"Lady Tamamo." A mild-mannered scientist called out. The kitsune turned to her, towering over the young woman as she did.

"What is it?" She asked, already growing impatient.

"The test subject has accepted the treatment." She said. "Using the same technology that we used with Giganto weapon, we were able to restore most of her brain, along with her central nervous system. However, her personality traits, her identity... All of them are gone. Mostly, at least."

"So... she is little more than a biological weapon now, just like Giganto. It's an improvement, really." Tamamo said. "And what about her power?"

"It's not as high as it was before. The issue is, during her battle with the hero, she burned away a lot of her mass to keep up the fight. She eventually ran out of steam, clearly, and lost the battle. Still, most of it should've been intact, if it weren't for her body decaying. She's been dead for around two weeks now, and most of her cells have died. Restoring them has taken a major effort, but she should at the least be functional now. From our current estimations, it would be around another week until she can fight on the frontlines." The scientist explained, gaining a surprising confidence as she talked about her field of expertise.

"On top of all that, her use of Aztec Rose has almost completely destroyed her nervous system. As I said before, her tissue was easy to replace, but her nerves were not. Her peripheral nerves are still being worked on, but she should be able to think once more. This means she'll be able to use her magic properly. She'll need a few men to get power back to where we want it, but that should be no issue."

"Show me." She said. "Let me see what she can do."

"M-my lord, she's not ready yet. I don't think putting her through any tests would be wise."

Tamamo raised an eyebrow at the scientist's words. "You wouldn't be trying to tell me what to do, would you..?" She asked, her fluffy, yet still menacing tails sweeping across the floor as she did.

"N-no! Of course not, my lord! I'll bring you to her, right away." She said, her voice dripping with fear.

"Good," Tamamo said as she lowered her tails. The girl discreetly let out a sigh of relief. She beckoned the ancestor, and she soon followed the scientist.

"We've tried adding actual technology directly onto her body, but it never really worked. Connecting the electronics to the nervous system is beyond us, for now." She explained. "Still, she should prove useful. The only issue I can see is that she only listens to commands from her registered owner. In a high-intensity environment like the one she'll be sent into, it could prove troublesome."

"I see..." Tamamo said. "And who is her owner right now?"

"It hasn't been set yet, my lord. She's still asleep." The scientist said. She suddenly stopped moving when she reached the back of the laboratory. Remina was quite busy today, with having both Giganto weapon and Kanon here at the same time. Both were being studied by almost every scientist in the building, which only served to annoy Tamamo No Mae as they got in the way.

The scientist then walked up to the container in the centre of the room. She twisted a large valve, which opened the metal container. Steam emanated from the opening, obscuring the figure inside. Once it cleared, Tamamo got a good look at her.

Even if the Ancestor didn't like to admit it, Kanon was quite the good-looking monster, but now, she was truly an abomination. Her skin was just... wrong. Everything about her was wrong. Her once bright and vibrant vines and flowers were now wilted and weak. She had only one eye left, the other one colourless and empty. All the colour was drained out of her, leaving her whole body a strange shade of greyish-green.

Hmm... Yes, this will do nicely...

"T-Ta... Tam.. Ta..." The ancestor muttered the beginning of a name. Tamamo raised an eyebrow, surprised that she could still speak. It was only then that she realised she was speaking through telepathy, and not with her actual mouth.

"Welcome back, dear sister." She said. "You've been slacking for a long time now. The rest of us have had to pull your weight while you were gone. But now, you are back. Isn't that great?" She asked as she approached the Alraune. Kanon's expression did not change.

"T-Ta... Tam.." She continued to say. Tamamo rolled her eyes, even torturing her sister was boring.

Well, it's still some good news at least. One more weapon to use against Ilias. Now we just have to worry about what she's been up to as of late... Something tells me this won't be easy.

"Put her back." She ordered. "Contact me when she is ready to fight. Oh, and register me as her owner."

"...Yes, my lord. And you will do as we requested..?" The scientist asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

"I will," Tamamo said. "Minagi has been distracted here for too long... She'll be out of your hair soon."

"Thank you." The scientist said, lightly bowing towards the ancestor. Tamamo nodded and left the laboratory. Her sister needed to be reminded that they were still in the middle of a war, and the ancestor was fine with being the one to do it.

