|
"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to Dulin for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options"
2nd March Earth Romefeller Inner Circle Chamber Undisclosed location Time: 03:45 [Sanc time] Gamma //It is an unassailable truth that life moves in cycles like the ebb and flow of the tides responding to the pull of the moon. The world was a small place in the eyes of our ancestors in long ago days that grew and grew until it seemed to fill the universe with its importance. They look about them now and think that they are the hub of the Universe. Foolish children, lost in their own self importance. We have come full cycle. I look upon all that we have and what do I see? I see a beach. A glistening arc of sand moving and shifting with the tides of change. That is all that we are, in truth. Grains of sand on a tide-washed beach. People are the tiniest of sand particles, barely grains of dust caught in the air pockets that separate the grains of sand. We are dust particles and our world and the colonies are merely a few grains of sand that have captured us in the last sweep of a wave. // There was a painting on a wall in his home of a beach, a golden arc of sand under tropical skies. A beautiful painting, a glimpse of a part of the world a long way from his home. It never snowed on that beach portrayed in vivid colours. People lived there wearing very little compared to the people who lived in this land, especially in the winter months. Yet it was on the same world. Two totally different environments to which people had adapted. That was one thing that mankind was very good at doing. Adapting. Evolving to suit the needs of the environment to be lived in. Mankind, humanity had proven to be easy to manipulate and evolution was the key. // Evolution. Mother nature in all her beauty has produced an organism that is supremely adaptable from the primal ooze. Intelligent. Strong. It adapts quickly to changes, modifying thought, word and action as the need arises and it finds the means to live in environments which are supremely hostile to its basic needs. It is a wondrous thing, the human body. Now that we have the technology it is so much more wondrous. The adaptations it is capable of making seem almost miraculous. Development has increased markedly since we understood the art of genetic manipulation and we no longer need to slowly breed for the natural genetic selections. Yes, gene manipulation has brought us thousands of years further down the road of evolution. These new generations are so much more than our ancestors could even dream of. These grains of dust on a beach have the power to move sand grains. It has been so long since the beginning. So long and we have come so far. What a wonderful world we could make it. We could go to the stars in only a few more generations. We can spread humankind throughout the universe, not just our own little corner of the solar system.// He could hear the echoes of their footsteps as they trod the marble floor of the outer hall and he marveled as always at the acoustics of this ancient place that caused even the lightest of footsteps to resound throughout the ancient series of rooms with the force of a sharply struck drum. He listened to each strike of that drum, imagining whose footsteps it was that came closer to these hallowed halls. There were so few of the people who professed to be of importance within the ranks of Romefeller who even suspected that these halls actually existed beyond the whispers that had gained the status of legends within the elite society they called Romefeller these days. Of those who did suspect that there might be a grain of truth within the legend even fewer had been honored with invitations to actually enter these revered walls. // Legend. We are old. Two thousand years, give or take a century or two. Old, but embryos in the passage of evolution. Time is important, it marks the passage of evolution, the passing of change, the development of civilization. Two thousand years is a mere drop in the ocean yet it is a long time for a secret society to exist. Great civilizations have risen and crumbled into dust and ashes in far less time. There are days I wonder that we did not fail in the times past and the knowledge we acquired become lost with our passing. I have to wonder if perchance the world might not be a better place if our predecessors had passed into obscurity and not chosen their successors. It would, at the least, be a far different place.// Whenever he walked within these halls it seemed that he could hear in the echoes of his footsteps the echoes of the ghosts of bygone days who walked along side him. Even now, as he sat within the bitterly cold room and he listened to the echoes of others walking within the outer halls he was certain that alongside the footsteps of the living office holders he could hear the echoes of footsteps of the others long passed to dust who had shared the knowledge that they had gained, expanded on and protected for so many generations. // Almost two thousand years. Generation after generation we have walked here in secret, bringing changes to our surroundings as easily as we bring changes to our civilization. Those who came before we who now rule these halls altered these natural caverns and set the corner stone for what is now our hope for the furtherance of humankind. We in our turn, like those before us, are the Guardians and the Guides to the human race. We have shaped so many aspects of what everyone takes for granted as civilization in this day and age. They do not even suspect that we exist. // To be effective in their duties to shape and guide civilization
