Yo, AhtibatCodnob1314! This one is for you! You sent me a request in January and here I am in April (or May when this actually comes out) getting around to it. So sorry about the long wait. I hope you enjoy it!! Violence warning for those of who you don't like gang activity. This imagine is going to have some gang like violence in it.
Queens was not for the faint of heart. Tabitha Bondoc knew that better than anyone. She was not one to be messed with. Being the leader of Queens and having grown up in the circus, Tabitha was athletic and not afraid to use her tough personality and athleticism to help her escape difficult situations. Her circus background gave her a nickname that could only apply to her...Tricks. She was a legend on the streets. Tricks gave Queens the tough reputation it had and every Newsie in New York knew that if their borough was at odds with Queens to stay far far away. One thing that mystifies every Newsie of New York to this day is how the Queens Newsies know when an enemy is on their turf. There was only one borough that held Newsies tougher than Queens and that was Brooklyn.
Our story begins with the leader of Brooklyn himself. The one and only Spot Conlon sits atop his stack of crates on the docks as he usually does. His Newsie cap tipped low and his eyes shielded from the bright afternoon sun. He is only disturbed from his tranquil gazing out over Brooklyn by the voice of another Newsie.
"SPOT!" It was more of a shout. To Spot, it is a thunderclap. One of his highly ranked Newsies named Pokes stands on the dock, holding a beaten and bruised younger Newsie.
"What happened? What'd he do? Did he go mess with something he shouldn't have?" Spot begins to interrogate his fellow Newsie.
"It wasn't somethin, Spot. It was someone," Pokes replies and Spot grows irritated.
"Well, who was it? Nobody messes with my Newsies and gets away it with it," Spot rants and Pokes gives his leader a solemn look.
"Queens got im, Spot," Pokes says quietly and Spot closes his mouth mid-threat.
"Oh. Well, I's sure they can be reasoned with. I know we'se ain't on good terms, but this is too far. I'm going to Queens and you're coming with me!" Spot commands and Pokes shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably.
"You sure that's a good idea, Spot? What if they sic the boys on us?" Pokes asks quietly.
"You'se coming with me whether you like it or not!" Spot concludes being insensitive to his second in command's feelings, "Nobody messes with my Newsies or my city and gets away with it!"
"Whatever you say, Spot," Pokes agrees nervously.
Over In Queens
"Tricks! Tricks!" A voice shouts and Tricks turns around to see Darts, one of her birds or spies, sprinting up to her, "A kid came over from enemy turf."
"Brooklyn? Who does the amazing King of Brooklyn think he is?" Tricks says sarcastically. Darts runs his fingers through his hair nervously.
"We did a good number on him. He won't be sellin for a week or two," Darts informs Tricks. Tricks shakes her head in disbelief.
"I know I told you to be territorial, but that's a little extreme," She says, "Last thing I need is Conlon over here yelling at me about a turf war." Darts sinks in his head in disappointment. Tricks gently wraps an arm around the young teen's shoulders, "Hey. I'm not saying it's your fault, because it not. Oso should have been a better leader."
"Are you sure?" Darts asks and Tricks nods.
"Yeah, we'se can look tough, but if it means war, then we'se gotta be more careful." Darts slides out of Tricks' grip and the athletic leader of Queens swings herself up onto a fire escape.
"When's our next performance?" Darts asks excitedly and Tricks looks out over the borough towards the abandoned circus tent that was now theirs.
"I don't know. Maybe we can invite Brooklyn as a way to sort of settle the peace between our two boroughs. The only reason we get into turf wars is because I want to be intimidating and show Spot that I am not one to be messed with. I know what he's like, but really, maybe we can set our prejudices aside," Tricks thinks out loud.
Back in Brooklyn.....
Spot and Pokes carefully approach the border between Brooklyn and Queens.
"Spot, maybe we could do this another day?" Pokes asks, "Rumor has it the Queens of Queens can be kind of scary."
"What are ya? A mouse? We'se doing this now to show Queens that nobody messes with the Brooklyn Newsies and gets away with it," Spot reminds him and Pokes shrugs. The two peek around to make sure that no one is coming.
"See? Even you'se scared!" Pokes exclaims without thinking and Spot shoots him a glare right as a group of Queens Newsies pop up out of some hiding places in the alleyway.
