So the leader of the Parthia is dead and his apprentice is out of commission, but the other five are who knows where, and if Pere is any indication, the Groznyi members still at Disler Outpost have no interest in listening to reason. They think you're all a bunch of pawns to Paula now.

By the time you and Zlatan return from the woods, Irene, arms folded and looking rather impatient and stopping you from entering the city, chastises, "Lloyd, what is going on? Dain soldiers are evacuating citizens, and I've overheard talk that a certain wampyr tried to murder Cailean. What happened to maintaining cover?"

"Void Lloyd of all wrongdoings, yes," Zlatan says, "this man is guilty only of saving this fool's life, yes. That is his job, yes?"

"So... This is your fault, Zlatan?"

"That is a... Complicated answer, yes!"

You sigh, explaining what just went down to Irene.

"I see... While draining Cail leaves a poor taste in my mouth, and his grandmother certainly won't be pleased with us, at least he's not getting killed now. This Firebolt you mentioned, though... By the sound of things, I would guess it's a sort of bow capable of magically damaging people... If they were aware of Wampyr and their weaknesses, it stands to reason they would have something like that prepared."

"So..." Zlatan says, "where are the other Marriuses now?"

"There's an inn maintained by an Order sympathizer," Irene explains (Zlatan, nodding with pride, leads you to assume he introduced them), "currently keeping their presence hidden until we can figure out our immediate course of action."

>A. Don't speak further until you arrive
>B. Ask/talk about something on the way (write-in)

>>45448839
>>A. Don't speak further until you arrive

>>45448839
>A. Don't speak further until you arrive

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>>45448845
>>45448889
Not much to do or say, you suppose. The three of you just keep your heads down as Zlatan and Irene show you to the place in question.

The sympathetic innkeepers in question are a short woman and her rather heavyset husband of no particular note beyond their willingness to help, quickly showing you down a trapdoor behind their bar.

Their cellar is decently-sized and stocked with booze, though you and the rest of Marrius' Group aren't really here to party.

"Now, I know all of you are giving Lloyd these dirty looks," Zlatan says (most of them... aren't, really), "but I assure you it was my blundering, yes." He goes on about how you saved his life again, generally making himself appear humble.

"Er... If you're done patting yourself on the back for not lying, I'm sure they want to hear what happened as well."

So one more, slightly lengthier explanation later, Leigh says, "couldn't you have just shown him the Wampyr staff, if he thought you were being controlled? It's not like he would've killed you if you couldn't react in time..."

"And would he believe me? Besides Paula, we may be the only people alive who know what this looks like," you say, producing the staff in question.

"Even in the unlikely event he would have listened, it's too late to go back," Irene says. "If this... rumor the people of Disler Outpost have created spreads too far, they might tie the entirety of Noba to Paula under incorrect pretenses."

"The Order was... Expecting this to be handled without their aid, so they would be days away," Zlatan explains. "So very helpful of them, yes?"

Right, so... You have all of a couple options for how to proceed.

>A. Claim this town and wait
>B. Claim this town and then Disler Outpost
>C. Get to Disler Outpost right away
>D. Write-in idea
>E. Be silent

>>45449155
>>C. Get to Disler Outpost right away

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>>45449312
"We came here to take out the rebels in Disler Outpost," you say. "Let's hurry up and finish that job."

Everyone else either agrees, doesn't care enough either way, or this is their job and they're really in no place TO object after Irene declares you'll be headed to Disler.

"You know, this Duchess Victoria has a dear friend over in Malva, just a short trip away. Visiting, yes." Zlatan says as you sneak out of the town towards the Outpost. "Legendary swordswoman, she is."

"If you're... Speaking of Ellen," Irene starts, continuing after Zlatan nods, "first of all, she's visiting an old friend after months of being busy back in Neir, and possibly years of not seeing one another before that. Secondly, as a knight of Neir, her actions represent her country. To take a side in this civil war would reflect upon all of Neir. While I've heard tales of Lady Ellen being headstrong, I'm sure she couldn't take such a risk."

"Ah, politics... A complicated mess, yes?"

Murmurs of agreement fill the air as you approach the Outpost, Sheena having dismounted and Calof falling back long ago in preemptive response to what you immediately see upon arrival: the five remaining Parthia members, arrows pointed at you from atop various buildings, as several rebels await your lot outside.

