Woven Ties

Woven Ties

//


The days passed by quickly in the Highwind house. For Vincent, it was the longest he would stay in Rocket Town, and despite his earlier concerns, it wasn’t half as bad as he had thought. Living with Cid was easier than he had imagined, and for once in a very long time he felt he was living normally. Shera proved a pleasant conversationalist where Cid lacked the patience to sit down and share thoughts. Though Vincent barely spoke, he was content to listen to Shera talk for the both of them. She was a lovely woman, and she reminded him of Lucrecia; he found himself enjoying her time and presence, and he appreciated the work she did on the house and her technical know-how with machines. He found it quite enjoyable to sit back on the couch at night with a hot drink and listen to Shera talk about her early technician skills working with her father. She would tell him fondly how her father had taught her all she needed to know, and the projects they both worked on. He found her tale of Cid and Shera’s first meeting intriguing, and she had prompted him to recall his first encounter with the captain. He admitted he found the pilot loud and boisterous at first – he even found him annoying and too outspoken. His use of crude words repelled Vincent; he could never see himself befriending such a man –

“But…”Vincent had said quietly, a little uncomfortable revealing even his pre-relationship thoughts. “I hadn’t really seen him… he was just another person I ignored…”

Shera had smiled kindly, her legs tucked comfortably under her on the opposite chair. “I wonder when you actually started seeing him…”

He had looked at her, watching the soft glow from the log fire flicker across her face. He hadn’t responded for a long time, and she hadn’t interrupted, sensing he was unfinished. He had lowered his eyes, somehow unable to meet her gaze.

“It was when he started showing an interes- no…a concern…in me…” Vincent had paused, as he was prone to do in conversation. He gave a hint of a smile as he caught her eyes. “I suppose he couldn’t understand someone of my reclusion…he didn’t know why I wasn’t involved with the things they were…”

Shera had smiled understandably, and they had shared a peaceful silence in the glow of the crackling fire.

Two weeks later felt barely more than two days since they had returned to Rocket Town. Vincent had settled in surprisingly well, even though he missed the ‘open road’ route, having been too used to constantly moving from village to town. Cid seemed to anticipate this and threw his own little adventures into their daily life. One of these involved various notes, each leading to a different location and another note. Vincent had curiously accepted the game, and by the time he reached the last location he had a large collection of paper notes and a piqued curiosity. Needless to say he had been pretty surprised by what he found at the end of the game. A romp in the long grass by the rocket launch site had followed soon after. They had returned to Shera’s cooling, homemade dinner with flushed faces and evasive gazes. Not to mention the bits of grass stuck in their clothing and hair. Shera politely ignored these details.

Vincent was interested to find out how much Rocket Town actually looked up to Cid. They turned to him for leadership and repairs, for certain advice and for a chat. He was as much a part of Rocket Town as the actual Rocket had been. Vincent himself had been accepted into the community little by little, associated now with Cid more than he had been with the team Avalanche.

“Hey, look.”

It was an hour after dusk and the sky was dotted with many sparkling lights. They lay on their backs on a grassy hill just behind Cid’s back garden, gazing up at the mysterious stars. It felt like the perfect ending to a full day. Cid had expressed how much he loved watching the skies.

Vincent followed Cid’s finger where it pointed to a small streak of light in the sky. A shooting star.

“They must travel faster than any engine we can make to fly by like that,” Cid said, hands behind his head, one leg propped up onto his other knee.

Vincent was silent, watching the spot in the sky where the shooting star had disappeared. It was amazing how fast it had come and gone. His one good hand supported his head while his claw lay safely by his side. He enjoyed the gentle breeze that fluttered by occasionally, swaying the grass around them and tickling his face. It was incredibly comfortable.

“What I wouldn’t give to be up there again.” Cid gazed longingly at the dark blanket above them, promising that some time in the future he would be back.

“One day,” Vincent’s deep voice broke the silence, “you will be.”

Cid watched the brightest star twinkle invitingly before nodding. “Yeah.” He rolled his head to his right, looking at Vincent. “I want you with me when I do.”

Vincent lowered his gaze from the stars and met Cid’s. He saw the passion that was burning behind those blue eyes and wondered if it was for him for the stars. Either way, something akin to a tingle ran through him as that gaze looked right into him.

