Morning was an awkward affair for both of them. Neither Taekwoon nor Jinki knew what to say, the former still too ashamed and the latter too self-conscious. Taekwoon got out of bed first, focusing on simple things: his clothes and a wash, first and foremost. “I’m gonna clean up,” he called out, tilting his head enough to see Jinki in his periphery. “Meet you in the dining hall?” he asked, voice soft and not at all certain of what the answer would be.

            “Yeah,” Jinki hummed after a brief pause, tone pensive.

            Taekwoon didn’t have to look to know his lover was probably watching him with a giant wrinkle on his forehead. The imagery almost made him laugh. Almost. “Okay,” he murmured instead, nodding his head once before stepping outside and heading for the private washrooms. He needed a soak in the warm pools, but he wasn’t ready for the openness or the attention it would bring him to go there. He was barely ready to go to the dining hall…

            The bucket of well water was cold even though the temperature outside was warm. Summer was well on its way and Taekwoon normally enjoyed the sunny days. Now the thought of being outside made him nervous. Looking down, he traced his fingertips over the bruised skin on his torso. It looked very much as if a large dragon hand had stepped on him. One had, but it had been in Trance. Taekwoon flinched at the memory, the sight and feeling coming back vividly for just a heartbeat. As his heart slowed down, he moved his fingers to brush against his throat, feeling just a hint of tender skin. He hadn’t looked yet, but he was pretty sure Jonghyun had left marks there too.

            Jonghyun.

            His dragon.

            For a moment, the thought made his heart swell with pride and joy. He really was a dragonrider. But his stomach dropped as he recalled the conversation he’d been a part of yesterday. Draconic tendencies the High Priest had called them. There was no denying his reaction to Eric attacking Jinki hadn’t been normal for him. And it scared him that he hadn’t been in control for that brief moment of time. Frustrated, he balled his hand into a fist and pummeled his thigh once.

            “Stupid,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

            It took him far longer than usual to muster his courage to leave the privacy of the washroom and head for the dining hall. Properly clothed this time, he trudged across the Aerie, shoulders slightly hunched as if he was trying to defend himself from silent criticism. Dark eyes darted about, making quick notes about where the dragons and people were. Thankfully, no one took the opportunity to approach him, but he could feel their eyes and their curiosity. It weighed down on him, a burden he couldn’t banish.

            Minsoo in his leatherworking stall; the strangely cheery Baekho next to him in the smithy; and the charismatic Soohyun in the general goods stall in the Aerie center all took note of him. He didn’t remember if they’d seen him the other day, but their watchful expressions made him think they had. Beyond that, he noticed Sanghyuk run by, a concerned look on the younger boy’s face as he went to speak with the blacksmith. A handful of the newest arrivals walked past him with quiet whispers and giggles that made him feel self-conscious.

            Something rose inside him and he turned a dark glare in their direction instead of just ignoring them. They gasped in unison and flinched away, hurrying towards the livestock pen near the dorms. Taekwoon stopped walking with a wince, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He had not meant to do that… “Bahamut give me strength,” he pleaded, resuming his trek with bowed shoulders and a slightly hanging head.

            Curiously, he glanced across the yard to see if his dragon – dragons – were still where he’d left them. They weren’t and he felt a pang of worry before a reassuring sensation blossomed coolly in his chest. Instinctively, he turned to look beyond the gardens and he squinted to confirm that was Jonghyun’s head peering over the greenery. Where he was, Jongup was sure to be, so he wasn’t concerned when he didn’t see the blue directly. Looking to the far end of the garden, Taekwoon noticed Hero staring in the copper’s direction. Amusement tickled him then and he snorted despite himself. The silver dragon was not particularly pleased with the copper and it seemed that Jonghyun didn’t care in the least. Well that was different.

            His own amusement faded when he noticed other dragon heads turning to look in his direction. Some he thought he knew and others belonged to older riders and all of them were making him feel nervous. Hunching close again, he resumed his trek to the dining hall, praying he could get there without any more interruptions.

