Iridescent Lagoon my darkest hour

For @Inali;

There was no true rhyme or reason as to why Iridescent Lagoon had been chosen by Sveinx as his temporary place of shelter; a temporary home. Aside from the body of water itself there was nothing of it that remotely resembled Flightless Falcons, which, was sort of what he sought. A forest setting because it was what he was most comfortable with. This was too open for him, too exposed and subconsciously Sveinx shivered, the tremor slithering down his spine as he tried to push himself closer to the wall of his makeshift den which was a little too tight for him. Despite this, he could not seem to make rational sense of adjusting it any. He had no intentions of staying in this lagoon. He needed to find a pack; seeing as how integrating himself into a pack was more or less his first priority. Sleep had not came gracefully to the Redleaf male. He was used to sharing a den with Custard who had been, more or less, as vital to Sveinx as a lung. The absence of his litter-mate and closest brother was a viable ache of hollowness he felt in the cavity around his heart. He was an adult, three years old. He did not need Custard and he was fully capable of surviving without his family. Growing up in a pack, in a Valley where they had spanned – most taking Aether's last name (Sveinx himself being the exception) – it was almost surreal in an odd way to understand that (more than likely) none of them resided here. That in terms of family he was alone. It was an adjustment, something he was trying to get used to. In time, he supposed he would be able to think of his parents and siblings and not feel that annoying pang of homesickness.

When the sunlight of the mid-morning kept spilling into the mouth of Sveinx's makeshift den, searching and reaching for him, Sveinx finally decided, grudgingly, that it was time to get up and resume his exploration. Simply, he would find no more sleep here. Strong curve of spine brushed the ceiling of the den as he slid out into the open, bright green eyes narrowing against the welcoming sun, blinking groggily a few times. A good shake of his coat was given, dispelling the clumps of dirt and debris that had clung to the white, silken tendrils from his night in the earth. Sveinx stretched for a few seconds, leathery black nostrils flared as he took in the scents around him. It was a small walk to the water's edge and head bowed to lap contently at the mirroring, cool water; ears cupping to the sides to take in the sounds of the world around him while his eyes were trained upon water.

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Dated 6/24/2013
The sun is shining and it is fairly warm, but not too warm, just right. Close to mid-day.

deep into that darkness peering,

Inali

i long stood there, wondering, fearing...

The petite wolf's small paws pounded against the lavish ground under her feet. It was such a beautiful day today that she just had to wonder out of the borders. Of course, she freshly marked the borders so the scent was strong, right before she left. She had no idea where she was going, but was fairly sure of remembering how to trace her way back home. That would just be the killer of the day if she got lost on the way back.

Feeling her exuberant mood slipping, Inali quickly shook her head side to side to shake away the thoughts currently running through it.

Leaving the tall, green grasses of Hush Meadow behind, the young woman smiled as she entered her old home, her personal-for a time-spring haven. The Drooping Willows.

Taking a short break to smell deeply of the air, she felt a mixture of happiness and sadness course through her as she took in the scents of the ending spring and coming summer. She loved spring, and was sad to see it go, but she also loved summer, so she was happy to see it coming.

The enigmatic woman took in the familiar scents of her old home, briefly though it was, and continued on in a smooth jog. Leaving the Willows behind, she entered an area known to other wolves as Whisper Marsh. Her lip curling in slight disgust, Inali curved through the deep, small, and sticky marsh pools carefully. She did not want to fall in and be coated with the nasty stuff.

Even though her paws dealt with the worst of it. Sometimes not being able to control it, her paws slipped into some marsh pools. Cringing slightly as the substance seeped through her paws, Inali continued on, albeit her mood slightly dampened. She wasnt one of those she-wolfs that hated getting dirty and didnt want to ruin their precious gleaming fur. She loved to get dirty just as much as the next wolf, its just that at times like these, she just couldn't help acting the way she had. She was a woman, after all.

Breathing a sigh of relief as she finally exited the marshy area, the petite woman couldn't hold in a gasp as she came to another place unknown to her. What many wolves knew as Iridescent Lagoon.

It was truly a beautiful place. Looking around, she walked towards the lagoon, eager to drink water and to get the muck off of her paws.

