Sing a tale of Molly

[SailorBart]

Ten years ago, I started writing this ill-planned route that I never finished. I often try to pick it back up and finish it, but for some reason never do.

Many of us got a strange second start to life after KS. We got this weird feeling of there being more to the world, and wanting to see more of it. Sometimes, I feel like I never really took mine. But, maybe finishing this will give me the push I need. Maybe it's just a nice story that we few left will enjoy. Either way, I want to finish it this time. I miss you guys like crazy, but I know we're all living better lives now. The few of us I had the honor of knowing all have gone on to live better, more fulfilled lives by now. And in these words, with characters I've appropriated from far more talented people, I'd like to give you all my sincerest wish that all of us, every last one of us, go on to live as the happiest versions of ourselves. Please, wish me luck in finishing this piece. I have a lot riding on it's completion.

The Molly Route

Walking down the hallway from the library, I reflect on Yuuko's words. Can I really get used to the students here? Burn scars, blindness, missing limbs... It all seems like too much. Would there ever be enough time to get used to a constant wave of abnormal, crippled students?

And on the heels of that, can I really learn to get past myself? It seems like an eternity has passed since Iwanako's confession, but the thought that I might drop dead unexpectedly is still hard to process. The mountain of pills, avoiding sudden shocks, keeping up with an exercise routine just to keep myself upright... well, it's not a very happy thought.

Lost in my thoughts, the sound of a violin doesn't register immediately. Almost lost in the white noise of my mind, it takes me a moment to realize it's a little out of place in the otherwise quiet hallway. Looking around, I realize I'm somewhere near Lilly's tea room, maybe just a few doors down. An open door is spilling the faintest shadow in the afternoon sun, one that moves strangely, almost like a puppet of sorts. Vaguely, I recognize the piece as something classical, one I've heard before but never learned the name of. It floats almost ethereally through the entryway, and I find myself drawn to it. Books in hand, I step onto the threshold and discover the source of the music.

The room looks to be like the one I met Lilly in; a small study of sorts, perhaps a little bit larger: maybe a trick of the mind, as the room has no furniture except for a set of cubourds onh the far wall. There's a small window near the roofline, casting golden afternoon light in on the rooms' sole occupant. She is almost completely turned away from me, but the small portion of her face I can make out shows her eyes closed, almost as if at sleep. I recognize the player after a moment; she sits right in front of me in class. I remember the prosthetic legs, and the twin braid ending in red ribbons; the slight, almost rail-like form that her body takes. She's not Japanese; I guessed her to be Indonesian or Indian, perhaps. Her skin isn't dark, but is a deeper sort of brown one would associate with an aged wooden chest, or perhaps the color of hot chocolate. Her face is soft but still striking in a strange way. Oddly, it reminds me of something art deco. Maybe it's the way she dips into her music, her body lilting and moving with her hands as she flows through the music. In front of her, a music stand with a single sheet on it sits forgotten.

The strings make a slow, low note, then climb instantly into a range coming close to a shriek but somehow, pleasantly. If that makes sense. “Octave.” I remember my music appreciation class from what seems like ages ago, and wonder briefly how I remember what seems like a completely arbitrary word. The wonder passes in an instant, as she dips back down, then climbs back to the upper range. I watch the bow making smooth movements back and forth, while her left hand seems to crawl, almost like a spider, across the neck of the instrument. It's strange, almost, how her fingers seem to change shape in an instant, far faster than I'd imagine possible. All the while, the bow seems to float in space, only gracing the strings so very slightly as to make the music.

She's a good player. Beyond good. It's entrancing and spellbinding, almost threatening to take me away much like a ship as it sails through a dark and cloudy sea, many miles from where I stand. In that moment I seem to forget everything except the music emanating from her, and I find myself perfectly fine with that.

Unfortunately, gravity decides to end this moment of magic. I hardly notice “East of Eden” slipping through my fingers, but she certainly does at it crashes to the ground loudly. Damn hardbacks. With a yelp, she nearly leaves her shoes behind as she turns instantly to see me, which causes me to stammer and nearly trip over my own feet. The way her eyes look makes me feel awful in that moment, and my mind races to find something to say. The look on her face would be hilarious, as I'm sure mine is, if I didn't feel so bad about putting it there.

