let the wolves enjoy my bones [perdita]

He had called her a bitch, a liar, probably worse things that he couldn't remember as he sat out on her stoop. He had yelled at her. Tried to break shit in her kitchen. Shit. And yet she was still here, wrapping her legs around his, and he wasn't going to complain. She was right where he wanted her.

And yet. Torr absolutely fucking knew that he was a shit for wanting to keep her when she could have so much better. So much more.

But he was greedy and it was too early and he didn't want to fight that battle so soon after winning whatever he had last night. He couldn't remember exactly, but it vaguely felt like a win and she was here now to further prove the point. He moved her leg against hers and then frowned, feeling the tightness of his pants around his thighs. The fuck? Did he sleep the whole night in his clothes?

At least she wasn't moving away. Not that he really gave her the choice, considering he was half laying on her and half holding her to him. He did smile against her skin as she moved his hand to her thigh and he didn't miss his chance at palming her ass, squeezing gently as he kissed her neck in apology, in appreciation.

"No, you don't. Stay," he told her in reply, or maybe just a plea in general. Not that he had any right to ask her to do that. But he was going to anyway. He couldn't help but be that selfish. Instead, he kissed his way up her neck, his hands roaming a bit more freely now as if this would be his last chance. He didn't even care about breakfast. "I'm sorry," he breathed against her ear and then bit her earlobe gently. "For yesterday." And he was. He wasn't opposed to saying it. Maybe it would smooth things over moving forward too.

Perdy really did want to go back to sleep. She regretted waking up because now she had to think. She hadn't forgotten what transpired last night, or even last week, but it was difficult to be angry when she was being held so intimately. Torrence was clinging to her like his life depended on it and didn't think she'd ever been held like this before. She hadn't even been snuggled by men who apparently "really liked" her. It probably didn't mean anything, though. None of this really meant anything.

She wriggled closer, smirking into her pillow as he took the hint and she backed into his hand, still drowsy but fully aware of their intentions. Her eyes closed again at his kisses, goosebumps on the flesh of her arms as she reached out a hand to cup the back of his head. She was still in her stupid pyjamas and he was still in his stupid jeans and --

"Okay," Perdita agreed quickly, giving up almost instantaneously.  She'd lied about her plans. She didn't have work or groceries to get. There was a faint reminder of having lunch with her mother but knowing Ella and her ditzy behaviour, Perdy wouldn't be surprised if she'd forget completely.

Her toes curled in anticipation as his hands roamed her body, his fingers sliding over the silky material of her shorts as she felt them finally slip beneath her shirt to graze her lower back. But she stopped suddenly. "Oh," Perdita said stupidly, opening her eyes. Torrence had said sorry before but it was usually sarcastic. This one, however, sounded rather genuine and she chewed her lip in thought. Was she still mad? Absolutely. Did she want to accept his apology and move forward? Well.

"Thank you," she said a few seconds later, her voice soft. She wasn't going to say okay because it gave Torrence a signal that he'd be allowed to do that to her again. Maybe he was just paying her lip service but she was on her guard, just in case. "We don't have to talk about it," Perdita offered, selfishly not really wanting to chat about it either. Her grip on his hair tightened at Torrence's bite and her mind went hazy - what were they apologising for again?

"I'm sorry, too," she offered, for yesterday and the entirety of last week. She'd been a bitch, no doubt about it. Torrence had also been a dick, so they were about even. "We don't have to talk about it," she said again, more to herself than to him. To prove her point, she pulled back slightly to gaze at him before closing the gap and kissing him quickly.

He smiled sleepily as she gave in too quickly. He liked that and maybe he was even grateful for it. Torr didn't want to fight right now. Not after yesterday. His head was still throbbing. Shit, he needed to get some of his hangover potion from the shop. Or maybe not. Maybe he deserved every needling sensation to his brain today. It was only confirmed with how she reacted to his apology.

But at least she accepted it. He couldn't help but breath a little sigh of relief, his hands roaming a little further down her shorts, feeling her smooth skin against his rough hands. He didn't want to rehash anything from last night, but upon waking from that dreamless sleep and only fragments of what he had said to her coming back to him, how could he be sure where they stood. He wasn't good at compromises, he never had been, and whatever drunken promises he had given her last night to let him stay, how could he be responsible for those now. His mind churned against his will, grinding to a halt only when she said she didn't want to talk about it.

