A man struggled to keep up with his strength, legs trembling fell as the last ounce of his energy finally blew away, making him stumble on his feet. Few days have passed after his successful escape from the household that kept him as a slave. His mind was flooded with thoughts, but he really couldn't put in mind why they keep slaves if they would only treat them as useless beings in the first place?
Perhaps they are just brainwashed jerks to use slaves as their dummy. He had escaped from the tormented household; he's just a slave anyway, they wouldn't look for him because, and that's for sure.
He tilted his head, his eyes meeting the dawning sun. The man wanted to see the full view of the sky, but all he could do was to stare at the covered view. The sun was painted with vivid hues, meeting the sun's tone. For what he could only do, memories came flashing from his eyes, cherishing the freedom he was given. A sigh came out of his mouth, his lips tugging into a soft smile.
When he set foot on the grass, numbness didn't even exist as he ran as fast as he could. But he had never expected that his blunt idea would bring him into the forest everyone barely visit. Though the man's head was probably made out of metal, he managed to keep himself steadfast on his own determination-to become a normal citizen amongst the crowd of new people in the capital of China.
Despite his full determination, regret still found its own way to gnaw his pride. Rather than suffering from famine, it would've been better if he stole some packaged food from the household's kitchen before he left, yet his hunger for liberation blinded him. It's okay to commit a bad thing for a good reason.
Or easy to say, his impulsive act was the root of his suffering. He even had the guts to count his days loitering throughout the forest, there's no doubt he'd hunt animals along the way. Yet it seems that luck left his doorstep and decided to leave him exhausted. No animals were living in the forest.
Why is this called a forest if this doesn't have animal habitants? It's completely useless to keep it from existing further in the future. The man thought that this is perhaps one of the hardships he'll have to face? Because it's killing him physically, he's also not good at handling things up! The man's legs began to roll on his chest, hugging his knees like a fetus in a womb.
The heavens is definitely mocking him right now, but he shouldn't let himself down! The man stood up, his body trembling from hunger. Only for his organs to create a heavy whrilpool in his stomach, pulling him back down on the ground. If he couldn't use his lower vigor, then might as well use his hands as substiutes. With a nod of his head from this hellish idea, the man dug his fingers deep onto the ground, dragging his body along.
Hold up, this sounded similar, the man thought to himself, shrugging his shoulders as he continued to crawl.
The ground was made up of soil, hence it wasn't nice to grip since its soft and plump texture would bury his hands whenever force is applied, certainly, plants would grow from it. Probably because of the last summer season, their roots were prolonged underneath the surface, stuck from the normal cycle of a plant.
Moreover, the man's face was rubbing against the ground, it was testing his hunger and his patience at the same time. His mouth opening and closing in dilemma, he pushed himself into suffering than causing more suffering in the future.
He's not that dumb, of course he knew there's a small chance he would bump into a good Samaritan. Furthermore, it's also pointless unless he'd bump into some supernatural beings. It sounded too good to be true. Though he didn't let himself getting tempted by these negative thoughts, no sword can pass through the stone.
The man continued to crawl until his nails we're filled with soil, his fingertips bloodied from the constant repeat of crawling. The sun is already setting, and perhaps his vision was blurred he accidentally bumped onto a rock.
"Ahh!" He rubbed his face, his other hand reaching to touch the surface of the rock. The rock was as if it has been left uncleaned since ancient time, thick mosses were covering its exteriority, it's hard to tell if it's really a stone hidden beneath. Plus, the putrid smell was choking his lungs too.
Wait, is this what he think it is? The man's eyes lifted up to take a full view of what's really in front of him. His hopes died down as he saw the hanging vines that covered the entrance of this cave, is someone trying to lure him in? Because this trick is extremely cheap.
He looked around, feeling no presence. Right, a pretty cheap concealer to try bribe someone in. Whoever made this is probably an idiot for their supernatural kind.
The man clicked his tongue, wondering if he should intrude or not. After a momentum of contemplating, he decided that it's best to take refuge inside anyway. A little shelter wouldn't disturb someone else, right?
He went inside, noting how light doesn't exist in there, and how his breaths were creating a small turbulence in air. Someone wouldn't kill him, it's fine.
The man settled himself near the exif, so he could rush out easily when a weird creature might come out.