Lapping the water gently with her tongue, until she was satisfied, she walked into the water. The water, to her relief, washed the disgusting muck away in quick time. She didnt notice the mickle wolf on the other side of the lagoon until she had lifted her head. The smile that was on her face, dimmed slightly as she noticed him. He was very large. Intimidating large. Larger than Steel even, and that was a feat in its own.

She wondered if she was intruding and her paws slowly stepped out of the water. But then she remembered her encounter with Steel. He was a big brute, just like the man in front of her. But she didnt let him get to her, even though he was as mean as a bull....at first. She just knew he had warmed up to her presence by the time she had left. So, swearing by the Fates, she would not let this wolf intimidate her.

Determination shined in those striking blue eyes of hers and a warm, genuine smile graced her features. This wolf was not going to ruin her good day. With a friendly wag of her tail, and her eyes warm, the petite wolf started to jog where the man was currently at. It was always good to have large friends, especially if you were Inali's size.

(This post was last modified: Jun 28, 2013, 12:56 PM by Inali.)

Sveinx lapped in a content silence, not having anyone to speak with, regardless, for a few more moments that which the Redleaf male measured by steady, sturdy heartbeats. It was how he measured the abstract and odd concept of time that Sveinx knew only to be ‘morning, afternoon, evening and night’, months and days with a few fancy words such as ‘dawn and dusk’ thrown into the mix. Perhaps even using his heart as it beat within it’s prison of sinew and bone signaled at a deeper understanding of ‘time’ but if it did, Sveinx did not stop to ponder this phenomenon of his mind. A few moments meant, simply, a few beats of his heart. Did it truly, he wondered absently as he listened to the organ thump to it’s own rhythm within his chest, matter? No. Head rose slightly, salmon pink tongue darting out once more, this time to clean the water droplets that clung to the small tuft of fur at his chin, though he did not know it, was something he inherited from his grandfather (great grandfather maybe?) Bronx DeMonte. March Owl had told him once that his grandfather Sven had been her father by adoption, but the young Sveinx had found himself horribly confused, the wires within his young brain crossed with the intricately woven concepts of how tangled of a family tree he was apart of, having been born to two very old, big and very influential families. For Sveinx it was easier to stick to what he knew to immediate family, which was big enough in it’s own right given each year March Owl and Aether had created a new litter with a new batch of siblings to add to their large family.

There was a movement somewhere to his left, caught out of the corner of eyes, abysmal black pupils widening in bewilderment, swallowing all but a thin halo of bright, green irises. Ears lowered to rest at half mast atop his skull as he watched her saunter towards him, her pace a brisk jog. Eyes took in the smile that appeared to be warm with slight suspicion before he realized, feeling like a jerk (though he had yet to speak or move at all) for being suspicious. She was just a girl (woman, probably), smaller than him, seeming to be friendly, judging by the ease in which her muscles allowed her to approach him. Head rose so it was in alignment with his spine once more, allowing Sveinx to stand at his full height, though this was done simply because it was more comfortable for the Redleaf. “Uh, hey.” He greeted her casually, before pausing to glimpse behind his shoulder just to be certain she wasn’t jogging to one of her friends instead of him. He saw nobody else so assumed that it was him she was approaching.

(This post was last modified: Jun 30, 2013, 04:31 PM by Sveinx.)

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@Sveinx Happy 4th of July, Tokio<3

The lithe woman slowed to a casual walk when she neared the Arctic man, and finally stopped. Letting out a soft gasp of surprise as the man stood up to his full height, Inali didnt even realize what came out of her mouth next. "Well, aren't you a dandy Arctic? Your freaking huge, man!" Still in shock, the petite fae circled the man, her blue orbs widening. Maybe she was so shocked because she hadn't seen that many male wolves since arriving to Relic Lore. She was sure there could be larger, but he was the largest she had seen to this date.

Her tail wagging softly, Inali realized she was being rude. (Not that that was a surprise.) Once again, face to face with the wolf, she spoke. "Oh, I am so sorry! That was rude of me, I shouldn't have said anything. I mean, it was just a shock to me, that's all. Because, you see, I haven't encountered that many male wolves since I arrived in Relic, so you just came as a shock. You understand, don't you?" Inali realized then that she had been rambling. If her fur wasnt so dark brown, she would be sure that the man would see her blush of embarrassment creeping up to her face.

