Dreams and Desires

Chapter 25

Broken

*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.

The partners in crime touched down once more upon the coast of the Dark Island, both very content with taking it easy for the rest of the night. It had been a pretty long day, one involving a successive pair of round trips across the Endless Sea. The hours of training certainly didn't help matters, and Lloyd could barely feel his arms from the crushing weight he had been carrying. The first trip back had been bad enough, but the stolen sewing machine was far less draining than lugging around a person.

Lloyd began slowly trudging towards the Celestial Clock, but something just felt off. Harumi saw it immediately, for there was a lingering limp in his step that definitely hadn't been there before. His gait was noticeably misaligned, causing him to lean heavily on his right leg as he hobbled along. Without warning his left foot jutted out of place and he toppled to the ground, crying out in pain as his face collided with the newly-constructed bridge. The unconscious ninja fell from his grasp, landing softly on the golden walkway.

"Lloyd!" Harumi yelled, running to his side in an instant. He groaned, turning his head ever so slightly to gaze upon her worried face. The corruption had taken its toll, and his brain was only just catching up to the extensive damage. Embracing that darker side gave him a taste of invincibility, effectively numbing him to any physical harm in the short term. The effect was somewhat comparable to painkillers, for Lloyd experienced a euphoric sense of adrenaline whenever those destructive powers were at his command.

The transformation had been a much more arduous process this time around, due in part to his rekindled love and the blissful feelings of hope it brought. His darker nature had needed to work so much harder to reassert its dominance, and the battle was quite literally fought across his body. He was no longer at the mercy of his Oni blood, but the incident at the hospital now left him in a state of helpless injury. His destination was well within reach, but he could not muster the strength to stand. Lloyd felt a shot of searing pain shoot up his spine, and he screamed in agony as she rolled him over onto his back.

"Where does it hurt?" Harumi asked hesitantly, quickly preparing to put her extensive study of human anatomy to the test. She was an expert in the field, having devoted years of her life to the rather complicated subject. While she had only become a scholarly physician to help her kill people more effectively, the skill seemed to be coming very much in handy.

"Does it matter?" he asked quietly, his voice strained and worn. "I can just heal whatever it is regardless."

"No, don't!" she interjected, surprising him with a very dominant and commanding tone. "At least not yet, please, I need to judge the severity of your injuries in case you end up getting corrupted again." Lloyd was slightly taken aback by the request, but he did not resist as she began her procedures. It made sense logically, for becoming too reliant on the Elemental Essence was a very dangerous thing to do. How am I already falling back to that?

She moved along methodically, slowly running her hands across his stomach to check for internal injuries. His eyes widened, for it seemed apparent that she was intent on making the experience subtly sensual. Harumi smiled softly, before once more focusing intently upon the task at hand. To her immense relief there didn't appear to be any damage to his chest, as he didn't react negatively until she inched closer towards his head. Lloyd tensed suddenly at her touch, twisting his jaw as he instinctively revolted against the aching. She looked up, silently gauging his reaction as she forcefully jerked his neck. It wasn't very pretty, for he wailed in misery as a wave of pain flooded his system.

"Spinal cord damage, just as I suspected." she muttered, completely ignoring his hurt expression as she moved on to his arms. They appeared to be mostly undamaged from her vantage point, completely intact other than some bruising running down the right arm. Harumi took his hand in hers, clearly seeing him wince slightly at the gesture. Moving it in different directions yielded few results, for the damage was far less significant.

"Slight sprain in the wrist, although I think that was probably from your fall just now." she concluded, dropping his arm as she crawled back towards his legs. His left one had been the obvious culprit, and her worry grew as she heard his cries of pain. Trying to move his foot caused him to hysterically shriek, and he was screaming at a pitch she had never heard him reach before.

"Let's see, you've got a fractured fibula and phalanges, broken tarsals, a shattered femur, and ooh, medial tibial stress syndrome." she mumbled, drawing a look of intense confusion from her patient. Sighing slightly, she clarified that, "Every bone in your leg besides the tibia is broken, and you've got shin splints." Lloyd's mouth was held agape, for he wasn't sure what to say. Evidently the metamorphosis had focused entirely on his skeletal system, completely wrecking his spine and left leg in the process. Harumi stepped back, waving slightly to signal that he could begin the healing process.