to the desired goal they needed to maintain that secrecy that had
protected them for centuries. Over the years it was true that there
had risen repeatedly rumors of the existence of Romefeller, an organization
that guided and nurtured and schemed and murdered and cheated their
way to a higher goal. Oh yes, Romefeller had done all of those things
and more and so few had ever understood or even tried to understand
what they were and why they acted as they had. // They profess to be Romefeller and they know so little of what is our goal. We of the Inner Circle are no more than legend to these modern day children who have come so close to destroying the work of thousands of generations. There are days that I would like nothing better than to produce a paddle and flatten it repeatedly against the infantile backsides of these spoilt children. // They had no idea of the true dedication that was practiced within the Inner Circle. They had no idea of the responsibilities demanded of those who wore the mantle of Romefeller and therefore walked in true power, unseen and unsuspected by the world and its people. Some of these fools who crowed over their supposed power likened themselves in these times to Gods, so great was their supposed influence. Genetic engineering seemed to be the greatest danger to the Inner Circle, even as it proved to be the greatest boon to assisting evolution along. The errant children of the ancient order, so secure in their power and their ability to rule the world and the colonies, so full of themselves, claiming to have the power over life and death … and yet it had taken only children to pull them down. Special children, yes, he would admit that but children none the less. Children birthed at a time when the errant offspring of Romefeller had forgotten their ancient roots. Children who had had the intelligence and the courage to take matters into their own hands and change the face of the world. Brilliant children who barely out of infancy had checked the greedy grasping for material power of their elders and returned some sanity to the world. Here, within these hidden hallways existed the true Romefeller, the Inner Council that guarded the ancient knowledge and that worked to restore the greatness lost in eons past. The true Romefeller that had produced the science and subtly guided the selection of the genes that enabled those foolishly secure in their own power to produce the very children who had been their downfall. //We have been called many things over the centuries not the least of which is bastards, witches, demon worshipers … we have even been targeted as a sect and some have even called us the Illuminati … as if that bunch of ignorant power mongers could hold a candle to even the lowest member within our ranks. There are so many fools in this world, despite our best efforts to improve the intelligence levels. I suppose that we can improve on intelligence but wisdom must be learned and some seem reluctant to proceed beyond adolescence. Ah, well. Time marches on and old dogs can learn new tricks if patience is exercised. Yes, we have been called many things and cursed many times and we have even managed to be forgotten for a century or three from time to time. Always the rumors arise and the questions will be whispered behind closed doors and then our greatest friend and advantage, the Wheel that is Time, turns once more and we pass into obscurity once again. Such is life. // It was cold and his aging bones protested the chill. It was not just these ancient halls that gave off the chill but the necessary work that needed to be done could give off an arctic frost. Inhuman had been one of the kinder descriptions for some of the deeds that had needed to be performed over the centuries. Assassination was but a tool. Cold-blooded murder was a grim but necessary tool that they did not hesitate to use when they considered it necessary. So many people over the generations had needed to die for one reason or another. From threats to the organizations safety to threats to peace or to incite a war that was needed at the time to accomplish a goal. Yes, they did not hesitate to incite a war if they needed so why should he be surprised that war had been used to accomplish order and peace by the children? That generation seemed to have so much potential. Sometimes murder had been needed to ensure that contamination of the precious blood lines had not weakened at best or destroyed at worst their footsteps to the ultimate goal. Romefeller would use all tools that came to their hand. Murder might yet need to rear its ugly head again. It was not only murder that was a tool to be used by the Circle to further their design. No, it had not just been murder that they had employed to gain the needed advantage and to secure precious bloodlines. One of their greatest mistakes had now reared before them and thrown a gauntlet of challenge at their feet. //Such a stir this has produced. I can not honestly say that it has surprised me that they have overreacted and summoned the Inner Circle over this bit of foolery so soon. I would far prefer to be at home and warm within my bed than sitting here waiting for them to arrive. I would have thought that they might have allowed a few days in which to gather as much information as possible. We shall need to accurately asses the situation and we know too little intelligence as yet to make a viable difference. I doubt that any of us could have missed the broadcast and at this stage little if anything beyond what was included in that broadcast would be known, even to our most capable of intelligence agents. No, it is far too soon for this meeting to take place. Such an arrogant young scamp you are, boy.