With an embarrassed smile, the young woman sat down on her haunches, her tail curling comfortably around her. "I was rambling, wasnt I? I apologize, I tend to ramble sometimes. When I'm scared or nervous or-well, you get the picture." Her soft laughter flowed through the air as Inali found humor in the situation, like she usually did. She continued, ""If I creeped you out, I apologize for that too. I'm not crazy." Chuckling once again, the she-wolf went to the point that she was aiming for since she first started to talk. Sitting up on all four legs once again, Inali spoke. "I'm Inali. Scout of Whisper Caverns pack. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I pre-apologize for his language. xD

Thank you, same to you if you're in the USA! <3 If the font color is hard to read please let me know and I'll work on fixing it. :p

Bright green eyes followed her movements in a newly found relaxed manner, noting when her pace slowed to an eventual stand still. A sound seemed to escape the woman’s lips, gracing his ears at something that held the connotations of being, well, surprised. Her words that followed, confirmed it, and Sveinx could not seem to help the snicker that tugged effortlessly at the corner of his lips, a laugh bursting free of his muzzle. Despite that he had never actually met a wolf that was full Arctic he’d heard that they were, typically, small in stature. “I’m not all Arctic. I have a lot of other breeds mixed in, Eastern Timber, Mackenzie Valley the most dominate I guess.” At least as far as his height, length and weight were concerned at any rate. His fur, in other matters, was arctic in it’s origins, yes. Like half of his siblings he had not been graced with the genetic mutation that allowed theirs, and Aether’s fur, to be a charcoal color. Sveinx liked it this way. He didn’t mind looking like March Owl because his mother was kickass. Or, had been, in her youth (though if she ever heard him call her old she’d probably cuff him on the ear for it). “Nah,” He waved away her apology with a flick of his tail. He wasn’t offended. If anything, he found himself feeling, flattered if the vain Redleaf could ever be such a thing. “I’m…flattered,” Sveinx said with a half chuckle, snicker having morphed into a devilish smirk. “So you’re telling me these lands lack in males. Shiiiit,” Sveinx drew the word out, letting the rough vulgarity roll off of his tongue in a manner that suggested such words were second nature to him (and they were). “I came to the right place then.” He finished with an approving snort.

“Eh? Yeah, I understand,” Sveinx said in his slightly accented voice, a look of puzzlement creasing the ‘v’ between his eyes in the beginning of the bridge of his muzzle as he wondered why she asked him that. While he could speak a little Italian, Latin and Greek via Aether, and rather fluent German via a helpful elderly pack member who often forgot and slipped into the language, he understood English even if his own version was narcissistically dubbed ‘Sveglish’ for the slang he preferred to actual words. Unless she meant the situation, in which he could grasp, as well. She hadn’t came across many males -- which sounded a little odd, admittedly, but who was he to complain? She apologized for her rambling as she made herself comfortable. Sveinx eyed her for a few seconds, observing her. “You’re a little strange, you know that?” One of Sveinx’s either most fatal flaw or redeeming quality -- though he leaned towards the first, honesty often hurt feelings more than it mended them -- was his blunt, oftentimes brutal honesty and his ability to deliver it without consciously thinking about anyone else. He hadn’t spoken it to offend or insult her, simply, he was delivering his honest opinion. Of course, maybe all girls rambled -- it’d been a while since he’d been around his siblings; not that he had many sisters to pull from. It seemed Aether and March Owl had a knack for producing males -- at least there was no shortage on potential heirs. "Are you saying I scare you? Or I make you nervous?" Sveinx inquired, feeling his left brow rise in what might have been considered wicked manner, physically displaying his prying curiosity. As far as subtlety was concerned Sveinx had little to none of it.

