Qinglong Shu 18/Katha Theodoros 16 - Mysterious Heroine XXI
One would think a Cultivator had a million better things to do than what Shu was doing right now. Who in their right mind would grab a broom and personal cleaning mixtures, as well as a tool box around after all? Well, Elder Lang always did say she needed to find time to relax in between her body destroying training and what better way to relax than getting this good ol' fortress a personal check up? She certainly was no super builder or cleaner but the tricks and bits she picked up from the village worked decent enough. Already she felt cleaner in body and soul than ever as she worked through the hallway. Inspecting, wiping and fixing whatever caught her eye. All while humming to herself. Some people tried to discourage her from doing this "mundane stuff not worthy of a Cultivator" but what did granny always say? If you can do something, do it yourself. Nobody was dealing with any of this, so here she was, having some good fun. A nail out of place here and there. Some planks that had to cover some holes over here. Wishy washy with old man Men's secret home mixture. Gone with the dust, gone with some webs, Shu was more dancing thay walking as she made the area better in all aspects for everyone and herself.
Dusting her apron off a bit, she put her hands on her hips, causing her tools and water bucket to shake just a bit. She nodded to herself in satisfaction, taking in her latest work. Now that's a nice new table. The old one was long cut into smaller pieces, salvaging what wasn't rotten. In its place was the entirely new table she made herself. Just needed some flowers and it would liven up the place just fine. Not to mention, stable enough, nicely symmetrical. But not too perfect looking that she'd have the urge to smash it up. Yknow, to make sure it looked like it was mortal made. Maybe it was a weird thing to do but she learned mortal skills for this so it better look like no Cultivator ever touched it. Human error added charm to things. Making mistakes on purpose was surprisingly harder than making mistakes by accidents, who would've thought?
Looking around she wondered what to do next when a certain name tag next to a room caught her attention.
Katha Theodoros. Immediately Shu grimaced. Oh damn, was she in there? Was she in the middle of relaxing before the newest addition decided to cause all that ruckus in this hallway? She looked around. Nobody in the vicinity. She took a deep breath before slapping her cheeks. Just be cool, Shu! Just knock and if Senior Theodoros was in there, simply apologize! Then, small talk and deepen relations since they were in the same legion now! Easy!
Naturally her soft, almost timid knock marched her own courage. She gulped before forcing out a laugh, trying to sound less nervous and more casual
"Ex-excuse me? It's me, Qinglong. Err, is somebody in there? If yes, may I come in to...a-apologize for the commotion?"
Shu looked down on herself before scrambling to get the apron off. No way to look in front of a senior! Well it left her with a blue back free, sleeveless outfit, attached to a string around her neck, but hey, today was a hot day. Not to mention Big Sis made it for her so how could she say no to that?
Opening the door, Shu found Principales Katha, a chartboard in hand and twirling a piece of chalk as she looked about the storeroom covered wall to wall with tally marks and inventory manifests, diligently written out. With her hair tied up in a long ponytail that fell to the small of her back and bandages still wrapped around her torso, shoulder and one thigh, she looked a great deal more approachable than she did on the day of Shu's recruitment. Especially considering she was not making a face like she'd stepped on a landmine made of tiger dung.
"Ah, Shu. Don't mind me, I'm just taking inventory…"
Katha trailed off as she turned to look at her junior before her mind was caught between her own reverie and the realisation of what Qinglong Shu was wearing. Oh, she was all too aware of what the Qi Sorcerer was capable of, especially during their spontaneous bout against Aretaphilla Myia not too long ago, but it was a difficult picture to square against the bubbly, stuttering mess of a Junior she often presented herself as outside of battle. People wore multiple faces in life, of course, so it was not truly accurate to say that one or the other was the true Shu. But Katha always held the impression that Qinglong Shu was putting on airs so that people would not think too highly of her. She herself often did the same, you see.
Which did nothing to hide the fact that her Tenth Heavenstage Junior was wearing startlingly little and had an apron in one hand and a broomstick in the other. And wasn't
that scandalous.
"...W-What the heck? What are you wearing?"
She herself was wearing something more modest, a simple blue chiton alongside a single bronze bracer she wore to draw tally marks with a piece of chalk, and her choice of attire was almost entirely due to the fact that, as a scion of the Theodoroi, she had inherited a figure that promised strong children, and as Katha Theodoros she did her level best to hide that figure as much as was superhumanly possible.
