too many days to get lost. - Printable Version +- 'Souls IPB Archive (November 2007–October 2012) (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb) +-- Forum: Dead IC (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=110) +--- Forum: Dead Topics (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: too many days to get lost. (/showthread.php?tid=7005) |
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- Kaena Lykoi - 07-17-2009 [html]
- Onus - 07-17-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Onus is always in Optime. My length won't at all match your's XD He wondered if it would ever stop raining. Not that he necessarily minded all that much. It could just be a little troublesome. Especially with all the hunting he had been doing lately. Fishing was far easier for him than hunting rabbits or other rodents, but with the constant downpour it made fishing nearly impossible. He supposed he could learn to use a rod and line as the humans had done, but it just wasn't his style. He much preferred the way that he did it, standing in the water until a fish got too close and comfortable and he could reach down and snatch it. Undoubtedly quicker than the silly rod and more efficient. Considering how much Cwmfen needed to eat these days, quickness and efficiency were things he valued. The coyote had a feeling that it wouldn't be all that much longer until her litter was born and that made him anxious. The rain had stopped for a while and his lover was asleep so he had decided to take a walk. He had donned all his usual trappings, the hat, the coat and the scarf. His hat and coat would be very useful if it started to rain again. Onus had traveled into the area known as Arachnea's Revenge, which he had discovered on earlier treks was aptly named. Fragile webs hung everywhere and one could almost always catch the quick movements of some spider out of the corner of their eye. He came across a lake that he observed for a few minutes before deciding that a perch in one of the nearby trees sounded more comfortable than standing around. Deftly the man climbed the tree and found a suitably thick branch. He settled himself with his back against the trunk and his legs spread out in front him. That hidden gaze swept over the waters from their new vantage point. What a strange lake and how blue the waters were. Onus had settled into a shallow sleep. For many the idea of falling asleep in a tree would have been a little frightening. There was always the chance that you could move around in your sleep and fall, risking broken bones or even death if one had been high enough up. But the vigilante had trained himself to stay incredibly still while he slumbered. Sometimes he had stayed in a tree for days waiting for some target to make a move. It was those same deeply trained instincts that caught the noise of someone else approaching the area. Immediately those dark eyes were open and quietly searching. The rested upon the battered form of a female hybrid, seemingly admiring the lake as he had done earlier. In silence he watched the woman for a long time, his nose attempting to catch her scent and yet failing to in the wet air. Somewhat intrigued by the woman Onus decided to speak up. Perhaps he could learn something from her. "Interesting lake," that rough monotone called out. - Kaena Lykoi - 07-17-2009 [html]
- Onus - 07-19-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Ahhh ok! *is blind/dumb* Yeah, that's pretty much what it means. He'll never not be a loner and she'll never leave her pack (but it totally works for them) but they're all exclusive. Requiem got her's first and then I was like "I want one too!" XD Onus liked to keep to the branches and limbs of trees for that very purpose that had surprised her; most of their kind did not climb trees. All their prey was on the ground and they were meant to dwell on the ground as well. Even though their Optime bodies made such climbing possible, very few took advantage of it. Especially not to stay up in the trees for any extended amount of time. It gave him the stealth and the subtly that he wanted and needed. If he had made no move or sound, no doubt the woman would have been oblivious to his presence the whole time. Such a tactic was ideal for observing things that were not meant to be observed and for sneaking up on criminals. However he had had no such agenda this day. He knew nothing of her past and all were innocent until proven guilty. The man stayed still as she came closer and openly observed him with her one glowing eye. As she came closer to the tree that he sat in his head followed her movements, watching her just as she was watching him. She was scarred and torn, missing an eye. The female might even be older than he was. He could tell many things from those simple observations. She was a fighter, of some sort or another, and was damn good at it considering she had lived this long. Even now in her advanced age he sensed a strength in her that many people younger than her lacked. They had things in common, the two of them, though he was unaware they lead lives on different sides of the track so to speak. At her question in response to him his gaze traveled back to the sight of the lake. "Not