Chapter #10: The Clock Ticks On

"You won? Oh, I'm so glad for you!" Manami smiled warmly, reaching out as though to hug her, before clearly realising that it was a bad idea. Conversely, Manami being considerate enough to not hug her was far more comfortable than any affectionate actions that she might have taken—especially considering that Shiori was still reeling slightly from what had happened earlier with Reiji.

She… still didn't understand, and that was the most difficult part.

"Obviously," Shiori said with a shrug. "It was fine. Are you feeling better?"

Manami's cheeks went pink. She nodded after a moment. "I ate a few snacks," she said. "So, uh… dinner?"

"Sure—"

"Manami."

Manami, Shiori and Risu all turned their heads. Standing there was Sakaki Ryoma—the man that Shiori had met in the shopping mall months ago. Next to him was Sakaki Yoko, and behind them, the two Sakaki children—though the Hiiragis weren't here.

Sakaki Ryoma—Manami's father.

"Otou-san," Manami said timidly.

"Let's talk," Ryoma said.

Shiori narrowed her eyes, watching the five of them.

Manami gently squeezed Shiori's hand. "It's okay," she murmured. "I'll be fine. Maybe you and Risu should go somewhere else today."

"… would it be better if I left you be?" Shiori said.

Manami bit her lip—clearly nervous. "Yes," she finally said. "If I need you… I'll tell you."

Shiori felt… reluctant to leave.

Even so, she nodded, respecting Manami's wishes. "See you later," she said. She guided a curious Risu away from the group.

"Shiori," Risu said, glancing at the group. "Is this… okay?"

"… she would know that better than me," Shiori said. "What do you want for dinner?"

"You should be the one picking! It's your big victory, after all!" Risu glanced up at her earnestly. "Don't you feel happy, Shiori? You're acting like this is just a normal day!"

Shiori sighed. She squatted down, meeting Risu's eyes, smiling with just the right amount of delicacy. "Are you happy for me, Risu?" She said softly.

"Of course! Now everyone knows that my big sis is the strongest. I'm really happy, nee-san."

"Then that's all that matters," Shiori said. "I don't care if I won or lost, as long as you're happy. Come on—we should give Manami some space."

She came to a stop a moment later, however, when she remembered something.

So you want to play some kind of game?

Don't be afraid when I up the ante then.

"Shiori-nee-san?"

"It's Friday," Shiori said, and when she smiled, she fully meant it. "Remember what that means?"

Reiji adjusted the hood of his jacket, looking distinctly uncomfortable. They were sitting in a fast food joint together, the three of them. Shiori had stolen his tablet while he was ordering the food, and now that Risu was playing a game on it, he had no way of escaping without seeming rude.

As such, while they waited for the burgers to be ready and Risu began to buy plants for some kind of tower defence game, Shiori and Reiji stared at each other—trying to read the other's intentions.

Shiori broke the silence. "How was it?"

"That question applies to a lot of things," Reiji said—an immediate reply. He'd been ready for her to speak. "I already told you that I was satisfied with your performance."

"If you weren't satisfied, that would be your problem," Shiori said. "I already won. That's all that you asked from me." She shrugged. "You told me that you wanted me to test Sae-san, for your unknown purposes. How is she?"

"I should be the one asking you that," Reiji said. "How strong do you think she is?"

"… she's good," Shiori said. "Stronger than most of LDS."

"… there's a 'but' there," Reiji said. He adjusted his glasses. "What is it?"

"She's not as strong as Manami," Shiori said. "Nowhere close." And that was the problem, wasn't it? Sakaki Manami was just that damnably strong, and Shiori had gotten so used to having someone who was pretty much on the same level as her to talk to. And maybe Reiji, too… the point was, in comparison to Manami and Reiji, anyone else would seem dull to her.

Shiori had felt no challenge at all when dueling Sae, for all that she was interested in the other girl. The outcome had felt predestined, in the end. If she'd saved Anoyatyllis, if she'd used it on the first turn… all of those things would have netted her the duel easily. The only reason that it hadn't happened was because she had decided to play to Sae's speed.

And…

"Fuyutsume Sae," she finally said, "plays too nice for any kind of competitive environment."

Yes, Sae had said that she was tired, and so she didn't want to run around. But there had certainly been an intention to play fair on her part too—she would not have offered that match, standing still, to anyone but Shiori, who did the same.