In less than an incense burned, he fell asleep. However, after the owner of the cage sensed another's essence, he hastily slithered down towards the presence.
Fuxiao's eyes twinkled. To finally have someone visit his cave, a guest is enough to brighten up his boredom. He sat by the 'guest's' side, waiting for him to wake up.
***
The man's eyes were droopy, as if it's about to collapse if he doesn't hang on, but he managed to hold his consciousness back. Yet there's something keeping him from awakening, it's the opposing force beside him. He couldn't complain though, this force was lifting up his body's injuries despite the danger it causes. The functions of his body were like tied to a chain, unable to control them properly. Right now, he doesn't even know if he's dead or alive. Everything was blurry, all he could feel was the heavy force that kept him from gaining a stable consciousness.
A slender, veiny hand appeared on his sight, hovering above his face. When his eyes finally shot up from realization and grabbed the hand. Swiftly sitting up to prepare a move, but he was pushed back again.
"Don't be too rash. You're clearly suffering from the malnutrition and dehydration, not to mention your odor. If you're gonna make another move, I won't hesitate to knock you out," although it was supposed to be a threat, it came out rather a warning. The man was about to speak up and ignore the warning, but he was pushed on his back once again.
He was expecting some rough, edgy stone bedding that most stories picture out of those mythical creatures as their haven, but all he could feel was a soft quilt with a thick pillow on his head.
The man licked his dry lips, even his saliva was dried out. The man tried to form words in his mouth, but his throat was deserted as it wasn't wet with an ounce of water, making him sound like an ancient man trying to speak.
"Calm down. You humans said that it's the best to leave an unconscious person since doing anything to them would further risk the percentage of their awakening. So I thought leaving you like that would be good, though I couldn't keep you rotting on my sanctuary and fed you through spiritual contact. And oh, in case if you didn't know, three moons have passed. Currently, you're awake in the middle of the night," Fuxiao spoke, he could feel distrust seeping through the man's aura.
It's hard to trust a random person especially when they offer a very kind welcome, like this person wanted something in exchange.
"And I changed your clothes into new sets. The previous ones that you had were too thin that it got ripped off, and were you bathing the ground? Your clothes were too dirty I could barely touch you. Ugh, I hate dirty things," Fuxiao shivered at the thought of dirtiness. When he was cleaning the man in his little lake, he was forcing himself not to puke from the smell and the look of the man. It's not like the man is ugly or anything, he's just not too pleasant to look at.
Maybe Medusa would be the one to get stoned if she ever had the chance to meet this man.
The man's face color changed, different kinds of emotion fought for control: confusion, grateful, hesitation and distrust. This person is not a normal being, nor is he an abnormal supernatural being. So, he leisurely checked the man out, waiting for him to speak once again.
Silence followed after that...
This man's skin is that of a wheat. His lashes and eyebrows were thick and slim, and his eyes arched up. Nose is stright, his lips were even, complementing the entirety of his face. The man wondered if he had perhaps bumped into a God's sacred cave. This person didn't wear any clothes, his body was sculpted by the hands of the world's marvelous sculptor. Every contour and lines would draw out everyone's attention. Even the man's face started to get a bit hot.
He stopped inspectioning deeper, thinking that this man's manlyhood might be bigger than the average size in which'll crave him instead. Every men that has bigger ones were envied, but most would also want to take that thing instead, and he's one of them. It's better to keep respect and boundary instead.
"If you can't speak, then use body language. I'm gonna fetch some foods for you, so I'll hope you'll stay put," his voice was slightly deeper than the average male voice, it might captivate the hearts of the weak.
He sat up and caught the man's arm. Even this part is filled with muscles, "What... Who... Who are you?..." The man asked, using up his energy to speak without any haste.
The raspy voice reached Fuxiao's ears, his movements were petrified from the man's sudden tug of his forearm. He faced back, baffled and stunned for a moment before he answered, "Fuxiao...?"
It sounded like he was uncertain of his name, so the man have to call him out to confirm Fuxiao's name, "Fuxiao?"
"Huh...?"
"What?"
"Yes?"
The two exchanged confusion, faces with puzzled expressions. Now they are both two idiots inside the cave.
***
Jinzian's eyes widened in surprise, his brows knitting together. He thought that he was the leader's first companion. While Shen Gui laughed out loud. He was pointing at the two, rolling on the ground, and hugging his stomach.
