Nightfall - IC

[TearsoftheWorld]

REMEMBER ME!

Julianne McAllister awoke with a start, and she almost hit her head as her upper body shot up from the mattress she was resting on. Her lightly tanned skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and the entire room felt like an oven. Her breathing was labored, at least at first, until she calmed down and relaxed her tense muscles. With a heavy sigh she turned in her bed, planting both feet on the cold floor. She hadn't forgotten.

"Cap'n... we'll be getting near to Persephone within an hour or two."

Ren2ci2 de5 Shang4di4, qing3 dai4 wo3 zou3

Julianne ran a hand through her hair and then slapped it down against her thigh. She reached up for a small panel above her head and pushed the intercom button connecting her to the pilot.

"Alright. I'll be up there in a minute. Try not to crash into anything," she responded, offering a slight grin even though her pilot couldn't actually see her.

"Well there's this Alliance cruiser just up ahead. Think they'd mind?"

For the briefest of moments, Julianne's heart stopped.

"Ai1ya1. Tian1 a5..."

"Wait, sorry, it's just a rock."

"I'm seriously thinking about dumping your body when we pull into port," Julianne said as soon as she entered the cockpit. She took her seat opposite the pilot, a young Chinese man named Shin, and smiled. He'd been with her for a good while, but she knew that once they reached Persephone they'd be parting ways. Nightfall was heading in one direction, and his wife and child were headed in the other. He'd seen a lot, but she trusted him. More than most, at any rate.

Persephone was a planet that orbited the protostar Lux, and although it was under the control of the Anglo-Sino Alliance it was far enough away that one could feasibly find quality work that benefited the poorer outer worlds. It was just the kind of place that Julianne, known to her crew as Sam, could patch up her ship and pick up some new crew members. A couple of travelers would do nicely as well, so long as they could pay their way. Times were certainly tough, even more so now that the Alliance was reaching out with its hand to grab at whatever it could… and that was her job.

Shin guided the ship towards the Eavesdown Docks, landing a bit too roughly for Sam’s tastes. She shot him a sharp look then reached for the comm device, pulling it down and stretching out the cord.

“Ladies and gents, this is your captain speaking. We’ve arrived on Persephone. When exiting please mind the gap between the ship and the platform.”

"That. Was. Brilliant," Shin said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Shut it."

 

[Wyldfire]

The raven haired woman entered the bar, her pocket and the concealed pouch in her boot holding her entire life. Well, except for the gear she wasn't about to lug around that she had sealed in the rental locker at the spaceport.

Sadie was now officially between jobs. She'd made the delivery her prior employer had sent her here with to that damnable go between. Now she was going to take a day or two off before looking for work. Maybe something long term? Something comfortable? That sounded good actually, something soft and easy.

She found a table in the bar and pulled up a seat. When the waitress came around she made her order and waited for the drink to arrive while she looked at the menu. Real food. That was a must, and one she could afford for the moment. No textured protien, uh-uh, that was not going in her belly this time.

As she waited her hand slid down the belly if her shirt to where the stitches had only been recently removed. That quack her employer had knew his work when it came to sewwing, no scars this time. Good thing really, soft jobs tended to be the ones that required more skin showing. She thought again about the soft job idea. Maybe not, she wasn't getting any younger and her looks weren't going to last forever. Maybe start her own house? Maybe somewhere the companions wouldn't go. Some out of the way moon that had good hard working men that could use the excuse to spend their paychecks. She smiled at this thought. It was a regular one for her after jobs that got her stitched up.

She shook off the thinking thing again. Time to enjoy being off the clock. She ordered food and then another round of whiskey and a beer.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Home is where I hang my wrench.

The ship shuddered as it broke into the atmosphere over Persephone. Fingers on the wall, feeling the vibrations through the cool metal, Thomas closed his eyes and let his other senses meld with the ship. Eyes could deceive you. The eyes can only see what is before them, but the skin can feel what lies hidden. Feel the change in air pressure, the strange vibration of a loosened bolt. Scent can warn of a frayed wire before smoke reaches ones eyes. Ears can hear metal fatigue before the piece can break. In as much as a man can be one with a machine, Thomas Kin was one with Nightfall.