Cid watched him in silence, content to let his eyes roam over Vincent’s pale face. At night under the stars Vincent was breathtaking to Cid. A genuine smile tugged at the pilot’s mouth. Vincent kissed him. Cid could quite easily have said it was heaven. He unfolded one arm and cupped the back of Vincent’s head as they deepened the contact. When they parted Cid opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

A shrill ringing pieced their tranquility, and they blinked in confusion for a second before Vincent reached into his leather for his PHS. It was ringing. He flipped it open and held it to his ear.

“Vincent!” Came the energetic voice of Yuffie. He pulled it away from his ear as Cid groaned. “Hey, how’s it going? I haven’t seen you in ages – I wasn’t expecting you to pick up, actually, but I saw something you might wanna know about.” Cid glanced at Vincent, who was waiting patiently for Yuffie to continue. She seemed to take a breath. “I’ve been crossing the west continent, and I stopped by your girlfriend’s cave for the night – I just saw a load of people coming out of the cave.” Vincent’s eyes sharpened. “I hope they weren’t grave robbers,” Yuffie added uncertainly.

“I’m on my way,” Vincent said, standing up. He closed the phone as Cid got to his feet. “Cid.” He asked.

“Sure, let’s go,” Cid replied. They ran back to the house to grab their weapons before prepping one of Cid’s small aircrafts. They were airborne in minutes.

//

The Tiny Broncho II, as Cid so fondly christened it, flew across the mountain peaks over an hour later and entered the circular lake airspace. The water looked black in the night, lit only by the moon, and the roar of the waterfall seemed intensified in the otherwise silent night. Before the plane had even completed a full circle a dark shape leapt from the craft and landed neatly on the rocky land of the surrounding lake with a heavy thud and a clink of metal. Vincent stood and scanned the area as Cid brought the ship around, looking for a suitable landing, trying to find the flattest surface.

Yuffie emerged from the shadows of the cave and ran to Vincent, waving. When she finally reached him he was already making his way to the cave entrance. Wind from the Tiny Broncho II whipped up their hair and clothing as it landed some hundred meters away. The moonlight shimmered on the disturbed water but tonight its beauty was ignored.

“Vincent,” Yuffie greeted, falling in pace with him. She was dressed in a similar outfit to the last one Vincent had seen her in. Slightly more skin was covered, which was good because it was a cool night, especially by a large body of water. “Wow, you look the same. You haven’t changed.”

“Yuffie,” Vincent said, “Did you see who these people were?” His cape billowed around them as they entered the cave. The temperature dropped noticeably as they walked in, passing Yuffie’s pack that was propped against the cavern wall.

“No. They were dressed in all black,” Yuffie answered, half turned to him as she walked. She jumped over a large rock “I’m on my way to Edge to see Tifa. I guess it was good timing I stopped by here.” He didn’t answer and she didn’t expect him to, but she stole another glance at his expression, marveled by how he seemed to look younger than the last time she saw him. Perhaps it was his new living conditions, although Yuffie wouldn’t know that.

When they reached the core of the cave she held back respectively and watched as Vincent approached the crystal structure in the center. The temperature rose as he neared it, casting a magical glow over his form. He stopped, letting his eyes fall on the figure encased in her crystal grave.

Lucrecia.

He watched her, silently asking her to forgive him for the intrusion. She was as beautiful as always, her perfect face frozen in time, never to change. Much like himself. A faint voice echoed through the cavern.

Behind him, Cid appeared from the shadow of the cave entrance, halting beside Yuffie. He really wanted a cigarette but it would be disrespectful to strike a match in there. He watched on from their sideline before lifting his gaze to the woman that had both saved and destroyed Vincent’s life. He didn’t know how she had been preserved so well, but he knew it had something to do with the Jenova cells she had injected into herself for the creation of Sephiroth; or the crystals she was encased in. It was hard to believe this woman was the mother of a homicidal maniac.

“Vin…cent…”

Both Yuffie and Cid froze, straining their ears for the voice they must have imagined. There was no one else there but them, and Cid was pretty sure – judging from her expression – Yuffie hadn’t spoken. They glanced uneasy at each other, and then slowly lifted their gazes to the only other figure in the cave with them. She remained frozen in her crystal grave.

