Xero frowned a bit after R yanked off her necklace, "You could've just asked me to give it to you..." She muttered as she took back what was left of the string. She then tied on the green orb that was originally there and put it back on her neck. Xero then listened as R gave his speech and was beginning to feel a bit nervous. She didn't say anything and held her head high as she walked through the portal and into the Keyblade Graveyard. The battle was now amongst the team of Lights and Darks and Xero stared up at Omega, then at Chaos. Should probably start with the smaller one... she thought to herself. The green Orb around her neck began to glow and she was engulfed in a green aura; when it cleared, Xero was now in Valian Mode. Xero then summoned her scythe, which was a bit bigger now and had green crystals floating behind the blade. Spoiler: Valian Mode Xero stood there for a moment before turning to Juliet and Gexln. She only sadly smiled at Juliet and then looked at Gexln, "Don't go an get yourselves killed, alright..?" She then looked back at Chaos with a glare before positioning herself and holding her scythe behind her. Xero then began flying towards Chaos after pushing off the ground and once she was close enough she swung her scythe at the creature as hard as she could. Knowing that Chaos would probably be able to repel it in some way, Xero then flash stepped behind him and swung her scythe again; this time the blade made a black beam come out of it as well as the crystals on the back of it go flying at Chaos.
Hellu
Xero went wide eyed as she saw the shard fly past her and over the edge of the platform. She then looked back at Beuce with eyes full of disbelief, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE?!" She shouted at the man and then saw Gexln grab something behind her. She looked and saw that the X-Blade had miraculously just missed the edge and let out a sigh of relief. Then she saw Gexln throw it back at Beuce and then suddenly catch in fire. Xero was just beginning to have a heart attack but then Gexln decided to simply break the piece. Xero only stood there wide eyed and clenched her fists and made a B-line towards Gexln. Once she was in front of Gexln, she grabbed his scarf and yanked him down to her height, "GEXLN ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME?! YOU'VE JUST DOOMED US ALL! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW IMMATURE AND IRRISPONSIBLE YOU ARE! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" As Xero was just beginning to have her raging fit, the X-blade suddenly reformed itself and Xero didn't notice, causing her to continue her fit and yelling in Gexln's face.
Xero flinched as R suddenly shouted at Juliet, Caleb, and Anta. She always got startled when he shouted; it wasn't something she was used to him doing. She then looked up at Gexln as he turned to her and spoke, her face quickly becoming saddened, "It is... A bit hurtful..." She admitted as she looked at the ground. Xero saw the half grin Gexln gave her then rose an eye brow. She then lightly hit Gexln on the arm after he suggested sealing Juliet in the dark realm. "You're horrible. " Xero said with a small laugh, "Though I'm not exactly saying no to the idea..." She slowly looked away as she spoke her last sentence, somewhat joking about the suggestion.
((This is my last post tonight I swear)) As Gexln finished speaking Xero frowned, "You're not a horrible person... If you were, I wouldn't be here next to you." Her hand tightened around his as she spoke, "As for being a father... You shouldn't blame yourself. You didn't know you had a child, no one told you. If Juliet doesn't want either of us in her life, then we'll just keep our distance..." "Are you sure you want to get tangled up in my little mess?" Xero only looked at Gexln with a small smile, "I've been following you around for a good while now, I'm pretty sure I can deal with whatever else comes your way."
Xero only sighed as Juliet shoved her away. No matter how many times she reached out to her, she kept pushing her away. This time wasn't any different other than the fact that everything was worse. Suddenly she heard shouting from Juliet again, as well as the clashing of metal against metal. Xero looked up to see Caleb and Juliet fighting and she sat there not sure what to do. Juliet made it clear that she hated her and wouldn't listen to her. What could she do? She could only sit there and watch. She looked over to Gexln who wasn't moving from his spot on the ground and slowly walked over to him. "Gexln..?" Her voice was quiet and rather sad. Xero could see the pain in his eyes, but it wasn't physical pain; it was inner pain. She knelt down next to him and put her hand in his, "Are you alright..?" Xero knew that Gexln probably wouldn't admit his pain but she tried anyway.
