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skyrimkinkmemeANNOUNCEMENTS: UPDATED 12/16/2017
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The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.1
Date: 2013-12-21 06:21 pm (UTC)A/N: This one was interesting to write, I've never really written Blindsighted into a fic before, and doing so really brought home how Nocturnal's influence works for thieves. It's your skills that get you through Irkngthand and kill Mercer, but you're sealed in, nearly drown, and it's only luck the roof caves in and you're able to get out. Skills get the job done and luck saves your life. Never really thought about it that way before...
Irkngthand was as horrible as Sapphire had thought it might be, in fact it was worse. She'd always avoided Dwemer ruins on principle – why fight all those automatons and Falmer when there were easier pickings in Skyrim's towns and cities? But she had no choice in the matter this time.
So there they'd been, making their way through a ruined city, fighting off automatons and Falmer, avoiding traps and seething as Mercer fled ahead of them. He'd left a shadowmark and bottle of Black-Briar reserve for them near the entrance, and Karliah even spotted him below them in the lower chamber.
“We're not too late,” she'd gasped, relieved. Brynjolf had cracked his knuckles, growling.
“We've not caught him yet,” he'd muttered. “If he gets those Eyes ahead of us...”
“We can't let him get away,” Karliah had said, leading the way. “It's too important.”
So on they'd battled, Karliah obsessing over the Key, Brynjolf over the Eyes and Sapphire... Sapphire just wanted revenge. He'd let her entire Guild get murdered to cover his tracks. This one was personal – although the coin from the Eyes would be nice too.
After slogging through a particularly densely infested settlement of Falmer, they finally arrived at a door, behind which could be heard the sound of tools on metal.
“He's still here,” Karliah whispered.
“And so are the Eyes,” Sapphire said, nudging the door open and creeping in. That was right, concentrate on the coin, on the gemstones, thinking of the shiny gleam of a sapphire took her mind off all the blood in the Cistern after the Thalmor had finished with it.
Despite everyone moving silently, somehow Mercer heard them. Grinning from where he was dangling from the crown of the biggest statue Sapphire had ever seen, prising the left eye out of it, Mercer laughed at where the three of them were crouching.
“When will you learn, Karliah, you can't get the drop on me!” Mercer sneered.
“Mercer!” Karliah shouted. “Give us the Key, Mercer. It's over.”
“I don't think so, Karliah!” Mercer laughed. “Here, time for you and Brynjolf to get reacquainted.”
A blast of some strange magic, and Sapphire threw up her hand instinctively, some power coming from her and she'd have said it was Nocturnal's had she not done the same thing when the Thalmor came, throwing up some sort of aura that had absorbed their magic and left her virtually unharmed. That same aura was buzzing around her now and Mercer's stolen gifts breezed right past her... but Brynjolf wasn't so lucky. He drew Chillrend and turned on Karliah.
“Brynjolf, what-!” Karliah cried, drawing her dagger.
“I can't stop, lass, I'm sorry!” Brynjolf cried, doing his best to not swing Chillrend at her but not entirely succeeding. Sapphire tried to grab Brynjolf's arm but he was too strong and just shrugged her off. Sapphire had no choice but to leave them both. Maybe if she killed Mercer, his spell would die with him.
“So, little Sapphire, you're still alive,” Mercer growled, approaching with sword drawn. “Crawled to safety over the bodies of all those Thalmor like you did before, hmm?”
“I crawled nowhere, Mercer,” Sapphire snapped, Nightingale Blade standing ready to avenge its former owner. “I stood and fought and I won. And I'll do the same today.”
“Spoken like a true Nord. If only they let thieves into Sovngarde,” Mercer sneered, his own Dwemer blade at the ready.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.2
Date: 2013-12-21 06:22 pm (UTC)“I'd think less on my afterlife and more on your own if I were you, Mercer!” Sapphire snapped, advancing with sword in one hand, dagger in the other. “Nocturnal demands your blood!”
“Nocturnal doesn't care about me or you, or anything to do with the Guild!” Mercer snapped. “The Nightingales are over, Sapphire, those days are gone. Accept the truth, Sapphire, there's no honour to what we do. We're thieves!”
