MISADVENTURES IN TECHNICOLOR [p]

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] If he was being honest, he didn't normally think about other people... at all. He didn't go out of his way to make them happy or whatever--on the contrary, Sergio was rather self-absorbed. But when one of his, uh, buddies has commented on having found a couple cans of spray paint, Sergio traded him a few smokes for a few cans. Simple pleasures, right? They had been sitting in his room for the past few days, and he had been considering, weighing his options. He had met a certain purple-haired Fulsi who had some experience when it came to vandalism, and he was checking through a mental list of people he disliked. Eventually, however, he settled on the idea of Carna. Hey, what was life without a little risk? The past few weeks he had been getting particularly restless. Not enough to do. Ever. That, or too much to do, and none of it fun. He'd finally transferred out of his worn-out suit to a pair of borrowed jeans and a tee, just because the whole classy thing wasn't working anymore. There wasn't anything easy, and he'd gotten too gaunt from lack of food. This had put Sergio in an increasingly foul mood, and staring at the two cans of paint on his windowsill, he was trying to think of something to put him in a better one. It was late--probably too late to be doing anything ridiculous, but his lips curled themselves into a crooked smile, and he stood from the edge of his bed to seize them. Hell, he'd have some fun tonight, one way or the other. Hence walking down one long corridor of the Gospel Complex, a spring in his step and an interesting swing to his arms, which were laden with a can of spray paint each. He got a few interesting looks, to which he responded with a rather devious smile, until he came to the door that belonged to Noisette Todd. It was late--he knew that it was almost unreasonably so, probably reaching twelve. Tony had always said bad things happened at that hour--that people did stupid shit, got reckless and wild. With that thought in mind, Sergio knocked several times on the door. "Heya, Tuesday!" He waited a few seconds before continuing, leaning idly against the wall. "Got yourself some extra time tonight? 'Cause I think I got something worth your while." He shook one can, adding emphasis to his statement with the tell-tale jingle of the bottle.

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] Overnight scouting trips just weren’t very conducive to sleeping. The outdoor sleeping itself wasn’t much of a problem; one learned to drop off pretty much anywhere after enough time in the Menagerie. It was more of the likelihood of ambush while sleeping out in the open. Fortunately there had been no attacks, just plenty of noises to suggest otherwise. That was another way the dome had changed her sleeping patterns; Noisy had become a much lighter sleeper, now that there was reason to be. So in a situation like that, the marten shifter was awake every few minutes, ready to kill what turned out to be wind in the leaves. Which meant she wasn’t the least bit aggravated when they arrived home late the next day, mostly because of how much fun the Keepers seemed to have been having with their weather controls. Nope, of course not. So by the time Noisy was home, folks learned quickly to leave her alone. That left the Fulsi woman free to beeline to her personal space and flop down facefirst. Right before she drifted out, it occurred to her for perhaps the millionth time how glorious it was that she might never have to be woken up by the infernal shriek of an alarm clock again. She’d always hated those. Although, that might have been preferable to the obscenely chipper voice that woke her up in the middle of the night. There was an unimpressed look on her face the moment she was coherent. Nope. This was not a time to have to deal with the likes of Sergio Every-Expletive-Ever Lisci-Wotshisname. Oh sure, she’d warmed up to the kid since meeting him – in some ways he was her kind of person, reminded her of the people she’d hung with outside the dome. But it took some mental bracing, as well as the kind of patience she did not have for a considerable span after waking up. Even Persephone hadn’t been safe from a mean chewing-out if she tried disturbing her sister. With a huff she rolled over and sat up. Quite possibly that only made her mood worse, as the movement displaced her blankets and made her particularly conscious of how beautifully toasty it had been in there. His sales pitch did nothing to soften the murderous look she wore. It was Sergio. There could be any number of stupid things he thought worth bothering her with. Or worth the irritation he would get out of her. When he revealed the items in question, however, it wasn’t from any sheer pointlessness that her jaw dropped. She stared like that for a moment, before one corner of her mouth curved upwards as part of a terribly mischievous look. A gleefully drawn-out swear came a moment later. “You really are the keeper-drop fairy, aren’t you, Scotty?” Bedraggled but no longer groggy, she popper to her feet to come over and inspect the goods. Cor, if they were empty, she was going to throw him out the window. But no, apparently this wasn’t an attempt to get a rise out of her. Oh sure, he’d said he was bringing any discovered paint to her, but she wasn’t sure she’d actually expected him to. Didn’t seem like his style. “So what exactly are you hoping for in return? I mean, I still haven’t even returned the last favor.”

