Paradise Found (Flora)

[Victor Von Doomstein]

The trip to this fabled promised spa wasn't an easy one. It was, in fact, so arduous, that he'd rather not reminisce it for the simple reasoning that he doesn't quite remember how it all unfolded. It wa all quite a blur, a doubt-filled journey, but the doubt clouded Garcian to the point where he likely wouldn't realize what happened until it all came back to him. The strings tugging him to go along would very much love to explain, but we're starting to divert from what's supposed to be happening.

Garcian started to remove some of his winter padding, removing his puffy jacket and storing it in his suitcase. His luggage had been significantly lightened in his days in Era, and while at first it was most certainly something to write home and complain about, he grew accustomed to it. (Plus, he probably wouldn't be able to send letters back home given how his father Gregor wants him to be self-reliant in this whole growing experience thing.) Placing his suitcase at his side, he looked ahead to the spa. Through the trip (no matter how it ended), he had Lexus at his side, who at this point was probably an unnecessary addition to him. After all, they did just make it to their destination. However, she was an invaluable addition, and he had to admit, he.. needed her, really.

After having checking in at the bath house, he stepped into his room, rolling briefcase at the side of the bed. Lexus rested on the bed, as Garci nudged her slowly with the back of his hand. "Larva, we're going to the spa. You don't have to sleep in the bed and.. get bug-fur all over it." Lexus looked up at him and nodded. "Well that's.. uncharacteristically generous of you, Garci." "Well, being that you did help me and all, beyond the action of heating me up. I suppose even grubs need breaks." Garci left his room wearing a pair of pinstriped boxers, laced up in an oddly elegant silver wool tie.

The two moved to a spring somewhat secluded from others, as Garci sat over it. He had some sort of abrasiveness to dipping completely in the pool of hot water, even though they had made the journey just for this. Whether something was looming in Garci's mind or if he was just afraid of totally submerging into hot water and feeling a momentarily unpleasant heat was really unable to be immediately told. Lexus, of course, was clearly accustomed to such a heat, as she rested comfortably in the middle of the small spring, floating in the center. Her eyes were closed, as she met absolute relaxation.

[Prince Pony Age]

Soleh had technically undergone a somewhat similar journey up to the spa as Garcian, though it was less grueling for her--despite the fact she was definitely overweight, she was also rather muscular due to her high activity, and her extra "padding," so to speak, helped keep her core warmer than not. Also, the fact that she had a huge fluffy Flareon to cuddle with didn't hurt, either. Oh, and the Charmander and Torchic she recently bought, too. She'd wanted a Torchic for she didn't know how long it was so cool, or technically so hot but saying "that's hot" would be stupid because it would be using the same phrase as that one stupid celebrity who just sex-taped her way to fame and--

well, anyway, that had ended several days ago.

Since then, Soleh had been staying in the small hotel/bath house/thing at the top, next to the spa and hot spring facilities. She'd saved up for this, and had already splurged on the delights that took staff to enjoy; now was just time to relax in the naturally heated pools outside.

She stepped outside, wearing an unsurprisingly red bikini with an orange beach towel wrapped around her midsection. There were several pools to choose from--some larger, some smaller, some hotter, some--some warm but not hot. None seemed even lukewarm, let alone cold in any way. This pleased Soleh immensely, especially compared to the cool air outside. It wasn't as cold as it would have been in the winter months, but it was still cool.

Unable to choose what she wanted immediately, she wandered between some of them for a bit, when she saw that--oh! there was someone else here at the same time. Of course there were other guests here, but they seemed to always choose other times to be out here than her. Delighted to have someone to talk to--she really did love talking--she made her way over and asked, "Mind if I join you~?"

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garci continued to sit over the pool of warm water, toes barely submerged by the natural spring. Yes, it was odd. This would be the perfect moment to forget about the possibility of the cold, icy air, and to simply slip right into the spring. Still, he restrained himself for reasons unknown even to himself. As he was about to try and shake his thoughts away, this.. heavier-looking woman approached him.