Then her brain reasserted itself and pushed the monkey mind aside and the Centurion within reasserted itself. "And what are you doing, doing the chores here? For Imperator's sake you're a Centurion, Shu, or close enough to it. Assign one of the Principales to organise a work party and let the troops handle it."
Well, Senior Theodoros sure looked better. Still, well, cripple-ish, but not too bad. She certainly had a more relaxed air around her. Nice look as well, not too much, not too little, and it added a certain serious charm as she did her book keeping work, Shu assumed. Her admiring smile disappeared, replaced by confusion at Katha's words. Shu tilted her head, blinking at the words.
"We have troops?" She decided to shrug it off, thinking it was a private joke of sorts. "And well, I didn't want Big Sis' outfit to get dirty so an apron!"
She noted the weird tone and look she received but Shu tried her best not to be affected by it. And look at that, her smile was wavering only a bit! Progress!
"Besides, it relaxes me working like a mortal so it's fine." She replied, trying to shrug casually under her senior's gaze.
"...Well, if you're happy with it, sure.."
Damn that Aretaphilla Myia and her regular galivants across the Clan territories on her own adventures. The Dawn's Fist was getting a name for itself, sure, but it was also still mostly a paper Legion. In fact she's heard rumors by now that they were on the listing for the most Dysfunctional Functional Legion in the Clan, and that is
not an epithet she wanted to own!
With a sigh she sat down on a bench inside of her impromptu office, and with one hand patted for Shu to join her next to her. This was as good a reason to check in on the younger clansman as any, and if they sat side by side she had no reason to maintain eye contact. "So, Shu…"
As she trailed off into infinity, Katha realised that asking her how things were in the Clan was liable to end in tears and extremely awkward nothings, because Shu has not been around for nearly long enough to realise the circus she had stepped into. For Imperator's sake, she hasn't even met Aegus or Alexandria. Those two were off gallivanting somewhere too, raising the flag of the Legion by smashing open some Blood Path bandit camp while Alexandria wore the mantle of Centurion XXI for a change. Which Katha might have protested, but technically she still gets paid, so.
Moral greyness of income fraud aside, she still needed a topic to address Shu with. So, looking around with quickly darting eyes, Katha cottoned onto the first mildly interesting thing she could use in a room filled with manifests, inventory, and her chicken scratchings.
"...What's that tattoo on your back all about?"
As ever, Katha Theodoros was a poet for the ages.
Shu couldn't help but giggle, twirling a bit to demonstrate the Azure Dragon on her back. Always nice when people took note of it. It made her feel that people wouldn't forget the Four Beast Alliance any time soon, if only thanks to her and the legacy of her body.
"Every member of the Alliance would get one on their back. Basically a mark to show who belongs where and what not. Things get a bit messy with four clans after all." She hummed with pride. "Most mortals in our territories pride themselves in their ink work. Though nowadays I have to ask Big Sis to do any updates and brushing up if the color or form looks off. Downside of having reached the tenth stage. I'd do it myself but, hehehe, kinda hard to reach all the way back there. I mean even if I could hit that it'd be killer on my body, bending back like that."
Aaaand she was babbling. Quick, she thought with a blush, throw the ball back at Senior Theodoros' court! Think! She snapped her fingers when an idea came to her and she clapped her hands together as genuine excitement entered her voice.
"Speaking of tattoos, do you think Centurion XXI has one? I don't know much about them, I'm afraid!"
By the Earl's shiny bollocks, here we go.
Sweat started beading on Katha's brow and over her back as her brain worked overtime to try and square this conundrum, because there was really no good answer to this. Sure, she could admit that
she wore the mask of Centurion XXI, but… Well, honestly, she did not
want to be Centurion XXI, and she clearly already had her own idea of what the Centurion was even like!
Focus, Katha, just work on what Shu is actually asking about now and then do your level best to change the topic as much as possible, as quickly as possible, before she puts together what is and is not possible. Oh, and do it without tipping her off about anything whatsoever, bubbly she may be, Qinglong Shu is also
startlingly perceptive.