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] Sergio had known that Noisette Todd couldn't stay angry too long at him when he was bearing such marvelous gifts as spray-paint. When she opened the door at first, Sergio figured he was about to get an earful--and then her eyes caught on his little "present" and he decided he was in the clear. Her expression earned a rather smug grin at that point. "They just can't help loving me. Its the charming personality, y'know." Scotty, eh? That was a new one, but Sergio had learned a long time ago that nicknames were normally either a form of endearment or fondness. That, or an insult, but Sergio didn't figure that this wasn't the case. He offered the paint to her willingly, not wanting to disappoint. He couldn't help but think that this would ease the recent lull in his life; if nothing else, he was fairly certain he could convince her to an interesting night out. "I haven't decided yet," he replied, still grinning. "I'll get back to you on that, yeah?" And then, because he just noticed her rather rumpled state, Sergio's eyes settled on her hair. "Oh, gotta say. Dig the style, Tuesday." With that comment made, he reached out to tug gently at a particularly wild strand of purple hair. Bed-head was bad enough with normal colored hair, but... purple? His smile widened and there was this look of boyish humor in his eyes. Sergio knew he couldn't really joke about it, considering the state he found himself in when he woke up. "Going for the disheveled look? 'Cause you look ravaging." Sergio managed to deadpan the statement, but he was too giddy to stay serious for long, and his smile reappeared. "Anyway, I was kind of thinking Carna territory." To add clarification to his point, he raised one can of spray-paint and shook it. He couldn't quite get rid of his smug expression. ooc: so sorry for the wait and the general terrible quality of this post -shot- it has been too long since I wrote serg :c

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] It bothered her to have the debt hanging over her head. Especially when it was Sergio; she still didn’t know him enough to be sure what he might try to pull. Because she knew that, unless he requested something that only a psychopath would agree to, she wasn’t going to be able to shoot him down. It just wasn’t an option anymore to laugh and yell ‘sucker’ to avoid embarrassment, or inconvenience, or danger…well, okay, danger wouldn’t be much deterrent anyway. His gesture sparked a wave of objection that cut through her musings. Physical contact was very much a reserved right. “Gerrof,” she growled, finally jerking out from under his hand. As she spun and returned to her bed area, it occurred to her that she hadn’t slapped the offending appendage away. Huh. “What’s up with you? Was there coffee in that drop too?” She’d learned long ago to sleep with her shoes on, and given that it was winter, she was thusly prepared for any sudden need to go outside. All she needed was the weaponry she’d left next to her…head, given she didn’t have a pillow. In no time she had one pocket filled with pebbles and her sling tucked into the back of her dress just so, with the strings over her shoulder. Before she could turn and face Sergio, however, she realized something else she needed, and scooped the blanket off the floor. His suggestion was unnecessary; that was pretty much a given. Fallen preferred to stay out of conflict, and she could respect that. Nakoma was out, given they were kinda supposed to be allies. Retros were too far out, even if they’d had anything good for painting on. And the unclaimed territories…well there wasn’t any fun in that, now was there? “Sounds like a good place to bomb, yeah. I’ll be sure to leave a little tribute to my supplier.” Noisette gave that a moment to sink in while she found a frayed section in the fabric and used it to rip off a strip. Her hands were ready to tear again as she looked up at the hunter. “Or, you can come along, but that’s one favor taken care of.” Granted, she was more open to haggling than the hardness of her eyes and mouth would suggest.