We stare at each other for a moment, an embarrassed blush creeping up both of our cheeks. As the air grows more uncomfortable, I decide to break the silence.

“Ah... sorry. I heard the music and just kind of... uh... Listened.” Excellent, that'll defuse the awkwardness.

My sarcastic inner commentary is forgotten, as she smiles sheepishly with a sigh. “Oh, no no, it's uh... It's alright.” She seems to have to think about it, as she studies my face. “Really, sometimes I can get a little caught up in playing." A brief pause. "Did you like it?”

I stumble a little for the words. “Like? Uh, well. Actually, it was... fantastic. I've never heard something that good before,” I quickly add, noting her smile brightening a little. “You're good.”

“Thank you! That's... I appreciate that!” She seems to really mean it. She relaxes her body as she quickly sighs. “It's tough being the one violin player in the whole school, you know?” She makes her way to the counter, where a case for her violin sits, and over her shoulder, continues.

“You're the new kid, right? Nakai?”

“Yes,” I reply, relieved that the tension has seemingly melted away. “I just transferred in the other day. We're in the same class.”

“You sit behind me with Hakamichi and Mikado, right?” I nod, and remembering our little game earlier, and Shizune's abrasiveness, grimace slightly. Noticing, the girl chuckles a bit as she finishes buckling her case up, an amused smile on her face. “Already being roped into student council, eh?” She turns to face me as she says this, violin held in both hands in front of her.

“I'm really hoping I can avoid that, actually... They're nice, but I don't know if I want to jump right into something like Student council my first week of being here.” I stammer a little as I raise my free palm. “B-but I like them just fine, really! They're really good at showing me around and-well, you know, it's just that student council is a lot to take on.” The last thing I want to do is be seen as talking behind someone's back, especially someone like Shizune.

She chuckles again. “Someone like Hakamichi wouldn't quite understand that, honestly. You'd better find a club or join their council soon; she'll dog you until you do.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Only if she thinks she has a chance of getting you in.” She straightens her shoulders up ever so slightly, and takes two cautious steps towards me, unsteady for a moment on her two false legs. “I haven't introduced myself, have I?”

She bows slightly as she says, “my name is Molly Kapur,” with an expression of even warmth.

I return her smile with one of my own, albeit a tad sheepishly. “Hisao Nakai. Pleased to meet you, Kapur.” My bow is a little less smooth than hers.

“Please,” she says, waving me off, “Call me Molly. I've already given you a private show, so we can be on a first name basis. Right?”

I laugh a bit. “Yeah, I guess so.” It seems strange how everyone here prefers their first name to any other. “I'm sorry I interrupted you, by the way.”

Now it's her turn to act a little embarassed, as she looks to the side slightly. “I actually was supposed to leave 15 minutes ago. I have a ton of homework to do, and I really didn't get Mutou's last lecture... science and physics isn't my thing.” She scratches behind her ear delicately.

“Anything I can help with?” I offer. “I kind of got what he was saying. I actually kind of like his teaching.”

Her eyes widen as she takes another step closer, like a kid at Christmas. “Do you think we could compare notes tomorrow morning, before class?” she asks, a little loudly. A moment later, we laugh-again, what is it with this girl and all this laughing?-and make our way to the door.

>>>

I have to say, life certainly has picked up for me in these past few days. A week ago, I was coming to terms with my situation: I have a condition that may very well be terminal, I'm going to a school for other people with disabilities, I'm not going back to my old life. It was as though I was going to be stuck in a slump forever.

Then I met some new and fun characters. A dormmate conspiracy theorist, a student council team that reminds me of Abbot and Costello, a badly coordinated librarian who offers tidbits of solid life advice. It's only the end of my second day and I'm finding myself... happy? No, not quite. But maybe less upset with my situation? It's a process, to be sure.

Now I'm walking towards the dorms with a girl, who tells me she's going to introduce me to her friends tomorrow, who all could use a hand with something I had no idea I was so good at. A pretty looking girl, at that. Her bag slung over her shoulder, her violin case swings in her hand between us.

"She actually said that?" Molly is looking at me with a surprised grin.

"I wouldn't lie."

"'I'll let you keep Australia.' She can be a little crazy and scary."

“A little?” She giggle a bit at this.

I wonder. "Hey, they never tried to rope you into student council, did they?”