His eyes shone with a lustrous shade of gold, reflecting the pure magnificence and utter dominance of his power. A wave of regenerative energy washed over him, instantly mending his bones and fusing his spine back together. Lloyd leapt up suddenly, brushing himself off as he bounced around slightly. In that moment he looked more like a hyper kid than an angsty teen, and the sight amused her.

"Are you ready to head in now?" she asked, chuckling slightly at the change in demeanor. Lloyd nodded quickly, but his expression soon softened as he brushed past her. Harumi turned to see him retrieving the Sword of Sanctuary, the powerful artifact they had left behind the night before.

"We might want to keep this around." he said quietly, tucking it behind his back as he ran back up the bridge. Harumi sighed softly, shaking her head at this strange sense of awkward impatience. She soon jogged after him, bursting into the makeshift shack to find that Lloyd had set Jay down in the vengestone dungeon. The room was filled with a blinding glow, as he was already patching up the walls to more effectively contain their honored guest. The light was abruptly snuffed out, and he turned to face her with a concerned expression crossing his face.

"My legs still feel sore." Lloyd said quickly, stretching them slightly as he approached her. "I don't know why, but just running up here was a struggle." Harumi frowned, dismayed but not particularly surprised by the result. His Golden Power had managed to fix every physical defect, but the damage to his tibia had been different from the rest.

"You still have the shin splints Lloyd." she answered solemnly. "It's a syndrome that builds up over time, so I suppose you can't just mend it with your powers like you can with broken bones."

"Oh." Lloyd murmured disappointedly, looking down at his injured legs with a muddled sense of contempt. It was almost certainly going to take some sort of lifestyle adjustment to get rid of the symptoms, and that was not something he wanted to do. Having to lessen his own physical training would make it all the more difficult for Harumi to learn, but perhaps jumping straight in after several days of solitary confinement had been a shortsighted decision.

"Well, we can deal with that tomorrow I guess." he announced cheerfully, which brought a tender smile to her face. He quickly moved towards his bed but she held him back, tugging at his arm to regain his attention. Lloyd whipped his head around, unsure of why trying to get some rest would be an issue.

"Um, could we maybe stay up just a bit longer?" Harumi wondered, averting her eyes in an attempt to hide how much she was blushing. He picked up on her somewhat embarrassed expression, and in return a very playful grin suddenly swept across his face.

"I can make time for whatever my Jade Princess desires." Lloyd responded coyly, quickly setting the sword down as she giggled excitedly.

He had been standing in the deserted alley for what seemed like an eternity, his mind adrift in a sea of conflicted duality. The relic he held was completely invaluable, a truly powerful weapon that might be their only way to gain the upper hand. His powers had been stripped away, and it was an absence that dark magic could certainly help to fill. It was a fickle but destructive force, allowing the user to effectively bend reality to their whim. The artifact was limited to a specific advantage, but it could nonetheless be used to terrible effect. His eyes narrowed, as he gazed upon the intricate detail with a growing sense of contempt.

Lloyd frowned, turning on his heels and walking away without a word. He stormed into the dimly lit storage room, angrily tossing the cursed object at the feet of their helpless prisoner. Her eyes widened in surprise, for she found it to be a rather puzzling gesture. "My mask!" Harumi cried, genuinely confused by his apparent decision to don the corruptive entity. "You're going to steal it?" She would never have expected it, as it took complete courage and fearlessness to embrace a darker path. He had always been too pure a person, constantly scared of what the Oni powers might do to him.

Lloyd scoffed, glaring at her with a repressed fury. The idea was completely out of the question, he would never let himself fall as she had. Her betrayal had torn away at his soul, leaving him far more cynical and distrusting. At every opportunity his brain looked for lies, as he would not be manipulated ever again. "Save the performance, I'm not going to use it." he spat, keenly sensing a level of feigned indifference in her. There was just something off about her general disposition, for it seemed apparent that she was holding back.

"It's a trap." he concluded, smirking as if the baseless assumption was somehow an achievement. She raised her eyebrows in suspicion, not entirely sure what was giving him that impression. Lloyd shifted his attention towards the other members of the Resistance, completely ignoring Harumi as he addressed the group as a whole.

