The Royal Menagerie - Act 1, Chapter 2 (Patreon)

*****

Chapter Two – The Gryphon

*****

The kobold threw himself to the floor as the corpse hurtled through the air above him. It tumbled overhead in an awkward flailing of limp limbs and splattered blood. A heavy boot thumped against Mhaz’s back, bouncing off him. The body smashed into a nearby chair, toppling with it into a comms station. Dials and gauges shattered under the impact and a talk-tube went flying, its delicate wires stretched to breaking.

Unsheathed talons flashed in the dim light, and clacked against the floor as the gryphon charged. Mhaz jumped to his feet, coming up firing. He knew his rounds weren’t likely to penetrate the gryphon’s body armor, so he aimed for the beast’s head. But as the gryphon ran, he darted around, his head always moving. One shot pierced the gryphon’s gray-furred ear with a little spray of blood, earning a snarl of pain, then deflected across the creature’s armored shoulder. Another bullet struck home just below the gryphon’s throat, cracking a protective plate. Neither of the kobold’s rounds did anything to slow the beast’s momentum.

The gryphon leapt, talons and beak baring down on the kobold. Mhaz dove directly under the creature, and the beast’s claws raked against his tail, opening burning, bloodied lines. Mhaz cried out, but kept his focus. He scrambled across the ground, twisting around as he went to fire three shots up at his attacker’s underbelly. Mhaz aimed for the gryphon’s chest, his belly, and his balls. Unfortunately for Mhaz, everything was armored, even the gryphon’s testicles. All three rounds hit protective plating, cracking it but not punching through. At least the last shot earned a satisfyingly pained cry from the bird, something akin to a squawking cough. As soon as he was clear, Mhaz popped to his feet and sprinted for the exit.

“AWWRK!” The gryphon skidded to a stop, twisting around. “That was my balls, you little fucker! When I catch you, I’m gonna hurl you off the damn ship!”

Mhaz pivoted back towards the gryphon, leveling off his pistol at the creature’s head. “Catch this!” The kobold fired, and the round exploded through the gryphon’s other ear, tearing the top of it in half.

The creature squealed and recoiled, clapping a paw to the side of his head. “The fuck! Both of them? Are you aiming for my ears?”

“Damn it!” Mhaz hissed. “That woulda been so cool if I killed you!” He glanced at his smoking pistol. “Must be pulling.” He lifted it, aiming at the gryphon’s head again. “Guess I gotta compensate!” He shifted his aim slightly to the left, then paused. “For my aim, I mean. Not for anything else!”

The gryphon ground his beak in pain, then pulled his paw away from his ruined ear. “Go on, then.” Blood ran down his head, painting the pale gray feathers with sticky crimson ribbons. He took a few steps forward, leaving bloodied pawprints. “Shoot me again.” 

“I will!” Mhaz snarled at him, baring his many sharp fangs. “Unless you stay right there! I’m gonna vanish, and we’ll call it even.”

“No.” The gryphon stalked towards him. This time his motions were slow, and even. “We won’t.”

“Last warning!” Mhaz tracked the gryphon’s head with ease this time. “One more step, and I turn your skull into a birdbath!”

The gryphon stopped, tilted his head, and smiled. “You’re out, lizard.”

“Am not!” Mhaz swallowed, keeping his sights steady, right between the gryphon’s eyes. “Got one left.”

“Oh?” The gryphon perked his rent, bleeding ears. He lifted a fore paw again, pointing to his ears. “One, two…” He tapped his battered chest plating. “Three, four…” Then he indicated his belly, before shaking his hind end and grimacing. “Five, six.”

“This holds seven, just for special occasions.” Mhaz took a step closer, his gaze steely, his hand steady. “So back the fuck up before I end you.”

“You’re a brave little shit, I’ll give you that.” The gryphon set his forepaw back down, clacking his beak. “Brave, or stupid. Because I only count six chambers. Tell you what. Since you’re so convinced you have one round left, I’ll give you one second to either pull the trigger, or run. Ready? Go.” The gryphon hunkered down, ready to pounce. “One.”

Mhaz did not, in fact, have a pistol with a seven-round chamber.

Mhaz ran.

*****

“Okay…” The Veterinarian leaned forward across the table. “Seriously Mhaz, what’s wrong with you? You tried to bluff a gryphon?”