Ahead of them, Vincent’s eye caught a new detail he had missed. He walked up to a cluster of crystals, jutting out from their structure. Several of their tops had been removed cleanly. Vincent bent down and inspected them; crimson eyes narrowed, glinting in the glow of the mako. Someone had sawed off the crystals and taken them. Why?

“Vince,” a uniquely accented voice said behind him. He stood and turned to Cid, who had moved close to him. “Anythin’ wrong?”

Vincent glanced back at Lucrecia. This close to her he could see the individual strands of her brown hair, and her long, dark lashes, closed so peacefully. It made his blood boil to think someone had violated this sacred place and had to audacity to steal from it. His eyes gleamed a menacing red as he lowered his gaze to the small moat of clear water surrounding her little island. She reflected back at him.

“Yes.” He finally answered Cid. He lifted his blazing eyes, meeting Cid’s inquisitive blue ones, and then gestured to the desecrated cluster of the sparking rock. “They took some of these crystals.”

Cid eyed them. They had definitely been tapered with; they were the only crystals in the entire cave that were blunt-ended. The ones that were intact seemed to be reaching up, pointing towards the woman encased in the crystal structure. He followed their direction and looked at her. She had passed her beauty down to her son, he couldn’t deny it. Cid looked back at Vincent. He didn’t know why but he felt uneasy in this place. Why the hell does Vincent visit this woman so obsessively?

“Let’s go,” Vincent said abruptly. He walked past Cid and headed towards the cave entrance. Cid watched him, sensing something dark churning about in his tone. He followed him outside without looking back. Another echo of a woman’s voice floated eerily in his wake.

Yuffie was already outside. She watched Vincent stop some feet away and wait for Cid to join them. The pilot emerged and joined his partner, standing with his hands on his hips in a business-like manner.

“Yuffie,” Vincent said. “Do you remember how many of them there were?”

The ninja raised her eyes in thought. “Umm…I think there were about five. They looked like all men. I saw them from up there –” she turned and pointed to the mountain peak high above the cave. “But when I moved closer they were gone.”

“No airship?” Cid asked.

Yuffie shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Cid looked at Vincent, who was staring off into the distance. “Is there something special about them crystals?”

The gunman turned to face him. He was shadowed from the light of the moon, making him look dark and menacing. If Cid weren’t sleeping with him, he’d be running from him.

“…I don’t know,” Vincent replied, letting his eyes wander to the rocky surface around them.

“They’re rare, aren’t they?” Yuffie offered. “I’ve never seen any crystals like them before. Maybe they stole them to sell.”

Cid gave a considering nod. “Brat’s gotta point.”

Vincent glanced at him and Cid felt the insane urge to wrap his arms around him. At a time like this, he didn’t think Vincent would accept that – and Cid couldn’t see himself handing out comfort hugs.

“How would they know about them…?” Vincent asked. For once he seemed lost for an answer.

Cid shrugged. “I dunno. But I guess the only way to know is to find these bastards and ask ‘em.” He stepped up to Vincent and laid a hand on his metallic arm, gesturing gently for them to return to the ship.

Vincent paused before he nodded obediently, and he was about to turn and walk with Cid to the plane but stopped and looked back at Yuffie.

“You were going to Edge?” He asked. Yuffie nodded. Vincent looked back at Cid.

The pilot sighed. “Fine. Grab yer gear, kid, and get in the plane.”

Yuffie grinned and dashed back into the entrance of the cave to grab her pack. Cid sidled up to Vincent and leaned in close.

“You owe me for this one,” he said playfully. Vincent hid his smile behind his collar.

//

“Hey, Cid. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Great, Tif,” Cid answered. “Hey listen, I know it’s late and everythin’, but can yer put us up for the night?”

“Who’s ‘us’?”

“Me, Vince… Yuffie.”

“Sure – wow, I haven’t seen Vincent in a while. It’ll be great. I’ll lay out the couch, but I’ve only got the one guest room –”

“Me and Vince’ll share.”

“Okay. When will you get here?”

“About two hours. I’ll explain when we get there. Thanks Tif.”

“See ya.”

It was exactly two hours later when they arrived in Edge. Cid landed the ship at the makeshift airport and they made their way through the dark streets towards 7th Heaven. It was quite, even for Edge, but that silence was shattered as Yuffie aimlessly spoke out about anything. Mostly the crystals. She seemed to enjoy thinking up why they were stolen.