"Good going, Pokes," Spot mumbles under his breath as he reaches for his cane.
"The King of Brooklyn himself decides to grace us with his presence. Afraid you're not welcome here, Your Highness," One of the Queens Newsies mocks.
"Stubs, let's be mature about this. I'se ain't here to cause trouble. I just wanna talk to your leader," Spot says and Stubs along with several of the other Queens Newsies laughs.
"Youse wants to talk to our leader. You ain't even met our newest leader. We'se tougher than we'se ever been. She'll beat ya to the ground before you can even say a word, Conlon," Stubs says and Spot snatches his cane out. He shoves Stubs against the wall holding the cane against his neck. Other Queens Newsies reach for Spot and the cane, but Spot knocks Stubs in the head with his cane as they get closer.
"Sorry, boys. You got too close. Now who's next?" Spot asks and the Queens Newsies actually begin to back away.
"Spot, I thought we wanted to settle things not make them worse," Pokes says quietly and Spot shakes his head.
"I think its a little late for that, Pokes," Spot threatens and the Queens Newsies nervously start to run away. Darts, one of the younger Newsies, sprints back towards Tricks' place where she normally is.
"Tricks! Tricks!" The young boy shouts again and Tricks runs out of the abandoned circus tent where she is preparing for their next show.
"What it is, Darts? What happened? Are you okay?" She asks in a motherly tone and checks the young Newsie over for any injuries.
"Tricks, I'm fine. It's Conlon and I think he's about to start some serious trouble," Darts explains and Tricks' eyes widen with alarm.
"Darts, go get my butterfly knife! Quickly!" Tricks demands and Darts runs off as Tricks starts rallying the other Newsies around Queens. Tricks has never met the King of Brooklyn personally but, she knows he is prone to issues with his temper and he has the reputation for being tough. She would never tell any of her boys this but, Tricks admired Spot's toughness. Tricks tried just as hard to intimidate Spot and be just as tough as he tried to be to her. Neither Newsie leader ever had gotten involved with each other. Their Newsies mostly got into fights with each other over territory and such. Tricks would let the boys jump Brooklyn Newsies who they thought got a little too close to Queens. Queens was not going to be messed with...ever. Darts comes running around a corner and hands Tricks her blade.
"You ain't really gonna use it on him, are you?" Darts asks nervously and Tricks shrugs.
"Never hurts to be prepared," She says to him and the two hurry over to where Darts last saw the King of Brooklyn and his second. The two arrive and Tricks stops in her tracks. A short, but handsome Newsie distracts her only for a second. Stubs laying unconscious on the ground brings her back to reality in a matter of minutes. Tricks draws her blade and steps closer to the handsome Newsie who has Oso pinned up against the wall. Spot turns to her and his eyes widen a little bit.
"Well, didn't know I was gonna be fightin someone so gorgeous," He smirks and Tricks raises an eyebrow. Spot lets Oso go and points his cane in Tricks' direction.
"Save your breath. I could kill you simply for being on my turf. We play by deadly rules here in Queens and we ain't afraid to put them into practice!" Tricks threatens and Spot chuckles.
"So, you're the rookie leader your boys were telling me about? Don't know why they let a girl be a leader. You seem as feisty as a kitten with one claw," Spot taunts and Tricks angrily swipes at his arm with her knife. He grabs onto his arm as the knife cuts deep into his skin. Tricks feels no regrets and Spot starts to swing at her with his cane.
"Just because I'm a girl doesn't make me any worse of a leader than anyone else!" Tricks shouts as she swipes at Spot again with her knife. He knocks it away with his cane and whacks Tricks across the face with it. Tricks falls down onto her rear.
"Admit it," Spot snarls and Tricks kicks the cane out of Spot's hand.
"Let's settle this," She says and the two begin to fight with their fists. Spot, being the expert fighter that he is, threw punches, but Tricks landed more. Thanks to all of her years of experience in the circus, Tricks fights harder for longer. She lands several good punches on Spot and eventually he flops down on the ground in defeat.
"I didn't think you could be that good," Spot mutters in between gasps for air, "Especially for someone who is short."
"That's a real low blow seeing how short you are, Conlon," Tricks says and Spot rolls his eyes as Pokes helps him up. The Queens Newsies cheer for Tricks and Spot crosses his arms.