“Sure did.” Mhaz folded his arms over his golden vest, grinning. “Almost worked, too. By the way, can we get me some guns with seven round chambers? That’d be great. Thanks!”

“No.” The Vet glared at him, shaking her head. “We can’t. And why did you try bluffing the gryphon? What was your endgame there?”

Mhaz shrugged. “Thought it would buy me some time to get away. Or at least to reload. Besides, I’ve always wanted to bluff someone into thinking I had rounds left. Just seems like a real badass thing to do.”

Rakla groaned, resting his muzzle against his hand, an elbow on the table. “More like a real dumbass thing to do. You know gryphons can count, right?”

“Can they?” Mhaz cast The Vet a sidelong glance. “Hers can’t.”

The Veterinarian rolled her eyes. “I’m going to tell her you said that.”

Mhaz gulped, his little black tipped frills drooping. “Can you not, maybe? Think I’ve been tossed off enough high places lately.”

Rakla barked guttural gnoll laughter. “Hah! Tossed off.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mhaz stood up in his chair to stretch his arm across the table, making a fist. “Hit it.”

Rakla thumped his much larger fist into the kobold’s. “Nice.”

“Ugh.” The Veterinarian rubbed her face. “Idiots.” She dropped her hand back to the table. “Before we continue, dare I ask if it was actually nine men you killed?”

Mhaz waved her off, glancing away. “Oh, I’ve killed way more than nine men.”

The Vet sharpened her tone. “To secure the comms room.”

Rakla spoke up before the kobold could answer. “We both know Mhaz is more than capable of taking down a whole squad like that.”

“Damn right I am.” A beaming grin split the kobold’s muzzle, his frills lifted.

“And we both know it was probably only four, at best.” The gnoll snorted.

Mhaz’s smile vanished as quickly as it came. “Four’s still a lot!” He shook a little finger at the gnoll, gold-hued eyes narrowed. “But it was nine.”

“Alright, alright.” The Veterinarian leaned back in her chair, appraising him. Usually, the kobold owned up to his own exaggerations when pressed on them. That he wasn’t doing so now likely meant it was a point of pride for him. It also meant it was probably true. Probably. Either way, she wouldn’t argue it any further. “I believe you, Mhaz. So. What happened next?”

*****

Mhaz ran.

Outside the communications room, steam still gushed from damaged pipes. Several bodies lay in bloodied heaps. Wet, crimson paw prints indicated the gryphon had come from another wide door, further down the hall. The same door was still ajar, and Mhaz could only hope there were not more gryphons waiting inside it. The stolen blueprints they’d relied upon for planning their infiltration hadn’t indicated any sort of gryphons barracks, but then again, they hadn’t indicated extra gratings or oversized doors, either. Fucking out of date information as usual, Mhaz thought. At least the presence of gryphons explained the size of the doors.

Talons clacked against the wooden floor behind him as Mhaz sprinted into the corridor where the duct collapsed. His legs already ached. The hallway ahead of him was far too long for his liking. There was no way in hell he could possibly outrun a gryphon in a straight line. And with doorways built for the bird to fit through, he couldn’t lose easily lose him by trying his luck with a random door. In a split-second decision, Mhaz broke for the outside of the ship. At least on the outer decks, he’d have room to maneuver, and hopefully clamber somewhere the gryphon couldn’t fit long enough to reload.

The kobold threw himself through the door the rain-soaked soldier entered from earlier. Mhaz found himself in a small atrium. A few sparsely padded chairs and a bench rested against its walls. Mhaz hefted one of the chairs, and wedged it up against the door handle to try and slow the gryphon. Then he spun, following wet boot prints to one of two more doors. Mhaz shoved it open, and dragged another chair threw, then used it to bar that doorway behind him, as well.

Mhaz found himself in a wider hall, now lined with portholes. Rivulets of water ran down them as rain lashed the outside of the ship. Dim, buzzing blue lights overhead provided more than enough light for the kobold’s sensitive eyes. A flash of white briefly illuminated the hallway in painfully brilliant shades when lightning knifed through the clouds, somewhere in the distance. Thunder rumbled a short time later, competing with the distant, ever-present rumbling of the ships engines. That was new, Mhaz thought. It had been raining all night, but until now, it had only been a rainstorm. The kobold just hoped the lightning wouldn’t prove problematic for their back up.

