AN:

PhantomGuest: I've still got a lot more planned for Rolo in the future, especially with him teaming up with Clara. Also, chapter 55 was already halfway done on friday, I just wasn't able to get around to posting chapter 54 on time due to work. I do appreciate your concern though. Honestly, I didn't care for Shams too much, and between the two OC's, I definetly would prefer S.S over the King.

Guest: Thank you for the information regarding Genesic Re;Code. Though, I don't know how much information I'll be using from it, but it's still nice to have regardless.

Ryuto: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Also, I think your point about adding too many character's is very valid (considering that I sort of lost track of Darlton a while back), so I'll be mindful of who I'll be including, depending on how far I can see them being pushed in the story.

MrMan737: Thank you. That means a lot.

Chapter 56: Silver Tongue

C's world.

"Wh-what is going on!?" Shamna shouted as she backed away from Lelouch, as he gave her a death glare.

"How did you access C's world?" he demanded an answer to her sudden appearance. Luckily for the Princess, Suzaku came to her rescue.

"Lelouch! You can't say just do that! Especially to someone who clearly doesn't know where they are!"

The Prince shrugged at the response, "I was just asking a question. If she chooses not to answer, then that's fine by me."

"Who the hell are you!?" Shamna pointed at Lelouch. No, she wasn't asking for his name. She wanted to know who he was, and what kind of connection he had to Suzaku Kururugi.

"Just as you don't have any obligation to answer my questions, I have no obligation to answer yours." Lelouch put his nose to the air, "Besides, whatever method you used to get here, is clearly ineffective. Because, I can sense the thread between your body and consciousness strengthening by the second. Soon, you'll be thrust back to reality."

"Wait!" Just as the Prince said, the Princess felt her body sinking into the ground, "What is this place!? C's world! What is it!?"

Suzaku tried to grab onto the woman, but failed to do so, as she slipped just out of his grasp, "Whatever you did to get here, please, do it again! We need your help! Return as soon as possible!" he called out as she sunk into the depths.

After that excursion, Shamna awoke in her bedroom abruptly, with hundreds of questions flowing through her mind. However, to her, there was only one way to get the answers, "I have to get back there. Back to C's world." an image of S.S's room crossed her thoughts, "There must be something there that'll help me… there has to be."

February 9th. 3:00PM

"My apologies, for getting captured, my Lady." Guilford bowed before Cornelia, who had a displeased look as her G1 stared down Zilkhstan's capital, "Though, once our reinforcements arrive, we can try again for a swift and decisive victory."

Darlton nodded, before adding, "He's right. Those reinforcements should also be bringing in replacement frames for us, so we'll be able to mount a full offensive that'll-"

"No." with one word, the Princess silenced the room. "We won't be doing anything of the sort, because he's coming here to deal with Zilkhstan personally."

Guilford and Darlton simultaneously widened their eyes with shock, "No way. Why's he coming here?" the former asked, "Wasn't he supposed to be in Cambodia?"

Cornelia shook her head, "He was. But now, he's coming to the Middle East to check our progress… or at least that was the plan." she looked toward the G1's command table, which showed the location of a blue dot called 'Schneizel's transport'. "I don't know how, but he already knows about our failure here, and is coming to correct it."

"How dare he!? Does he doubt our abilities?" Darlton protested.

"No… we failed here, and that's something I have to admit. Now, we'll await his arrival, until then, we have to keep Zero and the rest of Zilkhstan from leaving the capital." Cornelia rubbed the top of her head, "And from how fast Schneizel's travelling, it won't be long."


"Alright, start it up!" Mario called to his sister as he placed a wrench on a red cart, who was waiting inside her Sougetsu's cockpit.

With a low rumble, the blue Knightmare started up, humming faintly as its Yggdrasil drive spun rapidly, "Well, it looks like I'll be able to move, but that's about it." she commented while poking her head out of the cockpit, "No fancy maneuvers or fighting."

"Sounds about right. After all, you were pretty reckless, going up against Cornelia's Knight and all."

"Oh! Big talk from some muscle head like you!"

"Hey! I'm the one who fixed your stupid Knightmare! So don't you dare call me a muscle head!"

