than normal.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" the blonde asks flatly, one brow arching in judgment. I shift in my seat awkwardly.

"Not… um… not really?"

Sensei turns back to his food without comment.

My arms brighten, and I quickly hide them under the table, hoping it goes away quickly.

"S-Sir?"

"We need to go to Tartarus tomorrow. One of the highest security prisons in Japan for villain criminals. Tsukauchi-san, one of the detective we've worked with in the past, you may remember him from the incident at the USJ, was able to partner with Gran Torino to bring in Kurogiri. They've identified him as a nomu. They've also…"

Uncle Zashi cuts off.

Aizawa-sensei scowls, crossing his arms and leaning back.

"They've confirmed that the nomu is made up of parts of multiple dead bodies," Aizawa-sensei growls. "They found a match for Shirakumo Oboro in the… creature."

Their dead friend.

I sit up straighter, eyes wide.

Oh no…

Sensei ignores my reaction, expression dark.

"Because Kurogiri is more... sentient then the others we've faced, we've been asked to come in to see if we can help gather more information. Since you've obviously seen his face, Tsukauchi wants you to come along as well. Your… sitter doesn't start Wednesday, so we'll be leaving morning before classes start."

I don't know what to focus on.

The fact that Sensei's dead friend was chopped up to make Kurogiri, and that he isn't actually Kurogiri, or on the fact that I have a babysitter…

"Ah…"

Sensei just sighs and gestures to the food.

"Eat."

I stuff a large mouthful past my lips and blow out my cheeks.

Sensei's gaze is entirely unimpressed. Uncle Zashi, however, smiles weakly.

"Which reminds me-" my guardian starts, but he's cut off abruptly by a knock on the door.

The two men exchange confused looks.

"I'll get it," Sensei says, rising slowly from his seat and shuffling towards the door. Whoever it is, they manage to knock twice more before Sensei gets to them. He swings open the door, clearly irritated.

"Aizawa-sensei! You're back!"

"Oh thank goodness! Have you heard from Rin-chan? She was walking with us this morning, but then she just left! She said she had something important to do, but we're worried! She hasn't shown up all day! We told Present Mic-sensei since he was teaching homeroom again, and he said he'd take care of it, but she wasn't in the lobby when we got back! She missed all of her classes today, and she was gone Thursday and Friday too!"

I frown, recognizing Toru's voice and Mina's voices.

"Sir, we know it's none of our business, but is Rin-chan okay?"

I sink down into my chair, guilt swelling.

Kaminari was out there too?

Sensei doesn't say anything for a long moment, and I can nearly taste the tension as he just stands there, clearly considering something. Finally, he shrugs.

"She's inside."

And then he-

He steps back, and two people and a ghostly outfit hesitantly enter, obviously just as surprised and-

"R-Rin-chan!"

Their hesitation evaporates instantly. They swarm forward all at once, Toru's invisible arms encircling my neck as Mina and Kaminari cheer and dance. Even Yamada-sensei looks amused, leaning forward on the table against his elbow, lips twitching.

"Present Mic-sensei! You're here too!" Kaminari exclaims, examining everything. "Oh! And it's your cat!"

Miska jumps curiously down from her perch, clearly interested in these new individuals.

I give Kaminari a weird look, trying not to suffocate.

Why wouldn't the cat be here?

"Are you in trouble again?" Toru demands, releasing me and waving her shirt wildly. "You just disappeared this morning and you've been acting weird all weekend! And angry, and you- you aren't keeping secrets are you!"

I cringe.

Mina makes a face, point out a finger with a gasp.

"You are! Rin-chan-"

"That's enough," Sensei chides, returning to the table with his hands in the pocket of the uniform he still hasn't changed out of, or probably cleaned. "It's being addressed. Rin won't be in class for the next three days, but considering that she will be cleaning the common areas, you'll see her around. Now, if you've satisfied your curiosity?"

He gives them a meaningful look and all of them groan.

"But we barely got to see her!" Kaminari whines. "I didn't even get a hug!"

Sensei's eyes narrow and ignite, his hair rising threateningly when he pins the blonde with his stare.

"Excuse me?"

Mina grabs both Toru and Kaminari and squeaks.

"We're going! Bye Sensei! See you tomorrow Rin-chan!"

All three retreat immediately, passing back through the door in seconds with a loud click.