"You said that there's some kind of danger that will require dueling to solve? Leave her out of it. That girl is far too nice—and she's already working hard for her own motives."

"If I didn't know better," Reiji said, "I would say that you're trying to protect her."

Shiori shrugged. He did know better. She wasn't trying to protect anyone. But for efficiency's sake, that girl should be left alone to grow and fight—that was all.

(If a small part of her wanted to make sure that Manami's old school didn't lose yet another powerful duelist, that was for her to consider later.)

"… well, it was my own assessment as well," Reiji said, conceding the point. "Perhaps we can try again in a few more years, when she's less frail."

Shiori doubted it. The problem with Sae was hardly a lack of skill—it was her character. They couldn't exactly tell her to be less nice—things just didn't work that way.

"That's settled then," Reiji said. "Unless you have anything else that you'd like to ask me about."

A lot of things.

Why me?

A more charismatic figurehead would have played to the crowd today. But Reiji apparently didn't want that.

So what exactly did he want?

Still, Shiori didn't ask, not in front of Risu. The burgers came, and she glanced over to look at the tablet that Risu was holding.

"… snow peas aren't literally made of ice," she commented.

"You're complaining about scientific accuracy in the zombie game," Reiji said—was that genuine snark from him? Hmm… "In that case, if you're done with your questions, we need to discuss PR and how to leverage your victory."

"That'll have to wait," Shiori said with a shrug. "On an unrelated note, I've been doing a few odd jobs, so this is coming out of my own pocket. Risu and I will be in Arctus City for a few days, starting a week from now." Risu, who already knew about it, nodded.

"… you did not inform me of this," Reiji said. His gaze was unreadable. "May I ask why?"

"Practical exams," Shiori said. "I am doing a medical course, after all. You have a lot of influence, but in order to qualify for a degree, I still need to prove that I can do the operations involved. If all's well, they'll let me carry onto the second semester now." Real Solid Vision was often used for simulations like that—to allow people to practise on realistic-looking holograms that would react to their motions. Shiori had found some of their programs online and stolen them, and she'd figured out how to get her duel disk to project select portions of the holograms so that she could practise step by step.

Luckily, she'd pretty much been trained in medical knowledge by her parents since she was a child. She had complete confidence that she could pass.

Let's forget why they taught me, and move on.

"Don't you think that something like this should have been communicated to me? There was hardly a need for you to work other jobs—not when your schedule is already so busy."

Busy? She usually studied at night anyway. What was a few convenience store shifts at night, when she could just study through them with one or two customers around at a time?

"Hardly." Shiori folded her arms. "… I don't feel completely alright with our arrangement, Akaba Reiji. If I can earn my keep myself, I'll feel more comfortable in my own skin."

It was about independence. It was about not fearing that at any moment, her life would be thrust out of her control again.

Reiji watched her. Finally, he reached for one of his fries. He did not speak any further on the matter.

Well, that was assent, as far as Shiori could tell—not that he could have stopped her, anyway.

I'm still not ready for this, huh…

Manami clenched her fists under the table.

It wasn't like they were being cruel to her. No, her father was enquiring about her health, and then her sister had slipped in a casual question about whether she needed to go to the hospital, and Yuya had asked about her deck, and—it was all pleasant. A bit too pleasant.

The kindness might be worse, because…

She already knew what it was all leading up to.

That same question again.

"I'm glad that you're doing well, Manami," her father said. "You did well in your duels throughout this tournament—LDS has been good for your growth."

Manami grimaced.

"So you're not coming back to You Show, right?"

There it was.

"… there are a lot of things that I can't explain," Manami finally said. It was the same thing that she had said back then, but they had all been too angry to listen—their assumptions that she had betrayed them echoed in her head again. It had hurt her greatly back then, to be accused of that. For them to believe, even for a second…

She had admired Uncle Yusho so much. Why would she ever have…

Ayami looked at her. Those blue eyes—their mother's eyes—looked at her.

"Please don't ask why," Manami blurted out. If they asked, and she couldn't answer—she might cry. "But I never forgot, even for a second… people are just cruel. What's the point of sticking to principles if nothing changes? So by becoming stronger—once I become stronger, people will have no choice to acknowledge that we're strong. That's what I wanted. There was no future for us if we kept going on like that."

