Description: During a rooftop rumble while the city falls into darkness around them, Arika and Setsuka face off! Can the punk princess break the confidence of her opponent, or will she wind up sliced and diced? (Draw Match)
Metro City provides a beautiful backdrop to one up atop a tall skyscraper within the financial district. Especially at twilight, where the light is lessening, causing the sky to bleed pinks and blues into purples, casting a glow upon the inhabitants down below. At each corner of the skyscraper, cameras have been set up to catch the action of the scheduled Neo League battle.
Arika has been here a while, sitting on a large venting duct, just enjoying the view of the sunset. Fitting, that her last match took place in the early morning, and this should take place in the early evening. Darkness will soon fall, but she's not certain she saw any lights other than those accompanying the cameras and cameramen. That should provide enough illumination, she hopes. Otherwise she's scouted the roof enough to know where the things to avoid reside.
Metro City, beautiful? Perhaps in some senses of the word. But to those used to a quieter existence, Metro City is a jumble, chaos in motion, a melting pot of high class and total crap. It is uniquely -Metro-, thousands of acres of industrialized city--even the greenery is carefully cultivated. In short, it takes a unique kind of person to really love Metro City.
And Setsuka is nothing if not unique as hell--so of course, she loves the place to death. Maybe even literally... though, perhaps not. She can restrain herself... still, the sense that she is somewhat late is there, hanging in the air... until a steel door creaks open. The dusk being chased away from the bright camera lights, the black-dressed form slips out, a sharp shadow flung behind her by the lights.
"Ah, here we are," she murmurs, to herself, re-gripping the scabbard of her blade in her left hand and walking forward. Indeed, the dusk is beautiful, the colors amazing, but Setsuka is more interested in a deeper color, right now...
Late, in this instance, is actually more preferred. Twilight is the one time when things seem quieter to the punk princess, and as such it provides a few minutes of relaxation before the match. At the creak of the door, she spins around.
And there stands her opponent.
With a blade.
Palms lift up to rub across her forehead slowly, eyes narrowing upon the scabbard.
"Bloody 'ell," Arika mutters, hopping off of the vent. Tilting her head to the left, she pops her neck. This is repeated on the other side, and she smirks. "Take it your me opponent then?" Even as the question is asked, her eyes never lift from the scabbard.
Yes. Look at the scabbard. Watch it. It is her only weapon, after all, isn't it? Setsuka smiles--it's polite, and yet there's something of the predator in it, undeniable, a sharpness of the eyes and of the lips. Her eyes, see, take Arika in, the 'Punk Princess', watching her, nearly silently.
The Japanese takes in the Brit, then nods, her lips still quirked into that enigmatic smlie. "Yes, it appears so... A Japanese woman fighting a Britain on American soil... almost like World War Two, isn't it?" she quips, lightly. Still walking, her booted feet thump lightly against the roofing, perhaps a bit heavier than she might step otherwise... but she walks until she's at her designated starting point, marked by a chalk 'X' on the roof.
Her right shoulder is presented, her body twisted towards her left, right leg leading, and she drops into a semi-crouch... and she waits. The officials, already somewhat familiar with Setsuka, simply signal the start of the match... and back off.
COMBATSYS: Arika has started a fight here.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Setsuka has joined the fight here.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Setsuka
Eyes may be focused upon the scabbard and what lies within, but the punk princess isn't foolish. To her best knowledge, anyone who fights with -one- weapon, usually fights with -two-, or more. It's the 'or more' that has her worried, so as she focuses upon the scabbard she attempts to figure out what other weaponry the woman might be carrying.
"Heh. Appears that way, though technically we're up in the sky," she points out, attempting to lighten what was just said. A lot of time has passed since the event in question, but that doesn't mean it's an entirely comfortable subject for some that may be watching the fight.
As Setsuka walks toward the chalked mark, Arika gives a nod to the cameras. A smile. A wink. With her opponent in a somewhat crouched position, she adjusts her strategy a little, coming in at a swift angle in an attempt to catch the woman with the top portion of her foot to send her upward.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka blocks Arika's Light Kick.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Setsuka
Catch her opponent Arika does. However, at the same time, Setsuka was more than ready for the attack; it simply takes the imposition of Setsuka's free arm, and the judicious use of her legs, to both soften Arika's blow--and to provide Setsuka with her attack vector. That is, at the moment of impact, she leaps upwards, using Arika's provided attack to help power her up and -over- the Punk Rock Princess...
