The Wager (Bec and Mephisto only)

(I just saw your signature and it made me lose the game. Dx)

The storm raged on, a vast array of wind brushing past me. My clothing rippled and shrieked against the powerful force. I walked amongst a forest filled with darkness, no rays of light shown through the tree's that blocked all vision, it was as though I walked blindfolded. I was a strong priestess for my age, said to be even more powerful than that of a demon master.

I had been reborn from death. I had been killed by demons on a mission to destroy a lodestone to stop demons from crossing over into the human world, but even though the mission was a success, I had still been slaughtered in the very end, my magic drained and my body weary. Since that day, my soul had been trapped in that cave, that is until a new sacrifice had been made. A young boy by the name of Bill-E spleen, my soul instinctively took his empty corpse, forming and molding his body into a more feminine form, and at long last I breathed life once more. I was growing accustomed to this new life, I was not use to the 21st century in present day. I had much to learn.
In this new body I had a new power, I was capable of absorbing memories of whoever I touched. I felt like a thief. Due to this I didn't like to touch people hardly anymore in fear I was learning personal information that was private.

The lightening struck just above me a mile ahead, I could feel the rays of heat emitting from it. It was dangerous that lightning strike near here, a tree could easily catch on fire causing a massive problem. I heard talking just ahead, a man grumbling to himself about why the gods were punishing him. He must have been a religious man to be speaking to the sky, or maybe he was just using a metaphorical statement. That is until he spoke to me without turning around. He must have been very keen to his surroundings if he was to be able to sense me so easily.

The rain pelted hard, I felt my red hair drip down over my face. When I was young and lived in my rath, it use to be short, but in my new body it was longer. Speaking of the rath, I missed it dearly. It was so much different back then than it is here. We had huts, we all were friendly and shared them, we had bountiful harvests and dinners, we wore animal pelted clothes and painted faces, barbaric weapons, nothing like today.

The man ahead reaked of demon, not that he showed it on the outside except a little bit. I was a priestess who devoted most my life to destroying the demon race before they killed us. I wasn't for certain if he was good or bad, but I was going to find out once I approached him.

"I'm Bec. Who're you?"

(...I lost it again...Wow, I'm really impressed with your skills. You've really improved over the years. ^^)

Such malevolence befell of me, I felt an alluring cast of darkness engulf me. As such, I was weary, and a tad bit jumpy. It was not out of fear I would react, but the opposite. I had to react in order to not show fear. If I really was facing a demon, this meant that I needed to be on my guard. New spells had been learned over the centuries I had been gone, but as some say, old magic is always the strongest and overpowering, lest it be true, this meant I was far more powerful than the average magician of today. My hand rose slowly, pointing a finger at him.

"Its not my place to ask but, I could say the same thing to you...Its suspicious you're not afraid to be out in this weather, it would kill a normal human...But you seem practically resistant to it."
I was on edge, I didn't know how I'd approach him in a tactical way without a plan. I had no evidence to know if he was a demon, or half demon like my friend Bran. There was no telling what this man was capable of.

I put my hand back down. I wondered if I was giving off any of my magic. Could he sense it? Was he of a magical being as well? Priestess were known to summon power from the earth and sky, demons powers resolved entirely on hate and greed. That is what made the two different. I began to conjure up magic into the palm of my hand, just in case he attacked or ran. I wouldn't hurt him, the most I would do was send a bolt of energy at him and paralyze his legs. But I couldn't do that yet, not unless he made a move. I had to be patient.
If I was lucky, he was just a normal human and my hunches were wrong.

(You're bluffing! I can't believe you. I'm so rusty in my rp's, this is horrible compared to what I can truly do! xD You have far surpassed me in the previous posts my friend. Besides, as much as I love the character Bec, I feel like I do a horrible job playing her. T_T And sorry it's short, writers block...)

He was using trickery and using his words in a sly manor to throw me off. He was a good liar, that I could tell.
"You wouldn't lie to a woman, but you would lie to a small girl." My face turned into a frown and I could see on his face that he noticed the energy charging into my hand. What gave him away was that my magic was not showing on the surface yet he still fringed at the feel of it radiating from my body. He was a being of magic, that I was sure of.