"I've never seen her with her armour off, so honestly I couldn't tell you," Katha replied completely sincerely, because as far as she was concerned Centurion XXI
was the armour. "I wouldn't think she was the type, though. But your big sister did that for you, huh? She must be really talented for that intricate a design! You could always offer to bring her over, I know the boys…" She thought hard about that. "...Aegus might want some inkwork done, and I figure many of the Legionnaires reinforcing us soon will probably want something done too. Or, heck, maybe you could do it, you seem like you're pretty handy with the needle too. Meanwhile the best I can do is chicken scratch."
Shu blinked at the words. She looked down, mouth slightly open. Some might think she was embarrassed that a Senior like Theodoros was asking if she would do tattoo work. Or maybe some might think that Shu was, as usual, thinking lowly of her own skills. But the reason was rather simple for her utter bafflement she felt right now.
…She never asked anyone from her family to visit, did she? She usually visited. But it wasn't like it had to be mandatory. Heck, just recently, she found out a nephew of hers was literally part of the clan now! So…did Shu just have this self imposed rule to never ask for them to visit? She blinked a few times again, trying to cut off that line of thought, that line of regrets and shame that she didn't think of asking Big Sis, Big Bro or Granny to take a look at where Shu spent eighty percent of her time. Instead, she forced out a laugh, scratching the back of her head.
"W-Weeeelll, I could, I guess, if you really want to! I'm somewhat decent! Have to, to maintain Big Sis' tattoo sometimes when I'm around!" She cleared her throat, racking her brain to come up with a topic to distract from that long awkward pause just now. No more talking about tattoos, that would remind her of family and right now family was depressing! She bit her lip, eyes frantically moving before cracking her neck with a determined look. When in doubt, jump at Centurion XXI! "S-so, never without armor, huh? Does that mean that nobody knows what they look like underneath?" She paused, repeating the words in her head that Katha said. "Wait, she?" She let out a gasp. "Do you know her personally?! Oh heavens, did you speak with her?! What is she like?!"
Once again the ball had returned to Katha's court in the worst possible way, addressing the one topic she absolutely did not want to talk about. How did Shu keep doing this?! Wait,
fuck, she called the Centurion a
she, and Shu cottoned onto it! Dammit, dammit, dammit! Buy time, then figure out a proper response!
"I mean, she's nice enough, I guess?"
Blurting out a canned response quickly while the gears of her mind turned, however, the redheaded ironblood realised something valuable; this was a good, roundabout way to get an idea of what Shu actually thought of her from a different perspective. It was valuable info either way, useful to determine how other people judged her. Always good to get a second opinion about everything.
Relaxing, back straightening, Katha set her chart aside and hooked the chalk on her ear. Ah, and she had not wanted to do a quartermaster's job. Now here she was, doing a quartermaster's job, all because Alexandria was away somewhere punching cannibalistic maniacs in the jaw with poisoned needle fists. "I don't really know her very well, though. I'm just a Principales. And honestly, no one really interacts with her outside of battle aside from maybe the Legatus. Perhaps I would have had the opportunity to work under her at the Underworld Spirit Palace, but… well." She gestured at the bandages under chiton. "An Wulong happened to me."
"Nevermind what I have to say, though," Katha continued with a heavy sigh. "What do
you think the Centurion is like? I'm interested in finding out what people outside of the 501st think of our enigmatic rising star."
Great going, Shu, you made her remember her crippling. She winced before clearing her throat. Right, what did she think? There weren't a lot of details about the Centurion. Mostly rumors, as it was hard to come up with anything concrete with a person hiding their, or rather, her face. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall, pressing her lips together in thought.
"What do I think…well, first of all, anyone recruited by Legatus Myia is worthy of respect. The 501st is a small group, yes, but they are all some sort of elites. Like yourself!" Shu blushed a bit before shaking her head. Too much? Definitely. "A-Anyway, all I know is that she is apparently very good with a sword and is always right behind everyone else in the legion. So it has to be someone who knows the importance of duty, no matter what, but not someone who focuses too much on glory. Some might say that's bad, but hey, I always say that Ego is the Enemy. Maybe she is shy too? Would explain the disguise. Either that or she has some sort of terrible circumstances around her that requires her hiding her identity. Either way, it feels kinda…cute in a way? Like a stoic person but someone who is teased and blushes easily in private? Who knows, it's just the vibes I have in my head about her."
She tapped her cheek a few times. What else was there…In the end she could only shrug.