"It was a collective project, and you know it." Maya replied smugly, "Besides…" her eyes wandered to the Britannian force that was waiting outside the city. While it only consisted of remaining Sutherland's and Gloucesters, which were luckily saved by retreating early, it was still more than what Zilkhstan had, as they lost all but two Bamides. "Do you think we'll be able to get out of here?"

"Obviously." Mario said casually, "After all, I'm sure Zero's got a plan. He always does."

The black-haired girl sighed, "I hope so… because if they attack again, we'll surely lose."

In the background, a building which was struck by a large anti-Knghtmare bullet earlier, finally collapsed, causing the siblings to rush to the scene.

Upon arriving, they found one person who was dragging a large chest from inside the building. He was a very tall man wearing a green bandana alongside some markings on his face, "Um… are you okay?" Mario asked cautiously.

Despite his caution, he managed to still startle the man, causing him to jump slightly, "Ah!? Hey! Don't go sneaking up on people like that, you freaks!"

"Uh… how are we the freaks?" Maya whispered to her brother as the man threw the chest on his shoulder.

Noticing how sneaky he was being, Mario asked, "Wait… do you even live here?"

This caused the man to stop dead in his tracks, "Looks like the jig is up." he turned around with a sadistic smile and shouted, "Sorry kids! It looks like you're gonna have to die now! Because nobody who meets Belq Batoum Bitool is allowed to tell the tale!"

"Dude, you could've just lied." Maya and Mario glanced at each other with blank stares.

"So… are you some kind of bandit?" the black-haired boy asked as the man slammed down the chest.

"You bet ya!"

"Clearly not a smart one either…" his sister muttered while taking a step back.

"Shut it girly!" Bitool rushed forward and attempted to hit Mario in the face. Luckily, the boy managed to raise his hands in time to block the strike, much to his difficulty, "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"

Despite his size, the bandit moved quite fast, quickly dropped to the ground and sending an uppercut toward his opponent's chin. Thankfully, Mario managed to take a step back, dodging the strike just as it sailed past his face, "The biggest problem with facing this guy is his size!" he then grabbed Bitool by the arm, and used the man's weight to spin him around, before releasing him into a building. With this new momentum, the black-haired boy rushed toward his opponent, deflecting a punch that was aimed for him in the process, then he sent a kick into the man's chest, knocking him up slightly.

"Not bad kid, but you'll have to hit harder than that!" the bandit taunted while grabbing onto a wooden beam above his head, using it to swing out of the corner, and into the open. Mario decided against giving chase, instead opting to take a low stance, forcing the over-aggressive Bitool to approach him.

Of course, the bandit happily obliged, as he felt the sudden urge to stomp a bug. In one great leap, he blotted out the sun overhead to deliver a flying kick, that upon impact, would surely break a few bones, that's why once he got close, Mario slid behind him, and caught his collar once he landed. After that, he used the momentum to spin Bitool around, allowing him to land a powerful strike to his face, knocking a tooth loose. However, the bandit wasn't done yet, because in the next instance, he sends his own punch into the boy's stomach, causing significantly more damage, as Mario is sent tumbling away.

"Ha! You're just lucky my gang isn't here, otherwise we'd tear ya limb from limb!" Bitool taunted while standing up, "And that's not to mention what we'd do to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a hand on his shoulder, sending chills down his spine, "That's enough out of you." Just as he tried to turn around, Bitool felt immense pressure being forced onto his back, causing him to get on one knee as his arm contorted in pain, "My apologies for not apprehending such a barbarian earlier." the man responsible apologized.

"Who the hell are you!?" the bandit shouted as his face was slammed into the ground.

"My name is Swaile Qujappat." the assassin responded while looking at Mario and Maya, "Once again, allow me to apologize for allowing such a menace to roam freely around the city."

"G-get off of me, you freak!" Bitool protested as he felt Swaile's boot on his head, "Once my gang shows up, we're gonna-" before he could finish his sentence, multiple pictures of his 'gang' gently floated in front of his face. Each picture had them bloody and battered, slumped against a wall.

"They've already been taken care of. Lucky for you, Princess Shamna needs a man of your… caliber to complete a special task." Swaile said as he dragged Bitool away by the hair, much to the man's protest.

"That was… weird…" Maya muttered while helping her brother up, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mario responded, "Though… if I got hit by any more of those, I'm sure it'd be a different story."