And what Reiji had told her—that it was very likely that Uncle Yusho had been captured or eliminated by their enemies… of course she wanted to avenge him! But…

She looked at Yuya and Yoko.

She couldn't break their hearts like that, not if she wasn't sure.

"But I never forgot Uncle Yusho! Not even for a second. So please just trust that I know what I'm doing."

And out of everyone there, the one that she looked at in that moment was Ayami.

Ayami, who had been looking away, slowly raised her eyes to look at Manami.

She took after their mother, Manami thought. Their father was doting and yet distant, the strange paradox that came with the typical stoic father. Their mother, however, had a temper like a storm. Manami hadn't inherited it, but Ayami certainly had. She would judge things on the spot and respond immediately.

At the same time, Manami had seen how happy Shiori and Risu were together.

Was it wrong for her to miss the days when her sister looked up to her?

"… Manami," Ayami said. "A few days ago, at school, someone shoved Yuya down a staircase." Yoko let out a gasp, turning to Yuya, who looked mortified. "Things like this just keep on happening. How am I supposed to be okay with the fact that out of all of us, you're the only one who gets to avoid suffering at all? I can't do it."

Avoid…

Avoid suffering?

"… do I have to suffer to be worthy of living up to Uncle Yusho's memory?" Manami said softly. Ayami looked like she'd been punched straight in the gut. "I'm sorry, Ayami. I can't live like that."

That was when someone spoke up.

"And you shouldn't have to," Sakaki Yoko said softly, reaching out and patting the top of Manami's head. For a moment, Manami felt like a kid again. "Enough. That day was a terrible day. We fought because we were all hurting. Let's not do it anymore. You're doing well, aren't you, Manami?"

Faced with this gentleness from her aunt, Manami could only nod—unable to speak. Why did she always tear up so easily?

"Then that's enough. You don't have to explain everything yet—I know the kind girl that Amai and Ryoma raised." Yoko smiled at her. "When you can—then tell us. Don't try to carry everything by yourself, Manami."

She shouldn't try to carry everything… by herself?

"I know about that secret—perhaps not all of it. Akaba Reiji has not actually told me everything. But if the secret makes you scream on the inside, come to me and let it out."

That was right. That person… was there, waiting for her. That person was worried if she was fine, that person would stand up for her against anyone, even her own family. That person had let her into a space that only family could occupy. That person had seen her collapse and worried for her, helped her to a place where she could rest.

"I'll be fine," Manami said, and when she smiled, it was the brightest smile that she'd had since she sat down at this table. And her words were completely true. She believed in herself more now.

She would be fine, eventually.

Ayami eyed her. "… two years, and I'll be in the Junior Youth category too!" She said, crossing her arms. "Then… we'll face off."

"I think you should worry about that Masumi girl first," Manami said, and when her sister sputtered, she raised her hand to her lips, laughing.

Yeah.

Everything would be fine.

For now, she just wanted to go home.

(Her father had not talked again after that.)

"See you soon," Shiori said, as Reiji dropped them off at their house. Risu ran in, calling about taking the shower—something that she never could have done just months prior. The fact that her sister had managed to recover enough to stop clinging to her…

Shiori could thank Maiami City for that, she supposed. Though she was still taking Risu to Arctus City with her, because she was not leaving Risu behind again, not after last time.

Reiji nodded. He turned towards the car.

His hand lingered on the door for a brief moment. That was all the indication that Shiori needed to understand that there was something left unresolved—that they both knew it.

"What do you want from me?" Shiori finally asked. "The role I was supposed to play was that of your loyal duelist. If that was the case, you shouldn't have touched me." She was unable to keep her voice completely calm—for once, she showed a loss of control in front of Akaba Reiji.

"… do you dislike it that much?" Reiji's expression was still frigid—no sign of melting. "Human contact. Does it bother you so much?"

It's warm and soft and gentle and it's disgusting because of all those things, and because of…

"… human contact," Shiori repeated. If they were playing bridge, then there was a single card unrevealed in her hand. The trump, as it were. The single thing in her arsenal that Akaba Reiji had no clue about. However, she didn't play it. "You're right. I can't stand another person touching me."

"Risu." A single word—an accusation.

"She's different." Shiori dismissed it. "She understands. No one else does."

