Chapter 10

25.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that he isn't on this side of the harbor," Horace commented dryly.

The trio had searched diligently but to no avail. It seemed that their missing captain had taken the opposite direction, or was hiding rather effectively.

Kirik was in a foul mood because of this, and his expression showed it. He glowered down at the wizard as if it were all his fault that their prize was remaining elusive. Horace noticed and appeared offended, once again.

"What are you giving me that look for?" He questioned. "I didn't stash him anywhere."

The Feylak merely arched a brow and issued an annoyed huff. Kirik wondered if the boy had indeed been the one to find him. The idea filled the elder brother with a vague sense of uneasiness.

Kael knew how to battle well enough, and he was courageous to a fault; but eloquence was definitely not his strongest attribute. Still though, he had to learn. However, Kirik again began to wonder if he should have sent the boy off on his own.

Anya was quiet and had been for some time now. Her thoughts were a turmoil of confusion and worry. She fretted about her sister and what may or may not be happening to her. The woman had her suspicions; oh yes, she did.

Kael's sudden change in behavior around Andi had been nagging and eating away at her. If she and her sister got the chance to speak privately, Anya planned on asking her just what had happened between the two of them. Dark thoughts of what if's and might be's danced through her mind; making her stomach alternately clench and churn.

She shook her head, trying to disperse the unpleasant jumble of mind-clutter, and instead tried to work out what was happening between herself and ... him.

There was no use denying it any longer; something was definitely amiss. Or, at the very least, some dynamic in their captor/captive relationship had changed. Hesitantly, she risked a peek at the elder Feylak.

He was gazing out over the water and appeared irritated. The woman observed the strong lines of his jaw, his rigid posture, and felt a little shiver work its way up her spine.

She realized, with a start, that he was quite handsome; even despite being a different species. His features were sharp, precise and nicely proportioned. Anya watched him furtively for several more moments before becoming rather annoyed with herself.

Why should she be noticing such a ridiculous, trivial thing? And especially now? Easy on the eyes or not, he was still the enemy. Dangerous. Not to be trusted. Giving her head another shake, she jutted her chin out with stubborn resolve.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" The wizard asked her.

She blinked, "pardon?"

"You keep shaking your head. Does it ache? Do you need to rest a little?"

At the first query, Kirik glanced at the two of them; halfheartedly wondering what they were chatting about now. Not that he much cared at the moment. Let them try something. The way he was feeling currently, he would almost welcome it. Then he could at least vent his frustrations a bit.

For some reason, the old man's polite inquiry infuriated Anya. "Of course I need to rest!" She snapped. "We've been going almost non-stop for," she paused, trying to think back. "Has it been five days? Six? You see? I can't even recall now. I've never been so tired. My very bones are weary and you ask me if I need a bit of rest. What a bloody joke."

The wizard widened his eyes at her outburst, and even Kirik examined her a bit more closely.

After a moment, Anya felt a bit ashamed with herself and cleared her throat quietly. "You've my apologies. I didn't mean to shout."

"No need, dear. I understand completely," Horace commented.

"Oh, is that so? Really. No offense, but I don't believe you do," she huffed, clearly unappeased.

He gave her an appraising glance and noticed little strain-lines around her mouth and eyes; as well as a minute trembling in her hands. She was very, very close to breaking down completely.

Figuring the abrupt absence of her sister had very likely set off this new change in persona, Horace watched her closely for a moment more before coming to an abrupt decision.

Drawing his wand, he touched the tip of it to her forehead. "Sleep," he murmured.

A pale green glow seemed to briefly light her skin from the inside out, and Anya's eyes immediately rolled back into her head. Her knees began to give way and she dropped shortly thereafter.

Surprised, Kirik lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Clutching her, he shot the wizard an accusatory, questioning glare. Horace only smiled and shrugged in reply; then turned away and began to hum a jolly tune.

The Feylak issued an impatient grunt before turning his attention back onto the unconscious woman. He examined her features carefully; her eyes moved rapidly beneath her closed lids and her breathing was deep and steady. Had the old man only set her to sleep? And if so; to what end? Would she awaken on her own or-

Horace cleared his throat and gestured to the sky. Kirik glanced over and saw it was growing a bit lighter with the rising sun. It was nearing the time to go back to the ship to reunite with his brother and, hopefully, meet up with Captain Sway.