Torr pulled back to look at her, one brow raised in question, trying to work out if she was being sarcastic or patronizing or petty. But no, she was apologizing. He didn't even know what for, his eyes glued to her mouth, his thumb tracing the line of her bottom lip before he felt her moving. He met her lips with his, cupping her jaw, and rolling her half under him as he slanted his lips over hers, drinking her in, tasting her, thanking her for not wanting to talk, for letting him stay, for not throwing him out on his ass like the drunk he had been last night.

In that moment, he wanted to promise her whatever she wanted. It was so clear he wasn't good for her and yet he couldn't make himself leave. So instead, he ran a possessive hand down her body, holding her to him even tighter.

There was a moment of calm as Torrence watched her and she felt the need to say something but she was done. She was done with talking, with overthinking, with trying to rationalise everything. Perdy couldn't control this or him. He'd said it himself - they wanted the same things. She just needed to stop putting so much pressure on something that was supposed to be fun. This could work, this should work, all she needed to do was get out of her own head.

But then he had to touch her face and Perdita broke her own promise.

She rolled with him, tucked neatly beneath him, his weight comforting as she reached out to wrap her fingers around his upper arms, somehow worried that the spell might break. This was what she'd wanted - proper intimacy. Perdy liked the thrill of booty calls and unplanned expeditions but sometimes, all she wanted was someone to be there, to be needed instead of just wanted.

Her hands slid up his spine, slow and gentle as they kissed. Had she forgotten what he'd done? No. Had she forgiven him?...mostly. If Perdita was being honest, there was very little Torrence couldn't get away with, especially when he was cradling her like this. There wasn't a breath of air between them now as they sank into her mattress. Everything she wanted to say, her body was doing the talking for her. At least it was a universal language.

He didn't know why and maybe he wouldn't ever want to know if there was a real reason, but Torr was not about to stop the train that they were on now to talk about it. He was more body than thought, more feeling than thinking, and after this past week of not having her, he felt starved. Yeah he had been with other women, but they hadn't been her and it surprised the fuck out of him to realize that they could even be a difference like that and Torr wasn't sure he wanted to know that either.

The Regan didn't want to know anything anymore except her body under his, his tongue tasting hers, his will overpowering her. So he threw himself back into something that felt so familiar for them, hungry for her, quick and rushed but so hot he felt like her touch burned every time she put her hands on him. Or more like her nails on him.

Torr knew as he settled back against the pillows, his chest rising and falling quickly as he held her to him, that he had new scratches on his back. Ones that he would not be charming anyway anytime soon. He pulled her closer, his hand resting on her ass as he tilted her chin up to see her slightly swollen lips and the pink of her cheek from his scruff and leaned in for one more kiss before he whispered against her lips, "Now where's my breakfast wench?" with a swat of her ass and a grin.

Perdita let out a grunt at the smack and automatically reached up a hand to gently punch his shoulder in response. She wriggled, tangled up in him and the bedsheets before she offered him a sunny smile. As Torrence pulled her closer, she went with him, her body leaning over his to press him back against the mattress as they kissed. She ran a hand down over his shoulder and down his arm, her touch feather light before she jerked her head back.

"Say please," she chided him, eyes narrowing playfully before she tutted darkly and with a laugh. By now, London was coming awake around them. The sunrise was fading into daylight as the distant trundling of traffic caught on the breeze. Perdita was hungry but he was also warm. And the bed was comfortable. And he was naked.

"Unhand me, you beast," she settled on as she tried her best to gracefully untangle herself from him, scooting across the bed to place her feet on the floor. Standing up, Perdita stretched languidly, like a cat unfurling from a deep sleep as she slipped on her robe and tied it at her waist, walking around the bed as she paused by the door. "Breakfast in bed is a privilege you've not earned," she warned Torrence with an easy smile. "Wench," she mumbled under her breath as she snorted with laughter, disappearing from view as she descended the stairs.

Padding her way down the hall and into the kitchen, she gave a soft sigh as she saw the events of last night - the flowers on the table, the bottle of whiskey, the smashed cup in the sink - and frowned. However nice the morning had been thus far, reality was never far away.