"The only reason someone as smart as her was captured is because she wanted to be." he announced, beaming in pride as he gazed at his friends. Mistaké, Skylor, Nya, and Dareth were the only ones left, the fragmented remains of their underground insurgence. Misako and Pixal had been arrested, along with the other Elemental Masters who had come to their aid. Lloyd paused, his rhythm thrown off as the snappy retort he had been anticipated never came. He slowly turned to face her, and was slightly taken aback by her defeated demeanor.

Harumi was blushing, not meeting his gaze as she stared at the ground. "You were right Lloyd." she muttered, her voice somber and grim. "I opened a can of worms that may never be closed." He crossed his arms, intrigued but incredibly wary of this sudden change of heart. If it was just a ploy then it was a rather peculiar decision, as she could gain nothing by working undercover. She had already reached the highest echelon of power possible, and the only assignment left was to capture the Green Ninja. Getting him to drop his guard could help her escape, but otherwise there was little reason to behave in such a remorseful manner.

"Rather strange phrasing, but do go on." he said finally, quite content with letting her continue whatever act this might be. Harumi's admission of guilt had piqued his interest, but the stony expression did not waver. Lloyd was not the same man anymore, for it was as if all feelings of happiness and joy had been wiped from his mind. In response to the cruel manipulation he had grown increasingly cold and distant, hiding his pain behind a mask of indifference. Sighing quietly, she slowly looked up to face her bitter ex.

"I want to be with you Lloyd."

Nya woke with a start, finding herself sitting in the hospital waiting room once more. Her dreams had sent her only a few months back, but it felt like a lifetime ago. She shivered slightly, for the idea of Harumi being around at all was certainly enough to scare her to the core. The last thing she wanted was for Lloyd to get hurt, and it seemed apparent that the fallout from their breakup had directly led him to where he was today. She had no idea where he had gone now, but she was still reassured when she remembered that he had just been here.

Her worries subsided as the events of the previous night came flooding back to her, and her eyes began to well with tears as she noticed the beautiful bouquet resting in her lap. He had given her the yellow gladioli as a token of their friendship, and it was truly one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. I don't think Jay's ever given me flowers before.

Nya frowned, for she could not recall where their conversation had left off. They were about to go speak with Jay, and then… nothing. She had no idea how she had even ended up in this room, but the topic faded from her mind as she suddenly noticed a note attached to the green vase. Quickly snatching the slip of paper up, she peered intently at the somewhat scribbled message.

I'm so sorry Nya.

She sat still, silently pondering the simple remark for what seemed like an eternity. It seemed innocuous enough, but what the apology referred to was unclear. He had quite a bit to be sorry for, although Nya didn't know the true extent of his guilt. Of course no one else in Ninjago did, not even her wounded boyfriend. Lloyd and Harumi were the only people in the Realm who truly understood what had transpired in the past few days, as his fall from grace had been masterfully hidden from the world. He was solely responsible for Kai's extensive injuries, as well as Cole losing his powers and Master Wu meeting an untimely end. The mental damage he had inflicted upon them all was especially crippling, and it was tearing her apart. But out of every decision he had made, it was the ones that she didn't know about that hurt the most.

Nya was abruptly roused from her thoughts, looking up suddenly as the doors to the waiting room were thrown open. It was Cole, panting and completely out of breath. She rose from her seat, her expression immediately turning to one of immense concern. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously, seeing the terribly sad look on his face.

Cole sighed quietly, for he understood how terrible the news was. Nya was obviously not going to take it lightly, and it's not like he was faring much better. Jay was his best friend, and seeing him so hurt had been heart-wrenching. But it was far more worrying to find that he had been snatched from the hospital, stolen away by some unknown force. Of course Zane had already begun running the numbers, and all signs pointed to the mysterious Master of Dreams. First they took Lloyd, and now they've come back to finish the job!

"Jay's gone."

He was kneeling on unstable ground, the rocky terrain slowly falling away beneath his feet. The sky was ablaze with a fiery shade of orange, as the Sun retreated behind a wall of clouds. Everything had gone to plan, and the Djinn's magic was quickly fading due to the poison coursing through his veins. New Djinnjago was collapsing, but their victory came at a heavy cost. The arrow had hit his lover, and Jay felt himself torn apart by guilt as he gazed upon her sickly form.