            He was mostly fortunate. Those in the dining hall wouldn’t be leaving via the front door as the majority had classes to attend in the Training Halls which took up the rest of the space in the same building. He was not so fortunate in regards to those who were still in attendance… As suspected, the younger students and trainees were mostly gone, except for those left to clean the tables and take care of the remaining food. Off duty dragonriders of the Stardust Battalion, however, still filled one of the tables. Their voices grew quieter as most eyes turned to focus on him. Their judgement was heavy and Taekwoon felt himself torn between wanting to hide and bristling under the scrutiny. Of all the people in the Aerie, they had more reason than most to understand what he’d gone through, but his was different, strange, wrong.

            A pang of building guilt hit him when he caught sight of a waving hand in his periphery. Jinki. The presence of the riders and their reaction had made him oblivious to the sole person sitting off to the side, more in the corner than anything else. His guilt intensified as he realized he’d probably done that to make Taekwoon more comfortable; normally he sat right in the thick of everyone. There was even a second plate of food resting on the table in front of him. Grateful and hungry, Taekwoon moved to join his other half, but he was stymied again.

            “Taekwoon.” The dragonrider stopped suddenly and fought to keep the irritation from his face as he looked to see who had called him. Dread filled him when he realized it was the High Priest. The feeling spread quickly when he saw that the heads of the Aerie were with him, plus two senior dragonriders he didn’t know well, and Captain Yunho… Torn, he looked at Jinki apologetically when Kevin motioned for him to join them. Taekwoon did not want to. He wanted to go speak with his other half. To try to figure things out and restore some sense of normalcy to an otherwise wholly changed world. But when someone like the Bahamut High Priest called you over specifically, it was not something one ignored.

            By Jinki’s look, he knew the other man was disappointed. He looked at the table of powerful figureheads and then down at the plate in front of him before nodding in bleak acceptance. With a small, mute wave, Jinki stood up, nearly tripping over the bench as he did so, and stepped out of the hall. It hurt that he didn’t look back. Inside, Taekwoon felt like he was slowly falling apart. Outside, he kept his face carefully neutral and approached the table of mostly intimidating figures.

            “Good morning, Taekwoon,” Aerie Master Satoru greeted, his tone oddly reminiscent of the first time they’d met. A bit of the tension loosened in his gut and Taekwoon was grateful for it.

            “Morning,” he responded, bowing to the table as a whole. The dragonriders looked wary or pensive and everyone else was acting like it was a completely normal morning so he tried to pretend it was.

            “Please. Have a seat,” Satoru offered, gesturing to the spot that seemed to have been reserved for him in the middle of the dragonriders. And… directly across from the High Priest.

            Miraculously, Taekwoon managed to not react and simply took his place as suggested. Captain Yunho watched him directly while the two women gave him furtive glances. He nodded at them as he dredged his memory for their names. He knew the one was Boa – her name was easy enough to remember. The one next to her had a memorable face and persona – she liked to laugh, but her name escaped him.

            “How are you feeling today?” Healer Mimi asked, snagging his attention. Not surprisingly, the healer’s gaze was clinically sharp over his long, angular nose. Focused eyes quickly roamed his features, obviously making mental notes as the fingers of his right hand gently tapped the table.

            “Fine,” Taekwoon answered. It was true enough. He wasn’t in fact fine, but he at least mostly felt that way.

            “Did you sleep?” came the next question.

            “Yes?” he responded, thinking the question strange.

            “Well, I meant,” Mimi laughed at himself, face lighting up as his long mouth turned up into an expressive smile.

            “Mimi,” Satoru chided the healer with a shake of his head. “Can you at least let him eat before you start questioning him?” he asked rhetorically as he gestured at the table with the plentiful remains of the morning meal.

            “Oh, right,” Mimi winced, turning an apologetic look on Taekwoon. “You probably haven’t eaten since yesterday,” he surmised, wringing his hands before he looked at the table to find something to push towards the dragonrider.

            “Here,” Yunho offered quickly, nudging a plate of cold meats and sweet rolls towards him. It seemed as if he’d been waiting to do that.

            “Thank you,” Taekwoon ducked his head as he stared at the plate. He had been hungry when he walked in, but his appetite had disappeared quickly in light of his present company.

            “The sweet rolls are really good,” the unknown dragonrider practically whispered as she reached across Boa to place another on his plate.

