Where Heroes Are Made (LKE, Open)

Jun 28, 2018
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#61
"Boreas now arriving on site sir."

Sir Richard glanced to the twin on comms, "And?"

"Still unable to raise a signal. Dimensional interference looks to be too thick for a confirmation, though."

Glancing to the other twin, he inquired, "Telemetry?"

"Just coming in now sir," came Vanessa's steely reply. A few moments of tense silence ticked past before she continued. "Seems to be a direct hit right through the command center. No life signs from the chamber or immediate vicinity. Still trying to survey the residential areas, but they'd have to get closer to cut through the ambient distortions."

Sir Richard's eyes met the floor in thought, and lingered there for much of his rumination. At length, Virgil broke the silence again.

"Your orders, Captain."

".... have the Boreas circle back. Get the Notus to climb, bring everyone to the same level. If we're going to have to fight that thing we'll need every gun we can field. Damn... I didn't want to have to pull out all our trump cards so soon."

Outside, the Sapphiard, Gunleon, and Axio would presently find the vessel beneath their feet turning and starting to slowly ascend, drifting up to the altitude the Fenossa was cruising at. The trajectory of both vessels was an inexorable advance toward the fray. Gripping the armrests of his chair, Dougal the Brown set his jaw, and looked to the display ahead.

"Forward, one quarter. All weapons open, all cannons on standby. If it comes down to it, we'll throw every last thing this ship has at that beast or at least occupy it long enough for reinforcements to arrive. With a lightshow like that, I hope there's someone willing to come see what's- ... that?"

"Sir?"

The captain squinted at a faint glimmer in one corner of the moonscape ahead of them. At this further direction, a series of insets zoomed and zoomed again, enlarging and enhancing the motes of light in the distance to the best of their ability...


 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#62
"Sir Khan. Please... hear my request."

The Super Robot's hand closed about the Axio's own - albeit, gently, for fear of crushing the small machine in its grip.

"Exeter wasn't always a House of ill repute."

Overhead, the Gale Tyran cast its glimmering storm, casting the three machines below in a kaleidoscopic light - like a flowing, Lunar Borealis. William's tone was... somber, and weak... But unbowed, and serious. Though clearly in unspeakable pain... He pressed on.

"Once... We were proud, and strong. We did not shun outsiders, nor shall we ever, for we always believed that merit - not blood... nor prestige - was the true measure of an individual's worth.

Despised as we were... as we are... Never shall we stray from that noble principle."

He paused, breathing ragged, as the Sapphiard appraised Mel with its own steely gaze.

"You... have served us with distinction... and brought honor to our name. Though you are an outsider... You are brave, noble, and fair in your dealings." - Sir Exeter gave a coarse, halting laugh - "Moreso... Even than I."

Once more, he lapsed into silence... but, time was running short.

"...Thus..." He said, the Sapphiard gripping the Axio's arm tight... and then, he began to speak, in a familiar, ceremonial cadence - one that Mel would have only ever heard once before, when he was initially inducted into their order.

"By the grace of the Lady,
by sword and pen,
I ordain thee...
Lord Khan of House Exeter.
"​

A bestowal rite. All those who heard it... Would understand its meaning. As of that moment... Sir William had passed his duties, and title... Onto the humble Mel Khan. Circumstances being what they were, perhaps such a thing was unavoidable.

"May your reign be long... and prosperous."
 
Sep 10, 2018
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#63
Nothing else happened in the eyes of the Axio's pilot, he didn't perceive anything else rather than Sir Exeter's words, he didn't even notice how the battleship was lifting them into the air along with their companions. Undoubtedly, from this moment onwards, he would be recognized as the new Lord of Exeter with the responsibilities that titles carries with it.

It truly was the greatest acknowledgement he has had since his arrival at the Lunar Kingdom, with the title that Sir Exeter was giving him, he could truly keep improving himself and helping to improve the world and the Moon. It was his moment, the moment he had awaited for, someone to recognize all of his efforts.