certain. Could be bacteria of some sort. Or some other such organism." That was as far as he could guess though. The coyote had a basic knowledge of such things, but he was no biologist. His days as a bookworm before he found his mission had given him a cursory knowledge in many areas. Anatomy, biology, astronomy, medicine. They all helped him to some degree or another. He could take care of most wounds, he knew the weakest points on the body and where the vital arteries were. If he were traveling he could tell where he was by the placement of the stars (as long as they were not obscured by clouds, as they were this evening). Now that she was close his nose was able to pick up her scent and he found the unmistakable odor of the clan on her. It was not surprising. Considering her hybrid nature and her many scars, she outwardly seemed like one who would belong to Inferni. The band of coyotes had been far from his mind as of late. There had been bigger fish to fry. First Conri Church, who unfortunately had evaded him and fled the lands, and then there had been Corvus. Corvus Vendetta was now vanquished, but despite that almost all the man's attention was diverted to his lover and her condition. The most daunting hurdle in his path now was the litter growing in her womb. - Kaena Lykoi - 07-20-2009 [html]
- Onus - 07-21-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> No, I had read it and then forgot about it XD I like reading profiles too! I was happy you had Kaena smell the Old Spice, I think that's the most commonly missed detail about him :3 Eh, it's alright. It actually works really well for the two of them, they're strange. Psh, it's still an awesome post! And I totally had to go and wiki bacteria so he can explain it to her xD It was interesting. Onus had never realized it before, but he had run across very few pure-blooded coyotes in these lands, if any at all. Every member he had met from the clan had at least some wolf or dog in them, including this woman below him. In fact Gabriel had hardly looked like a coyote at all, more like a dog. It made the whole wolf pack versus the coyote clan conflict seem even more ludicrous in his mind. They were all more the same than different at all. The simple fact of the matter was that coyotes very rarely banded together, and if they did it usually didn't last for long. Coyotes were not pack creatures as wolves were, they were solitary scavengers. Admittedly Onus was even more antisocial than many of his kind, but a lot of that was simply bred into him. The rest came from early life trauma however. It was only recently, when he had come here, that he had actually allowed himself to grow relatively close to some individuals. Though despite that he knew he would never attempt to join any group. He was not a group creature. He always had been and always would be a loner. At the look of confusion on her face it was clear she wasn't entirely sure what he meant. What would be the most interesting to him though would be if she decided to ask him to explain or not. Yet another simple, seemingly insignificant thing that would tell him much about her. If she did ask then it would show that she valued knowledge and was comfortable enough with herself to show that she did not know everything. If she didn't it would show a pompous attitude that was unwilling to admit to any sort of inadequacy. Honestly, he hoped for the former. People like that he could respect. The latter were only annoyances. But the man was pleasantly surprised. Now he had to think of how to explain it to her. "Bacterium are microscopic organisms that are inside almost everything on the planet," he started, choosing his words carefully. "They are everywhere. In the earth. In the water. Inside us. Most are harmless or helpful, but some are dangerous. Dangerous ones can cause diseases." That was the most bare bones explanation that he could give. Onus watched as she moved forward, closer to him. He continued to stay perfectly still, willing to let her inspect him in such a way. He knew he was quite a sight to see. Sometimes such inspections could be off-putting, but this female was going about in a way that did not bother him. He could tell there was no judgment in her looking, only a curiosity. He himself was a creature of observation, though most times he preferred to do it unnoticed in the shadows. Despite fighting for the cause of justice, he was a creature of the shadows. For to truly be able to fight evil one had to understand how evil worked and how criminals thought. You needed to be able to guess what their next move might be. He had become very good at that. - Kaena Lykoi - 07-21-2009 [html]