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] "Nope, no coffee. I'm running on the sheer energy of my awesome personality." Delivered with the utmost seriousness, Sergio didn't crack a smile until she broke away and went farther into her room. He followed suit, figuring that lurking in the hallway would earn him some sarcastic comments one way or another, either from her or a Fulsi passerby. He stood in the center of her room, not like he belonged there but not awkwardly, either. He took it in with a sweep of his eyes before returning them to the scout. "A tribute, huh?" Sergio's brows crept up. Was she implying that he was going to stay there? If that was the case, she had another thing coming... Sergio snorted. "This counts as a favor? I'm the one who just got you paint! And hey, don't go acting like you don't want to do it. You're the vandal extraordinaire. I think you still owe me two favors and that this little trip is free. Or fun. You know. Hanging out. Something that friends do. He was smiling like a wolf. He couldn't help the implication. He liked her. He liked her quick wit and the way she did things that caught him by surprise, the way that she was hot and cold. "Come on, the night is wasting away. What's the blanket for?" He asked this as they began to leave the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. ooc: fajskljfsalkj this is short and sucky ;3; i'm sorry

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] She caught her jaw tensing. None of that. Reactions would just reward his antics and fuel further ones. Correcting the leak, Noisette managed to simply stare and hold in her many retorts. Apparently he thought he was justified in coming without payment. He even started to walk out of the room with his stupid, satisfied grin, thinking he’d put the matter to rest. Snowball’s chance in hell he had. The short woman did follow her companion into the hallway, and even went ahead and ripped another piece of cloth off before doing so. But his attempt to end the subject by asking about the blanket mutilation was ignored. “So there’s strings attached now? Should have mentioned that before you handed me the paint.” Now she was smirking back, but it was noticeably less playful than his. “You’ve lost your leverage.” He was right. She very much did want to go, enough that she would run if she had to. Noisette felt she could shake the Electric Blue Nuisancewad without too much trouble. That was what she did; when she wanted to go unseen, she bloody did it. In fact, that was the reason she didn’t want Sergio coming with her. She didn’t want to get down to Carna’s border only to find he was about as stealthy as a blind cow walking through a scrapyard. He hadn’t mentioned much about his life outside the dome, leaving Noisette to make her own assumptions about his skill level in certain areas. Given his personality, many of these assumptions were less than flattering. Not that she wanted to have to make a sneaky mustelid exit. Even before Sergio had brought it up, she’d known she didn’t want to go alone. She missed having people to go dashing into the forbidden with. Or even people to do anything with. Granted, she’d missed it even more when she was a rogue and missed having people to goof off with or tease or love or protect. Such feelings tended to make you forget that people were difficult and ridiculous. Thus far she’d made a few mates, but just as often she wound up annoyed with or annoying her ringmates. The fact that Sergio wanted to spend time with her made it hard to keep arguing with him. It was also the reason she figured she could get him to come while sticking to her terms. After all, he’d still have one Summon the Great Elisabethina Noisette Todd card to use, and he didn’t have any pressing need for it. “So, am I taking a certain snakeboy out to decorate Carna, or is he too worried he won’t be able to take care of himself without a girl to swoop in and save him?”

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] Before the M, Serg might've gone out of his way to reprimand whatever he had said or done to get her to snap at him. Hell! If he hadn't expected the little "outburst" (not that it was exactly an outburst, per se) he might have even said something. Instead, he arched a brow and commented, lightly. "I don't need leverage. I'm Sergio Lisciotti!" He resumed with his utmost (BS) seriousness for a second, but he could never hold it. She made him want to laugh, and he couldn't say why, so he just did, turning his pale eyes to her. She looked like she was thinking it through, maybe weighing the pros and cons of the whole thing. About him, anyways. Serg had become used to that. A lot of Fulsi didn't think he was very capable, and he liked it kept that way. It was better to be underestimated, he figured, then to have no advantage over anyone at all. So he waited for her to contemplate, and then decide, and he wasn't all that surprised by what Noisy said. He gave her a wide Cheshire smirk. "That's exactly what I'm worried about, obviously. 'Else I wouldn't be asking my badass purple-haired girlfriend--or friend who is a girl--to come with me." He playfully looped his elbow through hers, and began to usher her down the hallway. "That, and I have the artistic talent of, like, a... moose or something." He figured that they weren't particularly artistic, and it was the first animal that came to mind. His eyes took on a devilish light. "So I figured that there wasn't exactly anything awesome about graffiting a wall with angry faces and rude words. Plus, Tuesday, I don't have such a cool name."