He had been on her for a bit over a year. Starting on as the cook, he had discovered the leak in the environmental that had almost killed them all. That, and the Captain finding her mechanic drunk as hell and having no idea how to fix the aforementioned leak had gotten him promoted (well, actually he still cooked ninety percent of the time, but that was just self defense really) to Ships Mechanic. After a year, he knew ever creak and moan. He knew how she was supposed to sound and feel while breaking into atmo, and something wasn't right.

The landing was a bit rougher than normal, and Thomas had a suspicion on why. That damn starboard aft stabilizer was getting hinky again.


“Ladies and gents, this is your captain speaking. We’ve arrived on Persephone. When exiting please mind the gap between the ship and the platform.”


Thomas smiled a small smile. He was both happy and sad that Shin and his family was leaving. They were good people, and good people were hard to find in his Captains line of work. Sometimes that bothered him, but he knew his Captains heart, and while she guarded it with as much ferocity as she guarded her ship, he knew it was good.

He would stay on board his ship, with his Captain and little Rosa. His strange little flower. His friend.

He opened his eyes, straightening from the kneeling position he had been in. Making his way to the com he keyed in over the com system. "Captain, that aft stabilizer is trying to break free again. I'll need about three hours to do a good job on it. Are we down that long, or do I need to just patch it again?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

Born under a Blue Sun.

It is written, if one is given to the reading of Myth, that Earth-That-Was was born without a sky. She was laid bare to all the stars, who would rush into her and sizzle in her skin.

It is written that Earth-That-Was could soon take no more of this ecstasy, and so she puffed up her cheeks... and blew out the sky, an envelope to guard herself.

Rosa Chen was like that world long lost.

With two notable exceptions.

That which sizzled in her skin was not ecstasy, but agony.

And she had no sky to breathe out.

Thus, she did her best to cope. She brought her sky with her wherever she went.

Shrouded in a black and grey heavy cloak, lined with wool, Rosa huddled in her cabin. She felt the tremble of Nightfall as Persephone climbed up to meet the ship, and the tremble resonated in her bones.

Her skin was golden brown, and her eyes-- nearly as dark a black as her long, barrette-tamed hair --were an elegant almond shape. She was slender, though not gaunt, though this were hard to discern 'neath the fabric armor she wore.

Huddling tighter, she rested her forehead on her knees and tried to shut out the sound of atmosphere thundering around the vessel.

She prayed, silent as a stone, for the steady of solid ground.

And steady came, though after a shudder that caused Rosa's gloved hands to flex white-knuckle tight.

Then came the Captain's voice, soothing, strong. “Ladies and gents, this is your captain speaking. We’ve arrived on Persephone. When exiting please mind the gap between the ship and the platform.”

While Rosa did not speak overmuch, didn't wax poetical or uncork diatribes of any length, she parsed the Captain's announcement well enough.

And she knew the pilot was leaving. She should go. She should say something to him.

Unfurling from her huddle, the fragile-seeming creature betrayed strength and grace in her movements. She had quivered like a spider-web in the breeze under the torture of the thrumbling noise, but as she came to her feet... instead she became the spider, treading Nightfall's grated deckplates with a gait arachnophobes would find eerie.

Social ritual often eluded her. But she knew that goodbyes were important.

She would tell Shin goodbye, and his little family.

Perhaps she would even tell them with words.

 

[Ahren]

Zero Sum

A soft feminine giggle fluttered into the air as she kissed the man below her, a rugged and somewhat unkempt man but handsome nonetheless. He returned the kiss happily as he let his hands run across the smooth skin of her back. The raven-haired woman idly traced a scar circling the man's shoulder as her eyes locked with his piercing blue ones.

"That was wonderful, James... This has been a fantastic morning already!" She uttered with a musical tone to her words. The brown-haired man continued to smile but remained silent. As the woman reached over to the nightstand for her glass of wine it allowed him a moment to take a breath, roll his eyes and glance toward the clock.

This was taking too long.

"James, how about we leave right now and head to Pelorum! It'll be wonder-" Her words stopped as she moved back over him only to feel a cold object pressing against the side of her temple. It seemed as if the woman didn't even really need to see it to know it was a gun.

"Bi4zui3, Riana! Stop sayin' 'wonderful' and please stop callin' me 'James'." The man snapped in irritation. Riana's eyes widened and she froze in place.