Reiji looked at her. Was that… disappointment in his gaze? It was the first time that he'd looked at her with that kind of emotion in his eyes. Shiori…

Couldn't find it in herself to care.

I'm not your lapdog. If you don't tell me these things, I won't act with them in mind. It's that simple.

"I suppose I'll keep that in mind," Reiji said, turning away—his face once again a mask of indifference. "I suppose I was wrong, after all."

"Wrong…"

"You asked me what I want from you," Reiji said, but it clearly wasn't an answer to her question. Shiori didn't know what exactly he was answering—what else he'd heard from her words, when she had meant nothing else. "What I want, and what I've always wanted, is your best. If you don't understand what that means, it's not my responsibility to tell you."

He began to slip into the car.

"Idiot," Shiori muttered. "If you could just say that from the start, would we be treating each other like this?"

He stopped.

"We're not friends, Akaba Reiji," she said, because they both knew that it was true. "And I am not… used to caring about the opinions of anyone but Risu. I do not search other people out. So if you don't tell me, I can't understand you."

"… do you want to understand? I thought you would prefer to just be told to do things."

"I do," Shiori said. "But…"

And then, she made eye contact with him—she had no clue what was in her gaze, but she did see his eyes widen.

What I wouldn't do to pick at your brain… whatever you're thinking, all those things I don't understand, I want to know them all.

"You're interesting enough," she finally said. "Don't forget. Every duel that I won in this tournament was for you, even if the world doesn't know it. If not for you, I wouldn't have tried in the first place." She stepped forward—not an apology, but an attempt at reconstruction of that strange something that was fraying between them. Like a shutter coming down, Reiji's gaze went narrow and sharp. Shiori wasn't fazed. "If all you really wanted was my best, then you have it. Just ask. When I come back from Arctus, let's duel. You still owe me."

"… I suppose I do." Reiji's tone wasn't entirely cold when he responded. "See you next Friday."

"I'll cook."

"Then I'm sure it'll be a good excuse for me to call off sick the next day," Reiji returned.

Shiori watched his car go.

… had Akaba Reiji just made a joke?

She raised a hand, fingers pressing against her lips. Flat, dry skin. … no. It was just her imagination. For a moment, she'd thought that she had… smiled. But she hadn't intended to, so she definitely hadn't.

… it was cold. She headed back inside.

There was a knock on her door, about fifteen minutes after she got home.

Shiori got up and peeked through the peephole, before she reached down and unlocked the door. "It's late," she said. "You shouldn't head back to LDS at this time. You can take my bed—I'll take the couch. What's wrong? Are you upset?"

Manami shook her head, before she smiled at Shiori earnestly. "No," she said. "Things went well. I just wanted to come over."

"… well, that's illogical. You won't get a better rest here than you would in your own bed." Still, Shiori didn't mind her presence. It was probably just one of those Manami things again—strangely sentimental. "It went well, then?"

"It went well," Manami confirmed.

"… I'm surprised. Things looked like they were tense."

"They are, but…" Manami shook her head. "Parents can be very strict, and sometimes, they're different because they live in a different world from us. But I do believe that they always care, in the end."

Shiori looked at her. That was very naive. There were plenty of terrible parents in the world, and two of them had only recently exited Shiori's own life. Shiori did not have the hope that she could ever reconcile with those people.

Sometimes, people were just not fit to be parents.

… but that was her. She would not make assumptions about Manami's family situation. If things could get better for her…

Then they should.

"That's good," Shiori said. "That you can believe that, I mean."

Manami beamed. "How about you and Akaba Reiji? Did it go well?"

"… well enough," Shiori replied. She tilted her head slowly. "… how'd you know about the fact that we ate together today?"

"… Shiori," Manami said, folding her arms. "I have eyes."

"… yes, I know you do," Shiori said, still not understanding the other girl's insight. "They're brown, and you haven't developed myopia despite your tendency to read all day. What does that have to do with Akaba Reiji and I?"

Manami looked at her, before smiling again. "Nothing," she said. "I just meant that… uh, I see you hanging out sometimes. Plus, it makes sense that he would eat with you to celebrate."

"It wasn't a celebration." Shiori didn't know why she was explaining—it would be far easier to let Manami think that it was a one-time thing. (Back when they'd celebrated Christmas together and Manami had asked, she'd just played it off, after all.) "We eat together on Fridays."

"Oh? So he didn't congratulate you?"

