❪ introlog: #6 ❫ city of secrets

[natha]

You've spent the last few days on Thesa Station, taking in the knowledge that your world is no more. Now, the time to put all your survival training into practice has arrived: El Nysa needs you, and you're here to help the planet thrive. Are you ready? THE DESCENT     All refugees on the station are called to the hangar, where a large-scale teleporter awaits. Simply step onto the space between the arrays and wait; everyone will be sent down to the planet together. Before they depart, all refugees will be given a cold weather survival kit with warm clothing, rations, and bedding. The arrays build into a brilliant wash of light, creating a column that travels all the way from Thesa Station to the surface of El Nysa, teleporting the refugees to the planet on an aurora. Once on the planet's surface, refugees receive one last message from Darma. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet we must ask you to brave further peril. Within Nadril are the secrets to how poor Ysverai's revival was hidden from our sight and how this disaster has come to our star. Find the first refugee from beyond this planet, a man named Magda. He will not speak to us, for much has come between us, but to you… If you prove yourselves, he may be willing to answer your questions. We beseech you, for there is a veil over Nadril that hides all within from us. There may yet be more untold dangers waiting to befall this planet. For the good of all who make this world home, we ask you to lend us your aid. There is yet one more favor we would ask of you. In warding off the Storm's encroachment, the physical aspect of ourselves that you call Thesa Station was damaged. We must remain to continue repairs to El Nysa and to deal with Ysverai, but there should be suitable technology within Nadril that could be used for spare parts. If you have the chance to find it and can return it to us, it would hasten— Darma's message crackles with static, another image overlaying hers — her broadcast is cut off and replaced with another. A more sullen and alien voice takes Darma’s place, overlapping on itself in an ominous reveal. It has been a long, perilous year for you, refugees. And yet you’ve only just arrived here. To say I’m not disappointed in your… generation would be to lie, and I am nothing if not an honest creature. But I suppose these have been unusual circumstances. You must ask yourself this — are you only here as Darma's lapdogs? I can assure you, it's not worth being on the Natha's leash. With time, that will be something you'll have to learn for yourself. If you're so determined to come find Nadril, then follow the path north, and you'll find the border. What awaits you is revelation, if you're up to the challenge. A FROZEN LAND     The refugees land on a literally frozen world, both in temperature and time. Curls of icy wind hold swirls of snow aloft and an uncanny silence is broken only by the crunch of hoarfrost underfoot. Only Darma's protection allows the refugees to move through this frozen world — and movement is very necessary. Bitter cold sneaks through even the thickest clothing and without warning, a snowstorm rises: unnaturally quickly, a wall of white howls directly in the refugee's path. Bizarrely, the way back is perfectly calm; it's obvious that this storm is no product of nature. Magda's challenge becomes clear: the only way to Nadril lies through this storm. Visibility within the storm is near zero, the whiteout hiding any landmarks from view and making navigation near impossible. The only guidance refugees have is a sporadic path of faint, greenish lights, easily lost in the raging storm. Refugees need all the survival skills they practiced on Thesa Station to survive, for getting lost alone is a death sentence. Luckily, those separated from the group can happen upon guiding lights Magda has planted throughout the tundra. These blue-white sparks cause frostbite if handled recklessly, but they also serve as directional anchors, turning into ghostly flames that lead lost souls back to the path to Nadril. The trek through the storm will be no mean feat and will last for the better part of three days. By the time the refugees reach Nadril's gate, most will find themselves exhausted and running on fumes. As the snowstorm dies away and a gap in the glittering forcefield around the city opens to usher the refugees inside, it's clear that Nadril is a different beast. A WARM(?) WELCOME     I. Despite the unforgiving journey, entering Nadril is painless. Once inside, characters will be greeted by their predecessors: the original refugees who made this advanced city. They'll immediately be offered medical attention, as well as warm cider and blankets. But it's obvious that the Nadril citizens prefer higher tech to fend off the weather: they also offer wristlets and ear cuffs that that double as mittens and earmuffs by creating warm bubbles of air. The earrings also feature a few quality of life programs, such as timed alarms and thought-to-speech messaging. However, both programs are in beta stages so it's not unusual for a stray thought to accidentally slip through or an alarm to accidentally ring at an inopportune time. II. Refugees are offered free lodging in a large, crystalline building crafted from ice. Despite the coarse building material, the ice is unmelting and surprisingly well-insulated, and the beds are as warm and