Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Get out of this house, and never show your face here again.”  

Finral is running. 

He doesn’t know where he’s going. He knows where he is, and where he’s been, but as for his destination, he really couldn’t say. 

“The House of Vaude owes you nothing. Don’t even think about tarnishing our name by using it.”

He can’t go back to where he was. There’s no place left for him in that house – there probably never was one in the first place. They had always made it quite clear what they thought of him. What his place was. 

Finral is no noble, no heir of theirs. They don’t want him, and he can’t blame them. Who would? 

“You are no son of mine.”

He has to get far away from here. Away from Tota, away from the nobility, away from the Vaude Estate and everyone in it. Maybe if he runs far enough, they’ll forget he was ever there in the first place. They already tried to forget about him when he was still living there, anyways, it’ll surely be easy to do so now that he’s gone for good. 

And… Finral didn’t really have any reason to stay there, much less to go back, not after Langris left. He’s the one that will make their– his parents proud. Langris is the rising star of the Golden Dawn, the heir to the House of Vaude, the immensely powerful mage with the right type of spatial magic. 

Finral is not. 

He knows that. 

And so, when his father… when Ledior Vaude told him to leave and never come back, he didn’t argue, and he wasn’t surprised. He just grabbed the bag he’d kept packed ever since he realised that his fifteenth birthday would be the last straw, and he left. 

Maybe, if he’d gotten an offensive spell or two when he’d received his grimoire this morning, things would have been different. Finral could have proved that he wasn’t such a waste of space if he’d just been able to do one thing right with his magic, but clearly, that was a pipe dream. Maybe he wouldn’t be traipsing through the woods at night with nothing but the bag slung across his torso and the cloak over his head, barely able to see two feet in front of himself through the trees and the torrential downpour. 

He just has to keep walking. The further he gets from Tota, from the Vaudes, the better. 

oOoOo

Yami really hates the rain. Even during the calmest, mildest days, it never fails to make him cold and miserable, soaking right through his cape and down to the skin beneath. 

He especially hates when he has to travel through the rain at night. The storm passing over has been going for the past week and a half, making its way across the Clover Kingdom, so there’s no ‘waiting it out’ – if Yami wants to get home, he’s just going to have to get soggy and deal with it. 

The other downside to this weather is just how impossible it becomes to fly a damn broomstick. The wood gets all slippery and wet beneath him, and with how Yami’s gotten used to perching on his broom like some messed-up crow, any small shift of his weight could send him tumbling off and down into the forest below. It’s a good thing none of his squadmates are here to see him like this, because they’d never let him hear the end of it if he fell off his broom and landed in a bush like some kind of idiot. Though, it sure would be nice to have somebody out here with him. 

Vanessa’s threads would be handy for keeping him on his broom and following the course back home, and Magna’s fire could not only light the way, but also keep him at least a little bit warm and dry in the face of this awful storm. He’d even take Luck, if it really came down to it – the kid’s a menace, but he’s fast and entertaining, and Yami could really use a distraction right now. 

A flash of something bright down below catches his eye, and Yami slows his broom down, making a note of the direction he’d been heading in while he hopes he’s not about to get himself turned around in this downpour. Something’s moving down in the woods, something small and quick, but Yami can’t tell if it’s an animal or a person. He thought he saw a bit of bright green, too bright to be any kind of foliage, but it had disappeared so quickly that he might’ve just imagined it. 

But then, he sees it again. In the brief glimpse he gets through the cover of the trees, he sees a kid in a brown cloak and some fancy green clothes, the type a lower noble would wear, booking it through the woods like his life depends on it. He didn’t see the kid’s face, nor most of what was hidden under that big cloak, but from what he could tell, the kid was probably thirteen or fourteen at most – maybe fifteen, if he was really small for his age. Malnourishment could do that to someone, sure, but so could a particular hand in the genetic lottery. 

No matter how old, though, that was obviously a child, and Yami knows they’re miles away from any town. What the hell is a kid doing out here on his own, so far out into the woods, and at this hour, in this weather? 

Well. Yami had wanted something interesting to happen, hadn’t he? 

It takes him a few minutes to catch up without losing the kid in the undergrowth (that little shit is fast ), but eventually, Yami manages to get close enough to drop down in front of the kid, leaving his broom to float down beside him as he cuts off the kid’s mad dash for… wherever he thinks he’s going. 

