A new mission ~ Rylas ~ Samheen 18th

[Guest]

The redheaded fellow likely had other duties, thus there was no telling how long he would remain in his office. Rylas listened for his doorknob twisting, and glanced at it occaisionally. If caught, he was confident he could explain away suspicions, provided the catch didn't come during a particular window of vulnerability as Rylas was fiddling with the door. Even so, if he wanted to leave with his objective, all but the absolute best case scenario would require violence at that point.

In a way, he was thankful for the sweeping sound. Whoever was making it could be easily tracked as long as the noise kept up. Time being of the essence, he slinked over to the door even as he was checking for others and gave it a try. As he didn't expect to be so lucky, he was already fishing out his lockpicks.

[Ashari]

It was lucky that he had the foresight to already be pulling out the lockpick set, for the door was most definately latched and no amount of turning the knob would remedy it. The lock itself was simple in design, very similar to one of the ones that Tedrin had given to him for practicing upon.

Compared to some of the other locks it was almost simplistic, but a challenge at this time might be worse then better, as the shuffling noise was gradually, albeit slowly, moving closer down the hallway.

Once beyond the threshold of the door, Rylas would find himself in a barren room save for a desk in the center of the where papers were set about in piles atop it's surface, someone was trying to organize. The information was set up in order of sequence, monthly transaction summaries, the day to day deliveries into the arena. It was a busy place, no matter how desolate it appeared.

All of the desk drawers were closed, and a chair settled slightly pulled out from where it truely belonged. Across from the desk there was also another chair, this one seeming less comfortable than the plush cushioned chair of the desk's owner. The whole room had a stale scent to it, as if it hadn't been occupied nearly enough. The walls were empty and of a muted brown color. Even the desk itself, aside from the parchment rolls, was devoid of personal belongings.

[Guest]

"...in the arena there are letters I need. Go there to the office of the owner..."

It occured to Rylas for the first time that Tedrin's design in giving Rylas the chain of practice locks had been for more than simply furthering his education. The relative ease of the task at this critical juncture made him grateful to have invested the time practicing.

Once inside the room, Rylas closed and locked the door behind him. Should the worst come to pass, he would at least have the time it took someone to unlock the door to react. Indeed, during his entire occupation of the office, one ear would be listening for the warning of the dull, metal to metal sound of a key in the lock he had just defeated.

If not for the small talk that had passed between he and the redheaded clerk, he might have wondered if this were the wrong place. The office had none of the trappings of an executive workspace. Whomever the new proprietor was, he had the tiniest measure of Rylas's respect, since it appeared on the surface he was primarily concerned with business. Were Rylas ever in a similar position, he would likely have immediatly added some trinket signifying his ownership.

Of course, he would also have added a more formidable lock.

"...left hand drawer of desk has a fake drawer set inside, perhaps locked..."

His information collecting nature urged him to peruse all the paperwork the desk held, but he resolved that such would be foolish. He hadn't the time to, much less the time to rearrange it all to hide the fact he had been there. Likely just clerical flotsam. Not worth the time... As he approached the desk, he took special care not to budge anything not related to his task, not even the desk chair. The last thing he wished was to be hounded through the city yet again. So, he began gingerly searching the desk according to the parameters of Tedrin's note.

[Ashari]

The drawer that Rylas tried on the left was indeed locked at one time, but the mechanism had been pried out and then also emptied of most everything except for a few flat parchment notations. Over on the left hand lower corner of the drawer there was something, a little notch taken out of the bottom of the drawer creating a little hole smaller than the diameter of even Rylas' smallest finger.

Beyond the door there were no sounds, except for the sweeping, but even that was very distant with the walls between him and the brushing motion. This darkened room, with only a small bit of natural light coming in through a window at the top far wall, was rather cold, and a chill ran down his spine as he searched carefully avoiding messing anything up.

[Guest]

While voyaging - or rather, languishing - at sea, Rylas had much time to watch the sea. In fact, it was the only thing to watch, unless one had a penchant for slovenly sailors and their vulgar exchanges. The shape of the waves had fascinated him, likely again due to the fact that there was little else fascinating.

The natural rhythm of ocean waves could be a metaphor for a number of things, he decided. As he saw it, anticipation is a common theme of existence, being found in love and war, lust and bloodlust, among other things. It can be seen in tangible form in the rush and subsequent release of a wave which has crested and broke. Conversely, waves which met with the bow of a ship were dispersed, pulverized anticlimactically before reaching their apex.

