PP - F2 Another Queen's Fall <<Long Live the Queen>> (Kiru)

[Calrex 0]

After arriving in the second floor settlement of Urbus Calrex gave a small sigh, which seemed to promptly turn into a yawn as he stretched his arms towards the sky. As he opened his eyes his sense of sight was welcomed by the familiar view of the medieval themed city. The stone structures of the settlement brought back many fonds memories to him, ones of back when he was a lower level player, back before the frontlines and the hectic struggle of attempting to move up through the floors, "I guess it really is a double-edged situation...being on the frontlines...In any case, what was I doing here again? Oh right."

Oddly enough he had received a message from Kiru, one of the members of the Azure Brigade. Even though she had such a far-reaching reputation due to her status and original relationship status, it seemed she was actually lower in level than that reputation would lend to. The message was a request for his assistance in helping her gain more experience in order to get stronger, like any other player that had originally hoped to rise through the society-made ranks.

"Elite fighting squads, clearing groups, lower-levels, it seems the more I think about it the more pointless I find all of this categorization. It's common sense that a level one player shouldn't join a floor twelve flood raid, but exclusivity and elitism only seems to drag people down and break them apart into cliques. It's like that warning about social media that came out years ago: We might become more 'social' in that we interact with more people, but with the ability to pick and choose who we associate with we become more likely to only interact with those of like mind to our own. We no longer have the ability to tolerate others of different beliefs and mindsets, and because of this it seems to polarize people moreso than ever before."

"...Tch...in a way Aincrad is just a digest version of that idea. In any case I wonder where Kiru's at? She should be fairly easy to spot."

[Kiru 0]

It was of great urgency that I PMed Calrex for assistance. For countless weeks I had been moping over things that I tried my best not to be angry or sad about but obviously that didn't happen. What did happen was I locked myself up in the guild hall and rarely came out. When I did come out of the building for once, more pain was brought to me in a black box filled with regret and overall negative emotions. Only, the box was a PM, the message was a goodbye, and the negative emotions were Daeron falling backwards off the edge of Aincrad. What's worse is that I didn't even know the reason for his death, I was too late. And being the overly emotional teenager I was, all I did was collapse on the ground, cry, then return to the guild where I spent more time alone. The second time I came out I saw Zelrius, but that's a story for a different time. Back to the reason of Calrex's help, I was incredibly weak compared to everyone and actually needed help with a quest for once. It pained me to even think about asking anyone for assistance but I desperately needed it. Calrex was the best choice because I felt like he got things done; he didn't spend hours trying to get to know you or insult you. Calrex was what I liked to call a "travelling ghost." You didn't hear about him very much but you knew he was out there somewhere. 

The moment I stepped outside I knew I was late. I was supposed to meet with Calrex ten minutes ago. Luckily I thought something like this would happen even though I promised that I wouldn't be late to anything anymore so I had spent the previous night at an Inn. As I ran through the town I was equipping random things necessary for the trip to defeat the cliched "Wasp Queen." I equipped my Azure cloak, and of course my dagger, along with my item from Ariel. By the time I got to Calrex I was so out of breath that I could barely form coherent sentences. "Hah...hey....augh Calrex. Thanks." I managed to force out and soon caught my breath.

[Calrex 0]

"Hm?"

Hearing a labored sentence addressed to him the bluenette turned to see the person he was supposed to rendezvous with. The two-tone haired girl was partially keeled over in order to catch her breath as he gave a friendly smile, turning to face Kiru, "Hey, don't worry about it. Try and stand up with your head tilted back though. It'll help you take more air in so you won't be winded for as long."

Putting his hands into his jacket pockets the bluenette gave a small sigh to center himself. He had been there when Daeron, someone whom Kiru had considered a close friend and guildmate, decided to forcefully remove himself from SAO by way of suicide fall. He was too late to stop the young man's desperate action, only arriving to see the aftermath. "A single droplet of water can still cause ripples that travel far and wide..."

Swiping on his menu the Ultramarine Knight switched out his armament to one different from his usual array. His casual combat clothing was completely encapsulated by the Grand Chariot II's fully body armor. Second, the Grand Blade II vanished, being replaced by the pile bunker-like Grand Gauntlets II. "Well, if you're ready we can probably get started on this quest. We're taking on the Wasp Queen right?"