"Hahahahahahah!! Kekekekekek!!! Urururururur!! You dumb, hahahahah!!" In fact, Shen Gui was laughing too much that his laughter became a seal's calls. Fuxiao on his side, glared furiously at him crossed-arms. He was also starting to cringe from Shen Gui's laughter.
Is that even a laugh? If someone were to choose who is normal between him and Shen Gui, they wouldn't even hesitate to pick Fuxiao. Atleast he's a bit normal than this seal spirited, brainrotted, air head.
The leader chuckled faintly, patting Jinzian's back to comfort him, "I guess it has been a long time since the two of us met. But to tell you frankly, we may have been friends for a very long time, I was a young fella back then."
Fuxiao broke his gaze from Shen Gui and turned to the leader, "Oh... You were young back then?"
.
.
.
The room went silent before Shen Gui screams, banging his head on the floor as he tried to catch his breath from laughing, "Gahhhhh!! You moron!! Stop killing me!" Shen Gui pleaded, trying to gasp for air. Tears started to form in his his right eye as his laugh became weirder every second. Is someone tickling his sides with invisibility? Because he'll die in no time if he couldn't stop laughing.
Fuxiao's honesty is too much that it makes him look like a clown.
Fuxiao scowled right back at him, his gaze tearing away Shen Gui's playful banter.
"Alright, fine, fine. I'll stop, I'll stop, happy?" He raised his hands in the air, waiting for Fuxiao to be satisfied. But the other doofus smirked at him like he had won the throne. Shen Gui didn't let down his guard tugged on his air, causing another riot.
The leader didn't know whether to laugh or cry, Jinzian's eye twitched in annoyance; he could simply drive these two away by disrespecting the leader. So the leader decided to break the mixed atmosphere instead, his office is already too messy to considered even as one, "Anyway, I have a word with you two."
Only then did Shen Gui obidiently stopped bothering the other and sat up like a maiden, Fuxiao kept his fingers tight around the tip of Shen Gui's ear, not letting him go from what he started. The leader blinked several times when he finally felt peace in his office for the first time, a warm smile tugged on his lips as he gladly spoke, "I know that this might trouble you two along your journey, but are you willing to assert yourselves in our current problem upon fixing it?"
Jinzian was still not on the mood to accept the impudence of the two, yet he calmed down when the leader continued to pat him on the back gently.
"I mean..." Shen Gui pondered.
Fuxiao was pondering too, "You said word-"
Then Shen Gui hastily covered his mouth, his head nodding unconsciously to join the campaign to help out those in need.
***
Fuxiao sat on the big rock beside him with his legs crossed, watching Shen Gui pulling out his hair as he kneels on the ground. This moron is the one making trouble of himself, and he didn't even notice that.
Currently in this town, the folks' have been facing a lot of problems regarding their crops and their imported goods. Their plants were growing unnaturally which could possibly upset their stomachs once they would try and eat it. Some even said that they had seen some unknown imprints on the ground, considering it as the factor of their corrupted agriculture.
But those with fat soils and healthy fertilizer, could say that there's something more that is causing little mischief underground. They assumed that there's a yao living beneath them, although it was not pleased that humans were inhabiting its place so it harmed their crops.
These small group started to make their own ritual every morning in which they have to pray and give blessings while the sun wasn't up, so the believed yao wouldn't cause any more mischeif in the future.
Yet this somehow doesn't correlate with the other's testimony. Earlier, the leader announced that a random temple came out of nowhere, located near the town. It was odd since this town doesn't even serve to any gods at all, or easy to say, they're atheist. Those that believed in some myths were the travellers that choose to migrate there instead. But, they were only little of them, including Jinzian. Those were the only testimonies the leader could ever find, the rest of it is burdened by Shen Gui.
He grit his teeth and rubbed his hair faster, "I don't GET it!!" He screamed silently, watching Fuxiao blowing the smoke he created on his head.
With them guarding outside the area of the leader's responsibility, they might even have the chance to take a glimpse of what's happening during every night. Though he was also wondering why all those matters would match into one conclusion. How certain are they that it's related to demonic stuffs? They haven't given clear information yet, but those problems alone wouldn't cross and end line up together, they would rather crash and make the crisis heighten.