// He resisted the urge to smirk at the memory of that speech. Out of the blue, no warning at all and there he was, as bold as ever and just as arrogant. Shaking the organization to the core as always, yet was that not one of the things he had been bred to do? They could not really complain about him as he was so much more than they had ever dared to dream he might be. More than they had assumed, indeed, else how had he escaped them? // I always knew that he would not simply lie down and obey the dictates of the Circle. He had too much fire, too much independence for that, but even I did not think that he would run and run so well that we have found no trace of him for near twenty-two years. It has been a long time, Kristian. It is just like that scamp to try something this ambitious and to throw our agents into confusion. No half measures for you boy, there never was any hesitation in your nature. It would be just like him to succeed too, at thumbing his nose at the ESUN and establishing a viable colony off in the never never. Such a clever young thing you were. // He stretched his cramped shoulder muscles, listening to the echoing footsteps from beyond the door and wishing himself before a roaring log fire instead of sitting here with the cold eating at him. He was sworn to serve Romefeller but there was no rule that he needed to freeze in order to do so. // Where are you hiding, boy? Where in that drifting refuse field of a failed planet are you hiding and just what have you managed to create there? What exactly have you managed to build and who do you have backing you? Clever as you are you could not do this alone and it would take a very select field of experts to set up something of this nature. Just what do you have to tease the ESUN with, a wonder of modern civilization or an abandoned wreck of some mining dream gone wrong? I'll know soon enough.// Now that they knew that their runaway was alive and approximately where it was that he was hiding they would be able to set into motion the requirements necessary to gather in their prize. Such a valuable prize that Kushrenada child had been and still was. So valuable, in fact, that there was no chance that they would again permit him to escape their control. Once before, through employing their mainstay of tools, namely that of trickery and deceit, they had gained the use of the child's rather unique talents and with time and training they had crafted him to meet their requirements. They had erred. In their arrogance and self-assurance they had become overconfident with their control of the teenager who had surpassed all of their expectations and because of that overconfidence they had lost control of the child. How he had hated and resented them and with good cause for they had destroyed his world because they had acquired him for their project. // I do not doubt that you will have your revenge. Rightfully so. At least while they are dealing with you they will not be looking so closely at the Prince and he might yet elude them, though for the life of me I think him safer here, in protective custody, than running loose in the Earth Sphere with nowhere to call home. Have you grown into your abilities, Kristian? Have you found your true potential and the strength to use it? // He had been of great interest to the Inner Circle from before his conception. Much discussion and planning had gone into the selection of genes to be stimulated, spliced and bonded to produce the Kushrenada heir and with his successful birth and the later confirmation of his talents appearing at so tender an age they had seen their long awaited chance to restore Romefeller to the greatness it once had enjoyed. // Ah, the plans they had made, his predecessor and the other members of the Council. Such great plans they had formulated, all hinging on the successful training and development of a child barely more than a toddler at the time of his acquisition. // Such potential could not be permitted to grow unsupervised and they had arranged the acquisition of the boy, confident that his parents would further the bloodline by producing another heir and that had only compounded the mistakes made. There had been no second child. One of the darkest days in his opinion of Romefeller. One of the darker of many dark days when their schemes had not turned out quite as projections had suggested. One would think that after so long and such frequent practice that they would have a greater success rate with their schemes. By employing the talents of the child as he had matured they had hoped to regain much of what time and knowledge amid the common masses had robbed them of. They might even have been able to return to the days when they were likened to Gods by the ignorant peasants who had populated so much of the world. A child, barely beyond the toddling stage had become their ticket to greatness and they had swooped on the innocence of him. Their overconfidence in dealing with that child as he had grown within their carefully regulated glass bubble had proven to be their downfall. They should have known better. One could never be assured of control when dealing with the Kushrenada bloodline and that particular Kushrenada, child though he was, had had the