Scaleless Drake

[20:14] They were somewhere in the Vale, somewhere devoid of prying eyes. Good. There were going to be some things Lavinia would certainly not want to have seen or heard in public. Though, why Heidi of all people was perhaps the biggest question in the clown's mind.

Wings were fully folded, barely visible, though the rest of her dark drakan being was fully exposed for the world to see. A shell of sorts, a shell she proudly flaunted that hid a good load of things within. Her usually confident demeanour did also reek a bit of fake, as if she was imitating someone rather than have it come from her own will.

"I'm sorry for botherin' ya' for this, I really dunno who else to talk to, Heidi."

Even stranger, there were so many people in this land and yet her eccentric peer was the one she wanted to talk to?

Lavinia started to pace around, gaze avoidant and shifting about. Her metal tail kept on nervously swaying from left to right andprompting frequent clinks and clangs. Quite the hazard indeed.

"I'm very afraid, Heidi. I'm gonna lose everythin' I have goin' for me, 'cause I ain't strong enough. I ain't gonna be the dragon I'm meant to be if I stay like this."

Her voice became more uneven, shaky. Not stuttering yet but the intonation was all off. She was withholding some baggage and it was quite clear.

"I dunno what to do, Heidi. I dunno HOW I can still be that special person . . . Not when he's so strong and devastatin'! She's gonna replace me, Heidi. And I dunno what I'll do!"

Not once did she give eye contact. She just blathered on without keeping much coherence, nor giving the actual context. One could see the emotions were starting to get to her, as occultic purple steam started to wheeze out of her vile, onyx scales.
(Lavinia Walters)
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[20:15] {Item} You picked up Alessa..
[20:16] {Item} You picked up Poppylus..
[20:18] {Item} You picked up Alessa..
[20:19] {Item} You picked up Poppylus..
[20:29] Heidi squinted at Lavinia for a moment, biting down on her bottom lip. She wasn't in the mood to go out and kick the shit out of anyone right now, so if Lavinia attacked her she'd be pretty screwed. Everything Heidi did required a certain passion behind it to be effective and if she didn't have a passion for combat at the time, she couldn't really fight all too well.

Alas, it appears that Lavinia didn't actually wish to fight! She'd had a niggling feeling that the girl may try to murder her out of jealousy and use the 'prying eyes' excuse as a reason to catch her alone, but thankfully it was not to be.

Today.

Lavinia didn't seem right. Her wings were folded inwards. A chronic sign of low confidence in Drakanites; most preferred to flaunt Ryujins gift outright and make it known that they were one of His blessed. To fold in ones wings was a very strange thing for a Drakanite to do, especially if they were a follower.

"Don't worry about it, something isn't right and I actually quite like you. Vent away, I'll help with what I can." Heidi said, her crackhead energy fading away as things seemed to be serious this time around.

There was no prior context to Lavinias frustrated ramblings, so Heidi was at a complete loss. This was not something she'd ever personally felt before, but it was something that the darkness constantly whispered into her mind to try and prey on her, to break her down. She was acutely aware of how piercing those feelings could be when it came to mental barriers and confidence.

"Listen, listen, calm yourself. Take a seat, smoke some reed, whatever. Just relax and take some deep breaths. Get your thoughts together. The first question I have to ask about this is, who? The second thing I have to say is, you're a confident woman, Lavinia. You're not one to give up; you keep on pushing forwards even if you get frustrated. You're like me in that regard. This bit of misery is simply a small slope on the path of your life. If you stay dedicated, you can push past and win 'His' affections, regardless of the other."

Heidi nodded sagely. Or thymely. Or rosemarily. She wasn't sure which herb would most apply to her nodding.
(Heidi Augustus)
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[20:45] Cracking sounds emitted from her fingers as her scales were applying a degree of resistance to her joints. An unnatural thing, likely due to uncontrolled growth from her loss of control over the dark. The occult was contingent on one's mindset, one's motions and here Lavinia had been slipping very quickly.

"It's- It is . . ."

Her pacing became more frantic, awkward stops with aggressive gestures of dismissal directed at nothing in particular. Her expression was that of frustration, a perpetual scowl that contained a lot of anger, but something else too.

Fear.

"It's fuckin . . . Daemia. I'm supposed to be HER DRAGON. ME! I am HER DRAGON!"