"W-what is the meaning of this?!"

"This is me losin' my patience. I shoulda been done with this hours ago but I'll admit you were very persuasive what with the whole gettin'-naked thing and also the whole lookin'-real-good-naked thing."

The man stood up from the bed, still pointing the pistol as he began to fumble his clothes with one hand. "I'm gonna put this down for a quick second but don't try anything funny because I can't say I'd put much pause before hittin' a woman. Not that I make a habit out of it but I'll do it if I have to, you know?"

He did as he said, placing the gun down on the table next to him as he dressed in his jeans, black shirt and leather coat. Riana was still a bit too stunned to move.

"James! What-" She growled, pausing as he picked up the gun and pointed it at her again.

"Lao3tian1ye2! What did I just say! If you gotta say a name, call me Fisher. We're not gonna know each other much longer anyway though so it don't matter much.

....Don't tell me you still are confused about this situation you're in?"

The still shocked look on the woman's face made Fisher sigh heavily.

"You're a few cows short of a farm, aren't you? I mean you gotta be aware of the rather sizable bounty on your head."

Riana finally began to put the pieces together, and her expression of shock soon turned to one of rage.

"Ta1ma1 de5 hun2dan4!!!"

"I've been called worse so save your breath. I mean you only really have yourself to blame this time. Stealin' from the rich is sort of poor plannin' on your part." He motioned with the gun to her nightstand where a rather majestic looking sapphire necklace casually hung on a lamp. "After all, they'll probably just pay someone like me a lotta money just to get you back. Hope you still got all the stuff you took cause otherwise you might be repayin' them in fingers."

Riana was trembling in fury, but she at least seemed aware that there was no hope.

"So get dressed. I'd rather not be any later than I already am. I mean, you don't have to. Got no issue takin' you over naked."

"How did you even find me..."

Fisher just chuckled softly. "Lady, it's a small galaxy..."

---

Vincent Fisher leaned back with eyes shut in the pilot's seat of his small Errikson salvage craft, Borealis. It was refreshingly silent compared to the busy last few days. They had been easy jobs and the pay wasn't terrible, but when accounting for certain expenses it just wasn't enough... It always seemed like his costs would negate his profits.

Fisher grunted softly as he massaged his right shoulder with his left hand. Was it getting more frequent, or was that just paranoid perception?

Soft tapping of paws echoed through the hull as a brown and black furred German Shepard arrived in the cockpit just in time to place his snout in Fisher's lap. Fisher cracked an eye open and glanced down.

"I'm okay, Kang. Don't worry."

The dog replied with a short whine.

"I'm not lying!"

Silence for a few moments, then a bark. "Oh... dinner time, huh? Sorry. Guess I lost track of time..."

Fisher pushed up from his seat, though before he could leave the cockpit the comm system buzzed with a bit of static followed by a voice.

"Fisher, you there? I think I got something finally."

Fisher quickly dashed back to the comm and mashed the transmitter. "Tell me somethin' good, Carter."

Kang whined again.

"Just one gorram second, Kang!"

"Uh.. yeah well, I don't know how good it is. All I could manage was the word 'Nightfall'. Probably not much help."

"'Nightfall'... I'll work with it. Owe you one, Carter. Guess I got some work to do tonight..."

Woof!

"Fine! After dinner!"

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

"Captain, that aft stabilizer is trying to break free again. I'll need about three hours to do a good job on it. Are we down that long, or do I need to just patch it again?"

Julianne picked up the com device but waited before giving her engineer her response. Although their finances were more or less in order, she knew that belts would have to be tightened even further if any major repairs had to be done. Nightfall could certainly take the punishment, but she deserved a bit of a break. 'Dammit,' she muttered.

"Give it a good clean, Thomas. I don't 'spect we'll be lifting off any time soon."

Once Julianne said goodbye to Shin, she headed out down the cargo bay ramp to join the outside world. The Docks was always a busy place, day and night, with horse-drawn carts constantly ferrying people back and forth and vendors trying to sell their wares to new arrivals or to those planning on heading out into the cold and lonesome dark. The young captain could barely hear herself think as people shouted at her in both Chinese and English, but for the most part she wasn't interested in what they had to say or sell.