            Boa raised one brow and laughed at her companion but nodded in agreement. “You need to eat, dragonrider,” she reminded him with a pointed glance at the untouched food. “You’ll find the Symbiosis takes more energy than you’d expect.” Her tone was serious but he had the urge to laugh at the comment. It seemed so normal for her, but he still had no idea what they were doing here and he felt entirely too self-conscious with everyone watching him to even try eating.

            It must have shown too. Mimi took a breath and hummed to himself. “Well, you look in decent enough health,” he grinned, eyes slightly dark despite his humor. “I’ll leave you to your conversation, but,” he paused, holding a long finger up before him. “I expect you to come see me for a final checkup before anyone else-” his eyes focused on the dragonriders in particular, “decides to claim your time.”

            “Don’t worry, Mimi,” Eric assured the slightly taller but thinner man with a clap on his shoulder. “I’ll have Yunho send him over when we’re finished here,” he promised, the words making the Healer nod in relief.

            “I take my leave then,” Mimi spoke, standing up and offering a cursory bow before he departed.

            Taekwoon watched him leave in his periphery as he focused most of his attention on the remaining individuals. As uncomfortable as this all was, he knew it was about him and recent events. More than anything, he wanted everything to be out in the open so he could finally start figuring out what to expect. He was unhappy with the limbo he was in…

            “Captain Yunho,” Kevin murmured, nibbling on a sweet roll under the cloth mask. “You had something you wanted to tell Taekwoon, I believe.”

            The Captain, and the High Commander, looked mildly cross at the comment; it was a subtle command that forced the Captain to speak first. “Yes,” Yunho confirmed, smoothing his features professionally. He turned to look at their newest dragonrider straight on. “Normally, we would have you start training with the Battalion since you have earned your dragon. However,” he paused, taking a thoughtful breath as he bit the inside of his lip. “Due to the nature of your… situation,” he hedged politely, “you shall be assigned two senior dragonriders.” Purposefully, he nodded towards the women on Taekwoon’s left. “Boa has a copper dragon and Hyoyeon has a blue and they have agreed to help you learn what it means to be a dragonrider.”

            Taekwoon was many things, but oblivious was not one of them. He nodded at Boa and Hyoyeon politely, and added, “As well as to keep an eye on me if I can’t control my dragons.”

            “Naturally,” Yunho confirmed, not even trying to deny it, to his credit. “We do the same for all new dragonriders, but your Symbiosis is not yet predictable,” he explained calmly. “Until we all, you included,” he specified firmly, “understand your situation more fully, you and your dragons will be observed quite closely.”

            Recalling what he’d thought about wanting everything to be out in the open, Taekwoon was ready to amend that initial idea. He liked being left to his own devices, and he certainly wasn’t a fan of overt observation. Jinki didn’t mind as much because he liked the constructive criticism. Taekwoon preferred to learn by trial and error… “I understand,” he quietly accepted, despite his reservations. What else could he do?

            “Good,” Eric chirped, rising to his feet with startling ease. “We will leave you to your morning meal then,” he added, looking at Yunho, Boa, and Hyoyeon pointedly. He did level a warning finger at Taekwoon before he left though. “You will check in with Healer Mimi after this and I will not accept hearing otherwise.”

            “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon agreed immediately, the firm, commanding tone demanding it.

            High Commander Eric waited for Yunho and his riders to depart first. Then he nodded cordially at Satoru, gave Kevin a more formal bow, and winked at Taekwoon before he left. That left only three, and the remaining dragonriders and cleaning crew, but even they seemed to be thinning out. By default or design, Taekwoon wasn’t sure, but it made him uneasy to be left virtually alone with the High Priest and Aerie Master. He didn’t quite know why though.

            “Well then. I can handle it from here, Satoru,” the High Priest explained, hands gesturing fluidly between him and Taekwoon. The gesture seemed magnanimous but it didn’t feel that way to the dragonrider.

            “No,” Satoru shook his head with a small smirk. “I think I’ll stay to make sure Taekwoon actually eats something,” he explained, glancing at the younger man with a firm nod towards the untouched food. On cue, Taekwoon at least picked up a sweet roll and started to nibble on it. There weren’t as many people so it was easier, but he was fascinated by the exchange happening before him. “You certainly won’t,” Satoru teased with what felt like insincere humor. “Knowing you, High Priest,” he laughed softly, the sound strangely flat. “You’d steal his sweet rolls.”

