forum "How come you haven't run away from me yet?"//oxo//Closed

Started December 12, 2020 by @knightinadream group

tune

Kangdae's head tilted to the side. His eyebrows shot up for a brief moment. She was exactly on the spot; that is exactly what happened. The only thing left was either his conformation or some form of evidence. He still feels hesitant to tell her anything though no matter how close she is to figuring everything out. Placing his hand over the right side of his neck, he looked down at his feet.

Finding a cure for vampirism is going to be useless for the most part. If they happen to find something, would it really revert him back to a human? To him it just sounds like a waste of time. Reversing death, and vampirism, is far away from being possible. Anyone would have a better chance of saving a person after they've been bitten. Somewhere inside him did wish for the possibility, but it is only too good to be true.

Desperate. That word sparked his attention. He chuckled, "And if I didn't know any better, I'd be agreeing with you." In some cases, he would consider himself being more desperate than his mother. Now he is not sure why Her Majesty is still pushing forward. Despite being her son, he still cannot put the pieces together. But, his reasons are more than just because it makes him irritated every time someone came through that bed chamber door just to find and solve his "problem".

With his index finger, it rested on his bottom lip. Her compromise still involves with saying something. Although, he could see why. As much as he'd like to cause some trouble, throwing Jimin in the middle would be terrible. "To be honest, I'd really wish if you didn't say anything, but your proposal seems reasonable. I can convince my mother if it all becomes strained.", he said, "Other than that, I suppose we have a deal then. Yes?"

As she was staring at his shoes at the time, Jimin didn’t catch his surprised look after she had made her speculation, but she smirked at his mention of agreeing with her observation of his desperation. She now watched him as he considered her proposal, that strange, vague spark of delight coming back to her now.
“Of course,” she concurred with his first few words. She couldn’t help but grin devilishly. “We have a deal, my prince.”
She would have to come up with a story to explain the inevitable gap in time in her report the next morning, but she pushed that to the back of her mind for later. As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t the right time to plan ahead.
She knew she should be feeling afraid or nervous around the prince and about what he was about to tell her, but somehow, she wasn’t. She was excited, simmering with anticipation. There was a bit of discomfort at going behind the Queen’s back, but the desire to know the truth was strong. And perhaps she knew deep down that the prince was capable of hurting her in ways that she couldn’t grasp quite yet, but that certainly wasn’t at the forefront of her mind right now.
Then she blinked, her expression going blank. “Um, with all due respect sir, are you still in your under-jacket?”

(Idk if we’re assuming he put the rest of his clothes on, but if we are, I’ll just edit that out and we can pretend she never said that lol)

What else was he able to do except to accept the compromise? Arguing against it is foolish. Providing a different proposal would be a waste of time. Both of them have their own separate concerns which cannot easily be met in a simple agreement. Honestly, he just wants it all to be in his favor, but does not seem that he will be able to get his own way now.

Kangdae was not sure if his blood was boiling due to exasperation or what. Whenever he glanced down at her, he was not able to avoid noticing her expressions. First a sneer then excitement. How anyone would be joyful in a moment right now is beyond him. The light in her eyes shined so brightly that he had to look somewhere else. Cleary he has met his match. Also there is no feasible way to get rid of her.

The change in her expression made him curious till the question replaced it with confusion. Defiantly an odd question to start off with. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the gonryongpo and sajoeryongbo along with the belt laying on the side of the bed. His eyes gradually trailed over to her. "Yes, I am.", he responded then added, "Would you like for me to put a robe on or is there something you are trying to get at?" It may only be a simple question for all he knows. Prediction does not appear to be in his favor.

(Sorry this one is a bit short than usual.)

(It’s totally fine my dude!)
(Jimin: I wanna know the TEA)
(Kangdae: heavy breathing)

She chuckled, putting a hand over her eyes and using the other to wave him off. “Ah, it just feels inappropriate. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
She let her hands drop to her sides, deciding to just keep her gaze on the prince’s face. Or on his shoes.
“To be honest, I’m expecting you to just tell everything you’re hiding from me, but I am wondering if you could confirm my speculations about what happened on your journey three years ago first.” Jimin tilted her head. “If your memory fails you again, that’s quite alright, but I want to know what you think, Your Highness.”
He seemed so ticked off before she didn’t know if she found it hilarious or not. She put a hand over her mouth, her pale fingers spreading out and resting across her cheek and jaw. She couldn’t help but try to hide the smile creeping up on her.