Xero was hurt by Juliet's words; saying that she had replaced Kaxar and that she had disgraced her memory. She only stood there listening to more of what Juliet had to say to Gexln. Then Juliet just simply attacked her father and Gexln wasn't doing anything about it. Xero was about to get Juliet off if him but Anta was already there and Sapphire began lecturing the girl. Xero only walked up to Juliet with sorrow in her eyes before stopping in front of her. She said nothing and simply hugged the broken girl, "I'm sorry... " She finally said, "Whatever I did to make you hate me so much... I'm sorry. Kaxar was a good person... I met her only once, but she seemed to be happy all the time... ((at least before Xindai kidnapped us...)) I'm sure she would want you to be happy too and not worry any more."
I luv mah avatar
Role Play thread is up: http://kh-vids.net/threads/pokémon-kalos-adventures.147953/
- OOC Thread - You are a Pokémon trainer that has just arrived in the Kalos region! You have been selected by Pokémon researchers around the world to help with filling the PokéDex and have already gotten your Pokémon and supplies to start your adventure. You can explore the Kalos region, challenge Gym Leaders, challenge other trainers, anything! Now, are you a boy, or a girl? KALOS REGION MAP ____________________________________________ RULES & ADDITIONAL NOTES Spoiler: Rules ⚫Only 2 characters per person. Yes, you can kill off characters and or Pokémon. Just don't constantly do it. ⚫You can NOT be a character that already exists. For example a Gym Leader or a character from the series like Ash etc. However you can be a relative or a friend of that character. ⚫No God Modding (I'm serious), Flaming, Over Powering; you know, all that stuff. SOME Power Play is allowed. Just don't drag it out. ⚫I will do the best I can to keep track of people's Pokémon, items, badges etc. If there is something missing from your list, please tell me. ⚫ No magical abilities/powers or people with animalistic features– this is Pokémon! ⚫If you have a problem with someone DO NOT START FIGHTING WITH THEM. You come to ME and I will address the situation unless it will have to involve the Moderators and or Admins. ⚫I have the right to add or change rules at anytime. ⚫Pokémon can learn moves but only ones in thier move pool. Yes, you can have them learn egg moves too. Spoiler: Additional Information ⚫This is a Free Roam RP. Meaning, you pretty much do whatever you want. ⚫It's set in the Kalos region (X & Y) and no, you can't go to different regions. ⚫I will control NPCs such as Gym Leaders, Shop Keepers, etc. ⚫Pokémon can have their own thoughts and feelings but cannot actually speak. You CAN however put their thoughts in italics. ⚫Everyone will start off in Luminous City and branch off from there. This way people can have character interactions sooner. ⚫This takes place after the events with Team Flare so you can feel free to start a new mafia group or whatever bad guy group you want. ⚫You can start off with any Pokémon as long as it's in its non evolved from or if it doesn't evolve at all. If it has a baby form you start off with that. You can start with a maximum of 2 Pokémon and can have up to 6 Pokémon on hand (there is a PC storage like there is in the game). You can add to your team, but you cannot just go out and just start catching your team like that. You need to have a decent amount of time in the rp before catching each Pokémon on your team. I trust that you will all be able to have good judgment about this, if not, shoot me a PM. ⚫Pokémon can evolve when I approve of them being able to (send me a PM or ask in the OCC if you can evolve your Pokémon). If a Pokémon needs a certain item to evolve, you gotta go find it where it is said that it can be found in the game (if your not sure just Google it). You don't need to trade stuff in order for it to evolve, it can just evolve it by having it with the item. ⚫You can mega evolve your Pokémon, but only 1! You will get the Mega Ring and your choice of Mega Stone later on in the RP. ⚫ You can NOT have duplicate Pokémon in your team. ⚫You can NOT have a Legendary Pokémon until probably way later in the RP. I may make exceptions with the smaller ones like Shaymin for example. No, you can't put a minor Legendary as a starter. You will have to find it once I say there is one roaming around. ⚫Any Pokémon can be found in the Kalos region as long as it is found in the right environments. I.E. A ground type wouldn't be found in the sea. THEY CANNOT BE FULLY EVOLVED. ⚫You can challenge gyms and, if you want, eventually the Pokémon League. You should complete the gyms in order. If you read all this stuff put "Pokemanz" somewhere in your post. ____________________________________________ - START - REMINDER: Everyone will be starting in Luminous City. You can be anywhere in Luminous, just start there. This way people can have character interactions sooner and won't have to travel to the other side if the region just to find someone. Zerith was sitting in the Pokémon Center of Luminous City with her two Pokémon, Arcane and Tekkno. She had just arrived there from the Goldenrod train station in Jotoh. It was a very exhausting trip and after that train she had to get on two other trains. Zerith put a hand on Tekkno's head to pet him as he was taking a nap next to her. She then looked over to Arcane and her breath hitched in her throat, "Arcane!" She snapped at the Sneasel who was reaching into someone's pocket as they weren't looking. Arcane flinched then looked over to Zerith and acted like she wasn't doing anything other than standing there. Zerith glared at the Pokémon and pointed her finger to the chair next to her, ordering the Sneasel to sit next to her. "What do you think you're doing Arcane? I told you no pickpocketing!" The Sneasel sat next to her trainer with a frown and crossed arms, 'I saw something shiny in his pocket. You can't get mad at me for being curious... I was gonna put it back. And I only take things if I really want them... ' Arcane made growls as she mentally spoke, but since her trainer wasn't a Pokémon Zerith couldn't understand her.
