LostGirl Fic: It All Starts With..., Bo/Lauren, Part 2, 2/?
Title: It All Starts With...
Fandom: Lost Girl
Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/? (because the poor girl needs to get some)
Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do.
Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.
Author's Note: I've never written a fanfic before but there is just so much about LG that I love and I couldn't not do this. I hope it turns out as well on paper as it does in my head. I just want to stay true to the characters. Part III will soon be on its way. Well, soon-ish.
It All Starts With…
Part II: Four Deaths and the Unexpected
"Bo hello! And Kenzi, thank you both for coming." Ciara came forward with a genuine smile that didn't quite dispell the fear that Bo could see lingering around her eyes. She embraced Bo in a hug that was as real as her smile; she surprised both of them by doing the same to Kenzi.
"Uh, thank you. Interesting little place you have here." Bo hugged Ciara back, feeling only a little awkward as she did. And she was serious about the Facility.
Bo had counted ten stories on the building that appeared to be made of glass and was shaped roughly like a pyramid with a flat top. The lobby, when they entered the building, was a wash of greenary, full of leafy trees of nearly every sort. In the centre of the room was a large burbling fountain depicting a bare chested, goat-legged satyr surrounded by frolicking, scantily clad nymphs. People sat in comfortable-looking chairs and couches all in earth tones, and the tiles they walked on reminded Bo of a beach for some reason. Sunlight poured in and lent a natural warmth to the whole area. All in all, it was the nicest hospital either woman had ever seen.
"The first three floors are a medical facility," Cendtra had explained as she led them through a maze of sunny and brightly lit corridors. "The next two floors are offices for our hospital and lab staff, the next two are the labs themselves, and the top two floors are rented out to a top law firm. We also have a morgue in the lower levels so that we can help the police when it involves our people."
"Neat." Kenzi replied, being polite. Bo could tell, though, that her friend was impressed. They made their way - quickly, even Bo had to lengthen her stride to keep up with the Fae woman and Kenzi was practically jogging - to an out of the way elevator in a distant part of the building. Bo was willing to bet that there was a faster way to get there, like a private entrance to this obviously private elevator. Kenzi shot her a look as they waited for the lift to arrive and the human was catching her breath; she had the same thought, too. Intimidation? Impression? Bo didn't think that Ciara was into tactics like that.
Once in the elevator, it had taken a surprisingly short amount of time to reach their destination. So, not the top floor, then. When Cendtra had listed floors, she had only accounted for nine of them; Bo had counted ten full floors from the outside. Secrets? But she didn't ask Cendtra about it, instead she played with the plastic security pass both she and Kenzi had been given at the front desk by an overly friendly receptionist. The woman, who had delicately pointed ears hidden behind long, exquisitely coifed midnight black hair, had instructed them to wear at all times while in the building. She wondered what would happen if she didn't wear it, but wouldn't take the chance.
Exiting the elevator, they entered into another, foliage filled, sunlit waiting area. It was much smaller and felt a more personal, despite the lack of anything personal in the room. There was, however, a very nice desk with what appeared to be a state of the art computer on it and stacks of files next to it; a phone with multiple lines sat next to this and a wireless headset in a charger beside it.
Cendtra gave them a sunny smile that didn't quite reach her deep grey eyes, gestured for them both to stop beside the desk, then she sat down in the comfortable high-backed desk chair. She looked comfortable there, like she belonged, and it struck Bo that Cendtra was Ciara's secretary. Interesting that she would send her secretary to pick them up. And who, then, was Pallas?
Cendtra pushed a single button on the phone and a door behind the desk that Bo hadn't realised was there, opened.
"Please go in. Ms. Lozac'h is expecting you." The Fae woman nodded over her shoulder. Bo and Kenzi walked forward and pushed the door open, entering.
"Please, come this way, have a seat," Ciara directed them to a pair of comfortable looking arm chairs in front of a medium-sized desk that looked to be of a similar style to the one Cendtra sat at with the same high-backed desk chair.
Ciara's office was smaller than Bo expected of a billionaire who owned the building, - and several others around the world - but it was as warm and welcoming as the Faerie woman herself.