- Onus - 07-27-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> fail wait is fail, I apologize ><; Sometimes the man forgot that many here were not as well versed in the human world as he was. He was still fairly unused to living in such a wild environment. The majority of his life had been spent in cities, and not dead ones like Halifax was. They were cities that the canines had claimed and re-inhabited. Just as when the humans had lived in such places, crime was much higher in the cities than they were in more rural areas such as this. Yet still, it was here, and not in the city, that Onus had met his greatest enemy of all. How peculiar that seemed to him. What was that often used human saying? Ah yes, the world worked in mysterious ways. He didn't buy into that way of thinking completely, but at times that was certainly true. His gaze turned back to the oddly iridescent lake. While he new the basics about bacterium, he did not know the specifics of what types were particularly harmful and which were not. And he had never heard of any that made bodies of water look like that. "Hrm," he grunted, mulling the idea over. "Not certain. Could be fine. But probably good to stay on safe side and not." The coyote had not noticed any dead animals laying around, so maybe it was fine. But then again, he really hadn't seen any animals at all. Maybe the lesser beasts had figured out that the water wasn't for drinking and had abandoned the area. It was impossible to say for sure. For as little as was being said between the two of them, Onus was enjoying this encounter more than most. While she might have many questions about his appearance running inside her head, she wasn't blurting them out and showering him with them. That was the thing that annoyed him most about the majority of the general population. They didn't know when to keep their mouths shut. This woman obviously did and he respected her for that. It was probably for these reasons that when she introduced herself that he was willing to respond to that introduction with his own name. "Onus." The times he gave his name to another were few and far between. Most he did not find worthy of that information. His reasons for giving it out seemed to change with each occasion, but in his mind Kaena had earned that piece of information about him. - Kaena Lykoi - 07-29-2009 [html]
- Onus - 07-30-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> <3! If he hadn't known by observation that she had not partaken the water in the lake it was obvious from her calm reaction to his words that she had not. That would have been rather unfortunate for her. He truly did not know whether or not the water would be toxic, but for any poor creature that had unknowingly drank from the lake and then found out it might be deadly...well, that would be a most uncomfortable situation for them. Onus preferred collecting water and then boiling it to kill whatever harmful products might be in it. Of course that was not always possible, but as he had been staying here for many moons he kept a good supply of clean, bottled water in his apartment in the city. Both for drinking and cleaning wounds if it were needed. At the slight inclination of Kaena's head he responded with a nod of his own. A respectful creature she was, at least when it came to those of coyote blood. He knew that none in Inferni took very kindly to their larger cousins, so it was easy to discern that his heritage was what had gained her civility. That was all well and good with him. Onus did not enjoy fighting over petty things such as DNA. When he fought, he fought for the cause of justice and liked to avoid any other scuffle. Such encounters were simply distractions and did nothing to further his mission. In these situations he preferred to use words instead of tooth and claw. A fighter he may be, but he understood when vocabulary was more useful than force. One large ear swiveled to take in her question. Was it not obvious? Though he supposed his clothing did little to help her figure it out on her own. Plus, if most around here were of mixed blood it would be hard to know for certain. "Yes." The vigilante said nothing else, for he saw nothing else to say. She had asked if he were a coyote and he was. As far as he was concerned there was nothing else to add to that simple answer. Surely if she had more questions she would ask them. - Kaena Lykoi - 07-31-2009 [html]
- Onus - 08-03-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Congrats on SS! You deserved it! Silence was not a thing that bothered the man in the slightest. He had never truly understood why so many grew so uncomfortable in perfect stillness. Though it was a technique he had used to his advantage at times. Interrogations did not always need to be violent. Mind games could be just as, if not more, effective. When faced with silence, some people felt the need to fill it up. The vigilante would not give those creatures the comfort of speaking and so they would ramble and say things they would not normally say just to keep themselves from getting too scared. It didn't work though. Every panicked word that was spoken by such people oozed with fear. But that was his job. To turn fear against those that did wrong. The way her next "question" was put together was interesting. Not even really a question at all. Something he had to confirm or deny. She was an intriguing creature, this Kaena Lykoi. "Your coyotes?" He wanted to know why she had said it in such a way. At the moment he guessed that she meant the members of Inferni, but she was not the leader there. Not to his knowledge. The leader was the doggish hybrid he had met on his first visit to their skull-fenced lands. "No. Not related to anyone." As far as he knew that statement was more or less true. Definitely