[Kiru 0]

Of course, Calrex was very kind about my tardiness. I followed his advice and placed my hands on my hips, stretching my torso upwards and breathing a lot more clearly now. "Thanks, I think I remember Keith mentioning something like this while running away from some rather angry players." I stated, trying to pinpoint the exact moment he had said such words. After a few very impatient seconds I gave up and shrugged it off. Besides, I wasn't supposed to be thinking about him anyways, it would only distract me and cause me to perform poorly on this mission with Calrex. There wasn't anything to lose during this battle but I couldn't but feel pressure to do exceedingly well like I normally would. Especially around someone, now a higher level than I, whom was very strong and could probably take a boss alone.

However, that didn't stop him from being human. He too was there shortly after Daeron had departed from the ledge. Calrex was always around to see my life crumble and I couldn't explain how, he just was. He was there when Keith first went missing, he was there when Zelrius stepped down from the guild, and he was there when Daeron died. Again he was a travelling ghost. Always there. Not in the creepy way either, if anything he was like an older sibling to watch over you. I couldn't help but to wonder what image he had of me; was I just the two toned girl who had fallen from her throne? Was I just a weeping, overreacting, child to him? This was just me being self conscious and I knew Calrex and I were at least acquaintances but there was still the part of me that was constantly worried. Worried about literally things that didn't matter. I guess that's what happens when your level stays the same as everyone around you advances a million steps ahead. 

 I was snapped from my thoughts to answer the question Calrex had posed. "Yeah, should be pretty easy. I'll let you lead the way." 

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a nod as Kiru straightened her posture in response to his advice, trying to catch her breath more effectively. Once she confirmed her readiness he gave another approving shake of his head before looking over in the direction of the exit out into the field zones in the direction of the field boss' lair, "This thing should be fairly easy to deal with, as to my knowledge it's the first of the field bosses discovered. If need be we can probably power through the ones that have been found to see if we can get you up to level faster."

The stoic expression of the Grand Chariot II hit any changes in his face, but he was concerned for his teammate's well being. Much sadness had happened in her life, and a lot of the individuals she was close to seemed to have left from her life, people she probably put a lot of trust in and held much respect for. Giving a small sigh to himself he slowed a bit so that he was walking next to the young girl, speaking in an earnest voice, "Hey...I know a lot of stuff has happened to you. I know we don't really know each other that well, but if you ever need someone to talk to feel free to send me a message."

"I want to try and prevent something like what happened with Daeron to repeat itself. I don't know everything he went through, but I also don't know how much support he had, especially with what happened between him and Mari, and his status as an orange player. I couldn't be there for him, but I can at least do what I can for everyone that was close to him that I know."

Edited February 29, 2016 by Calrex

[Kiru 0]

I followed Calrex's gaze towards the gate that spilled into the fields that we'd surely be crossing in order to find the monster. "That's exactly what I'm going for here. As shallow as it may be, the only thing I need right now is levels. Gotta keep up with Azure, you know?" I stated in almost a disappointed tone. I was so behind everyone in Azure that even the lower players had began to surpass me. Of course this wasn't in strength, only in level, but I still couldn't help but feel the need to redeem my once glorious status while in Azure. This was something I put on myself but definitely needed help with now, and that's what Calrex was here for. To help me with this seemingly insurmountable task of getting my level up to par and possibly even above others'. 

The only thing I knew about this boss was that it was a wasp...queen. Other than that I could guess that maybe it would be able to paralyze or sting. I looked about, attempting to see if it could just possibly be roaming around for open attacks, but it wasn't. Just as I turned to ask Calrex about the exact location, he stopped. I turned to him, confused. His whole tone of voice became serious, earnest even as he began to repeat words like Tristan had told me. I sighed slightly. Quite frankly I was grateful for his support but I had heard those words spoken so many times that they had lost their meaning. And in some cases, were no abided by. But, I knew I had to at least trust him enough not to dissipate the meaning of those words. "Thanks Calrex. It means a lot knowing that I have someone I can talk to about stuff. Likewise with me. Please contact me if you just need someone to vent to. I know I won't just listen but if we can avoid certain events then...yeah." I trailed off, hoping that he got the idea and wouldn't need me to come out and say: "I don't want you to PM me something vague and then watch you die." 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, sounds like being in Azure is just about as grueling as it was when I first heard about you guys."