Black wings extended in this burst of aggression as she'd shout. The occultic leak had turned into a full blown cloud of miasma. It'd subside rather quickly, as did her demeanour. Wings folded back, Lavinia made herself small again.

"I'm her dragon."

One scaly hand rubbed the other, the non-verbal now stank of vulnerability. Shoulders were tense and pushed inward. Still, her gaze remained avoidant.

"But he's so strong . . . That Albino dragon. He so fuckin' strong and she wants him. She's gonna replace me for that DRAGON! Heidi! Anikos is . . . Going to be the dragon she chooses! Because I'm too weak! Because I can't beat him . . ."

Once Heidi's name was uttered, eye contact was made. There, the bluenette could see it. Beyond fear and anger was desperation and sadness. Of all the people she'd confide to, it'd be a girl Lavinia had expressed jealousy toward and saw as, well, a clown. She had nobody that she could qualify as a friend. Except for Daemia, who had the dragon wrapped around her little finger.

Emerald eyes started to distort from an abnormal accumulation of water on the optics. She didn't cry, not yet. But her voice was losing solidity. A stammer started to rule her words. She was losing control.


(Lavinia Walters)
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[20:59] Oh dear.

This wasn't love anymore; this was obsession. She wasn't seeing the rational in it. Only the potential, no matter how minute. Her obsession was spurring the tiny doubts in her mind and pushing her towards a path of self destruction.

A path that the Occult would help her down if she wasn't brought back to sanity and reason.

She could hear those cracks. She could see that pacing. She could feel the irritation and frustration as Lavinias wings sprouted outwards, but she countered that occultic miasma with some of her own, closing over her eyes to shift back the irrationality and insanity that it brought unto her.

She saw it in her eyes, just a flash before the clown had closed her own over. This was a harrowing situation for Lavinia and she was in far too deep to be able to truly see it objectively and from the outside.

"Anikos is firmly aligned with Osrona, Lavinia. I highly doubt he's doing to betray it for Daemia. I don't even think he knows who Daemia is; I still don't. You're with Daemia. You're around Daemia. He's just a passing thought in her mind."

The clown sighed, chewing on her inner lip.

"Anikos is more likely to kill Daemia than be with her. You know this, I know this. You're in too deep to see this from an outside perspective. Besides, by attacking the both of us, Anikos has made powerful enemies. He can't come anywhere near here without getting himself into trouble. Daemia won't be able to smuggle him in."

"Everything is going to be fine, Lavinia. Really. Its all going to be perfect. Everything will stay the way it is. If not? Well, we get him killed. I live in Theria, remember? I'm an Ardent Shield. We have mercenaries."
(Heidi Augustus)
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[21:09] There was no love or friendship. No obsession or veneration. Lavinia belonged to Daemia, a demon that hardly needed any sort of power to put someone under her spell. There was something insidious going on in this relationship. If only Heidi knew the extent of it.

"Daemia."

She paused, swallowing some accumulated mucus in her throat as her nose was starting to get quite runny. Sniffles couldn't be concealed no more.

"Daemia is a demon. And I'm her dragon. She knows what's best for me. She's amazing. But I have to prove I am the best dragon. That none can compare to me, Heidi. And . . ."

Her emerald gaze lowered itself to her opened, scaly hands. They were burning with an occultic flame.

"She's gettin' in his mind. I know it. I saw it. She told me. And I could see it in his eyes. He's no holy dragon. I checked. He's going to belong to her. And be her special dragon."

At this point she was wheezing, ready to explode.

"He's gonna be her experiment. Like I was. I became a witch for her, y'know?! I took in the dark. I forced these scales to gorge all this blackness, burnin' them OVER AND OVER, so I could be this dark dragon she'd be proud of. I'm a mighty dragon, but I'm her dragon."

Deep breathes. Lavinia didn't cry. Not yet. It wasn't time. It'd be a humiliation she wouldn't be able to cope with.

"I have to defeat him, Heidi . . . Or else I'll always be the lower dragon."
(Lavinia Walters)
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[21:24] A chunk of respect was lost for Lavinia as she said those words.

She had willingly consigned herself to servitude, throwing away her freedoms and consciously wrapping herself in the chains of another, purely because she hadn't the mental strength to carry on living life as she once did; free.