He firmly grabbed the Sapphiard's hand that was with him, with tears of emotion flooding from his eyes and the Axio's main cameras (although in that case it may be because of an oil leak due to the stress it had suffered through the battle). "I, Sir Mel Khan, hereby accept the title of Lord of Exeter. I shall honor the House of Exeter." said Mel, even though there was a rain of rainbow death coming to him. At this moment, he wanted to stay by Sir Exeter's side, ready to fight in its name.
 

GEAR

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#64
"Fool."

Vynatea sneered as the Giganscudo was enveloped in the crystal storm, its silhoutte vanishing under a mountain of crackling, shimmering particulate. A muscular, sinewy arm of liquid metal was lowered, the beast grinning as he turned his attention to the last survivors. A battleship of some fashion hovered with characteristic cowardice in the distance - but, it was the gleaming overhead that caught his attention, causing the monstrosity to briefly take his attention off the Gigan-

Giving Sir Charles the opening he had so sorely desired.

The Gigan's shields dropped away, and the red giant accelerated with speed wholly unbefitting its bulk, filling Vynatea's vision. The burning pits that were the Ogre's eyes widened in shock, and his hands came up, sending power surging through his form once more, preparing to deliver another thunderous, crushing strike with all his might...

But the Gigan, as it were, was quicker - two pistol like arms smashed inward, shattering the ridges of the throne as it did in a spray of biomechanical gore, sweeping the surprised Vynatea into its grasp. The silver ogre let out a roar of indignation, as his own musculature strained against the crushing grip of Luna's shield of justice.

"Nngh...! Not... bad, slave!"

Cracks ran up the length of Vynatea's body, one snaking up the side of his face, as the two incredible forces strained against one another... Yet somehow, he still managed to look up at the machine's face... and grinned.

"HOWEVER!"

The shimmering hailstorm reappeared - this time, behind the Giganscudo as a rain of daggers shot down from slits carved into space, raining down, preparing to finish the lumbering behemoth under a haul of shining shrapnel. The phantom quivers loosed their arrows-

But then...

A flash of blue and gold... and a horrific screech of metal pierced the silence - not from the Gigan's own frame... but its external tranceiver.

Suspended behind the Giganscudo was the form of the Sapphiard, its already ruined body now punctured by over a dozen crystalline spears - a shield for the shield. Visible as well to the arbiter alone was a gaping hole in the once proud Super Robot's back, as though some monstrous claw had been plunged into its heart, and violently torn it free.

Unbidden, the Arksaber machine had bounded from below, its thrusters carrying it to Sir Charles' aid in a heroic intervention... But-


"...What?"

Only Charles would have heard it due to his proximity: the words of William of Exeter. They were far different from the ones the others had heard only moments earlier, utterly bereft of conviction. His voice quivered... sounding terribly cold, weak... Afraid. There was a distant crackling and tinkling over the line, hued with static, so loud that it almost drowned out the dreamlike murmuring of its pilot.

"But... I...?"

In mere moments - indeed, faster than it had overtaken the Gigan - the corruption spread. It rushed up the Sapphiard's limbs, its chest, its face - encasing it in a gleaming, shining prison. The last thing Sir Charles - or anyone, for that matter, would ever have head from William of Exeter, was only a confused, uncertain whisper, just as the roar of the crystals overtaking the cockpit reached a deafening pitch:

"H... How...?"
 
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Jun 14, 2018
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#65
There was a twinge of triumph as the Giganscudo's digits closed powerfully around Vynatea, and a hint of satisfaction upon seeing fractures race up the crystal figure's visage. Charles' cockpit reverberated with strange sounds as the two titans struggled against one another. The low groans and pops of the mech's joints and frame as it strained were an alien thing, the product of force more overwhelming than any it had contended with before.

