Well, hey. Turns out she and I have something in common after all.
( That is: a sharp vengeful streak when it comes to nobles who've gone out of their way to behave wretchedly. Yuri would have had no qualms with assassinating Count Varley himself β but his target was the girl, and back then getting paid had meant more than sticking true to his own beliefs.
... Or so he'd assumed. In the end, his heart hadn't been quite as hardened as he'd thought. )
Good. I can't have you crying all over my clothes for the rest of the day β unless you're going to pay to have them laundered for me.
( Please realise he's teasing, Bernadetta. Instead of giving her a chance to flounder over such an offer, Yuri lets his own guilt surrounding their history β both distant and recent β move the conversation on: )
Is there somewhere you're staying? I can take you there, if you like, or you could rest up at my place once the paperwork is sorted.
[She cocks her head to one side, puzzling that out with little success. Because Yuri, professional and perfect in front of his target back then, had never been cruel or vindictive. She can't picture it, when all she knows of him are halcyon days of patience and childish games and soft, comforting words at a time when they were all but impossible to receive elsewhere.
Edelgard is like the sun, blinding and inescapable and something to rely upon. But back then Yuri had been pure sunshine; similar but softer.
Both had burned her, in the end, but her understanding of any of that was still a murky thing, and didn't change the fact that she had cherished both of them wholeheartedly, for reasons both very similar and very, very different.]
Oh! Um, sort of. I mean.
[How to put this...]
I, um, at first I thought it was just me, staying there? But, well, I came back after shopping after I moved in and there was a-a man there, too. And, he said... um, well, anyways, I-I think I have a roommate? M-Maybe. I, um, haven't s-seen him much since then. ...though, um, he might just not want to spook me into drawing an arrow on him again...
( Yuri does not know what a vampire is, but he's beginning to understand that the world is a far bigger and stranger place than he'd thought β before the war. His gaze drifts to her mouth, the gleam of white just enough to catch his attention as she speaks. Interesting. )
You and me both.
( He smiles, deciding against bringing up the fact that there appear to be some small (if not marked) differences separating the two of them. What if it's a source of embarrassment? Some kind of hangover from an illness she had as a child? What if, like a handful of the people he's met here so far, she is simply a step removed from one-hundred percent human? After meeting a man who quite literally had the upper half of a bull, a few extra pointy parts don't seem that much a cause for concern.
... Yet. )
So.
( He laces his fingers together on the table before him, the quirk of his lips turning a little mischievous. )
Are you ready to tell me about your unique set of needs yet?
... Don't worry about it. I'm just getting carried away.
( Yuri sighs at Bernadetta's confusion, if only because it serves as a grim reminder that even as a child, he was extraordinarily good at his job. Spinning fantasies, offering illusions, picking just the right tone in which to tell a person exactly what they want to hear ... Yuri has been able to do all that and more from far too early an age. Bernadetta was supposed to be one of his easier assignments: how could a frightened young girl possibly be more of a challenge than a self-serving politician, or a lecherous creep?
Kind of ironic, really, that all she had to do was be herself β the realisation of which leaves him feeling even more filthy than the last time he cast eyes on Dorothea. He's fortunate that Bernadetta chooses that moment to turn the conversation away from that gloomy sinkhole: )
"A man?" ( Yeah, that'll do. Yuri raises a manicured eyebrow. ) Huh.
( The implication is clearly that Bernadetta doesn't know who the person in her new home is, and while Yuri knows he has no right to make it any of his business? He's all too aware of how little it takes to nudge Bernadetta into shrieking and running away. If they aren't the patient type, or don't know how to talk to people as consumed with anxiety as she is ... )
Well, if you're set on staying there, I could always come over and have a little chat with him?
( You know, Bernadetta. A chat. Considering they've all been told what's expected of them, and they've all been told the various different ways they can produce Manna, Yuri has no qualms being the annoying older brother in ensuring this "man" doesn't try to take any liberties. A blithe smile touches his lips, gentle and sweet: )
You know, just to let him know that you have friends here who're looking out for you.
( And that he'll slit his throat without batting a kohl-lined eyelid should Bernadetta level so much as a huff of complaint against him. Yuri owes her that much, at least. )
[Goddess be praised, was that a joke? The faint, slightly self-deprecating curve to her mouth indicates yes, she;s at least trying.