Shen Gui grunted and scratched his head furiously, making his curly hair messy. Come to think of it, how did he even drag himself into that mess anyway?
"Why did I agree on it?!" He was screaming in a low voice, his veins were bulging out from his neck as he tried to keep his voice low and inaudible, his cheeks reddening in regret. Fuxiao rolled his eyes with his crossed-arm and legs.
"Karma's got your tail, good for you." Fuxiao brushed the fur of his robe with a comb, caressing it with his free hand to soften its hair.
"Heyyy! How are you not suffering?! I tagged you along but you're not even as tortured as I am! And stop that smug look on your face, I swear I'm gonna tear it away." Shen Gui lost his breath, shaking Fuxiao as he desperately clung for hope.
"It's your fault, not mine. I was just curious what you got for me." He's obviously lying.
Shen Gui grunted in annoyance, feeling a bit betrayed by his comrade. Then, a sudden plan came up to his mind, like those cartoon characters with a yellow bulb lightning beside them. A mischievous chuckle came out of his mouth, irking Fuxiao's patience as he thought that this idiot have finally lost it, shaking his head in disappointment. He had lost another friend. Goodbye, my dear beloved seal.
But all of those were cut off by the weird movements Shen Gui's doing with his arm right now.
"You!!"
Shen Gui laughed madly, he was rubbing his chest against Fuxiao's arm locked in his. He opened his mouth and began to do a girly voice.
"Gege~~ please help me deal with this problem~~" he blinked his eyes a few times to make Fuxiao disgusted. Ha! Serves you right, arrogant boy!
Fuxiao's face changed in different kinds of disgust. But on top of that, he never thought that Shen Gui's chests we're bigger than his. It's a best cushion for people that likes to sleep, maybe he could use this as his pillow. When his mood changed, playing along with Shen Gui's little act is probably a way of having deep connections with him.
You think you're the only one who can play cards? Well me too!
Fuxiao pulled him closer, enwrapping his locked arm around Shen Gui's shoulder. His gaze hardening onto Shen Gui. The other's eyes shimmered, finally having his friend to act with him. Shen Gui's smile grew brighter, snuggling closer and closer towards Fuxiao's skin as he also tried to make some corny speeches. Does this fucker have bipolar? Or perhaps he's autistic?
"Don't you worry, my sweet, animal sugar. This one will protect you from all the cost!"
Though, their senses all tensed up feeling danger lurking from the north. Fuxiao took a brief peek of their lit up campfire, glancing back at Shen Gui with the same idea in their head.
When they picked their spot to guard the town, a struggle was starting to break from creating a fire. Neither of them knew the handsign of summoning a fire; Shen Gui is a martial artist with so little knowledge of cultivation; Fuxiao doesn't know the potential his powers hold, he could barely even heal himself, let alone using fire.
It took them for like two hours when at last, Shen Gui managed to create a fire with stones, he forgot he was trained by his grandpa for a moment. Letting their fire getting blown away by the wind is no difference from sacrificing themselves from the coldness.
Shua, the wind blew through the west instead, blowing off the fire. The two dropped their arms to their sides, sighing in despair. Fuxiao watched as Shen Gui squated down the ashes, noticing that it's the best to pick up woods since all that was left were ashes.
Eyy? Fires burn in here this fast?
"Ahh, we don't have enough woods," he playfuyly hummed, "Guess I have to pick up some woods then. Er-ge, please stay on guard and watch out for some weird substances or objects," before Fuxiao could respond, Shen Gui's figure disappeared into the dense woods, leaving him there standing alone.
After a moment of picking up the woods, then Shen Gui noticed that it was dusking. Despite having the sun setting, the woods was already coated with dark paint, the sound of the circket made . A shiver ran down his spine as he held the woods tightly.
Fuck, why do I always act before I think? He cursed internally, walking himself out of the forest just as the atmosphere became so intense and suffocating that he have to close his eyes while striding. Too bad! He can't see, so he can't see the sounds in the air. He could only listen to the temperature of his surroundings, hoping that he's walking on the right path.
When Shen Gui grew up with his grandparents, they had warned him about his switched senses as to why he could see sounds and hear temperatures through colors since he was young, and he too was aware of that. Though, he was never told why he had another sense that he couldn't even describe.