cozy. The rooms are, however, small. The sleeping quarters house two people, and are some cross between an igloo and a capsule hotel. Though built for efficiency over comfort, all rooms are also outfitted with the latest Nadril AI, RoboAlfred, or Ralf for short. This helpful program is installed in practically all the furnishings: the closet tells guests to bundle up, the bathroom sink reminds them to brush their teeth, and the mirror offers helpful fashion tips. Ralf's personality matrix still needs polish, though: it may very well insult your clothes and passively-aggressively question your lifestyle choices for the entire stay. III. Though not as advanced as Thesa Station, the colony has technology far beyond the rest of the continent, such as rudimentary AIs and mechanical transportation. Nadril's skyline is a point of pride — refugees can take a (literal) lightrail that gives an aerial view of the colony, which is hewn almost entirely from ice and rock. Despite its tech, Nadril is much more sparsely populated than Olympia and Wyver, and its residents stay near a central hub: a Natha refugee drop ship, Central, which has crashed and long embedded itself into the earth. Central is similar to an older, smaller, grounded model of Thesa Station, in functional order with round-the-clock solar power. Within Central are lounges similar to ones on the Station, though many of the damaged areas have been converted. They include repair stations, different wings dedicated to science, botany, astrology, and mechanics, and a research and history facility, which has a smattering of technology from planets beyond El Nysa — including your own. The staff here don't mind if anything is sampled and studied, but objects cannot be taken from the labs. IV. On the outskirts of the central hub, many will find several curious looking bots with insect-like wings perched about high traffic walkways. Simply passing the bots will cause a dizzying flash before a series of photos print out. Upon closer inspection, people will find that these images reflect stills taken from their home worlds as they remember it. Unfortunately, these photos only last a couple of hours at best. At that time, they will revert back to regular pictures of the refugees. People will be encouraged to share these images of their worlds. The residents of Nadril comprehend the value of remembering one's origins, and will be pleased to see that people still hold memories of old homes close to them. RECREATION IN NADRIL     I. Small, mechanical creatures scampering through the city are a common sight. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that they come from a shop called Paws About Town. They’re very useful, as companions, gophers, and couriers (though the more mischievous will note that they’re just small enough to keep tabs on people without being noticed). Premade robotic pets are available on display inside the shop. They come in all shapes, but small sizes; one may be able to find robots that even look like miniature creatures from their homeworld. These are a part of a new, highly customizable line with programmable personalities. Customers have the chance to take pets for a one-day trial run. Those who don’t know how to program may want to enlist more knowledgeable aid, but the pets come with instructional pamphlets for basic personality traits such as obedience, helpfulness, playfulness, and bloodthirst. For returns, the switch to wipe the robot's personality to a blank slate is on the back of its neck, right between a switch to invert all traits, and a switch to have them learn by observing. Try not to press the wrong switch — you might wind up with a pet with a mind of its own! II. A. The Frosty Tap Cantina is a thriving hub of activity, but one of the major draws is the self-service bar: molecular mixology is wildly popular here. Playing with drink compositions can be a game in and of itself, and newcomers to the cantina will find that the bartender — a cheerful woman with lilac skin and three eyes — is always happy to give them a few tips on how to use the wide array of tools within reach of the barstools. All manner of drinks are possible — from glowing, layered cocktails, to clear drinks with colored, spherical bubbles and vividly-colored shots that give off their own smoke. There's a nightly contest in the cantina for the most creative drink created by a team — this may be as good a time as any to partner up with someone and see what can you come up with. Winner gets all their drinks for the night free! And, hey, even if you don't win, you get to drink whatever you make. The well-lubricated patrons of the bar are eager to challenge anyone nearby to a different sort of drinking game… Just how well can you hold your liquor? B. Holo-screens in the cantina are nearly always broadcasting some match or another of a game that looks very much like hockey, albeit played with sticks that light up and a puck that changes shape from time to time. Colonists here merely refer to the game as "the sport," and one of their favored pastimes is betting. However, they don't use currency — they wager dares. Nadril colonists are a tough, weathered lot, and they prefer to speak with actions over silver. Colonists will urge the refugees to take part as well. Common dares range from the ridiculous (lead a sing-a-long, attempt to make someone with a poker face smile) to the suggestive (kiss the person in