“Tet!” Mhaz adjusted his mouthpiece as he ran down the hall. “Tetrikor! We’re gonna need you!” He popped open his pistol’s cylinder, dumping his spent casings. They bounced and scattered across the floor. “Any time now!”

A loud, brassy voice soon replied. “And what exactly, little lizard, do you need me to do?”

Mhaz pulled a fresh round free to try and reload on the run. “You need to-” The barred door behind him exploded into wooden shrapnel as the gryphon crashed through it, skidding up against the wall. Mhaz dropped his cartridge. “Fuck!”

“Oh?” Rumbling laughter rattled his ear cuff. “Luckily for you, dragons are always ready to fuck. Inbound.”

The kobold ran faster, trying to seat another round. It refused to settle amidst all the jostling, instead bouncing right back out of it’s chamber. Mhaz finally managed to get a single round chambered, but by then the gryphon was at his back. He spun around, fully intent on burying that single bullet in his pursuer’s skull. But this time, the gryphon was faster. The beast lashed out with a forepaw, striking Mhaz’s hand. The force of the impact jerked Mhaz’s arm to the side so hard it spun him right back around. The gun went flying, discharging its only round into the wall. The report echoed all down the corridor.

“Ah!” Mhaz cried out as pain jolted him from his hand to his body. He stumbled away from the gryphon, grabbing at his shoulder. “Time out! You mighta dislocated my shoulder!”

“Time out?” The gryphon warbled laughter. “You tried to shoot me in the balls, and now you want to act like there are rules, to what we do?”

Mhaz stumbled away from the oversized bird, gnashing his teeth against the waves of pain still rolling through him. “Was hoping you’d at least let me set it, again.”

“No.” The gryphon shook his head, then took two quick steps, closing the distance. “I won’t.” He grabbed the kobold’s tail, and yanked Mhaz off his feet. “I already told you what I’m going to do to you.”

“Aaaaahh!” Mhaz screamed again, twisting in the air. “My tail! That’s part of my spine, you feathered fuck!”

The gryphon warbled again, padding on three paws towards the bulkhead that led outside. “I know.”

Mhaz squirmed, crying out, pain shooting through him. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to focus through the agony. When the gryphon paused to turn the handwheel, Mhaz slowly reached down to his waist, curling his fingers around the handle of one of his knives. The bulkhead locks released with a hiss, and the gryphon pushed the door open. The gryphon carried Mhaz out into the cascading rains, towards the wooden railing that lined the external deck.

“Well, kobold, it’s almost a shame I have to kill you.” The gryphon hoisted him higher. “Because-”

“Yeah! I fucked your mom last night!” Mhaz snarled through his teeth, then paused. “Oh, I thought you were gonna ask me if I had any last words.”

The gryphon cocked his head. “And that was the best you could come up with?”

“Nah.” Mhaz yanked his blade free, and plunged it into the gryphon’s foreleg. “This is!”

The gryphon shrieked, releasing his hold on Mhaz’s tail. As Mhaz hit the deck, the gryphon stumbled back, blood running down his limb and dripping off his fingers. Mhaz pushed himself to his feet, turning towards a nearby air intake vent. If he could get to while the gryphon struggled to remove the knife, then at least he’d have momentary shelter, and time to reload. But Mhaz only made it a few steps before the gryphon surged after him.

Pain exploded through Mhaz’s body when the gryphon struck him full force across his mid-section. Protective plates cracked and shattered under the impact, and claws gouged nearly through to bare hide. Mhaz could not recall being hit that hard in all his life. All the breath was knocked from the kobold’s lungs, and everything flashed white. Only his body armor kept his ribs from shattering into his lungs. The blow sent him flying sideways, and he smashed through the wooden railing, plunging overboard.

Stunned and unable to draw breath, Mhaz toppled through the air. Muzzle over tail, tail over muzzle. He struggled, gasped, and fought not just for air, but for an understanding of what just happened. Wind rushed and pressed against him, stealing what little breath he managed find. Mhaz turned his head, and finally managed to draw in a single, wheezing lungful of air. Stars spun in his vision, but breath brought conscious thought back to his dazed mind. And with thought came the horrifying realization that he’d just been thrown off the ship.

The airship.