Calrex kept attentively quiet as Kiru responded to his words as a small smile came across his lips upon hearing her speak. Of course he wasn't expecting her to start opening like she would a fellow Azure member or a close friend, but at least it seemed she put some trust in him, more than a simple fellow player-to-player interaction, "Sure thing. You can be sure you'll know if something's weighing on me. I don't really have things I ever feel the need to vent about, but if there is a person out there without a single concern in the world, well, that would be just unrealistic right?"

Turning his head so that a single eye indicator could be seen from his armor's helmet he gave a nod, "In any case, we can always talk about this stuff after we're done getting rid of this queen. It's the first field boss, and it doesn't have any special abilities, at least from the past times I've fought it. In fact I think from what I remember you could actually take out this thing in one shot."

"Heh, last time I did that was sometime back, but the first was with Shizuka and Tristan. Heh, man did I get some joking pokes from that."

Leading the two-tone haired girl out of the settlement and into the field zones Calrex gave a calming breath to focus as he followed the path over to where the field boss normally spawns, "Alright, we're at the entrance to the queen's underground hive. If we do this right, we should be able to take out the queen and get out before any of her sentries arrive. Just let me know when you're ready."

[Kiru 0]

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We aren't as close as we used to be however. Everyone always has their own thing going on you know? But that doesn't mean that I can just sit in my room all day awaiting for them to come and kick me out for being a slacker," I said in almost a joking tone. I knew that there was no way that they would simply kick me out of Azure. First of all, I was a Commandant, so without me they would not be able to make decisions if a tie was struck. Second, we were slimming down in numbers due to the need for quality rather than quantity. And third, of course I was friends with everyone and spare Zelrius, I was one of the oldest members. Not in age, but length in the guild. I started over a year ago in Azure, or was it two years? I couldn't remember, but it didn't matter, "There aren't formal meetings or battle plans but if you've ever seen us all fight together you would know that we are unstoppable. I mean seriously, we did not talk at all during Zelrius' 'going green,' quest and we took the thing out with each of us only having one turn," I remembered all of the battles and boss fights, each playing out good. Though there was one or two times where my ego that's bigger than Earth itself got in the way, everything was good in Azure Brigade. Until everyone began drifting, but still, I was sure Azure would be the longest guild and stay until we all got out of this god forsaken "game". 

I smiled very small and looked at the ground, "I guess it would be impossible to not have any problems," I sucked in a breath, "Keith never had any other concerns other than me. If I even tripped he would freak out like I was just stabbed. But he wasn't very good at lying. I'm sure he..." My eyes opened a little bit wide and I waved my hand slightly at Calrex, "Sorry, didn't mean to venture off like that." Calrex did just tell me to open up, but starting with Keith was not the correct way to go. I breathed through my nose and stuck my hands in my pockets.

"Right, one shot," I pulled my dagger from my back and cautiously walked beside Calrex to see where we were going to go. Normally I wouldn't pull out a weapon until it even attacked but with the update I wasn't so sure of myself and my attacks. Even so, I glanced at the spawn area and scrolled through my inventory for a moment. Once I was done, I made eye contact with the blue haired player, "ready." 

[Calrex 0]

Listening to Kiru speak the bluenette merely listened attentively, nodding to give the note that he was actually paying attention, "Heh, I know exactly what you mean. Some time back Zelrius was with me and Lowenthal, alongside a handful of other players when the self-proclaimed Master of Shadows took the quest to become green. I don't think we even made it a full rotation before the Reaper went down. It's times like that when I think we're all seriously overleveled for the current floors we've unlocked, heh."

It was true. Even now he was considered at times a powerful player here in Aincrad merely because of his massive level. He had worked hard to get to where he was, and he guessed to some degree the praise was only proper, but comparing himself to other players like Zelrius, Tristan, Ssendom, and Teayre, all wielders of unique skills, he himself was nothing more than an above average frontliner. Nonetheless, it didn't deter him from his training, because if he gave in it only meant that the possibility of other's getting hurt or killed would increase. No one person could carry the weight of all those trapped here on their shoulders alone. It was their combined efforts that pushed them forward.

