[center][h1]Interlude -Collab Between Pezz570 and 13Org- [color=6ecff6]Karina Frost[/color] [color=00aeef]Chres Sansus[/color][/h1][/center] [@13org] [hr] [hider=View Post]Year 4256 2nd day of the month of Olfaccium Night Chres sat atop a cushion in the shared living space provided for them in the tunnel. He gently massaged his feet, watching Sil zip around the room 'ooing' and 'awing' at every little thing she saw. It had been a long day of searching around the town. The lake should have been the first place he searched. Of course she had been at the lake. [color=a2d39c]"Look, Chres!"[/color] Sil said, pointing to the sleeping quarters. [color=a2d39c]"More caves!"[/color] Chres smiled softly in response. [color=a2d39c]"Can I take a look?"[/color] She asked. [color=00aeef]"So long as you don't touch anything."[/color] Chres replied. [color=a2d39c]"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..."[/color] She hummed, a finger to her lips. [color=a2d39c]"Guess I'll just have to kick things instead."[/color] [color=00aeef]"That's-"[/color] Chres started, but she was already gone. Chres sighed. His smile fading. Everything had gone back to normal, it seemed. So then why hadn't the dark cloud faded? It was a stupid question. One he already knew the answer too. He pulled out his flask of flavored water and took a sip. Having spent most of the day dealing with Delvin in the Familiar shop, Karina went back to the tunnel when it was already late. As she headed towards the shared space that they were using to stay at the tunnel, she met Chres, sitting atop of a cushion and calmly drinking the water he kept inside his flask. Judging by the smile he had on his face, he was much better than he was yesterday when they talked. [color=6ecff6]"Hey Chres. You look better. Were you able to find Sil?"[/color] Karina asked as she walked into the room, picking a cushion at random and sitting down. Truth be told, Karina liked the small familiar and hoped she was back, especially since Chres did seem to need her around him. A loud shattering sound came from the room Sil was 'exploring'. [color=a2d39c]"Hey look!"[/color] He heard her say. [color=a2d39c]"I made a puzzle!"[/color] Chres winced. [color=00aeef]"Certainly sounds like she is."[/color] He replied to Karina's question. He took another sip from his flask and glanced over at the young woman. She always seemed poised and in control. [color=00aeef]"Come to check on your 'subordinate', have you?"[/color] He asked, referencing her comment from the night before. He gave her a hint of a smile. His brow raised in amusement. Karina couldn't help but to chuckle when she heard Chres' comment, mentioning how she called him his 'subordinate' the other night. [color=6ecff6]"You should be glad for having such a good and attentive superior to take care of you, you know?"[/color] she replied with a chuckle and a discreet smile. [color=6ecff6]"Happy to see that you're feeling better, Chres."[/color] Karina said with a honest smile. Just after she finished saying that though, she heard a loud shattering noise and a very familiar voice coming from the other room. [color=6ecff6]"Sil does seem to be way better too."[/color] Karina asked, laughing as she heard the noise, happy that Sil was back with her antics. [color=00aeef][i]Right...[/i][/color] Chres thought. [color=00aeef][i]I'm supposed to be better now...[/i][/color] Chres smiled, regardless of his thoughts. [color=00aeef]"She seems to have reached some sort of middle ground in what she was concerned about."[/color] Chres said. [color=00aeef]"Or, more likely, just got distracted."[/color] Another crash came from the room. Chres sighed, smile fading. He knew he was going to have to clean Sil's mess up later. [color=00aeef]"So,"[/color] He said. [color=00aeef]"What have you been up to all day?"[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Anyway, it's good to see she's back to her normal self."[/color] Karina replied, chuckling lightly as she heard another crash from the room Sil was. When Chres asked what she did, she remembered Delvin in the familiar store and her request to have a familiar for herself. [color=6ecff6]"I... I may have visited the familiar store and ordered something..."[/color] Karina said, looking away for a moment. Chres felt his heart sink. [color=00aeef]"Oh..."[/color] He said. [color=00aeef][i]'Oh...'?[/i][/color] He thought. [color=00aeef][i]I gave it to her, didn't I? Told her to do what she pleased with it, didn't I?[/i][/color] Karina felt the change in Chres' tone as she mentioned that she went to the familiar store. Maybe even though he gave the locket to her, she shouldn't have used it... Chres didn't exactly say anything about what it was and what he wanted her to make with it. At least for Karina, it sounded like he wanted to get rid of the locket. [color=6ecff6]"I'm sorry... I thought you wanted to get rid of the locket and... Well... Selling it didn't seem to be the right thing to do so..."