It was as full of plants as the rest of the building, from small trees to flowering vines that crawled up the windows and hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered with art of all kinds, hung in expensive looking frames. There was an overstuffed couch to one side in a small sort of niche, with a simple coffee table made entirely of metal. Everything else was done in the same earthy tones as the rest of the building, though the carpet was a deep charcoal grey.
Ciara sat in the chair behind the desk and waited for both Bo and Kenzi to take their seats opposite her. Once they were sitting down in some of the most amazing chairs Bo had ever put her ass in, Ciara let out a long sigh and blinked slowly, letting her expression fall to neutrality. It was a strange look for the fashionably dressed and usually chipper blonde woman. Bo leaned forward in her chair, waiting.
"Thank you for coming all this way; truly, I - and the local constabulary, of course - am greatful for any assistance you can offer us." Ciara told them, her voice somber.
Bo nodded her head and saw Kenzi mirroring her. "We're glad to help. But...Trick was kind of light on the details..."
Ciara nodded. "Yes, as soon as I told him that there had been three murders and that local police were hard pressed for clues, he immediately suggested you and Kenzi for the job." She frowned and then shook her head as if trying to dispell a thought she didn't like.
Kenzi tilted her head to one side and asked, "So what can you tell us?"
Ciara reached up and brushed at a strand of her blonde hair that had fallen into her eyes; her hair was much longer than the last time Bo had seen her. The pretty Fae woman then rested her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers.
"Two weeks ago, a body was found. The victim was Dark Fae and upon inspection of the body, it was found that he had been bitten several times by a large snake of unknown origin. My staff was able extract a sample of the venom from his blood and it is like nothing we have ever see or have on record." Ciara dropped her hands flat on her desk. "Three days after that, another body was found, several miles from the first. This was a Light Fae, and she appeared to have been trampled to death by something large, with cloven hooves. At first, it was thought to be an accident, perhaps a giant wild boar or heard of something. But the doctor who did the autopsy found a single bite mark from the same snake as the previous victim, as well as venom in the blood."
"So this one didn't die from the venom?" Bo asked, a little confused.
Ciara shook her head, "No. The doctor who did the autopsy stated that while there was some venom near the bite wound, it hadn't travelled very far in the blood stream, leading her to conclude that the bite was administered after the victim was dead."
Bo frowned at that. If death was caused by the stampede or whatever, why had the victim been bitten as well? That didn't make any sense. She looked over at Kenzi and could tell that her partner was thinking along the same lines.
Ciara paused, as though waiting for them to say something. When neither did, she continued, "Four days ago, the police found a third body, another of the Light. This one had been mauled by some sort of great cat, but bigger than anything seen in the area since the last ice-age. There are some people in the area with...pets...but those animals were ruled out as suspcects. And..." she trailed off. Her hands folded together tight enough that Bo could see her knuckles turn white.
"Let me guess," Kenzi said, "there was a bite on this one, too?"
Ciara nodded slowly. "Several, actually, almost like the first victim. But the body was...badly damaged...by whatever did the mauling. It took my doctor some time to find them. And it was her conlusion that all of the bites, save one, were done after time of death."
Bo binked at that. "Is that when you called Trick?"
"Yes. It was obvious, by then, that these killings weren't normal," Ciara told them. "I'm old, but not nearly so old as Trick. I thought that he might be able to tell me what kind of Fae would kill like this."
"He didn't know," Bo guessed.
"Correct. He said he needed more information, should see a body up close, but given his circumstances, he knew that was impossible. That was when he suggested sending you and Kenzi." The Fae woman concluded. She unclenched her hands and her expression thawed just a bit. "I agreed immediately. You do seem to have a knack for getting to the bottom of things."
Kenzi shot Bo a look of I told you we are good, and Bo had to bite back a smile. "Can you tell me anything about the new murder?" She asked gently.
Ciara shrugged and shoom her head sightly. "The body arrived a short time before you did. My doctor should be examining it; this autopsy is our top priority."
Bo made a thoughtful noise. Kenzi made a face, wrinkling her nose. "It's all yours, Bo-Bo." The human said; she had never really gotten used to seeing bodies, as sometimes happened on their cases. She was not opposed to pictures, but actual dead bodies were high on her ick factorometer. Bo didn't mind them so much and had even learned some basic forensics and anatomy to make their jobs easier. And so that they didn't have to rely overly on the Ash or his lab. No matter what part Bo had played in saving the entire Fae race from destruction, she was still unaligned, and she had never gotten on well with authority.