long awaited talents that made him indispensable to their ultimate goal. // They really should have known better than to forget what generations of selective breeding amid the old European nobility meant. He was magnificent, even as a child. He carried his birthright in the fire to be seen in those amazing eyes that had told them all honestly that he would not be a slave to their will. // He could honestly say that Kristian Kushrenada had been honest with them as he well recalled the day the child, not yet a teenager had thrown their overweening confidence in their face and told them in plain terms that they could not control him. It had not been so many years later that he had escaped and they had lost the unique talents of the child who had at that time been a one of a kind. Kristian had been the prototype and now that they were given this second chance to control him they would not again err and underestimate him. He was no boy now but a man full grown and who knew what he had learned in the intervening years that could threaten Romefeller? They would need to closely observe him before they gathered him into their protection. He would not be the first child Romefeller had lost control of who had in maturity near destroyed the organization in revenge for personal abuse. // Footsteps echoing down through the hallways of time. That is what I can hear in the echoes of their foot falls. The cycle renews again and I wonder how many will pay the price this time? It always ends up messily and in the end Romefeller has endured. Still, none in the past have been so precious to our ultimate goal as this Kushrenada and the Peacecraft Prince. If you have the chance, gentlemen, then I seriously suggest that you run like hell. // He lifted his gaze from the velvet clothing his hands to survey the meeting hall and to once again admire the magnificence of its architecture. The construction of this place, the design of it, the unique beauty of it had all been centuries ahead of its time. The magnificent vaulted ceiling and the mother of pearl inlay of the border of the marble floor, the almost gothic flavour of the wall arches and the intricate carving of the circular table that graced its centre. All of the designs you would find through the ages yet older by far than the era that gave birth to the style. It had a beauty that never failed to move him and awaken an awe within him that reminded him of how unimportant he was, how short a time he would spend gracing these halls. He was flesh and blood and he was destined to pass on in the blink of an eye. When he was dust these halls would still be in existence, still be beautiful and remain unique. The founders of the organization had undoubtedly been influenced by the Artifact for them to have produced this masterpiece of stone and wood. The meeting room was gilded with gold and silver and inlayed with mother of pearl and set with precious gems that would have set the craftsmen of this age to weeping at the skills lost in the mists of time. There were gems used to decorate this ancient hall that were larger than a large man's fist and pure, without flaw. He could sit here for hours and marvel at the beauty that so few would ever witness and it would firm his resolve to ensure that Romefeller continued to be the influence behind the powers that professed to rule the world. // That is what is wrong with the errant children who forget what we are all about. They do not serve Romefeller or humanity, they serve only themselves grasping like greedy children at the reigns of power. They have not learned that it is better to be the power behind the throne rather than to be the power that sits the throne. // Almost two thousand years of history were wrapped up in the crafting of the hall, each generation of office bearers adding something of their age to the secret halls. Leaving their mark upon the halls as they had left their footsteps to echo through time. Such wonders and richness to be unknown by even the greatest of the modern day scholars was wrapped within these halls of stone and wood, hidden away from the prying eyes of those who had not the vision to see and understand their goals. The tomes of Romefeller were housed in another magnificent chamber and the reading of those great books could set historians on their ear. So much hidden knowledge, so many secrets, so much beauty that must never be known to the common man. Magnificent though these halls were they were also cold and drafty despite the best efforts of successive generations including the latest attempt at modern heating to bring some comfort to chilled bones. Old bones, despite the best genetic influence at the times before their conception, could not be proofed against the chill and in winter the chambers were bitter indeed. The only boon that he had ever found in the aching chill of the halls was that the conditions were guaranteed to ensure that the Inner Council did not divert their attention from the agenda to be discussed with meaningless chit chat. It was business only that was discussed here following the formally polite and quick round of pleasantries offered on arrival. A body seated here tended to suffered from hypothermia despite the heavy velvet robes tradition bade them to wear. Tradition. Tradition was the catch cry of the Romefeller organization. Well, he amended, it was the catch cry of the publicly known organization that professed to be called Romefeller. Those men and women, birthed within the influence of the Inner Circles attendants who thought