[/color] Karina said, hesitating as she tried to explain herself. [color=00aeef]"I'm sorry. It's fine. It's just that... "[/color] Chres shook his head and refocused his attention on Karina. She... she wasn't embarrassed, was she? That seemed out of character... [color=00aeef]"What do you mean you 'may' have?"[/color] He asked, emphasizing the 'may' part of his question. [color=6ecff6]"Ok. I [i]did[/i] go to the familiar store and got myself a familiar..."[/color] Karina said, sighing as she admitted. [color=6ecff6]"I always thought of familiars as luxuries, things that nobles and rich girls would have. Until I met Sil and Lynx, that is..."[/color] she explained, clarifying to Chres why she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she indeed ordered a familiar for herself. Chres smiled with amusement. [color=00aeef]"I see. Well, for your sake, I hope you didn't request another one of her."[/color] He said nodding over to the room where Sil entered. Karina couldn't help but laugh at Chres' statement. Another Sil would be... interesting to say the least. Incredibly troublesome and tiring but interesting. [color=6ecff6]"I was going to say she's not that bad but she's broken at least two things in that room already, right?"[/color] she asked, laughing. [color=6ecff6]"The way she speaks about it too. 'Making puzzles.' I guess she's not entirely wrong though."[/color] Karina continued laughing. [color=00aeef]"Aaaaaaah, but can you put it back together though?"[/color] He smirked while tapping his cheek. [color=6ecff6]"I would like to see her try though. It would certainly be amusing."[/color] Karina replied with a smile. Truth be told, Sil was quite of a handful with her antics but she indeed helped a [i]lot[/i] regarding keeping the morale high due to how cheerful she was. This time Chres gave an honest smile. [color=00aeef]"Yes..."[/color] He said. [color=00aeef]"I suppose it would be."[/color] He watched as Sil zipped out of one room and into another. It felt odd to give an honest smile after so long. Was it okay to smile after what he'd done? The question from the previous night lingered in the back of his mind. Did it matter? Did any of this matter? Chres gaze lowered to the floor. His smile fading. He could feel and itch crawling up the back of his neck. [color=00aeef]"Karina."[/color] He said. His tone becoming more serious. [color=00aeef]"Why do you think what we do here matters?"[/color] Karina couldn't help but to let out an amused chuckle as she saw Sil flying from one room into another, too busy with her antics to realize her presence. A few moments after that though, she saw the smile start to fade from Chres' face as he lowered his face. It didn't take much for Karina to understand he had a lot of things on his mind. When he called her name, she was already waiting for him, turning towards Chres, ready to hear whatever he had to say. [color=6ecff6]"You saw what the cult does with people, Chres. You, more than anyone else should know."[/color] Karina said, looking at him with a serious expression. [color=6ecff6]"They are a disease, Chres. They need to be purged, lest they spread and infect everything and then... Well... I don't even want to think about it."[/color] she finished with a grim expression. Chres nodded as she spoke. [color=00aeef]"To protect the world as we know it then. To stop whatever this strange force is from spreading. That is why you think what we do here matters."[/color] Karina nodded with a serious expression as Chres replied. Whatever the cult was, it certainly wasn't a good thing. What they did couldn't be called of any other thing than corruption. The distortion, controlling and messing normal people's minds... He paused to consider that answer. A good answer, sure. But it wasn't a good answer for him. [color=00aeef]"I told myself when we started... That day when the inn burned down... I told myself that I was doing this for the rest of you... that my selfish desires shouldn't come before the safety and success of the group..."[/color] He looked to Karina smiling. [color=00aeef]"You told me off right good then. Told me that if I ever called you a kid again, then you would gladly grant my wish."[/color] Chres took another sip from his flask. [color=00aeef]"You know something funny?"[/color] He said. [color=00aeef]"To me what you said never registered as a threat. In fact, I found myself hard pressed to not call you a 'kid' again right then and there."