Tifa was waiting for them, and when they finally entered the bar she greeted them warmly with a smile. She locked the door after them and then led them into the house behind and above 7th Heaven.

“Sooo?” She questioned as they seated themselves at the kitchen table and she began preparing drinks. “What brings you three together?”

Cid leant back in his chair, feeling tired from the full day he and Vincent had had. “Thieves.” He said.

“Hm?”

Yuffie spoke up before Cid could, eager to tell the story. “A bunch of people stole some crystals from Vincent’s girlfriend’s cave. I was trekking across the west continent and I saw them rushing out – I was gonna stay the night in there –” Looking back on it she was glad she didn’t, the disembodied voice still echoed in her head “ – but when I saw them I phoned Vincent right away.”

“Yeah – how the hell did you get Vincent’s number?” Cid demanded, leaning an elbow in the wooden table.

“I’m a Ninja,” she said with a secretive smile, as if it explained everything. “So anyway, when I went down for a closer look, they had gone. And when Vincent and Cid arrived we checked out the cave and saw they’d stolen some of those crystal things in there.”

Tifa raised an eyebrow. Several things made her think. One, this was obviously not a normal occurrence. Two, how had Yuffie gotten a hold of Vincent’s number? And three, Vincent had a phone? Her forth thought was undecided, but it had something to do with Cid being with Vincent at the time of Yuffie’s call.

“That’s strange,” she mused aloud. “Why steal some crystals?”

“We think they’re special. Might be worth a lot,” Yuffie answered.

“So keep an eye out for anyone selling something that could be them,” Cid put in. Tifa nodded. As she turned to sort out the drinks Cid glanced to his left at Vincent. The man was frowning darkly, shrouded in his own shadowed aura. “Hey,” he slapped him lightly on the arm. “Yer gonna blow shit up with that expression. What’s on yer mind?”

Vincent leant back a little on his chair. “No one but Avalanche knows about that cave…” He lifted his red eyes to Cid. “How did they?”

Cid gave a puzzled shake. “I dunno. Maybe they just found it – by accident.”

Vincent didn’t look convinced. They were all startled suddenly by a loud ringing tone, and Cid retrieved his phone from his pants pocket. He checked the number on the screen. Reeve.

“Hey, Reeve.”

“Cid. Is everything alright?” Came Reeve clipped tone.

“Yeah. Why? Shouldn’t it be?”

“I was expecting you and Vincent on the assignment team I’d put together earlier.”

“Oh shit,” Cid cursed. “Sorry, Reeve. Somethin’ came up. We completely forgot.” He proceeded to tell Reeve what had happened at the cave, and where they were now. Tifa handed them their drinks as he spoke, and sat down opposite Cid.

“It’s possible they could be connected….” Reeve said thoughtfully, as well as vaguely. All but Cid was confused.

“What could be connected?” Yuffie asked, leaning over the table.

Cid shot her a look, as though annoyed she would listen in on his conversation. His cell phone was loud and clear enough for the whole table to hear, but still. He sighed, seeing as how everyone was listening intently anyway, and hit the loudspeaker.

“Several months ago,” Reeve began, his voice loud as though he was in the kitchen with them, “I received word that someone, actually a whole lot of someones, had broken into the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim…I sent a team – with Cid included – down to check it out. A lot, if not most, of the files, archives and digital documents had been stolen.”

Tifa looked up from Cid to Vincent, the latter of who looked pensive. “Those files were all recorded data and research, weren’t they? By the Shinra Scientists?” She asked.

“Yes,” came Reeve’s voice. “A lot of Sephiroth’s information was contained in those files. We don’t even know what the rest of the files were about, but considering those scientists were the best in the business, that’s a lot of dangerous information. Quite possibly now in the wrong hands.”

“So that creepy manor has been wiped clean of its files?” Yuffie summed up. “Didn’t they do some really horrible things in that –”

“Yuffie, shut up,” Cid interrupted.

She looked offended, but said nothing else and pouted while Cid turned back to the phone he had held up, glancing at Vincent before he did.

“You think these’re connected?” Cid asked.

“It’s very likely,” Reeve answered. “The location of that cave could have been written in one of those documents.”