... and as she leaps, she's twirling in midair, adjusting her angle, her trajectory. The original angle of attack would have sent her far past Arika; instead the swordswoman drops abruptly, attempting to land behind her opponent, within just a few steps--more than close enough to attempt a bladed attack. The blade sings as it's released from the scabbard, and Setsuka attempts little more than a flicking cut, more of a tease than anything else.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka successfully hits Arika with Quick Strike.
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Arika 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Setsuka
And it starts.
The leap upward is no surprise, since that -is- what Arika was striving for. What catches her by surprise is the twirling which lands her opponent behind her. Whirling to face the woman, she has just enough time to twist to the side to avoid the blade. Only, the cut manages to catch her in the arm as she twists, leaving a thin line of red. A wince is issued, accompanied by a narrowing of the eyes which is only caught when the cameraman slides in closer to catch the facial expressions in the darkening light.
With a frown, the punk princess continues her sideways twist, twirling about until she's behind the woman. Cowardly though it may seem, it is likely much safer to attempt attacks from behind so that she doesn't slice herself to pieces on accident -- she'll be getting enough of -that- during the fight as is, she's sure. Once there, her hands rocket outward, to grasp the assassin about the waist in order to quickly fling her to the side.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka counters Quick Throw from Arika with Oborozuki.
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Arika 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Setsuka
For just a moment, Setsuka allows Arika to think that she's successfully caught her opponent. Just a fraction of a second, that Arika's arms tighten on Setsuka's body. Then the woman glows, a cool blue-purple, and her body is energy--Arika's arms closing on nothing as Setsuka's energy-form drops to the floor like water. But even as she's disappearing from Arika's arms, she's reforming, flowing up from the roofing behind Arika.
As she is rising, she has her right hand raised up, into a fist, a hissing blade of blue-purple psionic energy flaring from her fist. The blade is slashed across Arika's back--the damage is not physical, but rather, Setsuka using her psionic power to rake Arika's back.
It is an explosion of pain, of nerves firing uncontrollably, like a psionic electric shock.
Setsuka takes a step back after the attack, resuming her stance... and smiling just a little. "Now, now, you'll have to try harder... make me work for it."
Amusingly enough, the disappearing act is nothing new. Arika has seen it before, felt that energy before...
As the woman disappears completely, her footing sends the punk princess forward a step, compensating for the loss of her opponent. "Bloody 'ell," she mutters once more, knowing that this particular type of energy is neither 'normal' to her way of thinking, nor 'fun' to be hit with (not that any energy is particularly fun to be hit with, this just happens to be -less- fun).
The jolt of pain that shocks her body has her crashing to the roof on her front. Her body writhes a moment, but even through the shocking explosion that winds along her nerves, she grits her teeth and pushes to her feet. Eyes close, her neck pops to the side, and she smiles.
Odd for her to be smiling, perhaps, after something like that. She does have her reasons though, none of which have anything to do with the fight at hand. As for that...
Giving her body a small shake as thought to limber it up, she bounces from one foot to another. Right, left, left, right. Continually moving, body swaying gently with the rhythmic movements until they carry her right toward the other woman. Without a word she spins into a three-sixty, delivering a snappy roundhouse kick toward the woman's head.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Setsuka with Rhythmic Roundhouse.
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Arika 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
Ah, now that's better. Setsuka has a similar smile on her face--watching Arika do her little dance, perhaps literally, the swordd-wielding woman moves at the last moment, hoping to throw Arika's aim off--but to no avail, as the foot connects solidly. Setsuka's head whips around, but she isn't floored by the attack; her body is bent, but she rights herself, and even with a bruise blossoming on the side of her face, she seems rather amused, if nothing else.
"A cute dance," she says, almost mockingly, as she jerk-steps forward--not quite a feint, just a sudden step, her scabbard tilted for a high slash. The blade actually comes out, even, splitting the air with a hiss, aimed for a head-level slash... but it never gets there, and that's by design. The moment the blade is flashing outwards...
Setsuka is firing a leg out, kicking it out straight for Arika's stomach. Watch the blade, Princess--it's by far more dangerous, after all...
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Setsuka's Light Kick.
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Arika 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
The mocking tone is ignored, as worse has been heard in the past. Though the words are ignored, the blade isn't. Deep blue eyes follow it's upward lift, but this doesn't mean she's not completely aware of the tactic being played -- she's been trained in a boxing style, and they're loaded with feint attacks. Somewhat prepared for the something that is about to come, she slams an arm down. A slight cracking sound can be heard as the boot clashes with her forearm, leaving a rather nice imprint there.