I need to get out of here! Who do these angels think they are, putting me in a cell like this!?

"What the hell is going on!" Ilias shouted as she paced around her cell. "Nothing makes sense anymore. Why am I in a prison!? And why am I so small!? What the hell happened to me!?"

The small Goddess banged her head against the wall of her cell as she pondered her situation. The action was as meaningless and pointless as the last thirty times she had done it.

"And this cell, it's so dusty! And stuffy! And dark! And what the hell is that smell? This is not an environment befitting a goddess!" Ilias pouted.

"Quiet!" The angelic guard shouted. "Stop causing a ruckus!"

Ilias's anger only increased as the guard shouted at her. Why was one of her own subordinates trying to order her? Ilias had no idea. For some reason, they failed to recognize her as their goddess. There's no way her angels would make such a huge blunder, right?

No, of course they wouldn't. This must be the word of Alipheese, or that damn Kitsune. They're just toying with me... somehow...

"What now..?" Ilias wondered aloud.

Think Ilias, think... There's a guard outside my cell, a Valkyrie, to be specific. She doesn't look to be too strong... Perhaps I could take her myself?

But, I already tested my power earlier... Why? Why am I so weak now!?

At times like these, I wish Lucifina were here. She would just Daystar the whole building down. If only I had her skills...

"Who are you!?" The Valkyrie suddenly shouted. "State your name!" She ordered. Ilias looked outside her cell, so she could see what the cause of the commotion was.

"Get her!" A childish voice said. She sounded like a little girl, but for some reason, Ilias felt like she had heard it somewhere before.

The Goddess watched as a figure, shrouded in the darkness of the outside of Ilias's cell, pinned the Valkyrie down single-handedly. Another slightly smaller figure approached and helped keep the angel down.

"Alright, knock her out." Another childish voice said, though this one sounded more like that of a boy. Ilias definitely recognized that one.

W-What the hell! Luka!? Why is he here!?

The angel was struck in the head by the hero, who gently laid her down on the floor. Ilias's eyes widened as the boy stood up, his purple hair visible even through the darkness.

"It's been a while, Ilias," Luka said. He looked at the now shrunken goddess. She wore clothes similar to what he remembered her wearing, but smaller and... quite revealing, strangely.

"Seven years, to be exact," Tamamo added. Ilias backed up as far as she could upon seeing the Kitsune in the flesh.

"W-What is going on!" She shouted, her voice riddled with fear. "Why are you here?"

"I'll explain later," Luka said as he knelt down to the unconscious angel beside him. He took a ring of keys from her pouch, and used it on the cell door, freeing the now-sealed Goddess.

"No, you'll explain everything right now!" Ilias demanded, trying and failing to sound as imposing as possible.

"You're in no position to demand anything of us." Tamamo reminded the Goddess. "You're lucky you're even alive right now. You haven't forgotten that time when you tried to destroy the whole world, did you?"

"I-I...This is..." Ilias was in shock at the words. Luka tried to slowly approach the little angel, but she only ran into the corner, frightened of the pair.

"Ilias... It's okay." Luka said. "We're not going to hurt you. In fact, we're here to save you!" He explained. Ilias did not believe the hero.

"Y-You aren't mad?" She asked.

"Of course I'm still angry about what you did... But we need you." He said. "To be honest, I agree with Tamamo, though I don't think there'd be any reason to kill you when you're so weak. If it wasn't for White Rabbit... I might've just left you here..." Ilias's fear only increased at the hero's words. "No... I probably would've still saved you. But that doesn't matter, we're here now. We have to get going now, before another guard shows up." He explained.

Ilias continued to cower in the corner for a while longer, but eventually turned to the hero.

"I promise, I won't hurt you, Ilias. Neither of us will." Luka said.

"Well... okay." She said. The hero smiled as she left the cell.

"Alright. Stick with us, I know a way out of here." He said. Ilias, who was still unsure about the whole situation, did not respond verbally, instead opting to just stay close to him, and away from the ancestor. Said ancestor had turned back into her human form once more, surprising the goddess. It was not a form Tamamo was overly fond of, but that wasn't the issue.

Will she really not hurt me..? Should I trust them?

Do I even have a choice?