You are accepted.
- RP Thread - You are a Pokémon trainer that has just arrived in the Kalos region! You have been selected by Pokémon researchers around the world to help with filling the PokéDex and have already gotten your Pokémon and supplies to start your adventure. You can explore the Kalos region, challenge Gym Leaders, challenge other trainers, anything! Now, are you a boy, or a girl? KALOS REGION MAP ____________________________________________ RULES & ADDITIONAL NOTES Spoiler: Rules ⚫Only 2 characters per person. Yes, you can kill off characters and or Pokémon. Just don't constantly do it. ⚫You can NOT be a character that already exists. For example a Gym Leader or a character from the series like Ash etc. However you can be a relative or a friend of that character. ⚫No God Modding (I'm serious), Flaming, Over Powering; you know, all that stuff. SOME Power Play is allowed. Just don't drag it out. ⚫I will do the best I can to keep track of people's Pokémon, items, badges etc. If there is something missing from your list, please tell me. ⚫ No magical abilities/powers or people with animalistic features– this is Pokémon! ⚫If you have a problem with someone DO NOT START FIGHTING WITH THEM. You come to ME and I will address the situation unless it will have to involve the Moderators and or Admins. ⚫I have the right to add or change rules at anytime. ⚫Pokémon can learn moves but only ones in thier move pool. Yes, you can have them learn egg moves too. Spoiler: Additional Information ⚫This is a Free Roam RP. Meaning, you pretty much do whatever you want. ⚫It's set in the Kalos region (X & Y) and no, you can't go to different regions. ⚫I will control NPCs such as Gym Leaders, Shop Keepers, etc. ⚫Pokémon can have their own thoughts and feelings but cannot actually speak. You CAN however put their thoughts in italics. ⚫Everyone will start off in Luminous City and branch off from there. This way people can have character interactions sooner. ⚫This takes place after the events with Team Flare so you can feel free to start a new mafia group or whatever bad guy group you want. ⚫You can start off with any Pokémon as long as it's in its non evolved from or if it doesn't evolve at all. If it has a baby form you start off with that. You can start with a maximum of 2 Pokémon and can have up to 6 Pokémon on hand (there is a PC storage like there is in the game). You can add to your team, but you cannot just go out and just start catching your team like that. You need to have a decent amount of time in the rp before catching each Pokémon on your team. I trust that you will all be able to have good judgment about this, if not, shoot me a PM. ⚫Pokémon can evolve when I approve of them being able to (send me a PM or ask in the OCC if you can evolve your Pokémon). If a Pokémon needs a certain item to evolve, you gotta go find it where it is said that it can be found in the game (if your not sure just Google it). You don't need to trade stuff in order for it to evolve, it can just evolve it by having it with the item. ⚫You can mega evolve your Pokémon, but only 1! You will get the Mega Ring and your choice of Mega Stone later on in the RP. ⚫ You can NOT have duplicate Pokémon in your team. ⚫You can NOT have a Legendary Pokémon until probably way later in the RP. I may make exceptions with the smaller ones like Shaymin for example. No, you can't put a minor Legendary as a starter. You will have to find it once I say there is one roaming around. ⚫Any Pokémon can be found in the Kalos region as long as it is found in the right environments. I.E. A ground type wouldn't be found in the sea. THEY CANNOT BE FULLY EVOLVED. ⚫You can challenge gyms and, if you want, eventually the Pokémon League. You should complete the gyms in order. If you read all this