Anyone that knew Heidi knew that she sorted people into two categories; sheep, and people. And Lavinia had become a sheep.

The only hint of the change that was apparent was the soft sigh that escaped her nose, followed by an overall deflation in her body posture.

"Daemia has gotten into your mind too, Lavinia. You've shackled yourself to her of your own volition. You could be so much greater than she, and yet you consign yourself to live in her shadow for the rest of your existence."

What a miserable day this had become, when one of the few people she called 'friend' had slipped into the dungeon of another, only allowed out when they were serving her.

"You can be so much more. You can be bigger than Daemia. You can be better than Anikos. You've that drive. You've seen it yourself. You, Lavinia, have become so much stronger. So much more powerful. And you've done it yourself. Stating Daemia as the reason for it is doing yourself a disservice. You did it so YOU could improve. You're attributing it to a desire to serve Daemia because you're scared of life without her now, aren't you. You're scared that you'll be struck down if not for her protection. Terrified of the oppressive force the world puts out upon us all. You lack a purpose of your own creation, so you follow that of the Demons."

A sigh as Heidi stood to her feet, bracing herself for the explosion that was about to be released from Lavinia. She knew what she had said would inflame someone as devoted and . . well, broken as Lavinia was. She was not insulting her master, no. She was pointing out what she perceived as facts. Things that Lavinia suffered from.

"Be the best dragon for yourself. Anikos will fall eventually. Rushing into things head first is only going to get you killed; play the long game. He might be a time mage, but that doesn't mean he has large amounts of foresight. Watch him, observe him. Don't fight him head on. Get stronger, toy with the intricacies of his life. Control him through others."

A mischievous smirk appeared on her face, a glint visible in her eye as it opened and turned to Lavinia. The occultic influence within that eye shone like an auburn sun, blotted out by the vaporous, misty blood that flowed within.

"Get an invisibility potion and a note. Drink it, write a note and drop it in the square of Osrona. Sell Anikos out. Tell them about his affiliation with the demon. If he escapes, he'll only be closer to our infernal hands. If he stays, he'll be impounded and questioned. If they ignore the note? Well, there'll still be a seed of doubt in the minds of his peers. They'll pick apart his words. They'll watch him out of the corners of their eyes. They'll inherently distrust him trying to take them out of Osrona to roam around, fearing that this rumour was true. Fearing that he'll deliver them to the demons in the tower. It'll be a risk, but it'll have a high payout."

Ah, the tricksters gambit. If you can't beat them with force, beat them by turning those closest to them away.
(Heidi Augustus)
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[21:43] "NO! I am NOT a slave! Daemia CARES! I know she does . . ."

And yet, she was called pet more often than naught. Sometimes shrugged off as a joke by the demon, sometimes left as it was. The idea that Lavinia was a slave of any kind, let alone a willing one, made her particularly angry. It wasn't so much denial as it was a mental prison she had been put in since she was an impressionable teen.

Now, she had something to direct some anger to. Her now blue gaze fixated the pirate girl, infuriated.

"She made me STRONG! Made me FIT IN! I was NOTHING before she guided me, a fuckin' NOTHIN' BUMPKIN 'till she came along!"

She screamed, getting ever more hostile to Heidi and closing some distance between the two. Her wings had since stretched out, arms open and claws ready. All in a display of faux confidence as she'd show no signs of actually, well, attacking.

"Daemia's . . . Everythin' I have now. I don't really have friends, I dunno if you even care 'bout me. We never hung out or nothin', I just . . ."

Cooling down, her wings retreated, posture stiff but more docile with her arms folding to the defensive.

"Heidi, I'm so scared."

Finally, the breakdown. Heidi's insight and alternatives to dealing with the problem were, ultimately, not actually the solution needed for this broken individual. But the pirate's initial proposition that Lavinia was to look out for herself had done a good job in breaking the constant facades of aggression she was displaying.

Tears flowed out, as they should have years ago, her composure completely breaking. The dragon fell on her but, onyx hands seeking to hide her face.

"I've got nothin' without her. And I don't wanna go back to the world as . . . LAVINIA WALTERS. I wanna be a dragon someone's proud of. Daemia was proud of me. I want her to love me. I have to be strong for that. I have to be the strongest. It makes me so tired. So scared. If I don't TAKE, I'll have everything taken away from me."
(Lavinia Walters)
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[22:28] As Lavinias aggression began to spark up once more, both of Heidis 'eyes' locked onto hers. Now, the thing is, the clown was not a sane person. She did not follow rationale. The voices in her head whispered to her by the Occult were as much hers as they were the Darks.