“We are thieves,” Sapphire breathed, all her old training coming back to her. “And you are a murderer. But I – I am Death Incarnate!” She swung her blade, Mercer only just managing to block. He staggered back, cursed and raised his hand, some sort of spell at the ready. Sapphire readied herself to power through, but the spell wasn't cast on her, it was cast on the pipes. Dwemer metal cracked, the whole room shook and then water from Lake Yorgrim started pouring in.
“Mercer, you'll kill us all!” Karliah cried, horrified, but Sapphire didn't care. All she cared about was vengeance, and she chased after Mercer, who was dodging and weaving like any Dark Brother. This was going to be a tough fight, but it was only when he turned invisible she realised just how formidable he actually was. Water was pouring into the cave, and Sapphire had to find him, had to.
Of course, all the water also made it that bit easier. All she had to do was follow the drips and the ripples.
Dwemer blade met Nightingale craftsmanship and while his Guild armour was tough, so was Nightingale gear. Mercer was strong, but she was a good two decades younger and while he was experienced, so was she. In the end, youth and speed won out as she broke his guard and shoved the Nightingale Blade into his gut, impaling her former Guildmaster. He looked up, shocked to see someone finally best him but also a little impressed.
“Glover was right,” he gasped, spitting blood. “You are special.” He closed his eyes in pain as Sapphire kicked him in the stomach and wrenched her blade out, irrationally furious that he even dared to bring her old mentor Glover Mallory into this.
“Get your excuses ready, Mercer,” Sapphire snarled. “Nocturnal's waiting for them.” Sapphire sank the blade expertly between his ribs and Mercer breathed his last.
“Shadows take me...” he gasped, and then he was gone. Sapphire, never the sentimental type, cleaned her sword off on his armour before going through his pockets. With Mercer dead, Brynjolf was free and he and Karliah were making their way over.
“Where's the Key,” Karliah gasped and Sapphire dug it out – a black and green monstrosity but still recognisably a key for all that. Alongside it were about 500 septims in coin, lots of jewels and best of all, the twin Eyes of the Falmer. The legends hadn't lied, they were the size of new babies and only just fit in Sapphire and Brynjolf's packs.
“Let's get out of here,” Brynjolf said tersely. Easier said than done. The water was already half filling the room, and the doors proved blocked.
“What do we do,” Sapphire whispered, fighting a rising wave of panic. Not like this, she didn't want to drown, even if she was a thief rather than a true Nord warrior, she'd rather die fighting.
“Up the stairs, let's get to the higher ground,” Karliah said, leading the way. Sapphire and Brynjolf followed, but it was no use. There was no way out and the water was rising fast. Once behind the Snow Elf's head, there was nowhere left to run.
“We're going to die,” Brynjolf whispered, voice oddly flat for someone normally so optimistic. “After all that, we're going to die here.”
“But we avenged the Guild,” Sapphire said, feeling her heart break at the thought of it ending like this. “We got the treasure! We can't just die!”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.3
Date: 2013-12-21 06:24 pm (UTC)Sapphire shook her head. It felt wrong to see Brynjolf look so dispirited. She knelt beside him in the rising water.
“If it ends here, at least it's with a friend,” Sapphire said quietly. That did get a smile off him. Then the waves reached their chins, and they were swimming. Except for Karliah, standing and staring at the roof as the waves surrounded her face.
“Karliah!” Sapphire cried. The Dunmer barely moved.
“Nocturnal will provide,” Karliah said simply, and then the waves swallowed her under. Sapphire took a deep breath, took Brynjolf's hand and then they were both under water too, clinging on to each other in the murk... and with the last of the light gone, Nocturnal answered. Another explosion rocked the room and the roof caved in, rocks missing all three by inches – and light glimmering in from the newly revealed hole.
Sapphire wasn't going to argue. Striking out for it, she swam upwards, Karliah already ahead of her, Brynjolf close behind, and while her lungs were burning, she had enough strength to drag herself onwards. Finally her head broke water and Sapphire gasped as air flooded back into her lungs, Karliah there to offer her a hand and pull her onto solid land, holding her upright while Brynjolf joined them, all three dripping wet but alive, gloriously alive.
“We did it,” Sapphire gasped. “We got the Eyes!”
“And the Key!” Karliah laughed.