true for the purpose of answering her question. He was certainly not related to anyone here. The only blood relative he knew of was his mother, and she was a disgrace to the very name "mother". He didn't even know if his surname connected him to anyone, or if it had all just been born of his dame's fear of him. The coyote's ability to not be shocked by anything he saw was a puzzlement to most. Part of it was trained. He had made himself into what he was. He had trained himself to hid his thoughts behind that neutral mask that gave nothing away. It helped him serve his purpose. But another part of it was he had seen truly horrific sights. Dismembered children. Women carved up like livestock. Mutilated bodies of every shape and size. He had heard the agonized screams of victims he had been unable to reach in time. The scarred facade of Kaena held nothing to disturb him. - Kaena Lykoi - 08-05-2009 [html]
- Onus - 08-18-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Sorry for the wait D: Onus understood the value of information more than most did. Information and knowledge could be powerful and dangerous tools. The coyote was a creature of logic, of cold hard facts. It was one of the things that separated him from those he hunted. They killed and maimed for the sheer, sick pleasure of it. They did it for themselves, because they wanted to. He did not do it for pleasure, he did it because it was right. Because somebody had to. The scum of this earth greatly outnumbered the good people and somebody needed to even the playing field. Onus did not believe in a god, at least not like some creatures did. Sure, they may have been some powerful entity up there, but it didn't give a crap about what happened on this earth. Someone needed to punish the wicked, so he had volunteered and devoted himself to that cause. Onus saw the smile that briefly formed on Kaena's face and he was almost tempted to show one of his own, but that did not happen. The vigilante had only ever smiled for one person and it was likely to stay that way. There was a sort of impression he felt when she divulged that she had so much blood running about in the lands. It was a strange thing to fathom for the coyote who had almost always been alone in his life. What could it possibly be like to have so many relatives? To who he was, the prospect seemed almost annoying, but perhaps if things had been different he would not have felt that way. "A large family you have then." He was tempted to fish for more information about the clan, but he didn't. Kaena was no fool and oddly enough, he respected to her too much to treat her like any other person. If he learned something then good, if not, oh well. Her apology struck him as odd. It was like when the hybrid Vigilante had wished for him to have more to his life then what he had settled for. More than just the life of a vigilante. Before he had come here, no one had ever wished him any sort of well. No one had ever apologized for the fact that he was alone. To find such empathy was strange and new to him. Once again he found himself having a hard time knowing how to react. "It's okay. Better this way for me." Onus wasn't completely alone anymore, but it was not a fact he wished to share with anyone. He refused to put Cwmfen in any risk of retaliation against him. But until now being alone had suited him fine. The coyote could not trust, not completely. Being close only held the potential of hurting him. Like his mother had. - Kaena Lykoi - 08-28-2009 [html]
- Onus - 09-03-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> we're both slow, so we can call it even XD Her family was something the woman clearly took pride in. It was interesting how some could care less about blood ties and to some it was one of the most important things in the world. Family mattered so much to some and so little to others. Onus had never truly had a family and so he could not understand that strong attachment, at least not on a personal level. He could comprehend why more normal creatures valued it. From their very first moments families gave them love the protection, support and guidance. That was how families were supposed to act, of course there were many that didn't. Almost more interesting though, was the clearly dichotomous nature in the Lykoi female. Without having to ask, he knew that she had taken many lives. Those stories were written all over her. Despite that, she also brought life into this world, many lives apparently. The coyote believed that he was only on this Earth to take lives, so her ability to have both in her nature was fascinating to the man. A question came to him and he found it impossible to contain. Kaena knew nothing of the situation in which he currently found himself and he could not guess that she would have an answer for him, but being experienced in the world and a parent made her a good candidate. "Have you ever cared for children not your own? Or even children beget of a vanquished enemy?" If they also belonged to one you love, he thought to himself, unable to voice the words out loud. While he had no reason to believe that she was untrustworthy, he had only just met her. Him asking such a question from a relative stranger was surprising