His grandpa was an expert martial artists and taught him many ways to use his unique ability. Granny didn't raise no bitch, of course he would brag about his switched senses, and no matter how negative messages comes up to him, his ego would still burn. A memory came back to him, and it was to use his sense of hearing to another level.
As the warm colors of the trees, grasses, and stones, mingled together in a calm surge, his heart beats frantically. The bases of different colors and its temperature is making him walk slower each steps. Not until he was too distracted on his thoughts it was too late to react when a hand patted his shoulder. Shen Gui turned his head around slowly, his face losing all its colors as his eyes shot up bloodshot. Rather, he's scaring the other instead.
Fuxiao's ears jerked up as soon as heavy stomps started to come nearer from the forest. Did Shen Gui finally got eaten by the boar? He held his breath and prepared for self-defence, that's what he's only good at anyway. Once the creature jumped and hugged his neck, his face was buried deeply into the creature's big chests.
Jeez! Even this creature is slightly bigger than him in size! It was suffocating him, he struggled to lush off the man before Shen Gui pulled out with his hands sinking deep onto Fuxiao's collar.
"Stop asking!! A weird shit happened in there!!" Shen Gui's words came out too fast to catch up.
"Why are you scared? I thought you agreed to help out? Seems like it's you in need of help" Fuxiao snobbishly replied.
"Oh shut up!! You don't know what it's like experiencing new things I'm supposed not to be experiencing!!"
Just as Fuxiao was about to speak, the forest began to sing a little hum despite the great. He instantly froze on spot, feeling a chill running down his spine, his hairs standing in their command. Finally, he understood what Shen Gui was scared about.
"You dumb looking saggy animal, why didn't you tell me about this?" He wrapped himseld around Shen Gui, enwrapping themselves in a tight embrace.
"I, I told you earlier! And you didn't believe!!"
Shen Gu. The other party finally showed up and it's just Jinzian.
Jinzian glanced at them with a somewhat concerned look, "You, are you two alright?"
They immediately entangled themselves and sat on the ground, acting like nothing happened at all. Embarassment was the first thing that flashed in their eyes, now this memory is carved deep into their brain, not being able to forget about it. While the other's eyes twitched from their act, he feigned a sigh to escape from their ignominy.
"Anyway, what were you doing in the forest earlier?" Shen Gui calmly asked, as if he wasn't the girl who shouted earlier.
When Shen Gui was out of that looming darkness, the sounds in the air started to appear in his eyes once again. It's like this, whenever a sound is produced, a wave in the air would start to form like a glowing lamp in the darkness. Back when he was brought to see the festival by his grandparents, the combined words and sounds people created were too loud that it's hard for him to focus on his own steps, like he's drifting apart from his cycle.
Yet, as the thick sticks hits the big drums, the composed music shook the air, silencing the whole crowd in one beat. The little Shen Gui's attention was brought on one direction, watching the music lingering in the air. The waves formed from the drum colored the air in bright red, reflecting the loudness it controlled, it's as if the artist spilled his paint onto the clear air.
The little Shen Gui's eyes started to create twinkling stars. The instruments were colored with saturated hues, making it catchy for everyone's eyes, it's the same for the performer's clothes matching their owned instruments. The temperature that these colors hold warmed his ears, playing soft timbre into his mind despite the festoval being loud.
As the other instruments performed, the colored sound waves danced in the air along the rhythm it played. He was too speechless to speak; he was still a kid anyway. Watching a festival would definitely be one of the best things that'd happen to a person.
It was then that he understood why his grandparents were too excited to show him the festival.
Back to the present, wavelengths of footsteps shuddered from the darkness of the forest, but it's not even that noticeable with Fuxiao's tight hug, the proximity was as close as the moon in the night sea, his scent was blocking his sense of smelling.
"Perhaps my leader's trust were too vague at that moment, or his eyes were deceiving himself," an irked voice came out from the forest, their gazes caught the silhouette from the darkness.
"I have to wander around the surroundings outside the town in case if there is no harm. I understand that my leader assigned you to investigate this matter, but I want to stay persistent on watching out our safety," although the was trying to sound nice, it came out pretty rude.
... The three went quiet considering the other two idiot's current position. Do they have a thing in common? No, there are no common from these two.
Shen Gui seemed somewhat in daze, watching how Jinzian's heartbeats were getting a bit faster through the waves of his atmosphere, his eyes slowly turning into a glare. Fuxiao's skin itched from Jinzian's presence, it was knotting his stomach that he couldn't taste his tongue right at this moment.