“And justice,” Brynjolf said quietly, arms around them both, and not all the water on his face was from the lake. Sapphire couldn't blame him for getting emotional. Now the excitement of catching Mercer was done, they all had to face the reality of no more Guild. Of having to start all over again.
“Now what?” Sapphire eventually had to ask. “Bryn, I'm with you, whatever you want to do.”
“Don't say that, lass, you don't know where I'm going,” Brynjolf laughed. “But all the same, we do need a plan. Need to fence these Eyes for one thing.”
“We need to give Nocturnal her Key back,” Karliah said firmly. “But I agree, we should sort out the spoils first. Brynjolf, is Niranye still in Windhelm? Think she could help?”
“She hasn't fenced for us in a long time and I doubt she's got the coin... but it's worth asking her,” Brynjolf said thoughtfully. “She might be able to put us in touch with a buyer – if not, Delvin's got contacts all over. We can ask him once he's feeling better.”
“And after?” Sapphire asked. “Where do we even start with rebuilding the Guild?”
“We don't,” said Brynjolf. Sapphire looked up, shocked as she realised perhaps he'd intended this all along.
“But... Brynjolf, the Guild's your life!” Sapphire cried. “You can't just walk away! Where will you go?”
Brynjolf smiled a little at that. “You know, Sapphire, there's more to life than coin alone. I know, the last thing you'd ever thought I'd say, but it's true. Those Thalmor bastards killed my Guild – well, turns out we're not the only ones they've fucked off. I plan to take the fight to the fetchers and make some coin along the way – and maybe in a few years we can really start sorting the Guild out again. In the mean time, I'm not keeping my share of all this. I'm handing it over to someone who really needs the coin. I think it's about time I told you both who my client for the Embassy job was...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The Blades. You've signed up with the Blades,” Karliah said, staring in disbelief at him as all three sat by the side of the lake. “Dragonslayers??”
“I know, it's hard to believe, eh?” Brynjolf grinned, still looking a little embarrassed but not actually at all guilty over this. “But it's true. Delphine turns up after all these years, offers me a dangerous job knocking over the Thalmor Embassy, and I end up fighting dragons and Forsworn and taking over this old Blades temple in the Reach. It's definitely been an experience.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.4
Date: 2013-12-21 06:25 pm (UTC)“She never did,” Brynjolf said quietly. “She just disappeared. I got a note about six months later telling me she was sorry but that she was all right and not to come looking for her. She wasn't close to a lot of people, but she and I went out on jobs together all the time. I thought we were friends, was furious with her when she left... but I get why now. She thought the Thalmor had found her and didn't want them to hurt us as well.”
“She gave us ten years then,” Sapphire said, closing her eyes and remembering all the bodies and blood. Brynjolf was right, she couldn't just go back to the Cistern as if nothing had happened. “So what now? Guess you're going back to Delphine. Why does she need a thief anyway?”
“Covert ops and fundraising,” Brynjolf said, patting the Eye in his rucksack. “Blades look after the Dragonborn, keep the world safe for humanity, they need spies keeping an eye out for threats. That's where Delphine got her training, and she can always use talented sneaky types. I'm heading back there after this. She'll be pleased about the cash although less so about the Guild. Doubt she'll miss Mercer though, she never did get on with him. Could never be bothered with courting his approval or pretending she wouldn't have been as good a Guildmaster as Mercer.”
“I like her already,” Karliah laughed, looking thoughtful. “Listen, I'm not sure about joining up. Sounds a bit too straight and narrow for my liking. I'm a rogue, not a hero. But I'm willing to help out on the odd job if you need an extra pair of hands. I'll be at Nightingale Hall, working as an independent contractor. When you need me, come find me.”
“I will,” Brynjolf promised, clasping her hand. “What about you, Sapphire?”
A tricky one. On the one hand, she could help Karliah out – but she didn't know the Dunmer that well and wasn't sure how well they'd work out. Then there was going it alone... but Sapphire didn't really quite have the experience for that yet. There was always joining the Mallories on Solstheim – but thieving opportunities were going to be thin on the ground over there. Then there was the Blades...
“Can I come with you?” Sapphire asked hesitantly. “I don't know about sticking around forever, but I can help out for a bit until we're ready to start sorting the Guild out properly.”
