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TEIS' LAB - AFTERNOON
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Teis: Having already visited the library this morning and hid there for an extended period of time in the wake of her drunken encounter with Della the night before, Teis retreats to her lab with the books she's withdrawn, as well as some food and something else she'd purchased while she was in town - A set of flowers. Rondelethia flowers, to be exact, in a small vase. An envelope rests against the base, reading 'To Della' on the front in cursive. The entire display is sitting outside the door to Teis' lab, Teis hoping that, if Della comes looking, she'll read the card first before entering. Teis hasn't had the heart to actively give it to Della. Assuming Della checks the envelope, inside is a note, which reads as follows in that same cursive handwriting: "Dear Della. I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry for worrying you and I'm sorry for not considering how you'd feel about me not asking you to come out with me and for getting drunk. I'm also sorry for being a general nuisance to you since we arrived and I'm sorry for not taking my responsibilities seriously. And I'm sorry I don't feel like telling you this face to face. I'm trying to be better. Love, Teis."
Rondelethia has spent the morning sending letters, and hiring a new groundskeeper, and before lunch (which was early afternoon, she'd overslept a little), she came down to the lab to check up on her. She stops, and reads the note, before taking the flowers, and setting them aside, smiling just a little and taking an extra moment to decide how to proceed, and well the best plan is...just proceed! She steps in, the flowers still outside "Hey Teis. What are you working on?" She takes a coat from the hook at the door, and put it on. Always wear PPE in the lab!
Teis, garbed up herself and with greater mana lenses on, is hunched over her workstation. On her bench are some of the growths that Tarbin had made a few days prior, which is what her attention is currently fixated on. "Just a small side project." Teis replies, though doesn't turn to face Della. "Also, as it turns out, the local Loremaster knows who I am, contacted The Academy and had my curriculum sent in." The textbooks in question are currently stacked off to the side.
Rondelethia: "Ah. Well that's good. Saves me needing to talk to them" She keeps her hands safely in her pockets "Well, what's this side project then? Don't hold out on me"
Teis: "That fellow I invited in the other day. Tarbin. He didn't seem to harbour any magical aura at all, yet he was able to harness the latent arcane energies present in these plants. Where as most of us are like batteries storing said energies... And others not lucky enough to be capable of such requiring mana crystals to do anything at all... It didn't seem like he was. He was using those energies directly. I want to know how. Doing so would greatly expand my own spellcasting capabilities, to surpass the limitations of my own physical body. It may likely make me far more energy efficient and thus able to use magic for much more extended periods of time."
Rondelethia: "Oh! That's very interesting" She says, nodding. "So. The idea is that you're using plants as a kind of mana battery themselves?" She actually doesn't really know. Her theory is sound enough that Rondelethia can understand what Teis is saying after studying the background herself for a few hours, but keeping up 'in real time' is a bit beyond her. This is just her saying stuff to get Teis thinking. "Is it anything special about the plants, or is it channeling the uh..life energy itself" She "ponders" aloud
Teis: "Sort of. We're already taught how to accelerate our own mana acquisition from what's naturally in the aether around us... But this energy didn't even pass through him, which eliminates his own body as a point of failure. Sort of like how if you were to be struck by lightning, you'd likely die, but if you had a piece of insulating material around you, the lightning would prefer to simply go around... And you'd be fine. So, if I needed to cast something that would require more than my physical body allows... This process could be used instead." Teis explains. "And unless Respite itself is giant hotspot... I don't think there is anything special about the plants around here. Either that or Tarbin pulled the wool over my eyes and I'm wasting my time. But the potential makes it worth the investigation."
Rondelethia: "Right" She nods again "Ah, just make sure you know this one well, because I'm a bit lost so far" It usually takes her a while to catch up to new stuff like this "Does this Tarbin..does he use anything special to do this 'flower magic'? Or is it a natural technique?"
Teis: "I'll have to ask him to confirm, but he gave the impression that he was born with the ability. He has a second tail - A rare mutation of his species. It's a known sign of innate magical talent amongst their kind, so I'm inclined to think that's the case."
Rondelethia: "Isn't that a fox thing too? Foxes with multiple tails having magical powers?" She chuckles "I think you'd like great with another tail, put a matching bow on each of them!"