Was this analogy now true for him? As he looked down into the damaged drawer, his brows flared up, and he considered he possibility of someone having beaten him to the punch. Was the wave that had brought him into the office halted prematurely?

Pulling on the drawer (and forcing himself to do so gently) he tried to remove it from the desk completely in order to inspect it all over, as well as the cavity it sat in. Not forgetting the note's mention of a hidden space, he hoped that if someone else had been in search of these letters, they had overlooked such a detail. Producing one of his three small knives he had thought to bring, he set the point into the tiny notch in the bottom of the drawer to see what might come of prying at it.

[Ashari]

The drawer easily pulled from it's spot within the desk, allowing Rylas closer inspection which, from looking at the depth of the outside, and what was seen on the inside, it was obvious there were a good three inches unaccounted for. The knifetip turned out to be a perfect fit for the little notch, and easily allowed him to lift the false bottom of the drawer.

It was barren.

Someone must've already gotten to the information, somehow beaten Rylas to it, which only meant it must've been important, otherwise no one would've bothered with it. Though, as he moved there was the slightest glint of light within the hidden chamber of the drawer. A small torn piece of parchement, to which was affixed an emblem, notably a wax seal from a letter. Were he to examine it closely he would discover a sun with tongues of flame reaching outward. The same, or similar, symbol could be seen all over Abu`Sahir, wherever someone wanted to pay homage to the Rafao.

[Guest]

Rylas gave a frustrated sigh, with a look on his face like he had just got into some bad ale. Failure was always hard to swallow, especially when one had come so close. And especially since it was the first thing Tedin had tasked him with.

Taking the remaining shred of paper in his thumb and forefinger, he eyed it like some peculiar insect. He knew next to nothing about the local politics and heirarchy, but he didn't need to be a native to know whatever was happening here had far-reaching effects. Rylas was disappointed, but the more he thought about it he wasn't surprised that someone had got to the letters ahead of him.

Of course, it made the fact that he didn't have them all the more bitter. Even so, powerful men were most often made that way by other powerful men. Tedrin would have an abundance of contingency plans. Rylas wondered if he would even be surprised should Tedrin have the letters in his posession before he ever made contact again.

He took care to replace everything the way he had found it, save for the piece of paper left over with the seal, which went into his money purse. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened for anyone on the other side before trying to make his exit.

[Ashari]

The office appeared to be as he had found it and as he took his leave and pressed his ear to the door he could just barely hear the sound of the sweeping, sounding like it was moving in the other direction now. Opening the door he wouldn't find the hallway though, instead a very large man stood staring down at him with his arms crossed over his wide chest. His skin was the darkest shade he had ever seen, but different than a dark adhiel. Where their's was a dusky dark shade this was a deep brown almost lending to black.

His nose was wide and flat and his head newly shaven. Ink colored eyes met Rylas' with a strong intensity. "Hello there." His deep bass voice said. It was an impressive thing to loom over someone of six feet in height, but this muscled black man did just that. "I suggest you step back into that room before we call attention to ourselves." He said, moving forward only the slightest bit.

His large arms were exposed from beneath a tan shirt and breeches of similar tone, which weren't quite long enough on him, leaving a small section of his calf exposed before his dirty dusty ankle boots covered.

[Guest]

Rylas froze in place, much like a surprised animal, as he found himself eye-to-chest with the large man. After a brief stall, his mind began racing, his eyes growing wider with each scenario that began in his mind. Was this a guard, should he try to explain himself? Would he call out to someone, would a stilleto to the ribs be the solution? Could he be quick enough?

None of this flurry of thoughts had invoked action from his limbs as yet; right around the time Rylas was seeing himself having been thrown into the arena during an animal fight as punishment, the fellow spoke his greeting, causing Rylas to blink in a moment of confusion. The possibility that the massive gentleman was not necessarily hostile had yet to occur to Rylas.

Minutely relieved to move back inside the office lest someone else should poke out their head, he backed into the center of the room, declining to turn his back on this latest impediment. More out of pride than any tactical notion, he straightened up for what it was worth and set his jaw to keep from betraying the hammering of his heart. He made no move for his stilleto, as he didn't see any point in escalating the situation until he knew what the dark man's intentions were.