Luka gently picked the small goddess up as he made his way out of the building. Ilias was thoroughly embarrassed by the action but decided to bare with it for now. Tamamo followed close behind, making sure to keep an eye on the goddess the whole way. She was entertained by the now somewhat cute goddess's reaction to her current position on Luka's back. Once they were finally outside, the group hid in an alleyway, after making sure it was empty first, of course.

"Alright, it's getting pretty late... I think we should camp outside the town, rather than going to an Inn. They're probably on the lookout for Ilias."

"Sounds good to me," Tamamo said.

"Well, I might as well get some ingredients for tonight, and I've been running out of camping equipment... I'll be right back," Luka said. "Meet me outside."

"Got it," Tamamo said as she watched the hero leave the alleyway. Once he was gone, she made her own way out, with the little angel following behind her, but not very closely. Ilias remained silent the whole way, surprising the Kitsune. Tamamo could feel the fear coming from the angel, but she couldn't blame her. Her fear was certainly not unfounded. If they didn't actually need Ilias, she wouldn't be alive right now.

"We can wait here," Tamamo said. Ilias kept a fair distance from the Kitsune, still as silent as before. After a few minutes, Luka returned, holding a bag of things he bought in his hand.

"Get everything?" Tamamo asked. Luka nodded. "Let's get going then."

"Here," Luka said as he offered Ilias a bowl of soup. The Goddess took it hesitantly, still sceptical about the whole situation. After giving her the food, Luka returned to the log he was sitting on previously. Tamamo sat beside him, with Ilias on the other side of the fire. The Kitsune finished her portion in record time, surprising even Luka. He suspected she might have something to do with his wife's intense gluttony.

Or at the very least, she did nothing to stop it. And now I have to pay the price.

"Are you sure about this?" Tamamo asked under her breath, making sure Ilias didn't hear her, not that she would care too much if she did.

"We don't really have a choice." Luka pointed out. He looked at the little angel sitting on a rock across from him. He was unsure of how to feel about her. For one, he still remembers the time she tried to kill him and his whole family, which definitely soured his perception of her, but he also remembered the time she saved his life. There was also that time she killed him in this world...

I can't blame her for the actions of this world's Ilias. I suppose I'll just have to try not to think about it.

Still, White Rabbit said this is the same Ilias that I used to know. I wonder, how much does she remember? She recognized me...

And if she is that one, then she tried to destroy the whole world and replace it with her own loyal, mindless slaves.

But she did save me... I don't know. Does she even remember that? Does it make up for all the wrong she's done?

Of course not. One good action does not wash out the bad.

It's up to her. Does she want to be good? Or will she stray down the same path she has before?

...

"Ilias," Luka called out. The Goddess raised her head and looked at the boy. "What do you remember? From before all this?" He asked.

Ilias hesitated for a few moments, almost scared to answer the hero, and Tamamo's hostile glares weren't helping.

"I... I remember some things." She admitted. "I remember you. I remember Alice, Tamamo and everyone else. But... I don't know why I'm here, or even where I am." She explained. Luka could see a glint of fear in the young angel's eyes.

She must be terrified, and rightfully so. If we look at this from her perspective, she's probably questioning why she isn't already dead.

"Seven years ago, we fought in Heaven," Luka said. "It was a long fight, but I eventually came out on top, with the help of a lot of others. Since then, me and Alice got married, coexistence spread far and wide, and the world moved on." He said bluntly. Ilias was shocked at the news. She had faint memories of her battle with the hero, but she knew nothing of the events that followed it. Hell, she didn't even know she lost.

"Around a month and a half ago, Black Alice reappeared," Luka said. Ilias shuddered at the mention of the name. "She was different though. She had a new power. It was holy and dark combined, which made Chaos. She was now the third Goddess, and she wanted to see me, for whatever reason. Anyways, she ended up sending me here, to another world."

"A-another world!?" Ilias exclaimed. "That's preposterous!"

"I know. I was surprised too, at first. It took me a bit, but I eventually found out this world was still in the time of the Great Monster Wars." He revealed. Ilias still looked as shocked as before, but Luka continued on regardless. "I explored for a while and ended up re-contracting with the spirits. I fought Tamamo No Mae, Morrigan, Lucifina, Kanon, and Micaela. Eventually, I ended up in Heaven itself, fighting you."

"What... How is this..." The Goddess muttered.

"I was there for a few reasons, but we'll get to that later. All you need to know is, it ended up with us having to come here and find you."