the cantina you find most attractive, strip off a piece of clothing), to the outright reckless (venture out into the snow for a certain amount of time, and no one will judge if you find some company to keep warm). The colonists are unfazed by even the most insane or tawdry of dares — but you'll certainly be called a killjoy for refusing too often! Why not grab a friend and give it a whirl, or challenge a rival to a dare yourself? THE MISSION     I. On the outskirts of Nadril is the communications tower of the old refugees. This is where Magda resides, monitoring Nadril's technological protections, the extent of the Natha’s influence, and running his own personal projects for El Nysa’s technological advancement. It is isolated, filled with research labs and relics of the past refugees who have come to El Nysa — a living mausoleum of worlds swallowed up by the Storm whose peoples have refused to forget where they came from. Crew photos line the walls of the tower: pictures of alien families and friends, the refugees who came to Nadril before you. Each group of photos gradually becomes smaller in number, and the most recent of the pictures are from half a century ago. Magda's picture can be found among the first group of refugees, an unusually small cluster of photos dating back centuries in El Nysa's past. I have been on this planet for nearly two centuries. Life has come, evolved, and collided in an ever expanding culture. But Darma fears interference, and made this place a prison, with she our warden, stifling the growth of the creatures native to this world rather than encouraging them to flourish. She sent you here for answers in her stead because she knows I'll spurn her, and after seeing what that fool Raysc has wrought, I'll give you them — not for Darma's sake, but because I trust after all the Natha have done to you, you'll understand my decision. Mistakes were made, and I won't hide them. You've made it here so there's some mettle to you, and unlike the Orbiters, I'm not interested in hiding the secrets of the dangers we face. I gave Raysc what he needed to keep his actions hidden from Darma's eyes — what he needed to advance the primitive magics the Natha had doomed him to. It was old Natha tech, Darma's very own used against her. Hilarious, isn't it? Raysc learned of Nadril, and like you, braved the snow to find his way here. He proved his worth and his determination, and he spoke of a brighter future, El Nysa coming into its own, its people realizing their true potential, unhindered by the shackles that had been put upon them. I believed him. He had vision — or so I thought. In truth, he was a fool. A madman. He wasted the opportunity I gave him on his petty vengeance. But not everyone on this planet is such an idiot. Surely you lot aren't. The Natha are hiding things from us — about the Storm, about everything. And here in Nadril, we're going to find all those secrets. What's it going to be? Will you help us, or are you going to stay obedient dogs on Darma's leash? Magda isn't too talkative yet; after all, the new flock of refugees may just be here as eyes and ears for the Orbiters. But what he has said leaves you with plenty to talk about, and if you can earn his trust by helping out around Nadril, he doubtless has a great deal more to reveal. II. Central isn't the only Natha ship that made its way to El Nysa — another, crashed just outside Nadril's borders, is little more than a junk heap. It's here that you'll find the spare parts Darma asked you to retrieve for Thesa Station. What remains of the ship's hull serves as a windbreak, and snow has built up against it, turning the piles of old Natha tech inside into something of a snowy morass. Holes in the deck offer would-be scavengers passage to the ship's innards, barely illuminated with flickering lights — the tech is old, but hardy enough to withstand a crash landing, the severe weather, and the passage of centuries. Deep in the wreck are the remains of living quarters, research labs, VR arenas, mecha bays, cafeterias, and a host of other rooms, many of which may seem familiar from Thesa Station, albeit with a decidedly older feel to what remains of the smooth curves and sleek surfaces of the Natha architecture. Most of the ship's systems are damaged and the technology is nonfunctional, but that just means there's plenty of spare parts to be found. The wreck isn't in the best shape, its structural integrity damaged, and the drifting snow threatens to block off exit routes. Be careful while exploring and be sure to bring a partner. As it turns out, Darma isn't the only one interested in the wreck — Magda is also eager to get his hands on Natha technology. In his own way of taking some responsibility for Raysc, he's asking scavengers to bring him parts, muttering about seeing what he can do about Ysverai's curse. Bring him anything that looks useful, and he may have a chance to succeed, though whether he'll be more effective than the Natha Orbiters is up for debate... FINAL OOC NOTES     An AC-eligible thread with a new character as a participant for 2 NADRIL REP POINTS may be submitted from this log. SUBMIT THE THREAD HERE BY AUGUST 5TH, 11:59 PM EST. As always, feel free to create your own prompts and explore the Nadril location page! There are a variety of activities made available, including fishing and cave exploration! Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[willrevile]

