Twenty-one

This evening Ayu-Asra lost interest in singing with the orb very soon. He moved to the windowsill and scratched at the panes. Sylvie sighed. Since opening the widow a crack showed that the rain fell steadily, without much wind, she opened it for a while. The dragon sat there looking out, unhappy about the weather.

As Sylvie picked up the orb to stash it away in its box, the story Sebastian had told how he had come to find it came to the front of her mind. She wasn't sure she would be able to do something like that to someone, or kick their face in, for that matter, but since she certainly had wished ill on others occasionally, it would have been hypocritical to blame it on someone else. Remembering Sebastian's look of relief when she'd approved of the ending, and how he said he trusted her, made his leave seem odd.
Maybe he was having second thoughts, and not running into him would be a better option.

That was a sad thought; if nothing else, she liked to talk to him because she liked his sense of humour - and because he did not meet the idea of other worlds with disbelief.

Some speculations that painted Sebastian either as a callous villain or shining hero got cut short, because things certainly were not that simple. One thought they brought up again was that of Lady... Fortuna, and the question that brought up was how much or little control over his life he had - and how much of a coincidence him coming across Ayu-Asra had been.

At the very least Sylvie wanted to find out what kind of character this goddess had, once she wasn't bound by her obligations anymore.


The next morning, the rain was still falling steadily. It had not stopped once.

Wake up. You're dreaming.

The pitter-patter of the rain mixed with the humming of sister Auker, who had courteously covered him with a blanket and was now tending to the shrine. Smiling drowsily to himself, he tried to remember when he had fallen asleep last night after Auker had suddenly nodded off in her chair. He remembered brooding over his problems for a while and being extremely careful to do nothing that could lead to disaster. As always, he couldn't remember, nor could he remember his dreams.

Sebastian sat up properly and sighed as he reached for his jacket and gloves, taking a while to rub some warmth into his hands by the warmth of fireplace. He wasn't interested in huddling next to it for long, however, choosing rather to brave the chilly air of the shrine than to be tied down by such a simple want.

Auker looked as if she hadn't been eating and drinking festively last night, smiling at the sight of him. Her grey and yellow robe was a perfect camouflage in the decorated room the shrine was housed in, and especially in front of the silvery and golden paint (though not the green) of the shrine. She was sat one one of the two half-moon benches in front of the shrine. "Good morning. You slept well."

"I did?" Sebastian said and sat himself next to her, wrapping the blanket around himself again. The veiled face of Fortuna was turned right at them, smiling in an irritatingly smug manner. "I guess I did."

Auker reached out for the book she had placed next to her and nodded. While she didn't notice it, Sebastian gave the book a long look of appraisal. She said: "I haven't asked her, before you ask. Maybe you should try, too?"

"No thank you," he said automatically, tearing his eyes off Auker's book to meet her gaze. "We've never talked - she listens or she makes grand gestures, but we've never talked."

"Fair enough," Auker said dignifiedly.

"Thank you for looking after me," he said before Auker had a chance to try and reason with him. "I appreciate it. But I should get a move on."

Sensing the pilgrim wasn't going to warm up to her (yet anyway) and deciding there really was no reason to deny the exotic-looking man his wishes. "Fortuna looks after her own," she smiled, though she didn't particularly feel like smiling that time. "I do, too."

It was a touching thought, and though he could tell Auker was too distracted by something to smile a more vibrant smile, Sebastian certainly found himself smiling at her. "As do I. Come to think of it, is there anything the shrine might use help with?"

"I have Rosz for shopping," Auker said. "Unlucky kid. Not as unlucky as you were." She sounded teasing. "You'll meet him soon if you stay for a bit longer."

"Yes, I think he wouldn't be," said the half-elf absent-mindedly and looked at the shrine. The silver, gold and green bothered him a little all of a sudden, bringing back memories of bygone days and one adventure in particular. "It will have to be another day. I'll drop by as long as I'm here if that's all right."

Auker snorted and looked back down at her book. "Why wouldn't it, pilgrim?"

"You never know," he smiled, folded the blanket and left it next to her. "Bye, sister."

"Bye, pilgrim," she said and watched him go, squinting suddenly when he reached the doors. "Say, what was your --"

He slipped out.