You think you specifically recognize three of the swordsmen among the 20+ on the frontlines. Yep, they're that hot-blooded fellow (looking ESPECIALLY riled up and wielding a Wind Edge), that guy with an eyepatch, and that one man who was so generic-looking it stood out.

One of those snipers, you figure, is equipped with a fiery bow that can rip through you, taking much more essence to repair what is damaged... But you can't really make out their weapons from here.

>A. Stay near the back awhile
>B. Stick close to someone (specify)
>C. Use your berserk staff on a Sniper (1-in-5 odds of hitting the Firebolt guy)
>D. Use berserk staff on (specify)
>E. Use magic attacks
>F. Write-in response

>>45449618
>>C. Use your berserk staff on a Sniper (1-in-5 odds of hitting the Firebolt guy)

>>45449618
>C. Use your berserk staff on a Sniper (1-in-5 odds of hitting the Firebolt guy)

Rolled 5 (1d5)

>>45449649
>>45449728
Sorry, laptop froze up there for awhile.

Anyway, I'll also use this apology post to roll on these odds. I'll say the lucky number is... 4.

>>45449857
You wave your Berserk Staff at a satisfactorily far away sniper, noting that his closest targets are rather clearly fellow Groznyi members.

He takes aim and strikes the generic-looking swordsman in the back of the head. His arrows don't seem especially magical or fiery, so that's hurting yourself for a much milder advantage than you were expecting. You wince as everyone briefly turns and looks in shock as the swordsman dies.

"You... T-traitor!" The hot-blooded one says, rushing into the building he sits on the roof of as the sniper continues berserkedly opening fire on anyone he can see within range.

"Grh... A berserk staff?" The fellow with an eyepatch says, holding still in place with his Sword in hand. "Then you can still use magic... But using it to murder my friend?"

You feel searing pain in your right hand as it quite literally burns away from you, your Berserk staff hitting the ground as a Sniper ducks out of the way of the berserk'd fellow's arrows, having just finished confirming to you the location of the Firebolt-user.

The rest of your allies hurry forward to meet the assorted infantry, mages staying behind heavy-hitters, sorts such as Zlatan and Asra slinking into the shadows, though certainly to reappear in a bit.

>A. Hurry to the Firebolt guy
>B. Hurry to the guy you Berserk'd
>C. Stay down here and fight the various infantry
>D. Attempt stealth
>E. Write-in response
>F. Stand around uselessly

>>45450016
>>C. Stay down here and fight the various infantry

>>45450016
>C. Stay down here and fight the various infantry

>>45450091
>>45450125
You're really not all that good at sticking to the shadows in a fight. You just default to what you're best at: sticking near Leigh and watching each other's backs.

"We're, uh, gonna need to modify our usual plan of attack on the fly here," you say as you push your fingers through the armor of an opponent, drinking his essence until your hand and other wounds heal up, before removing your hand from the newly-created hole in his chest as he drops to the floor. You stretch your regrown fingers out. "Never gonna get used to that..."

Leigh winces a bit at the sight of your gaping wrist regrowing its appendage. "Yeah, you're right... Can't go overusing magic when your supply won't refuel." She looks rather indifferent to creating a much more gruesome scene out of a Berserker's own torso.
>character limit, continued next post

>>45450435

Up on the roof above, that hot-blooded fellow has put down the Parthia member you hit with a Berserk staff, looking forlorn a moment before hurrying back down.

The guy with an eyepatch stares Leigh down. "Y'know, we really looked up to you all... Figured you were above wasting time like this."

The two of them clash blades as a merc-class attempts to get the drop on you by swinging his Steel Sword up through the back of your neck and splitting your head in two down the middle...

Sounding about to throw up, the eyepatched fellow says, "f-fuckin' hell..." Again, the sight is especially gruesome, and things are actually... Really hazy for the next several moments, until you can heal from that.