[/color] Karina heard as Chres began talking after a pause, reminiscing of when they first met. It certainly wasn't a good first encounter and her first impression of Chres was of just someone that... wasn't all that right in the head but it changed a lot as she got to know him a bit better. [color=6ecff6]"It certainly wasn't a good first encounter. My first impressions of you weren't exactly... good"[/color] she said, with a discreet laugh. [color=6ecff6]"I would certainly have left you bleeding on the ground if you had called me that again back then."[/color] Karina said with a smirk and a chuckle. [color=6ecff6]"Things do change though. I'm happy that I didn't cut you down back then."[/color] she said, with a kind smile. Chres furrowed his brow. [color=00aeef]"Why?"[/color] He asked. [color=00aeef]"Surely not because of the necklace. What did I do to turned your impressions around?"[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Despite your everything, you helped the group to get out of some troublesome situations a number of times, going as far as to not willingly put yourself in danger to help the group."[/color] Karina said, beginning to explain. [color=6ecff6]"Actions speak louder than words. It's easier to trust someone who fought by your side than someone who speaks pretty and the fact that your actions reflect the fact that you do care about the group's safety is worth more to me than words or presents."[/color] Karina finished, looking to Chres. Chre drew his lips in a line. [color=00aeef][i]She assumes too much of me.[/i][/color] He thought. [color=00aeef]"I told myself that I was here for the betterment of the group. That I would stick around to ensure you all didn't loose any numbers. But none of that was true. The truth is, I'm here out out guilt."[/color] Chres chuckled. [color=00aeef]"Guilt."[/color] He said. [color=00aeef]"It seems to follow me wherever I go. It's like a shadow looming over me. One that I cannot escape."[/color] He balled his right hand up into a fist. [color=00aeef]"Even now."[/color] He continued. [color=00aeef]"It sits here mocking me. The situation has changed since we started. There are plenty of other people in these tunnels who could fill in my place... however..."[/color] Chres looked up. [color=00aeef]"These people... The Kheru-Natjer, Svephraey, Malkev... They make me feel like there's knife to my back..."[/color] Chres shook his head, and sighed in frustration. He looked to Karina. [color=00aeef]“So… what’s it like being the daughter of the great Mirage?”[/color] Karina listened to Chres' words as he explained the reason for all his actions. Guilt. She knew a bit about his past and how he felt. Hearing this now only made it clearer that he wasn't able to let it go and continue with his life. He couldn't forgive himself for what happened. That was the reason why he seemed to want to die. [color=6ecff6]"Chres... I may not know how you feel or have walked in your shoes, but you can't keep on living like this."[/color] she said, gently putting a hand on his shoulder and looking into his eyes with an intense stare, almost as if she was looking right at his soul. [color=6ecff6]"Two wrongs don't make a right. Sacrificing yourself out of guilt will amount to nothing. Learn with your mistakes, make sure you won't repeat them. If you seek for atonement, then live. Live with your guilt, don't forget what you've done but strive to become a better person. Become someone better, who would never make the same mistakes again. Atone for your sins with good actions."[/color] Karina finished with a soft and comforting, albeit discreet smile. It wasn't the first time she had to have this type of talk with someone. A soldier's first kill isn't always taken lightly by them. Her position as a high ranking officer and her cute and petite appearance made her the perfect choice to deal with those types of things. Chres frowned as he listened. [color=00aeef][i]Become someone better...[/i][/color] He thought. That seemed like an insult to her memory. [color=00aeef][i]Her memory? She cheated on you with Mercaido![/i][/color] A part of him said. A part of him full of hatred. [i]’You don’t understand’[/i] Her words echoed in his head. [i]‘If you would only let me-’[/i] what? If he had only let her explain? What had there been to explain? [i]Become someone better...[/i] A better someone? He had been a better someone. Was that what he wanted? To go back to being that better someone? [color=00aeef][i]I want to be punished.[/i][/color] He thought. [color=00aeef][i]Punished, then killed.[/i][/color] [i]’Years...’[/i] She had said. [i]’This has been going on for years...’[/i] Did he deserve punishment? Punishment for her own betrayal? [color=00aeef][i]Punishment for her death...[/i][/color] He thought. [color=00aeef][i]I killed her… I loved her...