"-- name." Now, that was a little suspicious, she thought and turned her eyes back to her copy of the church's legendry. But something bothered her about the pilgrim, and so she put the bookmark back to its place and lowered the book down dangerously close to the edge of the bench. Determined to figure out what the man's problem was, she approached the shrine and bowed her head.

Sylvie and Garren put in another good half day's worth of work, even if the dragon was more or a distraction than the day before.

Early in the afternoon, however, they were interrupted by Gemma, who frowned at her husband as she came in.

"I told you you needed to put these notes away so we have room to talk business. Ludovic is here already."

Garren looking somewhat embarrassed and at least equally annoyed started stacking papers and parchments wordlessly.

"I'll help you; Sylvie, why don't you say hello to Ludovic."

Sylvie smiled and joined Garren. "Because I know better than you which of these papers belong together, so it won't be complete chaos when we take it up again. Why don't you keep him company until we are finished."

Gemma rolled her eyes, grinning, but left. So, how to get out of this?

"Since we have to stop for a bit anyway, would you mind if I go out for a few hours? Rain or not, I need to stretch my legs a bit."

Garren took a stack of notes from her and stashed it in a cabinet behind him. "Oh, yes, yes, we can always continue later or tomorrow. After a month outside, this here must seem like a cage."

"Not quite that bad," Sylvie answered smiling.



Ludovic was waiting in the back of the shop, a picture of patience, even if he resented being left waiting. You had to keep up some professionalism when dealing with business partners.

He smiled genuinely for the first time in a while when he saw -

"Sylvie! No-one told me you were back. It's such a relief you are safe."

"Hello. Ah, we're finished, room's all clear for your talk."

"I'm sure it won't take long. Could I invite you afterwards -"

Sylvie smiled. It was ingrained, in a way, like greeting back. "Sorry, I have plans for now and don't know when I'll be back. Otherwise I would have work to continue." She turned back into the house before he could go on, drawing another eyeroll from Gemma. "I understood you have business to deal with, too; I'd never want to interfere with that."

Ludovic was surprised for a moment, then he smiled again. What a strange turn this game had taken. But, yes, professionalism. Leave a good impression, pull more money out of people's pockets. That was the idea.

While he negotiated prices with Garren and Gemma, Sylvie hastily polished her boots so the mud they'd inevitably gather would clean off easier. After a bit of hesitation for Ayu-Asra's benefit - he decided to stay with Riya in the shop after all - she left, for a change in her own clothes, including a raincloak.

Northeastern side of town, and she could surely ask for directions on the way. People did not spend more time than necessary outside, but for most people cooping up inside until a rain this persistent passed was not possible.

She had to ask from three different people to get the clearest directions: the first one had no idea and the second could only point out the exact part of the town, while the third grinned in a friendly sort of way and bid her good luck in a slightly joking manner after giving the directions.

The shrine was in a row of four buildings, the first a pawnbroker's shop, the second just a boarded up old brick house. The third, as the man giving the last set of instructions had said, was a gambling hall that was open even now, spitting out a pair of men that also let out some of the music playing inside. The building housing Fortuna's shrine was a rather unimaginate yellow in colour, and the only signs that it housed religion inside was a sign hanging over the doors, stating exactly what it was without any lavish decorations. The doors looked newer than the rest of the building and were unlocked.

It seemed not as strange as Sylvie had expected. After a moment's hesitation she tried the door without knocking, and stepped inside and folded back the hood of her cloak as it opened.

The room she found herself in was, for now, quiet and still. The walls were painted in shades of yellow and grey, and the room was impeccably clean all the way from the doors to the shrine itself, which stood in front of the opposite wall, the silver and gold paint reflecting some of the lamplight. The two half-moon-shaped benches in front of the shrine were empty but for a worn book that was placed on the edge of the right-hand-side bench. From the shrine, the statue of the goddess kept a silent, unseeing vigil and did not react to an unexpected guest.

Sylvie pulled the door shut behind her quickly, making sure it did make a noise. She stayed put next to the door, moving just a bit to the side so anyone else coming in would not immediately run into her, and tried to take everything in. Feeling very out of place, she ended up staring at the statue thoughtfully.