Teis: "Not something I can confirm, myself." Teis replies. She finally looks up from the workbench to Della. "I'm good with just the one tail, but if you insist on there being more... " Teis ominously hangs. She chants an incantation and clicks her fingers, and suddenly there's a whole second Teis! It mirrors Teis' movements, perfectly in sync.
Rondelethia: "Hmm, I think this one is nicer" She pokes at the 'fake' one "Can we keep her?"
Teis: "What do you think, Teis?" "I don't know, Teis. I don't think Della's responsible enough for a pet." "Yeah, you're probably right, Teis." "Maybe we can keep Della?" "You know, that sounds like a good idea. I bet between the two of us we could take care of her." "Yeah, you're absolutely right. Lets get her!" The two Teises pounce on Della.
Rondelethia: "Not in the lab!" She scoots out of the way of the real one, letting the fake pass through her "We just built it!"
Teis lands on the ground on all fours, sliding around to face Della as she comes to a stop. "Still think I'm better with a second tail?" Teis questions. "Or do you think I need more?"
Rondelethia: "I just need the extra tail! I don't need the rest of you!"
Teis: "Wow. That's messed up, Sis." The Teises stand up, then click. The fake disappears. "Look, your mean words made Teis disappear."
Rondelethia: "Truly, a most potent counterspell" She smirks "I should keep that one 'In case of multiple Teis's. Banish with the use of mean words"
Teis frowns for a moment. "Is that so?" Teis pouts, then a truly wicked grin crawls across her face. "Lets fix that." She begins chanting again, this time moving her hands and arms around as part of her casting. The cast ends with her pointing her hands at Della... and... Nothing happens!
Rondelethia opens her mouth and pauses, and becomes thoughtful. She then reaches into her purse, and takes out a notepaper, and writes something down, turning it over "You Suck"
Teis begins laughing, quietly at first, though quickly unable to hold it in and uproariously laughing. "You were onto something, Della! About not needing the rest of me! Turns out I don't need parts of you either!" Teis giggles. She then clicks her fingers, ending the spell.
Rondelethia: "I will take the high road, I'm not going to get drawn into something silly like this" She hmphs, haughtily, looking away..before squinting back "Your next fancy dress is totally getting a corset"
Teis: "You started it." Teis pokes her tongue out at Della. "You know what'll happen if you give me a corset, Della. You'd better not." Teis glares. "I don't even need one! I'd just look anorexic!"
Rondelethia: "And of course, High heels. For..uh..Posture..and those extra poof dress, you know, the one that makes you walk extra...stately" Or rather, the sort that Rondelethia has a special course to be able to walk in without looking like a duck with a debilitating muscle condition.
Rondelethia raises her fan to cover her face, just as a 'lady' should "You would look so ideal for a suitor" She even does a titter
Teis: "You know I'll just levitate everywhere if you do that! And I don't need a suitor!" Teis stamps her foot, her tail flaring up in a huff.
Rondelethia: "You know, the idea of you huffily floating everywhere" She giggles "..If you thought that was going to make me want to do it less, I might have bad news for you"
Teis: "Floating around wouldn't be proper. Be careful what you wish for!" Teis warns. "And why do I need a suitor?!"
Rondelethia: "Well, I'm meant to get one" She grumbles "Why not you too?"
Teis: "Because I'm young. And I've got my whole life ahead of me, with prospects, ambitions and dreams to aspire to. And you do as well! You can be more than what Papa wants you to be!" Teis exclaims.
Rondelethia shakes her head softly "Papa's worked so hard. I don't want to let him down. If I just want off, and did my own thing. It wouldn't feel right" She palms the fan in her hand, looking down at it "Besides. I like looking at what we've done so far, and the better we do, and the better the stuff we make, the more we can help people. Isn't that good too?"
Teis: "But you still need to be your own person. What good is it to make others happy, if you're not? That's why I don't want a suitor. If I find love, I want it to be someone who supports me... Not someone who just thinks I'm a novelty. And I love you too much to let you throw your future and happiness away to the first man Papa approves of." Teis sighs. "...Remember those stories I told you about Ma... ? My... Real Ma that is." Teis' tone lowers, her voice quietening. She crosses her arms defensively, rubbing them slightly and looking down. "And... What my Dad did to her... " Teis barely speaks.