So as that aggression appeared, so did a form of Heidis. Not physical, no; it was just a glare from the girl. But that glare. . held something in it. The blood that swirled around wasn't simply flowing anymore; it was violently thrashing, mixing with the auburn ring that acted like oil on water. It span hypnotically, aiming to draw Lavinias attention so that Heidi could

She was no illusionist, but she was certainly one with the occult. The maddening whispers in her mind were not invasive to her really anymore; she accepted them freely. They worked with her, occasionally nudging her and pricking at her to test her, but still worked with her. The arcane magicks were a true force of nature, able to worm into the strongest of minds given enough effort.

And that arcane needed a focus in the materium.

It merged with the blood inside of her eye and slowly began to penetrate Lavinias defences. The longer her eyes locked onto the girl, the worse it would get for her. The whispers that Heidi commanded dug into her, manipulating the other girls own eyes to show her exactly what Heidi saw.

Lavinia herself, wrapped in chains in a dark room, kneeling. A misty entity standing behind her, marble teeth flashing in a grin. Crimson eyes, staring down at her from behind, the chains her hands. As the beast tugged, Lavinia moved. Puppeteering her, making her dance for her pleasure. The true Lavinia buried deep within, locked and chained under the control of another.

As quickly as the visions began, they ceased. . but the whispers within Lavinias mind had something else to taunt her with now. The fact that she had become a slave to Daemia, fit onlyto serve her. No free will, no pleasures that were not derived from Daemia in some way. Just a puppet.

A pet.

"Situations are reversible, Lavinia. You got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out. What you are lacking is self confidence and purpose. That's how I see it. YOU made yourself strong. YOU made yourself fit in. You were LAVINIA before you were under her thumb. All SHE did was give you a nudge in the right direction, just like anyone else could have. Just like my mother did to me."

A growl escaped her lips as a vapor began to exhude from the girl, not quite crimson anymore. Flashes of orange and black shone through the bloody mist as she began her verbal assault.

"You have me. You have Lemuria. I care about you, even if we don't hang out. You were one of the people that introduced me to this. We practiced together. You set me a goal. You gave me something to work towards, just as Daemia did to you. If I'm to become strong in body, I have to get to a point where I can beat YOU."

"I don't NEED to stay in your shadow to achieve that goal. Its there, in the back of my mind. I have purpose. You gave me purpose. I don't see myself submitting to your will! I had nothing either; I had no friends, no family, no money, only me and the clothes on my back. And look at me now! I've got Lemuria, Alita and Vanamir. I've got the Ardent Shield. I've got the Mal'Phas brothers. I've got all the people in Moonfall!"

"BECAUSE I DID NOT SUBMIT. I DID NOT BOW, I DID NOT BEND, I DID NOT BREAK.

"Go back to the world as Lavinia Walters. Its better than 'That Pet Dragon.' Be yourself. Be you. Become the person you were meant to be, not the one Daemia wants you to become. Become free Lavinia. You're BETTER thana servant. You've broken yourself down so utterly, so completely, that its hard to recognise you anymore."

Heidi let out a sigh, biting her lip. Perhaps she had been too aggressive. The cyan flame that burnt in her left eye socket wavered slightly, betraying her emotions.

When did Heidi start to care?

"She can't take the things that are yours. Your power, your might, your scales, your darkness. All she'll take is the guiding hand. And then you'll be free to find your own way through life. You can be better than this, Lav. You can be you again. Just keep on pushing through. You made a friend in me even without Daemia telling you to. Get your damned freedom back."
(Heidi Augustus)
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[22:50] What a revolting sight. Words made a concrete reality. Lavinia refused to believe and yet it was presented so clearly before her two drakan eyes. In this world, Heidi's world, Lavinia was what she hated the most: Someone with no will of their own. Someone who was to be discarded and forgotten. A nothing.

Tearful eyes remained static after this grand revelation, mouth slightly agape. It was practically impossible for Lavinia to think straight in this current time. Too many thoughts, all of them so surreal considering her broken mindset.