stuff put "Pokemanz" somewhere in your post. ____________________________________________ CHARACTERS *** Remember that this RP does not have a centralized plot. It is like a Pokémon game scenario where you can travel and have your own adventures (you can make parties and travel together - which is strongly encouraged!). Code: [B]Name: Age: Gender: Height: Appearance: Personality: Region: [/B] What Region is your character from? [B]Hometown: Professor: [/B] Which Pokémon Professor is your character affiliated with? [B]Starter Pokémon: [/B] No Dittos. (Yes, you can have shiny Pokémon but don't over do it.) [img] place image url of Pokémon here [/img] Name: Species: Gender: Personality: [img] place image url of Pokémon here[/img] Name: Species: Gender: Personality: [B]Favorite Type(s): [/B] What are your character's favorite Pokémon Types? [B]Back Story: [/B] Must be at least three sentences. No amnesia, no "I'll fill this out later". Just do it. Doesn't have to be obseardly long. ____________________________________________ ACCEPTED CHARACTERS Xero Zerithia (Zerith) ⚫Sneasel (Arcane) ⚫Deino (Tekkno) Gexln Zeke John Catser ⚫Fennekin (Scarlet) ⚫Totodile (Tobias) Moksha Azure Rosenblood ⚫Riolu (Leo) ⚫Cyndaquil (Flare) Prince of Hearts Sasha Kiv ⚫Eevee (Eli) ⚫Raltz (Elayna) master08996 Miguel Gomez ⚫Gible (Luffy) ⚫Squitle (Tsunami) Ami Mizuno Roxam Tsukino ⚫Fennekin ⚫ Charmander ____________________________________________ MY CHARACTERS Spoiler: Zerithia Name: Zerithia (Zerith) Age: 17 Gender: Female Height: 5'7" Appearance: Long, layered, dark brown hair with swept bangs. Slightly tanned skin and has round green eyes. Wears this. Personality: Zerith likes to keep to herself most of the time and doesn't like to be bothered with a lot of questions about who she is. She is quite calm most of the time and will not be afraid to say when she is upset or angry about something. She will speak her opinion about something if she feels like she must and will not care of what others think of her. Region: Johto Hometown: Blackthorn City Professor: Elm Starter Pokémon: Name: Arcane Species: Sneasel Gender: Female (couldn't find a female Sneasel gif..) Personality: A rather mischievous Sneasel. She likes to mess with other Pokémon and people by taking their stuff while not looking and most times she doesn't them back. Hence the reason why Zerith gets stuck with so much junk in her bag. She also likes to climb things and run around as fast as she can. Name: Tekkno Species: Deino Gender: Male Personality: He carries around an Everstone because it is a lot like a rock... and he likes rocks. He is blind, but he relies on his sense of smell and hearing, and he has a very keen sense in touch. Tekkno is quite energetic and playful; he can also be a bit rough when he plays by headbutting people or other Pokémon. Favorite Type(s): Dark and Dragon Back Story: When Zerithia was younger, she thought she saw a giant Pokémon fly over Blackthorn and has since been wanting to search for it. She also wants to try and challenge the gyms and explore the world. One of her aspirations is to be able to find rare Pokémon.
[B]Name: Age: Gender: Height: Appearance: Personality: Region: [/B] What Region is your character from? [B]Hometown: Professor: [/B] Which Pokémon Professor is your character affiliated with? [B]Starter Pokémon: [/B] No Dittos. (Yes, you can have shiny Pokémon but don't over do it.) [img] place image url of Pokémon here [/img] Name: Species: Gender: Personality: [img] place image url of Pokémon here[/img] Name: Species: Gender: Personality: [B]Favorite Type(s): [/B] What are your character's favorite Pokémon Types? [B]Back Story: [/B] Must be at least three sentences. No amnesia, no "I'll fill this out later". Just do it. Doesn't have to be obseardly long.