Never has he seen anybody grin like that around him in the last few years; never. And he never expected anyone would also smile around him ever again. Personally, Kangdae was perplexed trying to figure out if the sight of her smile is annoying or what. Surely it's because he is beyond irritated at the moment; so he went to the conclusion that it only made him more frustrated. Cute. Despite so, the corners of his lips forced themselves to turn upwards. Right away he covered his mouth trying to return to having a bleak look. Somehow he couldn't nor was he able to take his eyes off of her.

After awhile, he thankfully managed to put on a stern expression. He went back to thinking about their conversation. Of course, what happened on that amazing night. "Given the time right now, I do not think I will be able to tell you everything.", he sighed, "On the other hand, I can confirm your speculations for you. That should be enough for you tonight." Really he can easily tell her everything he knows, but he is unsure about how she would react. Hell, does she even know vampires exist? Has she ever heard about them before? Regardless of what, she will eventually hear everything he has been hiding from everyone; it's part of their agreement after all.

Kangdae turned so that his right side was facing Jimin. His fingers shook as they wrapped around the under-jacket strings. They held them but didn't move or tug on them yet. Shutting his eyes, he took a big inhale then held it only to release it a few seconds after. He guesses this was suppose to happen eventually, although he is still stuck to the wish of never actually having to face it. Undoing the strings, he decided to open his eyes again. "Well, you are right. Technically I did die, but here I am today standing in front of you." Pulling the under-jacket down, he placed his finger right under a scar below his jawline. It was two dark circles showing where the vile thing had bitten him. "You can see that, yes? It is the root of all my oddities."

If he had any feeling in him, it'd be all over the place. He does not have a terrible memory, but he sure does have a terrible sense of knowing what he would be feeling if he were a human. A part of him thought it is best to try to believe in Jimin, to trust her. And if worst comes to worst, he has no idea what to do at that point. All he can right now is stick to their deal and wait.

Jimin’s smile spread past her fingers when she noticed him trying not to smile back, but it dropped when he started speaking. She folded her hands in front of her.
She wanted to argue that it wasn’t enough, but she kept quiet when he turned. Her eyes widened. She was right? He is a living corpse? She suddenly resented the prince for a moment for his outburst denying her conclusion, but she could see why he had done it.
She fixed her gaze on the scars, looking at them closely. “It looks like a snake bit you after you fell, Your Highness, but they look too large to be an average snake. And of course, a snake bite would probably not be the root of your… oddities, as you say.”
She remembered her uncle showing her different types of snake bites when she was young, and she was glad she retained what he taught her. He even let her treat his horse’s snake bite once. That had been a wonderful, yet slightly terrifying day. She was surprised when the horse was still alive the next.
She sighed. “I have questions, but if you wish me to leave, I shall.”
Her brain quickly rummaged through the information she knew and sorted out the stuff she would tell the Queen. Then she shifted her gaze to the prince’s face as she waited for a response.

A snake? Maybe the idea of him being a vampire, let alone vampires, are not in her mind after all. Sort of bewildering to him, but he assumes it makes sense from another perspective. Rarely anyone in this kingdom knows; that's another reason why he is worried. People are awfully scared of what they do not know.

Aside from his confusion, he laughed a little. The bite does appear to look like it came from a snake, but can reassure that the fangs piercing through his skin were almost similar to human teeth. "I can guarantee you that it wasn't a snake.", he chuckled. Kangdae can remember exactly what the vampire who turned him looked like. They were only a simple commoner wearing a men's coat with pleats along with a satgat. In spite of them appearing to be a commoner, his abilities were far from human.

"Go ahead, ask away." He wished to not keep her so late. It was not the evening for him to go out hunting, but he would like to spend some time outside alone. Supposingly, he can stay inside and answer all her questions to her heart's content. Though she is a human and she will need rest for the next day more so than him. "We can either continue discussing while walking back to your quarters or we can stay here.", he offered, "You can decide."

Kangdae tied the strings back together. That was enough for being under-dressed around someone else for now. He walked to a dresser on the left side of the room. Opening a drawer, he pulled out his black and blue nobleman coat. He threw it on, not really caring to tie it together. His eyes wandered over to the door to the balcony for a second. Shaking his head, he ambled back over to his previous spot.