She flicked on the kettle to make coffee before sipping at it absentmindedly, holding out the mug to Torrence as he appeared with a smile. After all this time, she still didn't know how he took his coffee, so she simply ended up giving him hers. "Bacon butty?" Perdita offered as she flicked on the stove.

"Isn't that my line?" he asked with a smirk, refusing to say the words he demanded of her so often while they were in this bed together, but his expression did soften infinitesimally as she laughed. He liked that sound. He wanted to hear it more often. He wanted to make her laugh more often. But shit if that wasn't too fucking sappy for this time of the morning. Lucky for him, she tried to untangle herself, which made him fight against her for no particular reason other than it gave him something else to focus on. Plus it was funny that she thought she could outmatch him.

He huffed a sigh as he let her go, rolling onto his side, his head propped in his hand as his eyes trailed over her body as she stretched. Fuck. Was she doing that on purpose? He reached out a hand to grab her but she was already moving away to get her robe and then out the door with a sassy comment. Of course he hadn't earned it. He wasn't even sure why she was letting him stay. He rolled onto his back, staring up at her ceiling as he wondered at her not wanting to talk about it thing. It was perfect for him because he never wanted to fucking talk about it, but.. shit, why the fuck was he questioning this. He should just leave good enough alone. Through his drunken haze of last night's memories, he thought he remembered that they had come to an agreement, continuing the whole no commitment thing, he would be less of a dick, yada yada.

Why then did it still feel like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop with her. Shit.

He cursed as he rolled out of her bed, not bothering to make it since his goal was to get her right back here after breakfast. Torr was hungry though so the smell of coffee soon had him appearing shirtless and barefoot with only his jeans from last night in her kitchen a few minutes later, blinking against the bright light filtering in through her kitchen and squinting as he reached for her mug. He grunted a yes at her question as he sipped, sidling closer so he could lean against the counter next to her, eying her legs in her short, silky robe.

"So you'll make me breakfast just not in bed?" he asked with another sip before he glanced down at the mug. Good, black.

"I'm trying it out," Perdita shrugged with a smile as she ruffled her hair in a half-hearted attempt to fix the damage that rolling around on her bed caused. She glanced at him before she grinned. "I rather think I like it," she cooed. Flirting and fighting had always been easy (and interchangeable) but she was conscious not to really indulge in either. If this was going to work, Perdy had to watch her step. And making toast seemed innocent enough.

She placed a pan on the stove as it began to heat up, stepping to the fridge to grab what she needed. She glanced over at Torrence as he reclined on her kitchen counter - he really did have no right to look so comfortable in her home.

Perdy added the bacon before she washed her hands, seemingly interested as the meat sizzled, using a fork to poke at the edges of the rashers before she looked up. "Hm?" She asked stupidly. "That's a boyfriend level request," she informed Torr with an easy smile. It was a joke but there was an underlying hint of truth as she flipped the bacon over. "Sorry," she shrugged again as she decided to pour herself some orange juice and stepped around him neatly.

It wasn't a big deal but breakfast in bed was traditionally romantic and they were not romantic. Perdy had breakfast in bed all the time by herself - half a grapefruit and a cup of hot water with lemon - but that was about it. She wasn't sure she wanted to take the next step, things were complicated and messy enough as they stood. Plus, the idea of crumbs in her bed made her deeply uncomfortable.

"You can always make your own, though," she informed Torr lightly as she flipped the bacon once more, the aroma filling the large kitchen before she stepped aside to cut some bread. "You know where everything is," she went on, waving her knife in a noncommittal fashion to encompass the room. "Could you watch that, please?" The brunette nodded to the frying pan as she buttered the bread and collected plates.

She took over cooking duties as she turned down the heat, deftly taking the pan handle from Torrence's hand to assume control as the bacon sizzles died down. "Do you have anything on it?" She asked conversationally as she piled the bacon high, adding a healthy dollop of brown sauce onto her own sandwich and holding out the bottle to him, pausing to suck a spot of the sauce off her thumb before she blinked. "What?" She asked, confused as she caught him staring. If he'd simply said please, she would have undoubtedly broken her own rule. "You're not mad, are you?"

That's a boyfriend level request. Torr could feel the tease, but his smirk was tight and it didn't reach his eyes. It was his own fault though so he wasn't sure why he didn't like that at all. Probably because he wanted everything always and being denied something only made him want it more. He took another long drag of her coffee, watching her as she moved about him easily, reaching out a hand to touch her hip as she moved past him too quickly and then out of reach.

