12 Chapter 8: Twinford

Chapter 8: Twinford

I have travelled to many different places in my journeys, and picked up many pieces of wisdom. One in particular seemed to apply well to the situation Sarah found herself in now. "If you want to make the gods laugh, tell them about your plans."

There is no way to tell what her plans were, only that they were shattered as her time alone with Thane turned into a group gathering. Knowing her as I know her now it likely involved a bit of trickery leading into fait accompli.

Instead they wound up with a large group heading into a city for the first time. These peaceful days would be something they would need to learn to enjoy. When they decided to make their living as adventurers, they chose a difficult path. There would be nights without a decent warm place to sleep, there would be fighting, pain and loss. There would also be great gains. But for the most part their daily lives would be conflict.

They still hadn't come to realize this, their last mission was so successful due to a perfect series of events that lined up to their victory. Take away one of them and it could have resulted in failure. How many more missions would be as dangerous or more dangerous than their first?

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-Thane-

Seven people rode out of the gate heading towards Twinford. Thane and his three friends were joined by Batholemew and Lily, with Stone jogging behind them. The happy expression on Sarah's face when she got the bag of coins for their first job had disappeared and now she seemed to be a bit melancholic as she silently rode with the group.

Thane tried to break the silence, "You've been to Twinford before right Bartholemew? How big is it?"

"Oh it's pretty big, over ten thousand people live there according to the Baron. It's one of the biggest cities in South Reolve. Not nearly as big as the free city Verda though. It's over ten times the size."

"Ten times?" asked Thane.

Lily replied, "Free cities don't stay free for long if they aren't big. Even then they usually get absorbed if they cant defend themselves or have a benefit for the country closest to them."

"Why is Verda still free then?"

"It's the biggest trade hub and black market in the Southlands. It sits on a crossroad that is a trade route for three of the four kingdoms. That means they have a lot of support and the black market has a lot of business."

"I think I've heard of it, a merchant named Mersine told me about some of the weapons she bought there."

He heard an audible groan from Sarah, "Please don't mention that name, the last thing we need is for her to show up today."

Bart looked confused, "Who is Mersine?"

"She is an Elf trader that would travel through our village from time to time on her trade route. A High Elf actually."

"Wait you guys actually know a high elf? Aren't those really rare?"

"I think so."

"I've read about them. They are practically legendary. They live for thousands of years, they are supposed to be wise, slender and graceful with a serene beauty to them."

Thane was trying to suppress his laughter. He didn't know exactly how old Mersine was, but "beauty" was the only correct word that Bart had managed to say. Sara was having similar difficulty and Kisha had completely lost it and was giggling like a child while covering her mouth.

Bart completely missed the reason they were laughing, "Sorry, I just get excited sometimes. I've never actually seen a high elf before."

"Don't...get your hopes up." is all Thane could reply.

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The town was visible from quite a distance. Open fields and a wide river were all that could be seen until reaching the city walls. The river split into a fork that surrounded the city and became its namesake. Two bridges led to east and west gates.

Thane approached the west gate and wound up trailing behind a caravan of three wagons carrying lumber. The gatemen checked each shipment as well as taking a close look at anyone who was entering the city. When Thane rode up they lined up his group and examined them one at a time, paying particular attention to the three women before waving them on.

"Is there someone you are looking for?" Thane asked the guards.

They gave each other an uneasy look before one of them answered. "Eh, he'll find out soon enough once he is in the city. The Baron's daughter went missing during the fire a few nights ago."

"Fire?"

"The Baron's manor was almost completely destroyed in a fire. The baron and most of the staff lost their lives. There is a funeral procession going on tomorrow if you are staying."

Thane nodded, "Thank you for letting me know."

Once they were inside the walls, Thane could see the remains of the Manor against the South wall. There was very little left, Only one wall remained intact with a few damaged rooms still clinging to it. The lumber was being brought to the site with many other wagons being filled up with charred debris as they attempted to clean up the area to start rebuilding.

"Damn," said Bart, "I was hoping we could find something fun, but the whole mood of the town seems to be down right now."

"We did need to buy some supplies, we can still get that done."

Kisha nodded, "We're not just limited by what the caravans have now, I want to see what sort of things they have here. We can probably get you a new bow too Thane."