Xero listened to Gexln as he spoke about his brother that he apparently had. There were still quite a few things she didn't know about Gexln and that was another thing to add to her list. She could hear the slightest bit of anguish in his voice as he spoke of him and what he had done. Xero then looked at Xepphiras with a rather pained look, "Just be glad that you did't have another being within you slowly picking away at your soul and constantly trying overtake you day and night... It's excruciating and draining." Xero said as she suddenly noticed that her fists were clenched and her voice became tense and angry as she spoke. She exhaled and relaxed herself and looked back at Xeppiras, "What you do with how you use your power is your choice... Don't let it decide for you..."
Xero smiled at Gexln as he walked up to her and Kross, "You're alright." she said with a sigh of relief. She was taken by surprise when he hugged her, but then tightly returned the hug not wanting to let go, "This is all so crazy... What if we all just end up killing ourselves anyway...? What if R's theory is wrong...?" Xero could only keep thinking of reasons why the X-Blade wouldn't work. Maybe it was the pressure finally setting in, or maybe she was just over thinking things like she always did when she was nervous.
Spoiler Xero had gone into Arcane Mode, but something didn't seem right... It felt different to her than the last time she used it. She felt a heavy feeling in her chest, but she also felt something else; a possible untapped power that could either help her or destroy her. She clenched her fists as she glared at Ansem, "Now it's my turn." The runes on Xero's scythes began to glow, she flew at Ansem as she readied her weapons, charging an attack in front of her and once close enough she unleashed the stored energy within her blade and swung it as hard as she could letting out a grunt as she did. The energy that came out of her blade sped toward Ansem with a black aura and collided with him as he tried to block it, throwing him backwards in the process. Xero flash stepped behind him and threw an explosive dark firaga at the man, sending him flying in the other direction once again. Ansem finally caught himself while he was about to fly into the ground then quickly jumped toward Xero, his guardian blocking her blade as she swung at him once again, catching her scythe as it did. Xero fought against the guardian for a moment, trying to make it let go of her weapon, but then eventually swung her other scythe at the creature's head and hit it, and it finally let go of the blade as it staggered back behind Ansem in pain. Ansem then let out a frustrated cry as he then came at Xero fast, his staff in hand. He began to attack her head on, his blades colliding with the hilts of Xero's scythes as she constantly blocked his swings and followed wherever his blades were going. Eventually Ansem grew more and more frustrated and let out dark shockwaves as his last swing hit Xero's hilt. Xero was knocked back from this and groaned in pain as she felt the shockwaves hit her at point-blank range. She sat there trying to recover, but only for her vision to still be blurred and have a loud ringing in her ears. Soon she was able to stand but then she suddenly saw Ansem charging toward her and punch her in the stomach with a dark firaga infused fist. Xero staggered backwards, leaning forward, winded from the bold move and soon found a knee hitting her from under her jaw. Xero quickly jumped backward just in time to dodge Ansem's staff slamming down and into the ground instead of her. She felt the pain of her tongue being harshly bitten from being kneed on her bottom jaw and spat out the blood that filled her mouth. "I've had about enough of this sh*t." Xero growled through her teeth as she glared at Ansem. He was charging at her again and she slammed the blades of her scythes into the ground, causing a giant crack to appear and quickly go toward Ansem, a glowing purple light emitting from underneath, then a large wall of black fire erupted from it, hitting Ansem and burning him. Xero flew into the air and looked at Ansem, her wings glowed a brighter color and she placed her scythes in front of her as she began charging a black orb in front of them. Ansem was still trying to recover from the sudden burning of his face and most of the front side of his body, the orb in front of Xero's scythes, getting bigger and bigger. Ansem was soon able to recover and Xero's attack was ready and she waisted no time, "This is for everything you've done to the world! Everyone you screwed over!" Xero practically screamed her words as the anger she had built up toward Ansem was finally being vented, "But most of all, it's for all of the horrible things you've done to R!" With that, Xero unleashed the orb and it rapidly flew at Ansem and exploding on impact with the ground, leaving a giant crater when it was done. Ansem was in the bottom of the crater and attempted to get up. He looked at Xero with a disturbingly amused smile and a small laugh then faded away. Xero let out the biggest sigh of relief, as if she'd been holding her breath the whole time. She then fell to her knees in exhaustion, and reverted back to her original state. But then she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and she cringed; she didn't know what just happened or why her Arcane Mode felt and looked different, but she was finally at peace with herself. A light suddenly appeared in front if her and the world began shifting around her bringing her back to the platforms that surrounded the X-Blade. A fragment appeared in front of her and she weakly stood up and took it in her hands. A stained glass staircase appeared leading to the X-Blade platform and she cautiously walked to it, hoping not to somehow break the glass or fall off. Once on the platform, Xero saw Kross waiting there and she stood by the mold and began to wait as well. She turned her head to look toward Gexln's platform with worried eyes, "Come on Gexln..." She said as her grip on the fragment tightened.