The two kept entangled together, not until Jinzian gave them a scowl. Shen Gui's face turned beetroot as he realized what that meant, it wasn't because they're idiots, but their current position is what was grimaced Jinzian's mood. Shen Gui pushed him aside, while Fuxiao wanted to crouch behind him to hide himself from this petty being.
He really doesn't like dirty things.
When silence swamped the air, Fuxiao took the initiative for his inquiry, "I ask you, what are you to the leader?" Shen Gui's daydreaming stopped, looking back up at Fuxiao who suddenly slipped out of the topic. What the fuck? He looks away, thinking that shaming yourself doesn't always evolve with friends.
Jinzian nodded and answered, "We are merely two co-workers trying to improvise our Town in a nice and good harmony."
"I never asked that."
Shen Gui's neck snapped, seizing him up with his widened eyes, his jaw disjointed from its place and fell on the ground. Is this motherfucker for real? But Fuxiao, he picked up Shen Gui's and tapped under his chin like sending some message. But to the eyes of Jinzian, a serious civilian, he's watching homosexuality forming between the two.
Jinzian's voice died down, his eyes piercing through Fuxiao's soul as if he had said something wrong, "Perhaps we're getting a bit too comfortable with each other's personal lives?"
Fuxiao realized this tone, but he raised his nose up high and answered, the corner of his lips cocking up in a taunting grin, "I'm sure your Tianyu would be disappointed if you don't communicate well with your visitors well."
Somehow, this fought Jinzian's pride so much he grit his jaw carelessly, the use of his leader's first name without his consent is fueling his irritation.
He overlapped Fuxiao's response by raising his voice tad bit, "It seems that my friend here is a little too needy onto someone else's matter. But I kid you not, please have a respect of my leader."
Although Fuxiao doesn't have the ability to read minds, he can push this man on the edge from testing his patience, "Leader? Are you sure?"
As soon as the words were left hanging in the suffocating air, Fuxiao anticipated Jinzian's instant silence, studying a person's behaviour is not always the weakest flair out there. But what he didn't know was that those words could mean two different ways, and Jinzian took on the curved side, thinking that he was implying of his and Tianyu's relationship was nothing but homosexuality.
Shen Gui's cheeks bloated with his restrained laugh, shooting his eyes up to Fuxiao like he'd done well bad on that part. Jinzian, somehow, clenched his hidden fist harder, feeling a bit offended by the statement. His haughtiness didn't waver and continued to wear a gritted smile.
"Hahah~ what a funny way to introduce ourselves, are we? Seems like you knew my leader well than me," his words were merely inviting, but his tone continued to sound like a sweet melody of a music box.
Shen Gui faced away, trying not to brag himself along with Fuxiao's extreme bad luck. Ever since he migrated into this world, this idiot was slowly gnawing his fortunes away. But he really couldn't just stand watching Fuxiao igniting a fire to the stable metal. He could see how the metal is slowly turning red from the heat that this idiot causes. Who would reply in that way anyway? Like that was the most blunt response he had ever heard.
He could just keep up with the responses, they seem lit though. Jinzian would definitely be cooked well done by this honest mouthed fucker. Shen Gui's mind was dumped with thousands of thoughts.
"Of course I do. We're friends in a very long time than a confident like you," said Fuxiao nonchalantly, like he's brushing off the dust on his shoulder in a brusque manner.
Have you ever seen a neck's bulging veins? Because Jinzian is surely cooked well done. Shen Gui thought to himself. Wait, who was I talking to...
He observed Fuxiao's collected and immovable poise, fiddling the tall grasses with his fingers, "Ouch," Shen Gui smirked, his thick eyebrow cocking up mockingly, "Woah. Calm down there, buddy. Let's prevent causing any troubles, hm?"
Shen Gui's irony tone was deafening Jinzian's ears, pushing him to the edge of the ledge. That quirky smirk was terribly accompanied by Fuxiao's piercing eyes. Fortunately, he managed to ease down his boiling turmoil within. Running his hand through his collar, he slid it down and fixed his lapel, giving himself a light pat on his chest.
Just as he was about to speak, the two had already caused a riot in front of him AGAIN. He blinked for a moment, now these two are fighting again?