Mhaz twisted as he fell, and found himself staring up at it through the rain. It was all eerily familiar, from the roughly cylindrical shape and the strange blue lights to the propulsion turbines, and the lightly armored structure supporting its gasbags. Only a short time ago they’d alighted upon that same outer deck to begin their infiltration. Now, Mhaz could only watch it growing smaller, and smaller as he hurtled towards the Scourge-burnt lands far below.

The kobold forced himself to take a deep breath, despite the sharp pain in his ribs. He knew he had to focus on staying calm, now. Mhaz pushed his arms out, and stretched his tail, using them all as rudders. He carefully turned himself back over, facing the ground somewhere beneath him. In the rain, and the darkness of deep night, it was impossible to say how much time he had to left. The kobold slowly brought a hand to his chest, pushing aside the protective flap that covered the rip cord for his armor’s built-in parachute.

Mhaz took a deep breath, and counted to three in his head. One, two, three…

He pulled the rip cord. The parachute erupted out it’s tightly packed enclosure, exploding to its full, impressive expanse in an instant. It caught the air, jerking the kobold upwards. He grit his teeth when his belly lurched, reaching for the two control handles. As he guided his slow descent, he glanced up. Even in the darkness, he could easily make out the golden, glittering letters of his own name emblazoned across the chute.

MHAZ RULEZ!

Mhaz smiled. He couldn’t wait to see the look on that dumb bird’s face when-

*****

“You do not have a parachute!” The Veterinarian slapped the table. “That’s over the top, even for you!”

“Yes I do.” Mhaz looked away from her, inspecting his own claws. “How else do you think I survived being thrown overboard?”

Rakla splayed his ears, snorting. “And it says Mhaz Rules?”

Mhaz traced a letter in the air with his finger. “With a Z. Like my name.”

“You.” The Vet smacked the table again with every word. “Do not. Have. A parachute!”

Mhaz still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Do so.”

“No, you fucking don’t.” She jabbed her finger at the kobold. “I helped them fit that damn armor, for you. Hell, I’ve helped you into it more times than I can count.”

“Oh, yeah, about that.” Mhaz adjusted the crotch of the black shorts he currently wore. “It’s actually a little too snug around the boys lately, after the last round of alterations. Think you could fix that?” 

The Vet slowly rose to her feet, glaring at the little lizard. “I think I ought to come over there and put my knee into them if you don’t cut the bullshit.”

The kobold gulped, covering his crotch with both scaly hands. “Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

Rakla put his hands behind his head, leaning back. “Shoulda just let me tell the story.”

The Veterinarian cast the gnoll a glance as she sat back down. “I would have, but since you weren’t the one who set off the alarm and started this whole fucked up journey into shit-city, that wouldn’t do me any good. Besides, I also assume that your initial debrief was accurate.” She jerked her thumb towards the kobold. “Unlike Mr. Rulez, over here.”

The kobold threw his hands up. “I gave you a perfectly accurate debriefing.”

She only glared at Mhaz. “You literally used the phrase, ‘singlehandedly saved the day.’ Which you most assuredly did not.”

Rakla snarled, baring his canine-like fangs. “And it sure as hell wouldn’t have been singlehanded, either.”

“Okay, fine.” The kobold bowed his head to the gnoll, a gesture of acquiescence. “We saved the day.”

“No!” The Vet slammed her fist against the table, harder than ever. “You did not! You left the asset you were sent to acquire, in a burning heap of rubble, at the bottom of an inaccessible valley, in the middle of a fucking wasteland.”

Mhaz scratched his muzzle. “Oh yeah. Well…” He dropped his hand, shrugging. “That wasn’t my fault.”

“Yes.” Rakla glared at him. “It was.”

“Technically.” Mhaz held up a single clawed finger. “It was the dragon’s fault. And how the hell was I supposed to know what was below us?”

The Vet straightened up. “The dragon’s fault?” She turned her attention to Rakla. “What’s he mean by that? I was under the impression the fire started in battle.”

“More like-”

“I’m telling this story, remember?” Mhaz growled at the gnoll. “If he tells it, he’s just gonna make me look bad.”

The Veterinarian sighed, putting her head in her hands. “Alright, kobold. Last chance. What happened after you got knocked off the airship? And don’t make me regret this.” She lifted her face to glare at him. “The truth, this time.”