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] Why did he so often laugh when she was trying to be serious? Noisette didn’t know whether to chalk it up to arrogance, or being a idiotic chuckle-bucket, or if he didn’t take people seriously when they were short or female, or any other characteristic she’d been derided for. All she knew was that it was pretty amazing she still hadn’t punched this bloke yet. Still, she admired Sergio, which probably just added to the desire to enact mild violence on him. She’d always had a problem getting ticked over little things, and he just kept his calm over the same things. Let it slide, laughed it off, acted like everything was going to be okay no matter how stupid or insulting people got. The sort of things she’d been trying to work on for a long time. If she was at all inspired by that realization, however, it was crushed when he tested her patience further by trying to drag her down the hall. For a moment it was officially time to go marten, perhaps after pelting him thoroughly with choice language. But she stopped herself from digging in her heels right off, clenched her jaw, and thought a moment. Obviously he wasn’t going to pay much attention to resistance. So instead she stepped ahead a little faster, pulling him instead of the other way around. He hadn’t said ‘no’ to her little stand-up. Probably he was trying to sidle past it, or ignore it, but he hadn’t argued it. So if she couldn’t get him to listen by arguing, maybe she could use his own tactic against him. “Exactly. You’re wanting a bodyguard and an artist. That’s easily worth one bloody cigarette.” Noise tried flashing him the sort of cheerful grin he always gave when he was messing with people. Hers was far too tainted with impatience. “Glad we got that settled.”

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] Sergio decided that she was either in a hurry to get out of the Complex, or she liked dragging him places like a dog. It didn't bother him much, either way. He had learned by now that she liked having control of the situation, or at least... not let him have all the fun. Which Sergio could appreciate, because he had met plenty of women who lacked any semblance of a backbone, and he found it annoying as hell. Noisy's sass? It was a nice change of pace, one that he happily kept up with---er. Or tried to. "Obviously, cigarettes are high form of... whatstheword. Currency. Besides that, I haven't seen just how good of an artist you are, yet. Maybe if things go okay, you can have another cigarette." His tone was lightly goading, if anything. Sergio couldn't help the smirk on his face--the cat-caught-the-canary grin. They had reached the end of the Complex, and Sergio untangled his arm to open the door with a bit of overenthusiastic graciousness. "After you, my partner in crime." The night was delightfully cool, and very dark. They had chosen a new moon, even if it was unintentional, and looking up at the sky Sergio decided that they would at least have some advantages. Cover of darkness and all that crap. The two of them made their way carefully out of the city, and the following little "journey" progressed in relative normalcy. They kept a brisk pace, and Serg tried to keep note of their surroundings, but it was all a hopeless blur of dark shapes--which, he reminded himself, was why bringing Noisy along was such a wonderful idea. By some miracle, or luck, they maneuvered around a few of Carna's border patrols, without attracting attention. It was fairly simple for a marten and a small snake, in all actuality, and Sergio was trying not to laugh by the time they shifted into their human forms on the edge of the Carna docks, by a half-dozen warehouses. Sergio's eyes fixed on the man positioned at the corner of their chosen canvas, and he nodded his chin in that direction of the guard. The message was clear. Watch out. He didn't know the better course of action--to try and sneak away, or just knock the guy unconscious. He opted for the second one, and he held out a flat palm to signify stop towards Noisy, before he moved quietly forward. He got close enough to hear the breath of the Carna. One firm smack to the side of the head, with the handle of his KA-Bar, was enough to knock him unconscious. The Fulsi narrowly caught him by the shoulders, and lowered him to the ground with care. Sergio bit the inside of his lip, and with a bit of maneuvering he managed to prop the unconscious body up to look like the sucker had just fallen asleep on his "duty". Serg returned to the side of the warehouse, standing next to Noisy, eyeing it up--big and pale and a perfect canvas. He didn't want to speak, but he turned to give her a wide grin. "While you make a masterpiece," he said, quietly, his heart thudding in his chest. "I'll be over in the corner trying not to pee myself. Christ, we're in Carna territory. Aren't they supposed to be cannibals or something?" His voice was a mumble.