Tossing the woman over one shoulder and her bag over the other, he flapped his hand at the wizard and began walking back the way they had come.

With the approach of dawn came the bustle of the morning trade. Hopeful fishermen and store merchants began to appear in droves, seemingly all at once, to start their daily tasks.

Several individuals stopped to stare openly as they caught sight of the old man walking alongside a tall, vicious-looking creature with an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder.

Kirik determinedly kept his gaze straight ahead, not bothering to acknowledge anyone; while Horace smiled pleasantly and even waved to a couple of people. All in all, it only took them a short while to return to the ship.

Upon arrival, the elder began to frown once more. Kael was nowhere in sight, nor his little brat-girl. There was no evidence of a redheaded person either. The ramp still remained, but no deck hands traveled the length of it any longer. In fact, only Pogs was still around and he appeared to be dozing.

Horace and Kirik stopped in front of the little man and stared at him for a brief moment. The dwarf was leaning against a lone stack of crates and snoring quietly. Snapping his fingers briskly; the wizard also cleared his throat loudly, hoping to rouse the little man.

Pogs started and grumbled, blinking his eyes and squinting. "Awuh? Oi, whatchee think yer- Oh, it be ye again. Din't have no luck, eh?"

"Sadly not. Has he returned?" Horace asked.

"He who, now?" Pogs replied, scratching at his arse.

"Er ... Captain Sway. We've been looking for quite a while."

"We still be here, ain't we? Whatchee think, hm?" Pogs snorted and spat a large wad of phlegm onto the boards in front of him.

Directly after, he dug around in his pockets for some tobacco. Finding a small amount still remaining; he issued a pleased grunt, he began to roll himself a smoke.

Kirik appeared disgusted and shook his head. Shifting the woman to a more comfortable position, he began to search around for any sign of the boy. The sky was growing pink now, and it was not like Kael to be late. The elder brother tried to ignore the growing knot of worry that was beginning to tighten in his gut.

What if Kael had run into some trouble and needed assistance? Perhaps that obese barkeeper had indeed made good on his threat. Should they have all gone together?

Several sharp taps jerked him out of his unpleasant reverie. Kirik glanced down and saw the dwarf looking up at him with an angry expression. Arching a brow, the Feylak returned the look in kind; unsure what he'd done to upset the little man.

Pogs said something and put a hand on the sleeping woman's leg. A surge of sudden aggression boiled in his chest, and Kirik jerked her out of the dwarf's reach.

"Krilat krotz jhonta harlo," he snarled, eyes flaring brightly.

Horace was watching curiously. It'd seemed that the dwarf hadn't noticed the woman hanging limply over the creature's shoulder at first. When he did, however, an angry expression clouded his features.

Marching up to the beast, he'd poked him rudely in the side several times. "What have ye done to tha' poor lass?" He accused, laying a meaty hand on her calf.

The Feylak's hostile reaction surprised the dwarf but not the wizard. No, it only confirmed what he already knew.

"I really wouldn't advise putting your hand or any other part of yourself on that woman without express permission first, Pogs." He said quietly.

"Eh?"

"It's best that you don't touch her. Nor the blonde one either, now that I think about it." Horace replied with wry amusement.

Understanding flashed across the dwarf's face and he took a deliberate step back. "Ah, ayuh. I getcha. Still though, is she hurt?"

"Oh my, no. I merely cast a harmless sleep spell on her. She was upset and exhausted, the poor thing. I'm sure she'll wake shortly." The wizard explained.

"Ayuh. Right then. Seemed a sweet girl. Would hate to see anythin' bad happen to 'er. Ye savvy, sorcerer?" Pogs said, looking Horace directly in the eye.

"Quite right, quite right. And yes, she is a nice young lady. Would be a terrible shame should any harm come to her."

The dwarf made a noncommittal sound in his throat; something about this wizard struck him as a bit off. Even so, he tossed an apologetic glance towards the creature and held his palms up in a gesture of acceptance.

The Feylak glowered for a moment more before offering a curt nod. After which, he continued to look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother.

After a moment of bemused staring, Kael and Andi followed the hyper little woman out of the bath house. They found her waiting out front, staring at the adjoining whorehouse with amusement. Skeet had taken a perch on the railing and was enthusiastically bouncing up and down, appearing to be having quite a good time.