Hearing the two-toned dagger wielder speak about her former fiancee the bluenette gave a nod, keeping the calm persona as he always had, "No, it's quite alright. He was, and I can only guess, still is important to you after all. I still don't know what exactly happened, or why Keith suddenly disappeared. I only know about his accolades and reputation from short talks with Oikawa, but he certainly seemed to have cared for you. Genuine people like that are hard to come by, so it's good to know that you cherished him."

With Kiru's ready signal the bluenette gave a nod, bringing his arms to the sides, "Alright then, I'll draw it's attention, so get ready to hit this thing with all you've got."

ID: 65920
Battle Dice: 10 (Accuracy +3) = 13 (Disregarded Due to Howl)
Mob Dice: 3 (Evasion +2) = 1
<<Howl>> Activated

The <<Howl>> aura surrounded his forearms before he slammed his fists together, unleashing the mighty boom of the skill's Hate gaining ability. A monstrous roar, as if a massive beast had let out a battle cry, emanated from Calrex's avatar as it gained the attention of the <<Wasp Queen>> within the spawning area.

The giant wasp immediately flew forward, its stinger trained on the blue armored player, but even with the heavy armor he was able to quickly weave around the strikes, "Let'em have it!"

(Hate: 3) Calrex: 315/315 | 10 DMG | 3 ACC | 2 EVA | 48 MIT
(Hate: 1) Kiru: 68/68 | 8 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | 27 MIT

Wasp Queen: 50/50 | 12 DMG

[Kiru 0]

"It just goes to show how far we've all come since day one, you know? If we were to take the Nepent quest again, first of all I would probably scream because those things are so annoying, but I would kill probably all of them in one shot. For the level you have you might be able to take on the next floor boss alone. I, on the other hand, have to work a little harder if I want to be invited back into the front lines again," I stated, knowing well that the first boss battle I was in was all Zelrius' doing. If we hadn't met on that one day, at that time, I probably would have never gotten into the front lines, or even joined Azure for the matter. It was a scary thought, but also and exciting one. Knowing that I was on that course made me happy even if Keith wasn't here. I knew Zelrius wouldn't leave, though he might take a leave for a few days, but I had faith that he would stick with me. Hopefully. 

I need this, I needed to get back up to the front lines and crawl my way through the ranks. I needed to be selfish for the next few months and get my life back together. For the sake of me and literally everyone I've come into contact with, I needed to step it up. Staying in the Guild Hall all day, moping, was never going to get me levels or my friends back. It was certainly not going to get me Keith back. Sadly, I had no idea where to start with that quest, but for the one at hand, it started here with Calrex. I wasn't about to waste his time by not even gaining anything form the experience. 

A grin formed upon my lips as Calrex spoke of Keith as a person, in general. He was the first to talk of him like that, and to be honest, it made me happy. I could even go as far as to say that it lifted a smidge of the weight from my shoulders. The weight of pushing myself to find him, or even his killer if it was even that kind of situation. But, I smiled, "Thanks." 

With my smiled still intact, the field boss spawned, and Calrex began to draw the enemy. He reminded my of Tristan for a moment but I continued. I remember my attacks in my head for a moment. With the new system I needed to do a specific gesture for it to work apparently. I inhaled deeply and ran forward, leading two consecutive slashes that formed a cross on the front of the wasp queen. I stepped back a few and immediately looked at the health bar. In shock, I let out a small yet excited scream. It had been months since I had damaged anything, let alone sent it into the red zone and killed it in one hit without a critical. My eyes gleaming, I glanced at Calrex and let out a small sigh of relief. Obviously I wasn't as weak as I thought I was. 

ID: 65921
Battle Dice: 8 (Accuracy +2) = 10 (no perfect rolls)
Mob Dice: 4 (Evasion +1) = 3 (idk how EVA works tbh)

8*(2x4) = 64 DMG - (8 Energy Consumed, 9 left) - Two consecutive slashes that form a cross.