Part of him figured, however, that the mammoth before him wouldn't worry overmuch about a stiletto. Something more like the lochaber axe Rylas used to have would've been wholly more appropriate.

As he silently waited for an explanation, either given or inherent, he remembered how much he despised surprises.

[Ashari]

"Good man." The deep voice rumbled as Rylas stepped in the office. " Listening is the smartest thing you can do right now. See, we have a bit of a problem, you don't belong in this office, I know that.. and I'm fairly sure you know that as well." The large man looked down at Rylas, no amount of straigtening up was going to worry him. Pulling the door shut behind him the behemoth leaned against the wall and stared down his new companion.

"I believe you should be working on an explaination right now, and it better be good." He crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles rippled beneath the dark skin. "As well as offering a name of some sort, preferrably your own, not a made up one."

[Guest]

Rylas gave a little sneer, as any answers he had hoped to glean were late in coming. The interloper had managed great ambiguity in his questioning. He certainly seemed to have more awareness, in a word, than the average guard dog. If he was a guard, however, then alluding to sensitive information could land Rylas in more hot water with the arena than he possibly was already, not to mention tipping the hand of those he represented.

Of course, there was no guarantee this large man wasn't the one the office belonged to, either. He didn't look like the administrative sort to Rylas, though looks could be deceiving.

"I was looking for the office of the owner," he answered, truthfully enough. "I was seeking information on a possible business venture." That is right, he reminded himself, thinking to put up the appropriate facade. Here in this game, I am a businessman. He crossed his own arms, and his face began to look properly exasperated.

"Is it your job here to keep people out of places they do not belong?" The answer was important to the course of Rylas's end of the conversation. It was just that fact that led him to dread another evasive answer.

So long as it is evasion, and not evisceration.

[Ashari]

"So, when on business, do you generally pick locks of soon-to-be business partners to get into their offices?" He asked, and looked down at the man before him, who, had still not given his name. That annoyed him, but he grinned as the small fry before him crossed his arms defiantly. He nearly laughed, but he kept himself in check, no doubt the booming rumble that escaped would do more to scare the guy before him anyway.

"I have many jobs here, one of which is watching out for my best interests. You are treading in dangerous waters, young man." His dark eyes bore into Rylas'.

"And you still haven't given me a name..." The black man's voice tapered off, allowing the cornered fellow to fill in the blank, and quickly. He wasn't about to let him continue on with shady answers.

"What exactly is it you are looking for here in the office?" Almost absently he looked around the room. "Everything seems pretty much in place, so either you stepped in and saw that that which you searched for was already gone.. or, you are very good at what you do, and searched without adjusting much of anything."

[Guest]

"I never said what my business was," Rylas retorted. This man looked as though he could make the earth move with his footfall, and made Rylas feel especially under-fed, but he would not allow himself to show intimidation. It was for his own benefit alone, but that had always been reason enough for Rylas.

"People here are very concerned with names," he continued, remembering his first stop in an inn when he arrived in Amun Rah. "Mine is Rylas." The thought had crossed his mind to give a false one, but he decided to save himself the trouble. "And it is both, actually." He figured he had little choice but to come clean, at least in parts. By the sound of it, this fellow likely knew what Rylas had been after anyway. I would wager he knows all sorts of things...

"Of course I try to prevent leaving...tracks." Before he realized he was doing it, he took a step toward the man. He immediately regretted it, but to step back again would be inane. "So far, you have been very adept at this game. Here we are, prodding back and forth, trying to find out what the other man knows without divulging anything. In another time and place it could be entertaining."

Rylas reached up and snapped the hood of his cloak forward. His counterpart was forthright, and having himself committed to similar action, there was nothing left but to begin pulling out stops. "However, thus far this excursion has been fruitless, and I have somewhere to be, so I will spare you the trouble. I had no idea what I was after. I was only given a location, and that location was empty. It seems someone else has passed through whom you did not get a chance to stop and browbeat."

[Ashari]

The man grinned. "Entertaining, you say? The only entertainment I find in the Arena is that of the fights. Tresspassers often end up in such fights." It was an ominous retort.

He listened as the young man before him prattled on about not knowing what he looked for. "Or perhaps the person whom owns said thing, which is missing from such an empty spot, took it back to his home?" The dark man questioned knowingly.