But even as its fingers tightened successfully around his foe, the Arbiter felt more concern than elation. The monster was harmed, that was sure, but for how long his beaten and battered machine could endure was less certain...as well as whether even its gargantuan strength would be sufficient to finish the deed. His trepidation was cut short however, by the blaring of alarms - first at the appearance of the jeweled spears to his aft, which were then superseded by a proximity warning as something, something massive, appeared unbidden in the middle distance. The Sapphiard.

It was as though reality had suddenly turned to molasses. Each moment seemed to drag out into an eternity for Charles, time laboriously resisting the universal laws that governed its flow. The spread of crystalline growths across Exeter's machine seemed almost comically slow in the distorted passage of time, yet somehow inexorable all the time. But even at that glacial pace, it felt as if no reaction was rapid enough to rescue the doomed knight. The Arbiter was left, powerless, as the sole witness of Sir William's parting words.

And then he was gone. The passage of time snapped jarringly back apace, the ruined machine - and her lost pilot - falling away encased on a gemlike prison.

Charles Beaumont was not an impulsive man, nor one given to brashness. An individual uplifted as a paragon of level-headed justice for many a year, the kind of man that, perhaps ironically, those close to Exeter may have pointed to as an example on how to temper his passions. Devoted to the Lunarian cause, but always considering her greater gain over his own feelings. The ideal citizen. But in that moment, a cold fury had been lit in his belly. It blazed not for justice, nor for the Kingdom of Everglory, nor for her people. It burned toward a single, ugly, selfish goal: revenge.

"Listen well, beast." The words would ring out across the battlefield, echoing in the receivers of any who still stood to hear them, solid as iron. As it had done several times before on this day, the Giganscudo's pyramidal chest split, its central portion telescoping forth to reveal row upon row upon row of densely packed energy conductors. Likewise the armor on its shoulders and knees, pockmarked and scarred, slid apart to expose more of the same. The entire fore of the colossal mecha was bathed in an azure highlight as power flowed forth from its reactor. The dull glow rapidly escalated until the thing would be more akin to a blazing effigy than a creation of man to Vynatea's sight, systems crying out in protest as the surge of energy threatened to overwhelm the Gigan's venerable, primitive energy management.

"Your numbers may be legion, and you may stand taller and stronger than any one of us. But we are Everglory, and we will never bow!" A great torrent of pure, unadulterated power erupted forth from the Giganscudo's chest, every solitary drop of energy its strained systems could muster flowing from the Giga Wide Blaster with the intention of incinerating Vynatea - and its own limbs, as it squeezed down on the monster even more tightly if such was even possible - in his entirety. One final, ultimate blow of vengeance for the fallen Exeter.
 
Aug 4, 2018
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Srilanka
#66
"Tch" Adachi clicked his tongue frustrated. This was the absolute worst time-line to be in, everything around him was falling apart he wanted to just book it and be done with it but unfortunately that wasn't an option. Leaving this thing to go rampant on the moon would put his father and sister in danger. Escaping the moon didn't seem like an option at the moment either. This was the only place Adachi knew and lived his whole life. And he wasn't planning on letting it go.

Adachi made the Gunleon prepare it's wrench. At this point he was just done and completely abandoned the support role he had going. The Gunleon's eyes flashed green right before it began charging towards the Vynatea. The moment it was close enough it hopped into the air and above it's enemy. "GET OFF MY FUCKING HOME YOU... Uh... Whatever you are!" Adachi screamed as the Gunleon aimed it's wrench downward towards the Vynatea with the intention to kill the colossal monster.
 

GEAR

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#67
The titanic structure jutted forth from the Giganscudo's chest, a particle beam that could have served as an effective turret in its own right - and indeed, in the machine's distant past, effectively had. Not for nothing had it once been referred to by the codename of Giganspada, the gigantic sword, and the shark-toothed visitor's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, extending one palm outward with a defiant roar as the beam burst forth. It impacted the held form, shredding the Gigan's own limbs as it did.