"Well, besides that, all I have is heroic stories of her personal endeavors. How she struck down hundreds of Jingshen while covering the Legion's flank, never struck herself. Or how she freely gave away food and resource to those in need after the war ended. Or how she is supposed to radiate beauty, overcoming the boundaries of men and women." Shu paused before crossing her arms, frowning a bit. "I'm relatively sure the last one is a bit of an exaggeration. But other than that? Well, the Mysterious Centurion XXI is worthy of respect, even if I can't confirm most of that stuff!" She let out a deep sigh. "It would be nice to meet her. Or everyone else for that matter. I know I'm new here but…well, I still feel like an outsider. I'm sure they are perfectly good people to follow and respect."
And wasn't that the life of Shu in a nutshell? An outsider ever since that fated day. That day where she lost everything. Unbeknownst to her, her hands formed fists and her eyes glowed, flashes of memories causing them to turn dragonic once more.
It was sometimes sobering for Katha to reflect on the fact that she has had an impact on the lives of others. Sure, people
talked about it a lot - Aretaphilla's sales pitch, her family's attempts to cheer her up after she all but died, all the talks
before she all but died, the very fact that a man with a glass bow killed her twice and nearly finished the job - but those things, big and small, did not slap her in the face with reality quite like seeing a Junior talk about her like that, in ways that Shu definitely would never have said it had she actually known who wore the mask.
And that was the thing now, wasn't it? She hadn't done most of those things. Katha was not involved in the fighting along the eastern front. She had not stood shoulder to shoulder with other malcontents and misfits alongside the Silver King of Song in defiance of a Nascent Soul, staring death in the eye and daring it to come take what they were offering. The Centurion was becoming more than a title, but an idea, an icon. Exactly what Aretaphilla wanted.
Sometimes the cyclopean nightingale had a really good idea, instead of a merely profitable idea that was highly exploitative and/or illegal. And didn't
that raise her hackles.
"You'll meet the Centurion one of these days, Shu. The kind of pace Aretaphilla's been pushing us, and considering the roster we're starting to fill out, we'll get back into the fighting soon enough." It was a hard decision to make, whether or not Katha should place her arm around Shu's neck, pat her on the head or simply clap her once between the shoulder blades, but pain took all those options away from her. Her shoulder was still on-bloody-fire, as one might say.
"They aren't the only perfectly good person you can follow and respect, though. Vatatzves is prickly but he's reliable. Aegis is stupid but solid. Alexandria is only scary if you don't keep your brains with you
and she likes cute girls, so you'll be fine." Conspicuously, she left herself and her Legate out of this address; Shu was not about to accept that their Legate would be buddy buddy with them just yet, and
she was already talking to her, wasn't she? "And if all else fails, there's family. Your older sister might not be a superior Cultivator, but she's still your older sister, and she's got the moral grounding to help you make sense of all this nonsense. Even talking to her can help a lot."
Her brow furrowed as she realised what territory she was verging into; Shu had suffered a tragedy too, hadn't she? Clenching a hand, she pressed on; fortune favours the stupid. "And hey, I'm open to talking, too, if you're not comfortable with talking about family stuff with family. Wanna tell me about the thing that is constantly bothering you? I've got nothing but time and charts anyhow."
Shu had to admit this was weird. Very warm and soft, but weird. She never thought she would feel at ease like this outside the family. Elder Lang was different, a teacher looking out for an upcoming talent. He would've done it for anyone else if there were others. But Theo-...Katha? Shu realized that Katha was just a good person like that. Or rather, that she cared, on a personal level. Not that Elder Lang didn't care, but…she grumbled a bit. Damn, was it hard to put into words. Either way, Katha managed to touch upon something with her simple encouragements, deeper than any teachings Elder Lang gave. To be honest, it was a bit scary. She wasn't used to this. To have…maybe friends. She winced at the thought. Okay, she really was pitiful in that regard, wasn't she? She bit her lip at the last words her senior said. Open to talking, huh? Her eyes wavered, between relaxing and holding onto her anger. In the end, she sighed and lowered her head.
"...Considering how it'll impact my performance in the Legion…guess it's only fair to give more context about my whole…plan."
She sat down on the floor, hugging her knees. Maybe she looked pathetic for a Cultivator at her stage, but right now, she felt like she was anything but. Or rather…she returned, as she closed her eyes.