Ciara looked back and forth between the two women, a look of gentle puzzlement on her face. "Erm, pardon?"
Bo gave her a tight smile. "Ciara, you don't happen to have any kind of...comprehensive file for the murders so far, do you?" The succubus asked. She thought she knew the answer, but it was better to ask than to just expect.
"Oh yes, of course," she responed brightly, "I had copies of everything made for you." She put up a hand in a 'give me a moment' gesture and pressed a button on her phone until it made a buzz sound. "Cendtra, could you please call Doctor Monson and ask him to bring up the files I had him put together?"
"Of course, right away." Came Cendtra's voice. It sounded much more confident than it had earlier; she must've been way out of her comfort zone at the air strip, Bo realised. That accounted for some of the anxiety she'd sensed.
"Thank you. Now," Ciara turned her attention back to the two investigators, "what were you saying a moment ago?"
Kenzi sighed and made a face again. "Bo is going to want to see the new body."
Ciara looked startled.
"It's for Trick. He's going to want some kind of first hand account." Bo explained; Kenzi rolled her eyes. She knew better.
Ciara didn't see Kenzi - which was probably for the best - and nodded her agreement. "Oh, I didn't think of that. Of course. Though before I have you escorted to the morgue, there is a matter that I would like to discuss with you. Two, actually, but one is more...delicate...than the other."
"Oh?" Bo raised an eybrow. Ciara looked slightly embarrassed as she glanced uncertainly at the human. "You can speak freely in front of Kenzi, we have no secrets." The succubus earned a small smile from her friend at that.
"Alright," Ciara said slowly. She shifted in her chair, obviously unsure of how to begin. Finally, she said, "As your host, it is my responsibility to see to your needs and comforts while your here. To that end, you have a suite of rooms at the most exclusive hotel in Zurich and I've arranged to have you driven wherever you need to go." She paused to consider her next words, "Bo, what do you require in terms of...your Hunger?"
"Huh? Oh!" Bo understood the question. "I hadn't thought of that..." Back home, she had a regular 'menu' of people and Fae who were more than willing to help her heal when she needed to, or to help her feed her hunger. She hadn't even thought about that aspect of herself when she agreed to come here.
"I made sure she ate before she got on the plane." Kenzi piped up, trying to be helpful and earning her a reproachful look from Ciara.
Bo shook her head, partly in amusement, "I need to replenish my store of chi about every three days or so. More often if I use any energy for...other purposes, or if I need to heal." She told her host honestly.
Ciara pursed her lips. "I took the liberty of polling those of our people who work here, after I sent for you. Several have expressed their willingness to...provide what you require. I would like it if you could...choose...before you leave for the hotel."
This surprised Bo. She hadn't really expected this kind of hospitality. "Okay..." she drew the word out. She looked at Kenzi to find icy-blue eyes glittering with barely contained amusement. Damn it, she wasn't going to get out of letting her friend come along when she made her choices. She also knew that at some point, Kenzi was going to make some wise-ass remark about it. God, she loved the wee human; Kenzi kept life entertaining.
"Excellent." Ciara looked relieved to have the convesation over with. Bo agreed. The Faerie woman pressed the button on her phone again and spoke. "Please have security send someone up to escort our guest to the morgue. And tell the doctor that she will have a guest. Thank you, Cendtra."
"Yes ma'am," came the soft feminine voice over the intercom, she pronounced the second word like 'mum'.
"Alright, security will escort you in a few moments, Bo. Kenzi can remain here until Doctor Bronson appears with the files I requested." She looked a little annoyed that this doctor seemed to be taking his sweet time getting there.
"Thank you, Ciara." Bo said, meaning it.
"Don't thank me yet," the fae replied, her voice a little bitter, "You haven't yet met with the trio in charge of the investigation. That was the other detail I wanted to discuss with you. I've arranged for you to meet with Inspectors Vard, Vard, and O'Connell tomorrow afternoon. They are..." she shook here head, at a loss for words.