All this gets is another smile. No, Arika has not gone off the deep end, she's merely spotted what she hopes will turn out to be a tactical advantage. Before the leg can be drawn back, she's snapping her arm forward attempting to snag the woman by her ankle. A harsh jerk upward if she manages to catch it, merely to land the woman upon the roof before locking on a sharp ankle twist.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka counters Medium Throw from Arika with Shimatsuri.
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Arika 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Setsuka
Setsuka recalls giving no openings. In fact, as Arika commits to the attack, she -smiles back-... and disappears again. Arika may well be very frustrated by the action, whether she's seen it or not--of course, she's seen it before, so she's seeing it again, but that probably doesn't make it any better, to see Setsuka flaring into blue-purple energy and dissolving again...
And reforming behind her, almost instantly. This time, however, her left hand is brandishing the energy blade, and her right the 'real' blade. She goes to work on Arika, forcing her forward, slashing with the energy blade, then with the right, kicking the other woman forward, slashing a total of four times with each blade, then bringing both blades across in a cross-slash to finish.
Each slash is very precisely placed and sliced, cutting deep enough to draw blood, to cause pain, but not to open any permanent wounds.
No taunting talk from Setsuka--she's enjoying Arika's pain, right now... and the attack is taunt enough...
Smaller wounds hurt more, because they're not deep enough to fully penetrate the flesh. Once the blood stops, once they begin to heal, each movement will be a reminder that they are there. A particularly evil maneuver that she's going to loathe come morning. Right now though, the tiny lines of blood appearing upon her body are causing her teeth to grit. It appears, for the moment, she's doing her utmost not to cry out in pain.
Oh, but it -does- hurt. Though there is no cry forthcoming, there is a look upon her face that denotes just how seriously she's feeling the pain.
A simple fist swings outward, attempting to catch the woman in the dead center of her face. A quickly placed jab to the nose. Before her right hand draws back, her left is already glowing with a pale violet hue looking as though twilight itself has enveloped her hand. Thrusting this forward in a straight palmheel strike, she glares.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Setsuka with Diva Allegro.
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
Perhaps she is just -too- enjoying Arika's pain; her attempt to avoid the incoming, glowing palm strike is for naught and Setsuka gets slammed. Thrown backwards, she arcs up off the ground, as if she were knocked out... but no, she flips over, landing on her feet. She sucks in a breath; it sounds raspy, as if that attack did do something painful to her... but her smile hasn't left her lips at all. She inclines her head towards Arika, a nod of respect... the other woman might not acknowledge as such, however.
With an impact like that, though... Setsuka walks forward again, closing the distance back to the original starting distance... and she waits, quietly, simply reassuming her stance. But she isn't just standing idly by, as much as it looks it... she's watching her opponent, shrewdly and carefully, almost certainly thinking about the best way to dismantle Arika, piece by piece.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka focuses on her next action.
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
Blood dripping from each tiny cut due to her movements, Arika just smirks. That's right, a smirk. She may not be enjoying the pain her opponent is feeling, but she sure as -Hell- feels vindicated by it. Granted, it's not as though she -should- be feeling that way, the fight is hardly over yet. More than anything, it is the eerie feeling of being watched that draws her attention back to the matter at hand.
Hairs on the back of her neck twitch slightly, goosebumps forming on her arms. The feeling is one that is definitely hard to shake, being as she can almost -see- her opponent watching her; hunter to prey.
Which is why the punk princess reacts. She shoots forward, feet leaving the ground as she moves. Flying toward Setsuka, she slams her fist out toward her face and then whirls around to land on the ground in a graceful crouch.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka fails to counter Jab Punch from Arika with Light Kick.
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Setsuka
A very fast attack; Setsuka reacts a touch late, perhaps trying for something she shouldn't have--regardless, she's just managed to start moving when Arika's fist cracks across her cheek. Again, it twists her head; but again, she twists her head back... and remains where she is. Shaking her head, she just smiles, again.
It was, all in all, a pretty good punch, all told. A stinger. But it isn't nearly enough to take Setsuka down... and the woman is quite content with waiting for her opponent to come to her again.
In fact, she beckons for it--gesturing the woman forward with her right hand. Possibly suicidal, but Setsuka has the utmost confidence in her ability to take on whatever Arika can bring to the party. Whether that confidence is warranted, well... that's a different question, now, isn't it?
