Star Trek: Starbase 777

A toothy grin was offered in return to Jadriel’s before giving an appreciative nod to him keeping the door open for her. Puppy in her arms, Dagis used a free foot to scooch the box the fluffball had been brought in into her quarters so it wouldn't clutter up the corridor. "Nice touch on the Operations gold, by the way." The woman said as her grin continued, only for said grin to be quickly replaced with a brief look of contemplation as she realised she now, as a matter of fact, had a puppy. A small, adorable creature that needed and deserved love and care, that she now had to take care of, nurture, and live with. Not that she had an issue with that, of course. It was just like living with Turing, except Turing was an adult, and she had no batting clue how to be a dog mum. Once both she and the Trill were inside and the door had safely closed behind them the Ferengi carefully put the collie pup down on the ground with a look of endearment in her eyes, truly hoping it would like its new home. x_divider

21:47

"Right, okay then. Please feel free to make yourself at home, Jadriel." She said as she stood upright, looking over at her partner with a happy smile once again on her face, before briefly wandering over to a nearby cupboard where she was quick to pull out two of Turing's old dog bowls. Putting them on the ground all while attempting to keep an eye on the puppy, of whom she was sure would start wandering about the place, she then briefly went into her bedroom where she soon returned from with the dog bed Turing had used during his time aboard. Putting it down in the corner of the room, the woman then went over to the replicator where she acquired a cup of water, which soon found itself poured into one of the dog bowls. Turning her attention back to the puppy to see what it was doing and where it had gone, it wasn't long before she relocated it, or, well, the rear end of it, with the rest under the coffee table exploring. With a soft chuckle, Dagis headed over to the workspace where she kept her tea and other various non-replicated foods and drinks. x_divider

21:47

"I think I'm going to have to do a lot of reading up on how to look after a puppy. They need training, don't they? Turing was so well behaved when he wasn't laying down on everything he shouldn't." She said with a chuckle, all while sanitising her hands before beginning the process of making some tea the old fashioned way. "I assume they become more of a handful as they get bigger." The woman added as the kettle finished boiling and she poured the water into the teapot. After another moment she made her way over to Jadriel and held out a fresh, hot cup of herbal tea, and one that should be quite familiar to him as well. It was a Ferengi blend that she had introduced him to only a month and a bit into their relationship. Sitting down on the couch as the puppy came up and sniffed her shoes, she fondly looked over at the Trill. "So, what brings you back to this old place? I mean, besides surprising me with this little thing.” Dagis enquired warmly as she briefly glanced back at the puppy in order to reach down and gently scratch its head, a very happy smile spread across her face.

Giles followed behind Dagis as they entered from the corridor, himself keeping a foot in the doorway so she could enter ahead of him without fear of the doors trying to close on herself as she nudged the box along. He took great joy in the fact that whenever Dagis looked back at him, it was with a grin. He hadn’t expected this surprise to go wrongly in any way, but something could have happened. The Ferengi could have turned around and told him that she didn’t want a puppy, and then he’d have had to do the walk of shame out, stuck with a puppy, and try to find a new home for it. Things had gone well though, and he had presumed that they would from the start. On a recent video call Dagis had expressed that she missed having a pet, and what better gift to fill the void than your own tiny, pint-sized dog? Maybe he should have discussed it first… But oh well, they were all here now and she didn’t seem to mind. x_divider

13:04

While the COO went about procuring items (items that she hadn’t gotten rid of when himself and Turing had left, which to him was a good hint that she had been considering getting a new pet anyway), he kept an eye on the puppy in question. It seemed to be curious about the quarters, slowly wandering about and sniffing at the furniture. “They do need trained, yes,” he replied while Dagis then went about making tea. In the meantime Giles all but folded himself into one of the chairs – his favoured one, whenever he had been here. “I’m sorry for springing that on you, but you sounded… You sounded like you needed a pet, and that you were a bit bored from being by yourself here after a good while of having to put up with me and my dog. And I mean, just look at him. He’s stupidly cute. He’s from a charity that train service dogs on Earth – but he’s deaf, so he can’t be one. The vets can do work to fix his hearing issues, but they didn’t want to do that for the purpose of him being a service dog. They wanted to find a home for him… So I said I had someone who might be interested.” “As for me?” He said and accepted the cup of tea from Dagis, holding it in both hands as he always tended to do. Hot drinks were for hand warming, obviously. “I’m in uniform, but I’m not actually here doing anything for Intelligence – it’s just easier to deal with Starfleet officers in a Starfleet space while you’re in uniform. I’m actually here on business for the Symbiosis Commission – I’m playing field docent for them, you know… Trying to smooth things over with them given uhm, what’s happened in the past.” ’Smooth things over’ equalled ‘make sure you’ll re-join my symbiont,’ something that they had threatened not to do given the nature of both his and Azrii’s joining. “There’s an officer on board who’s in the last stages of the initiate programme, so I’m shadowing them for the next few weeks to determine if they’re suitable for joining.”