When your head finally regenerates, the only thing remaining of your wound being a godawful headache, Leigh looks extremely nauseous and distracted, forcing herself to look back at you before sighing in relief. The eyepatched fellow and the swordsman who surpised you, along with a couple of brigands, lie dead and drained on the ground below, so it doesn't take a genius to fill in some blanks. There's also a searing pain in your gut, and you feel a breeze in your cloak... Yeah, you were probably shot by Firebolt, but the wound is closing up nicely already, and Zlatan is now on that roof, in a firefight with the Sniper responsible

Things are still a bit blurry, though... You lean down and let out an annoyed groan, noticing that your blood-covered glasses have been broken into two.

"Your... Your head just got burst open and you flew into a frenzy, and that's the first thing to come to mind?" Leigh, looking a bit nauseous, takes a deep breath, gulping. "Sorry, sorry, it's just... It was a bit shocking to watch that, is all. Even if it can't kill you."

>A. Ask what you missed while you were checked out there
>B. Just be really frustrated about your glasses
>C. Suck it up and get back to fighting
>D. Write-in response

>>45450461
>>A. Ask what you missed while you were checked out there

>>45450461
>B. Just be really frustrated about your glasses

>>45450490
>>45450636
"Urgh..." Ineffectually, you clean off your glasses on your cloak and pocket the halves. Thankfully, you're not completely blind, just... Frustratingly nearsighted. So much for reading anything more than a foot or so away. "Sorry about that... What'd I miss?"

"W-well, like I said, you just... Immediately attacked the guy who did that to you, didn't hesitate to rush at this guy here... Even Ansi tried barking orders at you to stop being reckless, and you didn't react to him at all... Just immediately attacked anyone who came close until you healed up."

"That's... Important, I think?" You say. "I don't know... It means that we Wampyr become completely uncontrollable beasts of impulse if our heads are destroyed through non-magical means... Thankfully it could be fixed just fine."

"Y-yeah... Thankfully." Leigh throws her arms around you for several moments. Seriously, a corpse-filled hellscape isn't a romantic scene! "You scared the shit out of me there, getting hit like that..."

"Er, right... Can we do this later?" You ask. "We've, uh, still gotta. Finish this job up."

Leigh nods, parting with you after a quick, romantic kiss (you seriously hope she isn't... Into this sort of setting, and is just really oblivious to it. It's a topic you think you'll never breach, ever, either way). "Right, let's wrap this up!"

She starts off towards some frightened and distracted fighters, who draw their weapons in realization that the fight is back on. Meanwhile, you... Curse to yourself about those glasses. Seriously, you've already been putting off meeting a new optometrist (your old guy, naturally, died quite awhile ago), so there's no way you'll be able to get a new pair with any amount of speed even when you get back to Elza Oasis, and you need to win this entire war in the meantime besides... This is really inconvenient.

>A. See if you can't magically repair them.
>B. Suck it up and get back to fighting
>C. Fall back for now
>D. Write-in response

>>45450727
>>B. Suck it up and get back to fighting

>>45450727
>A. See if you can't magically repair them.

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>>45450892
>>45450748
Alright, maybe you can fix them..? You take the glasses out and fiddle with them for a moment or two, not figuring much out in the heat of the moment and ultimately figuring that now is really not the best time. Still, though. Gods this is going to be annoying...

Ugh, whatever. You're making do without. Stumbling a bit as you hurry forward, you meet back up with Leigh, noticing Zlatan having commandeered Firebolt, Asra standing guard as he takes potshots at infantry members.

As Leigh fights off two or three more heroes, you end up turning around in time to see a blast of wind magic fired directly at you... And a Mogall pop into existence just long enough to take the hit and pop back out. The wind strike was fired by that hot-blooded fellow.

Ansi, side-by-side with Une and Gonzo, gives you an acknowledging nod nearby as a Mauthe Doog appears, growling and approaching the foe you've spoken to a couple times.

Preoccupied with fighting the Mauthe Doog, he can't line up another good shot at you, but he does address you directly as he fights it. "Do you... Feel no remorse, betraying us so brazenly?!"

>A. They brought it on themselves
>B. Nothin' personnel
>C. Apologize
>D. Write-in response

And as for... Actually fighting.

>E. Get close and try to drain him
>F. Attack him with magic
>G. Write-in response
>H. Ignore him and turn back towards Leigh

>>45450985
>C. Apologize
>H. Ignore him and turn back towards Leigh
Let the people that don't explode on contact with magic handle the magic user.