"I want to make this clear to you. If you are a demon, and you're lying to me, that doesn't mean I'm going to kill you..." I had a bigger motive, killing a lower class demon wouldn't do me any good. Plus, he didn't come off as a threat, yet. My goal is to destroy the entire demon race, meaning the bigger threats like demon masters who allow their lower demons to enter our world and cause havoc. I wasn't going to tell him that though, I still had no major proof what he was.

(Can't sleep, so I replied to this at 5 in the morning...And sadly my reply is longer and better now as opposed to when I'm actually awake in the day time. XD Oh! Look what I edited last night and finished. I'm really pleased with how it came out. It's the main guy characters from the Demonata series. Lol, I drew them in casual clothes. They don't actually look like that though, they probably wear different clothes xD Lol, if you go and look up the series, I wonder it you can guess who is who on the picture? ;D)

Spoiler:

Mephisto Pheles. Why did that name sound familiar? I couldn't place it, but I knew it on some level. A name like that you don't come across often, as it is more common to recall exotic names used rarely. 

He had been lying to me right through his teeth the entire time. It was expected for a demon to lie, of his caliber, he seemed to have more manors, but in the end they all ended the same. He must have been some sort of demon master perhaps, or at least a higher ranking demon. He wore nice clothes, used manors and spoke fluent English, though there was a tint of a Japanese accent to him. As mine was Irish.

He asked me a question I could not fully answer, but I could elaborate a bit to satisfy him. He seemed calm and collect, not passive at all nor intent on killing me, lest that even be his goal in the first place. A formal introduction seemed fair enough, since we were on one another's terms with honesty.
"My name is Bec MacConn. You're  hunches were right, I am able to use old magic. 1600 years ago prior, I was slaughtered by demons. My job as a priestess was to sacrifice myself and spill blood to close the lodestone and prevent demons from passing through, but...Things went horribly wrong. In the end, my master, Drust, was the one was sacrificed. I simply didn't make it out of the cave in time when it collapsed...My magic had been expensed entirely."

Everything came back to me, all my memories of my death and my past. I could almost remember it clearly and vivid, like a movie playing in HD in my head. The cave was practically pitch black, I remember Drust crying out, my close friend Bran stabbing him in the back before my mentor could sacrifice me to the cause. With my last bit of magic, I sent the boy out of the cave, saving his life. It had left me powerless with no way of escaping. Thus, demons were then upon me in my state of helplessness.
Screams in the dark.

"I am a priestess. In my time we did not have everything of the modern day world. We made pelts out of animal skin, lived in rath's, joined and submitted to large banquet's with dancing, music and a variety of food." I smiled at the thought and remembrance of my old home. A live I could never come back to. But now I must have left a wide open question to the demon, why and how was I alive if I died so many years ago?
"I was brought back to life unintentionally...After my death, my soul had been trapped in that cave for thousands of years. Once a fresh new body was killed, my soul latched onto it. I was given no option, it simply happened."
I then turned around fully in a circle so he could see the body I possessed, but was not mine.
"It belonged to a young teenage boy...But I managed to change it feminine as you can see. And now here I am, alive once more. Given a second chance."

(I have no clue, I just somehow did. xD I didn't sleep at all this weekend either. I was home all alone by myself so I had energy drinks and stayed up til about 7 in the morning then went to sleep, and woke up at 10 in the morning. I got about maybe 5 hours of sleep overall both days and somehow I'm still functional. Correct! You got both of them right. Although Kernel is spelled with an E not an A. On the left is Beranabus/Bran, I mentioned him in my last post actually. He's the guy in love with Bec. And the guy on the far right is Dervish. He's Grubbs' uncle. He was a punk as a teenager though with purple spikes which was cool. xD)

I had never knew of what hell was, if there even was such a thing. I was unaware of the devil, either. All I knew was that there were different realms for demons, and there were demon masters. I was still unaware of religion, still virgin to the world I now lived in. I only knew what the body I possessed knew, that's the fastest way way I was able to adapt to my surroundings. Otherwise I may have been dead by walking in front of a car. I was so unaware of this new world, it was so vast. I never even knew that the world was round!

I wasn't sure if I should be cautious of him. He said that word spread around about us back in my time. He must have been a very old demon if he had existed back then just as I did. He didn't show it on the outside though. But that could go the same for Bran, he was an old man by now but due to being half demon he had lived all these centuries, still alive til this day. Perhaps he may be around the same age as Mephisto even. I was weary of him, was he safe to be around?