Excellent. [ Honesty's always been Jim's policy when it comes to flirting, though sometimes it's ... less than graceful. ('Heyyyy you're hot' while stumbling up to a bar is honest, sure, but why.) ]

Have you checked out much of the rest of the city? Maybe we can find somewhere fun that's not that one bar.

[ That One Bar being perfectly nice, but clearly geared to engaging with newcomers and wider social activity. Surely they can angle for something a bit more private. ]

[stargatemedic]

Like Ren, TJ hopes to do the same - gather information so that when her friends wake up, she can tell them what they've missed. When the young man introduces himself, she nods at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Ren. Don't be shy if you see me around or if you need anything at all."

[hedonistic]

Well that's fucking stupid.

[Ironically, Kagari does in fact look angry at those words. It's not a righteous sort of anger, the indignation of the gentle-hearted at the thought of a person not valuing their own life. Kagari knows well what it is to go to sleep and hope not to wake again, to find the process of existing burdensome and interminable. He spent fifteen years in the isolation facility beginning from when he was a child, after all, knowing full well that he could drop dead at any point and not a single soul would remember he ever existed.

Kagari's hated himself for as long as he can remember, but he learned to value his own life out of sheer spite, specifically because nobody else did.]

Your life's the only thing in the world that's yours. Even when you've got nothing else, every second you're breathing, that's a second that says fuck you to all the assholes who ever screwed you over. Care about that.

[diamondize]

I have a hardness scale of 10-- The hardest level, except for Sensei. So thankfully I don't break very easily at all!

[Diamond lifts their arms up and squeezes their fists shut as if showing off the guns for Molly. Not that they have any muscles whatsoever, but, you know. It's the thought that counts or something.

They giggle and lower their arms to clasp their hands behind their back] But it's alright. The organic people I've met have been very nice, but it's hard sometimes to remember how, hmm, fragile you are. People got really upset when they saw me carrying half my arm around... It must be hard when so many things can be... fatal. [The word is said like it's rather foreign to them, which it still is.

From someone else this all might've seemed condescending--and in a way it definitely still is, even if Dia doesn't mean it to be]

[diamondize]

Boring... Hmm. [They hum thoughtfully, but don't say anything either way. Ren's isn't wrong, after all, but he's not quite right either.

Either way, they reach up to touch their hair and then laughs softly with a smile] I suppose I am, in way!

I'm Diamond--it's both my name, and what I am! I suppose you could call my kind 'gems,' but 'crystals' probably isn't that far off either.

[colorature]

You can't be both. That's like saying a cat can be a dog at the same time.

_{[Gurl have you even met a demon before???]}

Oh. _{[And then it dawns on her.]} You're playing pretend, aren't you?

[defenses]

[ little does he know that he's bred this misunderstanding. still, being ignorant of it means there isn't really much he can do to rectify it. instead, he just seems to simply take her words at face value.

it seems she hasn't figured it out yet, either.

hence, he's a little proud of himself. he puffs himself up a little before he takes an accessory from out of his pocket. if cordelia looks they're one of those accessories that keep warmth. this one in the form of earrings. he dangles it in front of her before beaming towards her. ] Tsk, tsk, tsk! [ he wags his finger dramatically. i'm not sure why he is this way so don't ask. ]

You forgot the most important thing! These are really convenient because you don't have to wear as much. [ or maybe it's just crucial for someone like him who always seems to be running around lost. either way, he seems confident in his answer. ]

[diamondize]

[Dia looks briefly confused, before their expression becomes understanding and they nod a little.]

Ahh, that's right. You organic beings have to worry a lot about that sort oft hing, huh? You don't live forever, and so many things can indispose you for a really long time...

But! I'm sure it'll be okay! Your loved ones will definitely wake up before then! And you can show them all the interesting new things you've seen and learned here!