She's being beckoned. The confidence the woman seems to be exuding is rather irritating, especially since Arika is hardly the type to sit and bide her time, waiting for her opponent to come to her. So, she slides forward slightly. Not quite within striking distance yet, but edging closer to it. There has to be a way to break that confidence, or to at least remove the weapon from play.
One thing at a time.
Break the confidence and perhaps her opponent will become careless.
Turning, the punk princess looks as though she might just head toward the door and walk off. It seems that way, at least. For a brief moment. Her body suddenly swings around, another quick jab angling toward Setsuka's face. However, the jab falls intentionally short. A feint, to draw the attention while her other hand balls into a fist and batters forward.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka fails to counter Medium Punch from Arika with Power Strike.
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Setsuka
Suddenly--the fight's turned around. At least for now. Setsuka falls for the feint--something she will be chastising herself for later. If Arika thinks she is going to break Setsuka's confidence with a single punch, however, then she's got a lot of thinking to do. Reacting too early, she attempts to parry the short punch--and takes the longer one full in the cheek. Her head whips around and down; her leg kicked out to keep her stable, she rises back from her stagger... her smile no longer there, replaced by a bright, glittering, ever-more-dangerous gaze in her eyes.
There is that saying... that cornered animals are the most dangerous... and if there is any one thing that is true about Setsuka, it is that under her beautiful, calm, cultured exterior... she is an animal.
Cornered in a literal sense? Hardly. The roof is quite expansive. Figuratively, though? Well, let's just say that the moment Arika recognizes that particular look in the woman's eyes, she begins to back up. Her heels tonk against a small box-type object, and rather than trip over it, she hops up onto it.
From there, she contemplates her next move. Whatever she chooses to do will put her into a dangerous situation, she's certain. Happy enough to bide her time up on the box, she crouches. Waiting.
When she can wait no longer, she leaps forward from her perch. Her body twists midair, in order to deliver a dropkick to the assassin.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka dodges Arika's Medium Kick.
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Setsuka
No, not literally cornered. But many fighters let themselves be tricked. They get behind, they take some damage, and they start getting desperate. Setsuka... is not immune to it. But neither is she ruled by it. She masters her desperation, fleeting and sparking as it is, and forces calm into herself. No fight is over until it is -over-... a cliched point of view but true.
She holds herself to stillness... waiting. Waiting. Waiting for Arika to make her move. Her eyes not on her opponent's eyes but her body. Watching for the twitch of muscle, the flex of tendons. _THERE_. Arika leaps, and goes out of Setsuka's sight... but that's alright, because the swordswoman -knows- where the other woman is.
At exactly one second before Arika would impact with that dropkick, Setsuka dives forward, rolling, tucking over her right shoulder, Arika's feet passing through where Setsuka's head used to be. And then she's coming up, slashing out again, cutting outwards to attempt to slash another red line along Arika's body.
COMBATSYS: Arika auto-guards Setsuka's Quick Strike!
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Arika 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Setsuka
Finding no body to crash into, the punk princess simply hits the ground and rolls. Kippping back to her feet, she spots the glint of the blade in one of the camera-lights, and immediately drops back into a bridged position to avoid the cutting slash. A woosh can be heard slicing the air as the blade makes its near miss, the diva holding that position until she can be certain the weapon is out of the way.
Coming up out of the bridge, she swings her head to the right. A large, sweeping circular motion is made. Then another. And another as she begins to advance upon the swordswoman. Without stopping in movement, her head suddenly swings toward the left, then forward to potentially crash into Setsuka's own head.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka counters Harmonic Headbang from Arika with Oborozuki.
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Arika 1/--=====/=======|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
Her slash avoided neatly, Setsuka doesn't even bother with trying to replace the sword in its scabbard; rather, with Arika coming at her with a rather hellacious headbutt, she prepares herself. Honestly, she could just try to avoid... her ability to counter Arika's attacks has deteriorated, recently, and trying it again could mean losing the match... if her life is safe, her pride may not be. But sometimes...
Sometimes, risks must be taken. In truth, every action in combat is a risk. There is nothing safe. Whatever gets stuck out may get cut... the impact again may feel solid to Arika but for a moment, and for the third time in the match, Setsuka once again disappears in a flood of blue-purple energy.
And for the third time, she slashes outwards with a blade of energy, collected psionic power raking across Arika's back, drawing a line of pain. But there are no words from Setsuka, no mocking. The fight is too close for that.
Okay, that is -enough-. Arika can abide by a lot of pain, and she can even work through her hadouken allergy, but this particular type of energy tends to make her blood boil a little.
Why?