Sveinx, deciding he might as well not stand there like a figurative bump on a log, settled upon his hind haunches, mirroring her earlier pose before he stretched down to lay in a Sphinx like position upon the earth, eyes rising upwards so he could continue to look at her face. Maybe it would ease her nerves if he appeared smaller than her, for once. Though he had no idea why she’d be nervous -- he wasn’t a hostile creature -- he figured it might make it easier if he tried to eliminate what he could conclude might be the cause of it, even if he didn’t know what it was other than, obviously, it had something to do with him. “A pack wolf?” The other, individual scents that clung to her pelt, blending and merging into one perfume made sense. Rapt attention was given as she finished introducing herself and figuring he would do well to return the courtesy, couldn’t help the slightly coy smirk that teased at the edges of his lips. “Sveinx Redleaf, residential Studmuffin of the Loners.” He let out a soft chuckle at himself, before adding, “But you can call me Sven if you want.” Some didn’t mind using ‘Sveinx’ but some liked a shortened version. He didn’t care, really. He answered to both.

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(This post was last modified: Jul 05, 2013, 12:32 PM by Sveinx.)

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It's fine:) I can already tell Sven and Inali are going to become very good friendsxD

Inali shook her head in amusement as the various-species man responded to her. “You’re a little strange, you know that?” A soft chuckle rumbled through ehr chest and Inali responded, "I seem to get that alot. It's really nothing new. I like being strange. What's the fun in being normal? It's boring."

A devilish smirk had appeared on the large man's face as he asked her, "Are you saying I scare you? Or I make you nervous?" With a teasing lilt to her voice, the young woman responded truthfully, "Probably a little bit of both.

Mirroring his stance, Inali laid down on the ground in a sphinx-like position, getting comfortable. She was glad that he had finally laid down. As much as she didnt want to admit it, his large frame intimidated her. She couldn't help but relax her, now-realizing, tense posture.

Finally, the funny man provided her a name to the face. “Sveinx Redleaf, residential Studmuffin of the Loners.” “But you can call me Sven if you want.”

The fae scoffed in amusement. "Residential studmuffin? Puh-lease." Mirth shining bright in her blue orbs, Inali continued. "Your a cocky one aren't you? I find it extremely amusing actually." A small bark of a laugh escaped the pretty woman, and she suddenly grew curious. "What brings you to these lands, Sven? You residential studmuffin?," Inali asked.

She couldn't help but tease him in the end. That was who Inali was. She was a warm girl, who couldn't help but tease the people she lived among with. Although, thank the Fates she knew when the situation called for attention and not humor. That had saved her in many occasions.

(This post was last modified: Jul 05, 2013, 01:57 PM by Inali.)

Just wanted to be sure it was legible, lol! :D Indeed they are. ;-)

At least the woman did not take offense to his honest opinion based upon only what he knew now, which was simply a name, rank and pack. Mostly, it was borne of his own judgments based upon that infuriating first impression. Not very fair, he knew, yet anyone whom would claim they did not judge based on first impressions would, likely, be lying in Sveinx’s eyes. In fact, Inali laughed, the sound vibrating in the space between them. Sveinx’s smirk grew when she spoke about liking to be strange and that anything but was boring. On this, he concurred. Who wanted to be stiff and “normal” when you could be wild and eccentric? In his personal experience, others tended not to like much what they considered went against society and the social expectations set upon every wolf that ever lived and breathed. Did that necessarily hold true for everyone? No, but it was enough that clumping them all together made no difference. Leathery, black nostrils flared as a soft snort left the Redleaf. “You make a point,” Sveinx agreed with playful reluctance, expression contorting insincerely to make it appear as if he did not like agreeing with her. Hopefully, she noted the coy glint in his irises and did not take it personally. “Is that so?” Sveinx drew, a soft ‘hmmm’ lingering in his chest though he made no retorts to continue on, letting his teasing drift off.

Large, front paws drew back, toes skimming the earth, claws scarring it in Sveinx’s mock offense a playful growl escaping his lips, though playful because it lacked the menace and feral fear and/or anger that was often associated with the sound. “Are you saying to disagree? I’ll have you know I am the sexiest thing you’ll ever see,” Though his quick brain came up with a bunch of ways she could dig her insult so that it would, perhaps, get under his skin. Sharp teeth bit into his tongue as he waited for a comment that he knew he had coming. He suspected that she would speak one for he had so easily set himself up. It was what he, would it have been reversed, done. “Nothing wrong with self-confidence.” He spoke with a grin, relaying that he wasn’t truly offended. His acting skills were not the greatest, either, but that didn’t seem to stop Sveinx from trying never the less. Head lowered to rest against his front paws, though eyes never wavered from her face.