Another door to her left opened almost immediately. A woman of modest looks poked out first her dark-haired head and raised her eyebrows, then smiled and slipped out of what seemed to be an office of some sort. She was slightly taller than Sylvie and dressed in yellow and grey robes that made it hard to tell exactly what kind of build she had. Despite her modest looks, she had a keen look to her, as if everything happening around her was observed carefully. "I'm sister Auker. Come to find a bit of shelter from the rain, miss?"

Sylvie grinned for a moment - she wouldn't have walked through half the city if she'd been after shelter - before finding to a friendly smile.

"Hello." She hesitated, a bit unsure about etiquette she might not know, but then went on, "My name is Sylvie. Actually I've come here, well, for curiosity's sake."

She cast a fleeting look at the shrine before turning back to Auker. "I'm sadly ignorant about most gods, and I hoped to change that."

Auker met this with a smile and nodded, making her way to Sylvie. "Sure. What would you like to know, for starters?" she asked, completely without any manner of special, formal etiquette, speaking in a relaxed manner.

"Ah, but first, let's have a seat, shall we?" It wasn't really much of a question: sister Auker was already making her way toward the right-hand-side bench.

Auker's manner helped Sylvie relax. She followed the priestess, taking off her cloak and considering the question. Where to start? "Some gods can steer people's... fate as they wish, is that so?"

Auker sat down on the bench right next to the book without appearing to notice the book was there, considering the question for her own part with slightly raised eyebrows. "Most gods do get involved with matters of the mortal world at least once or twice during their divinity. As to their fate? Oh, that takes a lot of engineering," she said with a smile and looked toward the statue on the shrine. "As a goddess of luck, Fortuna is a master engineer." Auker wondered for a moment if this woman... Sylvie... had had a close call somewhere. She seemed to have some particular thing in mind.

Sylvie sat down next to her. She made a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sigh and looked at the priestess with a slightly lopsided smile. "I'm wondering about..." her reasons. Her smile was nearly gone. She was worried about offending Auker, and ever so slightly about the goddess herself. "What does she do? What does she stand for?"

"Success against impossible odds. Hope. Unexpected mirth." Auker read Sylvie's face for a moment. "But also misfortune and sudden loss. Luck goes both ways, and you could say she has two faces: the face of the smiling lady and the maid of misfortune."

The keeper of the shrine didn't seem the slightest bit worried that someone might not like the flipside of things. "She favours underdogs and those who trust themselves to her - but she isn't a goddess that will give and give and give all the time. Her gifts are unexpected, and for example I as her worshipper never pray for anything in particular when I wake up." Auker smiled. "I trust her to take care of me when it matters the most. Everything else is just a bonus. In my experience, she does take care of me. I'm not so sure about some of the so-called adventurers..."

Auker's right hand brushed the book as she rested it against the bench.

"Does their luck tend to turn suddenly?"

Auker thought about her answer for a moment. "Well, yes, suddenly. But I don't think it's unsurprising that a person's luck changes if luck is everything a person trusts. Her gifts are unexpected, not constant."

Sylvie smiled a little, thoughtfully. "Sometimes all you can do is hoping for luck, but neglecting your own precautions relying on it if you have a choice would be stupid..." Now, what was she doing right now?

Auker looked pleased. "Exactly. Sometimes you can only trust and hope. Sometimes you don't need to hope." What she didn't say was that the line between skill and luck was sometimes notoriously hard to determine. "Hope is a good thing to have. It gives confidence, which can be all one needs. But too much of it may come back to bite you."

She raised her right hand to comb her hair with it, narrowly missing the book.

It fell on the floor anyway, opening.

"About Fortuna, I -" She flinched and fell silent at the thump, turning her head towards the noise automatically, but could not see the book, since Auker's robes and legs were in the way.

She closed her eyes at the sound and gave a slight sigh. "Sorry, I keep forgetting my things..." Auker said with another sigh and bent to pick up the book. Once she had it in her hands and had straightened her back again, she inspected the book for any damage and happened to read some of the text. She immediately forgot about her guest for a few heartbeats, looking at the book in surprised silence.

I'm going to -- oh wait. Auker suddenly turned her attention to Sylvie again, still a little astonished but in control once more. "Sorry. About Fortuna?"

After a few moment of trying to remember the question she'd been thinking of, she finally broke into a sheepish smile and said, "I think I forgot what I wanted to ask." Which was not entirely true. She'd forgotten how to put the question, but, all things considered, maybe questioning a goddess's morals in her own temple was not a smart move.