Reminds her of things she'd rather not be reminded of.
This time, however, the psionic energy tearing at her back, causing the line of pain to shoot up along her spine, also has her crying out. There is only so much she can take. The cry turns into a growl of frustration. One that usually has a person throwing themselves at another.
In this instance, however, she hunkers low. From her crouch she begins to spin. Careful, graceful movements driving her to twirl at an accelerated pace until she's full height again. Her fists clamp together and she swings out at Setsuka, trying once more for the element of surprise.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka blocks Arika's Fierce Punch.
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Arika 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Setsuka
Ah, so the energy discomfits Arika. That's good, very good... although it's something that Setsuka can tell, it's a vague sense, not something she can tell exactly. But it's a comforting thought. She does enjoy the power to disturb... however, she's watching Arika perform her lariat, and maybe it's that slow runup that that gives her the chance to react. Finally, when those fists slam out, they meet Setsuka's shoulder. It is painful, very painful... but not as painful as a direct strike would be.
And then Setsuka pushes off, dropping backwards a mere five yards. The reason is simple, as she lands on her feet, her hands already on her blade--she needs some room to slash. And slash she does--the air, not at Arika--cutting a long, diagonal line from hip to shoulder. That cut releases a hissing blast of energy, an arc of power aimed to slam right into Arika's chest.
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Setsuka's Kuukan Zan.
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Arika 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Setsuka
The hiss gives it away, though not soon enough. Arika has time to twist to the side and get her arm up to keep the blast of energy from slamming against her chest, but it slams against her arm instead, sending her staggering back a few feet. She stops, hands setting to her knees to try and catch her breath for a moment.
Then she's leaping forward again, this time with another feinted punch sent out. It falls just short of Setsuka's face, a second punch following behind it, which also falls short. The true attack, the one with all the power behind it, is a simple thrust kick which attempts to send the assassin away from her.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka counters Light Kick from Arika with Quick Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Arika 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Setsuka
Arika's starting to get tricky. But Setsuka is reading those moves, watching her opponent now. Now, she stands, rock-solid, a little smirk on her lips as she watches Arika fly at her with that three-pronged attack. It's a complex combination of attacks, almost the kind of attack Setsuka might expect to see from a Kung Fu artist. Clearly, Arika has had a deal of training. That's okay. So has Setsuka.
She waits... and waits. She knows Arika's style now, as much as she can--the first two punches are going to fall short. Then... the kick, yes. Setsuka twists her body, letting Arika's foot graze her side; the thrust kick clamped down on by her left arm, trapping the leg for just a moment. Long enough for Setsuka's stab her blade into Arika's thigh--quick, easy, and painful.
Again the attack is meant for pain, suffering, but nothing permanent, as she withdraws the sword and releases the leg, stepping backwards once more.
"AUUUUGH!"
A loud, sharp cry of pain rends through the night as twilight disappears completely. Hands reach out, about to grab the pommel of the blade and remove it from her leg, when the assassin withdraws it for her. Damage done to her thigh, the punk princess just drops to her knees, the blood pooling up on the material of her cargoes, leaving a large, damp spot that continues to get wider.
Hanging her head, it looks as though Arika's going to signal she's out of the fight. But the head snaps back up, a pained but playful wink shot to the nearest camera. Hands are lifted, mimicking the position of holding an electric guitar. Fingers set to the faux frets, and she strikes a power chord. An abundance of energy builds up around her, until it explodes in a multitude of colors with splash forward into an arc directed at Setsuka.
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
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Setsuka 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Setsuka slows Siren Song from Arika with Kuukan Zan.
COMBATSYS: Setsuka can no longer fight.
Setsuka is already backstepping; though she doesn't use chi she can feel it, and she can sense Arika preparing something nasty. One backstep, two, and she lands, already lashing out to create another arc of power, her blue-purple lashing outwards, meeting that howl of power, that splash of energy.
And it is immediately consumed by that blast; it dissipates some of the power, but Setsuka made a miscalculation, and the amount of power remaining is more than enough to bring her to her knees. She stays down long enough for the people in charge to call it a draw... but she isn't going to let them tend to her. Once she has enough strength, she rises again... and gazes over at the cut up form of Arika. Nothing that'll scar too badly.
But the cuts are there, and that's enough for Setsuka. Wordlessly, she turns around, walking for the door she came from. It was... a satisfying encounter, yes. Very satisfying...
Log created on 22:33:20 07/07/2008 by Arika, and last modified on 11:55:47 07/08/2008.