"But... why?" Ilias asked, bewildered. "What do you want me for?"

"I can't say," Luka said. "You'll just have to trust us for now."

"You really expect me to trust the man who rebelled against me and one of my mortal enemies?"

"Well... you don't really have a choice." He pointed out. "Anyway, it's getting late. We don't have to go back to Gelon right away, do we?"

"I don't see any reason to stay any longer than we need to," Tamamo said. "Shouldn't we just head back to the port in the morning?"

"We've already seen how Alipheese rules her kingdoms, but for Ilias, we've only seen San Ilia, and there are no angels there, or at least, there weren't when I went. It's important that we see both sides of the war. And it's not like we're in a rush to get back anyway."

But, from what I have seen in San Ilia, I don't think her rule is all that great... Not that I expected it to be.

"So what do you suggest? A full tour..?" Tamamo asked.

"No... We'll just visit a few towns on the way to the port. It'll add about a day or so of travel time, but we should be able to see just how people live under Ilias's rule." Luka explained.

"Hmm... I guess that's fine." Tamamo said. "You should try to get both sides of the story before making a final verdict... And what about her?" Tamamo pointed at Ilias. "What if she tries to run away?"

"The whole continent is probably on the lookout for her. Going out on her own is dangerous, whereas if she's with us, she knows we can at least protect her. Right, Ilias?" Luka said.

"I suppose..." She answered. The angel looked up at the hero. He did not look overly different from what she remembered, although she did notice he had grown slightly. Whether or not this observation was biased thanks to her small perspective, she would have to find out later.

He's different from the Luka I knew, a bit more mature... He said it was seven years since we fought, and he said I lost... Then, why did I only appear now? How did I even get here?

"Well, I'm going to head to sleep then. Ever since I entered this form I've been feeling more and more tired... Goodnight." Tamamo while yawning.

"Goodnight," Luka said. The Kitsune flopped onto the soft grass, leaned her head against the log, and got comfortable, wrapped up in her own tails. Once she had fallen asleep, Luka turned back to Ilias.

"So... you're probably really confused right now."

"You think?" Ilias said sarcastically.

"That's alright though. I can explain whatever you want. I don't mind." Luka said.

"...Then, how did Black Alice come back?" Ilias asked.

"I... don't know," Luka admitted. "Not really, anyway. I have an explanation for it, but I can't really wrap my head around it. Half of it still doesn't make sense to me."

"Haah... You're really not being helpful you know." Ilias said. "Let's move on then... Just how many worlds are there now?"

"Yeah... I'm not really the person you should ask for this kind of stuff. But Reaper never mentioned any other worlds, and I'm pretty sure they implied this one and our original world are the only ones left."

"Left..?" Ilias asked, even more confused now. "You mean there was more out there?"

"Sort of. In the past there was. Or would it be the future...?"

Ilias, now even more annoyed at Luka's terrible explanations, changed the topic before it got any worse.

I'll just have to ask someone else about what's really going on. Luka clearly has the same two brain cells that he's always had. Some things just never change...

"Nevermind... Here's a question you can answer, and not give me a stroke as you try to explain it... What happened after you 'beat' me." Ilias said, quoting the word with her fingers, as though she didn't really believe it.

"Well, the angels all surrendered after your fall. Heaven disappeared too. Eventually, all that holy mana fell to Earth, and magical power exploded. Humans could perform magic almost as well as angels could, with proper training of course. Monsters started to train humans too, some in the way of magic or swordsmanship, and others in the way of... pleasure skills." Luka admitted. "Still, with all three major races coexisting, the world has never been more united."

"So you mean, coexistence worked..?"

Luka hesitated before giving the obvious answer, surprising the Goddess. Eventually, his face soured slightly.

"Sort of..." He said. "Its... It's not exactly what I hoped for. Sure, almost everyone is living together, and people are working with each other, and trying to understand one another every day. Monsters marry humans, humans marry angels, et cetera... But, every day I hear nothing but complaints. There'd always be some new problem with coexistence that we didn't foresee, or there'd be a monster breaking the law, or an angel attacking a monster..."