"You have to make your last wish." Nya whispered, grimacing slightly as her strength slipped away. She was willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of the Realm, for it was a choice that any of them would make in a heartbeat. The ninja were sworn to protect the innocent, and thus killing the power-crazed genie was their number one priority. "You're the only one who can stop him."

"No!" Jay cried, tears beginning welling in his eyes. "Not if that means losing you." It was a price he was not willing to pay; she was everything to him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her, even if the fate of Ninjago depended upon it. She smiled weakly, reaching up to gently caress his face.

"I never wanted to be a part of your boy's club anyway." Nya said softly, straining herself to try and ease his nerves. He melted ever so slightly at her comforting touch, but the sentiment did little to reassure the heartbroken ninja.

"No, Nya don't say things like that." Jay replied worriedly, shaking his head in fear. This was the worst result imaginable, for he would not be able to live with himself if she died. Survivor's guilt is a very real thing, and the pain was only exacerbated considered how important she was. There was no one else, not a single person in the world that he cared more about.

"Guess it's true." Nya muttered, her voice low and measured. She was still smiling, fighting through the endless pain for his sake. Her time was ending soon, and it was a fact that she had accepted without complaint. There was nothing that could be done, but she would not go quietly. No, she intended to make the most out of every moment she had left, and she croaked out one final message.

"The greatest love stories do always end in tragedy."

Jay woke with a start, completely drenched in sweat as he abruptly stirred from the vivid nightmare. It was the absolute cruelest of memories, by far the worst moment of his entire life. Nothing else compared to the bleak misery he had felt when Nya had died, and it wasn't even close. Of course it had never technically happened due to his final wish, but he remembered it all as if it were only yesterday. While their trying conflict with the conniving genie had become nothing more than an alternate timeline, it was still a massive source of everlasting pain for the insecure ninja. The thought of losing her still chilled him to the bone, and as such it took him several minutes for his brain to even register that he had in fact left the hospital.

Jay was incredibly confused to find himself lying upon cold stone. There was a potent mix of dirty blood, filthy water, and leftover vomit embedded in the very foundation of the ground. That morbid observation sent a shiver running down his spine, but that reaction in and of itself quickly overshadowed his disgust. He was shocked to find that he could even move his spine in the first place, and after twisting his body around a bit, he found no lingering sense of pain or discomfort whatsoever. This extraordinarily rapid recovery seemed impossible, for it was as if he had never been hurt in the first place. I mean I'll take it, but what the hell happened?

Jay looked up slowly, and he was unsurprisingly taken aback by what he saw. He was stuck in a dank and dingy cell; that was certainly concerning enough on its own, but what worried him the most was that it had seemingly been constructed with vengestone. Through the metal bars he could see an adjacent room, and it was in very sharp contrast to his own unsanitary quarters. In a way it was almost a window into another reality, for the flat was furnished about as well as most city apartments. He would have been extremely angered if had he noticed how every piece of furniture was stolen directly from the Monastery, but he was too focused on his host to really pick up on that somewhat subtle detail. Or should I say hosts?

There were definitely a pair of occupants, speaking in hushed tones as they looked at a distant television set. The couple had purposefully positioned themselves so that they were facing away from their prisoner, and as such he couldn't quite make out who they were. One of them had what appeared to be bleached hair, for it was either white or a very platinum blonde. And the other one…

"Lloyd?" he mumbled, groggy and very out of it as he laid his eyes upon a very familiar foe. He could recognize the Green Ninja anywhere, and he immediately felt a wave of panic course through his body. Their leader had betrayed them all, having fallen prey to the forces of darkness he was sworn to defeat. His abduction and subsequent torture had left devastating consequences, but in that moment Jay couldn't help but let out a contradictory sigh of relief. Even though he was still utterly terrified of interacting with the demon his friend had become, just knowing that he hadn't actually killed him was immensely reassuring. And there's still good in him, I know it!

Lloyd heard the delirious query, but gave him no outward sign of recognition. He nudged Harumi slightly, leaning over to quietly relay the message. "Jay's awake." he whispered, although it didn't surprise her in the slightest. While it was true that she often saved her strength by letting her subjects run through their natural dream progression, in this case she was being very intentional. Maintaining complete control over when he woke up would be an essential tactic if they intended to keep their newfound love a secret, although constantly wiping his memories was certainly a viable backup. Harumi didn't really want to do that however, for it would essentially force the poor ninja into an endless state of forgetfulness that was comparable to anterograde amnesia. It was a rather cruel and twisted fate, and besides, she still wanted to toy with him a bit.