She fidgets, slightly, because she at least knows his name but a tiny voice at the back of her mind is telling her to tread lightly here, for some reason. She senses danger, but doesn't know enough to pin it to her perfect long lost friend or realize just who it's aimed at. Kaeya is intensely Yuri-like in quite a few ways, so the sparks that meeting might set loose could go in just about any direction.]
Um, y... you're welcome to visit!
[It bursts out of her, an offer stewed with more than a decade of wishing things had been different. When she's calmer, the doubts will creep in, the self-blame, the thought that she's not worthy of his time any more.
But then.
Then he goes and says that and she tears up again.]
Do Iβcan... is... is it really, really okay? F-For me to still call you that?
( It is a joke, and one that shifts the tilt of Yuri's lips into something wry. He'll take it, okay? A joke surely means she's feeling slightly more comfortable in his presence, and right now he's willing to let himself take the little wins. )
I'm welcome to visit, that's gotta make us friends β right? So yeah, it's okay.
( A little mischief flickers across his smile, disguising any discomfort he might have about throwing around the term "friends" with someone he wholeheartedly betrayed. How can he explain that it's more complicated than mere friendship? That he'll never deserve such a thing, and that he's confronted with the reasons why every time he looks at her? )
And how about this: I'll even take you up on that offer. Perhaps we could do dinner? You might know me as a gardener, but that doesn't make me any less of an excellent cook.
( Better to let her continue thinking they can go back to those hazy days in her father's gardens. If it means that he can begin to atone for what he's done? So be it. )
(As if things weren't complicated enough β ain't that the truth. What he's heard about the locals' sudden tolerance of them is concerning, to say the least, if only because he knows from past experience that there's usually a catch when a place is willing to completely change their tune. Politics, religion, something has to be the root cause, and until he finds out what that is? He's going to be looking over his shoulder as he waits for the other shoe to drop. )
You tell me.
( He opens his arms just a little as if to indicate the garment he's trying on: adjusting alright? Sure, in a manner of speaking. Looking the part is half the battle, and Yuri doesn't plan on losing whatever this is. He chuckles lightly, then folds his arms across his chest as he leans against the frame of the changing cubicle. )
... I wouldn't call it adjusting.
( May as well be honest about that. )
But I've got some ideas as to how I'm gonna spend my time here.
( And he'll leave it at that for now, if only because overselling oneself before anything is set in stone only leads to frustration. )
What about you? Will the Mystical Songstress be making a reappearance here?
[Her shoulders heave for a moment, just once, and it could be the start of something tragic and tiresome again as she presses a palm to her face, but after a moment it drops, and it isn't tragic at all. Or at least, not much.
She looks up again and sure, her eyes are a little damp, but she smiles. She smiles, and it's not one that any person who ever knew her in Garreg Mach in any timeline would recognize; it's not a smile anyone but Yuri has seen in years and years, light and bright and giddy, soft and bursting with adoration at the very seams.
It's a smile previously consigned to those hazy garden days. A smile just for her one and only friend, back then.]
...yeah. Y-Yeah. ...I'd really, really like thatβ
[βand then she manages to successfully say the name she knew him by, this time, and he should probably update her on that front unless he wants things to get... awkward, later on.]
I've, um, I've cooked a little bit! It's kind of... they don't have noa fruit or peach currents, and the wines and cheeses all have different names, but, um, the food here is good and, and easy to work with.
(Michail. It's a name Yuri put to rest years ago; one he never thought he'd have to hear again now that that chapter of his life is firmly behind him. it twists something ugly into his stomach β hatred for Bernadetta's father, hatred for himself, shame for the things he's done in order to survive β but instead of letting it show on his face, he merely offers a little shake of his head. )
I'm Yuri, now. Yuri Leclerc. I was adopted by Count Rowe after my time as a gardener, and I figured I needed pretty new name to match my pretty face.
( He offers a wink, playing it off as something casual that needn't be questioned too hard. There is, however, the small matter of Claude von Riegan's presence in this place, who he'd really rather not find out about his history as a professional liar. That's the kind of thing that causes problems within professional relationships. )
... It's better that people don't know about my other name. I don't wanna confuse people, you know? They might end up getting the wrong idea about me.