"Ye ugly featherhead! Ain't even a whore would cast an eye on th' likes o'ye! Quit yer showboatin'!"

The parrot cocked his head and focused one bright, black eye on her.

"Bugger off," he said clearly, before taking off into the air and roosting on the patched roof.

"Bugger off yerself, ye ingrate!" Sway shouted after him.

Andi smirked in spite of herself, earning an excited tail-wag from Taters. He dearly, dearly loved it when his Girl was happy and smiling. And she hadn't been doing nearly enough of it lately to suit him.

"He's funny. Does he always back-talk you like that?" She ventured to the captain.

"Oh aye, Andi Brat. Too often fer his own good, really." Sway replied, peering at her curiously and blinking a bit.

The two watched as the odd woman rummaged around in her cloak before bringing out a pair of round spectacles with large, thick frames. Pushing them into place on her nose, she squinted over at Andi once again.

The blonde girl's amusement grew a tad when, upon closer inspection, she realized that they had no lenses.

Nevertheless, Sway beamed and nodded. "Much better! I can see ye two clearly now! An' look! Ye have freckles as well! D'awww!"

"But-but there are no lenses in those. How can you see better now?" Andi asked, beginning to like this woman more and more.

The captain merely tilted her head and appeared confused; as if she couldn't understand what the girl could possibly be talking about.

Kael frowned and cleared his throat. "Kirik will not be happy if we are late. Can we not go back to your craft now?"

Sway appeared astonished. "How can I be late fer sailin' me own ship? Canna go nowhere without me, ye know."

"Just the same, he will be displeased with me. He instructed me to be back just before sunrise."

The little woman tilted her head to the side and hefted a sigh. "Sounds to me like this Kirik be a real hard ass."

The juvenile nodded in agreement, "trust me; you've no idea."

"HARD ASS!" Skeet bellowed from the roof of the whorehouse, earning several startled glances from its occupants.

The woman who'd previously flirted with Kael was inching her way back down the steps. Sway noticed the whore's approach and her jolly expression immediately darkened into one of dislike.

"You went in with one and come out with two, hm?" She asked him, giggling. "You must truly have some talent. I'm almost tempted to give you a freebie."

Kael, now completely uninterested in any distractions, waved her off without comment. The whore's features grew sullen and she shot a resentful glance at Andi and Sway.

"I can show you a much better time than a sea-rat or that girl could."

"Go away, whore!" Andi snapped, incensed. To be insulted by the likes of this woman was infuriating.

"Aye. It'd do well fer ye to listen to th' girl. An' ye best not be callin' me that again," Sway agreed quietly, nonchalantly re-pocketing her spectacles.

Kael rolled his eyes and twirled his finger, "we've no time for this nonsense. Sway, I ask you to lead on." He paused and considered before adding a gracious, "please."

"I have never, ever been passed up in favor of a sea-rat before, " the woman raged. "Tell me, does she smell as bad as she looks? Or is that even possib-"

Without further warning, Sway darted forward and rammed her forehead squarely into the middle of the larger woman's face. There was a satisfying -crack- and the whore dropped like a sack of potatoes, nose gushing blood. There were several gasps and squeals from the surrounding women, but none came forward to help.

Andi was both shocked and impressed. Sway caught sight of the girl's expression and winked, "I told her not call to me that again, didn't I? She didn't listen. Bet she will from now on, though. Hah!"

The blonde girl nodded thoughtfully, without comment, and hugged the puppy closer. Apparently, Sway didn't appreciate being insulted. Good to know.

Kael was rather surprised himself. He certainly hadn't expected for this scrawny female to show such sudden aggression. And her attack had been flawless; fast, merciless, and completely unexpected. All in all, it'd been very nicely executed.

Perhaps there was a reason she was the lead of the ship. Quietly considering this new information, he took hold of the Brat's arm and tapped Sway on the shoulder.

The captain had stepped over the downed woman and was busily searching for her glasses again. Eventually finding them, she pushed them back on before turning to consider the juvenile once more.

"Eh?"

"We must get going."

"Gah! Alright, alright." Sway blew an errant lock of hair off of her forehead before tossing Kael a put upon glower. "If it ain't Pogs a rushin' me it's gonna be you, is it? Well, fine!" She stomped her foot and placed both hands on her hips; a stubborn expression surfacing on her impish face.