I sweat drop.

Aizawa-sensei lets his hair drop with a grunt, fishing out his eye drops.

"…"

I rub the back of my head awkwardly.

"Defensive much?" Yamada-sensei asks, looking ridiculously smug as he turns towards his friend, raising a brow and smirking. "He only wanted a hug."

Sensei's eye drop misses his eye, splattering against his cheek.

He glares, before moving to add another eye drop.

"It wasn't about the hug," Sensei glowers, lips thin. "I implied they leave, they didn't."

"Uh huh," the blonde drawls, pushing away from the table and leaning back to balance his chair on two feet. He makes eye contact with me and throws me a wink.

My skin burns, flushing bright red, and I collect my dishes, excusing myself to the sink quickly. I focus on my quirk, trying not to look like a stoplight. It takes several minutes and deep breaths, and by the time I finish, my guardian has removed himself to his room and Yamada-sensei is on his phone.

I survey the blonde, hesitant, before drying my hands and sliding up from behind him.

He doesn't jump, but he does put the chair down. It clatters as all four legs reach the ground.

I lean forward, hugging his neck randomly.

He pats my arm, humming lightly.

"Hey glow worm," he says, not looking up from his phone. He's typing something out in a text, though I don't know who. Whoever they are, they're responding pretty quickly, setting off vibrations over and over. I don't really look, pressing my cheek against his neck, and breathing deeply. It… It's nice. Calming. Like a balm to all the jagged edges that seemed to sharpen. Just the sound of Aizawa-sensei in the background, moving around in his room feels like peace.

Like things are finally right.

"Sen- Uncle Zashi," I whisper, closing my eyes.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He stills, the constant tap of letters on his phone stopping.

"You... You know I saw my brother today," I tell him quietly. "He… He had a kid and a wife… And... And it was nice to see him, but all I really wanted was to come home."

Uncle Zashi slides his phone away, the message unfinished, and then pulls me down gently. I sink into his embrace, warm as his steady arms wrap around my torso and drag me into his chest.

"I love you too," the blonde says softly. "I was worried about yah, yah know? We all were."

I curl in his lap, sitting against his legs and resting my head under his chin.

"I know. Sensei was angry."

"Shouta was hurt," the blonde corrects, letting his chin fall on my head lazily. "You kept secrets, got involved in a dangerous situation, and he couldn't do anything to help you. Compound that with the fact that before he could get back, you ran away. Shouta's not... Well, part of being a hero—no, part of growing up, is understanding sometimes you can't just do what you want. Sometimes we have to wait. Like now, for instance. There's nothing I'd like more right now than to storm down to Tartarus and beat the living sh—er, crap out of All for One and his-"

"Who?"

Yamada-sensei blinks.

"All-For…" he pauses and pulls back, making a face. "Rin... do you even know who the top ten heroes are?"

I pout, not understanding how that's relevant.

Weren't we talking about emotions?

If we're changing topics, the hero chart was not my first choice.

"I don't know…"

"Homework," he says flatly, sounding actually annoyed. I wrinkle my nose. Why? "You're to memorize the top ten, at least, and find one or two in the top 50 you actually like. Absolutely ridiculous, jeez. This—it's like trying to be a DJ without even knowing anything about musicians! You dig?"

I slump, huffing.

Ugh.

"Fine..."

He snorts.

Then, pulling me back, he squeezes me tightly before letting go.

"I'm glad you're home."

.

.

.

The next morning, Sensei wakes me up early, his bowl of coffee in hand and looking as if he hasn't slept in weeks. I stare groggily, taking in his crumpled uniform, the same one he'd worn yesterday, with his wild dark hair and messy, overgrown beard.

I dress quickly.

He's waiting at the kitchen table when I'm done, staring distractedly at his coffee and just looking… lost.

I…

I can't even begin to imagine how terrible this is.

It'd be like someone killing Hitoshi or Toru and putting their face on a monster.

I swallow, uncertain of what to do.

"If you want something, you need to ask."

But Sensei doesn't—ask, I mean. He just... He just, sort of, sits there, and even when I stare, something he normally hates, he doesn't turn and fuss, or even make a comment. He just... sits.

I don't like it.

"Sensei... do you... do you want any eggs?" I ask, eventually stepping forward and hesitantly tugging at the top of his sleeve.