"Then you're lucky he showed up."

"I'm lucky? You mean both of us, right? If he had defeated me, then-"

Just as he was about to finish that sentence, Maya waved a gun in front of his face, saying, "If it had gotten that far, I would've stepped in."

It took Mario a few seconds to register what was in front of him, but once he did, he shouted, "You had that the whole time!? Why didn't you help me!?"

His sister giggled while saying, "What? I thought you wanted to test out your martial arts or something?"

"I could've died!"

"I would've stepped in before that happened."

Almost as if nothing happened, the black-haired boy playfully grabbed his sister by the throat and began shaking her violently, "That's not the point!"


The Palace.

"Is he still crying?" Zero asked Shamna as she sat on the throne.

"I know you want to get out of here, but it's only been a few hours since his father's death. So, I must ask that you please be patient." the Princess pleaded, "Even I'm still feeling the effects."

"I understand." Lelouch responded with a nod as Kallen and C.C kept close to him on either side.

"Hey, you're way too close." the red head whispered to the Witch as she was practically touching her boyfriend's arm.

"No way. I need to make up lost ground, especially after that stunt you pulled last night."

"What stunt are you talking about?"

C.C smiled smugly as she said, "Oh, I saw, that's all you need to know."

It took Kallen a few seconds to decipher what that meant, but as soon as she did, her face glowed red, "H-how did you-"

"Well, a nice balcony view is hard to come by around here. After all, it'd be a shame to not take full advantage of it, right?" the green-haired girl explained while the red head felt the sudden urge to retreat, "Was it fun? Did you have the time of your life?"

"N-nothing so vulgar happened. W-we… we just-"

"Um… is she okay?" Shamna asked as she noticed one of Zero's guards turn red.

"She's fine." Lelouch, who heard the entire interaction, responded with a red face. Luckily, he had a mask to cover his expression, "It's just a bit hot in here, that's all."

"Oh. Well, she should be getting used to it." the Princess said before continuing, "So, about your flight out, we're thinking of transporting you to the Shiflam airfield, there we'll have a Hercules ready for you to return to Japan."

"Excellent. I hope I'll be able to meet the new King before we set off."

"I'm afraid there's no way to tell if such a thing is possible."

Zero nodded while taking a step backward, attempting to leave. However, the entire room froze when they heard a door to the left open, revealing Shalio, whose eyes were red from crying, as he entered the room. "Zero, it's a shame you were about to leave without saying goodbye."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes and said, "My apologies. I was under the assumption that you were still mourning your father's death."

"I have no time to waste doing such things." the new King coldly responded, "After all, I have a Kingdom to run." he snapped his fingers, and several guards came out to escort Zero, "I am aware that Cornelia and her forces are preventing your people from leaving Zilkhstan. As such, I have arranged for you to escape through the underground service tunnels."

"Are you sure that's going to be large enough to fit our Knightmare's?" Kallen asked.

"Of course. While it may have been built to transfer supplies in and out of Grablhad during a siege, it is surprisingly large. We've done the measurements, and it should be more than big enough to fit your Knightmare's."

"Thank you very much, King Shalio." Zero bowed slightly before turning around with a dramatic cloak flip, "But, let me give you a piece of advice before I leave: I know it may seem that to be an effective leader, you have to grow cold towards others, but that's simply not true. A true, effective leader cares for those he works with."

"I appreciate your concern, Zero. I'll take your advice into consideration in the future." Shalio effortlessly lied with a deranged look.

Without a last comment, Zero and his guards left the palace. "What will we do about Cornelia?" Shamna asked as soon as the doors closed.

"Isn't that obvious? We'll try to reason with them." the King answered effortlessly, "After all, we've shown our worth, they'll want to hire us as mercenaries."

His sister sighed, "So… we're going to abandon the Middle East?"

"The Middle East? You mean, the dying federation that's full of barbarian's? Yes. We're leaving them. Ever since we joined the federation, Zilkhstan's been drifting across the ocean helplessly. Not making any progress toward the future." Shalio's eyes turned to his sister, who shivered under his gaze, "Under my rule, that'll all change. I'll lead my people to a better future, one that we'll mold with our own hands." Shamna looked to the floor with uncertainty, causing her brother to ask, "And what'll you do?"