"Fine!" Skeet announced, taking flight once again. He was quickly out of sight.

Instead of leading the way, however, Sway suddenly crouched and began to go through the unconscious whore's clothing. Kael and Andi stared as the woman issued a happy little squeeing sound.

"Oh, looky here! I've found some pretties, I have!" Sway held up a small pouch and shook it, beaming triumphantly. A muted, metallic jingling was clearly heard.

"Not only nasty, but a damned slut-thief to boot," she declared, opening the bag and peering inside. "Ain't no way a common gutter whore would have this much coin on her 'nless she stole it. Mayhaps I did this place a service, if'ee really think on it. I consider this payment received fer a job well done."

This said; she stood, pocketed the stolen pouch of coins, turned on her heel and began marching up the walkway without another look back.

26.

Sunrise had come and gone and the morning business was in full swing. Still, there was no sign of Kael, Andi, or the captain. Kirik could no longer convince himself that he wasn't concerned for his sibling.

Repeatedly, he'd walk the length of the dock and search around for any sign of him. And each time when he was unsuccessful, the elder would storm back towards the ship and pace restlessly.

The woman was still slumbering. Kirik had laid her on the dock, near Horace, with her head on the traveling pack. Except for some quiet mumbles and burbling, Anya remained silent and deeply asleep.

Pogs had enjoyed his smoke with an unconcerned air about him. Far be it for Sway to actually be punctual for anything. At times, the dwarf grew incredibly impatient with his captain. Not that she gave a damn, of course. Just the same, though; the little man was soon also feeling a bit restless, and began tapping his foot in agitation.

Only Horace seemed to be serene. He'd produced a small, silver flute from his satchel and was contentedly trilling a pretty little tune. At a sudden exclamation from the elder Feylak, though, he paused and glanced up curiously.

Strolling up the dock with a definite swagger in his step, was the juvenile with the blonde girl in tow. As far as Horace could see, she appeared completely unharmed. This did not surprise him.

What did, however, was the presence of a new woman accompanying them. At first, the wizard assumed that the youngster had simply taken another pretty woman that had caught his fancy.

That is, until a large, black cockatoo flew over them and perched on the stack of crates near the dwarf.

The bird cocked an eye at the little man before trumpeting a cheerful, "Hellooooooo Pawwwwgs!"

"Shut yer yap, ye flyin' fool," Peggins replied calmly, without batting an eye.

Undaunted, Skeet resumed his animating bouncing. "Pogs, POGS, Pogs, POGS, Pogs, POGS..."

Finally irritated, the dwarf swung an open hand towards the feathered critter. Dodging it easily, Skeet took to the air once again and headed towards the ship. Mischievous cackling followed him the whole way.

Kirik glowered at his brother, "you're late."

Kael held his hands up and pointed at Sway, "it's her fault. She kept getting distracted and I had to keep retrieving her-"

"All this time you were supposed to be finding the lead, and yet you merely come back with another play-thing?!" Kirik accused, feeling his frustrated anxiety reach its peak.

The youngling began to shake his head in denial, "no! No, no, no, brother. I did find the lead. That is Sway."

This stopped the elder's wrath immediately, and he took another look at the new woman. She returned his stare frankly enough, a knowing grin spreading across her features.

"Ye mus' be Kirik, then?" She asked.

Kirik tilted his head, surprised she addressed him by name. He hadn't understood anything else she'd said, though. Blinking, he returned his attention to Kael and gestured toward the juvenile's hand.

"Give me my ring back, youngling. You've done well," he said, holding his palm out expectantly.

Kael hesitated and glanced down at Andi; a flicker of regret flashing across his features.

"I shall miss talking with you, Brat." He told her quietly, before pulling the ring off and tossing it to Kirik.

She gave him a startled glance and started to reply, when she caught sight of Anya laying motionless on the docks.

"Anya!" She cried, running to her sister's side. Kneeling, the girl tried to shake her awake but to no avail. "What's wrong with her?! Why won't she wake up?!" Growing frantic, her eyes began to well up once again.

Horace wandered over soon after, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Don't fret, Andi. She merely sleeps. She'll awaken soon. I promise."