“My parents had a lot of litters and my home pack, Flightless Falcons, was overrun with us. It was smothering. Besides, I figured I was one of their last picks of their numerous heirs to take the helm so what is the sense in sticking around? Not that I actually wanted leadership or anything, I’m too….eh, wild. Still. I don’t want to feel stupid and pointless jealousy towards whatever sibling gets it. I tried to talk my littermate and twin, Custard, into coming with me but obviously he’s a party pooper and a homebody.” Sveinx explained shrugging his shoulders casually. It wasn’t fancy, tragic, dramatic or even interesting. It was, simply, the truth. “What about you Inali? How’d you wind up here?” It seemed like the polite thing to ask, in his opinion and, too, it seemed only fair she return the favor.

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(This post was last modified: Jul 05, 2013, 05:05 PM by Sveinx.)

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Inali's eyes danced with amusement as their little game of fun continued. She watched his playful antics and had to stifle the urge to scoff (again) when the next words escaped his mouth. “Are you saying to disagree? I’ll have you know I am the sexiest thing you’ll ever see,”

Languidly, the woman stood up on her front paws to stretch her back. The words that left her mouth next left her wanting to curl her lip in a smirk. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, my love, but you are definitely not the sexiest man I have laid eyes on. She wanted to leave her teasing there, to see his ultimate reaction to her (not so nice) words, but her eyes betrayed her.

Laying back down onto the sphinx-like position they were in before, her eyes trailed approvingly over his large features. She had to admit, he was one handsome devil. And he probably knew it. The bastard. Her eyes weren't the only thing that betrayed her, her mouth was next. Stupidly, she probably inflated his already high ego with her next words.

"You are probably right up there though." Recalling his previous words, “Nothing wrong with self-confidence,” she spoke again. "Don't let it get to your head, Sven. Your 'self-confidence', or like I like to call it, 'inflated ego', doesn't need anymore boosting."

Smiling at him teasingly, her smile turned genuinely warm as he spoke of how he ended up here in the Lore. His family must've been huge, now that she thought of it. He ultimately confirmed it, and as he finished his truthful tale, he asked her how she herself ended up here. Taking a breath and exhaling softly, she wondered on where to begin. It wasn't a long tale, so she might as well start from the beginning.

"Well, it's nothing special. I was the last of a litter of 3, and I was the runt. I had two older brothers, which I shall not name because I want them to rot in hell, along with my father." You could clearly hear the bitter tone in her voice and she swallowed the bitter taste speaking of her brothers and her father made her feel. Continuing, her voice was light, careless. "My father was a douche, who hated his daughter and adored his two sons. I still don't know why he hated me, but I guess that's in the past now. Once I turned into a Yearling, the pack had already started to shun me, so I guess I had no other choice. I said goodbye to the only person that loved me, who was my mother, and then left. About a year later, I wondered in here to Relic, met a few wolves, and joined Whisper Caverns."

She didn't want to speak anymore of her family, or anything about her past, so Inali quickly stood up. Stretching her body out quickly to work out the kinks from sitting too long, she headed to the lake. Jumping into the crystal lake, the young woman dipped her whole body into the refreshing water. Staying a few moments underwater, the fae jumped up to the surface. She was dripping wet and she shook her fur out furiously, making sure some water got on Sven. She looked like a big, brown, fluffy teddy bear. Laughing merrily, the girl asked with a coy glint in her eye, "Care for a dip, Sven?"

OOC goes here.