A broad grin split Brynjolf's face and he held out a hand to her, smiling as he pulled her in for a hug.
“That's what I hoped you'd say, lass. Welcome aboard.”
Sapphire submitted to the hug – Brynjolf might be a bit of a ladies' man, but he was also in possession of a certain code and he was one of the few people she felt comfortable enough to let touch her, him and Glover Mallory, someone else who'd never been anything other than a perfect gentleman around her.
“So how far is this place then? This Blades Temple?”
“A bloody long way,” Brynjolf admitted. “But we don't have to set out right now. The Nightgate Inn's not far from here, is it, Karliah?”
“Just the other side of the lake if I remember rightly,” Karliah said thoughtfully. “Come on, let's go and crash out there and have a drink together. We've all earned it, I'd say.”
All three helped each other to their feet, picking their way round to the distant lights of the Nightgate Inn glimmering in the distance, three Nightingales looking for home. They didn't have one yet... but in time, the Guild would rise again. Of that, Sapphire was certain.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.5
Date: 2013-12-21 06:27 pm (UTC)While Sapphire was berating the innkeeper and grudgingly accepting one single bed for Brynjolf, and a bedroll in the other room that Karliah and she would share, in return for a round of free drinks for the three of them, Brynjolf made his way over to where the brothers were sitting at a table, heads down while they had dinner.
“Well now,” Brynjolf murmured, taking a seat next to the smaller of the two men. “Not often a man runs into two Companions of Jorrvaskr on the road. Got any stories of heroic deeds for me, lads?”
“Do I look like a bard to you?” the shorter one snapped, glaring at him. “My brother and I are having a quiet drink and dinner. We're not here to entertain the rest of Skyrim.”
“Ah, now that's a shame,” Brynjolf said calmly, recalling Aela's tales of Jorrvaskr and guessing who these two were. “Especially since we've got a friend in common and all. Aela sends her regards, and shouldn't you two be checking in at Jorrvaskr soon? You've left that old man Kodlak running things all on his own. Very irresponsible of you, Vilkas.”
Vilkas' head whipped round, lips curling backwards in a snarl as he glared at Brynjolf, who realised just a little too late what the wolf armour probably symbolised.
“Don't lecture me on responsibility, thief,” Vilkas growled, and across the table his brother was cracking his knuckles. This might not have been one of Brynjolf's better ideas.
“Now that is a harsh word to call a man you've only just met,” Brynjolf protested, raising his hands to show they definitely weren't in Vilkas's pockets or anything.
“Oh I know you,” Vilkas spat. “You're that market trader from Riften, the one with the questionable potions for sale. An honest city would have run you out of it years ago.”
Very probably, and it was a bitter irony that it was revenge rather than justice that had achieved that objective. All the same, Brynjolf could tell that of all of them around this table, he was the least desperate of the three.
“Well, as you can see, I'm not there now, so perhaps my luck ran out at last. But clearly I'm not the only one. You two lads have not had a good time of it lately, have you now?”
Vilkas said nothing, just glaring at him, but Farkas looked amazed. Really, someone needed to give the lad a few lessons in being a bit less obvious, he knew Companions had never been terribly good at subtlety but this one seemed a bit simple even for them.
“How did you know that?” Farkas asked, awed even as Vilkas had his head in his hands.
“Three empty flagons on the table already but you're not singing and carousing, either of you. Good arms and armour but a little worn of late, almost as if you've not got the coin or time to visit a smith. Your boots look like you've been on the road for weeks, but we're not far from Jorrvaskr, a day if that. And I can sense the desperation a mile off. Whatever your business is, it's not gone well. Let me guess, you swore some binding oath that you'd do something and not go home until it was done, and it's proving harder than you thought.”
“That's amazing,” Farkas whispered, impressed. Vilkas just grunted.
“That's something any con artist can manage, Farkas. He's just a thief, brother. Even if he does claim to know Aela. Hah, you probably just tried to sell her something once.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.6
Date: 2013-12-21 06:28 pm (UTC)“Are you really a thief?” Farkas whispered, glancing nervously around the inn. Definitely a simple one.
“Wouldn't tell you if I was, lad,” Brynjolf murmured. “Don't tell me you want to change jobs.”
“Farkas!” Vilkas snapped. “We do not look up to criminals.”