She ducked her head forward, leaning down behind the couch to put on the mask and pull up her hood. At this moment Lloyd muted the broadcast, letting an eerie silence drift over the room. They had planned this to a T, and doing so allowed them to limit the impact Jay's imprisonment would have on their lives. This was only the first day, but for the foreseeable future they intended to treat dealing with him like nothing more than a routine chore. Harumi hoped that as her powers grew she would eventually be able to wipe all of Lloyd's transgressions from his mind, but right now the best they could do was keep him quiet. And if they had to keep him around, then scheduling their timetables would help keep any interactions as efficient as possible.

Jay felt goosebumps begin to run up his skin as an esoteric entity sauntered over to his cell. Their face was shrouded completely by a black mask, which of course made them beyond recognition. A green cloak further enveloped them, and based on these context clues he easily surmised that this had to be the Master of Dreams. They truly fit the bill, for never before had he laid his eyes upon a more eccentric yet intimidating individual. From what he had heard the element itself already carried a rather infamous reputation, and obviously any prior apprehension had been increased tenfold due to their recent actions. It was becoming increasingly apparent to him that Lloyd had, at least to some degree, been used as a puppet, and this stony specter was the one pulling the strings.

"Ah, welcome back to the world of the living Mr. Walker." Harumi announced over-dramatically, effortlessly switching into character as she gave a slight bow. It was never all that difficult considering just how great of an actress she was, but it definitely helped that the role she played was merely an extension of herself; all she needed to do was amplify her flair for theatrics and witty humor while simultaneously feeding her darkest impulses. It wasn't something she had mentioned to Lloyd yet, but she could essentially feast on a person's dreams to sustain herself. That was why she always woke up before her boyfriend, as sleep was not technically necessary for her anymore. There was a part of her that had been secretly thankful for Jay's arrival, as it gave her another outlet to fuel her powers. The rather twisted way that she got her energy was by sucking all of the joy out of a person's dreams, and she had vowed to never do that to Lloyd again. Draining away all sense of happiness was something that she intended to do to the Master of Lightning however, as it would help to counterbalance the heavy toll that using her powers took.

Jay said nothing; he was rooted to the spot by a gripping sense of fear. This was the most dangerous villain he had ever faced, for this natural master of psychological warfare had been generously entrusted with the most fickle element of them all. Most Elemental Powers are bound to some sort of tangible force or physical essence, but this one was strangely rooted in conceptual manipulation and duplicitous deceit on an almost fundamental level. The Master of Dreams had the ability to completely warp reality and bend the truth to their will, and for this reason they instantly instilled terror in the hearts of any would-be aggressors. After all it was an element that could only be fully realized when a knack for careful strategy was paired with a cunning mind, and that meant that there was truly no one more suited to harness its powers.

"Oh, why so serious?" she asked mockingly, forcefully pouting in a childish manner. "You're supposed to be the man who laughs." In reality Harumi did find his attitude shift to be somewhat annoying, as she was already with one shy and insecure ninja. Like Lloyd he had always been insecure, but the way in which he dealt with his own self-perceived shortcomings was by making fun of everything in life. His sense of humor was very unrestrained, which definitely made it a somewhat acquired taste. It had been such a huge part of his identity for as long as anyone could remember, but seeing Lloyd spewing out such a deformed and clearly derivative form of comedy had just broken something inside of him.

"What have you done to Lloyd?" Jay spat, showing an uncharacteristically high level of confidence and courage. He wasn't entirely sure what was driving him in the moment, but his brain had somehow managed to compartmentalize all of his anxiety and stress. Harumi felt her eyebrows raise in surprise, for she had not actually expected him to fight back. When they last met he had been completely immobilized by fear, but he now seemed to be determined and emboldened. That's all right, I like it when they're feisty.

"I haven't done anything to your beloved Green Ninja." she answered coldly, choosing to ditch the niceties in favor of pure intimidation. "He is here of his own volition, and it was your mistreatment that drove him away in the first place." Jay felt his surety begin to slip away, for that narrative was very different from the one he had been told. His friend had undoubtedly been swayed by darker minds, but when they met at Borg Tower he had confirmed the abduction theory.