She makes an awkward face. “Me, student council? No, no no,” she continues, waving her hand, “I'm way too busy with music club. Besides, I've got my music stuff outside of school, and I'm the least organized person I know, so... No, I'm sure they know I'm not really into that sort of thing.”

I click my tongue. “Wish I knew how to play something, maybe that would keep those two off of me.”

“What about singing or dancing? You could get into theatre,” she offers.

“We have a theatre club?”

“Uh... actually, we don't.”

“Oh, well... bang goes that idea.”

“Well, we'll find you something. I'll keep you from their dastardly clutches,” she says, making a claw with her hand while snarling. She straightened up her face with a giggle. “The pair of them mean well, but after their little fallout with Satou, I think they ought to just work with what they have.”

Satou? “You mean Lilly?”

“You've met her?” She seems surprised

“Yeah, in her little tea room. And Hanako, too. Was she on student council?” This elicits an amused look from Molly. "Did I say something?"

“Hanako isn't... sociable. She's kind of shy.”

“I may have noticed. But Lilly was on student council, do you think she could help me get Shizune to cool off?”

To this, she actually stops and turns her body to face me. “Hah! No, not a chance. Trust me, you don't want to be between Lilly and Shizune. You REALLY don't want to try and use one to get the other to do something.”

I'm now thorughly confused. “But... hang on. Shizune is on the council, and Lilly is way too polite to actually argue with someone.”

She sighs. “Oh, if only you knew...”

“Knew what?”

"No, no, it's nothing." She resumes her pace and looks at me. "You had to be there... plus there's a lot of stuff that just... Look, they're complicated, ok? Lilly and Shizune aren't exactly what we'd call friends."

"But it can't be that bad, can it? I mean, they're not even in the same class."

Molly smirks, then laughs again. She has a laugh that almost has a melodic quality to it; it flows free and clear, a laugh she doesn't care to hold back. "Oh, if only you knew..."

"Well, now I'm curious."

"And now, we're at the dorms, and I will say no more on the student council." Sure enough, we're a few paces from the walk leading to the dorms, and I find myself actually wishing there was more time to talk. That went way too fast, and Molly is too nice a girl to just end on a note like this.

"Agh, you lucked out. You know, now that you've piqued my curiosity, you've got to tell me the whole story someday."

A sly look comes to her face, and she puts her hand to her chin in mock thought. "Hmmm... weelll... I suppose we can trade... Information."

"Oho? What for what, may I ask?" I act defensive, keeping up with the little performance. “My information can be pretty valuable...”

"Well, Mr. Science wiz... You help me and my band of misfits, and I'll keep you up with the social scene. After all, it's not exactly easy to get into the know this late in the year." She holds her free hand up, as if inspecting her nails.

Huh. Didn't think of that. "That's not such a bad idea, actually..." Molly giggles.

"Then it's a deal, Mr. Nakai," she says, with an official air. “Lets shake on it!” She sticks her hand out comically, and I can't help but grab it with the same sort of gusto. We pump our arms twice enthusiastically, before nodding and dropping our hands. A quick giggle from her and a small laugh from me follow soon afterwards.

She drops her acting for a moment and softly smiles at me. “You know, you're a pretty cool guy."

I rub the back of my head sheepishly. "Eh, I'm ok." To this, she says nothing, only giving me more of that pretty smile. “You're pretty neat yourself.” In the dark, I can't tell, but I think I see a quick blush reach her ears.

"Well," she says conclusively, "I shall see you tomorrow morning, Hisao. I'm lookin' forward to it."

With this, she turns her back to me and sets away to the girls dorm, speaking over her shoulder. "Nice talking to you!"

"Nice talking to you too!" I call back. As she disappears into the girls dorm, one thought occurs to me:

Just what was I scared of?

[SailorBart]

The next morning, I find myself face to face with Molly at my desk, her chair turned to face me. My somewhat messy notes are side-by-side with hers, which look more like a photocopy of Mutou's board scratchings. Everything is there, all the equations are picture perfect, but apparently she just didn’t understand what exactly it was he was saying. 15 minutes of going over the notes expanded on this, however, and I can see her start to make sense of it all quickly.

“Oh, ok, so we can just break this in half, since it’s basically the same thing, right?” Her fingers traced the example problem I’d made.

“Yeah, it's pretty straightforward after that. Just remember your order of operations and you should be good.”