The boy stumbles to a halt, and now that Yami’s on the ground in front of him, he can get a better look at his face. He’s obviously young, with dusty brown hair and pinkish eyes, but his face is too thin, and his skin is slightly grungy as well, like it’s been a while since he had a proper bath or meal. The dirt can be explained away by how he was just bolting through the woods, but the too-slim build is… concerning, to say the least. 

“Didn’t mean to startle you,” Yami lies, because he absolutely did mean to. “What’re you doing this far out in the woods? Ain’t it the middle of the night? You oughta be in bed, kid.” 

The kid doesn’t answer, taking a measured step back as he scans Yami, the clearing, the sky, and just about anywhere else where a threat could hide. There’s a bag slung across his chest that rests on his left hip, and a grimoire holstered on the right with a belt that looks like it’s been hastily adjusted for that purpose. 

“Listen.” Yami doesn’t move any closer, because he’d rather not give the skittish little bastard a heart attack, but he does shift to put a hand on his hip. “You’re miles from any town, and I wasn’t kidding about how late it is. You’re… what, twelve? Y’need a ride back to wherever it is you came from, or… somethin’?” 

The boy lets out a short, slightly nervous laugh. “That– that won’t be necessary, sir. I can manage just fine on my own.” 

So not only a jumpy kid, but a stubborn one as well. Yami sighs. “Kid, you–” 

It’s then that he makes his fatal mistake – taking a step forward. The boy’s eyes widen in panic, and in an instant, he’s just… gone. Yami is left in an empty clearing, blinking the spots out of his eyes from what he’s sure must have been a burst of light, but there’s no trace of the boy anywhere. 

Well, fuck. 

Yami’s sure this must have been the work of the kid’s magic, but that still doesn’t tell him what it is, much less who it is. It could be spatial magic, but it could also be something like invisibility or speed, and Yami has no way to tell which one. Hell, the kid could even have some kind of illusion magic, if he’s creative with it. Whatever the case, Yami still has no idea who he is or where the hell he went… which means that there’s still an underfed, twitchy little brat running around the woods somewhere in the middle of a storm. 

God, this is somehow going to become his problem, isn’t it? He was too curious for his own good and just had to fly down to investigate, and now he’s going to have to see this mess through. 

Whatever – at least it’s something to do. It was getting boring around here, anyways. 

oOoOo

The next time Yami sees the kid, it’s two days later in the middle of a town. It’s still raining out, since that storm is taking its goddamn time passing over, but at least this time, the kid is inside. 

Of course, he’s in a bar, so Yami’s still kind of concerned about how exactly he got in here. There’s no way the kid is sixteen already, despite the presence of a grimoire on his hip, and with a babyface like that, Yami’s shocked anyone even let him through the door. Still, there he is in the corner, with his cloak wrapped around him and his hood up as he chows down on a sandwich like he’s worried someone will take it away from him if he doesn’t finish it fast enough. 

Yami doesn’t go over to the kid, at first. He orders a drink, plays a round of cards with some regulars he vaguely recognises, and settles in to see what the boy’s going to do. The town is fairly close to the Black Bulls’ hideout, so Yami comes here every so often to gamble with some of the drunkards – probably a bad habit, but in this case, it gives him an excuse to hang around and watch the kid without looking suspicious. 

He’s not sure if the kid has recognised him yet or not. Judging by the way his eyes flit around the room, the boy knows someone is watching him, but does he realise it’s the same man from the other night? 

Eventually, the kid starts looking shifty, like he’s getting ready to leave, and Yami decides he’s going to have to do something sooner rather than later. Luckily, one of the drunkards just got up and left, citing that he couldn’t read the numbers on the cards anymore, giving Yami the perfect opportunity to talk to the kid. 

“Damn, we’re gonna need another person,” Yami sighs, leaning back in his chair and making a show of looking around the room. The other players are too drunk to notice if he’s hamming it up or not, but he’s got the kid’s attention, at least. “Hey, you. You ever played blackjack?” 

Theoretically, they could keep playing with only three people, but Yami’s betting on the kid not knowing that. Sure enough, he shakes his head after a quick glance around. 

“Well, you wanna learn?” 