Rondelethia: "Papa has said that I have to agree. He can..make suggestions, but that I can get the final say. I'm not a total pushover Teis. I just..pick my battles is all" She gives Teis a small side hug "Besides! If Papa ever did make me hook up with a total jerk, everyone knows he'd end up being..boiled in vinegar or something"
Teis: "I just... Want you to have some room for yourself in that heart of yours." Teis mumbles. She looks up to Della, smiling weakly. "I mean... Yeah. Something like that. But I'd have to go into hiding if that happened. You'd lose your Sis."
Rondelethia giggles "Figures. You're terrible at cleaning up after yourself"
Teis: "Yeah... I guess." Teis chuckles. "Look... I know how much it means to you that what we're doing here succeeds. I just want you to do it for you, not for Papa. That's all. Okay?"
Rondelethia: "Well. I do want this to go right, but that's mostly on you. I'm just here to make sure everything is good for your lab, so..uh..no pressure?"
Teis: "But... It doesn't have to be mostly on me. I'll do what I can, but... I won't be able to do this forever, Della. I need to be my own person, too."
Rondelethia: "Of course, of course..but that's later. Can we just focus on this little bit of now?"
Teis: "I know, I know it's later." Teis replies. "And I don't plan on focusing on the future too much. It's just... You deserve to be happy too, Della. We all do."
Rondelethia: "Yeah, I know, but I'm happy so long as everything is going smoothly, okay?"
Teis nods. "Okay." She falls silent for a moment, then moves to give Della a hug.
Rondelethia gives her a squeeze back "Now, tell me more about the awesome magical potential of the tulip"
Teis breaks off from Della. "Well... It's less about the tulip itself and more about Tarbin's ability... " Teis begins explaining.
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LOUMA AND MAY'S HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON
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Louma hums, unable to do much less than smile since the pair returned to the house an hour or so back, followed closely by a cart full of light lumber. She now holds a board in place next to the cupboards, hands on one end, the other supported by her tail. She looks to May, giggling softly. "This will do?"
Maybelline is dressed in her casual 'house' clothes, though wearing a toolbelt around her waist. Hammer in one hand, she glances over at the board, taking measure of it. "Should do fine! I've got the latch installed here. I set the board here, screw it into this, and that should do it for this side!"
Louma nods, holding the board steady as she watches May work with a slight blush, though it hasn't really been absent since the two headed out in the first place. "Take your time, I'm just enjoying the air of excitement~" She giggles again, trying not to shake the board. "Rather like an official stamp, all of this work is~"
Maybelline grins, putting her hammer down and pulling out a screwdriver and setting to work to attach the board. "Y-yeah. It's a pretty simple project... but it's also... whoo... big. Bigger then the generator, it feels like. Such small changes, but..."
Louma chuckles, looking at the remaining parts meant for making the home more accessible for the stoat, none of which really intrude on Louma's own life since she has no toe to stub or knee to bonk. She 'lets go' of the board after May's secured it, her tail sneaking out from under it and rubbing May's back gently. "Small changes to the house, but big changes to the home, sweets."
Maybelline nods as she finishes. The work she's doing is all somewhat unobstrusive, panels that slide out or fold into place to make a step, but otherwise can be folded aside out of harm's way, if desired. She tests her weight on the board, and then slides it aside, reaching a hand back to rest on Louma's tail tip. "Huge changes to... home. Yeah. I guess I was already spending more time here then at my quarters, but it still feels weird to say." She turns around to smile at Louma, "But definitely not a bad weird."
Louma smiles back at May after watching the demonstration, nodding at the cleverness of it all. "I know how you mean, flying back from the barracks, especially the last couple longer days, I still ponder going to your quarters to find you."
Maybelline giggles, "Funny, because I've been just as eager to come here after work as I was before. The only difference is sometimes I get here before you."
Louma grins, sighing dramatically. "I do hope I don't disappoint you when I'm late, my love."
Maybelline hangs her head theatrically, "I've spent my share of time alone. So I'm used to it. Though, it does mean I get a little eager for you to return, of course~."