"...How much do you know about me? Or rather, the history of my clan and I? The Four Beast Alliance?"
"Next to nothing, sorry. Fill me in, what happened to your clan?" It did not pay to be blunt, but maybe Shu needed a bit of a push. And if she didn't, well, better she figure out soon that the Theodoroi were not known for being very roundabout individuals, even the more understanding of them.
A scoff escaped her. Shu couldn't help but find this darkly amusing. She nodded a few times before opening her eyes, looking at Katha.
"You're looking at the last Qinglong. Legitimate one. Everyone else is either dead or retired." She sighed, pressing the back of her head against the wall. "It was a little gathering the Four Clans had. Happens often enough. Just some good ol' bonding. I was a little kid back then." Her body began to shake, as the memories flooded back. "And then they came. We used to be allies, or serve, whatever you want to call it, with the Divine Sabers. They believed we betrayed them, that we have been raiding them. Based on that accusation, they started to slaughter us whole. As if smelling blood, a third party entered and took down both of us down."
At this point, she began to laugh, almost hysterically as she covered her eyes.
"Turns out, they were technically correct. One of ours did attack them. Under our name." She threw her arms up in the air. "Only they were exiled a long time ago! Good ol' aunt Ming! My Qinglong Clan! All the deaths, all that betrayal, just to get her hands on the Four Treasures! Now she's out there, calling herself Huanglong, that deluded bitch, gallivanting around with her band of blood eating bandits, and killed Big Bro while she was at it!"
Tears were flowing freely as she breathed heavily. She never vented like this to anyone. Big Sis was a widower and a fellow victim, she had enough to grieve. And with Elder Lang, she concentrated on the lessons instead. But here and now? It just kept flowing. She sniffed, wiping her eyes before smiling wryly.
"So yeah. That's why I gotta kill my aunt. As a fellow Qinglong, as the one everyone put their hopes on, I have to make her pay. I have to get the treasures back. I have to…understand why these things happened, no matter what." She lowered her head, shame filling her. "Even if it means being egotistical. About…everything."
Refusing to ascend until she did it. Focusing on the Secret realm instead of supporting this Legion with their duties. To 'waste' her time like this with the Trials so close. Looking at it like that…she wasn't a good person at all. All she wanted was to unleash this rage, this sorrow, this…everything. To find answers, to find peace. In the end, it was still all about her.
Katha sucked sharply through her teeth. Now she wished they were back to tip-toeing around Centurion XXI. This was heavier than she expected, and mind, she
did expect something exactly like this. Why else would one develop such a homicidal hatred of one of their own flesh and blood?
It gnawed at her, though. Betrayal was, perhaps literally, not in her blood. All the time she spent perusing old family records and not once had the records been stricken for cowardice or betrayal. On reflection, that might quite literally be in the blood, but those thoughts were for later. Instead, Katha breathed in and out, and only now did she clap one hand on one of Shu's strong shoulders.
"You're talking to someone who left to adventure in the Qiguai Secret Realm on the eve of a major invasion," Katha said as she chuckled ruefully. "Everyone told me it was an awful idea. Vatatzves told me I was throwing my life away, Aegus tried to apologise for every time he made fun of me for still being in Qi Condensation, Alexandria kept hemming and hawing like I was making a mistake, and Aretaphilla… Well, she let me go without a second thought, but she probably was annoyed I didn't come along in her first thought." Another weighty sigh, caught short when she realised she was missing someone. No, not Li Wei, no one cared about Li Wei.
"...And I guess Centurion XXI was the most disappointed of them all that I wasn't there," she said obliquely. "We didn't talk much. I mean, after I told her."
"Nevermind that, though. You've suffered a great loss and you want payback. That's good. Great, even. Nothing like spite to drive you forward." She knew that feeling very well, though her spite was never this focused, directed as it was at her circumstances, not a single person she could blame for everything that had ever gone wrong. She did resent the Archgetes for a time, but by now that resentment had long faded into acceptance. Old Gold had too much to do and too little time to coddle every promising Junior he could see - and presumably he could see beyond the horizon.
"It's important that you don't let your anger rule you, though, lemme tell you. Anger undirected is just a monster waiting to eat you too, and when you're in a fight you really don't have time to cover your back at the same time. When they say that revenge is best served cold, they mean in methodology, in mentality, and with metal."