"How did you know I wanted a new bow?"

"Are you really going to ask that question?" she replied with a smile.

"All right," said Bart, "follow me to the marketplace then."

"I'll catch up later," said Mahs, "I have something else I need to do."

"What is it? I know this town fairly well."

"Just looking for a hawk, I should be fine on my own."

"Hmmm…" Lily seemed a bit surprised, "I think I can help you with that."

Bartholomew was more than happy to take the lead and guided the rest to the marketplace. It was a busy time, the marketplace was quite crowded with people that had been brought in to repair the damage from the fire. The marketplace was a wide open space with shops lining the sides, and in the center was an open air market. Thane was in awe about how many merchants were actually there. If Verda really was ten times the size of this place, he really wanted to see it.

People were shouting everywhere trying to get the attention of potential buyers trying to sell anything from jewelry and nick-nacks to freshly caught fish and wild game. "This might take a while." The group had many silver coins in their possession. Most of the goods in the open air market were selling for coppers. A single silver coin was enough to stay at an inn with a bath and meals provided for a day, and Thane had near a hundred.

For a while they just walked through the open air market, just enjoying the sheer variety of goods that was in front of them. "I wonder, " said Sarah, "If we had a place like this to sell what you hunted, how much more could you have made? We had to rely on whatever merchant was passing through to sell things to. Who knows what you could have earned selling it to customers yourself."

"I don't know if I could sit still for that long just to sell some furs and bone goods."

"We could take turns you know, for a share of the profit of course. Let's head over there, I need to buy a few things if we're going to be career adventurers now." She was pointing at a shop that specialized in bladed weapons, with many hanging blades on display. It was next to a tavern with a balcony that allowed patrons to view the market while they ate and drank.

Sarah immediately regretted that choice and her shoulders clenched up as she heard a woman's voice shout down from the balcony. "Thane! Is that you?"

"I knew mentioning her name was a curse. Yet you did it anyway."

He looked up to see an elf with glazed eyes and a wine glass in one hand staring down at him. "I knew it was you." She chugged down the rest of the wine in her glass and set it down before yelling, "Catch me!" and climbing up on the railing.

She half jumped and half tripped from the balcony and twisted her body around in midair before being caught by Thane princess style. "You're drunk aren't you?"

"Completely crocked!"

Thane could practically hear the sound of breaking glass coming from a slack jawed Bartholemew. In Thane's arms was the High Elf he had been wanting to see and had glorified so much just a couple hours ago. That idealized image had just completely shattered. There was no doubt this woman was a High Elf, the ethereal aura around her said as much. Her blonde hair was cut short to be just below her ears and fanned out. It was platinum blonde like expected, but had a bit of color rubbed into it giving it a pink sheen.

Slender? She had very little fat anywhere except one place that was quite large and currently tightly pressed against Thane's shoulder as she hugged him. Add in the impressive curve of her waist, and her figure wasn't exactly slender.

Graceful? She just stumbled off a balcony and would likely be carted off to a healer right now if Thane hadn't caught her.

Wise and serene? She is currently dead drunk before noon and making crude advances on Thane.

She set her feet on the ground but didn't let go of Thane's arm. "What are you doing here Mersine?"

"I should be asking you that, I come by to visit you on my trip to Verda and instead find some mass grave and Castor tells me you moved out!" She pouted a bit before continuing, "I am just making a quick stop to drop off my last run of goods at Verda. Then I have onnnne more business deal to make before I get cozy for the winter. You know, find a warm place to stay for the cold months with a warm bed." She playfully poked his chest, "I don't suppose there is any room in yours?"

"All right, that's enough." Sarah exclaimed. A new figure came up behind her and walked towards Thane and Mersine.

"That is quite enough my lady, you're troubling the poor lad." The man speaking was not human at all and looked similar to a bipedal monitor lizard. Thane recognized him immediately. This lizard man had been Mersine's primary bodyguard for over half a decade.

"Hey Krasus, how goes the babysitting?"

"She is an unruly brat as usual, could you hold her in place please?"

"No, don't you dare." She tried to hide behind Thane but he grabbed her firmly and held her in place as Krasus prepared a spell.

"What are you casing?" Thane asked.