“I don’t have much to bet,” the kid replies. His voice is quiet, barely audible over the background noise of the bar. 

Yami shrugs. “Eh. We’re barely betting tonight, anyways. Come on over, I’ll teach ya the rules.” 

The kid is hesitant, but he grabs his bag and moves over to their table, taking the empty seat left behind by the man who had just gone home. The other two players are fairly drunk as well – not enough to take them out of the game, but they’ll probably be too dazed to get in the way of Yami’s information-gathering. 

Yami deals out the cards to each player, starting with the kid, and begins to explain the rules. The boy seems to be picking them up fairly quickly, never needing Yami to repeat anything or walk him through it. Despite that, there’s no spark of recognition about any aspect of the game – the kid has obviously never played blackjack, nor has he even been near a game. That’s a pretty big tally in the column for ‘runaway noble’, in Yami’s opinion, because he can’t think of any other life where a teenager wouldn’t have even seen somebody playing cards before. 

He’s quiet and reserved, but Yami gets the feeling that it’s more of a protective shell than his actual personality. Judging by his ki, the kid is still waiting for the other shoe to drop – waiting for something to go wrong. 

“So, you got a name, kid?” Yami eventually asks after a couple rounds. By now, the boy’s pretty much gotten the hang of things, even winning a few yul in the last round. 

The kid hesitates, eyeing Yami as he weighs his options, but eventually, he nods. “Finral.” 

“Finral?” 

He nods. 

“Well, alright then,” Yami acquiesces. “You told me your name, so I’ll tell you mine. Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls.” 

“You’re the Captain of a Magic Knights’ squad,” Finral repeats. “Then you’re…” 

He trails off, and Yami shrugs, letting the silence hang for a few moments to see if Finral plans on finishing that sentence – which he doesn’t, apparently. “Yeah. My squad’s a bunch of brats, but they’re good folks. Destructive, but good.” 

Finral doesn’t reply. His ki feels odd, sort of wobbly. Yami doesn’t like it. 

“You ever think about joining the Magic Knights, kid?” Yami asks. 

He pauses. “...No, I haven’t.” 

That’s a lie. Yami can feel it, clear as day – Finral has absolutely thought about joining the Knights, and if Yami’s reading him correctly (which he knows he is), then he’s still thinking about it. 

Yami leans back in his chair, taking a drag of his cigarette. “What kinda magic you got, then?” 

“Spatial,” Finral says quietly after a long pause. “Just… portals, though. I can’t do offensive magic.” 

Spatial. The kid makes portals, and he sounds… what, ashamed of it? Does he even know how useful that skill can be, or how much the other squads will want to snap him up if they get wind of his magic type? Spatial magic is rare to begin with, and while offensive mages tend to get more glory, there’s always a high demand for someone who can traverse miles in the blink of an eye. 

“Just portals,” Yami repeats. The end of his cigarette is burning down, flaking off into bits of ash that he brushes off of his cloak. “How far?” 

“Huh?” 

“How far can you go? Got any markers in other towns?” 

Finral eyes him suspiciously, but the other two players at the table have all but fallen asleep, and the bar is near-empty. There’s nobody around to hear him but Yami and the owner, a terrifying woman with glass magic and a mean left hook – not that Finral would know that about her. Yami wishes he’d never found out. 

“...It’s mostly line of sight,” Finral eventually admits, but his ki tells Yami he’s lying, or at least not telling the full truth. “I don’t have many markers outside of my hometown.” 

Another lie. He’s probably got markers all over, and doesn’t want to give that information out to any old stranger. Smart of him, really, considering how many people might want to use a powerful spatial mage for unsavoury things. Smugglers with spatial mages tend to be far harder to catch, after all… though, how Finral would know anything about that, Yami isn’t sure. 

“Shame,” Yami sighs. “Portals are damn useful. Don’t suppose you’ve got a marker out west, by Raele Village, do ya?” 

Finral pauses, considering. “Why do you ask?” 

“That’s where I’m headed. Figured it couldn’t hurt to ask if you could save me some time.” 

“Sorry, but I don’t.” 

Lie. 

“Ah, well. Guess I’ll be flying back after all.” Yami rises from his seat, putting his cigarette between his teeth so he can stretch his arms up towards the ceiling. “So, where’re you–” 

He cuts himself off abruptly as he looks back down to realise that Finral’s seat is empty, and there’s not a trace of him in the bar. Just like before, the kid’s vanished into oblivion. If Yami didn’t know any better, he really would think Finral had some kind of invisibility magic. 