While standing near the ramp, Julianne thought she might try to pick up some new passengers, so long as they minded their business and could pay their way. Although there were a lot of people trying to find passage to the outer worlds, there were very few people actually worth picking up. She did strike up a conversation with an older man, but he only had a small bit of personal wealth and made it a point to tell her that he'd never married when she called him grandpa.

Although he seemed trustworthy enough, Julianne had a difficult time convincing him to come aboard her ship.

She only hoped that he'd still be around when she got back.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Zhen1 ta1ma1 yao4ming4. Zhu4yi4.

Rosa stood quietly.

Quietly was how she did most things, to be true.

But there she stood at the mouth of the cargo bay. The sky above had clouds in it, but they were far too high and far too few and there was far too much open blue. So she lingered instead in the shade of the ship's bay door, under the swanlike throat of the cockpit-- at least, swanlike to someone who'd never seen a swan --luxuriating in the shadow that fell across her face.

Ships too many to count whined and whizzed and roared overhead; she could hear them. And the hustle and the bustle of people... the crush of the crowd...

...she misliked open spaces very much. But the claustrophobic clamor of a teeming mob offered her little comfort. All that noise.

The pilot had just bid farewell to The Captain, and stood with his bag on his shoulder. Probably he was waiting for his lady wife and child.

Tenuously, she approached him, and he arched an eyebrow.

Like many, Shin found himself a bit off-put by the strange little foundling with the limited vocabulary, but Shin was a good enough guy to work around it as best as he could. His quick wit was a little bit wasted on her, no comebacks, laughter rare as summer days on St. Albans... but he wouldn't be a good pilot if he couldn't fly blind every so often.

"Hey, Spooky," he greeted her. "It's been-- it's been interesting flying with you."

She felt him want to reach out his hand to her just before he did it, just as she'd felt that eyebrow arch an instant before it actually climbed his brow, felt his mouth working before it had opened to disburse noise.

Rosa stared at the extended hand for a moment. Stared and frowned.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the gesture.

She just thought it was... insufficient.

Shin lowered his hand, once again a little bit off-put, misapprehending her reason for not wanting to put her gloved hand in his bare one. "Yeah. 'Kay."

Rosa shook her head slightly, and then put her fist in her open palm and bowed to him. A martial artist's promise of nonviolence. A pledge of peace from a creature of war.

Shin blinked at that, and then smiled faintly, and put his own fist in his palm, and bowed back to her.

"Watch your back out there, kiddo."

He shook his head. "And watch Sam's, okay? Someone's gotta pull her pretty pants out of the fire with me gone."

Rosa nodded, and then her eyes darted out into the crowd, flitting about hurriedly.

If she was going to watch The Captain's back, she might as well get started.

She managed to catch sight of The Captain off and away just-- there. Confabulating with a silver-haired preacherly sort.

Rosa took a moment to steel herself. She pressed earplugs into her ears to combat the gabbling noise, and she pulled up the hood of black-and-grey cloak to provide some shelter against the bare and terrifying sky.

And then, with the grace the crew had come to know, she propelled herself into the ebb and the flow.

Even with the earguards in, this wasn't easy.

Her brain crawled with the movement of the people around her, and it became almost a war to separate her movement from theirs. Every rise and fall of every foot, every swing of every arm, every wag of every jaw.

It was-- kaleidoscopic. Dizzying. Like trying to stare at a stained glass window whilst rolling down a hill in a barrel.

In her distraction, she almost got run over by a gentleman driving a faded-yellow ATV hauling a trailer with some sort of storage container.

Only fleet reflexes and a quickskitter leap got her clear of it-- well, that and the driver himself was no slouch in the reflex department.

"Wei4!" he protested, his messy blond hair capped by a hat worn backwards. "Bu4yao4 ming4 de5--!"

A primly-dressed dark-haired man with round sunspectacles strode up beside the driver, however, distracting him from his diatribe, and gestured firmly to the container in the ATV's trailer-- "Please be careful with that."

(It sounded like he'd been repeating the same phrase for awhile now.)

Leaving these two fully behind, Rosa managed then to draw even with The Captain, wafting up beside her with so much silence and confidence one would never suspect she'd just almost become so much "good dog" meat on the sandy thoroughfare.

(Partly this confidence came from The Captain's own natural grace; her gait were familiar and soothing in a storm-toss'd sea of strangers and strangeness.)