"That was just my warm up," Spot says and Tricks laughs.
"Maybe you should stick to being rude, Spot Conlon. I hate rude people, but you do better at that than anything else. It was nice meeting you. Now, I know why we fight with Brooklyn so much," Tricks concludes as she walks away.
"Wait!" Spot shouts and Tricks turns around, "We need a minute alone."
"I don't think we do," Tricks says signaling for her Newsies to stay nearby.
"No, the leaders need to talk privately," Spot says and all of the other Newsies leave, including Pokes.
"Make it quick, Conlon. The boys will get antsy knowing I'm left alone with the enemy for too long," Tricks says and Spot surprises both of them by grabbing her hands.
"Tricks, I'm sorry. I came to make an alliance, but all I really did was cause a big fight. I really think we got off on the wrong foot. Think maybe we can try again?" Spot asks and Tricks thinks for a moment.
"I have been wanting to extend an invitation to you and your Newsies. We are hosting a circus in our abandoned circus tent that we have. If you and your Newsies would like to come, you can. But on one condition," Tricks says and Spot smirks at her.
"Anything to see you again, gorgeous," He says flirtatiously and Tricks rolls her eyes.
"Our boys have been at odds with each other for so long, I'm not sure that they can be friends or alliance anymore. I think we need to keep this potential alliance a secret," Tricks proposes and Spot nods his head in agreement.
"I agree," Spot says, "Your secret is safe with me."
The next week passes slowly for both borough leaders. In Brooklyn, all of the Newsies notice that Spot seems to be in a better mood. So much so, that the Brooklyn Newsies begin to ask Pokes if Spot is seeing any new girls. Pokes tells of Tricks and then immediately explains the fight that took place when they met. None of the Newsies know how much Spot has fallen in love with Tricks over the course of the week. He is dying to see her again but does not want to risk his Newsies finding out about the secret alliance. Friday comes and after a long day of selling, Spot rounds up his Newsies. They follow him over to Queens and Pokes begins to get nervous.
"Spot! What are you doing? Do you want to get us all killed?" Pokes asks and Spot ignores him. The Brooklyn Newsies march further into Queens and over to a lit up circus tent.
Tricks sits inside one of the trapeze hoops. Oso pulls her down closer to the ground and Tricks smiles dreamily as her feet touch the ground.
"What are you smiling about? It isn't that Conlon creep is it?" Oso asks her coldly and Tricks runs her toe through the sand.
"I don't think he's as bad as you think he is, Oso," Tricks says to her highly ranked Newsie. Oso fastens the rope so Tricks won't go anywhere and walks over to her.
"Tricks, I would hate to see you get involved with someone who is just going to break you. Spot has the reputation for being a womanizer. If you don't keep up the tough act, he will weasel his way into this borough. We can't have that," Oso advises and Tricks smiles up at him.
"I know you are just trying to protect me, but..." Tricks says and Oso smiles at her, "But, I got this. Leading a borough is hard work and maybe it's time to put some silly things of the past behind us." Oso's face darkens a little, but he continues to listen.
"I love the way you lead this borough, Tricks. No one can touch us and yet you care about us so much," Oso says sweetly as he inches closer to Tricks. Tricks does not move until Oso tilts up her head to face him. Their lips are almost touching and Tricks pulls away.
"Oso, I can't. I'm sorry. It's not like that. Not with you," Tricks tells Oso quickly and Oso's face goes from joyful to angry.
"Tabitha, you have no idea how much I love you," Oso whispers, trying to close the gap between them again, but Tricks shoves his face away.
"Stop, Oso!" She says playfully and Oso smiles at her. The two laugh until Oso suddenly becomes serious.
"Conlon is why you don't love me," Oso snaps and Tricks puts her hands up in the air.
"Oso, no!" She pleads trying to get him to stop his angry ideas.
"Brooklyn is the special guest we're having tonight!" Oso shouts and he quickly starts to march over to the ropes that kept the ring on the ground. Before Tricks can react, Oso yanks the rope free causing Tricks to be pulled quickly to the top of the tent.
"Oso, why are you doing this? Why can't we try to fix things? Why can't we try to be nice to them?" Tricks asks from her place at the top of the tent.
"You have plenty of time to figure that out from the top of the tent, my dear," Oso says with a cackle. Tricks groans as Oso picks up her butterfly knife from a table off to the side and admires it.