The kid’s probably going to avoid Raele Village, now that Yami’s brought it up. Good thing he doesn’t really need to go there – any mission from those stuffy nobles about jewellery going missing can wait. 

Yami’s got a spatial mage to find. 

oOoOo

The third time Yami gets to talk to Finral, it’s Vanessa who spots him first. 

Specifically, it’s the third time Yami talks to Finral and not the third time Yami sees Finral because he’s actually seen him at least four times between now and their last proper meeting. Finral’s proving to be even more slippery than Yami had initially thought, vanishing completely the second he feels eyes on him. If Yami didn’t know any better, he’d say the kid was using ki to sense when he was being followed, but it’s looking more and more like a survival mechanism. 

Somebody made this kid feel like the only way he could be safe is if nobody notices him – like he should be nothing more than an unseen decoration if he wants to keep his head. Yami barely even knows him, but he already wants to take Finral back to the base and let Vanessa loose on him so she can sort out whatever weird shit’s going through his head. 

Speaking of Vanessa… 

“Hey, Captain,” she starts, nudging him in the side, “didn’t you say you were looking for somebody like that?” 

She tips her head towards a small figure ducking into an alleyway, shrouded by a brown cloak, but with the hood down this time to reveal light brown hair and a thin, slightly freckled face. The only reason Vanessa even knows what he should look like (and the only reason Vanessa’s even here ) is because she came to hunt Yami down when he didn’t come back to the base within the week like he’d said he would. He’d explained the whole situation to her, and now, she might be even more invested in getting ahold of the kid than Yami is. 

Yami nods, surreptitiously changing course to follow Finral into the alley. Vanessa is on his heels, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be following – either them or the skittish kid. 

“Fancy meetin’ you here, kid.” Yami tips his head in greeting as he spies Finral, crouched down and leaning against a wall as he bites into a hunk of bread. It looks fresh and clean, at least, so hopefully it’s something he bought and not something he had to fish out of a bin. 

Finral startles, but doesn’t try to portal away, instead choosing to try and hide the bread beneath his cloak as he eyes both Yami and Vanessa with immense suspicion. “...I thought you said you were going to Raele.” 

“I was,” Yami confirms. “And now I’m here.” 

“She wasn’t with you last time.” 

“I’m one of his squadmates,” Vanessa explains, giving the kid a sweet smile. “Vanessa Enoteca. What’s your name, cutie?” 

“...Finral,” he says eventually. Interestingly, he seems far less suspicious of Vanessa than he is of Yami – though, that could be because Vanessa is generally nonthreatening unless you piss her off, and Yami looks like he’s two steps from committing murder at any given moment. “And you’re here because…?” 

“We had a mission in the area, but now we’re headed home,” Vanessa lies smoothly. “Do you know how to get to Rayaka from here? It’s on the way to our hideout, but we’ve gotten a bit turned around, you see.”  

Finral nods, pointing in a random direction. “That way. About twenty-three miles west, and you should be at the entrance.” 

“My, that’s clever. Have you been there before?” 

“...No, I haven’t. I’ve… seen it on a map, so I remember from there.” 

A partial lie. If Yami had to guess, he’s been in the area surrounding Rayaka – either that, or his spatial magic gives him some kind of perfect internal compass. He was at least telling the truth about how to get there, so he’s not trying to mislead them by lying about directions. 

“I don’t suppose you’d mind walking us to the town’s edge?” Vanessa asks. “It’s just that these streets are awfully twisty, and I'd hate to forget which way you pointed us before we could even get out of the residential district.” 

Finral hesitates, but eventually, he nods, hauling himself to his feet. The chunk of bread has vanished, probably into a pocket or something like that, though Yami never did see him tuck it away. “I can… take you to the edge of town, I suppose. I’m not planning on going to Rayaka, though.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Vanessa chirps. “You’re so helpful, it’s too bad we don’t have anyone like you on our squad. Say, if you’re not headed to Rayaka, then where do you plan to go?” 

He shrugs, leading them out of the alley and glancing around before starting down the crowded street. The kid feels on edge the whole time, like he’s expecting to be attacked – another mental tally that he’s probably running from someone or something. “Ah… east, I suppose. Just travelling around.” 