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] “Oh, now he’s suddenly willing to throw in extra, even. Know what, though? Keep it; the last one you gave me will do.” She wasn’t sure if she was just glad to get that settled, or if she was trying to annoy him. From that point on, Noisette’s nerves were a mess. She’d been expecting this. What she hadn’t anticipated was that. instead of shortening her temper, it made the trip into a sort of game. It added excitement to what had become almost mundane for the marten shifter. She had to get a possibly less-experienced friend to the destination safely. Every time they successfully slipped past a patrol, it gave her a feeling of self-satisfaction that bordered on giddiness – more than usual, anyway. Of course, Sergio’s subterfuge wasn’t as bad as expected, so that helped. Even better, he didn’t turn mamby pamby on her; they were deep in Carnaland before they started wall-shopping. Right when they’d found a decent one, Sergio spotted a fellow stationed at the corner of the building. Noise nodded and turned to go; there would be other potential bomb sites. But when she turned to make sure the man hadn’t spotted them, her companion was trying a completely different way to deal with this. Her hand shot out, but too late, and she stopped herself from risking any noise following him. All the girl could do was pull a face and hold her breath to keep from cursing him out loud. By some ridiculous pick of a bad guard, Sergio was right behind the bloke and still unnoticed. Noisette squinted at the two vague figures in the dark, when suddenly Sergio was holding up his hand. There was a glint of a blade, then a thunk. Her eyes shot wide. The half-clenched fist that had been twitching helplessly near her face migrated to her forehead. Either he didn’t care too much about leaving the Carna unharmed, or just didn’t know better. Whacking people unconscious wasn’t as harmless as it looked in movies. At least he hadn’t stabbed the guy, which she had almost expected, even if it was a little unorthodox to try sticking someone in the skull. Perhaps she should have snapped at him, instead of breaking into incredulous laughter. “You know we could have just picked a different wall, right, mate?” If Noisette was feeling pleased with herself thus far, it got worse when Sergio seemed to have a bit of a freak-out. Had he really never done this before? “Well, look at it this way, Scotty boy. Folk think everyone in Fulsi is either gay, or gets turned that way when they join. And how true is that?” She shrugged. “Maybe like, fifty-fifty.” If he really thought Carna suffered from widespread cannibalism, there wasn’t any fun in telling him otherwise. This time, she nabbed his sleeve before he could wander away. “Oh, no no no no no, I need to see this. Here.” She pulled the two pieces of cloth from her pocket and tossed one to him. “This is for your face. Not near as good as a dust mask, but it’s better than sitting there breathing the fumes straight.” Noise tied the other over her mouth and nose, then gestured to him. “Well, go on, I want to watch your ‘moose-like’ artistic endeavors.”