The scenery began to change again after Ansem had givin Xero a dark grin; the world twisted and manipulated until everything was completely different. The area was now nothing but blackness with a few rocks floating around, the ground rippled with white circles wherever Xero stepped. She looked around to see that Ansem had disappeared and she was left to wander, intensely focusing on her surroundings with her scythe in hand. A chuckle echoed around her and a voice soon followed, "Foolish child." Xero suddenly felt something slam into her back and throw her forward; she caught herself by doing a cartwheel and quickly turned to the front to see Ansem already there to throw an explosive orb at her. Xero was thrown back once again only to have something grab her by the arm and fling her into the ground. She looked up to see that Ansem's Guardian had done it and she tried getting up, only to have the Guardian pull her up by the collar of her shirt. She only looked at the Guardian with a glare then was thrown once again but this time her back hit one of the floating rocks. Xero let out a cry if pain as she collided with the rock and fell to the ground. She quickly tried getting up and just in time to block one of Ansem's explosive orbs he had thrown at her. He then suddenly flash stepped toward her and Xero flung her scythe at him, only to have the blade be blocked by the Guardian and bounce off. She stumbled backwards, and Ansem used it as an opening to slash at her with his sword. Xero barely blocked the attack before she jumped back and then tried hitting Ansem with a scythe engulfed in a dark firaga. But it was a futile attempt, for the guardian had blocked it and caught her scythe in midswing. Ansem suddenly came forward and punched the girl in the stomach with a dark aura around his fist. Xero let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of her and thrown back once again. She lied on the ground with wide eyes, knowing that she was probably going to die. What the hell was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to beat him like this? Xero could feel something within her begin to stir and it made her feel uncomfortable. Ansem had walked over to Xero and put his foot on her chest to hold her down; Xero only winced once she felt her ribcage begin to be crushed, "What did you expect to do against me?" Ansem spoke with a dangerously low voice, his eyes narrowed with rage at the girl, his foot slowly beginning to crush Xero's ribs as he forcefully began to put his foot down. "Did you expect to simply walk out of here alive? No... I'm going to constantly beat you until you are broken and battered. I'm going to slowly pick away at your very soul until you beg for the mercy of death. I'm going to make you suffer the excruciating pain I felt while being ripped away from one body and forced into another. I will break you. I will make sure you won't get out of here alive. You will be NOTHING!" Ansem stomped on Xero's chest as he spoke that last word, making her cry out in pain. Ansem then picked her up by the neck and glared at her with bloodlust. He then threw her to the side, making his Guardian catch her in midair and hold her in place. Xero only stared wide eyed at the ground, not knowing what to do anymore. She only sat there, now clearly outmatched. But she couldn't just stop. She had come too far to simply give up. Ansem had already caused her much pain and suffering, and he was going to have to be repaid somehow... To the fullest. Xero felt a bubbling feeling rise up from her stomach and let out a small laugh. She only looked up at Ansem with a rather twisted smile and a sinister look in her eyes, "You know... slowly breaking me and picking away at my soul would usually work... except..." The grin on her face now began to stretch from ear to ear, her eyes filled with hysteria, "I'm, technically, already dead." A laugh escaped her lips once again. Ansem simply took the hilt of his sword and drove the blade straight through Xero's stomach. The smile on her face hasn't faltered in the slightest, she only gave Ansem the same look he gave her with her eyes. A dark aura began radiating off of Xero, her eyes suddenly fluttered closed only to have a violent explosion of darkness erupt once she opened them again. The shockwaves knocked both Ansem and the Guardian backward and away from her, but when Ansem looked at the girl her appearance changed to a rather familiar form and didn't look surprised by it at all.