Then she nodded at the book. "Everything all right?"

"Just a bit of an awakening," Auker said honestly and glanced at the text again for good measure, leaving the book open on her lap. Despite her words, she had her arms crossed in front of her chest defensively. The subtitle still glared back at her, mocking. Oh, how She truly worked in unpredictable ways... Sebastian the Fortunate, eh? Once I figure out the right way to address you, I'm going to -- oh, right.

"Well, think about your question. Unless there was another one?"

"Well. Why does she bother?"

"I'm sorry. I don't think I understand your question."

"I'm not sure I do. I guess I should better think a bit more; I think you gave me quite a bit of material to mull over."

Auker smiled. "I guess that's a good thing. Take your time. I haven't the slightest hurry anywhere with this bad weather." That reminded her to get the mop after Sylvie left.

Sylvie smiled back. "Thanks for your help."

"Trust me, Sylvie, my pleasure. Most people come to ask me why they didn't win at the tables next door."

Sylvie chuckled and shook her head, then got up and walked up to the shrine to drop a coin in the collection box, taking the opportunity to have a closer look at the statue.

She said goodbye to Auker, left, and after very short consideration decided to look for a place where she could get something hot to drink rather than returning to Old Ivy immediately.

By afternoon, and by the time Sylvie made it to the shrine, Sebastian had shaved and bathed - as redundant as the latter seemed, considering how wet the city was. However, the wet was also cold, and though he enjoyed watching and listening to the rain, the occasional flash of lightning and bang of thunder, cold and wet together were not among his favourite things.

The bath, in conjuction with his nap and breakfast, made him feel at least somewhat better. He certainly felt more awake, especially given that his nap had been virtually without dreams and that he had helped himself to not one but three cups of tea. While he didn't feel exactly comfortable yet. He felt warm, but also... very restless, not only because of Auker's problems getting an answer from the Lady.

So he had sat on his bed, going through his memory book with mixed feelings that brought back even more mixed feelings. And then he could take it no longer. Sebastian took his raincloak with him and left to see if he could find certain merchants. After that last episode with Auker, he had decided he was going to leave as soon as the weather cleared - and if he could find any supplies (bar food) now, leaving was going to be quicker.

It turned into a disappointing walk soon. Certainly he found some of the things he was looking for - matches, a new shirt that he was going to have to work on a bit nonetheless and tea (his tea had been soaked by the break-in). It wasn't that, but that the half-elf's conviction had drained as fast as he had worked it up. His ambivalence returned stronger.

It weakened again when Sebastian realised the street he was on was the same one that had led Sylvie and him to Old Ivy on the day of their arrival. Indeed, a scant few minutes later he was standing about sixty feet away from the door, staring at it as the rain fell down around him. He knew he wasn't supposed to stay put like that, not even in a city besieged by bad weather. Sometimes that made cities even more dangerous than usual.

Sebastian approached the door and stopped just in front of it, raising his hand toward it... and the he hesitated, biting his lip. Was he doing a favour by staying away, or was there something else he could do? He doubted he could have, but on the other hand... how to tell?

He stood there for a while. Why are you being so daft?

The door moved: he walked in as opposed to slipping in as he would have wanted to.

"... must have been a rotten roof, but it won't be the only spoiled wares if the weather doesn't break."

Gemma turned from her talking to Riya and greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Kai, what brings you here today?" She had her ideas, of course, but you did not always have to blurt them out first thing.

Riya turned too, her polite expression melting into a surprised one when she heard the name, then a curious one. The man certainly had a rather peculiar appearance.

Kai lowered the hood of his raincloak, smiling at Gemma as politely as before. "Hello, Gemma. I found myself nearby and thought I'd come and say hello." He looked around, hoping he wasn't making a terrible puddle. "Not a bad time, I hope?"

"Oh, not at all." Gemma spread her hands. "Not many customers today, you see. Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?"

Kai blinked, wiping some of the moisture off his face before smiling. "Oh, I'd love to, thank you. That would be just divine after that weather. Where can I put my cloak?"

"We've got hooks in the corridor." Gemma ushered Sebastian through the door out of the back of the shop leading to said corridor. The kitchen was out at the other end.