He blinks.

Frowning, he gives me a weird look.

"... What?"

"Do you want an egg?" I repeat, feeling even more uncertain as his brows knit together like I'm speaking gibberish. I pull at my fingers. "Or… I… I mean, if you don't… that is…"

I stop, frustrated at my lack of words, before taking a deep breath to try again.

"Ah… Do you want a hug?"

The effect is immediate.

Sensei scowls, expression going dark, eyes narrowing, and chair clattering as he quickly shoves his way up from the table.

"No. Fix your breakfast, we'll leave in ten."

I bite my lip, silent as he stalks off. He doesn't glance back, disappearing into his room with hands shoved in his pockets and expression stormy.

He isn't any better on the ride to the prison.

Yamada-sensei drives, Aizawa-sensei beside him, and I just sort of sink in the back, listening to them bicker, or rather, listening to my guardian grump and complain at the blonde. Drive faster. Are you even going the speed limit? No, I don't want to talk about it.

It's a relief to get to the prison of all places, and even that's short lived.

The island jail is enormous.

It's also ominous and bleak, jutting out of the yawning ocean like a dark blemish. Whoever built it, clearly built it with the intention that no one would ever escape. Barbed wire, jutting, jagged-edged rocks, and bricks so worn smooth that there isn't even a handhold to grip.

I stare, craning my head back the closer we get.

So this is Tartarus.

Vaguely, I remember in middle school, the notes that had come after Niko started those rumors, telling the school I was a villain.

I hope they lock you up in Tartarus.

Die.

I wander closer to Sensei automatically, arms crossing as a cool salt breeze twists in my hair.

The inside isn't any better.

"Detective."

"Eraserhead, Present Mic," a familiar-looking man in a tan trench coat and hat says, expression mild as he greets us halfway through yet another checkpoint. We'd already needed to pass three, before even arriving. "Hoki-chan, thank you for coming. If you'll follow me…"

I nod, not really sure why he's greeting me, but fall into step behind the three adults.

I can almost see them change. Sensei curls, hands in his pockets, eyes narrowing as shadows creep across the hall. Uncle Zashi looks different too, colder, and indifferent as his eyes darken dangerously. The two heroes look… ominous as they stalk down the hall, passing through the maze-like halls.

We finally arrive at a door with guards posted outside.

"Through there," the detective says, tipping his head at the door and flashing an id. One of the guards moves aside to open it. "I'll take Hoki-chan with me and we'll observe from the box. If you two can't-"

"We'll manage," Sensei cuts him off, giving me a sharp look. "Behave."

I gulp, nodding frantically.

Uncle Zashi chuckles, more out of habit than anything, and pats my head as they both enter. The heavy door shuts behind them.

"Well," the detective says, sighing and glancing at me. "I guess you're with me. If you'll follow me?"

I give the door one last look before following the stranger up a set of stairs and into another room. It looks… It kinda looks like the inner section of some of the training grounds. A metal counter running the entire length of the room is inset with screens, buttons, and all sorts of switches and flips. The detective immediately reaches for one, turning on the lights, and lighting up several screens with a hum. Above the buttons, three large windows open up to the rooms below, each plain and white and marked by smooth tiles and a dividing plane of glass. To my right, I see my teachers, a pair of wooden chairs in hand as they sit, and to the left, a figure wrapped in shadows and held in place in a straitjacket.

"Your job is to interfere if necessary. Your shadow affinity, despite being tied to your emotions, clearly had some sort of effect on Kurogiri if you were able to see past his shadows. It's based on that connection I've asked you to come. If things go south, or you these two are unable to talk some sort of emotion out of him, I want you to try. Do you have any questions?"

I shake my head.

"No, sir."

The detective nods, then reaches for a headset and gestures towards a space with fewer buttons. I move silently, licking my lips as he presses a button.

"Alright, when you're ready."

I can't hear the other side of the conversation, but I can see them. Sensei says something, eyes narrowed at the dark shape in front of him, and the detective reaches forward to press the button again.

"She cannot."

I give the detective a weird look, but he ignores me.

Were they talking about… me?

The detective clicks something, flips several switches, and frowns before pressing what is clearly the talk button.