"Oso, as your leader, I am ordering you to leave that alone!" Tricks shouts and Oso laughs at her.
"What kind of a leader wears a lilac leotard to show off her trapeze art? This knife has already shed Spot Conlon's blood once and it will do it again!" Oso shouts and Tricks tightens her grip on the ring.
"You leave him out of this! Take it out on me!" Tricks shouts and she watches as Oso eyes her in her leotard.
"You do look especially gorgeous tonight. I would hate to put you through anything too terrible all in one night. Maybe, I'll take my revenge by making the death of Spot Conlon the main act of tonight's performance. I will take Queens from you later and make you my queen," Oso plots and Tricks glare at him.
"I will never be your queen. Spot Conlon is one of the toughest Newsies in New York. You won't get away with this!" Tricks shouts and Oso shakes his head in disbelief.
"You both think you're so tough. I think I'm about to show all of New York how weak both of you are!" Oso says before leaving. Tricks grumbles under her breath as she moves around on the ring that has become her prison. Eyeing the ground, Tricks wonders if she would break anything if she jumped off the ring. Grabbing onto the ring, she swings backwards and hooks her feet onto the ring, dangling upside down. Feeling particularly fearless, Tricks unhooks her ankles and flips down to the ground, sticking her landing. Brushing her hands off, Tricks hurries toward the door of the tent. Tricks hears shouts coming from the other end of the tents where the spectators entered. From the sounds of it, the Brooklyn Newsies are on the other side of the door. She is too late to save Spot.
Meanwhile....
Spot has sent all of his other Newsies on to the tent so he can talk to Tricks privately. Well, the privacy is really so maybe he can finally steal a kiss from her, but that's besides the point. Spot walks around towards the other end of the tent and is confronted by one of the Queens Newsies.
"Hey, Conlon! Tricks talked to me about your little deal. So sweet of you to accept," The Queens Newsie says and Spot glares at him.
"She wasn't supposed to tell anyone! Were you listening in on the conversation? Did you find out somehow?" Spot asks angrily and Oso plays the innocent card.
"Like I said before, Tricks told me!" Oso says innocently and Spot sinks to the ground in defeat.
"I thought she really meant it, but I guess not. Well, when this thing's over, I'm gonna have a word with her!" Spot says angrily and Oso sits down next to him.
"I know it was harsh of her, but it's true. She's never liked Brooklyn and she never will," Oso lies and Spot jumps up off the ground. Little do either of the older boys know, but Darts is hiding around the corner. He is on his way to the tent to help Tricks get ready when he overhears the conversation between Spot and Oso. Darts watches the scene unfold and Spot walks away defeated.
"Tell her thanks for the rejection. Queens is officially Brooklyn's worst enemy!" Spot shouts as he walks away. Darts becomes suspicious of Oso and runs towards the tent to talk to Tricks. When he makes it into the tent, Darts sees Tricks on her knees on the ground holding her head in her hands. Darts puts a hand on Tricks' shoulder.
"I'm too late, aren't I? Go ahead and say it, Oso. Go ahead and brag. You took my first love from me. I don't care anymore!" Tricks shouts and Darts backs away.
"Whoa, easy, Tricks. It's just me," Darts says and Tricks turns to look at him.
"Darts!" She cries out and gives him a large hug, "Are you okay?" Darts nods his head and holds tightly to Tricks.
"Are you?" Darts asks and Tricks shakes her head.
"Oso is going to kill Spot. Somehow, he managed to distract the Brooklyn Newsies. Where are the rest of the boys from Queens?" Tricks asks and Darts nods to the spectator door.
"They are all out there since it is just you as the main act tonight. Oso wrote something new into the list, but it doesn't say what," Darts says and Tricks' eyes widen.
"You need to go to Brooklyn and warn Spot! Did Oso and Spot cross paths?" Tricks asks as she fiddles with a loose strand of her dark hair.
"Yeah, they talked about you cancelling some sort of alliance and how you don't really love him or something. Do you really like Spot, Tricks?" Darts asks and Tricks nods.