"Nn... Guooaaaaaaagh!"

A ray of light scorched the surface of the Moon, carrying the howling ogre up and away into the stars above. The warped sky shattered as their progenitor passed through them, like a drop of vinegar in a pool of olive oil, whips of star-speckled black flinging in all directions as the gateway to the hellish world of the DAMON was forcefully slammed shut on the fingertips of its reptilian army. Higher and higher, the beam rose, like the blade of an impossibly vast knight being thrust into the heavens - before detonating explosively above the surface of the planetoid in a luminous cloud of blue and white.

As the explosion lit up the Lunarian skyline... a tiny speck of light alighted on the shoulder of the Gunleon...
Then the Axio...
The Gigan...
And the wayward Knights of Bisen Foris, laden with refugees.

Tiny fragments of Dimensional Energy Crystal, carried down to the Lunar surface from the detonation above, each softly puff-ing out of existence as it touched what lay below.

A gentle rain of starry snow, bathed in rays of righteous fury.

They were gone - both the gleaming, shark-toothed fiend, and his malevolent throne.

To whence, none could say - but for the moment, it seemed that the Knights of Luna had triumphed.
 
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Jun 28, 2018
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#68
There was a hitch. A stitch. A split second glitch, imperceptible to all but the most watchful eyes. Like a skip in a record player or a fractional second of static in a video feed, it was and then it wasn't. The only real difference anyone might have seen after was empty space where the colorful comets had been. Otherwise, time marched forward as nigh all witnesses would have attested - the Giganscudo blasted the tyrant to kingdom come.

What exactly transpired in those lost moments was a secret for another day. For now, their mission was fulfilled. There were survivors to look after, and mysteries to investigate. The quartet of machines settled in for repairs and resupply, returning to their berths, and to obscurity.

Outside, as the 'snow' fell, the Notus gently began to turn, gliding toward the Fenossa. The machines gathered on her back were thus treated to a scenic cruise for however long they chose to remain there. The home ship meanwhile beginning to make its way toward the ZONE to conduct cleanup operations.
 
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Sep 10, 2018
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#69
In the middle of the lunar chaos, there was suddenly a moment of silence. The massive threat that was about to bring an end to their lives was graciously defeated by the Giganscudo.
But there was still something, another potential menace that was in the immediate vicinity: the trapped Sir William. As he pointed the main camera of his unit to where he was, he could see the crystals surrounding both the Sapphiard and the previous Sir Exeter.

"Sir William! We have to help Sir William!" Said Mel, warning the others about what was happening to him as he jumped from the ship onto the lunar ground, the thrusters from the ankles of his machine activating at a few meters from the ground, preventing to damage the engines of its legs.

"I'll go first, I'm sure Sir William is still alive in there!" said while carefully approaching the crystal cocoon.
 
Jun 14, 2018
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#70
It was...done.

In the fleeting moments after the Giganscudo unleashed its fury against the might of Vynatea, pure and blinding brightness enveloped Charles where he sat. Ever so briefly, the man wondered whether the light that wholly obscured his sight was the harsh flare of plasma reflected from the crystalline figure's guard...or the divine radiance of Heaven rushing down to greet him as he, rather than the shark-toothed foe, was striken down.

But soon enough the glow faded, and despite the stinging splotches it left in his vision it was apparent that the Grand Arbiter still existed in the material world. The forms of Gale Tyran and her master had vanished, replaced by little more than an ugly scar scorched into the Lunar soil by the blast. They'd done it; they'd won, against seemingly impossible odds. Sir Beaumont suddenly lurched forward, slumping over the machine's controls as the fatigue and stress of battle finally caught up, overcoming the effects of the adrenaline that had staved off pain and exhaustion.