[Sergio Lisciotti]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 481px; height:649px; background-image:url(http://oi45.tinypic.com/25inl1g.jpg)] Sergio was thinking that, if someone offered you something for free, you ought to take it. Then again, he figured that his cigs came with strings (not very serious ones, but strings nonetheless) and Noisy was already well on her way of having her fair share of mischief and, perhaps, an overdose of Sergio's so-called optimism. That didn't keep his grin from fading, but he did hold his tongue as they entered Carna territory. Aside from the single guard, he figured that they were doing pretty good. He turned from the man he'd dropped to see Noisette, who was laughing at him. Sergio was indignant! (Well, not really--he was honestly on the verge of crackling like a hyena). It took all his control to keep his expression candid. "But I like this wall." Of course, anxiousness had to get the better of him at that point. Sergio would have happily continued with the nonchalant demeanor, and he managed to even when nervous, but the idea of being deep in enemy territory unsettled him some--he ran a thumb over the bridge of his nose, at the nicked scar there. Serg was thinking that he would not enjoy another little bout of being a pincushion for someone else's knives."So, bottom line. Half of them could be cannibals. I'll happily go back to our free-love Ring any day." But it was hard to genuinely chicken out, considering they were already there, and the time to turn back was... well, about a mile and a half towards the direction they had come. He narrowly caught the piece of cloth, being drawn from his musings. He turned to look at her with a note of incredulity, shrugged, and then proceeded to follow suit. He knotted the cloth at the nape of his neck and made sure that it covered his mouth and noise. Sergio glanced at her with the utmost somberness. "Now we can be the masked, vandalizing bandits. We'd just have to steal something." Not too keen on that idea, Sergio turned to the wall with a cocked head and speculative eye, grabbing one can spraypaint as he went. "Y'know, I think that breathing the fumes might have helped me with these nerves." He was stalling now. Sergio shook the can of paint, and stretched out his arm to mark the wall. A couple minutes later, he had drawn an angry smiley face and a misshapen moose with antlers that looked more like trees. He turned with a cocked brow, pushing the flop of his blue hair out of his eyes. "This is what I was really afraid of. That I would draw something beautiful and show up the graffiti artist." He tsked and handed her the can of paint, leaning back to admire her handiwork. "Don't feel bad though, Tuesday. I'm just multitalented." Even as he said it, he made sure to keep a lookout for anyone passing by, and he kept his voice hushed if not conversational. The nerves were slowly being replaced by adrenaline, however. He was honestly having a good time.

[Noisette Todd]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width:483px;height:613px; background-image:url(http://i48.tinypic.com/acbi9u.png)] “Yeah, as far as stereotypes go, at least ours aren’t so bad.” Not that one, anyway. Now if only everyone would drop the ideas they might still have about Fulsi from the last alpha. Noisette gave only occasional glances to their surroundings, depending more on her ears and a baseless feeling that everything was going to be. Watching Sergio took some concentration, anyway. Most people would probably have be pleased it was so dark on a night they went trespassing at risk of horrible death. Really, she was more likely to focus on the fact that if it was hard for your antagonists to see you, it was also hard to see anything you might want to draw on. At least he couldn’t mess up a simple face symbol, but Noisette’s grin grew harder to hide behind the cloth as she watched him sketch out some four-legged creature. It wasn’t until he put antlers on it that she realized it wasn’t a cow. “Oh, why did I bring you? Never again shall I draw, for mine eyes have seen perfection and I have no hope of ever attaining it.” The delivery would have been better had her attempts to make a straight face actually done anything. There were actually several factors against her here. She wasn’t actually that used to spray paint. Mural paint was more her style, and anyone who seemed surprised she would take the extra time just got laughed at. When she was pressed for time, she usually went with paint pens. Plus, this was everyday spray can, as opposed to the fancy schmancy cans she’d borrowed from Preston or Needles on occasion. On top of that, she was rusty; most of her art endeavours in here had been executed with leftover charcoal from fires, usually not in shapes that were easy to work with. So the end product probably wouldn’t be particularly satisfactory by her standards, but it would still whoop the snot out of Sergio. She had the pink that Sergio had just handed her, and fishing out the other can revealed it to be purple. Well then. Anything she drew was going to look a bit Andy Warhol. Noisette was cool with that. The bright colors helped some with the low visibility. She went slower than him, carefully perfecting the shape of what at first looked like a mere pink blob. Her companion was still glancing around nervously, even himself mentioning he was on edge, if jokingly. “Have you never done stuff like this before, Scotty? Run around where you aren’t supposed to, mess with stuff that isn’t yours? Or did you quit when you got too old to pinch biscuits?” A moment later, Noise caught herself. ”…Er, cookies. Whatever.”