“I wasn't...” Farkas protested, before glaring at his brother. “Look, if he's a thief, he might be able to help! We never got anywhere, but a sneaky type might.”
“Get where?” Brynjolf asked, his curiosity piqued. He didn't know what the brothers would have in the way of coin, but a favour owed in Jorrvaskr might come in useful.
“Farkas!” Vilkas hissed, but he was gritting his teeth, clearly seeing something in his brother's argument, his hands going to something clipped to his waist – Shor's bones, was that Azura's Star?? Looked a bit worse for wear, but it definitely looked like the descriptions Brynjolf had read.
“You want to tell me what you lads are mixed up in?” Brynjolf asked, just as Karliah arrived with drinks in hand.
“Making some friends, Brynjolf?” she asked, before her eyes raked over the Star on Vilkas' belt, Dunmer eyes seeing what Brynjolf initially hadn't noticed. “By N- by the Reclamations, is that Azura's Star??”
“It is not for sale!” Vilkas hissed, grabbing it and putting it on the table out of either thief's reach.
“In that condition, I'm not sure I'd want to buy it,” Karliah said, looking vaguely appalled at the state the Star had got into as she took a seat on the bench next to Farkas. “What did you do to it?”
“Nothing!” Vilkas snapped. “It was like that when we found it. We're on our way to Azura's shrine in Winterhold to take it back!”
“I'm sure Azura will be ecstatic to see what's happened to it,” Karliah said, eyeing it nervously. Sapphire arrived at that point, fresh from having hauled the bags into the rooms, and accepted her mead off Karliah, taking a seat next to the Dunmer.
“Honningbrew?” Sapphire asked, waving the mead in the air. “I feel like a traitor just looking at it.”
“No need, I get five per cent on all sales,” Karliah said cheerfully, before realising what she'd just admitted and blushing.
“You!” Brynjolf cried. “You're the one who was trying to take down Maven!”
“To hurt a man, first bring down his allies,” said Karliah, shrugging as she sipped her Honningbrew. “If it's any consolation, I can reign in the competition a little if you like? Not really any point antagonising Maven any more...”
“Please spare us your corrupt business dealings,” Vilkas growled, rolling his eyes. Farkas was staring at his own Honningbrew, wondering if drinking it was honourable any more. He hoped so, he really liked the taste.
Sapphire narrowed her eyes, steely glaze not leaving Vilkas.
“Brynjolf, why are we sitting down to dinner with two mercenaries who are clearly going to sit there judging us every five minutes?”
“Ah now, that's a very good question, Sapphire,” Brynjolf said, glad of a change in subject. “See, these two lads are Companions of Jorrvaskr, and they were going to entertain us all with a heroic story involving a sworn oath, Azura's Star and a possible job that we might be able to help with. Weren't you, Vilkas?”
“A job?” Karliah said, toying with her mead bottle, her earlier reservations over the Star forgotten as the prospect of coin dangled in front of her. “What sort of job?”
“We charge for our services,” Sapphire said fiercely. “I doubt you've got the coin to hire us.”
“Now, now,” Brynjolf said calmly. “I'm sure we can negotiate a fee once we've heard everything. Even if we don't take it, well, I'm sure it's a good story. So how did you get hold of Azura's Star exactly?”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.7
Date: 2013-12-21 06:30 pm (UTC)“My brother speaks the truth,” Vilkas sighed, drinking his mead. “But not the entire truth. Aranea said that if we did this thing for Azura, the goddess would assist us, but that we had to leave quickly if we wished to be in time. For what, Aranea did not or could not say. But we would not be in this inn tonight, here and now, if we had not set out on that mission. So maybe this is meant to be. I can't say I like it... but the welfare of a dear friend rests on this. All right then, thief. You know we're Companions, you say you know Aela... but have you heard of the Dragonborn?”
Silence around the table as both women's eyes turned to Brynjolf. They'd both shrieked on hearing he'd actually met the famous Elisif Dragonborn and pestered him for stories, bombarding him with questions, wanting to know if she was as pretty as everyone said, if she'd really killed dragons and necromancers, if the golden sword was real (and was it worth anything?). He'd said yes to it all but advised against stealing the sword. Elisif was a sweet young girl but with a bit of a black and white view of the world... and she was very attached to that sword. After seeing her take on a dragon, Brynjolf had decided it wasn't worth risking her wrath.