Don't come off as rude, just be accommodating, smile, be respectful.. Thoughts racked his mind as he grazed over what the social hierarchy of his schooling, his early life, and his manners and decorum had taught him. Everything that told him what was right and wrong was converging at this point, until he denied any harm in her arrival. ..She does look.. in ways, cute. He attempted to rationalize it further to himself by realizing that company was what was restricting him from dipping in. Of course there was Lexus, but...

Lexus continued to float about in the middle of the pool, carefree and unaware of anything else. As the newcomer talked, she looked up slowly and noticed her. Eyes shutting in an approving sort of gesture, she bobbed her head up and down, doing what nodding motion she would be able to in a pool of water. "Of course we wouldn't mind. Garci, you don't mind, do you?"

Garci had nothing to say but to stammer out an immediate response, as though caught by surprise. "Y-Yes, not at all. You can join us." He awkwardly fell into the spring, quivering at the heat but gradually growing accustomed to it. He spread his arms in either direction against the wall of the pool, looking up at her. "..Er-herm. As my Larvesta says, my name is Garcian Garcia. Some call me Garci." He coughed into his hand, still awkwardly, and looked back at her. "Might I ask what your name is?"

[Prince Pony Age]

Soleh had to repress a giggle at the boy's hesitation. Well, he was likely a "boy" given his slight build and he seemed fairly short, but who knows he could just be a little man. Eh, she mentally shrugged, not like it was a big deal anyway, she was just looking for someone to talk to at the moment. ...And sure, he was pretty nice looking, she'd admit, but she was very aware of her ability to think almost anyone was attractive.

For now, she just smiled and took off her towel, laying it at the side of the spring, and dipped up to her knees in the water. "Thanks for having me! And I'm Soleh, darlin. Nothin' fancy like all that you've got... Speakin' a which, do you want me to call you Garcian or Garci?"

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garci twiddled his thumbs, still letting the ill effects of dumping himself right into heated water set in. There weren't many, of course, but it was a little tough to get accustomed to when you've been skulking about in the cold for so long like he had. Looking right at Soleh, he was at some sort of loss for words. He couldn't tell whether he should show her taciturn for the simple fact she was overweight and everything that he could proudly call a peer had told him this was a bad thing, or to continue talking to her to persist in serving his status as a gentleman. She clearly appeared to be nice, after all, and he couldn't shake the fact that he thought she was cute.

Somehow, her speech still managed to startle him a little. Upon hearing her name, he was surprised. For how strangely foreign her name sounded, she sounded almost.. folksy. It wouldn't fill his mind, though, as he continued to listen to her. ..She called me darlin'. Sure, it was probably a charming little name she gave to everyone she met, for some reason or another, he took it to heart. No, he's got to shake this all off. It's just some nice lady he met at a hot spring, but clearly there was something quite visibly wrong with her. The indecision about how to treat her was killing him, until he remembered a simple credo. "It's what a gentleman does."

Remembering his manners, he decided to offer her the benefit of calling him by his nickname. Not that it was a great 'advantage', but he secretly hoped that this would bring more openness to the conversation. Plus, he hates it when Lexus does it, so it's got to mean something! On that subject (not to digress or anything, of course not!), he realized that here, he should probably treat the grub better here. To act rudely to your Pokemon would probably set off a very poor first impression. Besides, she wasn't up to anything.. yet. Finally, he mustered up the guts to talk back, finally wrestling the will to talk in his formal tone from the clutches of awkwardness. "You may call me Garci, Soleh. Well, er-herm, what brings you to this spring in particular? It is a little far apart from the others, and I am sure there are other people in the springs."

[Prince Pony Age]

Soleh continued lowering herself in slowly, avoiding the splash and overflow that was sterotypical of "fat people get into a body of water" in almost every storytelling medium ever. As she did so, she answered, "Oh, well there were a few other people, but it looks like everone else is already doin' somethin', you know? Like already has someone to talk to, or has a person or Pokemon or something massaging them or somethin'. But you here seemed pretty unoccupied, and I can't lie I wanted to talk to someone. Don't like to bother no one, though, so there's that." It...it was pretty clear that Soleh hadn't paid much attention to what she'd learned in (home)school, at least grammar-wise.