He gave her a look as she suggested making his own breakfast in bed. "Not the point, Red," he grumbled as he padded to the stove and picked up the fork she had been pushing, nudging the bacon around the pan with disinterest. Some of the oil popped and stung his hand which he flinched at and then glared at the pan. "You fucker," he cursed in the direction of the bacon.

She was nudging him out of the way a moment later and he grumbled a complaint even as he watched her, impressed with her efficiency and skill. He could cook two meals well and that was it. Torr moved back to his spot when he leaned against the counter, eyeing the line of her legs and the curve of her ass. "Extra brown sauce," he told her as she plated the food. "Please," he tacked on as an afterthought.

At her question, he frowned at her. "No, I'm not mad, Red," he said with exasperation even thought it had annoyed him. It wasn't the same thing as mad though. "I'm not always mad, you know," he said, remembering some of her words from last night and wanting to refute them now even though it's not like he had a lot of evidence to support his claim. He turned at that thought and padded toward the coffee pot. "Do you want a cup?"

"Sorry," Perdy apologised, though it didn't sound genuine. "That's one of my rules," she went on, her eyes focused on the makings of breakfast. She wanted Torrence to know that he'd been having everything his way from the minute they started this relationship. It was a silly little hang up and she knew it but it was important that he understood that she wasn't as agreeable as he might have thought.

"And what is the point?" She asked Torrence innocently. It was too early to be heading into another argument but she couldn't help it. Hopefully, they'd just be able to have a calm conversation. Perdita was probably the only loser he was sleeping with that even offered to make breakfast. He'd once said he had a handful of girls that he saw and it made her stomach churn  and it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go to one of their homes for breakfast in bed. But no. She was a lady.

Suddenly, she was distracted. "Ooh," Perdy winced as the fat splattered, causing her to sidle up to him and gently take hold of his wrist as she leaned over to examine it. It didn't look too bad but she was aware that it was painful. Wordlessly, she grabbed a tea towel and ran it under cold water, swiftly folding it and resting it on the burn, flicking her eyes over to his with a smirk - at least the bacon was on her side.

Clearing her throat, she added the sauce for him before cutting the sandwiches in half - diagonally because she wasn't insane - before holding out his place to him. Torrence asked nicely and she arched her eyebrows in surprise, not bothering to hide her grin. Perdita stepped around him to sit at the breakfast bar, legs crossed at the ankles as she sipped at her juice before she blinked.

"That's good," she answered Torrence with an encouraging nod. She'd been on the receiving end last week and she did not want a repeat performance. She picked up her sandwich and chewed, wiping her fingers on a napkin before she nodded in agreement. Torrence was right, he wasn't always mad but he usually was, mostly with her. Perhaps that was his default setting. Perdita was annoyed that her ruse hadn't worked. Once upon a time, she'd wanted to annoy him into dating her or catching feelings but frustratingly, he hadn't taken the bait when she brought up a boyfriend.

The simple question of if she wanted a coffee made her pause. "Er," Perdita stumbled. "Yes. Thank you," she finally responded before she cleared her throat. It somehow caught her off guard because it felt very...domesticated? She chomped on her sandwich as she watched him move about her kitchen, absently twisting the napkin around her slim fingers. Maybe it was all in her head. What were they supposed to do now? Discuss the weather? She'd rather die.

"I--" she began, almost going back on her statement about not wanting to talk about things but it was the elephant in the room. Huge, really. Perdy frowned, suddenly losing her appetite. "But you're okay?" She asked Torr conversationally. The fight had been terrifying and it has shaken her to her core. "I mean, your hand," she smiled weakly as she nodded at it, hoping he wouldn't read between the lines.

He arched a brow. "We have rules now?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. She had said she didn't want to talk about it earlier. He had only been too happy to oblige and he certainly didn't want to invite more questioning or discussion, but he hadn't been able to help the question slipping out. He felt like he was walking on dangerous ground now and it was still too fucking early for that. "The point was for you to make me breakfast in bed," he told her with an obvious look that soon turned into a smirk as he imagined other activities that would most likely occur after. Maybe he should try making breakfast for her one day. Or skip the meal altogether and go right to dessert..