[/i][/color] Why? Why had she betrayed him? Questions… He always had so many questions… Did it matter? Did any of it matter? An itch crawled up the back of his neck. [color=00aeef][i]... It does matter…[/i][/color] The thought surprised him. [i]’You don’t understand...’[/i] She had said. [color=00aeef][i]... and I never bothered to listen...[/i][/color] He thought in response. What hadn’t he understood? Become someone better… To be someone better would be an escape from the punishment he deserved, but how did he know he deserved it? Chres found himself nodding at Karina’s words, though not because he agreed with her reasons. The itch intensified. He couldn’t die… not when he didn’t know whether he deserved it. But how could he find the answer to this riddle? How could he learn the answer with his wife dead? ‘There are other ways...’ The thought seemed to flow into his head. ‘Other ways to know…’ A few moments were spent in silence before Karina replied to Chres’ other question. [color=6ecff6]“Being Viktor Frost’s daughter is honestly… hard.. It is hard not to live in his shadow when we are talking about him. Even now there are people who credit my position in the army and everything I’ve ever done to my name and my father’s influence instead of my skills and abilities. Those quickly learn their mistakes when sparring with me. In order for me to earn respect and recognition in the army, both being a girl, having this petite frame and being the great General Frost’s daughter, sometimes I have to be firm and cold.”[/color] Karina said. [color=6ecff6]“Those who know Viktor Frost though know how far the rumors about me are from the truth though. He isn’t the type of person that would let family or even emotional matters interfere with his job. In this matter, he is a general through and through. While we are in post, in his eyes I’m First Lieutenant Karina Frost, not his daughter, giving me absolutely no preferential treatment. That said, he expects much more of me than he does of any other soldier or officer and is much harder on me than he is with others. He does care about me but the way he shows that isn’t like a normal father would.”[/color] Karina finished explaining Chres nodded. To be the blood of greatness... He couldn’t imagine the pressure and frustration such a relation must put on the young woman. It did explain her sometimes cold demeanor though. [color=00aeef]“And what of your mother? Did she agree with your decision to follow in your father’s footsteps?”[/color] [color=6ecff6]"She was a beautiful and intelligent woman. She was a scholar from the Nation of Hearing. I lived with her most of my childhood. She taught me almost everything I know and was the one responsible for my studies.."[/color] She replied, with a smile on her face. [color=6ecff6]"We loved to sit down and read together. Surprisingly enough, I was the type of kid that actually liked studying."[/color] she said with a chuckle. [color=6ecff6]"My father was the one who wanted me to live with her in the Nation of Hearing. When she fell ill with a serious disease, I had no choice but to go live with my father. She died soon after. He changed a lot after that..."[/color] Karina completed, with a sigh. [color=00aeef]“I’m sorry...”[/color] Chres said. [color=00aeef]“I didn’t know...”[/color] [color=6ecff6]"No need to be sorry. She died when I was only 10. I loved her dearly, but the sadness is long gone. Only the good memories and the knowledge she left with me remains now."[/color] Karina said with a kind smile. Chres smiled. Karina was a tough one. Though that wasn’t anything he didn’t know. [color=00aeef]“You know,”[/color] He found himself saying. [color=00aeef]“I was going to be a father myself once… but then... I learned it wasn’t mine.”[/color] Chres fingered his ring as he stared blankly at the wall. Thinking back to the night he killed Mercaido. [color=00aeef]“It was a man I knew. A man I worked for… I killed him that night. Perhaps out of rage… perhaps from the Insight… perhaps both… Whatever the case, I made sure he died by my hand, and I’m not sorry I did it.”[/color] Chres paused. [color=00aeef]“She died before she gave birth.”[/color] He said. He looked to Karina and figured it was best to not tell her that he was the one who killed his wife. [color=00aeef]“Losing a loved one changes a person. It leaves behind a hole of nothingness. I hate what she did. Could never forgive her for what she did… but I still love her. Those feelings… They don’t go away…”[/color] Chres took another sip from his flask. [color=00aeef]“Your father, he’s lucky to have you by his side… Even if he doesn’t know it.”