She seems to really enjoy figuring this stuff out, once she's put in the right direction. Molly’s positively beaming at the pages of finished problems in front of her. “I guess I just don't get the way he lectures sometimes. This isn't too hard at all,” she said, smiling. I opened my mouth, but before my response could be articulated, a pair of hands covered my eyes. What?

“Guess whooooo, Hicchan? Wahahahahaha~!”

“Shizune?” I hear Molly giggle, then laugh, as the hands uncover my face and I turn to see Misha, an amused look on her face.

“Do I sound anything like Shicchan?” Misha steps in front of me, hands on her hips.

“Well, I mean, she talks through her hands, so…” I had a good joke, I just didn’t really have the punchline thought out.

“Hicchan, that was an awful thing to say!” A devious look comes to her face. “Why, you should be ashamed. After all we’ve done to make you welcome at our school, you joke at our expense!” Her cadence becomes slightly choppy like she’s reading from a script, and I know Shizune has taken over. I know where this is going, and don't quite know how I'm going to dig myself out of this one. “I Feel like you owe us a little help. How about some manual labor on the student council?” From behind my shoulder, the air is beaten in choppy motions while the eyes of a dark-haired puma glisten.

“Misha, come on, I don’t know--”

“Hey, whoa, this isn’t going to keep him from helping the music club, is it?”

All three of us turn to Molly. Actually I’m not sure I know how Shizune knew to turn her head at the same time as Misha’s, which only cements Kenji’s theory of the two sharing a neural mind-link. Feminism strikes again. Hands cut air as Misha voices for Shizune.

“Miss Kapur, I was unaware that Mister Nakai had offered his services to you! I felt he would give us the common courtesy of a notice in a change of his availability!” Misha’s voice reflects the harshness of Shizune’s signing.

“I mean, I just agreed to help her this morning.” Not technically a lie, as I nod to Molly. It is morning, and I’m agreeing right now. Kind of. “They said they have a lot of paperwork--”

“—Sheet music—” Molly corrects.

“—Yeah, in their filing cabinet—”

“—Cabinets and closets—”

“—And that they needed me because… Uh…”

“He reads a lot.” A firm nod.

“I read a lot.” I also nod.

“And that’s helpful—”

“—Because he’s so organized! Hicchan you are the perfect candidate for that job!” Misha seems delighted at the idea. I turned to look at Shizune, and as I predicted, she was not nearly as enthusiastic as Misha. Something Misha took far too long (ten seconds) to understand. With a deep sigh and furrow of her brow, Shizune began signing again.

“Hicchan is more than welcome to, and quite frankly encouraged, to help his fellow students. However, it shouldn't interfere with something like Student Council work, as the workload in the music library pales in comparison to the mountains we file on the student council. Surely Hicchan can grant an—a—AN com-mis-er-ate amount of time to both groups.”

I see Molly’s eyebrow twitch. She’s broken her neutral tone and let a little annoyance show through. “Shizune, that library has been a mess the entire time I’ve been here. You guys promised to find me a first year to get it done weeks ago. What happened to that guy? Ichiro, right?” Her hand is held aloft as she floats the question to Shizune.

Misha perks up. “Oh, Icchan? We had him doing some council stuff too but he quit! He said it was too much work and he couldn’t keep up with us, so he joined the go-home club.” She pauses as she realizes something. “Wahaha~! Hicchan and Icchan! Isn’t it funny how that works out Shicchan?”

Shizune’s arms are crossed as she glares at Misha. After a long pause, I cough politely. “Ahm… I think I’m going to just help Molly with the music library.”

Misha is absolutely not conveying Shizune’s feeling accurately as she translates with her infectious bright candor. “See to it that the library is organized and cataloged before the holidays, Hicchan! We expect a progress report sometime in the coming weeks, so that we know you’re taking the task to heart.”

“Thank you for understanding, Shizune.” Molly bows her head respectfully, not a hint of smugness in her words or actions. It’s like watching a cowboy tip his hat to a bested foe. Shizune gives her a quick drop of the chin, and returns to her desk with Misha.

Mutou mercifully makes his appearance, disheveled as always, as Molly collects her notes from my desk to go turn around. Before she corrects her chair, she gives me a warm smile and a wink. I smile back in appreciation, but wonder if it was wise to “stand up” to the student council president.