"And then there's the more voracious monsters and their bad habits... Even if almost all of the victims were willing, it still can't be allowed to continue... The amount of humans dying to monsters has also dropped significantly, and the same for the amount of monsters to humans. Angels still bicker over living in the same area with monsters, but after Micaela took the reins, it wasn't so bad. At least they weren't going to try and rebel any time soon."

"But... It isn't all you hoped it would be?" Ilias asked. Luka slowly nodded.

"Ha! Told you!" She exclaimed, almost proud of the achievement. "Monsters will never accept coexistence! The only possible way for coexistence to be achieved is with angels on top, humans in the middle, and monsters miles below them." Luka rolled his eyes as the goddess spoke. Even now, he still believed in his dream, even if it took longer to achieve than he thought it would.

I'm sure, in a few decades maybe, our differences won't be so glaring. With education, and people getting more used to being around one another, coexistence will only strengthen. For now, there haven't been any major issues. It's just little things.

"You're wrong Ilias," Luka said. "Anyway... Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Yeah! Why am I sealed!" Ilias said, a little too loud for Luka's taste. They were still in enemy territory. What if an angel wanted to investigate the cause of the shouting?

"Shut up!" Tamamo roared, surprising Luka. She was now sitting up, her attention focused on the goddess. "Stop shouting so loud! People are trying to sleep here!"

"Oh... sorry." Luka apologised.

"Why are you apologising? She was the one who was shouting." She pointed out. "Haah... whatever. Just answer her question so we can all finally get to sleep." Tamamo said as she leaned back on the log.

"She wants to know why she's sealed," Luka explained.

"Uh-huh, I heard her." The Kitsune said. "Hmm... Well, the obvious answer would be Angel Halo but... Ilias, how much power do you have left?"

"What..? How does that matter?" Ilias asked.

"Just answer the question," Tamamo said impatiently, already eager to get back to sleep.

"I don't know!" Ilias said. "Why would I!"

Or well, I do know. I tested it earlier... But I don't know the exact level or anything...

"Seriously... What would your followers think if they saw you like this..." Tamamo muttered.

"How about you try and use one of your spells," Luka suggested.

"Oh, right..." The angel said. Ilias stood up and gathered some holy energy, channelling it through her body.

"Thunder!" She shouted. Suddenly, a small spark hit Luka.

"Ouch." He said as he rubbed the top of his head. "Hey! Why'd you aim it at me!"

"Oh shut up," Ilias said. "Also, what the hell! Why was it so weak..."

"This is odd," Tamamo commented. "Normally, being sealed would leave her with roughly ten percent of her power... But that was around zero point one percent."

"What!" Ilias shouted. "That's not fair!"

"But why?" Luka wondered. "How come it's so much less than usual."

Tamamo shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's something to do with her being a goddess. I guess we'll figure it out later. I'm sure Promestein won't mind if we ask her to take a look at it. Anyway, both of you should get to sleep."

"Right," Luka said.

"I'm only going to sleep because I want to go to sleep, not because you told me to," Ilias said. Both Luka and Tamamo ignored the Goddess as they prepared to sleep for the night. It was a cold night, and they only had one tent. Tamamo had her tails, Luka and Ilias on the other hand...

"I suppose we'll have to share for tonight," Luka suggested.

"As if I would ever do that!" Ilias said, still as annoyed as ever. "I'll be fine out here."

"Well, if you say so..." Luka said as he crawled into the tent.

Hmm... I guess we'll be exploring the towns here tomorrow. I wonder what people have to go through under Ilias's rule..?

"Ahhhhh!" A man shouted as he spluttered the last of his energy into the succubus, his body becoming a dry husk as he did.

"Fufu... that was delicious..." Morrigan said as she licked her lips. "Thanks for the meal!" The succubus jumped off the man, picked up his body, and dropped him onto the pile.

"Morrigan... What did I say?" Minagi asked, looking up at her disobedient daughter as she drained a man with her aura. The ancestor was already busy pleasuring multiple men at once, but she always had time for the reckless girl.

"Sorry..." She said. "It's not my fault they're so weak! I mean, he only lasted seven times before dying!"

"Have more control of yourself," Minagi ordered. "Our lord has ordered us to try and preserve Remina's population, and killing off all the males isn't a great way of going about that." Morrigan hung her head in shame. Her sisters, Lilith and Astaroth, decided to stay out of it. They had already produced plenty of husks on their own, and they didn't want to be blamed too.