"Be wary who you shrug off, Rylas." He commented and reached up, taking hold of Rylas' hood to throw it off of his head. "And from who you hide from." His muscles rippled with the tension he was holding in.

"Perhaps you should take your leave then." He stepped aside from the path to the doorway, leaving the thief to make the choice to step forward and past the burly figure whose hand was outstretched with palm upwards as if merely offering the way, like a footman outside a coach. "And do pass on my regards to your master."

[Guest]

Anger welled up within him, straining against his consternation. He was being addressed like an unruly child, something he had held a strong distaste for even in the days when he truly was just an unruly child.

The reaction almost caused him to overlook the man's tone as he offered up a suggestion as to the location of the letters; he hinted, as though trying to tease at a more complete knowledge of the situation. As part of Rylas's mind explored the tangent, he at once realized there was no action he could take on the conjecture. Even if he knew where the arena proprietor lived, he had no idea what the letters were about, or what they even looked like. Provided he wasn't caught, which was another glaring probability in the scenario, he could return to Tedrin with armloads of letters and not have the right ones.

I am sure my employer will be quite interested in the encounter, he thought to himself, silently balking at the idea of being mastered. In spite of this, the idea left an impression, a seed which Rylas would undoubtedly ponder on once the situation wasn't so tense. He spoke no further, however, not at all desiring to extend the meeting. As he made for the door for the second time, he did not turn his back to the large man, fully expecting the worst. It would be the perfect ending to a perfectly fruitless excursion to be knocked out and taken captive.

[Ashari]

The dark man made no move toward Rylas, and gave him no difficulty in leaving the office of Ramsel-Ahn. Outside the door in the hallway it was empty and quiet. The corridor seemed to stretch on into infinity in each direction, but it had been the right he had come from, which was his path out of this dark cool chamber. Passing by Pelpin's office he would hear the scratching of quill to parchment as the redhaired man wrote down figures for his boss.

The door that lead to the outside world was slightly open, letting in a stream of golden warmth from the desert landscape. For all the times Rylas may have commented on his hatred of the locale, it was a beautiful sight to see the shaft of light pouring inward, small particles of sand and dust, kicked up by his feet, sparkled in the sunlight as he approached.

[Guest]

For all the instances he actively despised this land, the portal to the outside was...refreshing. Muscles in his neck and back began to release one by one as he exited the arena. He had failed - and that irritated him greatly, especially since he was now missing more money - but he was not really any worse off than before, at least.

That is, depending on how well Tedrin or his messenger took the news.

Still feeling the rush of his tense encounter, he moved at a speed just shy of jogging to return to the inn. In the last few days he had grown to feel rather secure if not at home in the place, and he suddenly desired to get his appointment mentioned in the note overwith and be left alone once more for a spell.

[Ashari]

OOC: Sorry for the late reply.

IC:

It didn't take long to reach Anurith's once again. The place seemed to be jostling with activity, none of which was activity of customers. Rather, it was the employees shuffling about seemingly cleaning their hearts out. The common room had been scoured and a few of the vested waiters crouched on hands and knees, scrubbing at the wooden floor.

"Keep cleaning, wretches!" Yabal shouted from behind the bar. He glanced at Rylas as he entered the establishment. Only a few of the candles has been lit, leaving the place in a darkened state that almost matched the emotional tension hanging in the air. Silently the barkeep knocked back a drink. It was an amber colored beverage, beautiful and golden as it picked up what little light there was.

As their eyes met, it looked as if the man might say something to him, but then hesitated. "If ye aren't working then get up to yer room!" He hollared. Usually at this time of day the Golden Ram would be filled to the brim with merchants and nobleman's second sons all watching the spectacles on the stage. There was something most definately amiss in the louge, but Yabal's anger seemed difficult to place, and he was taking it out on most everyone around him.

If Tedrin's man had meant to meet here then he would be sourly disappointed to find both nowhere to sit and a rather unfriendly barman to keep him company. Yabal, from at the bar, cleared his throat and looked at Rylas menacingly. "Did you meet the other tenants that are staying here?" He asked, almost as if he were a separate entity than the one who had just been yelling flickers ago.

[Guest]

OOC: Likewise.