"Detoxification magic."

She struggled against Thane's grip until Krasus was able to lay a single hand on her completing the spell. Mersine slumped in defeat when the alcohol was purged from her body and in a much calmer voice said, "You son of a snake. You are the worst employee ever."

The lizard man gave out a laugh, "That is why you keep me around isn't it? You got tired of sycophants trying to get into your good graces."

She straightened out her clothing before she went back to clinging on to Thane, "What brings you to Twinford?"

"Just here to buy supplies and a new bow."

"Oh, if it's a bow you want, you don't want to get one from the main market, here, come with me." She grabbed on to his hand and tossed a small coin pouch over to her bodyguard to settle her tab before pulling him away from the shop and tavern. She pulled him down the main road, into an alleyway, a few more turns, and then they emerged in another busy road next to a fletcher. "This guy is the best. He doesn't like the noise of the central market so he set up shop here."

Thane looked around and noticed the others weren't with them, "Hang on, what happened to the others?"

"Oh they probably just couldn't keep up, I guess it's just you and me now."

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-Sarah-

"That Elven whore." Sarah exclaimed. "She did this on purpose."

Sarah was stuck with Kisha in some alleyway, they had lost track of Thane and Mersine almost as soon as they followed them into here. Sarah was certain that Elf used some magic to separate them. "Kisha, can't you do something? Could you talk to some plants and find out where they are?"

She shook her head, "No, this place is all carved stone and dead wood. There are living trees here, but the roads and buildings have split them apart so they aren't linked."

Sarah couldn't believe how bad this day was turning out. All she wanted was to have a good time in Twinford with just the two of them, and now Thane was in the hands of that loose woman and she was stuck with this annoying girl.

-Calm down Sarah,- she thought. -It's no good insulting Kisha, even mentally. Right now she's the only one who is helping.- Stone and Bart were left behind with a dumbfounded look on their faces, so it was just the two of them.

Kisha seemed irritated too, "How are we-" she paused realizing something. "Bow! She was taking him to find a bow right? Assuming she wasn't lying, we just need to find out where she would go to find one."

She was right, of course. Sarah was mad at herself for letting her mood interfere with her logic. It took a while to find what they were looking for. They went around asking locals where they could find a good bow outside of the main marketplace. Eventually they were told the location of an elven craftsman near the north wall.

"That has to be it." Sarah said and Kisha nodded in agreement.

When they arrived they found an elf sitting in the center of his shop, doing the delicate work of attaching feathers to arrow shafts. He smiled and greeted them, "What brings you two here today?"

Sarah smiled, completely changing her attitude in under a second. "We are trying to find a couple friends of ours who went ahead. We thought they would be shopping here. An Elven woman with a human about my age. Have they already passed through here?

"Oh, you mean Mersine and her bekisa. They just left." Sarah noticed that Kisha tensed up when the man called Thane "bekisa".

"Do you know where they went? We need to catch up with them as soon as possible."

The man smiled, seemingly catching on, "I don't know where they are but I know who they are looking for. They went looking for him in a very secluded area, so be careful, you don't know what you will find there."

"Could you point us in the right direction?"

"Of course, the place is a bit of a maze and mostly built over so don't get lost."

They arrived at an area of the city that seemed abandoned and shaded by the aqueduct that carried fresh water into the town center. "Kisha, what is a bekisa? You seemed to understand it."

"Bekisa...it is an elven word. Since elves live so much longer than humans they…." She cleared her throat and just explained it directly. "A bekisa is someone that an elf gets to know as a child but has a romantic relationship with when they are an adult."

"That's not going to happen."

Kisha continued, "The elves consider it one of the strongest bonds with a short lived race since the elf watches with the perspective of an adult through many stages of the human's life."

"I get it, please stop explaining. It looks like I'm going to have to rescue him again."

Suddenly Sarah got a bad feeling, every nerve in her body was screaming danger. She put her hand on Kisha and the two of them came to a stop. They were under the aqueduct now, the only sound being the distant murmur of the crowd and the dripping of water from above.

She looked for an escape route, but it seemed the only way out was the one they came in. She pulled Kisha into an old hut that was barely standing and crouched down to hide motioning for her to be silent.