"Well, as long as you are sorry, it's okay," Minagi said. "Besides, he certainly enjoyed it."

"But why do we have to go for all the old ones!?" Morrigan complained. "Everyone knows they don't taste as good!"

"Because they are of little use to Remina. They can no longer work. Really, we're just ridding the city of the useless. Besides, I thought I taught you not to discriminate. Just because there a little bit older doesn't mean they are undeserving of the pleasure we can offer, does it?"

"I guess..." Morrigan pouted from being told off by her mother, yet again.

It's always me! Why don't Lilith or Astaroth ever get the blame!? She's always picking on me! It's so unfair!

"Minagi."

The ancestors was un-surprised by the presence of the newcomer. She had known of her presence for a while now, and she had already suspected Alipheese would send someone in to check on them.

"Tamamo." Minagi turned to her sister. The Kitsune stood at the other end of the room, her face partially covered by her signature fan.

"I assume you know what I am here for?" She asked. Minagi already felt bored by the conversation. Right now, all she wanted to do was get back to feasting on the men here.

"What, did you want to join in?" Minagi asked with a sly smile, much to the annoyance of the Kitsune.

"I am not a mindless whore like you," Tamamo said bluntly. "I don't just offer myself to every man in a thirty-mile radius."

"And that's why nobody will ever want you," Minagi laughed a little at her own joke, before returning to her normal, seductive ways. "Anyways, what is it you want?"

"The Remina science team has requested for me to put an end to your debauchery here. According to them, they've had over ten scientists go missing ever since you started your... party." Tamamo No Mae explained as she looked around the large room.

There were a small pile of corpses, each one a dried-up corpse, all drained by either Minagi or one of her daughters, in the corner of the room. It was not as large as the one's Tamamo No Mae had made herself, but it wasn't exactly small either. Still, it was miniscule compared to how many men Minagi would normally feast on, especially when all three of her daughters were there too. Multiple runes could be seen on the floor, each one there to either increase the efficiency of the harvest, or to stop the prey from escaping, or even thinking of it.

She really hasn't changed at all. I mean, just look at this place! Have some decency at least...

"Hmm... I cannot promise all of them will be returned." Minagi said. "Most of them would be unwilling to part with me..."

"And some of them are already dead, is that right?" Tamamo asked. Minagi did not answer, but her silence told the Kitsune all she would need to know.

"Just because they were old doesn't mean they weren't valuable." She scolded. "Perhaps you should try doing a little thing called thinking before you succumb to your... instincts."

"Like your one to talk..." Minagi responded. "Or do I need to remind you of what happened to the last King of Remina?"

"Are you seriously bringing this up again?" Tamamo scowled. "It's not my fault! He was begging for it! I didn't mean to take his soul! It was just... an instinct..."

"And then Ilias used that information as propaganda against us," Minagi said, the tables now turned in the conversation. "If your going to act like the responsible one here, at least go all the way." Tamamo's anger only rose with each word from her sister.

Relax, Tamamo... This is a war. It's not time for such childish debates like this.

"Will you do as I asked?" Minagi did not answer at first, but when Tamamo reminded her that Alipheese was backing her up, she submitted.

"Good." The Kitsune said as she took her leave. "And clean this place up." She added. "The fighting is starting back up, and you've gathered enough energy. You're all to be on the frontlines in two days' time." Lilith's eyebrows furrowed as the ancestor commanded them like they were her servants.

Damn fox, do you really think you can order us around? We'll show you...

"Do as she asked," Minagi ordered. "We've had enough fun here. It's time to go find some better prey."

"You mean... Angels are finally back on the menu!?" Morrigan wondered gleefully.

"Indeed," Minagi said happily. "Who knows? Perhaps we might even finally get our hands on Micaela herself."

Morrigan and her sisters had wide smiles upon hearing the news. All of them had wanted to toy with the Seraph for a long time now, but none more so than Minagi. And now, she might just be able to do it.

Hehe... And what about that Hero I've heard so much about..? Maybe we could eat him up as well... Only time will tell.

Notes

Ilias isn't too happy with the recent state of affairs. Kanon is essentially a brain-dead war machine, and the Great Monster Wars look no closer to ending, in fact, they only seem to be ramping up again.

There are now two Ilias's, two Tamamos, and two Luka's! This is getting really confusing...