He spoke of the times when he was alive back then, how he knew that things were different then than they are now. I knew very well that they were, even the people. This new world was scary, it was hard not to be terrified. I didn't know what was what, or even where I was. The homes built now a days were even different! People weren't as sharing or kind, it was a dirty world that had evolved carelessly with regret and shame.

Now I remembered his name. His name was spread a lot throughout demons. It was complicated to understand them since they spoke a different language, but my mentor Drust could understand them. He spoke of a young boy named Mephisto trailing us, but because he was such a small boy he was of no harm. He didn't pose a threat either, he was just a curious kid. He was a powerful demon though, he was just young and unaware of his complete capabilities. Now that he was grown up, he must hold high power.

"How long had you been following us?" I asked him. I only heard small details from Drust, he payed no attention to the demon child following and watching us. Or if he did, he didn't tell me very much about him since he wasn't affecting us on our travel. What was he following us for? Just curiosity? Or did someone tell him to? I had many questions, but I couldn't ask them all. Not at a time like this at least.

The thunder was louder again, the rain pouring even harder. I was now draped in water, my shoes squished beneath me whenever I walked and my red hair covered parts of my face. I could tell either the gods may be angry, or the weather was very morbid today. Either way, it wasn't a pleasant feeling, but I'd been in worse conditions so it did not bother me too much. "Why did you follow us?"

(Lol, practically yeah. But the energy drink helped me stay awake unfortunately. I just felt really sluggish afterwards. Oh jeez, YES. Read the books! I HIGHLY suggest it. Its a very gory book series and the demons are amazing. <3 There's a lot of everything in it. There's forbidden love, there's blood and gore, there's betrayal, practically everything. Without a doubt, it is by far my favorite book series. Well, besides the Hannibal Lector series. xD But yeah, Beranabus is my absolute favorite character. <3 Not many people like him though because he's a stubborn old man who doesn't care for anyone...Except Bec. >_>)

I listened intently. So he had been following us for some time after all. He followed us when we met up with Lord Loss during our journey and was even one of the demons who crossed the lodestone into our world. He was there in times I hadn't even noticed him. He must have been a very sly demon to go unnoticed and appear before us repeatedly unlike the other demons who came and went. He showed up more than once. I cursed myself for not realizing it until now. It was then that his face began to materialize in the back of my mind, my memory recalled who he was, what he looked like. He was a young boy, maybe in his teen years if not younger. He was a benevolent boy, but got into mischief a lot. He was like a cat, curiosity bound to kill him if not snatch him in its grasps.

A boy so young and of his caliber was sent to be a spy towards us? Why choose a child like him? Maybe he was right, maybe it was for experience, but back then he seemed to have came independently. Sure he had been in the group with Lord Loss and his lesser demons, but he didn't speak or interact with them, simply kept to himself. He knew who we were, he knew my mentor Drust and my friend Bran, as well as I. Now I was curious to wonder where he was. I considered the fact Beranabus might still be in the demon realm with Kernel and Grubbs while I stayed in the human world. For the time I had been living with Dervish since I had no where else to stay. The body I took was a boy who looked to Dervish as a father, and he felt he was a son. Dervish saw me as pathway to get into the boys mind because I used his body and contained his memories. He didn't treat me as a person, I was miserable there. I wished Beranabus would have brought me with them back to the demon world, I almost was losing my mind here. Everything was so terrifying and Dervish wasn't helping when it came to coping with my new environment.

Mephisto had offered me a tour of the area, but I shrugged it off. I couldn't trust him just yet, even if he was being kind and friendly. Demons were known to be tricksters, I had no way of knowing for sure. I couldn't let my guard down around him, I needed to stay focused. Mephisto knew about practically everything up until my death. That would explain a lot of my suspicions of how he knew my name. I heard his name from Drust, but never knew Mephisto was actually in the group with Lord Loss. I assumed he was a loner demon who watched from the shadows. This is what striked me.

There was still the main question. Who sent him to do the duty work? He said master, but there were many demon masters out there, surely he had a specific one. I was curious to know if he would tell me if I asked. It was worth a shot, so I tried it.
"Who was your master who sent you? Surely it wasn't Lord Loss. You hardly conversed with him...You hid amongst them but never one of them. You used them as a sort of shield as you were cloaked, hiding in the shadows where we would not notice."