*****

Mhaz shrieked like a tiny little terrified baby as he plummeted towards the ground. “Aaaaaaaahhhh!” His humiliating squeal cut through the curtains of rain, and echoed onwards to the distant earth. He covered his eyes with his blood-stained hands, not wanting to see his own death rushing up towards him. “Tetrikor! Tetrikooooooor!”

His ear cuff buzzed with the dragon’s distinct, brassy voice. “Flatten yourself out, little lizard. Think like a cat!”

“I’m fucking falling!” Mhaz peeked through his fingers, both relieved and horrified to see only blackness below him. He was still high enough that he couldn’t make out anything distinctive through the rain, and clouds. But that also meant Mhaz had no idea how much time was left. “I’m gonna diiiiiiie!”

“Flatten out!” The dragon’s voice sharpened, the vague playfulness replaced by something more commanding. “Stretch out your limbs, and your tail! Catch as much air as you can! I’m almost there, but you need to slow your plummet.”

Mhaz did as the dragon suggested. He pushed his arms out to his sides, spread his legs as far as they’d go, and stretched his tail to its full length. Aside from the air buffeting him even harder, he couldn’t tell that anything had changed. For entirely too long, Mhaz fell. The kobold’s stomach was wedged into his throat. His heart hammered his sternum in a terrified, galloping pace. Mhaz was thankful that at least he definitely did not piss himself, not even a little bit when he glimpsed looming cliffs below him through the clouds.

Between the wind rushing across his ear frills, the speaker cuff, and the constant thumping of his own terrified heartbeat, Mhaz never even heard the dragon coming. All at once there was a great, looming shadow swooping over him. Then something snatched the reinforced handle affixed to the back of his damaged armor, where once Mhaz wanted a parachute. In an instant, his downward momentum halted, and Mhaz was yanked back up towards the sky. As a result, the weight distribution straps woven into his gear immediately tightened down sharply, in very uncomfortable ways.

“Aaaaahh!” Mhaz squealed again, eyes bugging out.

“See?” The dragon’s voice was even louder, and brassy, in person. “I told you a handle was a good idea!” Tetrikor beat his vast wings, ascending at a very steep angle. 

“Aaaahh!” Mhaz gave another cry, wriggling in futile effort to ease the painful pressure.

“Why are you still yowling, Kobold?” Tetrikor curled his neck to gaze down at his cargo. “I’ve caught you! You’re safe now. We’re ascending again.”

“The harness!” Mhaz forced words through his grit teeth. “Is crushing! My nuts!”

“Oh…” Tetrikor laughed, lifting his head again. “That’s a shame. Well, we’ll be there shortly.”

Mhaz was ever so grateful that Tetrikor was telling the truth. In a matter of moments, the dragon’s powerful wings carried them back up to the airship. Tetrikor swept in over the expansive and open rear deck, no longer bothering to try and hide his approach. The dragon touched down on his hind paws, hopping a few steps. The deck creaked beneath his weight. He set Mhaz down, then dropped onto all fours.

“There.” The dragon shook himself, armor wet and glistening in the ship’s odd blue lights. “That wasn’t so bad.”

Mhaz dropped onto his knees, then flopped muzzle-first onto the deck with only a whimpered squeak. “Speak…for yourself!”

“I was.” The dragon tossed his horned head. “Now, where’s this problem you want me to solve?”

Mhaz lifted a shaking hand, pointing a trembling finger at the far end of the square-shaped deck. A sizable set of doors provided access to the ship’s cargo hold. On either side of the walk, walkways extended along the sides of the ship. Railings ran along the walkways, though one of them was now shattered where the gryphon Mhaz through it. The wounded gryphon was long gone, and probably stalking Mhaz’s friends.

The dragon splayed his ears, looking at the entryway. “I can fit through the doors, but I won’t be very maneuverable in the hallways.” He glanced back at Mhaz. “Are you alright, little lizard?”

Mhaz groaned, forcing himself to sit up against the lingering ache. “Oh, yeah. I’m fuckin’ fine. Was in an air duct collapse, been shot at, got carried by my tail, almost got my ribs caved in by a gryphon, nearly fell to my death, and got my nuts flattened.” He took a deep breath, staggering to his feet. “Been a great night!”