Another inhale, another exhale. Katha simply continued, drifting into thoughtless enlightenment as she travailed well-worn grooves in her mind. "The best revenge you could have on your aunt, quite frankly, is to live a good long life and to have many children and grandchildren. But that's cliche and does nothing for those you have lost. The next best thing, then, is to get strong - not by yourself, but with your connections as well. Gather allies and multiply your strength tenfold. Become far,
far greater than the sum of your own parts. And when the time comes, you'll win."
"Hell, Shu, when the time comes, I'll mount her head on a pike for you. Give you something to punch in the morning when you wake up."
Choking back even more tears, this time out of happiness, Shu could do nothing but nod slowly. She disagreed with some of those words. A part of her, something primal, felt offended at the mere thought that anger was something separate from herself. She was Rage. The thought, nay, feeling went away just as quickly though, so she dismissed it. Having kids? Well, she wasn't interested in the process of making those. Easier to just be a good aunt slash grandaunt. And last but not least…
"Hands off please. She's mine to take down. Alone" She stood up with determination, bowing at Katha. "I want to clean my name on my own. Even if it sounds suicidal. The Clan Head gotta take responsibility for the sins of the stupid in the blood. Besides, I can't Understand her without being in face kicking range." Licking her lips, she laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "Thought you are probably right. Someone needs to deal with the chaff so that I can have some alone time with dead ol' Ming. So… " She wiped her eyes as she blushed, averting her eyes.
"...If I survive the Secret Realm, I'd…be honored for...err, some help." Gah, this was embarrassing. It was just asking for support, support that was offered! Why was she so red for?! Coughing, she forced a confident smile on her face. "Enough sob story about me though!" She rubbed her chin with curiosity. "Soooo. You say the Centurion was the most disappointed?" She paused, mulling it over. She snapped her fingers, remembering better times from her family. "Oh, oh, I might not be the brightest when it comes to this, but maybe she is interested in you and wanted to spend more time on the battlefield!" Yeah, that sounded about right. She nodded to herself with pride, closing her eyes with a hum. "Yup, gotta be that. She is probably worried about the future and the short lives Cultivators can have, so she might be trying to go for you!" Gender wasn't that important, right? Granny was always one to point out that love was love. Shu may not understand why everyone was all over romance and cooties, but hey, she could totally see it.
"Oh, yeah, no problem, I didn't mean it
that way," Katha said quickly. "You've got first dibs, of course. We wouldn't dream of getting in the way." Then, she blinked. and her eyes opened and stayed open in an uncomfortable gaze. "Wait, what."
Shu blinked back before taking a deep breath through her nose, her mouth thin. Katha's cheeks powdered more and more red as time continued to pass and they held their gaze, until her face was bright red and Shu could no longer tell if that was the blushing or because she was no longer breathing.
"...I'm misreading this, aren't I?" She let out a nervous laugh. "Weeeelp. Figures I shouldn't enter territory I don't personally care about." Glancing at the door, she slowly stepped towards it. "Soooo. Nothing going on between you. Nothing at all. Right. Right. Just…not gonna say anything more about this." Lips pressed together, still awkward, she let out a few hums. "...I think I should fix up some more stuff in the fortress sooo…have…fun with…logistics and stuff…?"
For several more long, drawn out seconds, Katha continued to hold that uncomfortable gaze with Shu as it dragged on into infinity. Then, quietly, she looked straight ahead, not moving so much as a muscle, becoming a perfectly still iron statue whose chest was not even rising and falling to show any sign of life.
Without missing a beat, Shu ripped the door open and slammed it shut. All that could be heard were rapidly retreating steps as she escaped with apron, tools and broom in her arms. Shu felt if she stood there for a moment longer, Katha would have actually stabbed her, so she wasn't ashamed at the panicked breathing escaping her as she ran. She planned to stay outside the damn fortress for a while to fix things up until they both forgot about all that.
----
Promptly, Katha fell from the bench and onto her knees, hands on the ground as she prostrated herself. To her ancestors, to her situation, to the Imperator, it was not clear and it was irrelevant.
Centurion XXI had remained a secret and she had helped a Junior find their way.
So why was today a total defeat?
----
A/N: A short one of two idiots shooting the shit at Waycastle Myia. @TehChron, @ReaderOfFate, much appreciated.