At first I was cautious when he stepped forward, that is until he held out his umbrella towards me. It was raining hard and I had been drenched from head to toe. I couldn't believe I was about to be concerned he would get wet if I took his umbrella! Was I actually showing care for this demon whom I had just met? Though he showed me compassion, was it so wrong to do the same. I thought hard and debated. Making up my mind, I took the umbrella from him and held it over my head, shielding the rain from touching me. "Thank you." I spoke softly.

(Your replies are amazing...I am so envious... o_e; It's almost like you've read the books, you're filling in your character in parts of the books so magnificently~!)

Belial? I had never heard of that name before, but it must have been a high class demon with great power. Mephisto didn't seem like a overpowering demon, but he was strong from what I sensed from him. I knew not to take him lightly either in case something could go wrong with our conversation and cause a fight. So he didn't know Lord Loss very well after all, which was a relief. We had our multiple run-ins with him before, he was the one who even killed Grubbs' parents and sister, causing him to be alone. That's why his uncle Dervish had taken him in, otherwise Grubbs had been in the psyche ward for making the outrageous claim of demons killing his family and being labeled as insane. I had felt sorry for him and his loss. In fact, all of us had a huge loss in one way or another. Grubbs had lost his family, Kernel had lost his brother and was forced to abandon his parents to live the life of demon hunting, and I had lost my close friends. In one way or another, we all lived sad lives forced into a world filled with demons, no time for happiness and a normal life.

Mephisto mentioned that too. It was indeed hard on me, everyone I knew from my past was dead except for one person. He was busy in the demon world though. In fact, his greatest lost was me. I was the only person he had ever cherished, once I had died, he was heartbroken and miserable. That was when he dedicated his life to killing demons, since they were the ones who killed his one love. I never felt the same way back, but maybe deep down I felt the same way. If it wasn't for being half-demon, he would have been long dead just like all the rest of the humans in my time era. I truly was abandoned, he was the only piece left I had of my past to hold onto, with him gone I may just feel completely alone. These thoughts ran through my head, saddening my heart. But I needed to remember no one was dead yet, they were still alive and I needed to move on and not dwell on the past.

A window to the demon world takes hours, even days to work on. There was no other way I knew of getting to the demon realm though, and Kernel was the only one we knew who could patch a window together quickly within minutes. He was in the demon realm with Berananbus and Kernel, so there was no way I could cross over to them unless I took my sweet time to make a window to cross over to them. Not to mention, there was more than one realm, how was I suppose to find them?

"I have thought about it...But maybe they'd be better without me...we're stronger together, but..." I knew Bran was protective of me and worried for my safety. He didn't want to have me facing demons automatically right after I had been brought back to life. He assumed I deserved some peace after being trapped in that cave for centuries, he wanted to prolong my suffering as long as he could. And I understood that well but I didn't belong here, not in this century. I wanted to help. I shook my head, then finished my sentence. "Maybe I'd make a difference fighting with them." I wondered why I was telling him this. He was a demon, shouldn't he get offended knowing I killed demons? Why would he want to help me?

(Omg, if you haven't seen tourrets guy, you must. xD He is SOOOOO funny..."Shirlena? ...AW SHIT!")




I knew demons hardly had any feelings, they felt little to no emotion for anyone besides themselves. They tended to be selfish and malevolent. Demons only brought pain and suffering, they knew nothing else. I wasn't sure if I could trust Mephisto, he was a demon after all but he seemed half human, did that mean he did half human emotions after all? He told me he was sorry, showing sympathy for me.

"I..." before I could finish a window opened up just a few meters from us, a bright blue light shinning. Was demons crossing over somehow? I wasn't sure but I had to be prepared, my life could be on the line this very moment. I conjured up another ball of energy as I had done when I met Mephisto, but this time it was a ball of fire. I aimed at the window, ready to make my move at any second. But to my dismay, it wasn't a demon.

(I totally just ruined your plan, I'm sorry. xD)

Walking through the window was a tall, scratched up, slightly muscular Grubbs. He stepped through but stopped when he saw the ball of fire in my hand aimed at him. "Whoa, don't shoot that thing at me." He smirked, being his usual humorous self. Then his smile turned into a frown when he was properly into the human world instead of halfway through the window. It didn't close behind him since he kept it open. "I had to bring the news. Kernel was badly injured, Beranabus tried healing him the best he could, but it wasn't working. The magic from the demon realm is what's barely keeping him alive, your a healer, we need you to heal him the best you can."