"I'll… I'll take command of the Farlaf order from here. After all, we need a new master to lead them, and since I've inherited S.S's will, I'm the only candidate."

"Excellent. Together, we'll create a better future for Zilkhstan."

Shamna's eyes narrowed with sadness, "Shalio… I hope you don't destroy yourself to do so… after all, I still want to be with my little brother at the end of all this. The one I grew up with, not the one that killed his past self to be King."


Cornelia stood on the balcony of her G1 as a VTOL carrying Schneizel landed in a makeshift helipad outside. "My dear sister." the blond Prince greeted the Witch of Britannia while stepping out of his transport, "It's been so long, how have you been?"

As soon as he boarded her G1, Cornelia said, "I've been better. As you can see, the issue with Zilkhstan hasn't been resolved yet."

"Yes. That certainly is an issue. However, why don't you allow me to deal with them?"

"Uh… I mean, if you want to, you can. But, we hardly have anything to fight them with… and our reinforcements won't arrive until-"

By putting his hand on her shoulder, Schneizel managed to silence Cornelia within moments, "Don't worry. I'm not planning on fighting with them. Instead, I plan on negotiating with them." he said with a calm smile.

"What!? But we already tried that and failed!" Darlton protested, "What makes you think you'll be able to get through to them!?"

"Watch your tongue!" Cornelia scolded, "I won't have anyone talking down to my brother, not even my own subordinates!"

Upon realizing what he had done, the General bowed and began apologizing profusely, "I-I apologize for my actions. I don't know what came over me."

However, instead of reprimanding Darlton, Schneizel gave a charismatic smile and said, "Don't worry about it. After all, I can't blame you if you think it's impossible to reason with them, especially since you tried to do it yourself." he headed toward the G1 table and turned it on, "But, you must remember, everyone can be reasoned with, you just have to find the right words." he turned to one of the staff members and asked, "Could you patch me through to the King? I'd like to speak with him."

His gentle smile surprised everyone in the G1, as the staff member responded, "Um… ah… sure. But I don't know if we'll get through."

"That's alright. Just try your best, there's no rush. After all, if we can't get through this way, we'll just find another."

Cornelia smiled warmly upon hearing her brother respond so kindly to her people. Though, before she could say anything, Shalio appeared onto their monitors moments after, "Ah- Prince Schneizel, it's an honor to meet you."

"You must be Prince Shalio, correct? It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." the blond Prince bowed slightly as a show of respect, "Now, is it alright if I speak with your father? I have a very enticing offer for him to look over."

"Unfortunately, my father has since passed." Shalio answered, much to everyone's surprise, "So, I am now recognized as the King of Zilkhstan due to my father's will."

"Oh… please accept my condolences." Schneizel apologized, "Though, I hope this doesn't mean you aren't willing to hear out my offer?"

"Go ahead. As I'm interested in making peace with Britannia."

The blond Prince smiled, "That's good to hear. Now, in exchange for leaving Zilkhstan alone, you will hand over the terrorist known as Zero and his compatriots."

"No." Shalio answered, "I don't want my nation to simply 'be left alone'. Instead, I want a partnership with Britannia, where we'll be supplied with weapons, Knightmares, and supplies that'll keep my country running."

"That's quite the tall order. I hope you know that I'll have to ask for something extra in return, right?"

"Name your price."

"I love reasonable individuals." Schneizel smiled, before continuing, "Taking your Kingdom's fighting prowess into account, I'd say that you'd be much more suited on the battlefield than cowering inside a castle, or corralled into a small part of the world. So, in exchange for the things you mentioned before, you'll have to help us with Area 18's takeover. Of course, that'll only be for support until the liberation is through. However, if you want anything after that, you'll have to agree to fighting under my orders." he extended his hand, "So? Which will you choose?"

Shalio grunted, taking in his options. Though, there wasn't much of a choice, as after a few seconds, his mind was made up, "Very well, we'll fight under your orders in exchange for support."

"Excellent. Now, about Zero…"

"We've actually sent him toward an Airbase that'll allow for his return to Japan." the King snapped his fingers, "I'll send you the location at once."

"Thank you so much." Schneizel turned to Cornelia, "My dear sister, please ready your Gloucesters. We're going to capture Zero."

"What!? But what if he's lying!" the Princess protested.