Her hands no longer sealed those blue, possessed eyes from the world and rose to clench her scalp. Onyx claws attempt to dig into the skin, but luckily she could show some restraint.

The Drakanite was like a small, cornered creature now, sitting down on the ground, wings wrapping around her being as if embracing herself, her metallic tail doing the same.

All these words, some of aggression, many of tough love encouragement. They were difficult for the drakan to assimilate. They presented a reality where people, beyond Daemia, could care about her even if she were a 'nothing'. It was hardly conceivable. And yet there it was.

". . . I have, you? A friend?"

Her wings had since sealed her from the outside, but she'd allow a little peek out upon recognizing the weight of some words. A once pale visage was all red and covered in dried tears. Her optics were just as red behind the blue veil they maintained. Many sniffles, quite a bit of shaking. She was a child again, very afraid and alone in a corner.

"I did not submit . . . I'm just so scared of bein' alone, Heidi. Of bein' eaten 'cause I'm a nothin'. And she'll hurt me if I leave. She'll punish me. She says she knows what's best for me and I'll be nothin' if I leave. I'm scared. I love her and I'm scared of her."

She was so cold. So very cold in this lonely world.
(Lavinia Walters)
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[23:17] Heidi could tell, immediately, that her gambit had worked; she'd shown Lavinia what she thought of the Drakanite through a vision empowered by her twisted eye. Occult, blood and remnants of the energies of Time itself residing with in the orb, all coming together to add fire to the darkness that crept into the draconic occultists mind every waking moment. Heidi was a being of willpower, and she'd extended that willpower within her magicks to invade the mind of Lavinia.

Perhaps she could learn to use something like this in combat. Cause enemies to constantly second guess their actions, to slow them down. Lock them in their own headspace by thrusting visions at them. That'd give her a powerful tactical advantage. Perhaps she could see this as a test run!

Heidi watched with an internal grin as Lavinia froze up, bend into seeing what Heidi herself saw. Her hands dug into her forehead as she lay on the floor, as if the girl was tearing at her own mind begging it to stop screaming. She could tell she was in mental pain, and Heidi knew that she'd done it.

Even though she considered Lavinia a friend, it still excited her to see anguish brought on or enhanced by her own machinations. She revelled in it. Extending the darkness within her unto others and seeing them suffer.

Heidi had truly lost her mind since becoming an occultist. Never mind a Witch.

Perhaps Lavinia had suffered enough now. Yes. It was time to try and rebuild her as a free person. Lavinia was a sheep at the current moment, though by her words. . it seemed like she wasn't quite Daemia's sheep, but a sheep to her own anguish. She was doing anything she could to make it stop when she should be revelling in it, using it to fuel her.

The clown leant down and offered a hand to the woman, sans joy buzzer this time. A peace branch. A way out of the misery, perhaps. She could fall under Heidis own wing, where she'd be taught freedom.

After Heidi was done doing what she needed to do.

"She's preying on your weak mental state to manipulate you. You have me, as a friend. Mum, as a teacher. You won't be eaten because you're a nobody. I'm still a nobody, and I've not been eaten! You're safe as long as you stay back in the shadows and don't peek your head out. Only make moves when you're confident enough that you can succeed."

Heidi sighed, biting her lower lip. This was more difficult than she'd imagined.

"The only one who knows what is truly best for you, is you. Come, it'll take time to learn but we'll do it. We'll help you find your purpose. Your goal. Yes? I've got your back."

Even as the rest of her mind screamed that Lavinia would be a perfect sheep for her to manipulate, a small part of her desired a true, close friendship. Whether Heidi chose to listen to the screaming majority or the whispering minority was yet to become apparent.

"You love what she represents. Not who she is."
(Heidi Augustus)
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[23:33] A hand was presented to her. An invitation. Lavinia just stared at it, silently, as Heidi continued to hammer in the notion of independence and freedom. Most of it had been registered, though things such as staying in the shadows were not exactly resonating with her proud draconian mindset.

An extremely hesitant hand attempted to close the distance between the two. It was shaky, just like the rest of Lavinia's body. It was likely known by most that this Drakanite had issues with physical contact and hardly ever even let Daemia touch her.

But Lavinia was starved for genuine human contact. Something so essential had gotten so foreign to her that she'd forego the fear just long enough to breach this barrier. Her hand rested upon Heidi's, conferring only a weak grip to the slightly younger female.