(Hate: 3) Calrex: 315/315 | 10 DMG | 3 ACC | 2 EVA | 48 MIT
(Hate: 1) Kiru: 68/68 | 8 DMG | 2 ACC | 1 EVA | 27 MIT

Wasp Queen: 0/50 | 12 DMG

Edited August 12, 2016 by Kiru

[Calrex 0]

As the bluenette had suspected, their battle was going to be extremely short, and even moreso they didn't even take a single point of damage. The skill that his two-toned teammate had used was a powerful dagger Sword Art, one that he had not seen before. Of course that was likely because all of the dagger wielders he had ventured with since the release of Sword Arts were already grandmastered in their skill. That meant for the most part they had limited themselves to using only their most powerful attacks until their energy ran out. The way things were made it a legitimate tactic, but for longer encounters like the ones he had faced, it would make things more dangerous, as you couldn't recover energy while in combat. 

With the encounter over as quickly as it began he gave a sigh of relief, lowering his arms to his sides before swiping on his menu. The Grand Chariot II vanished in a flash of light, being replaced with his casual combat outfit, although the Grand Gauntlets II remained attached to his forearms, "Nice work, heh. That battle was over just as quickly as I suspected it to be."

The look on Kiru's face brought a calm smile to his own. Ever since he first met the legendary Azure Brigade member, she had always seemed to be in a serious, borderline intense mood, as if everyone that wasn't a member of the Azure Brigade was to some level a nuisance. Either that, or she looked like she was going to stick her knife in someone that had agitated her. The genuine smile was a change for the better that he could have some relief in. She had been through a lot of hardship, one that he only could hope she would not have to experience again, so every moment of happiness and accomplishment counted. "Heh, I guess even though you say you have been out of it for a while, you still have got the skill with a dagger. Alright then, let's get heading back so that we can complete the quest. If we've got some time we can even grab a congratulatory refreshment at one of the nearby shops or taverns."

He gave a casual smile before putting his hands into his jacket pockets, looking back towards the exit out of the <<Wasp Queen>>'s lair. It seemed there were no minions that were going to spawn, meaning that this was a fairly quick and simple outing, "Well, if things are going to be this easy we'll have you back to frontline levels in no time!"

[Kiru 0]

There was a slight pause in my movements before I actually did anything after staring at the 'Congratulations,' banner in front of Calrex and I. If there was a word to describe how I was feeling in that exact moment it would have probably been, 'hope.' I felt a surge of happiness overall but there was a massive feeling that I could do anything. Sort of like a high, but without any of the hallucinations if you didn't count SAO as one big trip. For quite some time I couldn't shake the feeling of powerlessness, and totally destroying this quest blocked out those thoughts and replaced them with positive ones. It felt good. 

I pushed my bangs away from my eyes and glanced towards Calrex as I swiped open through my menu. "Quickly as you thought? So you knew that I could potentially have killed that thing in one shot?" I asked, returning my dagger to it's place in my weapons slot, "Honestly I would have imagined that it would have attacked me a few times before I even got to damage it. With being out so long I thought it could have taken a few minutes. I guess not." I searched through my HUD for a moment, just to check, then I clicked out of it and returned my gaze to Calrex. "Thanks." 

Grinning still, I was taken back to the more serious times. Of course not hunts with Keith, those were easy, but the things like ambushes or battles. It felt like I never actually enjoyed myself this much since before I entered the front lines. But then again. before the front lines I wasn't someone I was proud of today. I shoved my level in people's faces and threatened daily, saying that you couldn't actually die in this game. However, now I could start over again. Starting with my level and friends. 

"I am only rank four you know. I'm trying to grandmaster it soon, that's why I asked for your help," I followed close by Calrex as he walked out of the spawn area, "And that sounds great, I could go for a hot chocolate or something. But I'll let you lead the way once again, because quite frankly I'd love to be on autopilot for awhile if you don't mind." 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, I guess you could say I had an inkling of a suspicion. Wielders of one-handed daggers seem to be particularly good at dealing out massive amount of damage on a single target. Even if I wasn't here to block and potential blows, you probably wouldn't have had any trouble taking this thing down on your own."

The bluenette gave a smirk as he looked left and right across the landscape. To him it was probably an old habit he had developed from back when he was still significantly lower level, watching out for any potential incoming monsters. But compared to the current danger level of the second floor, it was more likely the creatures were avoiding both him and Kiru because of the huge power gap between them. The wolves and other monsters of the floor would be more likely to target someone closer to level ten and lower, then to try and tangle with two people overleveled for the floor. "Yeah, grandmastering one's weapon seems to be the number one thing that everyone tends to go for, although there are some that decide to rank up armor first. I guess that's just really personal preference over anything."