Louma giggles, bending to scoop May into a hug. "No more being alone for either of us, now. I do apologize about the later days, though both of us will always have the occasional one." She's alluding to the previous evening, when she had the time to herself to spend at the Minnow.
Maybelline lets Louma lift her up, hugging back, "I was kidding... mostly. I love you, and I want to spend time with you, but kinda crazy to want to spend every single second together... right?" She doesn't exactly sound completely convincing, but she's understanding at least.
Louma giggles, giving May a little squeeze. "Mostly, yes. There are of course times like the trip up Mean Peak, where I might have to be away, or even some time when you might need to travel to Bairnell." She gives May another squeeze, humming. "Just makes returning so much better to have someone waiting, though."
Maybelline frowns a bit, "Those nights were hard... they might be harder now. I'll be here to give you something to come back to, I promise."
Louma nuzzles May, sighing lightly. "You already do without any effort~"
Maybelline blushes, nuzzling back. "Then I hope that adding the effort makes you even happier, Love."
Louma giggles, sighing as she reluctantly lets go of the hug, though it's up to May to hop from her lover. Her blush is deep, grinning a bit. "We'll never got the rest of the work done stuck together like this, unfortunately."
Maybelline does hop down with a sigh, "Right, right. I'm not against spending the whole day snuggled together, mind you... but I suppose we've got a few more boards to set into place." She turns back to the first installed board and folds it against the wall.
Louma watches the stoat hop down with a twinge of disappointment, but nods. "You've got that right." She looks to the folding board, considering the work and her previous night. "Sometimes the short time apart might be a good thing. Rarely." She moves towards the next set of boards, looking to pick out the one May may need. "I was at the minnow last night and had an interesting discussion with a certain wolf who shall remain nameless."
Maybelline gathers her tools back up and starts to walk towards the next installation point, but frowns at the mention of a wolf. "Ugh... I thought he was supposed to leave town or whatever it is bounty hunters do after they're done hunting your friends."
Louma shrugs, picking up a plank to bring over to May, resting the end of it on the floor while she watches the stoat work. "Normally, they would move on, many of the others did go back to Bairnell's Foothold." She pauses, her voice a bit lower; "Then some came back to look again."
Maybelline frowns further as she starts to attach the hinges. "They're still hunting Strix, eh? Isn't there anything you can do about that?"
Louma hums, shaking her head after a moment. "They're still following a valid bounty, and Strix is still nowhere to be seen. We're just a small frontier town, and some such places have historically become havens for criminals, easy to bribe or threaten small leaderships into sending requests for acquittal. One from us would likely be ignored." She gives May a sad look, "I tried looking into a legitimate way, but we've got too little say."
Maybelline sighs, focusing on her work, "Strix isn't a criminal, I'm fairly certain. The whole situation is crap. Wish I'd gone for the wolve's throat instead of giving him damned directions."
Louma nods, absently running a talon along the edge of the board. "I would have liked to stop them as well, but what is done is done, no sense in dwelling on it. Besides..." She looks to May, "He may have a goood plan for how to get Sarn off Strix's tail."
Maybelline pauses to glance back at Louma, a curious expression on her face. "He has a plan?"
Louma gives a curt nod, tapping on the board. "One we would need your help with. As an added incentive for you, he'll be leaving Respite, at least for a while, too go to Sarn himself and follow through."
Maybelline crosses her arms, "Hmph. My help? I don't rightly care what he does... but... it will help Strix? I'm guessing you wouldn't be telling me this unless you thought it would work too."
Louma gives a wry grin and a half shrug. "It's the best idea I've heard for solving the issue, at least for some time. If they want him so badly and get new proof of Strix's inventions, well..." She clears her throat, moving on. "more or less, he wants to convince the fine folks of the Sarn university that Strix's inventions are a hoax, and that any proof they have otherwise is a fluke or not his."
Maybelline considers this, looking down as she strokes her chin. "Meaning... he would need an example of Strix's work. An example that would prove it's a hoax. That's... a tall order, one that's convincing enough to be proof, but also obvious enough to be a hoax?"
Louma giggles, nodding. "Yes. Something that looks like his anti-gravity discs would be perfect. Especially if it explodes."