Riya gravitated after Gemma and a slightly confused Kai, who hadn't forgotten Gemma's brand of hospitality. Even so it was still rather new to him, and so he spent a while reflecting on that after he had hung his cloak from one of the hook. He rolled his sleeves up almost instinctively and began to take his gloves off as well, thinking it was the polite thing to do right now.

"I hope the weather hasn't been too bad for you," he said softly and surveyed the kitchen. When Riya indicated a chair for him, he sat down with a quiet thank you.

Gemma raised and eyebrow and said, grinning slightly, "Riya, if you're that curious, go get your brother to watch no one runs away with the shop. No use tempting fate."

Tho Kai she said, "Well, we'll see about that. We've just heard of some shortages because of a leaking warehouse roof, though teas and medicine are not nearly as much of a problem as the crops might get."

While the water got hot, she asked Kai, "Sideran, Rhycian, chamomile, mint or fennel?"

Riya met the grin and the words with a sniff and hurried off. Kai found the situation slightly odd to say the least, but retained a passive expression until he was being spoken to.

It was the mention of the crops that gave him a tiny jolt. Still, he told himself, not to worry. The rain would pass. Or hopefully get a little lighter... there were some places in Canyet where the rain was already leaving puddles that were beginning to resemble ponds in surface area. "Oh, mint, please. It's my one weakness," he said softly, watching Gemma analytically.

"Ah. Mine, too." She picked a tin from a shelf and continued good-humouredly, "Just like strawberries, hot peppers, or a good chat."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "All right... I admit the strawberries are a close call, too."

Riya's voice called out for Mael in the background. Footsteps responded almost immediately.

"They usually are, at least."

Since the water needed some more time before it'd boil, Gemma sat down. Looking out of the window for a moment led her to remark, "You have been rather lucky, arriving not a day or two later."

Sebastian -- no! Kai forced a smile, thankful that for once he didn't have to restrain a particularly insistent one. "I guess we were," he said thoughtfully, rubbing his right palm and the barely visible scar there. He took care to hide it from Gemma. "We were just in sight of the walls when lightning and water started to come down."

A slightly drowsy-looking Mael and Riya walked past, Riya taking hold of something small that was perched on Mael's shoulder. The boy only glanced at Kai once, grinning, before he disappeared to the shop.

Ayu-Asra didn't like being handled like that and screeched and scrabbled until he was sitting on Riya's hand. While his right head kept on complaining for a bit, the left one went calm and looked at Kai. Then it hissed at his permanent companion, which made it shut up for a moment, looked back at the half-elf and cooed.

Gemma looked from the dragon to the pot of water, frowned, and got up again, between the two.

Kai, a little startled by the sudden screeching, inhaled sharply and stared at Ayu-Asra. Riya, of course, was even more startled, muttering a quiet "sorry" to everyone and trying to soothe the dragon by petting it.

After a moment's consideration, the half-elf cooed back at Ayu-Asra and smiled. "Hello."

The dragon half leapt, half flew the short distance and took up perch on Sebastian's shoulder, which made Gemma laugh.

"It took Mael a week to get him that trusting, and he had to bribe him with food. How long did you need?"

Riya was visibly relieved that she didn't have to deal with the capricious creature anymore and took a seat next to her mother, while Kai leaned his head toward his unoccupied shoulder and watched Ayu-Asra thoughtfully. He decided to give the dragon some scratches while he answered.

"I'm not sure. He hasn't really been forthcoming with that information. I suppose he likes it when I make sounds at him."

And "coo" went the dragon again, right on cue.

He murmurred something to the dragon and gave him more scratches, opting not to coo back this time. Ayu-Asra's appearance did, after all, server as a reminder of a few things. Especially his own hesitation and his moral dilemma. "I take it Sylvie's hard at work then, if Ayu-Asra's here."

She gave him a commiserative look. "Actually she's not here. Garren had to take a break from their project and she took the opportunity to take a break and an airing."

Riya nodded. "I'm not sure if the weather's really fit for that, but she must have thought so." Although she had her suspicions.

Sebastian-Kai met Gemma's look with a look of his own, smiling and nodding their words. "Oh, I don't know. I get restless if I have to stay inside for too long. Maybe it's the same for her."

Gemma nodded and told Riya, "Considering she spent about a month outside, I can easily imagine her wanting a break from a dusty study. Take care of the tea, will you."