Shiori blinked. "He said that he was satisfied with my performance."

"That's all?" At her nod, Manami let out a quiet groan, leaning back against the couch. "You're both killing me."

"What did I do?"

"Well… nothing. It's a 'me' thing." Manami looked very amused though. "Thanks for letting me stay over, Shiori."

"Any time." Shiori found that she meant it. "I don't mind." She sat back down, taking out her deck and casually sliding her hand across the cards, she frowned as she spotted something different. She carefully drew out the card with the blue border.

"I didn't know you had a Ritual Monster," Manami commented, looking over her shoulder.

"… I don't." Shiori said quietly. She stared at the figure on the card. All of a sudden, she felt very tired—the same kind of tiredness that had filled her after her duel with Sae.

I know that supernatural things exist—I've always known. After all, when I sleep, I…

Is this one of them?

She slid it back into her deck. "I'll think about it later," she said.

"… Shiori. Are you okay?"

Shiori nodded. "Just tired," she said. "I might go to sleep."

Manami clearly understood the silent question, because she smiled. She stood up, patting Shiori's shoulder—making sure that skin didn't touch skin. "You should do that," she said. "I'm taking the couch though."

"I'm so proud of you! Ah, I could cry!"

"You are crying, dad!" Yuzu put her hands on her hips, clearly embarrassed by her father's theatrical actions. "Geez… but you did well, Sae!"

"Thanks." Sae shrugged. "She was better this time though—that's all there really is to it." She held out a file to Shuzo. "Here, Shuzo-san."

"What is it?" Wiping at his eyes, he took the file from her.

"An offer for formal duels between You Show and another Duel School. Someone approached me afterwards with it and I negotiated. I hope that's fine."

It was no surprise to her when Shuzo burst into tears again.

"So you and Yuya are coming along with me," Sae said. "Ayami already agreed that you two should get the chance." She hummed. "It'll be good to see Hikage and Tsukikage again…"

She was glad that she felt better now—she'd felt a bit light-headed earlier.

"But why didn't you use Freezing Aeon, Sae? You'd have destroyed that monster of hers in a single hit!"

Sae's smile faded.

Yes, why? Most of the time, she kept that creature out of duels unless it was absolutely necessary. But there'd been a few times when she'd used it, of course—

She loved that monster, as much as she hated it.

She had thought about it, this morning—but she'd been struck with a strange premonition, one that told her you shouldn't, you shouldn't. She'd listened to it, because it'd never steered her wrong before.

(It had warned her before she'd gotten into that car. If only she'd listened, she could have avoided everything.)

"Freezing Aeon has 2800 attack points," she pointed out. "It'd have been in the same position as Valkyrus. Anyway, Fujishiro-san won fair and square. Let's not talk about it anymore." She stretched her arms. "Guess that the rest won't be joining us. Let's get pizza for dinner. My treat."

"Thank you for your cooperation." The blonde woman rose from her chair, shaking hands with her business partner. "I trust that you won't speak of this to anyone until the products are out."

"Naturally, Sakaki-san. Thank you for your trust in us."

Sakaki Amai stood up, glancing at the television screen above. Sensing her desire to leave, her host stood up as well, pulling her daughter along with her.

"Does dueling interest you, Sakaki-san?" Eileen Kovalnoff looked up at the screen. "Ah, Olga is rather interested in that too. Isn't that right?" The red-haired girl nodded at her mother, also having been watching the duels throughout the night.

"Oh, it's less dueling and more the Championship itself," Amai said. "My daughters were participating in the tournament today."

"… and you're here negotiating a business deal?"

"I am the breadwinner of the family," Amai said with a shrug. "Though I should congratulate Ayami on winning. Maybe I'll give her some of the new candies that I developed."

"What about your other daughter? That must be… the older blonde girl who withdrew in the semifinals, right?"

"… I suppose," Amai said noncommittally. "Ryoma and I weren't exactly the ones to teach both of them to duel—that was my brother-in-law. Still, they're very capable in their own right." She picked up her bag. "If our business is done, I'll be heading back to Maiami City now."

"U-um, wait!" The red-haired girl glanced upwards, a shy look on her face. "So you know… how to duel? Can you duel me?"

"Can you duel me, mum? Uncle Yusho taught me a new trick!"