"My goal is to be a dragon, yes. A mighty dragon."

A sudden tug would attempt to pull Heidi down into the wing-cocoon Lavinia had opened for this specific moment. She sought an embrace, no matter how brief or superficial. Actual physical contact that didn't cause every fibre of her being to wallow in disgust. She just needed affection.

"'Cause I'm mighty. M'hm. As mighty as them."

At this point it could go two ways. Either she'd seize her position as Daemia's dragon, or take back her freedom by severing chains Daemia had on her. Of course, it wouldn't be easy either way. But the options were clearer now with Heidi's peculiar and rather cruel methods.
(Lavinia Walters)
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[23:58] Whilst Lavinias grip was weak, Heidis was strong. The Drakanite shook, the Clown remained solid. Heidi was unwavering in her determination; once she stuck her mind on something, it became a fact that she'd achieve it. At least, in her mind it did.

There was no time for second guessing in the clowns chaotic life. Her grip was the complete opposite of Lavinias.

It was confident. Understanding. The grip of a woman who tasted true freedom on a daily basis, unburdened by what-ifs and could-be's.

And Heidi chuckled as she found herself pulled down into Lavinias little cocoon. The bizarre clown wrapped her in a tight hug and let her corrupted mana flow out, wrapping around the girl like an itchy blanket. It was the best Heidi could do to really. . well, comfort her like this?

"Just as mighty as them, Lavinia. You're a fine dragon. You'll grow into a mighty dragon. There is no ceiling that can stop your growth unless you let there be. And if you're under the control of a manipulator? They'd be insane to let you come close to surpassing them. Don't let anyone inhibit your growth."

Funny how that worked, wasn't it?
(Heidi Augustus)

[00:07] So much closeness. Today was just full of novelties. And Lavinia was, for once, welcoming them. There was still a strong sense of revulsion deep in her stomach, but it was superseded by her desperation for something real, actual affection. Whether it was genuine or not did not matter, to Lavinia's vulnerable mind it was the realest thing.

The mana emanated from the clown was carefully contained in the confined of the wing barrier, as if Lavinia's own occultic mana that had imbibed the scales emerged to mingle with Heidi's. It truly was a desperate reach-out for something more than mere servitude.

"Heh . . . I never had no one really say that t'me like that. Maybe Mister Seneval to an extent but."

She sighed, letting her chin rest over her friend's shoulder, cheek rubbing against the pirate's wicked hair.

"He's a demon. Demons don't truly care. But I think you care, Heidi. I care. You're myfirst friend that ain't a demon. Actual friend. Heh."

Lots of sniffles in between words, but she was getting more coherent. Heidi could leave a she wanted since there was no actual force in Lavinia's hold. Though the cocoon was oddly comfortable and inspired some safety! Her scales were as hard as Nyeshk after all.

"I'm gonna have t'make a choice, huh? Mmm. T'stand my ground as a dragon, for I am as big, if not bigger, than mere demons."

She smiled at the thought.
(Lavinia Walters)
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[00:21] Gently, Heidi pulled herself away from Lavinias embrace and smiled warmly down at her. Well, as warmly as an insane clown with a big red nose, a corrupted eye and a blue flame within an empty socket could!

She extended her hand once more to Lavinia, smile still present.

"C'mon, friend. Lets get out of here and get some fresh sunlight instead of whatever fakery this. . bizarre subterranean cavity holds."

Heidi thought for a moment, then said one last thing. "You're bigger than demons. Become the dragon you were meant to be with no ceiling to hold you back."

If Lavinia took her hand, she'd haul the drakanite from the ground and lead her to the exit of the Vale so they could get some Gloriously Incandescent Sunlight once more.
(Heidi Augustus)
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[00:26] With less hesitation this time, the hand was seized and Lavinia stood herself up. Wings half-extended, tail carefully swaying with a degree of confidence in her clinks and clangs!

"M'hm, gettin' kinda sick of this place myself. Heh."

She chuckled, brushing herself off with her free hand as Heidi imparted one last bit that would leave the dragon somewhat flustered.

"Haha . . . There's no ceilin', 'cause I'll be rulin' the skies soon, m'hm. You can bet on that- . . ."

A pause, her hand still grasping Heidi's.

"-Friend."

A smile.
(Lavinia Walters)