“I'm familiar with Jarl Elisif, yes,” Brynjolf said delicately. “She's involved too?”
“Not directly,” Vilkas said bitterly, staring into his tankard. “But one of our Shield-Sisters, a young Imperial called Ria, decided to follow her on her adventures. Except it didn't go well.”
“She died?” Sapphire asked, and Brynjolf shot her a glare. He'd seen that look before, interest and bloodlust and wistfulness over having to leave the Brotherhood, which meant she was hoping for a revenge contract two Companions could never honourably take themselves.
“Worse,” Vilkas said, shaking his head. “She got captured by the Stormcloaks. They're holding her prisoner in Windhelm, and as she's a political prisoner, there's no bail. I don't know what Ulfric wants with her and I don't care, but she's our Shield-Sister and we won't abandon her.”
“Except rescuing her's harder than it looks,” Farkas said moodily. “She's locked up tight, and we're not any good at sneaking around. Can't pick locks either. That and we're too well-known. Guards'll know we're up to something, they were all keeping tabs on us while we were there, the New Gnisis was the only place we could get any peace. That's where we heard about the Shrine of Azura and thought we might as well try it.”
“You want a jailbreak doing,” Brynjolf said, pondering all this. Now wasn't that interesting. Normally he'd be calculating the fee and charging heavily for this sort of service... but if Ria had got caught because she'd been protecting Elisif, that made a difference. Brynjolf knew the story, had heard it in a drunken late-night chat that first night at Sky Haven when he'd ended up sitting up with Aela and Elisif and later Cicero, who'd actually been quiet, just cuddling Elisif and listening to them talk with an odd little smile on his face. Elisif had looked heartbroken and guilty as she'd retold the whole thing and it was clear she still missed both Jordis and Ria, blaming herself even though Aela told her it wasn't her fault. Well, Brynjolf couldn't bring Jordis back from the dead but perhaps he could get Ria freed.
“A political prisoner in Ulfric's stronghold,” Karliah pondered. “That'll take some doing. I hope you have coin for this.”
The answer to that was clearly no, and Brynjolf doubted Jorrvaskr's coffers were overflowing either. Nevertheless he could afford to be generous on this one.
“On the other hand, he has to know her ransom value's limited and she's not likely to know much,” Brynjolf mused. “I doubt he's got her under the very highest security. We might be able to do something. If you've not got the coin, a favour owed might be possible.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 18.8
Date: 2013-12-21 06:32 pm (UTC)“If you want our help, you might not get a choice,” Sapphire snapped. Brynjolf placed a hand on her wrist, motioning for her to be calm.
“Tell you what,” Brynjolf said. “As it appears we have a few friends in common, both of whom would also like to see young Ria freed, I'll look into it for you. You stay here at the inn, the three of us will head out to Windhelm tomorrow and scout the situation for you for free. When we've done that and put a plan together, we'll send word and quote you a suitable fee. How does that sound?”
“Too good to be true,” Vilkas said, still dubious. “But all right. I'm not paying you a thing until Ria's back here and safe though.”
“Fine by me,” Brynjolf agreed. “We were heading that way tomorrow anyway on business of our own, it's no bother to do a little investigation.”
“We'll get her out of there if we can,” Karliah said, her voice reassuring and kind, which seemed to go down well with Farkas certainly, and even settled Vilkas a little. “Now, you told us why you were after the Star, but not how you found it. Where did you get it and what happened to it?”
Now that there was a possibility, however slim, of Ria being free, Vilkas could finally relax a little.
“Well all right, I suppose I can tell you the story. All Aranea could tell us was that we needed to go to Winterhold and look for a mage who could turn the brightest star as black as night...”
As Vilkas warmed to the tale, three thieves drank their mead and listened enraptured, and for one evening, Skyrim's men of honour and deep-seated rogues sat around the table and ate and drank as friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: There you go, the Guild questline done and dusted, although the Guild will take a while to rebuild. Many of you also were wanting to know what was happening to Ria, so I am pleased to tell you the Rescuing Ria subplot is now under way! With Nightingales on the case, I think you can all join me in being cautiously optimistic about this one...