[/color] Karina stood silent as she heard Chres' words. Discovering more about his past only showed her how much he suffered. He was betrayed by the one he loved the most. Karina wasn't surprised when she heard him saying he wasn't sorry. Love, hate and anger are powerful feelings. [color=6ecff6]"Maybe he is... But he was never the same after my mother died. I might not have experienced what you did, but I saw it happening with someone close. I can imagine how it hurts but there are certain things you need to let go in order to continue living your life. How will you do this? When you feel it's right to do so? These questions can only be answered by yourself."[/color] Karina said with a soothing voice. [color=6ecff6]"What is important is not letting yourself be a prisoner of your own past, lest you want to lose your present and future to it."[/color] Karina finished with a tranquil voice. She knew that Chres had suffered for too long and did so alone, by himself. Even if she might not be that good with it, even if she could only say pretty words to him, she wanted to help even if it was a little. After all, Karina believed that it was part of her duty to take care of those under her and she was starting to consider that small, mismatched group as her allies after everything that they went through. Chres felt himself grow steely as he listened to her words. He himself had given similar speeches before. He hadn’t realized how frustrating such words were. [color=00aeef]“I can’t let go.”[/color] He said in a colder tone than he would have liked. He didn’t shout. Instead it came out more like a growl. [color=00aeef]“Not now… Not yet...”[/color] Chres capped his flask and rose from his seat. What happened, happened. He couldn’t just let go... He couldn’t just move on! If he didn’t hold himself accountable for what he did, then who would? [i]’You don’t understand...’[/i] What had she meant by that? He always asked so many questions yet never had he bothered to ask the one that mattered. Instead he ran from the question. No longer though… No longer… [color=00aeef]“I have to confront it...”[/color] He heard himself say aloud. [color=00aeef]“I have to know why… Then... from there… we’ll see...”[/color] [color=a2d39c]"We’ll see about what?”[/color] He heard Sil say from his shoulder. Chres jumped slightly. He hadn’t noticed her fluttering by. He looked to his shoulder as if he had been caught in the middle of pickpocketing. [color=00aeef]“Sil?”[/color] He found himself saying. Sil smiled softly. It was a familiar smile. [color=a2d39c]"Yup! That’s me!”[/color] Why? Why did she look like her? [color=00aeef]“I… We were just talking about Karina’s new familiar.”[/color] [color=a2d39c]"New? …. Familiar?”[/color] She said. She put her finger to her lips, as if in thought. Her head tilted to the side. [color=a2d39c]"Hmmmmmmmmm...”[/color] She hummed. She fluttered over to Karina. Sil leaned forward, examining Karina head to foot and back. [color=a2d39c]"I don’t knoooow...”[/color] She said. [color=a2d39c]"Your hair is way too white.”[/color] Karina listened quietly as Chres replied to her without saying a word. While she would have reacted to his growling tone if it was on another occasion, she knew that dealing with one's traumas and their past was something delicate. She knew when to stop. She had already said everything she could have. It was up to Chres to discover himself how he would act from now on. Luckily for both of them, Sil arrived soon after Chres finished talking. Her presence was indeed welcome to change the topic of the conversation. Apparently, she was finished with whatever she was doing In the other rooms. [color=6ecff6]"Hey there Sil! Happy to see you're better!"[/color] Karina said, looking to the small familiar with a smile. When she heard about Karina's familiar from Chres', Sil appeared to be deep in thought for a while, fluttering over to Karina and examining her from head to foot. Karina simply watched her with an amused expression, letting out a discreet laugh. [color=6ecff6]"Hey! I was born like that, you know?"[/color] Karina said, not being able to help herself but to laugh at Sil's comment. [color=a2d39c]"Born like that?”[/color] She repeated. She giggled to herself softly [color=a2d39c]"She-People sure are weird. And I should know! I’m around weird all the time!”[/color] She fluttered up to Karina’s ear. [color=a2d39c]"Psst… That guy...”[/color] She whispered. Pointing at Chres. Karina couldn't help but to let out an amused, cute giggle as Sil flew near her ear, pointing towards Chres in a really not that subtle manner. [color=6ecff6]"And you would be the queen of the weird ones, wouldn't you?"[/color] Karina said, teasing Sil as she laughed. [color=00aeef]“More like a goddess, actually.”[/color] Chres muttered. [color=00aeef]“The world does seem to bow before her...”