They heard the voices of two men talking. Both of the voices sounded noble and elegant, but also had a bit of a sinister tone to them.

"Did you find what you needed in the rubble?"

"Of course not, it seems like even using you as my proxy they could sense my presence and fled."

"You are in luck, I think I managed to find what you are looking for. As your proxy, I have managed to set things up in your favor when you attempt to catch them a second time."

The girls heard the rusting of papers and a few thoughtful "hmmm"s coming from the second man.

"Excellent."

"Then I trust our business is concluded to your satisfaction?"

"Not quite. I still can not afford to expose myself here, I will need you to take action. At this location I want you to hit with all your power. Rain down fire upon all of them and then leave. My servants will take care of the clean up."

"You just want me to hit them and leave?"

"The target is not for you to have, touch, or even look at. Do not think of disobeying."

"What if I refuse? I have already done more than what was requested of me and handed your precious target to you on a silver platter. All you have to do is claim it yourself."

"I said I can not be exposed, do not make me repeat myself again. If you refuse this task I will rip out your heart and throw it into the East Sea, then I will throw your liver into the West Sea, and stretch your corpse and bowels across the land to make certain the organs stay connected. Do you understand?"

"I understand fully, father."

Sarah held her breath as the documents they were looking over were crumpled up and tossed into the ruined building they were hiding in. Before they even hit the ground they had burst into flames and were burning away.

The girls heard the two walking away. "You picked such a dreadful place to meet."

"Only because you were so impatient. I could have had a private room ready if you would have given me time…"

Once the two men could no longer be heard, Kisha and Sarah stepped out of their hiding place. Kisha seemed concerned. "We have to tell somebody. It sounds like they are going to attack someone."

"Tell somebody what? What do we know? You don't know who is involved, where they will be attacking, who they are attacking, you don't know anything. At this point trying to talk about what we just heard is dangerous. What if one of those two or someone who works for them finds out? If you start talking about something dangerous and the wrong person overhears, you could get yourself killed."

"Can we really keep this to ourselves?"

"Once we are safe back at home you can tell them if you want, but it's not like we can do anything with the information we have."

"I...I understand."

They went back to their original plan and began to look around the ruined buildings under the aqueduct, trying to find signs of Thane and Mersine. They were about to give up when they heard him.

There was a loud crack of snapping wood and a shout of "Woah!" that sounded like Thane. When they arrived at the location the noise came from they found Thane lying on his back and coughing, it looked like he was leaning up against a wall that collapsed. Mersine was standing a few feet away brushing debris from the collapsed wall out of her hair.

"I'm finished with him for now, you can have him back."

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-Mahs-

Lily was leading Mahs a different direction than the others, "So you're looking for a hawk? It wouldn't happen to be a Nighthawk would it?"

"Yes, do you know where to find them?"

"I might, why are you seeking them out?"

"There is something I need to buy, and I heard they are the only source in the area."

"Really? What is it that you need?"

"I'm not completely certain about what it is. The journal I was reading called it 'a drop of Cyphied'"

Lily laughed. "She is not the only source by any stretch, but she is likely the only source that could do business with you. This could be interesting, so I will take you to meet her."

They continued walking until they reached a bar at the edge of town. Lily smiled and waved to the bartender. "Hey old man, is my cousin in? I need to speak with her."

He grunted, "She's not your cousin and you know we have a system in place. I can't let you in unless you follow it."

She pointed at Mahs with her thumb over her shoulder, "Do you really want me to show the 'system' to this guy?"

"Hmph, just this once." The bartender stomped his foot on the ground and Mahs heard the sound of stone grating against stone under the floorboards.

"Thanks old man, follow me Mahs." She led him outside the bar and around the edge of the building until they came up to the city wall. She pressed her hands on the wall and it seemed to give way with her touch. Soon she was leading him down a well lit tunnel that seemed to descend under the city walls. There were many closed doors on either side, and the ones that were open had some suspicious looking weapons and devices.

"Is this some sort of criminal organization? A thieves guild? Assassins?"

"Stop acting so surprised. Do you think someone who only goes by the nickname 'Nighthawk' would be a good upstanding citizen?"