As Jadriel spoke Dagis couldn’t help but internally agree with what he said. She had been bored since he had been transferred back to Earth, but it went much further than that. She had missed having the company, someone to share the space with. She was just one Ferengi in what was pretty large quarters, and there was only so much space she needed. This was more than she could ever have dreamed of having, so when the Trill had moved in it made the amount of space feel more comfortable, more homely. “You don’t need to apologise at all. You were right in all honesty, I do think I needed a pet. And, well, now I do thanks to you. So I’m glad you surprised me.” She said appreciatively. Looking at the small collie with care in her eyes as Jadriel spoke about him further, the woman’s heart practically melted when he said the little fella was deaf. Looking between her partner and the puppy, she processed the information and what it meant for how she was going to be able to interact with him. “Oh my gosh.” Was all she was able to respond with as the feeling of care she already started having within her for this tiny being skyrocketed. x_divider

23:06

As her partner continued and the COO processed the information she had just been given she quietly sipped her own tea, a content smile fixed to her face as she listened along with what was being said and idly noticed how he held his cup to warm his hands, just as he always did. Soon though the smile on her face turned to that of intrigue upon him mentioning that he wasn’t here for any Intelligence work, but instead to work for the Commission as a field docent. ‘Trying to smooth things over’? ‘What’s happened in the past’? Ohh, the whole him not meant to be being joined thing. Nodding in response to the man explaining that he was shadowing someone aboard who was in the late stages of the whole process, the Ferengi couldn’t help but feel mixed feelings on all of it. For one, neither of them knew when anything could happen, so smoothing things over was a good idea, but for two, from what she hard learnt about the Symbiosis Commission they seemed so stuck up and judgemental, and she personally didn’t like anyone of the sort. But, helping someone go through that process was good work, regardless of the organisation behind it, even if that help just meant watching what they were doing and how they behaved to make sure becoming joined was the right choice for them. x_divider

23:06

“Well I hope the Commission isn’t being too hard on you. The last thing I’d want is them overworking yourself for the sake of shadowing someone. But that being said, I do think what you’re doing is a good idea, and helping to make sure whoever this officer is is definitely ready to be joined is a nice thing to do, I think.” Dagis said softly, a small caring, knowing smile appearing on her face as she spoke. She knew very well why her partner was trying to smooth things over with them, and if she was being truthfully honest with herself she was glad he decided to do so. She didn’t think he deserved being treated poorly for the circumstances of his joining, but if doing this meant Ruhko could be joined again in the future she thought it was worth it. That smile was soon interrupted though, as the puppy attempted to jump up her leg and fail spectacularly, falling onto his back after tumbling backwards. A small shocked and concerned gasp escaped her as she saw, the woman quick to put her tea down and pick up the fluffball and put him on her lap. She gently scratched behind his ears once more, the dog’s attention falling on the Trill sat in the nearby chair. “I think he wanted a better view of his new home, or just some attention.” She said with a soft chuckle. Motherly instincts or not, she could tell just how much she already cared about the collie. (edited)