enough, he could not spell out his situation so clearly. But perhaps she would have advice. Anu had told him that she loved her adopted children with all her being and believed that he was capable of this as well. Onus still was unsure though. These children would be the spawn of the most evil creature he had ever come across, there was no guarantee that they would not be tainted with that same darkness. At another of her scarred smiles he almost found himself smirking back. There was a quality about the hybrid he found he could instantly relate to. He believed that they had many things in common, intangible things. Surely there were many differences as well, but for him to find anyone he felt a sort of mirror to was rare indeed. "Yes. Suppose they can," he agreed sincerely. The coyote knew it to be true. Cwmfen, and his feelings for her, had been a complete surprise to him. He had thought to spend his whole life along, thinking himself incapable of such deep and binding emotions as love. Yet he had found it and now never wished to be apart from her. - Kaena Lykoi - 09-09-2009 [html]
We should wrap this up and start thread #2 soon! >D The hybrid woman was not one to abandon her family; even those she'd driven from her midst had seen the merciful side of Kaena. Had Vitium been anything but a Lykoi, he would have faced her Aquila's fangs and death for the treachery he showed that bright afternoon on the beach with that Aremys wolf. The hybrid woman would not allowed any other to simply see a scar and permanent exile. Still, it had been enough—Kaena had not seen her black-eyed son since his ejection from Inferni. She wondered still if she could trust him enough to remain alone with him for any amount of time; she wondered if she would not bring one of her loyal children to guard her back while in the traitor's presence. Maybe he still loved his mother, maybe not. Perhaps Kaena would never know. There was a question from the other canine, and the coyote remained quiet for a moment, allowing it to sink in. She had not, not in the past—in the past she had even abandoned her own children, though she had at least given them a fighting chance. They were mostly wolves, they would pass for wolves until they were older, and by the time the pack figured them for coyotes they would either be too deeply ingrained into wolf lifestyle or able to defend themselves, one of the two. Still, the question struck on too familiar a territory—Kaena had known from the instant Eris came into this world she was Salvaged Eternity's child. There was no question; she was larger than her coyote brothers and sister and black as shadow. Kaena could have quite easily taken her life there in the darkness of the den, and no one would have known. "Yes. My worst enemy, he gave me his child the night he died." she said. It was the truth, though a warped version of it. Kaena had never admitted Eris was the child of Sal, not even to her—it was a secret she thought fitting to take to her grave. Still, she had shown mercy to that shred of the Eternity man the night Eris was born—Kaena could have extinguished the life from his child very easily, and Eris had lived, and grown up, and betrayed her mother in a fashion rather fitting for her origin, Kaena thought sullenly. "I let her live," she added. Maybe it was only the fact that Eris was also Kaena's daughter that saved her; perhaps not. The hybrid woman had learned to value all children in recent years; they were young and that in itself was precious. Being around youth made the hybrid feel younger, herself. - Onus - 09-22-2009 [html] http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee19 ... ace_04.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Yes we should! Hopefully I'll stop having failwaits too x.x Once again Onus let the silence envelope the pair, watching her as she contemplated the question that he had asked. For Anu, he imagined, it was easy to love children that were not her own. Anu was not a warrior though. Her life had been normal. His own had been far from it. Before Cwmfen no one had shown him real love and affection. It had been a foreign language to him. While he was beginning to understand it better he still did not know how to apply it to children, even if they had been his own. They were not though. They were the black seed of Corvus Vendetta, conceived of rape and incest. Could any children conceived in such a way and from such a father turn out good? The man liked to believe that people could raise above their genes. Children were not their parents. He was not. Cwmfen was not. These circumstances were different though. He had never come across anyone the likes of the crow wolf before. There was an all consuming evil in that dead man. It had permeated the air around him. True, it had not passed to Cwmfen, but there was the incest to consider as well. The coyote knew enough to know that such a thing was abnormal and not meant to happen. Who knew what monstrosities could be bred of such a thing. The vigilante was surprised to hear that Kaena had been in such a similar situation. She had birthed the get of her greatest enemy. Corvus had been his greatest enemy, and it was the night and morning of his death that these