 “So, about your mission average, then?” Tetrikor snorted, turning towards the kobold. “Lift your arms, let me help you up.” When Mhaz begrudgingly did so, the armored dragon settled on his haunches to gently cradle the kobold in his forepaws, easing him back up to his feet. “You’ll have to have The Vet adjust your handle harness.”

“No shit, Dragon.” Mhaz grimaced once he was standing. “Thanks, though. For savin’ me, I mean.” He patted the dragon’s paw before Tetrikor eased them back. “And for this.”

“Certainly.” Tetrikor tilted his head, a toothy draconic grin parting his muzzle. “Doesn’t mean I’ll let you live it down, though.”

Mhaz tugged on his armor, readjusting it. “I’d be worried about you if you did.” When he’d made himself as comfortable as possible, he drew his remaining pistol. “Besides, any time you bring it up, I can bring up that cannon incident.”

The dragon winced, shaking his hind end. “I did not know it would recoil that way.”

“And I didn’t know dragons could squeal like that.” Mhaz laughed as he pulled a few rounds free. “Shit. I’m almost out.” He loaded them, and snapped his cylinder shut, then holstered the weapon to count his remaining knives. “Still got pointy friends left, at least.”

“No matter. You shan’t need them, for I am here, now.” Tetrikor pushed himself up to all fours. “So where is this problem you wish me to solve?”

Mhaz pointed to the airship. “In there. With the rest of us.” Fresh, cold fear coiled around Mhaz’s heart, dragging it down into his belly. He swallowed hard. It had been a little too long since he’d heard from Rakla, and the others. He adjusted his mouthpiece and ear cuff, then spoke up. “Rakla, you alright? Check in, buddy. Please tell me you ain’t dead, Dog Balls!”

For a few, terrifying moments, static was his only response.

“Come on, Rakla,” Mhaz said, as much to anyone as himself. Worry crept into his voice. “Come on. You can’t let him some feathered fuck be the one that finally takes you out.”

“Moss, what the fuck!” When Rakla’s voice finally crackled through his ear cuff, it was such a relief that Mhaz didn’t even care about the nickname. “You think I might be dead, and you still called me Dog Balls?”

Mhaz chittered kobold laughter. “I got tossed off the ship, and you still called me Moss!”

“Hah!” Rakla barked a laugh right back at him. “You got tossed off? Guess you’re havin’ a lot more fun than the rest of us.”

Mhaz grinned, flicking his tail. “Why you think I’ve been off comms?”

“You haven’t!” Velk’s voice broke into the conversation. “We all heard you screamin’ about fallin’ to your death. Over.”

“Not to mention’ yowlin’ about your nuts!” Noma cackled over the comms. “You sure you didn’t-”

“Alright, alright, alright!” Mhaz stomped a booted foot. “I liked you guys better when I thought you were dead!”

“You too, Moss,” Rakla said, panting heavily. “Seriously though…” The loud, telltale boom of a scattergun blast interrupted him. “You good?”

“Fuckin’ perfect.” Mhaz curled his fingers around his pistol grip. “You?”

“Still breathin’!” Another blast left the ear cuff’s speaker crackling badly. “For now!”

Mhaz’s frills twitched under the tight band. “Sounds like you got a problem! Luckily for you, I brought the problem solver back with me! I’m sending him in to find you guys!”

“Negative!” Rakla’s voice sounded strained. “We’re in separate locations! Besides, he’d probably be walking into an ambush! I’m almost outside!” Another boom resounded, and this time Mhaz heard it from inside the ship as well as his ear cuff. A flash of light flickered in a porthole. “I’m gonna bring the problems to you!”

“Problems?” Mhaz drew his pistol. “Problems, plural?”

“Affirmative!” Further along the ship, Mhaz spotted Rakla sprinting past portholes, not far from the broken railing. Two addition armor-clad gryphons bound behind him. “Two real angry birds inbound!”  

“Oh, goody!” Tetrikor rumbled, a sound that was dangerous close to an excited purr. “I believe you said you needed me to fuck, something?”

“I get the feelin’ they ain’t gonna be real amenable.” Mhaz quickly checked himself over for ammo, one last time, finding none. “You’re gonna have to settle for fuckin’ them up, instead.”

The dragon shrugged his wings, his frills flared. “Well, I am certainly amenable to that.”