She thought for a moment, but couldn’t think of any predatory animal that made teeth marks like the scars on the prince. She was about to ask about it, but stopped. Did he imply that they might go walk back to her quarters… together? But why?
Jimin had to think for a moment again before she said, “As much as my curiosity wants me to stay, I think it would be best if I left now, alone. I will only ask you one question before I go. If it wasn’t a snake, then what was it? It sounds like you remember after all.”
She didn’t want a bigger gap in time for her to lie about in the morning, and she was starting to feel tired. And walking back to her quarters with him? What if one of the maidservants happened to spot them? And the idea seemed so absurd to her; why would the crown prince want to walk back to a lady in waiting’s quarters? She could feel her face pinching up as she thought about it.

Kangdae nodded to what she said. He did not think much about his offer to walk her back, he only brought it up just in case. It was fine if she didn't want him to, as long she knew then it's okay. What really made him worry a bit was the fact she does not know about vampires. And if she ever saw one alone, he can only assume it would not go well. Telling her right away might also be scary. He did not want for her to run away or at least that's the thought lingering in the back of his mind. Regardless of their deal, he still is going to be meticulous about the whole situation.

Holding onto the edge of his sleeve, he took a deep breath. "He looked like an ordinary person aside from what he really was. He had to be a bit shorter than me and appeared to be in his late twenties. His eyes were black, but they shined a bright red. Not to mention his fangs were as white as the moon. The complexion I have is the same as his.", he recalled, "I was able to kill him afterwards because he was mad enough to stay and watch me suffer with pleasure." He can remember how his own blood was falling from the corners of the other vampire's lips. The sight of it still angers him to this day and probably will forever.

Walking over to his bed, he kept his eyes on her. To be honest he did not know what else to say. Bringing up the word 'vampire' seems to be too much for this evening. Picking up the book on the floor, he turned it so the cover would be facing him. His gaze kept going back to the door on his left side. Something felt off to him, but he was not sure how to put it.

For some reason he thought back to when he brought up hitting the back of his head. Perhaps it was because his mind went back to Jimin's words. "My apologies for lying to you about my memory. I hope you understand.", Kangdae said as he faced her. He tried to offer her a simple light smile, but it did not work for him. It only lasted for a short second.

At first, Jimin raised her brow at what was, to her, a confession of murder, but she stopped, her mind returning to the description of the man, or monster. Then something clicked. If they had the same complexion, and the monstrous man had made those scars in his neck… she remembered how cold his body was, and she could see now that there was no color in his cheeks. Which means there is no blood to color or warm them. Which meant he was drained of blood, which means, since he is standing here now…
“So you’re not just undead, you’re-“ she swallowed. “Oh.”
Really, she had heard of vampires before. From her brother, of all people. It was so long ago, and he had tried to scare her like that so many times, she’d paid no attention. She recalled vaguely, however, that his description of vampires was more inhuman than the prince’s, but the thirst for blood was common between them.
She put a hand to her chin, taking her eyes off of the prince. Well, she found out what was wrong with him, alright. She was starting to doubt whether she should keep this to herself.
She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “I understand, Your Highness. I do. Goodnight.”
She kept her gaze on the floor as she turned and started toward the door.

So she does know. Fascinating as always with her. Oddly enough, hearing the words fall out of her mouth did not make him anxious at all. "Oh I am still undead, Jimin. But I am a vampire. Just like the ones in all those old stories they'd tell us, except I am the crown prince.", he explained, "You know, what's terrible about all of this is, only people like us have heard of these creatures yet we pretend they do not exist. The poor citizens out there have no idea at all." He is different from that monster. That thing killed him out of the need for survival yet used his abilities like a madman. Kangdae ended up killing the vile thing out of revenge for making him one. There's nothing wrong with that after all, right?

He would not consider himself like one of them, but everyone will paint his image as if he were. Forcing an anxious chuckle out, he stared down at the floor. Jimin might think he is one too. A deranged ferocious demon-like vampire who deserves to be pushed out into the sunlight; nothing more nothing less. It does not matter if he is the future king nor does it matter if he still has the same mind like the rest of them. Just one sentence and he is done for. 'Prince Kangdae is a vampire!'