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>>45451182
"Yeah... Sorry about that," you say honestly, but in a less than earnest tone-as though you were apologizing for taking someone's seat, or accidentally bumping into a stranger as you pass by-before turning back around and aiding Leigh against her opponents.

"Turn back and face me, traitor! Why, I have a mind to-" You hear pained sounds and Mauthe Doog growling as you help Leigh out.

The backmost guy tosses his axe at you both, leaving you both swerving out of the way as the other two take swings at you.

You're damned decapitated by the axe-wielding Hero-class confronting you, but you pierce his leg with your hand and immediately reconnect your head to your body, looking up at him as he dies. "I am... Told that I get weird without my head." Bouncing back up to your feet, you crack your neck from side to side once more, hoping you don't end up getting used to this whole "near-invincibility" thing.

Leigh is fighting against the swordsman who challenged her fine and dandy, and the nearby fellow with a hand axe looks uncertain about who to toss his weapon at this time.

>A. Hit him with magic
>B. Rush him
>C. Stand around menacingly
>D. Write-in response

>>45451409
>>A. Hit him with magic

>>45451518
Wondering something, you take this opportunity to crack open Nosferatu and drain the axe-wielder from afar the old-fashioned way. You still feel hurt as it casts, but it most definitely drains the victim's essence.

That being said, it's not enough to make up for what casting cost you. So while you can use Nosferatu to minimize the adverse effects of casting magic, it still hurts a bit, and you get diminishing returns on your essence.

Leigh, meanwhile, has slain her opponent pretty handily.

Within minutes, Disler Outpost is free of living rebels.

That being said, when counting the fallen, Calof and Zlatan report something. Your client says. "A few got away, yes... We saw them retreating towards the town, so we can only assume that this break is but a brief one, yes."

"...in other words, they probably went to rally Dain's troops and anyone who got away for another attack."

Irene sighs. "Alright, then... If we've only a moment's respite before reinforcements arrive, use it well."

>A. Talk to someone (specify)
>B. Skip ahead to then
>C. Write-in action

>>45451666
Vote time renewed.

>>45451666
>A. Talk to someone (Ansi)

>>45451666
>A. Talk to someone (Irene)

>>45451977
>>45451983
The three most magically-minded members of Marrius' group, which is to say you, Ansi, and Irene, shoot the shit about magical theories and the like as you wait. At the end of a discussion about glasses-repair magic (actually a combination of a surprising amount of different magical skills that none of you have mastered all of), Ansi brings up the elephant in the room.

"So," he says, "how about how Lloyd got fuckin' crazy there when his damn head split open?"

"I... wasn't watching very well," a queasy-sounding Irene says.

"Me neither," you add. "I only have your words on any of what went down."

"And I figure Leigh saw more than me... Still, you wouldn't have a word of what I asked when your brain was busted. Surprised you didn't end up killing Leigh or some shit."

"Well, er... I didn't, is what matters." The very notion makes you horribly uncomfortable. "I, uh, didn't try, did I?"

Ansi shakes his head. "Not sure if it was deliberate or not in your little episode there, but either way you'd regenerated by the time she was the only one still alive nearby you."

"So that's an unknown, then..." You shake your head. "Hope we don't end up needing to test this."

And again, the subject shifts from there. Irene says, "even now, the mere idea of Paula is enough to completely remove these people's willingness to reason." She sighs. "At least we can be confident she's not secretly backing the rebels..."

>A. We're overthinking her potential involvement
>B. Can we really?
>C. But what of the Order/Empire/Duchies?
>D. Guess she's right
>E. Write-in response
>F. Be silent

>>45452220
>B. Can we really?
It's looking fairly unlikely that it's them if she's even involved, but she wouldn't need to control that many people to manipulate the group as a whole, in theory, and the unwillingness to reason is reminding me of the New Flight a little.

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>>45452412
"I dunno, though... You know who else seemed really uninterested in listening to reason and abruptly turned ultra-hostile? The New Flight."

Irene looks, again, ill. "Gods... Lloyd, you're not implying we just slaughtered a bunch of mind-controlled..."