Maybelline chuckles, "Usually I'm asked to build things that don't explode. This would be a bit of a challenge... but if it would help get folks to stop hunting for Strix, it'd be worth it. Strix did a lot for me here in Respite."
Louma nods, smiling warmly at May. "He's done a lot more than some give him credit for, that's for sure." She frowns slightly, "Myself included, for years. He used to be a nuisance, on the surface, his inventing occasionally disturbing folks and causing worry..."
Maybelline nods, "I thought I knew better then him. Thought he was just a slap-dash engineer making dangerous stuff without really knowing what he's doing. I... still don't know if he knows what he's doing, but there's a definite brilliance behind it. Something I don't think I'll ever fully understand. Maybe that's why folks back home want him... but doing it with bounty hunters? Ugh."
Louma nods, humming. "It does seem like a strange way to recruit a talented inventor... Even if the methods are alarming." She rubs her chin, thinking for a moment. "I wonder if that has to do with him being a kobold?"
Maybelline nods, "I'd never known any kobolds before, but I guess I'd heard they weren't that smart?" She glances away, embarrassed. "Just stereotypes I'm not proud to say I just believed, I guess."
Louma sighs, shaking her head. "The same for me, I suppose." She edges the end of her tail close to May, giving her a little nudge. "But we can always improve in some way."
Maybelline gives Louma a half-smile as the tail nudges her head up. "We can, yeah. I'll definitely see what I can do to build something that'll be... Strixlike. Ugh. He'd probably hate it if he could see it though."
Louma giggles, nodding. "We'll try to leave the part about you being an ideathief out when we give Strix the good news~"
Maybelline nods, giving a sigh that turns into a laugh, "Yeah, maybe wise. May isn't meant for building Strixshinies. But May will try. May doesn't want to see sadStrix anymore then Strix wanted to see SadMay."
Louma blinks at May's impression of the kobold's mannerisms, chuckling as she speaks. "Oh my, getting right into his mindset are we?"
Maybelline blushes, scratching her head, "It was hard not to when talking to him! Um... engineering empathy, I'll say?"
Louma nods, giggling again. "Whatever helps you, I'm not judging! If more Strix-like is what you need to be to get the decoy to be as Strix-like as possible, have at it."
Maybelline giggles along, nodding, "Maybe... maybe later. Let's get these shelves finished. I'd prefer they be as MayShiny as possible. I can think on what to do for a Strixshiny..."
Louma nods, leaning over the stoat and giving her a peck on the forehead. "Yes, I certainly prefer everything about MayShiny as well~"
Maybelline glances up at Louma, smiling at the kiss. "I... y-yeah. Me too. You... You, I mean. I prefer everything about you. S-sheesh, you compliment a girl's engineering and it just makes her all giddy."
Louma blushes, looking into May's eyes. "Well once we get all these wonderful platforms set up around here, there's some work to be done upstairs to help burn off that giddy energy~"
Maybelline 's own blush deepens, and she reaches up to kiss Louma's beak. "Hmmm, that's a very good point. Let's get to work, then, love, so that we can... get to work~."
Louma returns the kiss, smiling as the stoat leaves a tingling warmth inside her, both from the kiss and her response. The two do manage to get the first of May's platforms and shelves put in place, using up everything they'd bought and making the snake-sized home fully stoat accessible. The rest of the evening seems to have been hidden behind a very nice red curtain, though.
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OLDHAMMER SMITHY - EVENING
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Cavro is toiling away at the smithy, where the badger has been spending almost all of his time, only wandering away to deliver goods, or when the vague urge to eat or rest comes. After the sun has mostly set, his efforts can be seen by the faint glow of light from the open roof hatch cast onto smoke billowing from his forge chimney. Trotting across the workshop, Cavro hefts a small box of raw ore, as if he's planning on just now starting another project.
Kira is on her nightly rounds when she comes near the smithy. Noticing the light coming from inside, she decides to fly over to investigate, not having seen Cavro in a long while. She approaches the doorway and waits there quietly, not wanting to interrupt the badger in the middle of anything delicate or dangerous.
Cavro turns from his storage, about to trot over to the furnace again when he spots Kira at the door. He pauses, considering her for a moment before grinning and nodding to her. "Oh hello Kira!" The badger resumes his path toward the forge, smiling the whole way. "You seem to be out pretty late, what brings you by?"