It wasn't long before the two made it back to the gates leading back into Urbus, the medieval European looking town awaiting them within.

After passing through into the safe zone Calrex gave a nod, "Hot chocolate sounds like a good idea. I think there should be a small shop not far from here where we can grab some."

"At least I believe so. Drinks are pretty commonplace on all the floors, although they tend to edge more towards taverns and ales. However there are cafes around for sure."

Looking down the direction he remembered seeing a pastry shop before the bluenette spotted a small shop that sold various types of drinks. It only seemed to have outdoor seating, being more of a stand than a shop, "Looks like they've got a variety of stuff over there."

[Kiru 0]

Taking this quest reminded me of the times that weren't so grave. It reminded me of the times where I was killing a boar just to level, and not practically killing someone for the sole purpose of escape. I guess I never really noticed how drastically my goals changed until I was taken back to simpler times in which no thought was necessary. I couldn't exactly say I missed it, it was a smidge boring after all, but there was still the small part of me clinging on to the past. If I hadn't endured any of what I had, I wouldn't have met the few friends I had today, I wouldn't have gone on that quest with Calrex. It was hard to know what even triggered everything, maybe it was when I crashed a guild leader's meeting and was put in charge of a team in a boss raid. Possibly it could have been when I met Keith. Or even, could everything have fallen apart the moment I said hello to an orange player? There was no actual to all of these questions of course, but the simplicity of this quest had brought them on, and for that I was thankful. 

"Daggers are pretty easy if you know what you're doing, they suck if you aren't fast though. I don't see why no one uses them, they deal the same damage as a sword don't they? They aren't heavy and you don't have to swing them around. But I guess that's a flaw too. That's what makes dagger users rare I'm sure. I don't ever recall meeting another dagger user. Unless Mari was one? I can't really remember, I try to push the things I didn't like out of my memory you see. Quite dumb thing to do, but oh well," I sighed, stretching my arms behind my back and walking a little faster so I could keep up with Calrex. I was used to walking behind people, not because of importance or anything, it was just somewhat of a habit. Ever since Keith took me on missions or trouble came to us, I always checked behind us. However, I was with Calrex, one of the best swordsman I knew, so I felt completely comfortable with letting my guard down.  

As I walked beside him, I couldn't help but notice how calm he looked, how cautious he was being. It was a hard expression to explain, but he was definitely experienced. But even with that, he was a great navigator, something I was never good at. In what felt like minutes we were back at the gates of Urbus. 

I nodded back to him with a polite smile, "There is never an inappropriate time for hot chocolate, Calrex. Trust me on that," I said, following on his left until we reached a small line of outdoor seated areas. Bakeries and cafes. My eyes gleamed for a moment, I couldn't remember the last time I had just sat down without needing to go anywhere, "You choose, I am fine as long as they have the literal only thing needed to survive." 

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, sure thing then, let's go ahead and grab a couple of seats then."

Walking over to the area that the stand had allocated for seating Calrex spotted a small table that he gestured to Kiru, "I think we just pick out what we want to have and request it at the stand, kind of like the taverns. Anything you see in particular. I can put the order in for both of us so that it comes out at the same time."

Picking up the menu the blunette began to scan through the selection. Interestingly enough, it appeared they had a variety of different types of hot chocolates, a selection that he didn't expect for a warm temperature floor like the second. Deciding to go with something a bit different he decided on a lavender-infused hot chocolate, "Alright, I think I've got mine all set, so just let me know what you'd like and I can put it in."

Scanning across the scenery he calmly took in the sights from his point of view before responding to Kiru's previous response, "As for the dagger users, Mari was certainly one that I remember off hand also being a dagger user. Lowenthal and Hikoru are also I couple I can remember that picked it as well. A lot of changes have happened to the battle system since we've been here, but dagger users still certainly seem to be viable. Unfortunately, straight sword users like me tend to either get no changes or get the short end of the short end of the stick, with other weapons getting buffs for balance."

Taking note of his teammate's comment about blocking out bad memories he gave a calm nod, "Sure thing, that makes sense. It's not really something I would consider dumb, as it is normal for people to react in such a way. Blocking out bad thoughts, as well as dwelling on them, are just two things that are common for our survival instinct. Of course, in the end we should still try to avoid doing too much of either, heh."