"Unlikely," Ansi says. "Stupid as these guys were, there is a logic to attacking us from their perspective. See, Lloyd's a Wampyr, far as everyone knows Paula's the only one who can turn people into those. If she's gotten to Lloyd, she's probably gotten to the rest of us. While there's... Plenty of things to question 'bout all of that, it's the sort of conclusion that doesn't really put someone in the mood for debate, and what the fuck are we gonna do, prove our case by turning someone else? And what'll that prove besides 'we have the Wampyr staff?' Jack shit is what."

You nod. "That being said, these guys aren't the entirety of the rebellion; this is just where it was born, and a pretty important stronghold near national borders, way out in the outskirts. Even if Paula's involved in one or more sides, she could theoretically just have a couple important people enthralled."

"Right... And what's the benefit of controlling people who want to be fighting anyway?" Ansi turns towards Irene. "Think you can get us to Cailean after we're done pissing off Dain? We can at least debunk one theory if he's not affected..."

You continue with a very long, three-sided argument that goes nowhere, interrupted by Zlatan saying, "eh, ahem, boss? We are... Being attacked now, yes! Birdman says... Looks to be about 25 strong, mostly soldiers with Steel, about 4 mages with Thunder. And three Snipers from Parthia, yes."

>A. That's not very much
>B. That's annoying
>C. Let's hurry out to meet them
>D. Let's await their arrival
>E. Write-in idea
>F. Be silent

>>45452551
>>C. Let's hurry out to meet them

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>>45452579
"Let's hurry out to meet them, then... Get this over with before the Order comes to pat themselves on the back for whatever they're doing further inland."

"There are rebellion strongholds closer to our capital, yes," Zlatan explains, "places of far more value to Order society, yes?"

Ansi cuts through you and Irene's looks in response to this with, "hey, if they're gonna pay us because they're too apathetic to secure the boonies themselves, then good for us."

Unlike the rebels stationed at Groznyi Outpost, Dain's soldiers are more mixed company. A tallish, helmeted woman with a short green ponytail, a halberdier by the looks of things, leads the approach. "Mages!" She shouts out, "today's a bit of a field day for you lab rats! Don't leave our soldiers unattended for a single second!"

True to her word, an unusually-heavily armored seems to be struggling to keep up pace with each and every quarter of the soldiers, which are led either by the Halberdier or one of the three snipers.

One of the mages (the one with the Halberdier's group) trips and falls behind her own group as the various soldiers attempt to surround the Western half of the outpost.

"Get up, soldier!" She shouts back. "Now is no time for exhaustion!"

>A. Attack the halberdier's group
>B. Attack one of the snipers' groups
>C. Stay back and await Irene's input
>D. Write-in action

>>45452777
>A. Attack the halberdier's group

>>45452829
You hurry over there, covered by Calof and Sheena, who naturally flew to the only group with absolutely no archers.

"See, Buccaneer?" Sheena says, smiling, "nothing scary over there!"

"I dunno," Calof responds, "I got chills just hearing that lady yell..."

"We can handle a bit of loud noise! Right, boy?"

"Stay focused, please," you say.

Meanwhile, you overhear the woman's discussion with the exhausted mage.

"Ruth..."

"Captain Ruth to you, mage."

"S-sorry, Captain... This armor's too much, though. I'd be much better with just my usual attire..."

Captain Ruth's voice gets... A modicum softer. "...you will be severely demerited if you are gravely wounded, mage." With that, she and the rest of the five soldiers in her group glare in your direction, pointing their steel lances (the good captain has what looks to be a Heavy Spear). "Come closer, dogs of the Order, and rest forever against our spears!"

Behind them, their accompanying mage struggles to get out of her armor.

>A. Take them up on the offer (read: rush 'em)
>B. Strike from afar
>C. Write-in response
>D. Stand there menacingly

>>45452998
>>B. Strike from afar

>>45453015
You think you see what she's trying to do and, quite frankly, refuse to be suckered in. Instead, you crack open Nosferatu once more, striking her first and foremost with it as Calof fires an arrow at a nearby soldier, critically striking and slaying him.

Ruth and the remaining four soldiers in her group begin to advance at that, only for Sheena to swoop in and start poking back. Ruth's subgroup is quickly reduced to three, then two soldiers, barring herself and the mage.