"Why do two of them have the same last name?" Kenzi wanted to know.
"Erika Vard is a Gemini." Ciara said by way of explanation. Kenzi's eyes widened. Hale had actually told her about his 'encounter' with a single Gemini.
"Wow. How does that work?"
"The Trio, as they are so called, have a very, very good track record - they are exceptional at their jobs. I tell you this only because this case has them utterly perplexed. They welcome your help, Bo, however..."
Bo got it. She had worked with Dyson and Hale on more than a few cases where the dynamic duo had been stymied. "Pride goeth," she muttered.
"Oh great, they're going to be cranky. Gotta love cranky cops." Kenzi piped up, shaking her head in dismay. "Bo isn't going to have to 'calm' them down is she?" She used air-quotes to expound her meaning.
"No, nothing like that. I hope." Ciara supplied hurriedly. "They said they would be co-operative. Just...try not to rub their face in their failure."
"We will do our best. I -" Bo was cut off by a buzz from the phone on Ciara's desk.
Ciara pressed the button down and Cendtra's voice announced that Bo's security escort had arrived.
"Very well." All three women stood, but Ciara didn't move from behind her desk. She just watched as Kenzi followed Bo to the door. Before she opened it, Bo stopped and leaned in close to her friend.
"I think there's something she isn't telling us. See if you can get it out of her?" She requested quietly.
"Me? You don't think she'll actually talk to me, do you?" Kenzi protested.
"Just give it a shot, Kenz. We'll compare notes when I get back." This last sentence was said loud enough for Ciara to hear.
"Right." Kenzi replied, winking at Bo. "Have fun with the dead guy."
Bo gave her a playful punch on the shoulder and a grin that wasn't feigned. Kenzi answered with a playful smile of her own. She shut the door behind her friend, trusting that the succubus could look after herself for awhile. She turned around and gave Ciara her sunniest smile as she moved back to her chair and sank into it.
"Where did you get these chairs?" She practically groaned in pleasure. "I've never sat in anything so...it's like a hug! For my ass!" Kenzi closed her eyes. She was rewarded by a genuine laugh from Ciara and opened her eyes to flash the Faerie one of the looks she had perfected over the years. It was almost always guarenteed to get someone to talk about something they didn't want to. Bo called it Kenzi's super-power.
Ciara opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped when a door that Kenzi hadn’t even known was there - for the second time! What was this place, a castle? - opened beside the couch.
“Mummy!” cried a voice and the form of a small child charged through the opening and flung itself at the woman behind the desk. Ciara’s face registered surprise for a split second before she broke out in a broad grin and caught the child up in a strong hug.
“Escaped again, did you?” The Faerie asked, laughing, as she detached the child’s arms from where they were wrapped around her neck. She gave the child a kiss on each cheek, eliciting a high pitched giggle.
“Yah, yah!” The child agreed, nodding vigorously and bouncing up and down on Ciara’s lap. “Mummy, go home now!”
Ciara’s face fell and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, my darling, Mummy has to work for a little while longer.” The little boy - Kenzi had yet to see a face, but she was sure it was a boy - began to sniffle and Kenzi recognised the revving up of a tantrum when she saw it. “No, no, don’t cry, my love. Here now,” she hugged the child to her once more, rubbing his back in slow calming circles, “why don’t you meet Mummy’s friend?”
At the mention of another person, the child quickly forgot his tears and swung his little face around until he saw Kenzi. Then, he grinned and scrambled down from his mother to run around the desk and stand, hands on hips, in front of Kenzi. He was pretty adorable; he had wheat-blonde hair that curled carelessly around his face, rosy, cherubic cheeks, a cute button nose, and generous cupids bow lips. What caught Kenzi’s attention the most, though, were his deep eyes - kind of a blue shot through with grey and it took her only a moment to realise where she had seen eyes of that sort before.
“Kenzi, I am proud to introduce my son, Stefan. Stefan, this is Mummy’s friend, Kenzi.” Ciara smiled as she gave the introduction. As though the words were a command, the boy flashed Kenzi a killer smile and held out his small hand to her.