Rylas sighed to himself as his inn came into view. In the back of his mind, the inn was becoming a kind of home base, with the entire rest of the city being enemy territory. Yabal had more of Rylas's cursory trust - which was still not much - than anyone else thus far, likely due to his businesslike manner. This wasn't even quite true for Tedrin, largely due to the still largely unanswered dilemmas that arose during Rylas's time spent with Talnyah.

However, as he entered the establishment, he found himself glad he wasn't employed by Yabal. Quite the taskmaster, he noted. He also knew that, no matter how his money might wane, he could never abide by the same as these laborers for long. It was a matter of opinion as to who that made the better person.

Watching a little more closely the behavior of both employer and employee, it occured to him that he wasn't always like this. But, Rylas had enough to think about already, and for the moment anything else was blissfully not his concern.

"No, never even saw them." Rylas answered, and found himself wondering why Yabal bothered asking. If nothing else, he had to know that even when Rylas had been in the common room, he had taken as secluded a table as he could find. "Should I have?" he asked, beginning to suspect.

[Ashari]

"No, no, I was just curious." Yabal said thoughtfully, though he seemed to be drifting into his own mind even as he spoke. "I was wondering, they were supposed to be back already - earlier this afternoon." He shrugged. Worry was painted across his expression, but he hid it quickly.

"A beautiful girl, and her body guard. The young man was employed by me to make ends meet and pay for rent of their room, but his actual occupation was to keep the young woman safe. I fear for their safety."

He cleared his throat. "You are working for Tedrin, correct? I recognized his lackey, the one who dropped off your letter. If I were to give you something from him could you deliver it to his underground lair? I've not been to see him in an age, I barely remember the way."

This wasn't exactly true, he did know how to find Tedrin easily enough, but he was a proud man, and wasn't sure if he was ready to go search out the Dark Adhiel for a favour.

[Guest]

Frustration began to well up in Rylas. His only desire presently was to complete his task, return to his quarters and lock himself away. Not to mention the sudden and acute dislike of the idea of entering Tedrin's domain, due to his current failure. My boarding is paid in full, I have no reason to play courier for him.

Almost as though it were another, separate voice, he thought, But, I have no reason not to, either. His eyes softened, and he sighed out his momentary annoyance. And furthermore, I think that everywhere here maye be Tedrin's domain.

"I have been instructed to wait for one of his...lackeys," he answered, reusing Yabal's term. "I do not think it wise that he should come here and find me elsewhere. But once that is over, you or I could talk with him." He paused and frowned, as if he knew he would regret was he was about to offer. "Or if you rather your message was not relayed to yet another party, I could return to Tedrin and deliver it myself."

As an afterthought, he wondered who the other people were Yabal mentioned, and why either Yabal or himself would care, really. He spent enough thought on the matter, however, to suspect that the man in question was more than a mere bodyguard. He couldn't imagine a simple servant sharing quarters as such with his charge, otherwise.

[Ashari]

"I would appreciate such a delivery." Yabal said, and reached below his counter to draw out a letter, which was not sealed. "You will be paid for such services if you return with a letter from Tedrin." The barkeep said handing over the note to Rylas, who had turned more into a delivery boy than a mobster's handyman. Then again, maybe this is where it started.

"If his guy comes here I will tell him that you went directly to Tedrin." He said and looked over his bar at his employees who diligently were working to keep the wrath of their boss from coming down on them as they had seen it fall on others. "Then you get to speak to him personally. That is almost always better. Not many of his delivery boys are trustworthy. You would do well to keep that in mind. They are all looking to get their own, and they all want his favour." It was sound advice. Yabal, being a bar tender, was used to dispensing suggestions towards people's lives.

[Guest]

With just a nod to answer Yabal's instruction, Rylas palmed the missive and enfolded his arms beneath his cloak. With one last sharp exhale in protest, he strode from the inn once more, bound for the entry to Tedrin's.

He was not looking forward to this meeting. One thought that had comforted him as he returned from the arena was that he would not be around for Tedrin's reaction to the news. Now he would be delivering the tale of his failure in person to receive the full brunt of the underworld boss's displeasure.

Part of Rylas denied it even as he pondered it, but he needed to be in Tedrin's good graces. Rylas was a stranger in a strange land, with no connections and not even enough monetary prospect on his own to feed and house himself, much less be any kind of success or pay for passage away once again. That is, unless he wanted to slave like Yabal's employees for a yahren or more.