"I highly doubt it. After all, he speaks of helping his Kingdom with such passion and zeal, there's no way he's lying. Of course, if you're really that worried, then we'll leave your G1 here to make sure Zero doesn't sally out." the Prince left the command vehicle and boarded his VTOL, "We don't have time to waste. So please hurry. We'll hook up your Gloucester to my ship and get you there faster."


"Why did you do that?" Shamna asked as her brother was wheeled through a grand hallway, "They helped us, and yet you betrayed them so easily."

Shalio raised his hand, ordering the maid pushing him to stop, "Sister, Zero reminded me that all that matters in this world, is what you can provide. Without that deal, I'd be providing nothing for my Kingdom, thus we'd die a slow, and painful death. However, by selling out Zero, who no longer has anything to offer, we gain a powerful ally for the future. One that'll surely bring prosperity to Zilkhstan." his eyes then glimmered slightly, "Not to mention the chances of them building me a special Knightmare frame… one that I'll be able to use to properly lead Zilkhstan to a brighter future."

Shamna's eyes quaked upon seeing what her brother had become. If she had known that their father's death would affect him so much, she would've… No. There's no point in dwelling on the past, not now. Especially since she can't do anything about it now. After all, she can't travel back to the past to prevent his death. All she can do now, is support Shalio to the fullest, as that's what he needs most right now, "Very well, brother. If that's the path you choose to walk, then I'll use my power of Prophecy to aid you to the fullest." she smiled brightly, hoping to ignore the aching pain in her heart with such an act.

"Thank you, dear sister. I swear, with all my being, I'll crush those who oppose us."


"Load 'em up!" a man shouted as Zero's Burai, alongside the twin Sougetsu's were loaded onto the Hercules. "Make sure they're strapped down tight!"

Meanwhile, the Guren stood watch, making sure they weren't followed. "Q1, please get inside. We'll be taking off soon." Lelouch ordered as he stood at the foot of the red head's machine.

"I'll be there in a minute. I just… have a bad feeling about this."

"Then it's best we take off as soon as possible. After all, once we're in the air, we should be in the clear." Lelouch stated, knowing very well that due to the constant sandstorms the Middle East experienced, Britannia wouldn't dare contest mother nature for the airspace with fighter jets. In other words, they'd be safe once they reached a suitable altitude.

"Wait… what's that?" Maya pointed out a lone Britannian drop-ship carrying a Gloucester, "It's… Britannia, but how do they know we're here?"

It wasn't something Zero wanted to come to terms with, but the possibilities were just too high. "It appears the King's sold us out." he calmly stated while boarding the Hercules, "C'mon, Q1. We must get out of here."

Despite this warning, Kallen didn't budge, instead she took a step toward the drop-ship as it released the Gloucester, "The only one who'd charge into battle alone like this… it must be Cornelia."

"Kally! We gotta go!" Maya shouted.

The red head turned to the ship, and made eye contact with C.C, who wordlessly agreed to the plan she was cooking up in her mind, "Zero, I'm sorry. But there's something I must do."

"What are you-" before he could respond, the Guren sped toward the Gloucester as it readied its lance.

"What's this? She's challenging me head on?" Cornelia questioned as she pulled her weapon back, "Whatever. I'll swiftly deal with you, then Zero's next!"

"Not on my watch!" Kallen used her fork knife to block the lance. While she could easily steamroll Cornelia in a few swift moves, she wasn't her to win. No. She was doing this to send a message.

The Witch of Britannia took a step back before firing both of her slash harkens at the Guren. Of course, these metallic prongs were easily dealt with in a single swipe of its fork knife. "Cornelia." Kallen called as she deflected a strike from her opponent's lance, "I don't want to fight you. I just wanted to warn you of something."

"As if I'd listen to anything you have to say!" Cornelia shouted while stabbing her weapon into the ground, and using it to launch herself into the Guren.

Though, this proved in effective, as the red head ducked the strike, "This is something serious. It's about Euphemia."

Upon hearing those words, the Witch shouted, "How dare you use my sister's name in such a casual manner!"

The Gloucester launched a fist toward Kallen's face, only to be effortlessly deflected in the next second, "Your efforts are wasted here. You should get to Japan as soon as possible, before you lose your sister for good."