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

He listened to her carefully, even though his mind had been screaming at how poor her grammar usage had been. It nearly distracted him from what she had actually been saying, but he managed to get back on track. Something in him clawed away, trying to get him to point out what could be assumed is the clear reason for why others might have something else to do. Yet, something else had been preventing him. Whether it was decorum, chivalry, or something rather different was unknown. Rather, he simply stated, "Ah, I see."

Thinking it over for a second, he continued to look at her. Trying as hard as he might not to stare, he simply made eye contact, and offered a soft smile. There must be something for him to break the ice, something for him to ensure that she wouldn't regret coming down to this little spring to talk to him. Alternatively, there could be something he could say as an excuse to leave and skeddadl- What am I thinking?! That's a terrible idea! That's no way to treat a lady. The self-conflict continued, much to his dismay.

Clearing his throat, he improvised with whatever he could say to make proper conversation. If she was able to hear it very well, his tone was starting to gradually become more and more informal, more friendly now than the cold and less accommodating that it had been. "Of course you're not bothering me, it's always better to have conversation than silence." Rubbing his chin, he asked, "So, Soleh, if I may ask, where do you come from? You certainly don't look like you're from around this area." Internally he crossed his thumbs, hoping that she had been from somewhere, anywhere, rather than here. Kanto, Johto, hell, even Orre would suffice. Erans always seemed to rub him the wrong way. If it had been Hoenn, well, that would be a level far beyond "just dandy." ..That is to say, he'd be very pleasantly surprised.

[Prince Pony Age]

She had no inkling whatsoever that he was thinking anything regarding her overweight status, her mindset as pleasant as her tone. Granted, she also didn't notice said tone-shift, as she never was very naturally good at manners and stuff, and was never really taught. She just did and said what seemed right, regardless of consequences.

She sighed as she slid the rest of the way in, seating herself on the ledge with her head above the water as he asked her his question.

"Right y'are 'bout that! I'm originally from Hoenn, though I lived in Kanto for a bit too. Hell, I aint even caught any Pokemon the year I've been here. But yeah, point is I'ven't lived here for all that long, really. How 'bout you? You from 'round here or someplace far off?"

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garci raised his brows in disbelief as she said her region of origin. Sure, it was a long-shot, and it was something he felt he wouldn't ever be able to guess, but finally, he found someone else from Hoenn. It wouldn't be a gentlemanly thing to swoon over it, but he genuinely smiled widely when she said she hailed from Hoenn. This same smile was noticed by the half-awake Lexus, who opened one eye to see his trainer actually smiling, not from a successful capture or any such victory, but out of a conversation. "Finally, another person from Hoenn! I had thought I was all alone in this region." He shifted somewhat in place, making a scooting motion a little bit along the edge of the spring. "I come from Lilycove City, in particular."

As he still looked in her direction, he noticed something peculiar. Her hair, particularly the coloration, seemed to bring up something in his mind. A correlation was suddenly drawn, as he couldn't help but bring it up. "You know, Soleh, something about you looks very familiar to someone I've already seen in Hoenn.." Of course! Why didn't he see it before? He saw a bit of that trainer who allegedly had a fiery passion that burns, none other than Flannery. She wasn't necessarily the greatest of gym leaders, as memory served him. "Yes, of course! You remind me of Flannery." His eyes closed in realization as his smile continued on, as though he looked content.

"Yes, Flannery. Oh, I don't remember having ever seen a more inept leader." He felt that, now that they were gone from Hoenn, it would be a perfect time to gossip on about it. "Yes, if I remember correctly, she wasn't necessarily the brightest of them." He went on to tell a story of his. "If you don't mind me rambling, you see, I did approach a few gyms when I was traveling around, and she was one of their leaders. As memory serves, all she was trying to do was act intimidating, when it just came out as.. well, awkward. .. It didn't really help that I lost the battle, either. Still, I've seen better." He shook his head, the memory still fresh in his mind. He even remembered what Pokemon he used to approach her. It was laden with Ground types, none of which were able to really harm her Pokemon. Even his lead Pokemon failed, and he w-.. Well, he'd rather not delve into that, for fear of risking a small breakdown in front of company.

[Prince Pony Age]

"Heh, same. Well not quite but close 'nough. From Lavaridge myself." He continued on, and she almost instantly regretted saying that. Ten bucks he realizes it's--yup. Goddamn Flannery. Her smile noticably dropped as he dropped that name, and was about to speak up to tell him what he'd need to know and to please keep her out of this when--wait, someone else didn't like her? 8U This hadn't happened before.