[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Regarding my hair, maybe it is tied to my ice magic... Who knows. I like it the way it is though."[/color] Karina said as she opened her hand, her palm facing upwards as cold air began swirling around it, crystalizing the humidity in the air until it made a small and delicate, but beautiful rose with its roots made of ice, wrapping themselves around her hand. Sil gasped in awe. [color=a2d39c]”Oh wow! Pretty!”[/color] She said as she hurried over to Karina’s hand. It stood there for a brief moment before she stopped the cold air, making it slowly melt down. [color=6ecff6]"I wonder how she will be... My familiar, I mean. I wonder if she will be your big sister or your younger one."[/color] Karina said with a chuckle, remembering how Delvin said that he would give her a personality fitting hers. [color=6ecff6]"I think I'll call her.. Akai. When I was small, still living with my mother, I heard an eastern merchant saying this name. If I remember it correctly... It means something with the color red."[/color] Karina said, thinking for a moment as she tried to remember the correct meaning of said name. Sil’s eyes popped open with excitement. [color=a2d39c]”I’m going to be a big sister?!?!?!”[/color] Sil fluttered up to make herself level with Karina’s gaze. She leaned forward. Hands bunching into fists excitedly. [color=a2d39c]”Where is she? When do I get to meet her? Does she like lynxes? Will she help me find spiders to put in Octavapoo’s pants???”[/color] [color=00aeef]“Spiders?”[/color] Chres asked. His brow rose suspiciously. [color=6ecff6]"I wonder..."[/color] Karina said with a chuckle, amused by Sil's comments. [color=6ecff6]"The man who was making her said that he would give her a personality 'like my own', according to his words."[/color] she said, rolling her eyebrows as she remembered her encounter with Delvin. Chres frowned. He’d heard that typically the customer would go back and forth with the familiarist regarding personalities… Unless Karina had settled for some generic personality he presented her with. [color=6ecff6]"Spiders? I don't think Octavap- I mean... Octavio would be very happy."[/color] Karina said with a chuckle, almost using Sil's nickname to refer to Octavio. [color=6ecff6]"Regarding when, It will be soon. Delvin said it would be complete tomorrow."[/color] Karina replied. [color=a2d39c]”Tomorrow?!?!?!”[/color] Sil gasped. [color=a2d39c]“That’s like a day away!”[/color] She zipped back over to Chres, tugging on his shirt as she looked at him pleadingly. [color=a2d39c]”Can we go??? Please please please please pleeeease!”[/color] She asked as she hopped up and down, mid-air, like a giddy little child. Chres looked down at her and frowned. She was asking for permission? He supposed that was a behavioral improvement… He looked back towards Karina, shrugging as he gave her a questioning gaze and smile. Karina laughed as she saw how excited Sil was, going as far as to ask for permission to Chres, something that she normally never did. Her jumping up and down in the air was also too adorable for Karina to not laugh. [color=6ecff6]"She seems to be really eager to see Akai, doesn't she?"[/color] Karina said, looking to Chres with an amused expression. Chres shrugged. [color=00aeef]“Honestly she seems most eager for anything really… That is, except for cleaning up her own messes.”[/color] Chres said with a sigh. He looked to the room where the crash came from. [color=00aeef]“We don’t really have anything planned tomorrow... Though, I would be interested to know if the familiarist found anything peculiar on the pendent. As of yet, none of the other familiarists have found anything, but who knows… Maybe he did.”[/color] He looked back to Karina. [color=00aeef]“How bout it? Mind if we tag along?”[/color] Chres asked to Sil’s delight. Sil quickly turned her gaze back to Karina, giving her a puppy eyed stare. [color=6ecff6]"Hm... He didn't mention anything. He only mentioned that it was a very expensive piece, saying even that he wouldn't be able to buy it when I arrived."[/color] Karina said, thinking. [color=6ecff6]"Oh, I didn't try to sell it though. He only thought I wanted to sell it after I showed it to him."[/color] she finished, feeling the necessity to explain herself to Chres. After all, selling something that was a gift would be incredibly rude. [color=6ecff6]"Sure! Sil would be certainly overjoyed to go too."[/color] she said with a smile to Chres. [color=a2d39c]”Sil definitely would!”[/color] Sil exclaimed in the third person. Chres smiled. [color=00aeef]”Well, I guess it's settled then.”[/color] Chres said. [color=00aeef]”Now, if you don’t mind it seems I’ve got a mess I need to clean up.”[/color] He nodded to Karina and set off to find a broom. [/hider]