As the oil popped again and Perdy came over to coo at him, Torr rolled his eyes at her. "It's nothing," he told her even as he sighed and let her press a cold rag to it. It did feel a bit better, watching her as she glanced up at him with a smirk. "What?" he asked, wondering what that look was for.

She was moving around him again, so efficient, so quick, and Torr let her, stepping away from her flurry of activity to snatch a mug from her cabinet and fill it up. "Sugar, no cream?" he asked without waiting for an answer as he dropped in a lump of sugar and then set the mug down for her, scraping a stool up to sit next to her at the breakfast bar. He tugged his plate closer to him, the smell of the food making his stomach grumble and he didn't wait to grab one half and dig in, the heat of the bacon burning his tongue, but he was so hungry he didn't care.

He was done his first half in three bites before he glanced at her as she spoke. "You what?" he asked as he licked a drop of brown sauce off his thumb and picked up his other half, his cobalt blue eyes on her. Whatever had happened last night and this morning, he knew it had been too good to be true. This kind of shit always popped back up, but he tried not to be annoyed at it, her words of him 'always being so mad' coming back to bite at his heels.

Torr glanced at his hand at her question and nodded. "Yeah, it's fine, Red," he told her, a frown appearing between his brows. That was all? It felt like she was saying something else, but he wasn't going to be the asshole that assumed and get them started on a path he didn't want to go down. And yet somehow he found himself asking, "Are you?" Fucking hell. What the fuck was he doing asking if she was okay. It was like a cardinal rule that you didn't bring shit up with women unless they mentioned it first. He refocused on his sandwich. Maybe if he finished it quickly, he could get the fuck out of here and avoid whatever conversation she was heading toward.

"I do," Perdy shrugged. They were stupid things, really, but they were important to her. It was like a defence mechanism or a fail-safe - designed to catch her before she fell. No breakfast in bed, no deep conversations, no seeing someone more than once a week and no hanging out on a Sunday. Of course she'd already broken most of them with Torrence but she could always make some new rules if she had to. "Another time, maybe," she smiled at him quickly, knowing full well that wasn't going to happen.

At his insistence that he was fine, she let out a quick sigh. Next time, she'd just let him burn, the ungrateful sod. "Nothing," she answered him quickly. "You just looked very domesticated for a minute there," a hint of a smile in her tone. "It's cute," she went on. "Suits you," she added, knowing that Torrence would likely hate it.

He knew her coffee order, though, and it blindsided her. Perdy nodded. It was simple enough but also another sign that they were too comfortable with each other. "Thanks," she said gently as she pulled the mug towards her and stirred absently, despite the sugar long since dissolving as she frowned at nothing in particular.

"Hm?" She asked Torrence as though she hadn't heard him as she sipped at her coffee. "Nothing," Perdita said again, understanding how frustrating it must be to him. But he was fine and her eyes strayed to the red splotches on his hand because it was easier than looking him in the face. But Christ. First he made her coffee, now he was asking how she was? It must be the end of days.

"I'm great," she answered, perhaps a bit too quickly before she picked up her sandwich and took a bite that was too big, simply so she could play for time. Perdy didn't want this. It felt too heavy for so early on in the day but things had definitely shifted between them. Torrence must have known and neither of them had to say it. She supposed they could mention it (he'd get angry) or they could pretend things were okay (then he'd get mad at her for lying). It was a lose-lose.

"Do you want to do something today?" Perdy asked Torrence as she turned in her seat to look at him. "Whatever you want," she went on. "You pick," she nodded. They could do this. While she wasn't sure they were actually friends, she did like his company. He made her laugh. She wasn't ready for him to leave, not when things between them felt so...icky. "This is a nice coffee," Perdy stated as she picked up her cup and took another sip. See? She could be civil.

He stared at her, gaze narrowed, not wanting to know what rules she thought she had because he knew, just fucking knew, it would piss him off, and they had some kind of truce going on that he knew it wouldn't be good to trash so soon. Maybe he could convince her otherwise.. Torr made a noise in her throat at her offer for 'another time'. Yeah sure. He didn't believe that for a second. Apparently that was a boyfriend only privilege and fuck that.