they knew sufficient and claimed blood right to rule the World Order in a not so subtle fashion and expected to be welcomed with open arms. Fools. Very few of these young people knew or even suspected that the Inner Circle of Romefeller actually existed. Most of them surmised that the Inner Circle had indeed existed but had fallen into the category of legend some five or six hundred years in the past. Rather like the rumors surrounding those idiots in the Illuminate. It did not matter that even the eldest of these infants in their public organization thought the Inner Circle to be no more than a legend. If there was one thing that he and his fellows had learned over the years of their reign within the Inner Circle it was subtly. Over the centuries the most ancient and revered arts of manipulation and deceit had enabled them to effectively cover their tracks and still gain what information and tools were needed to ensure that mankind followed destined pathways. What once was lost to them, the power and influence to change the face of the world would, in the fullness of time be found once more. It was only fitting that Romefeller stand in the shadows of the halls of power and direct the masses toward the future that awaited them. The setbacks of the past could now be overcome with the peace restored and at the meeting to take place in two days time they would set the course that would bring the public face of Romefeller back under their control. // I hear the echo of voices now mixed with the footsteps. It only serves to remind me of those who came before me. I wonder if any of them ever faced a time as interesting as this time has proven to be? Mankind is ingenious at getting himself into trouble and taking pains to claw himself out of the muck he has created. Truly ingenious. It is a talent that has been much abused over the centuries but I believe that it has been necessary for humanities growth. Conflict is a two edged sword. Yes, it brings death and destruction, disease and despair. It also brings growth in its wake, development and invention. A two edged sword that we have made good use of in the past. I believe that I know what he intended to accomplish with threatening the Earth with destruction and he has produced a peace that may last for a century if we are fortunate. A century to plan and breed for the ultimate stage of the great design. He has brought us time and we will make the very best use of that time, but there are days that I wonder if I understand him at all. He is very unlike Stephan and he grew up far from the controlled environment we formulated would be necessary to guide the projected talent he should develop. We have a very real danger running loose in the Earth Sphere. Kristian Kushrenada and Milliardo Peacecraft. God, I shudder to think what would be possible if those two ever teamed up without the checks and balances we could impose on them. The abilities we breed into these children are dangerous and they have already shown a strong will and independence that bodes ill for any attempts to control them. // “… call on such a night as this?” He resisted the urge to smile at the complaint that echoed throughout the hall. The acoustics of the ancient hallways were incredible and perhaps were an accident of nature more than the design of the original builders. These rooms, long ago in the past had been constructed from what once had been a great natural cavern complex though the centuries of construction and decoration had hidden any indication of a natural cavern. He defied anyone to succeed in approaching this inner sanctum in total silence. It was a wondrous security measure for their peace of mind though it was far from the only security measure they had employed to keep their activities hidden and their identities secret. For many of their number it was an inconvenience to come to this place. Travel times involved for some of their members often forced delays in their meetings and on occasion the permanent resident members in the country that contained their symbolic heart needed to make alterations to formerly agreed upon plans without the full input of the Circle. While such occasions were rare they had been known to occur but this night would not be such an occasion. It was fortunate that all members of the Inner Circle and their aides would be present for this extraordinary meeting as they had gathered here over the past two days for their regular quarterly meeting which was slated to take place in two nights. // The timing of the broadcast was excellent, though I doubt that Kristian would think so. I think he would have preferred for it to take us as much as a week to gather together the Inner Council to review and discuss his case. Still, there is no immediate danger to him from this meeting. We lack the necessary information to act against him and we do have other troubles to be taken into consideration. No, it probably would not disturb him too much if he guessed that we are meeting here this night. They will have more information available at the scheduled meeting. That is the time when they will make their decisions concerning our runaway. // It was tradition that they meet here in these chambers to discuss the developments of their projects and the atmosphere of ancient reverence that hovered in the very air here fitted the solemnity of the occasions when they met. Every three months they would meet, though not always in these halls in this modern age. With the inclement weather now raging in the night he could have wished they