Bright green eyes watched from his sphinx-like position from his perch, which was really just a patch of earth near the bank of the lagoon that he temporarily owned, as Inali rose to her front paws and stretched, her back arching, causing Sveinx’s eyebrows to rise before, with a twist of his head to the side he looked away to the water. This diversion did not last long for he returned his attention back to her as she once more, laid back down, speaking about how he was not the sexiest man she’d ever seen, calling him her love, obviously a insincere endearment. “I see.” Though his tone, perhaps arrogantly, suggested that he did not fully believe her. It was all in good fun, in reality. He didn’t, truly, care if she thought he was handsome or as ugly as sin. Every one was entitled to their personal opinions and everyone had different things that they liked, a reaction, that suggested a suitable mate in their brain. Some women, like his own mother, obviously, liked scars. Or pretty boys with scars. If Aether had not had the morbid scar marring half of his face and, further, the length of his body, he would have been pretty, or at least, this was what he heard the girls gossiping about. Which was always stupid in Sveinx’s mind. Obviously, Aether was helplessly in love with March Owl, according to her, they had been a couple when they were both still kids. Course it hadn’t worked but Aether had always been there, loving her, regardless. Idly, he shooed his thoughts away and re-focused upon Inali once more.

“Eh,” Sveinx shrugged at her final assessment. “Could be a better rating.” A bark of a laugh escaped his lips when she spoke about his ‘inflated-ego’ and how it didn’t need any more boosting. He, more or less, concurred with that statement. “You may be right,” Sveinx allowed, his lips teasing into a smirk. “In my family it seems to be one extreme to the other. We seem to struggle with the balance.” Sveinx, no matter how much he loved and respected Aether, was glad he didn’t get his tendency to judge himself with harshness. Yes, it kept Aether modest but just as there was with self-confidence there had to be such a thing as too much self-modesty.

He listened to her story, giving her his rapt attention feeling the muscles in his muzzle contort his lips into a soft frown. Her past sounded horrible. Sveinx’s childhood had been filled with love, and laughter, and fun, and training, and wrestling matches. Never hatred. And neither parent loved one child over another. Knowing this, it made him wonder just how fortunate he’d been. “I’m sorry,” He offered, feeling selfish for wanting to leave his home because of his own, quite selfish, reasons, when there were wolves, like her, who had never known what Sveinx called family. “My parents didn’t have many girls and usually they were all Daddy’s girls.” But he mentally kicked himself after words hoping that wasn’t extremely insensitive.

He watched her rise with a quickness, stretch and propel herself into the lake. A few droplets hit him, but it wasn’t until she broke the surface and climbed onto the bank and shook her coat free of water that he truly got wet. “Hey!” Sveinx complained, rising to his paws quickly. Ears slicked back to his skull as he glared at her for a few seconds as she laughed and invited him for a swim. He wasn’t truly mad at her, so with a, perhaps, snobbish air he charged into the water, feeling it recede and rush over him, soaking each silken tendril of fur until all but the fur on his head was wet.

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Inali rolled her eyes playfully as her ears pricked to hear Sven's next words. “You may be right,” “In my family it seems to be one extreme to the other. We seem to struggle with the balance.”

She had long since finished her tale and had immediately noticed Sven's frown. She could practically hear the thoughts churning in his head. She didn't need his pity. Everyone's life was different. Everyone was dealt a different set of cards by the Fates. Sven's had of course been an easy one, while her's had been a shitty one. She had to learn how to accept it and deal with it. And she had, there was nothing else to discuss. She spoke with a small scowl, "I don't need your pity, Sven. I got dealt a shitty set of cards for my life, while you got dealt a good one. I needed to learn how to live my life with my set of shitty cards, and I did. There's nothing else to discuss."

The petite woman visibly flinched at his next words, “I’m sorry,” “My parents didn’t have many girls and usually they were all Daddy’s girls.” How many times had she wished, no, dreamed of being her daddy's girl. How many times had her heart been broken time and time again because of the bastard that she had always tried to gain approval of. He had just neglected her. Never once did the man she had loved say anything to her remotely close to affection.

Taking a shaky breath, that was when the woman ran and took a plunge in the water. She didn't want to think about her past anymore.

As she splashed water over Sven, her laughter rang out true and clear. Just because she had a hard life growing up, didn't mean she had to grow up all bitter. She was glad that the Fates had let her learn the true meaning of happiness here in Relic Lore.

As Sven plunged into the water after her, the young woman jumped and tried to land her small paws onto his large shoulders. Succeeding, Inali hid a grin and tried to push her male friend into the water. It was practically impossible because of his large size and her feeble strength. With laughter lacing her tone she spoke, "Why. Aren't. You. Moving?"