It hadn’t taken long for Dagis to adapt to having the puppy around. Giles had watched her compassion kick in as soon as she had lifted the young thing out of the box, but now it looked like she wanted to practically melt with every action it made. Even he didn’t go unaffected; the dog really was cute. Curse these tiny versions of animals with their stupid amounts of fur and their big, pleading eyes. It was far too easy to fall in love with them. He’d have been tempted to keep that puppy for himself had it not been like a lightbulb lighting up in his head when the previous owners had mentioned that they needed a home for it, and he had immediately thought of Dagis. From what he had seen of the Ferengi’s compassion and from what he was witnessing now, he was quite certain that the charity the dog came from could be reassured that it was now in good hands. “I haven’t been doing much for them at all, truthfully,” he replied when Dagis brought up the Commission and ‘being too hard on him.’ In the months since he had left 777 his work had dwindled: he had handed over his projects at Intelligence, opting to put them aside, and the division had drastically cut down on his work. Only here and there did they send him things that they thought were suited to his skillset and previous areas of expertise. As boring as it had made things, he was appreciative that they had been willing to do so. Things were on a slow wind-down for him, and mending ties with the Commission was simply part of that. “I’ve just weighed in on a few things here and there for them, and now I’m doing this. Not that I want to – I’ve never had a particularly high regard for the Commission despite the opinions of some of my past hosts – but it’s not the worst sort of work to be doing.” x_divider

23:57

He went to elaborate further but stopped so he could watch the dog instead. He was pleased to see that it had taken to Dagis just as much as she had taken to him. He couldn’t help but laugh at the way that it tried to clamber up the Ferengi’s leg, seemingly looking for attention. It only took moments for Dagis to go and scoop the tiny thing up instead. It really was a precious picture, seeing the two of them sat there, huddled up together. “You’d better not coddle him too much,” he commented, “or he’ll never want to be out of your sight. Or maybe that’s what you want, because you want a pet’s attention..? Oh, I don’t know. I’ve only ever dealt with dogs who were already trained.” A sudden question flitted into his mind, then. It was one that he had wondered about before he had even presented Dagis with the dog, curious, and trying to think of what she might decide upon. “…What do you think you might name him?”

Sitting here, right now, with a fluffy puppy in her lap and her partner in his preferred chair, Dagis truly felt very, very happy. She was still trying to process both surprises she had experienced today thus far, but both were very nice ones and were the reason why she was as happy as she was right now. Listening to Jadriel speak about pretty much anything had always relaxed her and filled her with contentment, and now she had the addition of a small dog to gently scratch behind the ears of for good measure. Hearing that he hadn’t been overworked by them at all, and as a matter of fact hadn’t really done much for them in general, was reassuring to hear, because the last thing she would ever want would be the Trill overworking himself. Ruhko being able, or rather permitted to be joined again in the future was very important to the both of them, but that still wouldn’t ever justify an organisation of any sort overworking someone just so they could guarantee that would happen. x_divider

21:50

As the man who was sat, or rather folded into the nearby chair commented about not coddling the old-time Scotch Collie pup too much lest she wanted him to always want her attention, the Ferengi couldn’t help but chuckle as she continued to gently scratch behind his ears. “I suppose I’m going to have to get him used to myself going to work so he knows I won’t be here to provide him with undivided love and attention all the time, but that being said, I wouldn’t want to leave him here alone for that length of time, so I’m going look into the pet services we have aboard. I believe we have some that provide social play services so dogs can make friends with other dogs and get well looked after while you’re away, so that might be a good place for him to go when he’s a bit bigger, but as for right now…” Looking down at the small furball in her lap, she continued. “…I might have to find the dog equivalent of a childminder.” She said with a soft chuckle. As the Trill enquired about what she might name him, she paused her little scratches and looked up again, the smile on her face being replaced with a look of contemplation as the cogs began turning. x_divider

21:50

“You know, I hadn’t actually thought about that. I’ve been so busy wrapped up in all of this that it didn’t even occur to me that I have to come up with a name for him, but I suppose everything gets named by someone, right?” The woman said, looking over at her partner with a small, content smile, before looking back down at the small dog in her lap. “I’m going to have to think about it, I think. I want it to come naturally to me and not be something I regret a month down the line.” She added with a chuckle as she resumed scratching behind his ears. Reaching forward, she picked up her tea to carry on drinking it before it went cold. “I know some people give their animals people names, but others give them cute ones like ‘Mittens’ or ‘Pebble’. I’m not sure what kind I’ll go with, but I want it to suit him.” As per what always seemed to be the norm, there was a brief moment of content silence as the Ferengi idly sipped her tea and looked at her new little friend, before a thought popped into her head to interrupt it. Looking over at Jadriel she spoke once more. “Do you know what breed he is, by the way? He looks like a miniature Turing.” She enquired with a curious yet content smile accompanied by a small chuckle.