Having no other choice but to believe him; Andi nodded, cradled Anya's head in her lap, and began stroking her hair. After a moment, the girl began a soft, crooning murmur. The wizard returned the nod without further comment and turned again to regard the newcomer with interest.

"Poggy-wogs!" Sway cried, obviously pleased to see the rotund little being.

She rushed over and threw herself into the stout man, crushing him with a giant bear-hug. The dwarf stood stoically enough, but grumbled with annoyance.

"Did ye miss me?!" She chirped, raking her knuckles back-and-forth across his head roughly.

"Aye, I did. Me aim sure ain't what it used t'be, sadly 'nuff." He replied calmly, taking the rough greeting with the air of someone who has put up with it many, many times before

At this, Sway appeared crushed, "yer so mean to me. I should feed ye to th' sharks."

"We be behind schedule now, ye know. Yer late," he continued, looking a bit disgruntled.

"Ach! Don't ye start in on me now! First him," she pointed dramatically at Kael, "with his 'hurry-ups' an' 'we must get goings'. An' now ye, with yer 'we be behind schedule' an'-"

"Remember wha' happened th' last time ye were late?" He continued, giving her a stern glare.

"Oh, no. No ye don't be bringin' that up again! I did not start that fire!" She declared, pointing a finger at his face.

"Ye were th' cause of it!"

"Slander and deceit!" She railed, drawing a pistol and pointing it at the dwarf's face threateningly.

Upon witnessing this; Kirik slowly turned and gave his brother a wide-eyed, questioning stare.

Kael, rather amused, merely shrugged and said, "she's a bit strange."

"Tch! Fine." The dwarf replied, spitting. "Still though, we need ta set sail. Soon. The sea be callin' me name. An' we need ta get that girly into a decent bed. A dock ain't no place for tha' sweet lass t'sleep." Peggins told her, pointing at Anya.

Sway widened her eyes as she glanced over at the dark-haired woman. Re-holstering her weapon, she snickered. "Oh-ho! So now ye act like yer a kindly, givin' being, do ye? Where be that generosity, I wonder, when I wanted t'shave yer head? Was it there, then? No! Was it there when I wanted to buy that elephant? No! How 'bout th' time when-"

Kirik cleared his throat, "excuse me, Sway, is it?"

Nodding pertly; she gave him her full attention and pushed her spectacles onto a higher position on her nose.

"We were advised by your gentleman there-"

"Me 'gentleman'?!" She squawked, snorting more laughter. "Ye mean Pogs?! Bwaaa ha ha haaaaa!"

"Ah, yes. Nevertheless, he advised us that you may be willing to grant us transport. Is this true?"

"Hmmmmmmmm," she murmured thoughtfully. "I reckon so. But, there still be th' issue of payment. Ye see, yer kin advised me tha' ye be th' one t'bargain with. So then? What can'ee offer me in return?"

For a moment, Kirik had no answer. Then he shrugged, "I imagine it would save us a lot of time if you'd just tell me what you want."

"Aye! So it would! Hmmmmmmmm," Sway lapsed into deep thought, one hand cupping her chin.

This went on for several moments. Just as Kirik was beginning to think she'd drifted off, the redheaded woman snapped her fingers and beamed.

"How 'bout ye just owe me a favor, hm? Tis a longish journey to Wyvern Rock, ye know. I'm sure I can think o'somethin' by then."

The elder didn't like the idea of being in someone's debt. Still, what choice did he have? They needed to sail, and this odd woman was their only option for passage. Slowly, he nodded.

"Tis done, then, Kirik. We've an agreement," she held out her hand to seal the deal.

Arching a brow; he merely stared at it, puzzled. Sway's face fell.

"Pardon me, but I don't believe these two know about handshaking, madam." Horace said, smoothly. "Perhaps this gesture?" He tapped three fingers against his chest.

Shrugging, the woman merely nodded and copied the wizard. As the elder's confused expression cleared, she brightened visibly. "Ye were right, wizard! Would ye look at that! Hee!"

Kirik nodded and returned the gesture, "yes. It is done. Do we leave now?"

"Sheesh. Alright already. Everyone seems t'be in such a hurry. Wyvern Rock ain't gonna go nowheres, ye know! Gah! Well come on, then! Follow me!"