"I do. Oso lied about everything. You need to go and tell Spot the truth. Oso told Spot that because Oso is in love with me and is mad at me for not loving him back. He also wants to take control of Queens and destroy Brooklyn. Oso wants to get rid of Spot as revenge on me and as a part of his power trip. Please tell Spot to come with me and then the two of you need to stay together!" Tricks says and Darts takes off running in the direction of Brooklyn. As he nears the Brooklyn border, a pair of strong arms grab him.
"Let me go!" Darts shouts and Oso's voice pierces the night.
"I don't think I will! You know too much. I saw you run after my conversation with Spot. I followed you to the tent and overheard the conversation you had with Tricks. The only reason I let you run this far is because I wanted you to think that you had won," Oso says as he clamps a hand over Darts' mouth. Darts tries to struggle, but Oso hits him over the head with a piece of wood in the alley and Darts goes limp in his arms.
"One down, two to go and soon half of New York will be mine," Oso says as he drags Darts away to the cellar of the Queens Lodging House.
Back in Brooklyn...
Spot aimlessly wanders the docks over on his turf. How could Tricks do this to him? He thought that they were getting somewhere this whole alliance thing. Not only that, but he also thought he had some kind of a future with Tricks. Oh, how he'd been wrong. Something seemed off about Oso. He seemed a little to eager. No, Spot is going to give Tricks another chance at this. He wants to be her friend and he wants to form an alliance between Brooklyn and Queens. As much of a tough guy that the King of Brooklyn seems to be, he has a soft spot and he wants to give Tricks another chance. If this Oso kid was trouble, Spot was going to need one more trick up his sleeve. Spot wastes no time in hurrying back over to the circus tent. He takes the fastest way and runs the whole way, careful to make sure that Oso didn't come back. Spot notices a side opening and soon Tricks pops out.
"Spot! Did Darts get to you? Did he tell you the truth?" Tricks asks and she seems to have an air of excitement about her.
"No, Darts ain't told me anything. Far as I'm concerned, you want this deal over with," Spot snaps and Tricks winces at his words.
"I think we need to talk," Tricks says and Spot shrugs, "I have some explaining to do." Tricks tells the whole story and Spot listens to the whole thing.
"I understand, but how I do know you aren't lying to me?" Spot asks once she finishes. Suddenly, Spot feels the prick of a blade against the back of his neck.
"As much as I don't want you to believe her, I don't want you to kill her. I am going to be the one to do that if she refuses to be the Queen of Queens with me," Oso says and Tricks vaults over the table.
"Leave him alone!" She yells and Oso shoves her down to the ground. Spot shoves Oso to the side and helps Tricks to her feet.
"You lied! Why would you do that?" Spot growls.
"Because I love her! Desperately! I wanted to get back at her for not loving me back. I also hate how things are changing all because of one King of Brooklyn. You come in, you steal her heart and you change everything around! Both of you are going to pay for this!" Oso growls back as he fingers the knife gently. Tricks does a flip and Spot yanks out his cane. Oso and Spot fight with the knife while Tricks manages to tackle Oso. She yanks her knife out of his hand and Spot helps keep Oso on the ground.
"You made it too easy for us!" Spot taunts Oso and just as Tricks gets her knife back, Oso throws Tricks off his back. He grabs her roughly, takes the knife from her and ties a rope around her wrist to his wrist. Tricks struggles and collapses to the ground, fighting hard to break free. Spot tries to get a hold of the knife, but Oso holds it into his back.
"You will do as I say, Conlon," Oso says and he leads Spot to the middle of the ring. Oso unties Tricks and threatens that he will kill Spot if she does not open the door to the circus tent so all of the Newsies can watch Spot die. Tricks quickly opens the door and when the Brooklyn Newsies see the Queens Newsie about to kill their leader. They quickly overtake him before Oso can do anything. Spot reaches for his cane and knocks the knife out of Oso's hand and right back into Tricks'.
"Thanks, Spot! Now, Oso," Tricks begins and she quickly grabs hold of the rope and ties it around his wrists. With surprising ferocity, she shoves him against the wall of the tent. "You are banished from Queens and Brooklyn. If we ever see you come back here, we won't hesitate to kill you or find the cops."
"You can't get rid of me yet," Oso taunts, "You're missing someone, Tricks." Tricks glances around and notices Darts is missing.
"Darts!" She cries out, "What did you do to him?"
"Oh nothing," Oso says sinisterly and Tricks presses the blade harder into his neck.