”They exist,” Giles commented at the mention of ‘dog childminders’ and the talk about logistics. The Trill had considered the logistics of Dagis actually keeping the puppy. Of course he had: while the arrival of the tiny dog had been a surprise for her, Giles had at least ensured that her keeping the puppy was feasible. He had scoured through the lists of 777’s facilities, well aware that pets weren’t designed to be left alone for any length of time. There were vets, boarding facilities, dog walkers, dog-sitters, and everything in between. He had figured that if Dagis wasn’t comfortable stopping by every now and again to make sure the dog was okay then she could leave them with any of the other available options. They all seemed reasonable enough to him. “I know that I sprung the dog upon you, but I did do some previous research to make sure that keeping him would be something that you could do while not having to worry about what to do during work and the likes. There are a whole number of options aboard the station – they really do have everything here.” x_divider

14:53

He couldn’t help but think back to when he had stepped aboard Starbase 777 for the first time, over a year ago now. One year, six months, and… He wouldn’t count the days. He’d have liked to, but wracking his brain for a specific date had become increasingly difficult: finer details slipping away. But what he could remember was how he had met Dagis there and then for the first time in the shuttlebay – it had to be some sort of fate that had drawn them together so quickly, and then it had only been coincidence that the Ferengi turned out to be the exact person that he was trying to root out. He could also remember the sense of awe at the starbase, having never been aboard one of such size. Having lived planetside all his life meant that he was already well acquainted with everything that you would find in a city, but there was something about taking a city and then putting it in space that truly filled him with awe. “And yes, everyone gets named by someone. Unless you want to name him Dog.” The comment there was added with a hint of amusement in his tone, blue eyes regarding both Dagis and the dog with enjoyment as he observed them from the other side of the coffee table. He stopped for a moment to actually take a sip of his tea instead of just cradling the mug for warmth, the steam from the cup making his glasses fog up as he raised it. He didn’t mind: whatever blend of tea this was was worth it. “I’m sure there are lists of good pet names out there – you’ll find something. As for the breed? He looks like Turing because he’s the same breed, and they’re… Somewhat related. I didn’t ask for details of the dog family tree, but there’s some sort of relation there. The people I spoke to work to preserve that breed – it was dying out however long ago. There’s something about Scotch Collies and selective breeding that led to other types of collie, but I don’t know the details. I didn’t know dog breeds were such a complicated matter.”

As Giles confirmed that dog childminders did in fact exist Dagis nodded in appreciative response to acknowledge what was said, glad to hear that it was in fact a thing. And, as the Trill mentioned that he had looked into the available facilities before surprising her with the furball laying in her lap she nodded again, a warm, ever so slightly entertained smile crossing her face as she did. “I’d expect nothing less from you, honestly.” The woman replied lightly-heartedly. It was true, as her relationship had grown with Jadriel she had learnt that he always looked into everything in full, and always had the facts straight before presenting them. It was one of the many things she loved about him, because it meant he wasn’t just good at being there for her when she needed emotional support, but also good at helping her figure things out, too. He was a thinker, a ponderer, but most importantly, he was someone she very much so appreciated having in her life. x_divider

23:59

As soon as the man folded into the nearby chair mentioned the concept of her naming the collie pup ‘Dog’ Dagis let out a small laugh, finding the idea of naming something after what it was really quite funny, albeit also a little endearing. Another thing she found endearing was seeing her partner’s glasses fog up when he took a sip of his tea, a sight very familiar to the Ferengi when the Trill had been assigned here and they had shared similar moments to this in the past. Looking over at him as he spoke about the puppy’s breed, the look of endearment on her face soon turned to delight upon it being confirmed that her new little friend and Turing were in fact in some way related to each other. Looking down at the fluffball as she idly gave him a couple of scratches behind his ears, feeling glad that his species hadn’t died out however many years ago, another chuckle escaped her as Jadriel said that he didn’t know dog breeds were as complicated as they were. “Well they apparently are from what little I know about them, so I’m sure I’m going to have to do some research into Scotch Collies so I can best look after this little fella.” She said warmly as she looked back up at her partner. “It’ll be worth it, though.” x_divider