Kira blinks at Cavro before fluttering in and landing on a worktable not involved in the current process. "Oh, just on my first round of the night for the lamps. It gets dark earlier now, so I have more work to do..." She sets down her lantern and stretches her arms a bit, glad to be free of the weight for a moment. "What are you working on?"
Cavro steps up to an empty crucible, pulling nodes of material out of the box and placing them inside, as to not risk cracking another one. "Oh yes, the lamps, I see! Me, I'm just getting ahead with making nails. A lot of orders, so many people building homes here!" He chuckles to himself.
Kira smiles. "Ah... well, that's important. Wouldn't want the houses to fall apart..." She flutters her wings a bit and just watches Cavro work. "So many new people in town. Even a big new house near the walls..."
Cavro nods, turning back to Kira once he's filled the crucible. "Oh yes, it's very nice for me! I hope it doesn't cause too much trouble for you, though." He look from her lantern to her sword, tilting his head slightly. "The extra patrol and lamps."
Kira shakes her head and smiles. "It's still less work than when the generator was down and I had to light them all by hand... now I just make sure they don't go out..."
Cavro smiles at Kira, nodding. "Very important work, you do help make the streets safer at night!" He wanders over to the workbench that Kira's on, looking toward her sword. "Hmm... I recall us talking about a sword suited for you, right? That one looks very nice, but I... Don't remember making it?" He certainly looks a bit confused.
Kira pulls out her little sting of a sword and goes through a few of her better practiced thrust and slash patterns. "You didn't. It was the other smith... Ragnarr, I think the name was? The wolf."
Cavro hums, his confused expression vanishing as he smiles at her display, nodding. "You move well with it! Yes, Ragnarr, that's right, sorry. Well, it looks like he made it just right for you, hm?"
Kira nods. "Yes..." She offers out the tiny blade for Cavro to take and examine. "Here, have a closer look."
Cavro takes the weapon with a slight nod, holding it up and looking carefully at it. He checks the blade's edge with his thumb, then looks straight down the length. "It's quite impressive, excellent quality for such a small blade." He examines the work on the guard, before grinning at her and offering it back. "I hope it serves you well, an elegant weapon for an elegant lady!"
Kira giggles and takes it back, tucking it back throug the belt around her waist. "You flatter me. Erika is lucky to have such a fine mate."
Cavro chuckles, though doesn't seem to blush much. "Mate? That's one way to put it, I guess."
Kira cocks her head. "Is she not? I thought you two..." She frowns a bit. "Maybe I'm mistaken."
Cavro shrugs slightly, turning to look toward Kira's lantern, mild concern in his voice. "We've been friends as long as I can recall. I don't know how to say we feel for eachother. It's not the first time it's come up, seems like there should be more there, maybe?" He absently picks up her lantern, looking it over as he thinks.
Kira shakes her head. "No, there is more. I have seen you and her kiss..."
Cavro blinks, looking to Kira with a bit more blush. "Oh yes, we have. I... hm." He looks to the lantern again, setting it down finally. "How should I feel, then? How does she feel? She doesn't look at me any different than anyone else."
Kira cocks her head, then flutters up and cicrles around Cavro's head. "No, I don't see any damage to your head, but you don't seem right, Cavro. You and Erika are more than you're saying and the Cavro I know wouldn't say that you weren't."
Cavro watches Kira flutter around him, looking more concerned, a hand coming up to scratch nervously at the side of his snout, a habit he had broken months ago. "What do you mean? Kira, you're starting to make me worry. Maybe we don't feel that way about eachother any more? I don't know why though, some things are a bit fuzzy..."
Kira lands again and takes up her lantern. "I don't have the answers, I'm sorry. I should get back to my rounds, though. It's good to see you, though. I'll stop by again soon." She smiles at Cavro but doesn't give him much if any time to reply.
Cavro watches Kira as she leaves, wearing a deeply worried look and scratching at the side of his snout some more. He forgets work for the first time in days as he dwells on their conversation, eventually shutting the forge down for the night and heading homeward, though he wont manage to sleep well at all tonight.