            “Oh! You wound me,” Kevin laughed, unabashedly entertained. “Though you might be right. The sweet rolls are delicious.”

            Satoru’s eye twitched. It was almost unnoticeable. Taekwoon would have missed it if he wasn’t paying such close attention to their body language. Strange… “Of course,” he laughed once, one hand waving dismissively. “But… I believe you had something you wanted to say to Taekwoon from yesterday,” he added, forcing the High Priest’s turn.

            “Ah, right,” Kevin smiled, the expression obvious from the way his dark, almond shaped eyes crinkled. “I want to apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable yesterday,” he explained, the words apparently sincere. “I may have overreacted in my excitement about guessing correctly regarding your Symbiosis,” he added with a small nod.

            “I understand,” Taekwoon nodded, though he noticed Satoru’s lips thin just a touch.

            “I’m not sure you do,” the High Priest remarked, one delicate hand rising to wave off the words, surprising both Taekwoon and Satoru. “As I mentioned, this has not happened in at least two hundred years. And the situation with you and Jinki is unique indeed.”

            “High Priest,” Satoru calmly interjected, tapping his hand on the table. “As we discussed the other day, and you agreed, my apprentice has nothing to do with this situation.”

            “Oh, not directly of course,” the High Priest agreed almost too quickly. “But as Captain Yunho mentioned earlier, we don’t know just how all the pieces fit together right now. As such, I do expect to be kept abreast of Taekwoon’s developments as well as any that might come about regarding Jinki.” The reasoning was sound, but something about it made Taekwoon’s hackles rise. Looking at Satoru, he had the distinct impression the Aerie Master wasn’t thrilled about the comment either.

            The Aerie Master met the High Priest’s gaze for a long moment, expression impassive. But then he nodded in acquiescence. “As you wish.”

            “Good,” Kevin smiled, including Taekwoon in the expression. He blinked in response, sitting in silence, and took another bite of his sweet roll.

            “Now, if you don’t mind, High Priest,” Satoru spoke deftly, his tone completely professional in that moment. “I believe you have prayers to attend to and I would like a moment with our newest dragonrider. We have matters of scheduling to discuss before he sees the Healer and begins his new training.” Taekwoon had the strangest urge to clap. Wisely, he did not.

            The High Priest nodded his head in acknowledgment. “You are correct. I forewent them briefly for this meeting and I shall leave you with your charge,” he conceded, rising gracefully to his feet. “We will speak again later, Taekwoon. For now, Bahamut bless you in your training,” he intoned, bowing towards the dragonrider almost ceremonially

            It made Taekwoon uncomfortable. “Thank you, High Priest,” he murmured instead, ducking his head in a hasty bow so he could stare at his plate of food.

            “Satoru,” the High Priest commented softly.

            Taekwoon didn’t know how they reacted to each other, but he knew when Kevin left. The tension he’d felt all morning departed with him, strangely enough. It was enough to make him weak with relief himself. Even Satoru’s chiding voice wasn’t enough to bring it back either.

            “Oh, for Bahamut’s sake. Would you please eat more, Taekwoon,” he laughed in earnest, drawing the dragonrider’s eyes. “Boa was not wrong about the Symbiosis,” Satoru added with a knowing edge to his voice.

            For the Aerie Master, Taekwoon picked up a piece of the cold meat and glanced at it, but he was curious. “Satoru,” he started softly, glancing at the place where the High Priest had been most recently.

            “Ah!” Satoru cautioned, raising one finger before he pointed it at the plate determinedly. “Eat first. Else you’ll pass out and cause us all more worry,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as he tucked his hands into his sleeves.

            “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon laughed at the response. The levity was finally enough to loosen his appetite again. Under Satoru’s watchful gaze, he made his first plate disappear far faster than he thought it would. And then the Aerie Master pushed the whole plate of meat at him. He was briefly embarrassed before Satoru simply nodded again, giving tacit permission and a very subtle command.

            Finally satisfied with his progress, Satoru began to speak and Taekwoon slowed enough to listen. “Just because you have been bound to a dragon, it doesn’t mean that everything changes,” he promised firmly. “Your situation is unique and that will take some trial and error,” he confirmed with an animated nod of his head, “but most of everything will be more or less the same. All things considered,” he shrugged.