children had been conceived. Despite that she had let the child live. It was still difficult for him to know how he would feel though. Kaena, as Cwmfen, had their own blood to consider in the matter. The sires had been mortal foes, but yet still these pups held a part of them as well. They were their children, wanted or not. Onus had no such connection to make. He wanted to care for whatever lives Cwmfen brought into the world. He didn't know if he could though. The coyote digested these thoughts, mulling them over in his mind. It was still a little bit of hope for the future, though his thoughts were still filled with uncertainty. "I hope I will be able to let these live. I cannot be certain though." They would be safe as long as they proved their sire wrong and their dame right. If they followed in the footsteps of their mother then he would have no cause to worry. It was only if they went down the other path that his mission would call him to intervene. Light was slowly beginning to seep back into the world. The masked man looked around at his surroundings. Soon Cwmfen would awake and he wanted to be there in case she required anything of him. Grunting softly he moved from his permanent position in the tree. Body dropped from the limb as one hand held him up, dangling for a moment before dropping to land with a rough grace to the ground. Hands placed themselves inside his pockets as he looked to Kaena again. "Should be leaving. Have somewhere to be. It was good to meet you Kaena Lykoi." The compliment was sincere. If it had not been, it would not have been said. Onus never said anything that he did not mean. - Kaena Lykoi - 09-29-2009 [html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... enaban.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;"> Table thanks to Erin!In retrospect, maybe Kaena should have culled Eris the night she was born, picked her from amongst her coyote relatives and disposed of her, thrown her into the ocean—anything. The girl was not worth the pain she had caused the silver hybrid, and even now there was debate in Kaena whether she would greet her daughter with a growl. It had cut the hybrid woman deep when the sable child had walked away, but Kaena had considered the possibility that Astaroth had deceived her as he had deceived Kaena long before Eris walked the earth. They were the same color, after all, and that in and of itself was overwhelming evidence in a child's eyes. Certainly Eris could not sort out her own wolf blood, though by two years of age now she ought to be doubting herself. The hybrid woman contemplated his simple statement for a long moment, churning it over in her head. Were all children worth salvation? Perhaps. Kaena was no philosopher, but she might have subscribed to the tabula rasa notion that children were blank slates to be written upon. Such a thing could be said for her three children born of Astaroth—they were meant to be devils, they were meant to leave their mother for their father. Yet here was Samael still, devoted as ever to his mother, and certainly Ahemait felt the same, though there was distance now between the pair. Kae wished to track down the girl, to find her and send some word between them, but she did not know where the cinnamon female and Stygian Nothing had holed up and bred their children. Perhaps a new grandchild would greet her at the borders, bringing word of its parents—maybe someday. "Some think all children are deserving of the chance at life," she ventured, though she did not subscribe to that particular school of thought herself. Given the choice between condemning an adult and a very young child, which would she choose? The child, which was innocent and had not yet the chance for a whole life, or the adult, who no doubt had family and possibly children of their own to care for? It was a dilemma, and one she was glad she had not been presented with in her lifetime. The children she had killed had been her own and one of Aremys, though the latter died in the name of war, war his own leaders had brought upon the pack by settling on Inferni's land in the first place. Too bad for them Kaena held no respect for her predecessor's treaties. The hybrid was startled by the dawning of morning herself, having failed to correctly gauge the amount of time spent here with this strange creature. But that said something, that she had enjoyed the time spent with him—if it had seemed to drag forever, it was not a good sign. But the night had flown from them swiftly in the throes of conversation marked with extended periods of comfortable silence, and the hybrid woman was confident their next meeting (nocturnal, no doubt) would be more of the same. She offered him another twisted smile and a nod. "Sure, I ought to head home myself," she said, wondering vaguely if they were going the same way. Abruptly, the male had landed on the ground, and Kaena craned her neck, appreciating the closer view of the coyote than she had seen while he was in his perch. "And you," she called after his retreating coat, thoroughly meaning it. It was not so often she was complimented in such a way, and it had caught her off guard for a second, though now she smiled at his statement. Good to meet her, rare indeed. |