They arrived in a large open room with a woman and two men sitting around a table. At their arrival the woman perked up and walked over to the two of them. "Cousin!" she shouted and wrapped her arms around Lily. "This is hardly a good place for a date, what brings you and your friend here?"

"I'll let him explain it."

Mahs gave a short bow, "Lady Nighthawk, my name is Mahs, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, he's polite, I like him." she whispered to Lily.

"A few days ago I found the journal of an alchemist who came to see you once. He was trying to make a special catalyst and purchased something from you he called a drop of Cyphied."

"Hm, I remember him. If you are following his example that explains why you are being so polite. Can you at least use the magic without the catalyst?"

"Yes."

"How about a demonstration then? Ivan over there has been a bit reckless lately. He doesn't seem to know what fear is. Could you help him out?"

Ivan stood up from his chair and was looking around worried. When Mahs started to cast a spell, his hand immediately went to his weapon, pulling it out and threatening Mahs. "I don't know what you're planning but-"

He was cut off as Mahs finished his spell. Ivan's eyes opened wide and he dropped his weapon and fell over backwards. He screamed in terror as he pushed and kicked himself backwards along the floor trying to escape. When his back hit the wall he curled up into a fetal position and started sobbing.

"Very nice, if you can manage that much you should be more than qualified to use the catalyst. Since it was Lily that brought you here. I suppose I could sell you what you need for fifty silvers. It's quite the discount."

-Fifty silver is a discount?- That was over half of his reward money that he got this morning.

"Lily, be a dear and fetch me a vial from the lockbox over there. Ivan, stand up and wait for me at the table, I can tell the spell has worn off." Lily nodded and stepped away and Nighthawk walked up to Mahs. "Now watch carefully, not many people get to see this."

Mahs heard something that sounded like the movement of an oily liquid coming from Nighthawk. He watched with curiosity as what looked like black veins began to creep down her arms. As the liquid reached her hands, it flowed over the back of her hands and wrapped around her knuckles, eventually forming into long, bladed claws that extended off the tips of each of her fingers.

She turned her head to look back at Lily. "I really do like him, most people usually get scared by now." She twisted her fingers around making clicking noises with her claws. Whatever the black liquid was, it was now hard, forming a layer of armor on her arms and deadly claws.

"Well, they also usually form a bit faster than that which startles people. Plus you only covered your arms."

"If you want to take some of the liquid, I need to do bring this out slowly and controlled. Do you have the vial?"

"Right here cousin." Lily pulled the cork off the vial and handed it to Mahs. "Just hold it upright."

The woman extended her index finger until the tip of her claw was over the opening of the vial. A bit of the black liquid formed into a drop and fell into the vial. Lily handed him the cork and he sealed it up. He held it up to the light to examine it.

"My payment?"

"Oh yes, sorry." He pulled out his pouch and began to count out his payment. The cost was more than he expected, but he had a feeling it was worth it.

"Now that we've taken care of that," said Lily, "There are a few more things I can show you before we rejoin the others."

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-Thane-

Mersine pulled on Thane's hand and brought him into the fletchers place. The shop was run by an elf who smiled in greeting as the two walked in. Mersine linked her arm with Thane's as they examined the numerous bows hanging on the wall. "You can let go now." said Thane. "There is nobody around for you to tease anymore."

"What makes you think I was just teasing?"

"I've been watching your antics since I was five years old. I am used to them and I think I have you pretty much figured out by now."

Mersine laughed and let go of his arm. "And what did little 5 year old Thane think of me back then?"

Thane felt his face flush and he turned away. There was no way he was going to say it.

She laughed. "I understand, so let's get to business. What are you looking for?"

"I need a bow with more draw weight. Mine is fine for hunting, but we ran into some Orcs a while back and the arrows weren't able to pierce through them."

"Stuck in the ribs huh?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I wasn't always a merchant. If you lived in the Southlands three centuries ago and you couldn't fight you were simply prey or a servant of someone who could. If it's an Orc and you can't hit them with enough strength or they are far away you should aim for the stomach." She turned to the shopkeeper and asked, "Davion, could you help him pick out a bow? He needs something that can piece an Orcish ribcage."