Were he in a more industrious mood, he would likely convince himself that he would make his way on his wits, and do well at that. For now, he was just ready to have the day behind him.

Surprisingly, it wasn't until well into his trek that the thought occured to him to read Yabal's letter. Why the bartender hadn't sealed it was a mystery, unless he had made it out in a hurry. He did have a certain urgency as far as getting it to Tedrin. The part of Rylas that considered knowledge to be power began to holler for him to shove the note before his eyes and glean any morsel that might be beneficial to know. Then Rylas found himself reminded of Yabal's comment. "...not many of his delivery boys are trustworthy..."

Is that the only role I am to play? Postman? As his enthusiasm for espionage began to bleed away again, he decided that whatever he might learn would probably be more of a burden than a boon. And as he searched for the distinctive yet inconspicuous entrance to Tedrin's extravagant safehouse, he began to prepare himself for the worst.

[Ashari]

Rylas's internal contemplations and inner monologue had easily distracted him as he moved through the streets; slowly becoming more and more familiar with his surroundings had added benefits: he didn't have to constantly pay attention to where he was going. The trip to Tedrin's was almost becoming routine. It didn't take long until he reached the impressive statue.

A quick knock on the door and a guard, a regular looking guy, allowed him in without a word. Maybe he recognized Rylas, or maybe Tedrin expected him or someone else. No matter what the circumstances the delivery boy certainly didn't recognize the guard. It seemed there was always someone different holding the door.

Downstairs Tedrin was seated at his throne quite involved with the company of one of his girls. They were in a conversation and she was acting meek and naive about his intentions toward her. As Rylas entered the underground king's domain he could easily see the dark adhiel ferociously kiss the young woman. She was of adhiel descent, but light toned skin and blonde haired, perhaps from Taquar. Amazingly enough she couldn't have been too much older than Talnyah.

Tearing himself from his bounty Tedrin looked over to Rylas. "Ah, what have you got there! Are those my letters?" He grinned and patted the young elfess on her backside and encouraged her to get out of his way. She, of course, oblidged and went out of sight leaving the gentlemen to discuss business. "I knew I could trust you, Rylas. It was a matter of realizing your potential." He moved across the room toward the young man and reached his hand out to take the folded note. As he did so he looked down. "That's not my letters... is it?" His eyes shot up to meet those of his currier.

[Guest]

The number of people working for Tedrin was boggling, or so Rylas thought as he noticed yet another different doorman. The finances he must have to keep all these people loyal... The thought was reinforced as he found the lord indulging in some of his treats. A native-looking woman wouldn't have garnered a second thought from Rylas, but an adhiel? Aside from Tedrin and Talnyah, he couldn't presently recall seeing another adhiel in the whole city. This one must have been...imported.

It raised a number of frivolous questions in Rylas's mind, which he shrugged off. What was more striking to him was further realization of how much his childhood friend and mentor had changed. Tedrin seemed to have adapted quite fully to life as an underworld boss, and he seemed far less apt to share a fireplace and an adventurous tale. Even if Rylas did consider himself a little old for such fireside stories, the feeling still gave him pause, reaching down to a place within that was mostly unstirred as of late.

Tedrin's comments were just perfect. If Rylas had been inventing such a poor situation for someone else, he couldn't have done much better than the premature praise. In many ways he began to feel like a child again as Tedrin waited for an explanation why he didn't finish his chores.

"No, Tedrin," Rylas said, his lips pulled taunt across his teeth. "This is a note Yabal asked me to give to you," he added, relinquishing the paper to the dark adhiel. Without waiting to be asked, he began recounting the morning's events.

"There was...an unforseen circumstance at the arena," he continued, purposely avoiding the word, "problem." "As I made my way to leave, a large and very dark man intercepted me. He alerted noone, at least not while I was there. It was as if he knew I was going to be there, and he seemed very aware of the...situation." More aware than I am, he admitted. "The hidden space in the drawer was empty."

Then he remembered, and his eyes widened. He hadn't left there with nothing after all. Fingering open his money purse and moving aside the paper from Yabal's sandwich, he fished out the torn corner of parchment with the wax sun seal on it. "Except for this," he said, holding it up and hoping it would mean something to Tedrin.