"Tell me or this will hurt a lot worse," Tricks threatens and Oso begins to gasp as blood begins to trickle from his neck.
"The cellar of the Lodging House," He chokes out and Tricks lets go. As soon as she does, Oso makes a move at Tricks, but Spot intervenes and throws a punch that knocks Oso unconscious. Tricks is running as fast as she can over to the Lodging House and Spot is hot on her heels.
"Tricks!" Spot shouts and Tricks ignores him as she sprints away. She finally runs inside the Lodging House and hears the faint sound of crying.
"Darts, I'm coming!" She cries as she runs down to the cellar. Once she reaches the bottom step of the stairs, Tricks runs over and unties Darts from the chair that Oso had tied him to.
"Tricks!" Darts cries out and the two embrace. A couple seconds later, Spot enters the basement and notices the two hugging. He wasn't wrong about the fact that Tricks had a sweet side. After a moment, Tricks checks the younger boy over in a motherly fashion.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She asks as she examines him. Her hand stops when she runs over a large bump on his head. Darts winces as she does.
"I'm okay except for that," Darts says with a wince and Tricks hugs him again.
"I'm so sorry that this happened to you," She says quietly.
"It's okay, Tricks. I should have been more careful," Darts says sadly and Tricks ruffles his hair playfully.
"Hey, don't beat up on yourself. You didn't know. We'll do better next time. I promise," Tricks says and that's when she notices Spot watching her. Darts notices the two staring at each other and says,
"I think I'm gonna head upstairs for a nap." Spot walks over to Tricks and helps her to her feet.
"Tricks," Spot says softly and cups her cheek.
"Yeah, Spot?" Tricks asks and Spot pulls her closer to himself.
"I know that we just met, but would you go out with me some time? We can settle this whole borough business and just put the whole rivalry behind us," Spot proposes and Tricks smiles at him.
"I would love to. I've really come to trust you, Spot Conlon. I hope you don't break that trust," Tricks says with a smile and Spot leans closer.
"I'll promise you that I won't," He whispers on her lips and then he closes the gap. Tricks kisses him back just as passionately and the two break for air.
"Let's go back to the circus tent and kick Oso out of New York," Tricks whispers and Spot smiles. When the two arrive back at the circus tent, Oso is awake and is telling the Newsies of Queens and Brooklyn of his grand plans for the two boroughs. Spot and Tricks step into the tent just in time.
"Oso, we'se kicking you out of Brooklyn and Queens for good. We'se throwing you on the next boat out of here," Spot says and the two borough leaders tie up the rebel. All of the Newsies from Brooklyn and Queens follow their leaders as they throw Oso on a boat that is by the busy part of the docks in Brooklyn. They hide him in a large box and he starts shouting the minute they put him in there. Once he is in there, all of the Newsies run away to avoid getting caught. Spot takes Tricks' hand and the two of them run toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
"What about Darts and the rest of my boys?" Tricks asks and Spot shushes her.
"Don't you think that all of the boys can wait a moment for love's sake?" Spot asks as he takes her other hand in his.
"Okay, but only a minute," Tricks says, but the way Spot kisses her makes her stay for much longer.
From that day on, Tricks and Spot fell more in love with each other with each passing day. Their boroughs came to peace with each other and Spot and Tricks officially became a couple. The romance between Spot and Tricks lives on to this very day in their marriage.
THE END!!!
AN:/ So, what did you think, AhtibatCodnob1314? Did you enjoy this one? I tried to include as many aspects about Tricks as I could and make it work in one imagine. I try to do that with every imagine that I write that is a request. This one was one that I had no clue how to write it and suddenly I had lots of ideas. Hence why it is so long. I'm sorry this took me so long to put out. I have been really busy and sick and when I get spare time right now, I don't feel like writing. I also haven't been in the mood to write imagines lately, so sometimes these take awhile in general. I finally decided to do them again. I apologize for all of that. :) I really hope you enjoyed it. More oneshots are on the way. Updates will be coming for books and yeah you know the drill. Hopefully, they will come out sooner than later. Thanks for commenting, reading, and voting on this story if you choose to!! I am still taking imagine requests and if you guys have any ideas that you would like to see for preferences, please let me know. Summer is in about three weeks so, I may be interested in doing them. :) Thanks and see you around, friends!!