( Also known as the right idea about him, but that's neither here nor there. Yuri chuckles softly as he continues: )
But we can talk about that over some of those wines and cheeses sometime.
[Oh, he certainly doesn't have to fear much about the like Claude von Riegan casting stones over lying and having Bernadetta play accidental secret keeper for him, at this point.]
...Yuri. Yuri. Yuuu-rii.
[Still, she does her best to imprint the name in her mouth. It's... it's easier than it should be, if only because even just saying Michail had felt more sacrilegious than taking the Goddess's name in vain over the years.]
I-I'll do my best not to mess up. ...um, but... o-one of my friends... the, uh, the first one after you, I-I sort of... told her about what happened to you, once. Is that, um... sh-should I pretend we... we aren't friends, in front of other people?
[Is Yuri's trauma prepared to handle just who the first person to follow in his footsteps is?]
baseball slides in almost a week late with starbucks and snacks, sorry!!
[Hah. She supposes that much is true; one can barely call it adjusting, even if Yuri's doing pretty damn well at it. It's more like keeping one's head above water in very delicate situation. But even so, Dorothea finds herself smiling a bit at that response, because it's certainly something she can understand. And most importantly...]
That makes two of us. Though I imagine your ideas will likely be far more entertaining than my own...
[Sure she's got some tea dates, but she's gonna be teaching a tutorial on physical affection to Hubie. And likely any others. Gods help her; even so, there's nothing grave in her tone, and it's more amused than anything.
Of course, the question Yuri poses is...actually something Dorothea hadn't considered. Still, her smile doesn't leave her face.]
It's certainly a possibility, I won't deny that. I certainly wouldn't mind taking that role on again if it might make life here a little easier. [She'll certainly have to check around town for some openings, perhaps, but...it would be kind of nice to slip back into that, here.] I think I'll sleep on it. We don't exactly know what our extended stay here might bring, after all.
[Though...]
I am glad that it's brought a chance to catch up, though, if nothing else.
Don't worry about it at all! "Late" is periodically my middle name 8')
( In truth, Yuri's plans are to repurpose his townhouse as a place for people in need of help or refuge. It's been brought to his attention that kids have been dragged into this mess, and while he doesn't doubt that a good number of them will be delighted at the prospect of their new found freedom? He suspects it'll only last for so long. When things go wrong, plans don't work out, or they find themselves in need of protection? Yuri will be there. Heck, it's his hope that by producing as much Manna as possible he'll end up with enough money to offer odd jobs from time to time β a way for them to earn income while taking a break from Syncing.
... So yeah, not that entertaining, although knowing him? He'll end up in all sorts of trouble while trying to realise his goals. )
All I ask is that I be the first to know, if you do. It's been too long since I saw you perform; I'm going to want front-row tickets.
( Which might seem a little at odds with what Dorothea has noticed about Yuri's strange behaviour around her, but only he knows how truly complex his feelings about her have become. The fact remains, he'd be truly delighted to see her bathed in the glow of stage-light again, and his smile softens just a touch as his thoughts wander to the very first time he saw her perform. )
Not that catching up isn't nice too β although I'm guessing rounding up your old classmates is going to be your first priority, huh?
( Which is him slightly fishing for information: he knows that Claude and Bernadetta are floating around, but isn't sure how many other people from FΓ³dlan have ended up here. Maybe Dorothea can help him with that. )
Edited 2021-02-03 12:54 (UTC)
i appreciate it so much...livin' that late bitch life...
Dorothea's still doing her best to hide a bit of shock here, admittedly, but...huh. Maybe he isn't as mad about this as she last saw? Honestly, this is confusing, but Dorothea tries to keep her expression level. Maybe she's misread this entire thing. Maybe it's like Bern, where things happened differently, but--
She doesn't want to think about that, and she's been silent for a few seconds too long. Stupid, stupid.]
Of course, Yurikins. I wouldn't dream of not giving you the best seats in the house, you know.
[Of course, the next question gets her interest, and Dorothea would be a little foolish to think this isn't fishing. But hey, as far as she knows, he's still her ally from the Black Eagles; the Ashen Wolves were the only ones they recruited outside of the class, after all.
Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite her later!!]