"Lloyd said that you kidnapped and tortured him." he retorted, quickly turning his gaze towards the fallen ninja. It was a detail he could not forget, for those terrible events were forever seared into his mind. The bothered blond visibly recoiled at the succinct rebuttal, and it took every bit of self-restraint to not respond. Admitting the true extent of his misery had been a key part of his act before the fight, but that decision was now coming back to haunt him. He would not rise to it, as that would ruin this little social experiment. They were trying out different strategies right now, wisely learning as they went along. Today they had decided that she would act alone, but Lloyd was quickly discovering that he didn't really like taking a backseat on this one.

"You could call it tough love." Harumi quipped, throwing him a sideways glance before turning back to her helpless hostage. She paused for a moment, slowly running through Jay's mind to find the perfect one-liner. It wasn't a skill that she had much control over, but her element allowed her to effectively rummage through someone's memories. Harumi could not read or directly influence a person's thoughts, for every one of her powers was incredibly nuanced and subtle. Typically she just saw a flood of moments, and as such it took a very long time to truly get a read on anyone.

"As iron sharpens iron, Sensei sharpens student." she said jeeringly, having randomly stumbled upon one of Sensei Yang's old mantras. Jay nearly jumped back in surprise, as the quote scared him to the core. It was such a specific and terrifying maxim; a chilling adage that he never thought he would hear again.

"You're insane!" he cried, finding himself mystified by the unhinged jackass that he was evidently beholden to. They were unlike anyone he had ever met before, a truly cold and calculated villain whose words always cut with scathing precision. A master of suspense and deception, they took advantage of every possible advantage. Every tiny weakness could be exploited to terrible effect, and in that regard his thoughts betrayed him. The cutthroat crusade of nightmares would make his life a living hell, and while Jay was putting up a pretty good fight so far, in time he would break.

"Aren't we all?" Harumi said gleefully, smiling deviously under the mask. She was quickly growing bored of his pedantic taunts, and fired off a cyan beam to silence him. He fell to the ground, his body limp and still. She was very pleased with her work but she felt a little worn out from the ordeal. Pulling back her mask and hood she skipped over to her boyfriend, whose face showed a lingering sense of worry.

"My god." Lloyd muttered under his breath, fervently shaking his head as he sat in awe of her skills. "You are such an amazing actress." Harumi smiled, twirling around and giving a slight curtsy before returning to his side. His legs had been on ice for the entire day, as she had forced him to relax. She was the medical professional after all, and so he had begrudgingly taken her advice on how to best heal.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked worriedly, adjusting the bucket of ice water to help make him more comfortable. Lloyd grimaced, for being sidelined like this was one of his biggest pet peeves. He wanted to be constantly active and productive; taking it easy was just not a concept he understood. The workaholic desperately wanted to train, but he would definitely take training her from a distance over not being able to do anything.

"It's all sort of numb and cold." he answered, shaking his legs free from their containment as he rose from the sofa. Harumi winced at his brazenness, but she understood that this was torture for him. He loved the outdoors, as returning to the natural way of things was always such a liberating experience. His crippling claustrophobia made him feel constantly cooped-up and he desperately needed to be one with the energy.

"Let's go Rumi." he said excitedly, walking towards the recently constructed training course. "Just because I have shin splints doesn't mean you're off the hook." She laughed half-heartedly, before quickly snatching up her training gi and running out the door.

So this was the first time in a while that I actually expanded upon the Element of Dreams, although I had kind of been thinking about including the idea of her leeching off of dreams for quite some time. I think it's a pretty interesting concept, and in my opinion it helps to retroactively explain a few off the earlier events of the story. For example, this is pretty much the perfect explanation for why Harumi was still messing with Lloyd's dreams in chapter 18. Strangely it was rereading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban of all things that convinced me to run with this new power, as the way in which the Dementors feed off of happiness really inspired me to add it for this chapter.

I personally think her being able to read memories was already kind of assumed due to the rather elaborate flashbacks, but yeah, getting that down in writing was also pretty nice. There will probably be more powers waiting to be unlocked as the story progresses, although I obviously won't promise anything.