The droning lecture starts, and I decide that I’ll let time tell.

>>>

The lunch bell rings after what seems like an eternity of avoiding Shizune's gaze. I'm grateful to get away from her silent anger, and to have lunch with this new group is an opportunity I'm actually kind of looking forward to. As I walk to the doorway, Molly beckons me to the three others already gathered in the hall.

“Hey, guys, this is Hisao, remember what I told you this morning? I thought he could join us for lunch today.”

“No objections,” says the girl closest to her. “How you doing? I'm Ikuno” She's a little larger than most girls, with blue eyes and brown hair, but something about the way she stands makes me think she’s a lot stronger than she looks. She smiles in a way that vaguely reminds me of Misha, but somehow slightly more genuine, and I can't help but smile back.

“Nice to meet you.”

The second girl speaks up. “I'm Misaki. Pleased to meet you.” A short, dark haired girl, she seems like the quiet type, but friendly enough, if a little formal. She seems like she's in the middle of straightening her back with her two hands.

The third person, a guy with short, dirty blonde hair and a large bandage on his ear, offers a curt nod. “Takashi. Hi.” He doesn't meet my eyes during this, only offering a sideways glance.

“He’s a nice guy, he just isn’t good at showing it,” Molly says, giving Takashi a glare. “He’s here to help us with physics, Takashi.”

“I'm doin' fine on the assignments so far...” he trails off, looking decidedly away from me and Molly.

“I’ve seen your notes, dude. They’re almost as bad as mine,” Ikuno chides. Takashi colors at this, but says nothing.

The trip to the cafeteria is spent getting to know the three girls more. What their plans are for the festival, where their favorite coffee shops are, what they like to do for fun. Ikuno says something about “chasing the almighty clang” as she flexes her arm, and Misaki mentions photography. Misaki is planning to become a biologist, Ikuno has an uncle that works at the school, Molly’s father is some sort of doctor. Takashi stays quiet, chipping in to make a bad pun or two. I can’t remember the last time I was in this situation, with friendly faces surrounding me and pulling me into a conversation that flowed easily.

We settle down at the end of a table in the lunchroom, once we've collected our food. Molly and I are opposite each other at the very end, Ikuno next to Molly and Misaki next to me, with Takashi next to Ikuno. I open my science book next to my tray, and notes immediately cover the table.

“Hey, where's Lezard?” asks Misaki. Molly and Ikuno both exchange exasperated looks.

“He's talking to Suzu today.” says Molly, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, what part of 'not interested' does that boy not get?”

Ikuno giggles a little. “I can’t help but thing they're made for each other. Lezard rants for an eternity about some weird thing and Suzu sleeps through it.”

Misaki frowns. “You know she can't help it.”

“I know, that’s why it’s funny.”

“It really isn’t.” Misaki seems to be a little offended by it.

“I’m sorry, Misaki. I won’t make that joke again.” Ikuno definitely sounds like she’s going to make that joke again. She turns to me, changing the subject.

“Alright, science prodigy, what're we missing?” I notice Takashi's notes are somewhat separated from the other three's, but he's paying just as much attention, even if he doesn't think he looks like he is.

“Well,” I say, after swallowing a bit of cranberry juice, “First thing to remember with this equation is...”

>>>

The lunch bell rings after our notes are packed away again, and I notice that the other four seem a bit happier. I like this feeling, the feeling of teaching others.

Misaki is the first to speak as we stand up. “Hisao, we owe you one." She doesn't speak very much, but her words always seem measured. Not quite scripted, but not very impulsive, if that makes any sense. “I would've struggled with our homework if I didn't get that tutoring from you.”

“Hey, all you needed was a little direction," I reply, as we get up and start filing out of the lunchroom. "You had most of it, but it's the little stuff that trips you up, it seems.”

“It's ALL little stuff, and it's ALL confusing,” moans Takashi. He's taken rare chances to speak, seeming to size me up with sideways glances. I don’t know if I should feel threatened or not, or why.

Molly cocks an eyebrow, with a smile. “Well, Takashi, if you'd actually write down the notes, you might be able to get the lecture,” she says, to which he offers only muttering. Ikuno rolls her eyes before chiming in.