23:59

As the Ferengi finished speaking she took a sip of her tea, focus drifting between her partner and her dog as she smiled warmly at both in turn. That felt weird, the idea that it was her dog, but it was a good weird. A new and exciting weird, as if she was just beginning a new adventure, albeit a very cute and wholesome one. The last thing she expected to happen today was for a surprise puppy to show up on her doorstep, but for her partner to be the person to surprise her with said puppy, and to in turn also surprise her with him even being here to begin with, it was needless to say that this had made the Lieutenant feel very, incredibly grateful and happy. And it was in that mood that Dagis remained for the remainder of the day, with Jadriel staying until late as the two idly chatted about this, that, and the other, enjoying each other’s company all while the puppy remained quite content with switching between laying in her lap and sniffing about the main room, exploring and getting used to his new home. The dog bed remained untouched on his adventures, but it was frankly just because the pint-sized pup was too small to clamber into it yet. But he seemed content, and the Ferengi certainly felt content. Right here, right now, she was about as happy as could be.

Ace was at Dagis’ door with a rather unusual present. It was small, but nicely wrapped with blue wrapping paper. Inside it, Dagis would find a small data drive. The unassuming nature of it however, was deceiving. On the drive was the code to a whole holodeck program, made by Ace for Dagis. It was a full-on winter wonderland with a cozy wooden cabin with a fireplace and table, a snowy evergreen forest, and a frozen lake. The whole scene was ringed by snowy mountain peaks. It was the perfect winter scene, Ace had put a lot of love and care into it. He loved this sort of thing, and he thought he couldn’t go wrong with a fun little holodeck program. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he wanted to give this gift in person, so he rang the buzzer.

Christmas on Ferenginar was always considered an opportunistic time to capitalise off of anyone who celebrated it. That was the mentality that Dagis had hated for so many years, and thus the mentality that had tainted Christmas as a day for her. The way she saw it, it was just another opportunity to rip people off. But, that all changed when she joined Starfleet. Just like the rest of the Federation, Christmas and other holidays weren't about capitalising, but about what gifts should be about: Giving. Having spent a fair few years surrounded by this new, agreeable mentality, Christmas had slowly become one of the Ferengi's favourite times of the year. Every year like always Starbase 777 hosted its annual Secret Santa event, and every year Operations made sure it went smoothly. Despite this, though, Dagis actually had the day off today, and as such was in her quarters enjoying some quality me time. A book in one hand, cup of tea in the other, and the puppy dozing on the cushion next to her. What more could you really ask for? Midway through a rather interesting chapter, the Chief Operation Officer's attention turned to her door as the chime rang. Glancing at the puppy to see if he had been woken up, she put her book and cup down to head over to the door, mindful of making sure the collie didn't suddenly run out of her quarters as she opened it. Eyes glancing between Ace's face and the apparent gift in his hands, a friendly smile greeted the taller individual. "Oh, hello. What can I do for you?"

Ace smiled at Dagis as the door was opened. Christmas was one of the best times of the year for Ace. The only thing sad about it was that he had to choose between being with his friends on 777, or his extended family back on Earth. But, he did get to go back to Mexico City to be with his family for Día de Reyes after the New Year’s party, so he was happy. Plus, he and his sister and their friends had had a lovely time at the Winter Ball and had a little bit of a Christmas Eve party in T’Asha and Savek’s quarters, too. “Hi! I’m your Secret Santa, and I have a gift for you! I decided to give it to you myself, it feels more special that way.” He held out the small gift for her to take.

Listening to what Ace said, it took Dagis a good moment for everything to click together properly in her head. Having been overseeing both the logistics of the Secret Santa gift exchange and the recent ball, as well as looking after and subsequently learning how to look after her new puppy, she had simply had so much on her mind that she had ever so briefly blanked on the fact she was also participating in said gift exchange. “Oh! Oh, thank you!” The Ferengi replied appreciatively with an equally appreciative smile as she reached out to take the gift. “Would you- like me to open it now while you’re here? I know part of the fun of gift giving is seeing the recipient’s reaction.” She then asked, her smile still fixed on her face.

Ace handed the gift to her with a smile. It wouldn’t feel very heavy. The data drive was small after all- the real present was what was actually on it. The drive had a small label reading “Winter Wonderland!” and it also had a snowman on the label. It was cute, honestly. “Yes, if you’re alright with it!”