Amusing how he can imagine her yelling that on the top of her lungs. Most certainly at that point there'd be no where to hide. As she was right in front of the door, he cleared his throat. Kangdae dashed over to the door then opened them carefully. The two guards stood at each side like statues. One of them glanced at him. Without saying a word, he held his hand out. The other reluctantly handed him Jimin's binyeo. Touching the metal did irritate his skin, but it wasn't burning him. Next he motioned for them to leave for a moment. It had taken him another head tilt and a threatening look for them to leave.

Kangdae stood behind Jimin while carefully placing the binyeo back into her bun. "One more thing. Let me add one more clause to our agreement. I will not kill you, I will not hunt you, and I certainly will not threaten to do both of those even if I can smell soldiers coming my way to arrest me. Even if I hadn't had any blood in days, I will never feast on you out of desperation. I promise. Just stick to our agreement, and I'm begging you to never tell my mother unless I say so or if it's highly necessary." He has yet to learn about her, but she already knows so much about him. Whatever she decision she makes, it will not a lighthearted one for sure; that is only his assumption.

Once he made sure that the bineyo stuck in correctly, he trudged over to his desk. He did not bother sitting down behind it. His hands trembled underneath the sleeves. "See you tomorrow, Jimin. Please have a safe walk back." , he said while giving a simple head bow.

(Would you like to skip to the next morning after this?)

Jimin stopped. That’s what I meant, Your Highness, she responded silently.
She stared as he came in front of her, then came back behind to insert her binyeo back into her bun. She could feel her breath becoming heavy again, but now she wasn’t so sure why. There was a knot of writhing emotion in her that she couldn’t entirely identify. Anger, anxiety, confusion, maybe… and something that felt like pity. She tried force it down, to numb it. She wasn’t sure if the tiredness coming over her was doing that, or only making it stronger.
Turning to the prince as he went over to his desk, she tried to steady her breathing. “I wish you didn’t have to promise me that, Your Highness.”
For a moment it felt like her legs couldn’t move. Then she acknowledged his farewell with a nod and a bow, and that seemed to do the trick. She turned back, opened the doors, and left.
(Sure :)

Will this be the end of it all? It is impossible to plan out everything, but he never expected to reveal his secret like this. Well actually the thought of having to say it out loud in front of someone else hadn't come across his mind ever.

Surely if he was human, he'd be feeling something right now. At every mental corner he'd come across was fear. The anger looming over him had no match against this unusual notion of worry. On top of it all, he is confused; mostly about this other feeling he was not able to identify, but now is not the time to figure it out. The satisfaction of scaring all those other people away did not wave over him like usual. Instead, the sight of seeing Jimin right now made him feel slightly concerned in a way.

Kangdae sighed, "Me too, but I'd rather say it now before anything could happen. I'm sure it'll be in your best interest to stay alive and, more importantly, human." Promising to do those things is only the bare minimum from his perspective. In a way, he said it to serve as a reminder for himself. Usually his self control never goes beyond his grasp like others, although he is not sure how things will go on from now on.

Once she had left, it felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. He kept standing there while letting his shoulders drop. Second evening is over. So far so weary. Kangdae removed the little crown keeping his top knot up. His hair fell down badly brushing his shoulders as he stared at the door.

Queen Seohyun felt as if something was wrong. She was not sure whether it had to deal with her son and Jimin or if it was just her nerves. Either way, she cannot rub it off no matter how hard she tried to think of other things.

No matter what happened last night, she really wished some progress was made. It does not matter what is the problem, just as long as they can fix it without anyone outside of the palace knowing. Hearing rumors about another sickly ruler is not going to do anyone any good.

Her fingers tapped against the table as she waited while her other hand was holding onto her skirt. Closing her eyes, she began taking in deep inhales. Holding them in for a few seconds, she finally released them only to take another breath once again.

Jimin knew what she was going to say. She'd went over it the previous night many times, enough that she felt like she was going to mess up terribly when she finally spoke it here. Perhaps that was why she was shaking. Or maybe it was something else.
She took a deep breath. I can do this. I’ve done everything else.
She stilled for a moment, putting on a mask of professionalism and slight concern. Deciding not to keep the Queen waiting any longer, she opened the door. She kneeled, saying, “Good morning, Your Majesty. I hope you’re well.” She stood. “Would you like me to straight into it then, like yesterday? I believe I have made some progress.”
She kept her posture relaxed, her voice level. She was not going to freak out during this, that was something a past version of her would do.