I knew it had to be serious if Kernel was that badly injured, I wasn't even sure if my powers could heal him. I was a priestess and a healer, but I had never saved someone from near death. Kernel was one of the pieces of the Kah-Gash so I knew it was crucial he be kept alive, he couldn't be killed or we'd lose our chance and destroying the demon race. I knew what I was suppose to do, even if I didn't want to go back to the demon realm. I turned to Mephisto and said, "I will do anything I can to help them."

(I never even thought of that! He kind of does now come to think of it...Well then, this should work swell. Is it just me, or does Mephisto seem a little protective of his "lamb"? xD Heh, I think he's quite fond of Bec if you ask me!)

When he said we I was shocked. He wanted to come with? Then again he was a demon after all, maybe he was intending to go home anyways back to the demon world. I wasn't one to tell him no, but I still couldn't trust him to come with us. Was he planning to part from us once we crossed over? I couldn't be fore sure, he was a strange man, I couldn't figure him out just yet. Should I stop him or let him go through? My mind was jumbled now with everything happening so suddenly, but I needed to keep a straight head and remember that Kernel's life was on the line.

"I'll go with you." Before I could cross over, Mephisto beat me to the window and looked at Grubbs, properly introducing himself. Grubbs gave him a strange look in response of confusion. He had a run in with many people over his life, not always did he remember every single face. He had demons to kill, no time for casualties and remembering unimportant faces. "Yeah, Grubbs. Mephisto huh? Never heard of you." He didn't care to really figure out from me who Mephisto was. He assumed since we'd been talking, we were friends. "It's not holy magic." "Enough talking, we need to go." I tried shushing him from starting up a conversation and pushed the half werewolf boy through the window, back into the demon world.

I walked through onto the other side, entering the Demonata. Grubbs led the way to where they were. They were just a half hour walk away, but I didn't mind the walk. Our surroundings changed greatly, a blood red river filled with acid, carnivorous tree's, everything here was dangerous. I had to be cautious where I stepped, but Mephisto seemed calm while here. It was like he knew everything to watch out for, every step he took was just a breeze to him. I wondered if it was a good idea keeping him with us after all.

"Why did you come with us?" I finally asked him when I walked beside him, Grubbs a little ways ahead of us.

(Well goodness me, I think Beranabus will have some competition with another half demon! xD Let's see if Mephisto has a chance, eh?)

Grubbs didn't care to research him, he had no time to do so anyways. There were far more important things to do instead of remembering one single name, and above all else why should he should be important to remember above others? He disregarded the thought and walked onward. "Well, nice to meet you anyways."

I had almost forgotten he mentioned he was exorcist. But why would a demon choose to exorcise his own kind if he had been working among them when I was still alive many centuries ago? It could be that he was naive back then, he didn't know the truth about demons and simply followed orders showing complete obedience and loyalty. I was unaware of his motive, lest I even wanted to know what it was for that matter. Maybe his motive was vengeance, he had lost a family member or friend, wanting to punish the demons for what they were. Or perhaps one had treated him badly, causing resentment. Once more, he was a man I couldn't figure out unless I asked blunt questions, expecting a straight forward answer. But not always did he give them like I'd hoped.

"Lets say I do put my suspicions aside...What is your motive for coming along? Entertainment? Boredom? I really can't figure you out...I'm not going to shoo you away, I'm just curious is all."

We arrived on the scene. Kernel laid on the ground with a bundled bloody shirt of his under his head, his bare chest showing with a large gash, blood gushing out quickly. "Kernel?" I rushed over to him, checking the pulse on the side of his neck. His breathing was raspy, faint and slow but his heart beat was pumping rapidly, trying to supply enough blood to his brain to keep him alive.
"Bec," I didn't turn my head to say my hello's or acknowledge Beranabus who called my name, I had to get to work as quickly as possible. It was not my intention to be rude, but if I had given him any more time Kernel would be lost. I swapped Beranabus's hands from Kernels chest from him trying to heal him and got to work, using my own magic. Drawing magic from the earth, I began to patch his organs together slowly. After an hour, I had fixed his organs and patched his skin back together. My hands were covered in blood but I didn't mind. I then stood up and looked to Beranabus and Kernel. "He'll be out for a few days maybe...I fixed the damage, but it'll take a bit until he recovers consciousness."