Cornelia's eyes strained as she shouted, "How dare you threaten Euphie!"

Calmly, the red head sent a punch through the Princess' abdomen, sending her onto one knee as a chunk of her chest was taken out, "That's not my intention. Your sister is someone who genuinely wants to help the Japanese people. I can see that just from how she works with Lila. She's nothing like Carine. However, if she continues to put herself in danger to achieve these ambitions, she'll soon find herself bleeding out on the ground. And that's not something I want."

This message merely served as motivation to get Cornelia to end her fight with the Middle East as soon as possible. After all, the sooner she comes in contact with Euphie, the easier it'll be for them to meet with Lelouch. Though, how that conversation will go, isn't something Kallen knows.

"Shut up!" Cornelia desperately tackled Kallen into the ground, "You know nothing! No compassion!" she sent a punch into the Guren's face, "Only needless killing!" and another, "What about Clovis!? Or better yet, Lelouch and Nunnally!?" and another, "They didn't deserve to die! They were pure souls who had yet to live!"

The red head caught the Witch's fist and said, "That's why you have to get to Euphemia as soon as possible. That way, you'll be able to prevent another unfortunate death of an innocent person." with a single slap, the Gloucester was sent flying away, "Think about what I've said. Goodbye, Cornelia. I hope I'll see you soon."

"D-damn it… get back here! You coward!" the Princess shouted before her machine forcefully shut down. "That punch from earlier… did she hit my energy filler?"

"Was that really necessary? It was only one unit." Lelouch scolded Kallen as she exited her Guren, which was being strapped down in the Hercules.

"I was just sending a message."

"But what if there were more unites following it? You would've been cut off from-"

Kallen rested her head on Zero's shoulder, saying, "You already knew there was no one else there. Otherwise, you would've sent Mario and Maya to help me." her voice then turned into a whisper, "I know you, Lulu. Thank you for trusting me."

Underneath his mask, the Prince blushed as he responded, "W-well… it's not like I was just going to let you rush recklessly into battle like that. After all, I've got to protect my Ace to the best of my abilities."

"Ace…" Kallen blushed upon hearing that word, "I know he's not only protecting me just because I'm his Ace… but still, it's sweet how he said it…"

Meanwhile, her boyfriend had some very different thoughts going through his mind, "Kallen… you've been running way too rampant with your teasing. Once we return, I swear, I'll get you back tenfold, just you wait."


Schneizel got off his VTOL just as the Hercules flew out of range, "Oh well, I suppose there's nothing that can be done." he said as Cornelia got out of her Gloucester.

"I'm sorry. I failed to capture Zero." she bowed her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances in Area 11. Though, his presence here concerns me…"

"What do you mean?"

"From what I've heard, in the past few days, there's been another Zero in Area 11 conducting terrorist activities. Of course, the chances of the two Zero's being related are high, especially since this new Zero commands the Black Knight's. However, I can't ignore the prospect of more 'Zeroes' showing up, especially after hearing word of what happened in Zilkhstan." the blond Prince explained.

"Prince Schneizel." Kanon interjected, "Carine has submitted that battle report you requested."

"Ah yes. The annihilation of the Blood of the Samurai group. I'll read this on the way back to Area 6. Also, if you can, have Marrybell meet us at the testing facilities there."

"Do you mean, Marrybell Mel Britannia, sir?"

"Correct."

"Very well, I'll come in contact with her at once."

"Wait!" Cornelia shouted, "If you don't mind me asking, what business do you have with Marrybell, Schneizel?"

The Prime Minister smiled before saying, "I have a special task I need her to perform, that's all."


AN: Surprise, surprise, it was Schneizel all along. I mean, he's the Prime Minister, it would make sense that he'd be one of the few people who'd be able to fully establish an Anti-Terrorist group, though Julia was a really good guess. One of the reasons I didn't choose her, was simply because I genuinly know nothing about her, which normally isn't an issue, but having Schneizel appear just seems so much better in my opinon.

Though, I do have one concern for this fanfic that I would like some opinon's on, and it's in regards to the length. As you can see, we're on chapter 56 and I'm concerned that by having over 100 chapters, it might seem a bit too long. So, I was wondering if I should start a new fic, where the story would continue, or if I should keep it on this one. Currently, I'm leaning toward the latter, but really I could go either way.