"Again, if you two can get him to talk, it would mean significant progress. If you can't, however, we plan to ask his family-"

Sensei moves his mouth, and Yamada-sensei even glances towards our box, expression sour. Whatever is said, the detective cuts off immediately, Sensei looking as angry as I've ever seen him, and even from a distance I can make out his flared nostrils and bulging veins. The detective just sighs, nodding, as if the others can see him, and staring down at some sort of sliding graph.

He presses the button again.

"He should be waking now."

Sensei doesn't verbally respond, but instead leans forward. Both him and Uncle Zashi seem to tense, and a second later, the shadow that attacked us in the USJ opens his eyes.

Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains!

I'll scatter you all and torture you all to death!

I shiver, still remembering the shadows, so cold they ached, and the explosion of darkness and screams.

Kurogiri must say something, because even though I can't see his mouth, I do see them flinch.

Aizawa grimaces, narrows his eyes, and his hair rises turbulently into the air.

I look at the… at the nomu and consider it seriously. It doesn't look any different. It doesn't look human, no sewn-up body parts or exposed brains like the one that fought us in the USJ. It does flicker, but it looks more like it's in agitation than because of Sensei's quirk.

I turn back-

My breath catches.

Sensei…

Sensei's holding his face, fingers around his jaw and mouth, pulling at his cheeks. He… He looks like he's about to cry.

And Uncle Zashi… Uncle Zashi is sitting now, an expression I've never seen sliding across his features, not of the goofball he normally is, but instead like someone had broken his heart. He opens his mouth, shouting something, and my heart hurts.

I…

I shouldn't be watching this.

It felt… It felt too personal.

I remember the boy in the picture, white, cloud-like hair going everywhere.

"My closest friend is Hizashi," Sensei says tightly after a long moment. "Not only because I've known him the longest, but because at sixteen he was there with me when we buried our other best friend."

Blue liquid seeps from my skin, spilling across my arms in tiny droplets like dew.

The detective clicks a button, leaning forward as he stares at a graph.

"You're doing something, keep going."

Sensei glares, saying something, and for the first time, I wish I could read lips.

I tug at the bottom of my shirt, restless.

"D-Detective?" I ask, stepping towards him and looking back at the others. He hums, throwing me a quick side-eye before returning to the graph.

"Yes?"

"Can… Is there any way I can help?"

The detective doesn't say anything at first, simply watching and listening and clearly focusing on the situation below. For a moment, I wonder if he's forgotten my question entirely, but after several heartbeats, he shakes his head.

"No, not yet."

He returns to focusing on the others, and I watch, silent, as the shadows around Kurogiri spaz. Moving left, then moving right, and phasing a few times. Sensei abruptly stands, his goggles in hand, his movements jerky and angry as he shakes the goggles sharply at the window.

Something shiny catches my eye, the reflection of the lights on his face in odd, clear lines.

He's crying.

I nearly step back in surprise. The tears run freely down his cheeks, catching in his facial hair and disappearing. He ignores them, goggles trembling as he shouts again. My hair stands on end, heart races as Kurogiri's body seems to shudder.

It's him.

The face appears again from beneath Kurogiri's shadows, half hidden in the darkness, like it's trying to break free. It spazzes, lips twitching like they're trying to remember how to speak.

"Hoki," the detective says, turning abruptly to me. "There's a latch directly in front of you, there, yes, it opens into the containment room below. Focus on Kurogiri's outward shadows-"

He stops, head swiveling back to the room with wide eyes.

I look as well, and get a quick glimpse of wide eyes, before shadows explode outward in massive waves.

"Now!"

I unhook the latch, call up the darkness, and it rises instantly to my call.

Thick and inky, I shove it into the weird, air vent-like space and blindly push it through. I can feel the moment it impacts with the shadows, something cold, colder than death seeming to touch my very core. I can hear Uncle Zashi and Aizawa-sensei's voice in the space beyond as I do.

"Shirakumo!"

"SHIRAKUMO!"

The face beneath turns to me, and even in the inky black cloud, I can feel it trying still to fight.

"H-H-Hospital," the boy inside hisses, eyes rolling back as I push against the darkness flooding out of him. It's like trying to move a wall of ice. It spits and crackles, splashing against my own power and chilling me to the bone.

I refuse to let go.

"W-Wait!" I cry, focusing, shaping my fears and reaching out with a hand of shadow to try and shove away the pieces covering him. "N-No!"