She didn't say anything to The Captain. She was simply there beside her.

In case things got bu4yao4 ming4.

 

[Lunaramblings]

Arthur Judd staggers through the busy port. He steps to the side of one of the alleyways and opens a bag from over his shoulder, taking a quick inventory. Arthur looks around as he stumbles out of the alley, resettling the bag on his back.

Arthur goes ship to ship for a bit, asking about employment. It's always hard for a crippled pilot to be taken seriously. The first three ships laugh. Feeling about ready for a drink Arthur sees her. Gorgeous, with a hint of something more. Talking to an older gentleman.

Arthur looks at the old tub. Firefly class. Buckets of bolts, but they were sturdy. And in the right hands, they made decent money. Shifting the bag up a bit higher, he moves toward the ship. As he steps toward the ship he taps it with his cane.

"Pardon me miss, but you wouldn't 'appen to know where yer captain is now would you?" Arthur leans on his cane as he smiles at the beautiful woman.

 

[DormantEvil]

Persephone had been Doctor Cassandra Grey's home for the past week, but her time on the planet was wrought with frustration and disappointment. Having arrived to speak to one of the merchants about medical supplies, she had promptly found that dealing with such men was far too dangerous for her to do alone. He had been a sly and shifty character, by the name of Badger, and the currency he had asked in exchange for supplies was unsatisfactory.

He had liked the look of her shorter, curvy, thin waisted figure, even more than he had liked how blue her eyes seemed. Like a unpolluted ocean, no, they were more like perfect sapphires. Her hair was a dark brown, shiny and straight, and fell just below her shoulders unless she wore it up, pinned behind her head with the ends stabbing out in a messy fashion. To finish it off, her freckled pale completion made her look younger than she actually was, and he had assumed she was in her early twenties, not 28. It was when she opened her mouth that one could tell she was well schooled, and from a well off family.

The small details in the way she dressed could also have been an indication, but the mass of leather over the top of floral blouses hid it well. The cuffs of her sleeves, and the ruffles around her neck showed an elegance and womanly side that her personality often tried to minimize.

Luckily, during a passing meet at one of the higher end clubs in town, Cassandra had met a charming medicine man from her own home world. They had hit it off straight away, talking about the old days back on Osiris, but they both felt it best to avoid the unfortunate circumstances that had them leave their homes.

He seemed to be a genuine person, and after discussions over drinks, she had made a new friend and contact. She had also placed an order for medical goods.

Unlike doctors on the core planets, this man was above the rest in terms of intelligence, and she could tell without even seeing his degrees, or test scores. But she hadn't asked too much, unless you worked on the Core planets or for the Alliance military, there was something wrong with you, as far as doctors of wealth were concerned.

All he needed was for her to be at the docks, pick up her supplies and not be late.

The small shuttle she had arrived on had departed already as she had only planned on staying a day to get supplies, so she was also wondering how to get off the planet. Surely one of the ships landing could take her, she did have currency after all.

Unfortunately she couldn't just buy a ticket on the next flight out, thanks to that little incident with the Alliance and black market goods just a days ago.

What did he say again? A yellow ATV?

She scratched her head, wishing he had of let her write down the details, but he had feared what would happen if the Alliance had of found out. He was very passionate about security, it seemed, almost to the point of paranoia.

The sound of a horn beeping up ahead caught her attention, and she saw an ATV of what could be called a dirty yellow weaving through the crowd at speed. When it stopped, she spotted Simon, he looked stressed and tired. Like he hadn't been sleeping that well, and for a moment she couldn't help but worry for his health. He was quite handsome.

Rushing the last few yards, she dodged left and right around people before arriving on the opposite side of the ATV to the well dressed man. The large silver cube storage case was a little odd, but she had seen medicines that needed to remain frozen or cooled transported in those before. Greeting him, they exchanged brief words before he handed her bag filled with the supplies she had ordered, there wasn't much time for conversations and once she had paid, she headed off.

He hadn't mentioned he was leaving the planet, but it wasn't her place to ask more questions.

Heading off away from the ATV, she looked back once more and gave him a wave, before making her way to the closest transport or cargo ship. The Nightfall seemed to be the first one she walked up to, and she looked around for someone to ask about transport off the planet.