Nodding with a smile, the Ferengi looked down at the gift in her hands and began unwrapping it carefully, and it wasn't long until she was holding the data drive. Reading the label, looking at the snowman, if she could raise a curious eyebrow she would. Looking back up at Ace with a curious smile she spoke once more. "This may be an obvious question, but what is it? Or rather, what's on it? I know a data drive when I see one." The woman said with a chuckle.

“It’s a holodeck program! I make them for fun and for commission money, so I was like, why not make one as a gift? It’s a whole winter forest scene- though I won’t spoil the surprise anymore. It’s nice, it took me a while to program the snow. Although it’s a nice break from making oceans and amusement parks and stuff- speaking of, I cannot wait to make one to throw another party in when I have the time.” Ace was prone to rambling. He was just a very energetic guy with perpetually high spirits. He hoped Dagis would like her gift, he was always happy to share his passions with the world. Plus, being a programming nerd helped him save the Rapture once, so it was useful for more than making gifts.

A holodeck program? A winter forest scene? Oh how lovely! Having been used to Ferenginar, space (non-existent), and San Francisco's weather for the majority of her life, Dagis had rarely experienced any form of snow. Yes, she had experienced harsh climate training like everyone else who went through the Academy, but she had never had much of a chance to visit anywhere cold, so to have her own little pocket-sized winter wonderland was a very fun idea indeed. Plus, she was sure The Dog™ would enjoy the snow, too. An appreciative, warm smile crossing her face Dagis responded in a sincere tone. "Oh, that's very nice of you to make this for me. Thank you very much. I'll be sure to use it whenever I feel like enjoying some festive scenery."

“I’m glad you like it! And hey, if Operations is ever planning anything that needs a holodeck program, let me know. I’m thinking of bringing back the beach party program I used on the Rapture at some point, but I’m also down to help with anything you guys plan.” Ace said, matching the sincere tone. He liked helping out, after all. He didn’t think he was any better than what Operations could do, but he did want to help with planning and whatnot. He always felt a little bit more awkward at parties he had no part in planning or putting together. Being just a guest wasn’t his preferred method of having fun. He wanted to help provide the fun to other people and watch them enjoy it.

Smiling appreciatively at what Ace said, Dagis glanced between her gift and the Lieutenant at her door for a moment before responding. “Well it’s appreciated… I don’t actually think I got your name?” She enquired. Operations may well indeed plan something in the future, so getting the name of another holodeck program… Well, programmer was never a bad thing. Besides, the woman wanted to know the name of the individual who had gifted her with such a program, anyway. She wasn’t all work mode, after all.

“Oh, yeah! I’m Ace Horowitz, I’m one of the helmsmen. I gotta head out now, but it’s nice to meet you. I’m definitely looking forward to helping out with any upcoming stuff.” After all, most helmsmen didn’t have much to do around here. There were only so many away missions one could volunteer to be the helmsman for before he felt bad for not letting the other helmsmen have a chance. He kept everything fair, as much as he wasn’t a fan of not having a constantly moving ship to be the helmsman for. 777 had too many cool things for him to want to leave, though, so he stayed.

“Ace.” Dagis repeated. Wasn’t that a word as well? Human names always felt quite interesting to her. At least she thought it was Human, anyway. She could be wrong. “Well it was very nice to meet you, Ace, and thank you again for this.” She said with a warm smile, sounding genuinely appreciative as she gestured with the data drive in her hand. “I’ll be sure to get in contact with you if I think we need a helping hand setting up a program in the future.”

A message arrived to Dagis’ PADD and/or console.

Dagis, I thought I’d let you know that’s me officially now back on Trill. It was a miracle that I survived the journey – not because I intended upon spontaneously dying, but because there was a Bolian woman on the transport freighter who was carrying a giant cage of baby Risian birds. There must have been about six in there, all chirping as loud as possible. It took a lot of self-restraint to not open the airlock and have us all evicted into the void of space. (For legal reasons, that is a joke.) In a few days’ time I’m off to speak to the management people at the hospice I’ve been looking at. I want to meet them and see the place in person before making any decisions – it looks nice from the pictures, but I may or may not have a list of at least five alternatives in case it isn’t as nice as it seems. I heard the station ended up doing some more work for Intelligence again. How did criminals manage to set up a ‘chop shop’ aboard and run it for so long without being caught, that’s my question. Oh, and another question while I’m here – have you named The Dog yet? Yours always, Giles.