“Hullo, Ken-zi,” he said jovially. Not sure what else to do and not wanting to hurt the boy’s feelings, Kenzi took his outstretched hand - tiny, even in her small hands, and warm and a little sticky - and gave it a few pumps up and down. This delighted the child and he giggled again.
“Nice to meet you, Stefan,” she replied, giving him her sunniest smiles. He took this as an invitation and she suddenly found her lap full of happy, wiggling little boy. “Oh, okay…” She looked up at Ciara, not sure what else to do. The boy took hold of a lock of Kenzi’s midnight hair and rubbed it against his cheek, smelling it as he did so. Then, he threw his arms around Kenzi’s neck in a fierce hug and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. She laughed at his antics, though she was completely taken aback by how friendly he was. Especially…
“Oh dear! I’m sorry, Miss!” A plump young woman came through the same door the boy had come from, a look of horror on her round face. Her comment was not directed at Kenzi, however, but towards Ciara. “He just slipped away when my back was turned.”
Stefan saw the woman come into the room and he clambered down from Kenzi’s lap. He ran around the desk to hide behind the chair his mother sat in. He peered around the back, glaring at the newcomer, and lifted his upper lip at her. An actual growl came from his throat. Ciara stiffened and stood abruptly.
“Stefan.” Her voice was low and hard and a little bit scary; Kenzi would never have expected it could come from Ciara. The boy froze and looked up at his mother. Kenzi watched, fascinated, as the Faerie woman knelt on one knee and pulled the boy from behind her chair, and then trapped his arms at his sides. “We do not show our teeth to friends,” she scolded. Stefan whined, sounding like a little puppy, as he looked away from his mother in capitulation. “You will apologise to Ana. You will go with her until I come for you. Do you understand?”
Stefan whined again. “Mum-my! Wanna go home!”
Ciara sighed; she let go of Stefan’s arms. “I know, my darling. I’m sorry. It’s only for a little while longer, I promise.” Stefan stuck his lower lip out and Kenzi could see that she was starting to wilt. The newcomer could see it as well and she moved quickly to Ciara’s side, crouching down and holding out her hand to the little boy, bright smile on her face.
“Stefan, would you like to come with me and play a game?” Ana asked her voice gentle and soothing.
Still not looking at them, Stefan shook his head slowly and scuffed the toe of his shoe on the carpet. He mumbled something that Kenzi couldn’t quite make out and it made Ciara sigh again. She spoke a few words to him in a language that Kenzi didn’t know, and then she kissed his cheek and pushed him towards Ana. Ana picked the boy up, balancing him on one of her wide hips. He didn’t protest, but he didn’t look happy, either. Ciara waved as Ana carried Stefan out of the room and closed the door. When it was shut, Kenzi could not tell that a door had even existed. She wondered if it was Fae magic or just really good architecture.
Ciara came around the desk and sank wearily into the chair next to Kenzi. She gave the human a weary look and shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she apologised, “sometimes I work longer than I intend and he likes to confound the women who watch him. Under normal circumstances, I would allow him to stay until it was time to go home.”
“Being a working single mom isn’t easy. But then,” Kenzi paused and regarded the Fae woman seriously, “Dyson doesn’t know he’s a father, does he?”
“No,” Ciara replied evenly, “he doesn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because he didn’t want me.” Ciara replied, her voice sad and defeated. “Kenzi, I love that man with everything I have in me. I always have. But Dyson…” She shook her head.
“It isn’t his fault,” Kenzi told her, “not really. The Norn took -“
“- I know what she took!” Ciara exclaimed, colour rising on her pale cheeks. “It took me nearly six months to learn, but I found out.” She finished. She sighed and put her hands over her face. Kenzi stayed silent. “Look, I didn’t know that I was pregnant until after I came here. I didn’t tell Dyson because I didn’t want him to think that he was…obligated to stay with me.”