“If I had time after class, I might actually be able to study.” For the first time, I study how she walks. I’m kind of embarassed because I feel like she should be slouching more, since she’s kind of on the bigger side, but she isn’t. Her back is perfectly straight (something Misaki with her spine problems can’t say) and her squared shoulders mark a perfect, almost picture-like march. She holds herself like a police officer, or a soldier.

“Hey, by the way, what did you mean about music club?” I ask. I never got around to asking her what “helping out” entailed, but I doubt she'd pull me into something horrific.

“Uh… well, we have a music library that goes back to the sixties that hasn’t been organized for… well, since the sixties.”

I blink. “How bad is it?”

“Dude, it’s a certified fire hazard,” Ikuno chips in.

Molly clears her throat. “In my defense, it isn’t entirely my fault it’s gotten that way. Ms. Takeuchi could have fixed it more than once by now.” I find the way she walks to be kind of peculiar. I don’t know if it’s the legs or the way she carries herself, but she sways quite a bit, almost like she’s in a dream. She clutches her bag with one hand while her other is splayed out below her waisteline—maybe she’s afraid of falling over? I’m not sure but I’m thinking maybe her injury isn’t a very old one.

“I guess I can keep busy with it until the council forgets about recruiting me.” I scratch my chin as I continue, “’course I don’t know if they will.”

“Shizune Hakamichi is a terminator that hunts students for sport,” says a new voice behind us. I turn and stare into the shoulders of our newcomer, then look up to see his face. “Be ye warned, student.” He pushes an imaginary set of glasses up on his face. “I see we have a newcomer.”

“What are you, the dungeon master?” Takashi gives a playful jab at his friend. “You’re starting to sound like you belong in that card game show.”

“Hisao, this tall mysterious stranger is Lezard. His hobbies include reading, pantsing old men and stealing the souls of small children.” Ikuno delivers this without a hint of humor.

“Old men deserve it, I apologize for nothing.” He turns his attention back to me. “So, did the student council—“

“Oh my god quit talking about them!” Takashi’s sudden outburst surprises me. He glares at both me and Lezard as he says, “If I have to hear one more time about this guy and the student council I’m gonna flip!”

“Takashi, Lezard hasn’t been part of our conversation until now. How would he know about Hisao and the student council?” Misaki’s voice is fairly cold. By now I’ve figured out that she more tolerates Takashi than enjoys his company, but she’s never mean or dismissive of him. I admire that in her, because Takashi is a little grating. I decide I’ll give him some space, as he mumbles something.

“So, Lezard, any good books lately?” Molly gives him a sly look. “No chance you’ve finished whatever it was you were reading last week?”

“’The Art of the Sushi Bean?’ Yes, I did, why?”

“Just wanted to know if you were going to get around to reading the one I loaned you.” She takes a step in front of me to better view him. “You know, that one I told you to finish and get back to me last month?”

“I’ll give it back,” he says without meeting her gaze.

“Mhm, mhm.”

As we reach the classroom, I notice the student council is hurrying back from somewhere that wasn’t the lunchroom. Shizune and Misha look at me planted dead center of all the other students, and surprise me with matching smiles. No glares, no head shakings, just genuinely pleased.

It takes me a second to realize why. I have friends. Plural. In one spot, at the same time, less than a week after starting school. I don’t know them well, but in a short amount of time, they’ve planted me dead center of their little microcosm of highschool social life. Before I cross the threshold, Shizune gives me a hand signal I recognize for a change—a thumbs up. I smile and give it back to her, but not before Molly notices.

“They’re not horrible people,” she says, grinning, “they mean well, just in their own unique way.”

I grin back as we find our seats and get ready for a real challenge—history. But before succumbing to the boring facts and figures that never add up to anything interesting, I take a minute to be thankful to whatever is watching over me. I don’t know if I’ll be over this feeling of melancholy soon, but I know it’ll be sooner than I expected.

[Asoko_Desu]

What a charming take on an under-explored original character - I'm enjoying your writing style!

Many of us got a strange second start to life after KS.

I couldn't have put it better. It was something like the change in perspective near-death experiences are supposed to provide.

Please, wish me luck in finishing this piece. I have a lot riding on it's completion.

Then luck to you friend - all of the best of it.

--

[Oddball]

This story seem like it's off to a good start. Molly seems nice and cute and the Misha and SHizune scene was amusing. You've also got a good setup for conflict with Takashi and Lezard.