The queen opened up her eyes once she heard the door open. Sliding her hand back, she let it fall on top of the other. Her head slightly nodded as she put on a small warm grin. "Good morning to you as well, Jimin.", she said before gesturing to the other side of the table, "You may sit down if you'd like."

Progress? Already? She does recall asking for more from the last visit, but she is taken aback at how Jimin got something. At any time a doctor would come back to report to her, they said that they did not get anything, even if it had been four days. Then after those four days, they would quit. And Kangdae always refused to say a single word about his condition or anything related to it. Yet Jimin on the other hand, she should have asked her to do this sooner. Even if she has not heard anything about it yet, it has to be good; it has to.

"That sounds wonderful, please do.", Her Majesty smiled, "Whenever you are ready." The anticipation was gradually building up inside her. She can only imagine what will be told. Maybe it will be a few symptoms that can be easily relieved or perhaps an idea on what all of the trouble is. Shaking her head in response to her prospect. It has been two days, and although her expectations are high, it may be wiser to lower them and to be patient about all of this. But they only have four or so weeks to go.

Jimin managed to return the smile, and sat. “Well, truth be told, I am unsure if you’ve heard this before as well. When I went in, I asked to feel his pulse. I couldn’t feel anything, so I asked to listen to his heartbeat. He let me do so, and I still couldn’t feel anything. I tried to question him further, but he denied or avoided everything I asked him. And then…” she sighed, her lip curling. “He went out to the balcony and managed to lock me inside. I tried, but I couldn’t persuade him to unlock the door, and I eventually left.”
She bit her lip. The only legitimate alternative for last night she could think of was that the prince pulled off another one of his shenanigans. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t like how this story painted the prince. But it was the best idea she could think of.
“The point is that I couldn’t feel his pulse or heartbeat. Have the other physicians and doctors said the same thing? I want to believe that I’d made a mistake, but I listened for it three times.” She tried to keep her voice from rising in pitch. “I didn’t feel or hear anything.”

No heartbeat. She was not sure if she heard that correctly the first time. Only after Jimin said she didn't hear or feel anything, she realized that she sheard correctly the first time. The being locked in part did upset her, but the queen kept thinking about the prince not having a pulse. Why is he walking around perfectly if he doesn't have one?

Queen Seohyun looked off the side trying to remember what she was told before. No one told her out loud about the crown prince never having a heartbeat. They'd always tell her that they couldn't get it because he would threaten them or he managed to pull off another trick. And if they did feel for a pulse, they told her that her son has a weak one so it's hard to find.

"I cannot remember exactly, but I am sure one of them did bring up his pulse. They would just say it's very faint." , she recalled, "He always fought back or intimidated them every time they'd try to lay a finger on him. I'm surprised he even let you listen for it."

She really does want to believe that there was a mistake. The thought of the crown prince not really being alive yet acting like it is frivolous. On the other hand, this cannot be a lie. No one ever lies to her, and she'd find it hard to believe that Jimin would be. Kangdae is the only person who does, yet sadly she expects it from him.

"If only we still had the records from the previous doctors. Those could've been helpful for you. I am afraid the only thing we have is him, the crown prince.", she said with a slight frown, "Do you think it'd be possible for you to get more information out of him?"

Jimin shook slightly, discomforted by how she actually lied to the Queen, and surprised that she actually seemed to convince her. In hindsight, perhaps there was genuine emotion in her words, as she was indeed more focused on what she’d found out rather than random shenanigans.
Her brow furrowed at Queen Seohyun’s words. “His Highness said the same thing, that his heartbeat must be just weaker than mine. But I would think, if that was the case, than he’d be visibly sick and bedridden.”
She feigned a frustrated sigh. She had an idea, of course, about why those records turned up missing. Still, it would be nice to get her hands on one.
“I can’t help but wonder if he’s hiding something,” she murmured, glancing off to the side and her eyes narrowing. She blinked. “I… I honestly don’t know. I can’t make any promises, Your Majesty. But I’ll see what I can do.”