Shouldering her new bag, she was a rather normal looking traveller.

 

[Wyldfire]

The idea had hit her when she overheard a pair of old crew hands for one ship or the other dreaming out loud about how they'd like to retire. She moved herself over to the cortex terminals, inserted the credits, and began the first step of her plan.

First was food supplies. A month's worth of protein for ten, not horriblly overpriced so she committed to it. Next was the hurtful part, the real food. A couple of weeks' canned meals as well as a week's worth of the freeze dried almost made her heart stop when she totalled it. The last purchase made her smile. There was a Goddess adter all, and at a price she could handle, and would once she finished the rest of her business she would. Somethings are even better than currency when it comes to the good stuff. As a plus, he wasn't that bad on the eyes and neither was the wife. That would be a nice night of relaxation after the money she was spending.

Next came the easiest. She contacted an old friend and set up the credit line for ship parts. It was enough to make a less than high end captain squishy, but not enough to make them raise red flags.

Sadie took a mental tally of how much she'd spent. She winced but knew it hadn't broken her yet. It did remind her of when she first started out her in the out beyond though. Back when she'd only survived on her flatbacking skills. Those days made her smile too in a strange little way. It was her petty vengence against the alliance, all those precious Companion skills being used for the common person.

She finished her meal at the terminal, thinking of how she wanted to word the final hurdle. The one that was the most nerve racking, finding the ship. As she pondered on that, one more thing came to mind, she keyed it up and made the purchase. Just a bit of open credit with the general merchandiser. The people that could get you the basics. That was followed in an after thought with a purchase for ammunition for her babies and a few sharp pointies that caught her eye.

The last purchases made she went ahead and commited to the add:

WANTED!​

Passage. Location to be determined. Reliable living quarters, reasonable expectations a must. Payment in cash and barter. Contact Sadie Lynn at the Blackrider Tavern. Cortex Address XCBB355-92771A.

Simple and plain spoken. Now it was time to wait and weed through the chaff. She'd adjust the ad when it was time to meet her part of the fresh food bargain.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Two hours after climbing onto the aft engine cowling Thomas was down in the hold putting away the plasma torch and other tools he had used to get the gorram stabilizer finally fixed. Making his way to the cargo bay door he hit the button to open it, grabbing some Co2 scrubbers that needed servicing and a chair.

The Capitan was hoping for passengers, and it helped if there was someone for them to talk to.

 

[DormantEvil]

As Cassandra, or Cassie for short, reached the Nightfall a hissing sound caught her attention and the doors above the ramp opened up. Pausing, she didn't feel it would be polite to walk onto someone elses ship without an invitation. Standing in the doorway was a man (Thomas) carrying a chair and some other ship parts she didn't recognize.

She could tell the minute differences of human brain tissue apart, or the seriousness of almost any wound, but when it came to machines, she was hopeless.

"Hello there," she called out once the noise of the doors opening had died down. And waved her hand to catch his attention so she didn't sneak up on him.

"I'm looking for a ride off-world, perhaps even a job until you reach the next port of call?"

Holding out her hand as she approached the man, she acted calm and collected.

"I can fix wounds, treat illness', and maintain good health on-board the ship, if you are in need of a doctor. Perhaps even in exchange for a reduced fare?"

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Thomas picked up a rag and wiped his hands as clean as he could, then took the lady's hand. Her grip was firm and sure, and her hands were soft, with no callouses.

"Thomas. Welcome aboard the Nightfall. A doctor would be nice to have aboard as we haven't had a doc on board in a while. I can't tell you yes or no about a reduced fare, but I'm sure you and the Captain can come to an agreement."

 

[DormantEvil]

Shaking the man's hand, who had introduced himself as Thomas, Cassie couldn't help but notice that some grease had transferred onto her hand. Wiping it on her thigh, she smiled. It wasn't the worst substance she'd had on her hands before. And it wouldn't be the last.

Walking onto the ship, she looked around.

"Is the Captain around to speak too?"

Examining the inside of the cargo bay, she held her bag close, not sure if it was a safe place just yet.

"I've been moving around quite a lot lately and a rest would be nice. Do you have permission to show people to their rooms, or would the Captain need to sign off on taking me on as a passenger.

I'm not sure how these things usually work."