Rounding them up and teaching them a thing or two about taking physical affection, at this rate...I've already got my work cut out for me with Hubie, but I'm going to try to help Bern as much as I can too. Maybe if Dimitri needs a bit of help, I'll see what I can do for him, too--he was so stiff when I saw him in here, you know.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@selfdisdain
@eternallyromantic
@persecutioncomplex
no subject
Well, hey. Turns out she and I have something in common after all.
( That is: a sharp vengeful streak when it comes to nobles who've gone out of their way to behave wretchedly. Yuri would have had no qualms with assassinating Count Varley himself β but his target was the girl, and back then getting paid had meant more than sticking true to his own beliefs.
... Or so he'd assumed. In the end, his heart hadn't been quite as hardened as he'd thought. )
Good. I can't have you crying all over my clothes for the rest of the day β unless you're going to pay to have them laundered for me.
( Please realise he's teasing, Bernadetta. Instead of giving her a chance to flounder over such an offer, Yuri lets his own guilt surrounding their history β both distant and recent β move the conversation on: )
Is there somewhere you're staying? I can take you there, if you like, or you could rest up at my place once the paperwork is sorted.
@redfeathers
no subject
[She cocks her head to one side, puzzling that out with little success. Because Yuri, professional and perfect in front of his target back then, had never been cruel or vindictive. She can't picture it, when all she knows of him are halcyon days of patience and childish games and soft, comforting words at a time when they were all but impossible to receive elsewhere.
Edelgard is like the sun, blinding and inescapable and something to rely upon. But back then Yuri had been pure sunshine; similar but softer.
Both had burned her, in the end, but her understanding of any of that was still a murky thing, and didn't change the fact that she had cherished both of them wholeheartedly, for reasons both very similar and very, very different.]
Oh! Um, sort of. I mean.
[How to put this...]
I, um, at first I thought it was just me, staying there? But, well, I came back after shopping after I moved in and there was a-a man there, too. And, he said... um, well, anyways, I-I think I have a roommate? M-Maybe. I, um, haven't s-seen him much since then. ...though, um, he might just not want to spook me into drawing an arrow on him again...
[With her previously very injured arm at that.]
no subject
( Yuri does not know what a vampire is, but he's beginning to understand that the world is a far bigger and stranger place than he'd thought β before the war. His gaze drifts to her mouth, the gleam of white just enough to catch his attention as she speaks. Interesting. )
You and me both.
( He smiles, deciding against bringing up the fact that there appear to be some small (if not marked) differences separating the two of them. What if it's a source of embarrassment? Some kind of hangover from an illness she had as a child? What if, like a handful of the people he's met here so far, she is simply a step removed from one-hundred percent human? After meeting a man who quite literally had the upper half of a bull, a few extra pointy parts don't seem that much a cause for concern.
... Yet. )
So.
( He laces his fingers together on the table before him, the quirk of his lips turning a little mischievous. )
Are you ready to tell me about your unique set of needs yet?
no subject
... Don't worry about it. I'm just getting carried away.
( Yuri sighs at Bernadetta's confusion, if only because it serves as a grim reminder that even as a child, he was extraordinarily good at his job. Spinning fantasies, offering illusions, picking just the right tone in which to tell a person exactly what they want to hear ... Yuri has been able to do all that and more from far too early an age. Bernadetta was supposed to be one of his easier assignments: how could a frightened young girl possibly be more of a challenge than a self-serving politician, or a lecherous creep?
Kind of ironic, really, that all she had to do was be herself β the realisation of which leaves him feeling even more filthy than the last time he cast eyes on Dorothea. He's fortunate that Bernadetta chooses that moment to turn the conversation away from that gloomy sinkhole: )
"A man?" ( Yeah, that'll do. Yuri raises a manicured eyebrow. ) Huh.
( The implication is clearly that Bernadetta doesn't know who the person in her new home is, and while Yuri knows he has no right to make it any of his business? He's all too aware of how little it takes to nudge Bernadetta into shrieking and running away. If they aren't the patient type, or don't know how to talk to people as consumed with anxiety as she is ... )
Well, if you're set on staying there, I could always come over and have a little chat with him?
( You know, Bernadetta. A chat. Considering they've all been told what's expected of them, and they've all been told the various different ways they can produce Manna, Yuri has no qualms being the annoying older brother in ensuring this "man" doesn't try to take any liberties. A blithe smile touches his lips, gentle and sweet: )
You know, just to let him know that you have friends here who're looking out for you.