Vanessa’s eyes narrow, though her tone stays just as jovial and pleasant. “I see, I see. Are you looking for something?” 

“No. Just… just travelling.” 

Vanessa shoots Yami a look, and behind Finral’s back, he gives her a covert nod. They’ll have to convince Finral first, but Vanessa can see as clearly as Yami can that the kid’s a perfect fit for their squad. 

Finral weaves through the crowds as he leads the way towards the edge of town, stopping once they get onto the dirt road that will take them through the woods and fields and out to Rayaka. There, he hesitates, clearly waiting to see what Yami and Vanessa will do. 

“Thanks for bringing us out here, cutie,” Vanessa tells him with a smile. “We’ll be on our way now, but if you ever need any help from a Magic Knight, the Black Bulls will have your back. We like to repay our favours, after all.” 

She winks and Finral pinkens, looking slightly surprised by the attention (and maybe even a little uncomfortable). “Ah… thank you, ma’am. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

Yami glances towards the dirt road, noting that it does look slightly familiar (meaning it probably is the right way, and Finral really did lead them in the correct direction), but when he looks back, Finral’s vanished again. Even Vanessa is blinking in surprise, looking around like she expects him to have just ducked behind a passerby or something. 

“He’s gone,” she muses, looking thoughtful. “Spatial magic, you said?” 

Yami nods. “Damn quick, and skittish, too. I’ve got a feeling he won’t be an easy one to recruit.” 

“Ah, but if he was, where would be the fun in that? You know you love a challenge, Captain.” 

“True,” Yami shrugs. “But I’d say the idiots I already have are enough of a challenge for the whole kingdom and then some.” 

oOoOo

Vanessa has to admit, she’s kind of intrigued by this new kid Yami’s scouting. 

Spatial magic like that is one thing on its own, especially when the boy is able to use it as discreetly as he does (given how she didn’t even notice he was leaving until he was already gone), but that doesn’t even touch on the mystery that is Finral himself. He speaks like a noble, has the face and eye colour for one, but he dresses and carries himself more like a servant. He’s far too thin and jumpy for someone raised in a rich household where food and attention would be plentiful, and he’s out on the streets at… what, fifteen? Judging by the grimoire, he’s got to be at least fifteen, although Vanessa would have pegged his age at closer to thirteen.  

Needless to say, the boy’s an enigma, and Vanessa has questions. Of course, that tragic backstory that’s surely hanging over him would make him a perfect fit for the Black Bulls – they’re already a collection of traumatised weirdos, so what’s one more in the mix? 

Finral obviously doesn’t trust Yami, but he seems at least slightly less wary of Vanessa, which fares well for their chances of getting him to join the team. 

It’s still over a week that goes by before she sees him again, though. 

More accurately, Vanessa hears Finral before she sees him. There’s some kind of commotion going on in a nearby alley, right outside the bar that she had just left Yami in, and Vanessa has always been the curious sort – she can’t help but wander over to investigate. 

She expects to find some drunken idiots making a nuisance of themselves. What she doesn’t expect is the scrappy little spatial mage they’ve cornered, with his grimoire lying on the ground on the opposite side of the alleyway. There’s still a bit of residual mana hanging in the air, like a portal was made here recently, and a bit of torn lace hanging from the edge of a broken signpost. If Vanessa had to guess, there had been a woman here a few minutes ago – had Finral portaled her to safety when these men started to harass her? 

“My, my,” Vanessa hums, sauntering into the alley as she manifests a few threads to twirl around her gloved fingers. “It’s not very nice to corner people like that, now is it?” 

The two men still, and Finral’s eyes flick to her for a moment, a spark of recognition showing her that he obviously remembers who she is. Impressive, considering it’s been nearly two weeks since they last met… although, Vanessa is pretty distinctive. 

“You oughta mind y’r own business, witch, ” one of the men spits, waving a hand at her with loose, sloppy movements. Obviously drunk, far too much to use his critical thinking and realise she’s wearing a Magic Knights’ robe. “We’re jus’... jus’ gettin’ some payback.”  

“Payback,” she muses, “payback for what?” 

The other man eyes her, noting the threads circling around her fingers. “Private business. Ain’t your concern, missy.” 