Cid looked at Vincent again, but directed his question to the phone. “Yer’ve still got people looking into that incident in Nibelhiem, right?”

“Yes. I can’t ignore those robberies. It worries me to think what anyone would want with the information contained in those files…”

“Vincent, wouldn’t you know what was in some of them files?” Yuffie chirped up. Cid glared at her.

“…No.” Vincent answered. He could feel the awkward air settling in as Tifa shifted uncomfortably, glancing from Cid to Yuffie.

“Well,” Reeve said, breaking the thick silence. “I’ll keep you informed if I come across any leads. Until then, take care.”

They said their goodbyes and Cid away put his phone. He looked at Tifa. “That room set out for us?”

They were led into the back of the house where Tifa showed them the extra room in which a pair of futons and sheets had been laid out for them. She bid them a goodnight and closed the door behind her. Cid was glad of the silence and privacy. He felt tired from the long day and the futon was looking very inviting. He shrugged off his jacket and slung it on the floor by the end of the right side duvet.

“What do yer suggest for tomorrow?” Cid asked, turning to find Vincent still stood near the door. The room was dark, lit only by the bright moon infiltrating the parted curtains. He blended in too well.

Vincent blinked slowly, casting his gaze around the room’s floor thoughtfully. “I want to find out what makes those crystals worth stealing.”

The blonde watched him silently, nodding in agreement. He was concerned because Vincent was concerned, but even more so because he was starting to slip into his sullen, reclusive manners, and Cid didn’t want that for him. He’d made great progress living like an ordinary person again, and he was that little bit closer to expressing emotions openly – but this would pull him back into the shadow he’d been wallowing in. Cid wouldn’t let that happen.

He grabbed him roughly and slung him to the floor with no warning. Vincent landed across both of their futons, where he frowned and looked questioningly up at Cid, tousled and unwittingly inviting. The pilot was taking off his shirt.

“Yer need a distraction,” he smirked. His meaning was quite clear as he kicked off his boots.

Vincent eyed him uncertainly, unsure if he was actually serious. With Tifa and Yuffie in the same building he was quite sure Cid was joking. This wasn’t their home, any intimacy as a guest in a friend’s house was much too bold and daring…exactly the words to describe Cid, Vincent realized, but they definitely weren’t the words to use against him. Vincent sat back as Cid crouched before him, a gleam in his blues eyes.

“Cid, no…” Vincent said, knowing that the pilot was indeed not joking. This wasn’t the right time, and surely not the appropriate place.

“Why not?” Cid retorted, bemused. He snatched a kiss from Vincent’s lips, the start of many more. “I think yer could use a little workout.” He stole another, subtly pushing Vincent back with each one. “Get yer mind off the problems.” Another. Vincent was leant back on his elbows. “Mellow yer out a bit.”

Vincent allowed himself to be pressed to the floor, unable to stop the pilot. He just didn’t have the heart – or will power – to stop it. As Cid’s lips delved lower to place kisses along his pale throat, Vincent closed his eyes, resigned. He hadn’t put up much resistance, and he didn’t know if this was good or bad. Had he become too addicted to Cid and his ministrations? He remembered why he always took off for months, leaving Cid behind so he could travel. He’d been afraid. Cid offered something he never thought he’d ever have, and Vincent wasn’t sure if he could accept it. He knew he wanted it, but he was afraid of embracing the love that Cid gave him, he was afraid of becoming too attached – too reliant on Cid. Too addicted. It was amazing and frightening at the same time to realize he couldn’t endure without that person for too long. Cid had broken, smashed and hammered his way through Vincent’s barriers and walls, and now Vincent found himself longing more and more for that man.

“Get rid of this…” Cid mumbled to himself as he unbuckled the catches to Vincent’s cape. He succeeded in removing the garment moments later, and proceeded to undo the leather outfit, nipping and sucking on Vincent’s collar bone as he did.

Vincent watched the ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm his heart before it started racing. He shivered as Cid’s hands, done with their task of unclothing him, roamed over his exposed body, sending pleasurable tingles in their wake. Vincent closed his eyes. He always let Cid lead. Cid loved to lead, and Vincent was – ashamed to admit it – content to be receiving all the attention.

“Nn,” Vincent grunted, his eyes tore away from the ceiling to see the small bite Cid had marred his hip with.