The Giganscudo likewise descended with deceptive grace under the weak lunar gravity, power reserves wholly drained by the final assault. It impacted with a soft puff of moondust, slowly keeling over to lie - oddly tranquil - face-down in the dirt. The only movement was the twitch and spark of severed wiring in what remained of its forearms, and the accumulation of a soft dusting of DEC as the pulverized crystal descended back to the surface.
 
Aug 4, 2018
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Srilanka
#71
"It's oveeeerrr" Adachi sighed resting back on his pilot seat. "For a second there I thought we were gonna die... Unless I actually did die and this is the afterlife" he said looking around making sure that there were no angels coming to guide him to heaven.

DAMON SIGNATURES NO LONGER DETECTED. CYCLING TO NORMAL MODE.
"What?" Adachi asked shooting up. "Hold it I have questions!" he screamed. But the machine stayed quiet and the Gunleon let out a cloud of steam with a loud "Hissss" as if it were cooling down.

Adachi stared at his screen for a good while before clapping his hands together. "Alright... I guess I'll either take the robot apart or ask dad..And I really wanna do both..." he muttered looking to the sky. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't over..." he muttered staring at the darkness of space.
 

GEAR

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#72
ZONE Interior
Residential Sector


"U... ugh..."

Pain shot through the attache's body, as one eye unscrewed itself, blinking in the light. Overhead, lights flickered within the crumbled building, and he began to piece together what had happened. He'd been moving, trying to get the "object" out of here - that, he remembered, was of absolute importance. Locked around his wrist, he could see, by a chain of light, was a small, manual data slate. Not everything on Luna was networked - some things had to be kept hidden away from prying eyes, and this was just such a device-

He couldn't move - only the one arm was barely capable of the smallest of movements, as the rest was trapped under a collapsed section of the building - a pillar, for that matter. For a few minutes, he simply lay gasping in pain, drifting in and out of consciousness... before his eyes finally focused on something.

A figure emerged from the shadows. How long had they been sitting there? Just... watching him?

A young girl, with short black hair and wide, innocent eyes, walked over. Her style of dress seemed... unfamiliar, but it wasn't, he thought glibly, something that he really kept up with.

"Y... young Miss..." He managed to gasp, causing her to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

He raised the tablet, offering it to her.

"You must... get this to Sir Kiraly..." - Every word was pain, forcing air into his punctured lungs, agony.

"To Bisen... Foris... safe..."

"Hmm."

The young girl accepted it from his grasp, eyeing it with the curiosity of children everywhere... before she turned her gaze towards him, and gave a smile. Despite that it was the grin of a child... It was somehow terrifying.

"You can still talk!" She trilled. "I thought I'd squished you real good."

"W... wha...?"

A children's size shoe was lowered onto his neck, and there was a short, wet, crunch. The man's fingers contorted one final time - and went still.

Morta sighed, as boredom already settled in. Sir Kiraly, hm? She reflected briefly - that woman seemed so nice... So tall... So big, and strong... Those were her favorites. They always screamed the loudest, that's what Decima said, at least. She would make sure to ask Mama to keep that one for her... No use letting her sister have all the fun.

She touched her finger to the surface of the tablet - and from her wristband, tendrils of black snaked out, bursting from beneath its surface, sinking into the sides of the device. In mere moments, its screen lit up, garbled for a moment - and then its contents flickered to life before her, holographic view expanding as she took it all in with speed and precision unlike any ordinary child of earth.

LARSEILAM CANCELLER - PRIORITY II CONFIDENTIAL PLAN

At length, she snapped it closed, the tendrils from the infected identification tag retracting, giving a small sigh as she did so.

"...Bored now."
 

Gen Kumon

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Jun 14, 2018
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#73
Footsteps echoed slightly in the otherwise empty interior of the ZONE, each footfall accompanied by a slight click and jangle of metal and the woosh of long cloth brushing against itself.

"Ya sure do know how to make a mess of a fella', lil' missy. 'course, talkin' about messes, this whole thing is FUBAR. Ya lucky I found ya when I did. Things were getting pretty wild outside."