Amai felt the corner of her lips curl up. "Sure," she said. "Just one duel though. I do have to get home soon."

And when we get home, you'd better have made up with our daughter, Ryoma. Or you're sleeping on the couch for another month.

In the kitchen, a plate dropped.

Fujishiro Isao walked into the kitchen. His wife was standing there, staring at the tablet. It didn't take a genius to understand why—a familiar figure was on the screen.

He didn't say anything. He didn't talk to her either.

They both knew what was to be done.

"Reiji-san. That girl."

Reiji raised his head. "What is it?"

"Fuyutsume Sae." Himika narrowed her eyes. "She's their daughter, isn't she?"

"Her last name should have been enough of an indication for you."

"Still, her parents worked closely with your father. Surely—"

"And they are dead." Reiji adjusted his glasses. "Enough, mother. We cannot judge children by their parents." That hit a sore point for both of them. Reiji saw his mother open her mouth and close it again, before she exited the room.

… Reiji didn't know when they'd gotten this distant from each other. But the gap was noticeable, at this point.

He sighed.

Enough.

Today should have felt like a day for celebration. After all, everything had gone according to plan. Even Sakaki Manami suddenly feeling unwell, while unexpected, had gotten rid of the only factor that might have caused Shiori to lose on purpose. Shiori would never have lost after that—not when she felt like she was representing Manami too.

He had his figurehead—a role that he couldn't play himself. Most people considered him completely out of reach, just because he was already a Pro. But people would look at Fujishiro Shiori and acknowledge her strength—and yet feel that she was within reach, if they tried harder. If they got stronger, if they joined LDS…

She would become the figure, just out of sight, that would convince people to keep trying to reach higher. And that, in turn meant that while waiting for his father to make his move, the duelists of Standard would always get stronger.

(A Fusion duelist, focused on countering Special Summons, playing what he would consider an ideal Fusion deck… did it need to be said that making her this legendary figure would train people to fight Fusion decks specifically?)

But, at the same time…

It was counterintuitive, but a part of Reiji almost hoped that she would keep on winning.

"Every duel that I won in this tournament was for you, even if the world doesn't know it."

Reiji leaned forward, his head pressing against his arm—the knuckles of his clenched fist kneading into the skin of his forehead.

Nakajima had told him that he should share some of his plans. But Reiji did not trust that girl enough.

Nor, he thought, does she trust you enough to share her thoughts.

This was fine.

For now, he just had to consider their success—and prepare for the future.

End Notes:

Wow, it's been a long time. Welcome back—sorry. Life has been busy.

Arctus is just a name for a different city in Standard, since Standard's geography isn't exactly identical to ours. Probably won't be that important.

We're done with what I would consider 'Arc 1' of this story now (we're not counting by dimensions). The next arc should cover everything up to canon. We're really going into it now! This next arc is pretty fun to write—we all know how I like screwing with canon. But yeah, this chapter bridges the gap between resolving the first arc and starting the next one—thus, all the plot threads.

While we're still going to get to canon pretty quickly, I thought that it would be a shame to start so far ahead of canon without setting up the characters properly. Plus, playing with the butterfly effect is fun. :) By the time we get to canon's starting point, things are going to be… hmm, different, to say the least.

As usual, we cannot go a single chapter without me melting as I write Manami and Shiori's friendship. And yes, it really is just friendship… curse myself for giving them this level of cuteness. YGO needs more female friendships :D

Conversely, Shiori and Reiji's very weird… acquaintance (?) is the hardest part for me to write. I'm not kidding when I say that I tend to rewrite those sections four or five times, and usually, it takes me longer to get a grip on their interaction than for me to write the rest of the chapter. It's just not the type of dynamic I'm used to writing—but that's fun too, haha.

Obviously, SITM's education system is far more accepting of prodigies and in general, places a lot of emphasis on having people learn at their own speed. A lot of that is under worldbuilding itself, and will probably be explained better by Shiori in the future instead of me now. But in general, the existence of Solid Vision makes training for skill-based things far easier.

As for Arc 2… Shiori is still going to be our main character throughout the entire story! But it's also where many of the canon characters start to get their turn in the spotlight. Plus, as much as I like writing Shiori's sweeps, we'll all get bored if it happens too regularly.

This chapter and the next chapter both don't have a duel for now—we're dealing with the aftermath.

See you next time! Whenever that is :)