So rather than saying anything during his little ramble, her smile just returned and even grew broader than before. After he'd stopped and--well, it seemed like he was finished, anyhow--she asked of him, "Did she really? Oh my fuckin' god that is, like, the best thing I've heard all week I'm not even lyin'. I came up here to get away from her but for once I'm fine hearing news of.. yeah, uh, I guess I shoulda prolly said she's my sister, eh? What I just said prolly seemed outta nowhere without that, heh." She ended on a slightly awkward note, but she was still grinning so broadly and trying to hold in laughter so she obviously wasn't that affected by the awkwardness.

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

During the whole moment where he had been noting her resemblance as well as telling his story, he noticed her face shift from a smile to a more neutral expression, and eventually an even larger smile. He was glad that the story actually managed to brighten her spirits somewhat, rather than dwindle them or put himself in a generally unhealthy situation. Still, he began to wonder, why would she hold that sort of a resentment to her own sister?

He didn't really care that she used a slight shock of profanity, given how much she seemed to react when he had brought up the subject of Flannery at all. "Yes, she did. Talked highly about inheritance, her grandfather, or something to that note. My loss only gave her more clearance to try and act needlessly superior. It was.. odd, to say the least." Of course she must have been her sister, he could certainly notice the similarity in them. His only response was a nod when she confirmed she was the sister of the Fire Leader in Hoenn.

..Wait, really? He was actually sitting in a spring with someone who had a relation with the Hoenn Pokemon League? Granted it was a vague relation, but still! He looked down into the waters of the pool, somehow undisturbed by the presence of a bug larva Pokemon floating in its center. His cheeks had started to become rosy-looking, more or less likely a result of staying within the waters. Deciding he may as well pose the question now, he made eye contact with her again, hand raising up in the water to form an inquisitive gesticulation. "Might I ask, though, why you left Hoenn to avoid her? I can understand that she'd probably be.. unpleasant company to live around, but.."

[Prince Pony Age]

"Wooow, I knew she was always a bitch to me, but to challengers even? I just...wow." She couldn't hold in all this mirth anymore, she at least had to chuckle. Honestly, she likely would have jiggled somewhat, had she not been mostly underwater. God, that was all so funny, though.

To his second question, she manged to stop laughing and answer, "No one even fuckin' noticed when I ran away from home the first time, so.. Yeah. If I'm gonna live with people, it'll be people who care about me 'n my health." She harumphed, but also shrugged, and finished, "And since everyone and their brother knows 'n' would support dear ol' Flan more'n they'd like me, I up and went about as far away as I figured I could."

Well. That, and that there were constant reminders of how Flannery had been favored and was more successful and prettier and better in basically every way. Shit like that really went to one's head after a while.

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Being an only child, Garci never really understood what it meant to be in the shadow of a sibling. Still, he could imagine the lack of attention could torment someone. "I have to admit, my family.. pampered me. I was an only child, so I received nothing but attention. I suppose it's the opposite for me. I was starting to get tired of being paid attention to.." He shut his lips tight and looked down, muttering something out quietly, something that was just barely audible. "they say I'm spoiled.." Still hearing her story, he spoke again.

"That must have been horrible, though. I can understand why you'd only select those kinds of people to be around. I thought my parents cared too much, see. .. I guess I should tell you why I'm here, myself." He wouldn't speak too far, of course, but his tongue slipped. "If you've ever heard about Hoenn's Garcia family from whatever Pokemon Ranger shows they've been broadcasting, well, you know about my family. .. That's not really what I'm trying to say, though. They sent me here because I guess I was acting up during school." He put his hand over his mouth as he realized what he just said.

The silence struck him, as he realized that he probably said too much, gone too far in a few places. He would have said more about how he'd probably support her decision, but his regret stole whatever other words he had in mind. He had been in the spa with someone with an association to the Pokemon League, and now she knows she's in a spring with the son of Pokemon poachers. How wonderful. "I..." He could only stammer.