“Okay,” Kenzi drew the word out, “but do you really think that he wouldn’t take your wishes into account? He’s not a complete ass, despite everything else.” She felt the need to at least try to stand up for big scratchy-faced, grumpy detective. He was still friends with Bo after all and they often worked together on cases. Kenzi had decided long ago that if Bo, of all people, could stay friendly with the man that she had always loved, and could be grown up about it, so could she. It wasn’t easy, though, seeing that sad, faraway look in her best friend’s eyes sometimes, but it gave Kenzi a sense of pride that the succubus was able to keep going. If only Bo had found someone else - besides her little snack-folks and heal-bang buddies - to fill up the hole in her heart that Dyson had left. And then there had been -
“Doctor Bronson is here,” Cendtra’s voice came out of the speaker on Ciara’s desk, breaking Kenzi’s chain of thought. The Fae woman looked up, a relief for the change evident on her face. She stood and moved back to sit behind her desk. She composed herself, putting on a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, but only someone who knew her well would recognise the mask for what it was.
“Send him in,” Ciara ordered. Kenzi sat up straighter in her chair and turned her head to look towards the door.
It opened slowly and admitted a red-haired man in a white lab coat, with his arms full of file-folders. He strode into Ciara’s office with a wide smile and made a bee-line for the desk, stopping short only when he noticed that there was another person in the room.
“Oh, hello there,” he turned his smile on Kenzi. The young woman was immediately aware that there was something different about him, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Hi,” she replied, not sure what else to say. She noticed that he was clean-shaven, that his hair was the same colour as a carrot, and that he had eyes so green they looked like the leaves of the plants crawling up the windows, the sun making them glow. He also had deep dimples in both cheeks, a few freckles scattered across his nose, and wore a silver stud in the cartilage of his left ear.
“Doctor Bronson, thank you for joining us,” Ciara said, and neither Kenzi nor the doctor missed the little bit of acid in her voice.
He turned his attention back to the woman behind the desk, his cheeks flushing just a little. “My apologies, Ciara, I had some technical difficulties. I was, however, able to get all of the information you requested.” He nodded to the stack of files in his arms.
“Did the Trio give you any problems?” Ciara’s brow furrowed.
“Vard-Prime tried to give me trouble. O’Connell came to my rescue. They are eagerly waiting to meet your consultant.” The tone of his voice on the last sentence told Kenzi just how “eager” these detectives were. Swell; hopefully Bo could charm them.
Ciara rolled her eyes. Then she gave Kenzi an apologetic look. “They really aren’t as bad as they sound, I promise. Oh, where are my manners?” She gestured and said, “Kenzi, this is Doctor Colin Bronson, Colin, I am pleased to introduce Kenzi, one of the consultants I’ve hired to help us with this case.”
Kenzi stood up. She tried to offer her hand to the doctor, but his arms were full of files. “Hi. Nice to meet you,” she said. Colin turned his gaze completely on Kenzi and she had to fight not to blush. He was actually kind of good looking, in a straight cut kind of way. “Are those for me?”
Colin blinked those amazing green eyes at her, and then looked down at what he held in his arms as though he had forgotten they were there. “Oh! Yes!” He looked perplexed for another moment and then set the files gingerly on the edge of Ciara’s desk. He reached out his hand and grasped Kenzi’s in a firm grip; his fingers were long and supple and warm. “A pleasure to meet you, Kenzi. I do hope that you and your partner can help us put a stop to this terrible business.” He said amiably. He wasn’t British, had no accent that Kenzi could discern, but his speech pattern was definitely that of someone well-heeled. Despite that, the human couldn’t help but to like him almost immediately.
“We’ll do our best,” she replied, only absently aware that she still held his hand, as well as his gaze. “Maybe Bo and the other doctor will find a clue on the new dead guy.”
Colin frowned at that. “This Bo has gone down to the morgue?” He looked back at Ciara and when he had stopped looking at her, Kenzi became aware that they were still holding hands and she dropped hers to her side, again trying not to blush. Whoa, what the hell was wrong with her?
“Erm, yes,” Ciara told him. “I agreed that she needed to see one of the bodies for herself. Doctor Lewis will just have to play nice.”
“Ciara, you know how territorial she can be. She’s worse than the Trio, sometimes. And if Bo does find something that she missed…Lauren hates having her nose rubbed in her failure.”
Kenzi heard his comment, but it took a moment for it to register. “Bo wouldn’t rub any - hang on!” She swivelled her head to stare at Ciara and then back to Colin and then back to Ciara, mouth agape. She tried to make words, but nothing would come out.
“Kenzi?” Ciara looked mildly alarmed. "Kenzi, what's wrong?"