"Hmm-hm," said Riya, nodded and stood up, wondering about this Kai person's strange appearance. She wouldn't have called it freakish per se, but quite unlike normal.

As Riya worked on the tea, Kai nodded and hummed a few thoughtful notes at Ayu-Asra. "How did she come to find work here?"

Gemma gave a short laugh. "She came in to buy something or other while Garren was tending the shop, and they got into an argument, I think about the number of species of catnip or something like that. The talk went from there." She shrugged.

"What's your trade, anyway?"

"I'm on a pilgrimage right now," he said automatically, smiling at Gemma's description. "I've done this and that in various places, everything from carpentry to hunting. A bit of everything, yes."

Riya raised both eyebrows but said nothing. It was better to tell mother about it later anyway.

Gemma nodded at the "trade" description and went on, "Pilgrimage where to?"

"Where the winds lead me. I haven't found my destination yet," Kai said, reminiscing the pilgrims he had met in his youth, on the road from the safety of home to wherever divine providence chose to lead them. "It will come when it will."

Just then they were presented with the tea. Kai took his with a nod and a smile, staring into it absent-mindedly. Riya, not too religious to begin with, thought it was strange a person would just leave home and family to... oh. "How did your family feel about that?"

"I don't have any," Kai shrugged and wrapped his hands around the cup of tea for a few seconds. "I was raised in a temple before being sent to a city to live with the local chapter there."

She was surprised and chose to just glance at Gemma to see what effect Kai's words would have on her.

Gemma was somewhat surprised about Kai's destination. "An unusual kind of pilgrimage, at least from what I've heard. What church do you belong to?"

His lack of family did not have much effect at all; worse things happened too often, and he seemed calm enough about it.

Kai sipped his tea and nodded, reminding himself to use the local names. Auker had been very clear about that once she had gotten started on why saying 'Lady Luck' was a bad idea. "Fortuna and the Old Lady," he said, knowing fully well he couldn't bring himself to lie. And of course there was the off chance Gemma had asked all sorts of questions from Sylvie...

"Huh," Riya said, smug and pleased with herself.

Gemma was surprised about the combination. At Riya's reaction she raised an eyebrow, and gave her a questioning look.

Meanwhile Ayu-Asra stretched one neck to sniff Kai's teacup.

"Be nice," Kai told Ayu-Asra quietly and gently traced a finger down the dragon's long neck. Then he indicated same curiosity as well, looking at Riya.

"Sylvie asked me about Fortuna the other day," Riya said after a moment under Gemma's look.

Kai kept a close eye on Ayu-Asra.

"Well, she's eager to learn." Gemma shrugged and took a sip of tea.

Thoughtfully she picked up the last point before that again. "The Old Lady and Fortuna... tradition and steady growth the one, unexpected change the other." A slight pause, then she asked Kai directly. "Are you hoping Fortuna's fancy takes you to a place where you can strike roots?"

All the time she had the same friendly air about her.

Kai smiled slowly at Gemma's words, silently agreeing with her about Sylvie's eagerness to learn. But he had other suspicions, too. "In that order, perhaps. Maybe Fortuna takes me where she will until the Old Lady tells me where to leave my mark, or perhaps the Old Lady will have nothing to do with that..."

Of course, there were many things he hoped. That was one of them, that he could start drifting. His youthful mischievousness still presented itself regularly, but Sebastian-Kai was nothing compared to the young grey-haired trickster that start his career just because he dared. He wondered if he was braver or dumber then.

He smiled and shrugged.

"Well, if the Old Lady does send you such a sign not too soon, until then you'll have collected some stories to tell to your children and grandchildren. Otherwise, other people."

The mention of stories drew a thoughtful look from Kai, who was still keeping an eye on Ayu-Asra. He sipped his tea, fighting back the feeling of loss and loneliness. Where were they right now, sons and daughters? I hardly think it matters: do they try to find you voluntarily? It is easier for them to do than for you.

"Of course. I hope a sign comes sooner rather than later, naturally." Another glance at Ayu-Asra. Then he looked at Riya. "Out of curiosity, what did Sylvie ask about Fortuna?"

"Not much. If I could tell her about the goddess and where she could find more information."

Kai-Sebastian blinked. "Right, thank you."

Riya indicated it was no trouble at all.