"Ga-Garak-"

Something in his gaze seems to stutter, like something snapped off a switch. I can tell immediately that It's too late. The darkness coalesces, flickering but solid, as if pouring out his very skin to create a barrier. He flops forward, unresponsive, and I release my quirk as well, eyes full of tears.

Shirakumo.

I release my quirk, letting the twisting power tumble into smoke, before turning towards my teachers. They both slump defeatedly in their chairs. Shutting the latch, I sigh, feeling miserable and cold.

"H-He s-said Hospital," I tell the detective quietly, rubbing both hands across my arms and only managing to spread the blue liquid across my shivering arms. "Th-That a-and G-Garak- s-someth-thing."

The detective frowns, brows furrowing.

"Garak?" he asks.

I make a face, my whole body trembling. That's what I said, isn't it?

I hold my tongue though, certain I'm in enough trouble as it is. Instead, I nod.

"Y-Yes, sir."

He stares, eyes lingering on my arms clearly covered in goosebumps and a blueish, shimmering dew, before finally nodding and turning away. He removes his headset sighing.

"Thank you. I appreciate your assistance in this." He pauses, brows furrowing as I shiver again. "Are you cold?"

I nod, swallowing thickly, and his frown deepens.

"I don't have any extra clothes here, except for prison uniforms, which… well, that wouldn't be appropriate and your guardian might actually string me up. But, how… how are you… where did the liquid come from?"

I shift uncomfortably, wishing I'd worn my school uniform instead of normal clothes. That, at least, had the tendency to soak up my stupid quirks and wick it away. Once it passed my skin, it usually evaporated in seconds.

Why this wasn't, I wasn't really sure.

Could it be the intensity?

Of Sadness?

"I-It's my quirk," I mumble, shuffling behind him to the door. "I-I-It's s-s-so st-st-stupid."

The detective smiles at that, before shaking his head and waiting for me to pass him by. Once we're both out, he locks the room behind us, and then gestures for me to follow. We descend back to the door Sensei and Uncle Zashi went through, and then step inside to collect them.

It's… sterile.

White-tiled walls and white-tiled floors.

I awkwardly wait by the door, unnerved by adult tears.

They aren't supposed to cry.

Especially, not Sensei.

Anger, frustration, concern, sure. But Sensei doesn't cry. I… I don't know what to do in the face of it.

"Rin?" the blonde asks, turning to face me with red eyes. "What… are you shivering?"

My teeth chatter as I give an awkward shrug.

It would evaporate in a minute or two.

It wasn't even the sadness.

Shirakumo…

He felt so cold. Like ice, in my very bones.

Like loneliness…

Yamada-sensei frowns. Then, glancing over at my guardian, who has yet to pick up his head, turns back to me. He shrugs off his jacket and steps close, dropping it across my shoulders.

The warm leather and expensive cologne envelop me like a hug.

I tug it close, cheeks heating at his kindness.

It hangs on me massively, falling like a dress and stopping at my knees. I burrow myself inside, frowning at his bare shoulders and plain white tank.

"W-Won't y-y-you be c-cold?" I ask, not certain I really want to give the jacket up even if he is.

The memory of that coldness washes through me again, and I wonder how I ever ignored it last time.

Last time your classmates were being kidnapped and hurt.

My blonde honorary uncle manages a half-hearted smile.

"Nah, I've got this."

He makes the absolutely lamest finger gun ever, and then grimaces, turning back towards Kurogiri. The villain doesn't move—doesn't even twitch. Just slumped there, as if some invisible puppeteer had cut his strings.

I swallow.

Locked in a room, tied to a crude metal chair in a straight jacket inside a padded room.

Is this where they'll put Kaito?

"Good work," the detective says, finally, as he removes his hat. "I apologize for the discomfort. Ah… I know you'd wanted to discuss the Hoki case after this, but if you'd prefer to wait-"

"No," Sensei croaks, and he leans forward, expression still hidden as he scrubs at his face. "We should do it now. Somewhere… somewhere not here."

Sensei, bowed by the weight of the situation, doesn't look up.

Part of me wants to reach out and hug him. I think Yamada-sensei feels the same, he gives the dark-haired hero a pained look, hand twitching, before slowly putting it away.

"Ah… Yeah. That's… ah... this way."