The pilot smirked and climbed back up between those long legs to place a well-planted kiss on Vincent’s mouth. Cid parted briefly to take off his shirt, and threw it off to the side. He ran his hand through the hair on the back of Vincent’s head, gripped, and pulled it back roughly. He attacked the neck that was open and exposed for him, earning another soft noise from Vincent.

A sharp rapping on their door snapped through their actions, and Yuffie’s voice called through, “Night guys!”

Cid growled at the door, giving it his most fierce expression as the sounds of her footsteps faded away. Vincent listened, realizing that the walls weren’t very thick. Sex was definitely not happening tonight. He pushed himself back up onto his hands.

“Cid,” He said, his tone firm.

The pilot looked back at him and hung his head. “Damnit. Fuckin’ brat…” He rolled off and onto his back, sprawled across his duvet, feeling annoyed. Vincent was the bravest, most fearless man he’d ever known, and yet he wasn’t willing to risk a little indecent behavior in someone else’s house. To Cid, the risk was exciting. He’d have to work on bringing out Vincent’s wild side. That would take a lot of time.

Vincent watched him, trying to fight an amused smile that was breaking through. He dipped his chin to hide his expression behind the collar and then realized he was still completely naked. Suddenly modest, Vincent tugged the duvet over his lap, glancing at his clothes by his feet. He was glad Yuffie hadn’t burst in to say goodnight.

As he was reaching for his leather to slip back on again, he was forcefully yanked to the floor by Cid, who deftly captured him in the sheet he had whipped up. He saw a close, rugged grin in his face and a warm body pressed against his naked one.

“Don’t need yer clothes.” The pilot mumbled, tightening the sheets around them both. He slid one leg in-between Vincent’s, shattering the concept of personal space entirely. He felt the naked body stiffen, unsure if he should pull away or stay. Cid wasn’t giving him the former option. “I’ll keep yer warm.”

Vincent started at him as his blues eyes closed and he settled down to sleep. Was he expecting Vincent to stay in this suffocating embrace all night? Spooning was one thing, but this was almost as if Cid were trying to merge with him. The leg between his own was radiating warmth where it really wasn’t needed, and he could feel the soft, faint heartbeats against his thigh. It was…pleasant, he had to admit. As he lay there watching the pilot’s expression dissolve into something peaceful and content, he wondered why Cid enjoyed touching his body so much. It was scarred and pale, not exactly model of Midgar; did it not repulse him? These questions were recycled so often it was barely worth mulling over them. He cast them from his mind and, throwing Cid’s closed eyes a final glance, shut his own.

The warmth of another body pressed so closely against his bare skin seemed to guide his mind into unconsciousness easily. He was asleep barely a few minutes later.

//

Still awake while his friends and colleges halfway around the globe were resting peacefully, Reeve shuffled some papers into a neat pile and rose from his desk. He was working late, as always. He could never get away early, even if he planned it. It didn’t bother him, there were important things for him to see to, there always were. But now he was finished for the night. He had barely taken three steps towards the door when his PHS rang.

“Hello, Professor Drumbol,” he answered, noticing the name flashing on his screen.

“Good evening, commissioner,” came a generic, aged male voice. “I’m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but I have rather important news.”

“Oh?”

“The data you collected for my department,” the professor began, “it’s proven to be very informative about those creatures in the North. They were indeed mutated by the exposure to the Lifestream energy, and I’m extremely glad your men were able to eradicate them before thing got out of control.”

The older man’s tone had Reeve thinking. “Were they really that dangerous?”

“Yes. In fact, I strongly recommend that you send your team down to Junon Hospital. Those creatures carried some sort of toxin that we haven’t been able to identify yet, and I’m afraid it could be harmful…I will send one of our departments medical doctors down to meet them… Junon Hospital has the best medical facilities.”

Concerned by this news, Reeve’s brow furrowed. “Of course, I’ll notify the team immediately.”

“Good. It may have infected anyone with inflicted injuries, and it’s even possible this toxin could have been transferred through simple skin contact with the creatures.”

“Gods,” Reeve responded in soft shock. “I’ll send them down there right away.”

“I pray the toxin isn’t lethal.”

Their conversation ended and Reeve slowly tucked his phone into his pocket, even more troubled than he previously was. This was all he needed.

//