The group watched as Sway danced up the ramp to her ship. For a moment, no one moved.

Finally, Kael nudged his brother. "Well? What's going on?"

Kirik inclined his head at the youngster, "she has agreed to take us. You did very well, youngling. I am pleasantly surprised."

The juvenile held himself a bit straighter, enjoying the rare praise. "Of course I did well, brother. You're the one who trained me."

"Collect your pets and let's get going, then." Kirik replied bluntly, jerking a thumb towards the blonde girl.

Without further ado, the elder moved towards Anya, gathered her up into his arms and started to stride away; much to Andi's dismay.

"No! Please don't take her away from me!" She begged, clutching her sister's arm.

Taters whined and pranced about uneasily. Something about this whole situation was just not right. Maybe they weren't all good-friends like he'd previously assumed.

Every time his Girl got upset, it was around one of the man-things. What if they were still danger-things? Had he been fooled again? Maybe so. But ... but his new friend was so very nice and even occasionally paid attention to him. He was very, very confused.

The puppy licked his chops nervously and pawed his Girl's leg, trying to soothe her.

Kirik clenched his jaw and glowered down at the girl. Kael observed this and quickly inserted himself in between the Brat and the elder.

Shaking his head firmly at her; Kael grasped Andi's arm again and pulled her well out of reach of his brother. He watched her chin begin to tremble, then proceeded to point at Kirik, Anya, her, himself, and finally at the ship. As an after-thought, he also pointed down at the puppy.

Andi watched him closely and comprehension suddenly washed over her features. They would all be going together then; was what she surmised. Tilting her head, she gave Kael a cautious, searching look before reluctantly nodding.

The juvenile's surprise was apparent. He'd been expecting another outburst of defiance.

"Hmpf," he muttered, pleased, and patted her head.

The puppy noticed this and began to wag his tail hopefully. His new friend was petting his Girl and her unhappy-smell began to fade. Perhaps everything would be ok after all.

Andi glowered up at him, rather annoyed at the head-pats, but offered no further resistance as he pulled her up the ramp after Kirik. Tots trotted along after her, busily sniffing the entire way.

Horace had been quietly observing the entire event. After the main group had boarded the ship, a secretive smile crept over his lips and he sauntered up after them; pausing only to grab Anya's forgotten knapsack.

27.

When Anya awoke, she was in an unfamiliar room in an equally unfamiliar bed. For a moment or two, she felt wonderfully refreshed and rested. However, this feeling passed rather quickly; and she sat up, glancing around frantically.

It was a smallish cabin-like room. As she began to get her bearings back, she realized that the place was undulating gently. Hesitantly, she crawled out from under the covers and peered around uncertainly.

"Welcome back, Pretty," a quiet voice greeted.

Snapping a look behind her; Anya saw Kirik sitting comfortably on an over-sized easy chair, watching her intently. Turning, she faced him with a puzzled expression clouding her features.

"Where am I?" She frowned, then felt her heart skip when she remembered her sister. "Where's Andi?!"

Kirik's relief was almost palpable. The woman had been asleep for hours, and he'd began to become a bit concerned. Outwardly, though, he appeared as cold and detached as he normally did.

"We're on a ship at sea. Your kin is off playing with her new friend somewhere on deck." He flapped his hand towards the door.

"New friend?" Anya questioned, turning to glance at the door.

"Yes. The Sway woman has apparently decided that your sister is her new best friend." He replied, still watching her closely.

"Who-"

"You're feeling better, then?"

Anya tilted her head and blinked, surprised at the query. "Ah ... yes, actually. I feel quite good. What ... what happened to me? The last thing I remember, we were walking around the harbor."

The elder settled back and crossed his arms across his chest. "The old man set you to sleep. You've been out for quite awhile."

"Why?"

Kirik shrugged, "you'd have to ask him."

"Andi is here and alright, though?" She replied, fretfully glancing towards the door again.

"She is."

"You swear?"

Before he had a chance to answer, the door to the cabin burst open. Sway pranced in with Andi in tow and the puppy following eagerly after. The blonde girl immediately ran to Anya and latched onto her; hugging the woman with fervor.

"You're awake! I was so worried!" She cried, peering into Anya's face. "Are you ok?"

Anya clutched her sister and decided right then that relief had to be one of the best feelings in the world.