[Prince Pony Age]

"Yeah, well I envy ya that. Bein' an only child, I mean." At his supposition that she'd want to know why he was here, tit-for-tat and all, she shrugged. She didn't really care, that was his business. But he continued anyway, and she listened patiently.

Even to someone who wasn't skilled at reading people, his regret for saying as much as he had was pretty obvious. "Dunno what it is you wish you wouldn't've kept to yourself, but I dunno what that is about your family. No rangers here in Era whatsoever. Ran into a lady who's tryin' to start them up a while back, but there still aren't any so I guess she gave up." Soleh kind of got off track there and forgot what she was talking about, so stopped there as it seemed like a good stopping point despite not really having made the original point she was aiming for.

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garci sighed out in relief, relieved that this dark and terrible secret that was not quite secret anymore was still a secret to her. "N-Nevermind that, then. I'm not so concerned about Ranger activity here, honestly. I left those issues with my family behind." The day their parents had been revealed was the day that everything started to decline. They managed to bounce back, somehow, but he had been absolutely inconsolable about that. It was another story to tell Soleh another day, if by some possibility they kept in contact. Now whatever conversation they had stopped again. How dreadful.

"Ah, erm, before I went off on that little stammer, I was going to say that I could completely respect your decision. That sort of outlook on life seems absolutely fine to me. ..Er, not that you need confirmation." He was practically flopping about in this conversation. He had to preserve the speech somehow. "Soleh, do you have any stories from Hoenn that you remember like that? Of course, it doesn't have to do with dimwitted gym leaders, more over any nice little experiences you have in general." He twiddled his thumbs within the water, tilting his head at her.

[Prince Pony Age]

Soleh nodded and said, "Right then. Certainly understand that."

...Wait, what was there to talk about now. She'd come over here to do that, and now she had nothing to talk about uh hrm... Well m--oh there he's saying something.

..A story? "Ah--hmm.. I guess there's the time I had'a swim across that channel between Mauville 'n' the next set a' routes since I didn't have 'ny Pokemon who could learn Surf--'n' no surfboard or boat or even an inflatable pool toy around neither. Heh. ...Actually that's about all there is to that story, 'cept for the ending--me in the Pokecenter with Tentacool stings. ...Fun times. Uh, what else. Ooh, wait, how'bout when I found an honest-to-goodness Shiny? Like, in the wild, not for sale or some shit. That, like, was one of the most thrilling times in my life, I gotta say. Prolly would'a been the most disappointing too, I guess, if I hadn't managed to catch it." She spoke rather more quickly than she had--she was good at talking, but not as good at stories, hence her poor choice at first. By the end, though, she seemed fine, and ended with a positively beaming smile--obviously, she was pretty proud of that.

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garci again heard her story. Her odd manner of speaking was something he was slowly getting more and more used to, as he managed to compare what she said to words he could actually hear more properly. Wait, she swam across the waters in Mauville? Her? Again, this is something he would normally like to try and make a point in interrupting, but what was stopping him, he found, wasn't decorum at all. It was something absolutely different, and he wasn't sure if he was okay with the feeling. Rather, he chuckled when she talked about the quantity of Tentacool stings. Those little devils, he hated encountering piles and piles of them and to think about swimming through them seemed funny.

Her story about encountering a true Shiny would have surprised him as well, if he hadn't run into so many back at that Clock Tower. Not only that, but even if it didn't quite qualify as different coloration, there was a much larger Klinklang that he had captured, as well. "I have a few myself, caught two of them, but one I had taken with me on my journey here." Wait, maybe that's what they could talk about to preserve the conversation! There was a twinkle in his eye as he started talking again.

"Stories aside.. Soleh, how is Era for you? I mean, from what you've experienced of this place, what do you think about it? The conflict between the loyalists and the rebellion, the state of how it is now, your experience here, what, so far, is your opinion of this place?" He'd love to tell her all about his zany time in this region, but it would be polite to allow the lady to speak first. If one would be able to notice, he had let go of his attachment to the wall and was starting to drift in the spring waters, relaxing to the point where he didn't really need to tread water. He was drifting toward Soleh's side of the spring, at least half of the way to the center where Lexus resided.

[Prince Pony Age]

Aaaaand Soleh's face fell. He had a few? All but one of which were caught. Wild. She--fuck. No. This kid has to have been doing this longer than her, right? That had to be it. Yeah. Maybe she just had really shitty luck, and his was great?