had chosen to meet at some other, warmer location and reserved these chambers for the meeting they had called to take place here in two days to review the events that moved their world and to discuss the development of their prized children. While it was traditional to hold their meetings in these halls when all members of the Inner Circle were available he was in no doubt they all would have benefited from the convenience not to mention warmth that a modern office would have offered, but two thousand years of tradition was not easily cast aside by everyone simply because the oak bench beneath his backside was uncomfortable. The highly polished wood was so highly polished because of the number of backsides that had warmed it over the centuries and within these halls he felt the weight and presence of those who had walked these ways before him. That lingering presence of those who had come before him always aided him to see their goal clearly. Once, when he had been much younger and prone to joking, he had said to his fellows that the ghosts of all who had worn the mantle of Romefeller's Inner Circle returned after death to reside within these walls, to watch over the next generation and to ensure that they never lost the focus that was the binding oath of their order. What had been said in jest in his youth was more certain to him now, when age wearied his bones and chill air drew out a deep longing for a fire and a hot soaking. He could feel deep in his bones the disapproval of those spirits of a bygone age at the actions of those who walked the Earth and meddled in the name of Romefeller. It was a disapproval that he shared. “How many are we waiting on now?” With the door to the outer halls opened he and those seated near him could hear more clearly the echoes of footsteps and those echoes hid from all but the most discerning ears the whispered conversations. When you joined the Inner Circle of Romefeller you learned that everyone of the members despite their advanced age had excellent hearing. He glanced at the two cowled forms who were seated across from him and at the empty chairs that waited around the circular table and he permitted himself a small sigh. It was almost the stated time to open this extraordinary meeting and while it was short notice he had no doubt that every member of the Inner Circle would be present to discuss their runaway. He knew that they all were within the countries borders before noon in preparation of the annual meeting and that none of them would permit a miniscule thing like inclement weather to deter them from attending. “Patience, my dear Delta. They come.” “I feel very little need for patience when it is patently obvious that it is past time to enforce order in the ranks of the Lessers. Too many of these infants think that they run this organization and it is time they were brought to heel. It is patently obvious to me Alpha, that we have been too lenient with them and their games of power.” // Yes, you have shown a tendency lately to be a touch tetchy with their behaviour. You had best curb that attitude with Alpha however. She likes her game playing and she has been playing with the power structures now taking shape for a long time. // “Too lenient? I thought myself that it was an experiment in idiocy to permit so many years to pass without openly drawing the members of the organization together. We have only ourselves to blame for the current situation.” //More game playing, Old Witch. You always have enjoyed pulling that ones strings and he was always just stupid enough to permit it. I know and you know who it was who ensured the split in the organization occurred. It was planned, without a doubt. // “That may indeed be true, but we must discuss these matters and make some decisions. We must all be in agreement as to the actions to be taken to bring about the uniting of Romefeller under one rule once more. One rule. Our rule.” “Perhaps so, but if you think that we are here tonight to discuss the disunity that has plagued the younger generations within our ranks then you are sorely mistaken, Delta. That is not on this night's agenda and I see no reason to bring forward our discussions on this matter. This is an extraordinary meeting.” “Oh, don't be a fool. You know full well what must be done. There simply is no choice.” // Ah, you blunt mouthed idiot. You don't call Alpha a fool and expect her to forget it. She may take it now but she will not tolerate such behaviour forever. // “I beg to differ, Sir. There is always choice. We may not like the options that are available to us, but you will find that there is always a choice.” her voice was low and husky, still retaining some of the music that had turned heads her way in the long ago days of her youth. “Oh please.” a gloved hand sporting the heavy gold ring that was the Seal of Romefeller waved in the air in a dismissive fashion. “I beg of you to spare me the standard lecture, Alpha.” “Do not be impertinent, Delta. Some days I have to wonder why it was that it was you and not your brother who was chosen to become a part of this Council. It always struck me that he was infinitely more suitable to sit in your seat.” //Ouch. Watch it, dear Delta. You are three times a fool if you permit her to sharpen her claws on you. // “Some days I have to wonder why it was that I thought it an honor to be chosen.” behind him the door to the chamber swung wide and the whisper of velvet robes announced the arrival of the missing members of the Inner Circle. “Ah, at last. Now we may begin.”
|