"Aha, take that!" Sheena exclaims triumphantly, twirling her own Steel Lance around in her hand before rushing in to strike Ruth...

...who simply dodges, grabs the handle, and yanks Sheena off of her mount with ease.

"You think you can trifle with someone hand-picked by the Dain empire?!" Her own lance is raised up slightly, only for Sheena's pegasus to kick her in the damned head before being warded off by two of the remaining soldiers (wait, scratch that. Thanks to Calof, THE two remaining soldiers).

While Calof attempts to shoot at the two soldiers harassing Sheena's pegasus, Ruth and Sheena, both dazed, feel around the ground for their weapons. Meanwhile, the mage is finally starting to get out of that heavy suit of armor, into more typical mages' attire underneath.

>A. Aid Calof in attacking the soldiers
>B. Aid Sheena by attacking Ruth
>C. Take out the mage before she becomes a problem
>D. Write-in response
(In all cases of attacking, specify if using magic instead of simply trying to drain them)

>>45453197
>C. Take out the mage before she becomes a problem
Knockout Drain.

>>45453349
You rush over to the mage, who clamors for her thunder tome, still looking quite worn out from having to walk all this way in armor she was far from prepared to use...

In short, you're able to drain her essence to a point where she slips out of consciousness, though the mage naturally has enough magic coursing through her to keep her alive unless you make certain she doesn't survive the process. She lets out a whimper of "Captain..." before falling out of consciousness.

"S-Sabrina!" Ruth, clutching her lance and finally having managed to stand and stare Sheena down, is distracted at this vital moment long enough for Sheena to impale the wounded captain, delivering a final blow before hurrying to aid Calof in saving her pegasus.

"So... That's that," Calof says. "You alright, Sheena? You're the only one who really took any abuse there."

"Yeah, thanks..." She wipes sweat off her brow and pets Buccaneer calmingly.

"So... We've got a prisoner, I guess," you say, pointing out the non-fatally-defeated mage... Sabrina, was it?

"Enemy survivors. Doesn't happen all that much, does it?" Calof notes somberly.

Shooting a look towards other groups, it appears that Marrius' Group+Zlatan was able to defeat the other subgroups without much trouble.

In the group closest to you, Ansi shakes off his hat as a pile of spiders vanishes from atop several soldiers and a mage.

>A. Talk to someone (specify who and what topic)
>B. Skip ahead a bit

>>45453509
>B. Skip ahead a bit

>>45453622
Zlatan pretty much says that you're to wait until Order representatives arrive before traveling further inland. In the meantime, that mage Sabrina is kept locked up. She and Cailean are both tested for mind control in the meantime, neither of them being confirmed as under any sort of mind control. After waking up, the mage girl completely refused to say a word to anyone at any point, and in fact seemed... Completely catatonic, upon being informed that she was the sole survivor of her garrison. At the very least, none of you ever heard word from her by the time the Order of Odo's people arrived, their soldiers in their icy blue armor.

"You've held Disler well," a rather portly person says to Irene and Zlatan in the same meeting room where you all spoke to Pere and Cailean. "The loss of this fortress and the Parthia will be a crippling blow for both strategy and morale of the Groznyi."

Grinning ear-to-ear, Zlatan says, "simply give my mercenaries our next assignment, yes?"

"Of course, Sir Zlatan," the big fella says, "and do not think your own vital roles in this turn of events will be forgotten either. Securing the support of the duchess as you did..."

"Ah, all I did was pass along a note... I am a courier, yes."

You and Irene share a look, wondering if he's the one who convinced Dain's soldiers to support the rebellion during his time as a double agent.

You wonder how such an openly untrustworthy man can exist in the world. It's almost impressive.

"A-ny-way!" He says after the meeting, "our spies who are not myself have anticipated an attack on Odo's capital, a last-ditch effort on the rebels part to reclaim a major stronghold! So we must hurry to this place, yes!"

Anyway, you have a job to keep doing.

>To be continued next thread
I am definitely having fun writing this arc and hope you guys have been enjoying playing it.

Thanks for playing. Update twitter/ask.fm are qmgrandflocto, and I'll be in-thread to chat for awhile.

>>45453815
Thanks for running

>>45453904
Always a pleasure.