[willrevile]

[ Well, they're not in space. They're on a planet. A planet populated by people who, as noted, are always gonna fuck up. Jim's been to a whole lot of planets, and people, human and alien alike, always boil down to the same kind of behaviors.

(Unless they've suffered near-extinction at the hands of their own terrible choices and then rebuilt from the ground up with a new mindset guided by benevolent advanced aliens. Jim misses his humans.) ]

To the one who has all my friends and family hostage, [ he deadpans. ]

[morbide]

[What a trooper, Chuuya. Henry bounces in place with a giggle, pointing a finger at his drink.]

What'd I tell you? Just because it isn't like the rest doesn't mean it has to be a bad apple.

[Not that he thought it would pass... But it's not as if he didn't have faith that it would taste good, either. He did pick out the things he thought looked good, visually speaking. Henry changes that pointer finger into one where it's as though he's making a novel statement.]

Even though I'm not much for alcohol, that doesn't mean I don't know my way around a good concoction. I had a feeling I'd be pretty good at this, sinister though my roots may be.

[punshots]

[ Just...call her Luna? Sure, that's what Noctis calls her, but he's royalty, and her fiance to boot. Prompto has never had any trouble calling the prince by a nickname, but Luna is different somehow. Still, he's seen and met enough people who were once royalty in their own worlds to realize that all that doesn't really matter much here, and how can he deny her request? It make take him some time to grow used to it, but he'll get there.

So he grins and nods, answering with a little chuckle. ]

Luna it is, then. Can't say winter is my favorite season, buuut it's not so bad once you get used to it.

[ It helps that he has more pleasant memories in snowy climates he's made in this world to override the memories of trekking through Niflheim's frozen tundra. He still doesn't enjoy the cold when compared to, say, the beach, but he's not complaining about it as much as he might've once upon a time.

(...But he's still complaining about it a fair bit.)

His attention returns back to the dogs as they play. ]

Wonder if we could teach 'em tricks more advanced than your average pup, since they're androids, and all.

[ Also he didn't miss that she mentioned she is only borrowing hers for the day! Maybe he can do something about that... ]

[defenses]

[ to be honest, he's not quite sure what they're both agreeing to?

though, in his defense... it seems mutual somehow? the fact that they're both kind of (unsure), that is. hence, vane does what he normally does in tense situations like these. he diffuses it through... laughter. albeit, it's a bit uneasy. ] Ahaha, looks like we just ended up oddly conscious of the situation, huh?

But, are you all right? [ he reaches down to tap the mouse that's perched on her shoulder. ]

Is that little one yours?

[unos]

[ Katsura had noticed that, but pointing it out at the time had felt strange - even though invading a sentient cat's space in order to squish his paws had been quite normal. ]

We only changed because we accidentally desecrated a cat's grave. [ Sure, that's a polite way of wording it. ] We were stuck like that for a few days, but we defeated a cat Amanto that was kidnapping local strays in an attempt to restore his vitality. [ Again, sure. That's a polite way of putting it. ]

After that, we were returned to normal.

[punshots]

[ Well, at least she's not trying to shank him, or something, though that may only be because the store attendant is giving the both of them a wary look. She's seen this sort of behavior before, it would seem, and is contemplating how worth it would be to throw them both out of the store. They're weirding out the other customers, too!

It's apparently time to improvise, so Prompto swallows and grins through his nerves, climbing to his feet and offering her a hand up. ]

Heh, it's no big! Boy, what a ...random accident that was!!

[lancings]

[ Even with the slower speed, she doesn't feel entirely confident about her balance. There's something all too precarious about not being in control of the beast they ride on. She forces herself to loosen her grip anyway as she tries to re-focus her thoughts on the young woman's words. ]

I could tell you all there is to know about them. I've grown up with them for years since I first wanted to be a Pegasus Knight. They're majestic and graceful, far too brave in the midst of battle. They don't fly away from the enemy or cower. It's a shame I awoke without mine. We've practically been glued together for years. Do you share the same kinship with your 'motorcycle'?

[ She's still dubious how sentient it is, but she'll reserve her judgment. There's a great deal she doesn't know about other worlds, and knights come in all varieties. Upon a winged horse or a questionable looking carriage with only two wheels. ]

[romancekiller]

Yeah, no kidding— that's probably part why we only just learned about this place recently too. [she nods in agreement at that only to look over at him with slight curiosity] Oh— you are planning to use it as a business opportunity?