Davion gave a chuckle, "One of the best uses for a bow in my opinion." He walked up to Thane and began to feel his arms, moving up and down and examining the muscles and his hands. He stepped back and examined Thane head to toe. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed a recurve bow from the wall and handed it to Thane. "Give that one a pull and tell me how it feels."

"It's definitely harder to pull back than my bow, it feels...really good. Almost perfect."

"If you ever want me to make a custom piece, let me know. Right now I don't think you have the time to wait or the funds to afford it."

Thane looked at the listed price of the bow and began to count out the coins he needed to pay. "It doesn't look like it, but if you can make a bow better than this one you already have a future customer."

Mersine looped her arm through Thanes again and began to guide him out. "Davion, where is your father at? Does he still live in this town?"

"Are you going to…" he scratched his head, "He's under the aqueduct near the East wall, a bit of the city that was left to decay and partially covered over by new buildings. He set up a garden somewhere around there since nobody ever goes there anymore."

Thane and Mersine traveled to the abandoned area and went looking for the garden Davion spoke of. Mersine started kicking around rubble, "So tell me, which one of those two have you.." she finished her sentence by making a lewd gesture with her hands as she smiled at him.

"I…you...neither."

"Hm, why not?"

"I don't see why you need to know. No matter what answer I give you're still going to tease them right?"

"Of course, maybe if I keep pushing them enough, one of them will get enough courage to make the move. Oooh.." she covered her mouth in mock shock, "Or maybe both of them?"

She continued kicking around the area until they ran into another elf. Mersine greeted him in Elvish, which Thane could not understand. The man eyed Thane as Mersine was talking and once she finished with her request he looked at her.

"Nai" was all he said as he shook his head from side to side. Thane could understand what he said that time.

Mersine began to plead with the man and after a while he finally gave in. He turned and walked away. Mersine smiled, "He'll be right back, consider this a gift from me. Something that will help keep you alive."

When the man returned, he handed two rolled scrolls to Mersine and gave her one parting comment while pointing a finger at her as if he was accusing her of something. She walked up to Thane and tucked the scrolls away in his pouch before walking away up an exposed flight of stone stairs.

Thane followed her, "What's in the scrolls?"

"You never got to finish training with Castor. You never fully learned how to use your magic to sharpen and strengthen your weapons instead of just your body. Usually the weapon has to stay in your hand, so the second scroll is an Elven technique that allows you to strengthen arrows as well. Even after they leave your hands."

"So he was upset because...I don't know what to say besides thank you."

"Like I said, it's just something to keep you alive." She smiled coyly, "You need to stay safe if you are going to marry me someday. Then we can retire and raise our family."

"Do you ever get tired of teasing?"

She took a step closer "What makes you think it is all teasing? What makes you think my request to share a bed with you this winter was just a joke?"

"Mersine, if you were serious..."

"If I were serious what? Perhaps I should give you something to think on."

Thane wanted to ask what she meant but he couldn't. His mouth was soon covered as she pressed her lips against his. He felt her tongue dance around his mouth for a brief second before they separated. "Do you believe me now? Do you still think I am teasing?"

He backed up and leaned against the wall. Mersine seemed like she wanted to continue, was this really happening here and now? Should I...

*CRACK*

-Crack?-

The wall Thane was leaning on suddenly gave out, sending him sprawling backwards onto the ground. "WOAH".

He barely managed to cushion his fall but he was now flat on his back and he felt like he was being pressed down by a weight. He looked up and saw Mersine sitting on his stomach and smiling. "Now that was adorable, I didn't think I would be able to make you that nervous. Haven't you gotten used to my antics because you've been seeing them for twelve years?" she asked mockingly. "Have you figured me out yet?"

She suddenly tilted her head as if she was listening to something in the distance and sighed. "They certainly are persistent. Looks like we will have to continue this later."

Mersine stood up and walked a short distance away adjusting her clothing and running her fingers through her hair. Thane saw Kisha and Sarah standing a short distance away.

Mersine gave the two girls a cheerful smile as if she was greeting old friends, "I'm finished with him for now, you can have him back."

Thane sat up, and started to dust himself off. He thought he had her figured out, but now he wasn't so certain. When he was younger, his father had once jokingly told him to never trust an older woman. He couldn't help but be reminded of that advice as he watched the thousand year old Elf walk away.