Torr took another bite of his sandwich and snagging an extra piece of bacon out of the pan, liking the crunch, but slowly his chewing as she threw some words at him that had never been said in his direction before. Domesticated? Cute? Suits him? He guffawed and gave her a look around a mouthful of food. "Fuck off," he told her though his tone was light.

And then her little evasive game had him wanting to say it for real. He could think of a few reasons why he never stayed late in the mornings with anyone. This was one of them. And then her short answer that seemed flippant even though a second ago he had just been berating himself for asking such a dangerous question in the first place. It didn't seem like the truth but should he care? "Alright," he told her warily as he finished off the second half of his sandwich and glanced around for more. He was still hungry. He got up and picked the last piece of bacon out of the pan as he grabbed the bread on her counter and pulled out two slices before popping them in the toaster and spelling it to heat.

He was leaning against the counter, scratching his bare chest just below his collarbone when he perked his brows at her. "Uhh sure," he said after a moment of hesitation. He didn't really have plans and he wasn't opposed, it just wasn't their usual. "I have to go to Edinburgh to pick up a few things," he mentioned a moment later as he picked the almost burnt pieces out of the toaster and slathered some butter on them. He had to hand deliver some custom orders, but that was all better left unsaid as to what exactly they were, but he wouldn't mind the company. "Want to come?"

As she was sworn at, Perdy laughed - properly - the sound echoing around the kitchen. With an eye roll and a good-natured smile, she shook her head and tucked back into her sandwich, glancing at him quickly.

They needed to talk. Properly talk, without either of them getting angry or offended. It was impossible, though; Perdita got frustrated and Torrence got defensive. She'd be twenty four in a few weeks, almost turning a quarter of a century old, yet she couldn't discuss her feelings? They needed to clear the air or do something. She looked down, dissatisfied with how she'd handled it and mildly annoyed at his reluctance to call her out on it but there was a sense of relief as he moved away.

Perdita eyed his back, just wondering what the fuck she was doing trying to have a conversation when there was a half naked man in her home. She didn't know what possessed her to ask him to stay. "Oh," she said gently, disappointed by him heading up to Scotland but thankful he couldn't see her frown. Idiot, she scolded herself as she sipped at her coffee, not really enjoying it like she usually did. She felt sick, a swirling jealousy and bitter dismay in the pit of her stomach before she jerked her head up in surprise.

"Yes," the tall brunette agreed, almost too quickly. She liked Edinburgh, she always had. To prove her point, she nodded. She didn't say anything but her favourite restaurant, The Witchery on the Royal Mile, was there. But she'd be pushing her luck. The fragile truce they were sharing hung on a knife edge.

"Here," she announced as she held out the plate to him that contained the other untouched half of her bacon butty. She shrugged. "I'm not really much of a breakfast person," Perdita admitted. She assumed he'd want to go home first before he went up to Scotland. She felt like she was just tagging along but he had asked. "Should I meet you at the castle, then?" Perdy offered, picking the central most part of the Scottish capital. There were so many back alleys up there, it was entirely possible she'd get lost.

He looked at her expression and tried not to get irritated at himself for saying yes. It wasn't that he didn't want her to come with him, he did. But there was a look on her face that he knew spelled trouble. Expectation. And Torr had learned one too many times that he was no good at living up to them.

Too late on this one now though. He just hoped it wouldn't bite him in the ass at some point. Torr gave her a short smile and a nod as he finished off one piece of toast, crumbles falling to her counter which he swiped into her sink, followed quickly by the second piece. The hell of this last week had taken a toll on his appetite which was returning now and quickly.

He raised a brow at her offer of her sandwich and then gave a half shrug. "This is good," he said as he took it and bit into it, the closest he would come to a compliment. Torr finished that in a few bites as well and downed it with the rest of his coffee, not caring that it was still a bit too hot and it burned his tongue. Leaving the mug on the counter, he peered into the living room trying to find his boots, going over to her couch and finding them on their sides under the coffee table. He hadn't remembered taking them off last night.

As he pulled them on without care of not having socks or even a shirt for that matter, Torr glanced up at her with a frown. "The castle? No fucking way. I'll go shower and change and meet you back here," he told her as he laced his boots and then stood, coming back to her side before grabbing his wand off the counter. "Then we can go together," he added as he stepped closer to her and leaned over to press a short kiss to the corner of her mouth, his fingers touching her jaw for the briefest of moments. "Alright?"