( And that he'll slit his throat without batting a kohl-lined eyelid should Bernadetta level so much as a huff of complaint against him. Yuri owes her that much, at least. )
no subject
[Goddess be praised, was that a joke? The faint, slightly self-deprecating curve to her mouth indicates yes, she;s at least trying.
She fidgets, slightly, because she at least knows his name but a tiny voice at the back of her mind is telling her to tread lightly here, for some reason. She senses danger, but doesn't know enough to pin it to her perfect long lost friend or realize just who it's aimed at. Kaeya is intensely Yuri-like in quite a few ways, so the sparks that meeting might set loose could go in just about any direction.]
Um, y... you're welcome to visit!
[It bursts out of her, an offer stewed with more than a decade of wishing things had been different. When she's calmer, the doubts will creep in, the self-blame, the thought that she's not worthy of his time any more.
But then.
Then he goes and says that and she tears up again.]
Do Iβcan... is... is it really, really okay? F-For me to still call you that?
no subject
( It is a joke, and one that shifts the tilt of Yuri's lips into something wry. He'll take it, okay? A joke surely means she's feeling slightly more comfortable in his presence, and right now he's willing to let himself take the little wins. )
I'm welcome to visit, that's gotta make us friends β right? So yeah, it's okay.
( A little mischief flickers across his smile, disguising any discomfort he might have about throwing around the term "friends" with someone he wholeheartedly betrayed. How can he explain that it's more complicated than mere friendship? That he'll never deserve such a thing, and that he's confronted with the reasons why every time he looks at her? )
And how about this: I'll even take you up on that offer. Perhaps we could do dinner? You might know me as a gardener, but that doesn't make me any less of an excellent cook.
( Better to let her continue thinking they can go back to those hazy days in her father's gardens. If it means that he can begin to atone for what he's done? So be it. )
no subject
( As if things weren't complicated enough β ain't that the truth. What he's heard about the locals' sudden tolerance of them is concerning, to say the least, if only because he knows from past experience that there's usually a catch when a place is willing to completely change their tune. Politics, religion, something has to be the root cause, and until he finds out what that is? He's going to be looking over his shoulder as he waits for the other shoe to drop. )
You tell me.
( He opens his arms just a little as if to indicate the garment he's trying on: adjusting alright? Sure, in a manner of speaking. Looking the part is half the battle, and Yuri doesn't plan on losing whatever this is. He chuckles lightly, then folds his arms across his chest as he leans against the frame of the changing cubicle. )
... I wouldn't call it adjusting.
( May as well be honest about that. )
But I've got some ideas as to how I'm gonna spend my time here.
( And he'll leave it at that for now, if only because overselling oneself before anything is set in stone only leads to frustration. )
What about you? Will the Mystical Songstress be making a reappearance here?
no subject
She looks up again and sure, her eyes are a little damp, but she smiles. She smiles, and it's not one that any person who ever knew her in Garreg Mach in any timeline would recognize; it's not a smile anyone but Yuri has seen in years and years, light and bright and giddy, soft and bursting with adoration at the very seams.
It's a smile previously consigned to those hazy garden days. A smile just for her one and only friend, back then.]
...yeah. Y-Yeah. ...I'd really, really like thatβ
[βand then she manages to successfully say the name she knew him by, this time, and he should probably update her on that front unless he wants things to get... awkward, later on.]
I've, um, I've cooked a little bit! It's kind of... they don't have noa fruit or peach currents, and the wines and cheeses all have different names, but, um, the food here is good and, and easy to work with.
no subject
( Michail. It's a name Yuri put to rest years ago; one he never thought he'd have to hear again now that that chapter of his life is firmly behind him. it twists something ugly into his stomach β hatred for Bernadetta's father, hatred for himself, shame for the things he's done in order to survive β but instead of letting it show on his face, he merely offers a little shake of his head. )
I'm Yuri, now. Yuri Leclerc. I was adopted by Count Rowe after my time as a gardener, and I figured I needed pretty new name to match my pretty face.
( He offers a wink, playing it off as something casual that needn't be questioned too hard. There is, however, the small matter of Claude von Riegan's presence in this place, who he'd really rather not find out about his history as a professional liar. That's the kind of thing that causes problems within professional relationships. )
... It's better that people don't know about my other name. I don't wanna confuse people, you know? They might end up getting the wrong idea about me.