            Taekwoon’s silent questions were more than obvious and Satoru chose to take pity on him instead of making him ask. “You still have to finish your normal classes in the Training Hall. But now you will be working more closely with Combat Master Seunghyun.” At Taekwoon’s reactive cringe, he chuckled and explained, “You would be training with Dongwan and Yunho more, but because of your Symbiosis, we have to see what makes you react and how we can work around it. Master Seunghyun is best trained to be able to deal with you,” he gestured both hands at Taekwoon, “right now.”

            Annoyed, Taekwoon muttered, “Right,” as he took a large and somewhat savage bite of the piece of meat he was holding.

            “My point exactly,” Satoru stated seriously. Taekwoon paused and set the food down, moderately embarrassed. “Beyond that, you will be training more with Boa and Hyoyeon. They have dragons the same as yours – yes, you effectively have two at the moment and you will learn to work with both of them,” he stated firmly when Taekwoon jerked in surprise. “And depending on how your Trance training goes with your dragon-”

            “Jonghyun,” Taekwoon interrupted without thought.

            “Jonghyun,” Satoru amended seamlessly with no hint of reprimand, much to Taekwoon’s surprise. “We may have Heechul and Gain work with you in regards to that.” He held up a warning finger as Taekwoon opened his mouth to object. “Your Symbiosis is reliant upon your dragon. Not you,” he explained. “Paramours have experience with that.”

            “Oh,” Taekwoon mumbled, deflating.

            “Lastly,” he started, holding up two fingers as he suddenly got serious again. Taekwoon straightened up immediately, turning his full attention on the Aerie Master. “You shouldn’t expect to be flying or training with the Stardust Battalion anytime soon.” Taekwoon wanted to object, but he knew there was no point and there was a second finger… “And if you want to keep your relationship with Jinki, you will need to have an honest conversation with him soon.”

            “Satoru…” Taekwoon groaned, ready to say more.

            The “Let me finish!” that immediately followed made him fall silent. “Take it from one who knows. You will want to protect him and that will make you not say certain things. Don’t. Do. That,” he said, punctuating each word with firm emphasis. “As cliché as it sounds, you have to be open and honest with each other. And if you find that you can’t do that, I suggest you spend some time apart.”

            Taekwoon frowned at the suggestion. He had every intention of talking with Jinki. At some point. In the near future. When time allowed… But Satoru’s words and his warning settled in with a cold sense of uncertainty. Pulling apart a sweet roll, his last one, Taekwoon softly asked, “Is that why you’re alone now?” He was almost mortified when the question made it past his lips. He hadn’t meant to ask it out loud…

            But Satoru simply sighed and nodded. “Yes.”

            Unable to stop himself, Taekwoon tried again. “Why?”

            “That, dragonrider,” Satoru smiled sadly with a shake of his head, “is a story for another day.” He paused for a breath and then looked at the younger man. “Now, finish your plate, go see Mimi before you do anything else, and try to remember what I said,” he chuckled softly, the sound sad and wispy.

            “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon responded, unable to say anything else. Faced with Satoru’s emotions and his quiet exit, he completely forgot that he’d wanted to ask the Aerie Master about the High Priest. He only knew that he had a lot to think about and he wasn’t so hungry anymore. Finishing the slice of cold meat because he knew he should, he pushed the leftovers away, got to his feet, and resolutely set himself in the direction of the Healing Hall.

            After consulting with Dragon Healer Hyesung, Healer Mimi confirmed that the bruise on Taekwoon’s chest and the faint marks on his throat were from Trance injuries. Only time would heal them, unfortunately, and he was instructed to take it easy for the time being. In all other regards, he was declared in good health, considering he’d nearly died a sevenday prior.

            “You are clear to begin training for your dragonrider duties, but so help me,” Mimi warned, dramatically shaking his finger in front of Taekwoon’s nose. “If you aggravate your injuries needlessly, I will be most reluctant to help you.” His tone was chiding but his expression was understanding and amused. If Taekwoon did hurt himself more while already somewhat injured, he most certainly wouldn’t be the first dragonrider in training to do so.

            “Yes, Healer Mimi,” Taekwoon agreed repetitively. What else was he going to say? No?