Or maybe she really did suck. I mean, she did lose the last time she saw Flan'.

...No, fuck no, get this shit out of your head. Stop it. Oh wait he was talking about stuff that wasn't Shinies, awesome. --Hm, what did she think of Era? She paused for a few moments, thinking of her response.

"It's harder to make a livin' here, outta battlin' or otherwise, I'll say that. The people seem to mostly be cynical and pessimistic with all the bad shit happenin', you know? Well, nothing bad is happening now, but what happened before and made the economy crash 'n' burn. But there are cool people too, and--well--in my, er, over a year living here you're the first who's brought my sister up, so there's that. So f'r me, it's pretty great. Oh, and unlike in Hoenn and Kanto, Era seems to have like, all the Pokemon I swear! That's pretty cool too."

--- Soleh's Current Team ---

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Whatever she may have believed, the truth was that Garci actually hadn't been a trainer for too long. It was more or less likely 4 or 5 years in, when his 'career' as a trainer had started. And, it was true that Garci did have a strange way with the dice of luck. Hell, who knows, maybe Garci made a deal with the devil and is now teeming with fortune. But that would be silly and implausible and most of all, highly unlikely. But still possible.

He nodded slowly as he heard her talk about her experience as well as the condition of Era. "The people here are certainly visibly stricken by the shift in power. They do what they can to get by, and at this point, it certainly doesn't seem to be enough. I'm at least thankful that my family is well-off enough that money isn't much an object for me. While events so far seem to be at a standstill, I'm sure there's going to be another conflict between those rebels and those loyalists soon enough. Frankly, I'd rather be leaning towards rebel efforts. They seem as though they're the ones that look out for the people over all else."

Garci continued to listen to her, about what had been going on for her in Era. "I'm sure you've met good people in your travels around here. And, yes, I have noticed that there is a far more vast variety of Pokemon here than in any other region, Pokemon from Unova, Johto, Sinnoh, everywhere." He started to think about his experiences in this region himself. "For me, my experience in Unova has been.. somewhat reaching my low expectations."

He was now in the center of the pool with Lexus, still slowly drifting towards Soleh's side. Sighing, he elaborated. "There were some strange things that have happened to me. I've lost three fourths of the luggage I came here with, met an eccentric, puzzle-loving professor of archaeology.. Oh, don't get me started about the trip here. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you, either, but the way here was awful. We were lost and trapped in Wayward Forest, where we met Pokemon that helped guide us toward hot water. Then, some lady who had the most terrible grin showed up and started questioning me if these Pokemon were being truthful. ..I don't really remember what happened after, but a very long walk later, here I am, sitting in a spring with you."

[Prince Pony Age]

She nodded in agreement as he spoke of the rebels, and soon voiced that. "Oh, yeah, the rebels seem like the best side here. From what I c'n tell, the king they killed was being an absolute dick, 'n' the nobles jus' want power f'r themselves, y'know? Not e'erone who's a rebel is awesome, but every other group is just jerks and more greedy power0hungry jerks, so yeah rebels are totally the way to go."

As for people, Soleh shrugged, and listened to Garci's own interesting encounters. "Huh. Yeah it wasn't easy for me getting here, but nothin' like that happened. Mainly just trainin' that Shiny Swablu I have to try an' evolve her into Altaria so I c'n fly instead of walkin' back and forth all across Era. Makes yer feet hurt after a while, y'know?" While technically this wasn't helped by her overweight status, she still wasn't planning on being lazy--when she said 'all across Era' she meant that literally. Anyone would get tired after that many miles of walking.

While they'd been talking, Soleh had kept to where she first sat down on the ledge that was near her side of the pool of water. She hadn't really noted that he was, indeed, getting closer; people swim about, that's what you do in water. She personally wasn't fond of swimming much, though she could perfectly fine; she preferred just relaxing in hot springs. It occurred to her that it was somewhat ironic she'd be reminded of Flannery here, in hot springs much like those in Lavaridge. Huh. Those springs were one of the few things she missed from the town, and this rather was the good sort of nostalgic, wasn't it?

--- Soleh's Current Team ---