(Lmfao! xD Now this I gotta see!)

I followed through what he said very slowly, taking everything in as he explained it. He had a lot of good points, it was the same for humans sometimes too. We grew bored of our world of technology, just wanting things plain or simple, or even the opposite. Some individuals lived plain simple lives and wanted excitement and to live on edge, to spend their last few years filled with refreshing breaths. Staying in one spot could become dull quite quickly. This world we were in, I had never been in this particular dimension before but I could understand why he felt this way towards it. Nothing good became of it, it was such a lonesome, dead piece of land. The screams that echoed for miles, they could be more annoying then blissful. The pain produced here, it could be a nuisance instead of emotional.

"Who are you?" Beranabus raised his suspicion since Kernel was now healed and he could deal with the matter. He stood up from Kernel's side but I stepped in front of him, placing a hand on him to step back. "He's not an enemy. Just a friend of mine, he's safe." Beranabus didn't like the idea, but he took my word for it since he trusted me and knew I wouldn't put my trust in someone unless I was positively sure about them.

"Grubbs, Bran, this is Mephisto." I properly introduced him to the two. Grubb's had met him earlier, but I re-introduced him anyways. "He's tagging along with me for a bit until he decides to leave. I'll be responsible for him if he gets out of hand or causes problems." The way I put it I almost sounded like a parent taking responsibility for a disobedient child in a glass filled store.

Grubbs picked Kernel up carefully, he was a more muscular boy who use to wrestle in high school so he was more capable of carrying him bridal style, Kernel's arms flopped to his sides. He led the way while we walked to the only hideout we really had that the disciples knew about. When we arrived, Beranabus chanted the spell to open a small hole in the ground, a ladder reaching down. It was a cave heavily protected with strong old magic, only Kernel and Beranabus knew the spell to get inside. If anyone wanted inside or out, it was impossible without the help of one of the two. When inside, it was a large cave with lots of space but little to no furniture in here. The most there was was a desk in the corner, a large hole in another for the restroom, and for sleeping were animal pelts to lay on instead of the hard gravel. This was actually the first time I had been here, so this is where they lived in the demon realm.

(Before we continue, I think we should decide a plot. I'm out of idea's, but there's lots of possibilities we can do. Do you have any idea's from here on?)

Inside the cave. Grubbs set Kernel down gently in a spot where he'd be most comfortable. We all knew with Kernel in his condition, things would be bad, we'd be at a huge disadvantage. He was the only one who knew how to open windows to different realms fast. We could all open windows, except ours took hours compared to him. We'd be wasting precious time like this. I saw Grubbs and Beranabus sitting by his side, trying to do all they could for him. I knew I wasn't much help now since I had already done all I could for him.

I walked over to Mephisto and reached to grab his hand for a shake to thank him for coming along. But when I did, I got a flash of his memories that I didn't intend to take. I saw something I shouldn't have seen, shouldn't have known about him. My eyes widened and I pulled him outside to talk. I knew it may be a bad idea talking to him alone now that I knew his secret, but if he killed me for knowing, that was a risk I'd have to take.
"You're, Satan's son?!" I had never knew who Satan was or heard of him, that is until I got a glimpse of Mephisto's memory and learned he was the ruler of hell and all demons. He was the main man, the man enemy that we didn't even know about. "How...Why? Why didn't you tell me?" My head was in a rush, I was too panicked. He would most likely question how I even learned that from touching his skin since I hadn't told him it before, but that could come later, -if- I survived that long.

Beranabus heard yelling outside, he then noticed Mephisto and mines absence and now became worried. Without Grubbs even noticing, he got up and walked over to check. He only peered around to hear the conversation, not to walk in on us and intrude. He wondered what all the ruckus was about and why I had been yelling since I was known for being a calm collected person who rarely lost her cool. He overheard what had happened and he too couldn't believe it.

"You told me you were demon, and I knew that, but you could have at least told me the truth about you. And here I was on the verge of trusting you..." My voice fell silent. I didn't want to admit the truth but I was growing fond of him, demon or not. He was becoming more than an acquaintance but a friend. Now that idea just went down the drain. "What else haven't you told me?"