The queen kept moving slowly moving her head up and down as she listened. Not surprising how he brought up the weak heart thing as an excuse. Another thing that is odd is how he did not deny it further or manage to convince Jimin to not tell her. On another note, the prince has to be sick somehow. She does not recall hearing symptoms about pale skin or avoiding sunlight before. Sure there are a handful of illnesses doctors are not able to fully treat these days, but perhaps they can find a way to take care of his; there has to be a plant or something. All they just need is the information.

"Of course he is, I wouldn't be surprised. Whatever it is he's hiding, I'm sure Prince Kangdae is more anxious about it now given the countdown to his enthronement.", Queen Seohyun stated, "I believe we can help him with his strange condition, so I hope you will use all of your effort to dig as deep as you possibly can."

She rubbed the top of her nose. Her eyebrows furrowed together while she shook her head. The excitement that built up in her minutes ago suddenly began to make her feel tired. Queen Seohyun knew this is going to take a lot of time, but three years have already passed by. And she is fully aware of the fact that she is not actually doing much at the moment, it's so stressful sitll. "Do your best, but please be careful, you and him as well.", the queen said.

Jimin stayed silent while the Queen spoke, occasionally glancing at her folded hands on her lap. Then, “I will be careful, Your Majesty. I’ll do my best.”
She hoped she didn’t sound too unenthusiastic. The night before her seemed more uncertain than the first. And of course, what of his enthronement? Was it possible he could…?
Then she noticed the Queen’s tired gesture. “Your Majesty, are you feeling alright? Is there anything I can do for you? You seem tired.”
She sat up straight, wanting to focus on her daytime duties again. The matter of the prince was starting to make her tired herself, and simple tasks were usually enough to keep her mind on other things.
Then she remembered how long the Queen must have been doing this for; nearly three years with no answers. It’s no wonder she seemed tired.

She beamed hearing Jimin's words. How reliving they are. For a second, she did not worry about it at all. Finally she felt optimistic about continuing on with finding out what the problem is. Surely she will be able to hear more assuring words in the future reports.

Queen Seohyun bit the inside corners of her lips in order to avoid letting a yawn out. She covered her mouth with her sleeve, not letting it down for a bit. Although it had always been difficult for her to hide her lack of energy, she shook her head. "I suppose I did not get enough sleep last night, but it's okay.", she reassured, "Only thing you can do is to continue on with this special task. I will feel well shortly." This was not the time for anyone to be worrying about her. They're already going through a lot to, or more so attempt to, help Kangdae; first her son than her, but there's nothing for them to worry about.

"Although I do appreciate your concern, I'll be fine. Thank you." , she nodded before asking, "Now back to the matter at hand, is there anything else? If there isn't, let's end our meeting here. Sadly I cannot think of any useful suggestions to give you; just remember what I've told you."

She sighed. The Queen often tried to keep a brave face, even now. Especially now. “If you insist, Your Majesty.”
After thinking for a moment, she said, “I don’t believe there’s anything else. Aside from the matter of the crown prince, I believe I must escort you somewhere this afternoon, though I’m sure you don’t need reminding. And don’t worry about that, Your Majesty, I’m used to operating without any advice.”
Though maybe I could use some for once, was what she didn’t say. She drummed her fingers on her lap for a few moments then stood. “I suppose I’ll see myself out then.”
She kneeled, then headed for the door, eager to start what she wanted to believe would be a normal day.

Her Majesty rolled her shoulders back as she let out a tired sigh. In some weird sort of way, she was fine with the fact there was nothing else to go over. No heartbeat and a childish shenanigan is a good starting point; now she can try to come up with ways to help in her own right. The fact that she cannot find any helpful tips for Jimin made her frown at herself momentarily. At least by tomorrow she'll come up with something.

"Escorted…", the queen whispered to herself. She bit the inside of her cheek trying to remember. Oh right. Someone did come in beforehand to brief her on today's schedule, but what Jimin brought up had already been on her mind. It is going to be another busy day for them all. Hopefully her meeting will help get her mind off of this ordeal.

In the corner of her eye, she gazed over at the door. There is not anyone important coming over after this. Queen Seohyun glimpsed back at Jimin, giving her a gentle head bow. "As always I appreciate your efforts.", she said, "Till then."

(Skip to evening?)