Finral doesn’t say anything, but his gaze is fixed on his grimoire, obviously gauging the distance to see if he can grab it without being noticed. Unluckily for him, though, one of the men notices, stamping a heavy boot over it before he can even think of trying to get ahold of it again. 

Vanessa’s eyes narrow. 

In a flash, the man is strung up between the brick and stone walls of the alley, suspended in the air by pink threads so thin they’re practically invisible. Finral’s grimoire is only left lying on the ground for a split second before a portal opens under it, left open just long enough for the book to drop through and land in its owner’s lap. 

Vanessa sighs, plucking at the suspending strings as she snakes a few more threads around the other man’s ankles. “You know, when a Magic Knight asks you a question, you should probably answer a bit more truthfully… and perhaps stop harassing random citizens, as well.” 

“He got in our way first!” The other man shouts, and Vanessa flicks her fingers, sending him flying up into the air to hang amongst the threads with his friend. 

He looks like a nice, fat fly about to be feasted on by a spider, she muses, though she doesn’t say it out loud. 

“What’s going on here?” 

The low voice from behind makes Vanessa turn around, where she’s met with the unsurprising sight of her captain. “Oh, nothing much. Just a few lowlifes bothering this sweet boy.” 

By now, Finral has pulled himself to his feet and dusted off his clothes, though he’s still opting to clutch his grimoire protectively rather than holstering it against his hip again. “Thank you for your assistance, ma’am. I… suppose this makes us even?” 

“Even?” Vanessa blinks a few times before letting out a chuckle. “Oh, no, I didn’t do it out of obligation. How did you get all tangled up with these two, anyways?” 

Yami stays silent as Finral stiltedly explains, spinning a rough tale of a woman and her friend being cornered by two thieves, and then of himself portaling them a few streets over to get them out of danger. 

“I… neglected to get myself out of the situation as well, though,” he mutters, obviously embarrassed. “A bit stupid of me, in retrospect.” 

“I’m sure those women didn’t think it was stupid,” Yami rumbles. He turns his gaze toward the two drunk criminals, tutting in disapproval. “Vanessa, leave ‘em there and make a note for the city guard.” 

Vanessa nods, wrapping her strings around her captives more securely as she weaves a small note explaining the situation, ending the message with a little embroidered insignia of the Black Bulls’ symbol.  The men protest a bit, but a quick squeeze of the threads shuts them up – or perhaps it’s the murderous glare Vanessa levels their way as she does it. 

With that out of the way, Vanessa rejoins her captain and their new recruit, who’s still looking just as nervous as before. Yami really wasn’t kidding about the poor boy being skittish. 

“So,” Vanessa begins, “that was pretty noble of you, hm?” 

Finral frowns. “I wouldn’t call it… noble, exactly. Impulsive seems more appropriate.” 

“Ah, but your impulse was to help, wasn’t it?” She points out. “Not to run, not to ignore it, but to help. Say… you’re about fifteen, aren’t you?” 

He nods. 

“Old enough to have your grimoire,” and at that, she tips her head at the book now strapped to his hip, “and old enough to join a Magic Knights’ squad.” 

Finral’s eyes widen. His gaze flicks from Vanessa to the captain and back again, but Yami stays silent, letting Vanessa take the lead. 

“So, how about it? You could wait for the exams – I know Yami would raise his hand for you, and I have a feeling a few other squads would as well – or… you could come back with us now, if you’re up for it.” 

“Back… back where?” 

“To the Black Bulls’ base,” Yami replies. “Whaddya say, kid? You want to be a Magic Knight?” 

For a long moment, Finral doesn’t respond, simply looking between them both like he’s waiting for one of them to suddenly admit it was all a big joke. Vanessa waits patiently, letting the offer hang in the air until it finally clicks that they’re being serious. 

“You really mean it,” Finral says slowly, “You’re offering for… me to join your team?” 

Yami shrugs. “You’ve got some handy magic, and as far as I can tell, not much else going on. So?” 

Finral hesitates for a minute longer, until he finally gives them both a sharp nod. “Alright. Alright, I’ll… I’ll join your squad.” 

Vanessa grins and unfastens her robe, tossing it to him as her threads already begin to weave a new one around her shoulders. “Good choice, cutie. Welcome to the team.”