( Also known as the right idea about him, but that's neither here nor there. Yuri chuckles softly as he continues: )
But we can talk about that over some of those wines and cheeses sometime.
no subject
[Oh, he certainly doesn't have to fear much about the like Claude von Riegan casting stones over lying and having Bernadetta play accidental secret keeper for him, at this point.]
...Yuri. Yuri. Yuuu-rii.
[Still, she does her best to imprint the name in her mouth. It's... it's easier than it should be, if only because even just saying Michail had felt more sacrilegious than taking the Goddess's name in vain over the years.]
I-I'll do my best not to mess up. ...um, but... o-one of my friends... the, uh, the first one after you, I-I sort of... told her about what happened to you, once. Is that, um... sh-should I pretend we... we aren't friends, in front of other people?
[Is Yuri's trauma prepared to handle just who the first person to follow in his footsteps is?]
baseball slides in almost a week late with starbucks and snacks, sorry!!
That makes two of us. Though I imagine your ideas will likely be far more entertaining than my own...
[Sure she's got some tea dates, but she's gonna be teaching a tutorial on physical affection to Hubie. And likely any others. Gods help her; even so, there's nothing grave in her tone, and it's more amused than anything.
Of course, the question Yuri poses is...actually something Dorothea hadn't considered. Still, her smile doesn't leave her face.]
It's certainly a possibility, I won't deny that. I certainly wouldn't mind taking that role on again if it might make life here a little easier. [She'll certainly have to check around town for some openings, perhaps, but...it would be kind of nice to slip back into that, here.] I think I'll sleep on it. We don't exactly know what our extended stay here might bring, after all.
[Though...]
I am glad that it's brought a chance to catch up, though, if nothing else.
Don't worry about it at all! "Late" is periodically my middle name 8')
( An easy smile touches Yuri's lips. )
Maybe.
( In truth, Yuri's plans are to repurpose his townhouse as a place for people in need of help or refuge. It's been brought to his attention that kids have been dragged into this mess, and while he doesn't doubt that a good number of them will be delighted at the prospect of their new found freedom? He suspects it'll only last for so long. When things go wrong, plans don't work out, or they find themselves in need of protection? Yuri will be there. Heck, it's his hope that by producing as much Manna as possible he'll end up with enough money to offer odd jobs from time to time β a way for them to earn income while taking a break from Syncing.
... So yeah, not that entertaining, although knowing him? He'll end up in all sorts of trouble while trying to realise his goals. )
All I ask is that I be the first to know, if you do. It's been too long since I saw you perform; I'm going to want front-row tickets.
( Which might seem a little at odds with what Dorothea has noticed about Yuri's strange behaviour around her, but only he knows how truly complex his feelings about her have become. The fact remains, he'd be truly delighted to see her bathed in the glow of stage-light again, and his smile softens just a touch as his thoughts wander to the very first time he saw her perform. )
Not that catching up isn't nice too β although I'm guessing rounding up your old classmates is going to be your first priority, huh?
( Which is him slightly fishing for information: he knows that Claude and Bernadetta are floating around, but isn't sure how many other people from FΓ³dlan have ended up here. Maybe Dorothea can help him with that. )
i appreciate it so much...livin' that late bitch life...
Dorothea's still doing her best to hide a bit of shock here, admittedly, but...huh. Maybe he isn't as mad about this as she last saw? Honestly, this is confusing, but Dorothea tries to keep her expression level. Maybe she's misread this entire thing. Maybe it's like Bern, where things happened differently, but--
She doesn't want to think about that, and she's been silent for a few seconds too long. Stupid, stupid.]
Of course, Yurikins. I wouldn't dream of not giving you the best seats in the house, you know.
[Of course, the next question gets her interest, and Dorothea would be a little foolish to think this isn't fishing. But hey, as far as she knows, he's still her ally from the Black Eagles; the Ashen Wolves were the only ones they recruited outside of the class, after all.
Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite her later!!]
Rounding them up and teaching them a thing or two about taking physical affection, at this rate...I've already got my work cut out for me with Hubie, but I'm going to try to help Bern as much as I can too. Maybe if Dimitri needs a bit of help, I'll see what I can do for him, too--he was so stiff when I saw him in here, you know.