            As Taekwoon stood up to leave, the Healer moved to lean in close and murmur in his ear. “And the next time you happen to see Henry, can you at least consider apologizing or speaking with him?” he encouraged, expressive mouth thinning briefly. “He’s been all mopey since you lashed out at him the other day.” His hands gestured out in a carefree shrugging motion but his dark eyes held a glimmer of mild reproach.

            Taekwoon winced and nodded. “I’ll be sure to remember,” he confirmed, gaze drifting to the floor in thought. He hadn’t meant to treat the Trainee Healer so poorly, but not being entirely aware at the time was no excuse for lousy behavior.

            “Good. Now off with you, young dragonrider,” the Healer shooed, fluttering his hands at Taekwoon. “You’ve got much to learn and there’s never enough time in a day.”

            “Thank you,” Taekwoon murmured respectfully, bowing once before he stepped out. The Healer was quite right. He did have a great deal to learn and it already felt like he was running out of time just this day… Taking a breath and firming his shoulders, Taekwoon started jogging down the halls to find Captain Yunho and his newest mentors, Boa and Hyoyeon.

            As expected, Taekwoon’s day was very busy. He spent the morning with the dragonriders (and his dragons), caught the afternoon meal with everyone in the dining hall where he was hounded with questions and given no private time with Jinki, and lost the rest of his day to getting caught up with what he’d missed in his other classes. Supper was very similar to the afternoon meal. He gave Jinki’s hand a reassuring squeeze under the table and was grateful when it was reciprocated. But after supper, he was to go and spend time with his dragons, per Yunho’s orders. Part of being a new dragonrider also meant that he would be spending a great deal more of any free time around his dragons until their bond was stronger and they were more comfortable with each other. He gave Jinki a quick peck on the cheek and then left to just be with Jonghyun and Jongup.

            It was late when he returned to their shared room. Jinki was still awake, working resolutely at the desk across from the bed. “Hey,” he called softly, looking up from his papers.

            “Hey,” Taekwoon smiled back, wandering over to hug his other half from behind. He pressed his lips to Jinki’s shoulder and looked down at the paper. His nose wrinkled when he recognized it was for Diplomacy…

            “How are they?” Jinki asked, one hand grabbing lightly to the arms across his chest.

            “Good,” he answered with a nod. “Jonghyun acts as if he owns the place, much to Hero’s annoyance, and Jongup just follows his lead,” Taekwoon explained.

            “At least they’re settling in without too much trouble,” Jinki commented, fingers tightening on the other man’s arm. “I’m glad.”

            “And how are you?” Taekwoon asked, turning his head enough to look at Jinki’s profile.

            “Tired,” he answered honestly, though a laugh escaped him at the same time. “It has been a long day,” he admitted with a slow nod and a sigh as he gestured towards the papers on his desk.

            “Me too. Why don’t you leave the rest of this for the morning and call it a night?” he suggested, holding just a bit tighter.

            “That,” Jinki started with a pleased smile, “is a good idea. I think I will. But you,” he turned his head and pointed at Taekwoon’s face with his finger, “need a wash first. You smell entirely too much of dragon.”

            Curious, Taekwoon ducked his head to sniff himself and hummed thoughtfully. He hadn’t even realized it. “Fine,” he agreed with a prolonged sigh, loosening his hold so he could stand up. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised, slowly claiming his loosely clasped hand back and enjoying the extended contact.

            “Okay,” Jinki nodded in understanding, getting up and stretching.

            Taekwoon watched him appreciatively for a moment and then left. It didn’t take him long to wash but by the time he returned, Jinki was already in bed. He’d left a candle lamp on for him so it wouldn’t be completely dark when he got back, but the room was otherwise silent. Padding quietly to the desk, Taekwoon changed into a sleeping shift and then blew out the light before he joined the other man in bed.

            Contentedly, he curled around Jinki from behind, wrapping his arms around his partner’s waist and burying his nose in the soft hair. He breathed deeply, inhaling the pleasant and familiar scent. “Good night, my heart,” Taekwoon whispered before closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. Needless to say, they didn’t have a conversation that evening.

(a/n: It doesn't seem as if everything is sunshine and roses for our dear Taekwoon does it? XD At least he is getting things sorted out, sort of anyway. He's on the path to figuring it out at least! heh But as always, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)