[lancings]

I can see that. It's some specter. A spirit inhabits this mirror.

[ That's clearly why it's talking at her so vehemently, though she's not unused it. This is the first time, however, that anyone has ever said she's fallen below expectation as opposed to doing too much to constantly reach beyond it. ]

How do I exorcise it from my mirror? It's a shame my fellow shepherds, Tharja and Henry, aren't here. They would certainly know how to banish the spirit.

[ Or make friends with it. Either way, Cordelia wants it gone and is rather close to simply removing the mirror and letting it freeze outside. The only thing stopping her is then she wouldn't know if her hair is unkempt and she does like to look presentable in front of others. ]

[punshots]

Sure I did! [ He says nonchalantly, as he positions his weapon towards the door. ] If you hadn't jogged my memory, it might've taken me ages to pull this ol' thing out!

[ And he means that, too. For all he can sometimes be a creative problem solver, other times he misses the obvious solution right under his nose. Either way, they got there, and Prompto fires a bolt right at the center of the door, clearing a hole through it. ]

There! Easy as - [ And then, as his weapon vanishes again, he makes a face, flattening a hand over his nose. ] Geez Louise, somethin' reeks!

[fisherwife]

[Mipha laughs softly.] Don't make promises you won't be able to keep, Link. I've known you too long to not assume you'll be seeking my healing out before too long here. [Her tone is at least teasing, even if they both know this is a True Fact.

Jesus, Link, do you ever think with anything other than your stomach?? There's another laugh, though this one is a tad incredulous.] I don't think the Natha have that kind of technology they'd be willing to part with on your Sheikah Slate just so you can pull something to eat when you wanted.

I'm not entirely sure the Natha could provide enough food to begin with for that sort of thing... [He's a bit of a bottomless pit, after all. The feasts Link could throw, tho...]

[romancekiller]

That's true enough. [it might be unfortunate but that was just how things were] It still would be nice though.

Ah— yeah, I guess I'm used it from how thing are back home.

[romancekiller]

Yeah— [she just nods at the that] Well if they don't, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough if they are leading us in the right direction or not.

[punshots]

[ Heh, he can relate to that...Prompto might have picked up a cooking skill here or there after looking after himself for a year, but he still can't even touch Iggy's skill level with a ten meter pole. ]

Then you're shopping somewhere pretty amazing. Did you take these, B-T-W?

[ He means the photographs. ]

[america]

[ Steve nods. ]

I was. Once upon a time. [ He shrugs, reconsiders his words. A soldier implies following orders, something he hasn't exactly done in a while now despite his time in the Royal Guard here.

But the rest of it still stands true. ] Maybe I still am. Guess those years of training never really leave you.

[punshots]

[ Maybe she can't share it with him directly, but she can still tell him about it, and maybe, given the sudden bittersweet appearance of these photographs, that would be the right thing to do. He doesn't want to draw out painful things, but even so, maybe...this is the time to ask about it, to give her a chance to reflect, to ease her homesickness, if even a little.

So one of his hands snakes down to take one of hers, squeezing her fingers gently as he threads his own through them. ]

A floating city? You gotta tell me more about that one!

[ And all of them, really, but that's a start. ]

[lancings]

That's a start.

[ Yes, good. Keep her talking. Keep her moving. The more they both focus on the conversation, the less they focus on freezing, though Cordelia's starting to feel her own legs numb up. This much travel by foot still feels foreign to her after spending the past years on the back of her pegasus. Hopefully, their encampments are somewhere close by. She's not sure how much of this either of them can endure.

Her arm keeps a steady grip on Olivia as she peers past all the frosty winds to try and see up ahead. Best not to point out that she can't really see what's on the other side so she doesn't know if it's miles away or just a few meters. ]

Did you always want to be a dancer? You can tell me about your master, if you'd like. I always wanted to learn how to do it myself.

[ But she's never been as sure-footed as Olivia. In spite of her numerous talents in other areas, she feels she falls short of Olivia's grace and elegance, but it couldn't hurt to pick up more trades while they're here. ]