Shifting to lean against a nearby wall, looking at the girl, was a man. Of average height, the man would have been unremarkable if not for his bright red cloak, antiquated style of hat, spurs on his boots, or the scar across his face. He had a slightly haggared air around him, as if he was an office worker after a long day. An arm emerged from his cloak, to tilt his back hat slightly as he glanced over Morta and the corpse below her.
 

GEAR

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#74
"Uncle Early~, Uncle Early~!"

At the sound of the man's voice, Decima's face lit up like a Lunar New Year Photon fireworks display, giving a girlish shriek of laughter as she skipped over the bleeding corpse, straight to the man's side. She came to a stop right before "Uncle Early", pressing her hands together, tilting her head back and forth, as though overwhelmed with stimulation. It was a sharp turn from the gloomier side she had shown prior.

"...Mama didn't make it through." She said at length, deflating a bit as she did so.

Yet, this didn't last long. Her hands closed into fists, and began to tremble - there was a gentle crack in the air, which the man would perhaps have recognized as the sound of a tooth snapping from the force of a jaw being clenched tight.

"That ugly man ruined everything!" Spat Morta suddenly, "He broke my Elios, too!"

Even the thought of that grinning ogre was enough to send paroxysms of rage cascading through the young woman's form - yet, even these too were brief, as within seconds, she had see-sawed back on the emotional scale, giving a precocious sniffle. There was something about the way they were made, something... off about Morta, and Decima, that meant they could never truly blend in with normal humans.

Not for long, at least.

"...Gnn~nn." She whimpered, clasping her hands together as she affixed Early with a tearful gaze.

"You'll fix it, right? Please?"
 

Gen Kumon

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Jun 14, 2018
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#75
"Well..." Early trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "Not a lot I can do about your Elios, lil' lady, but I should be able to grab it on the way out. My ride's all prepped and ready ta' get us out a' this hellhole, if you've got everything your supposed to. Shame 'bout Dumi, but we'll see what we can do 'bout that once we get ta safety."

Breathing deeply through his nose, Dan pushed off from the wall he was leaning against, a more serious look on his face now. "I ain't even gonna pretend to know exactly what went wrong, but once we've got ourselves back on our feet, I certainly don't mind takin' out the trash and dealin' with the folks what did us wrong here."
 

GEAR

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#76
"Yay~!"

There was a soft pomf as Morta collided with Early's midsection, her arms sweeping around his waist into a hug. Thankfully, the squeeze that accompanied it was appropriately gentle, for the man was likely more than aware of what those little muscles were really capable of. At length, she detatched, and regarded Dan once more with those saucer-like eyes as he continued.

"I wanna ride Endark too!" She insisted, excitably, "It's like... clannggg, grrrrkkk, psshhhh!"

She made her approximations of the guttural noises emitted by Early's clanking weapon of war with the appropriate aplomb, each accompanied by a dramatic stomping or steam-emitting gesture as she stalked in a small circle, as if mirroring the unstoppable, lava-like advance that was to come. Whatever the case, she didn't seem too concerned with their situation - what was done was done, and some hiccups were to be expected on this, the final, and most important leg of their journey.

Morta gave a low giggle, and regarded the cables snaking from her watch, cooing to it under her breath.

"Won't that be fun... Nona?"
 

Gen Kumon

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Jun 14, 2018
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#77
"You're gonna get a ride, seein' as how ya can't breath vacuum an' I don't fancy taking you out in nothin' but a suit." Dan said, slightly awkwardly. The man obviously had somewhat limited experience with kids, or kid-shaped murders in this case, and just watched her stomp around.

"You..." Dan paused for a moment, considering how to address the situation, "...girls hurry up an' follow me, now that y'all have the goods. We'll skedaddle out of here and be gettin' ta' bringin' in your momma properly. Shouldn't be wastin' time yakkin' with them Loonies outside."