The descent to the surface of the planet was filled with eye candy. White, fluffy clouds graced the nose of the shuttle as they shifted down, the shuttle once again groaning in response to the abnormal weight. Large landing and acceleration engines were mounted on its front, capable of being rotated three-hundred and sixty degrees to assist its thrust vector in any direction. Currently, the engines were pointed down and to the front - bleeding the velocity sourced from atmospheric entry. Engines mounted to the rear were capable of a similar function. Smaller, static thrusters in all other directions designed to assist movement within newtonian environments were also present, with the side objective of aiding the rest of the craft with braking in all directions.

Cedric gazed out of the pilot's window, his new seat of choice protesting his body in the front of the craft - with Faring in the seat adjacent to his row. Precipitation glazed the window, courtesy of the clouds they now descended through. A simple laser-powered wiper system ensured to vaporize whatever liquid decided to pool on the windshield, ensuring ideal visibility for the pilot. The city he saw below them seemed so small, its visage growing ever steadily as the distance between them and the surface came to a close. He wasn't sure what to expect out of the first real exposure to Korellei architecture. From what he could tell, their concrete jungles were symmetric and modern, aside from a few choice buildings such as skyscrapers with a more intricate design. Faring garnered his attention, pointing to one of the buildings down below - quickly increasing in size.

"That's where the deal is going down. Saint Amelìon is one of the largest hubs of the Empire, but it's more like a vacation spot. If you travel some, there's some beaches and stuff that are real nice to go to. I like beaches but I don't spend too much time in the water, I hate cleaning all the salt out of my fur afterwards."

"I see."

Far out, Cedric could make out the blues of an ocean. It was too far for him to extrapolate any additional detail, unlike the city that was below them.

"Salt in your fur? So it's salt water oceans. Are those common?"

"I wish they were. There's records of the Ancients using incredible magic to change the entire surface of planets. Saint Amelìon is one of them, and why it's such a popular tourist spot."

"Tourist spot? Seems odd to be conducting such a massive business deal on a vacation planet, of all places."

"It was the closest location that had everything needed to make it fancy I guess. Leased trade towers, considerable police, we should be safe here."

"I hope you're right."

It didn't require much time after the conversation for the pilot to land at what Cedric assumed was his assigned landing pad, if the comms unit he heard was anything to go by. It was blocked by the pilot's body, so Cedric wasn't able to give it a good look in detail. The shuttle landed with a creak, the main thrusters slowly powering down as the pilot switched a few small levers mounted above him. Another flick, and the boarding door opened behind them - a ramp deploying following its stead, allowing easy locomotion on and off the shuttle.

He unbuckled himself and slowly stood up. He took a quick glance at its condition, hoping that another seat survived his onslaught. Thankfully, it seemed that it had.

He was nervous, and could tell that despite her demeanor, Faring was just as worried. Her fur seemed to stand on end, just a bit. A natural response to stressful stimuli. They could not remain hidden forever, and now it was time for the planet to bear their first witness to his existence. Faring stepped ahead of him.

"There's some basic etiquette you need to follow while you're here! Because of, you know, our circumstances."

Cedric nodded, his brown locks bouncing in response.

"Don't speak unless spoken to. If I tell you to do something, you need to do it - no matter how weird it'll sound. If others get pawsy with you, just try your best to ignore it. I guess I don't have to remind you how uncomfortable this might be."

"No shit."

Faring sighed, growing sick and tired of constantly correcting him.

"Language! Especially here. Oh, and don't speak Ancient! Ever. Unless it's just us, of course."

"So I have to let other people do as they want with me, and I can't even speak in my own language. I'm not going to make promises."

"Please Cedric, you have to. This is really important. I know you don't like it, but this is the best way to make sure things go right."

"Is chipping away my independence really necessary to make things go right?"

"I'm sorry, but this is the norm. You're a slave, and we're in public. You need to understand that I've done the best I can to make sure nothing bad happens to us while still preserving your freedom."

"It's a shitty norm, and you seem to forget the concept of a slave - I no longer have freedom."

"You do! I'll gurantee that so long as you're a member of my house, you won't be mistreated."

"Am I not being mistreated now?"

"No! Well technically yes. Ugh, come on Cedric you're smart - use your head! This is the public we're talking about."

"Why should I care what your people think."

"Well, you don't really have a reason to care, but you care about what I think - right?"

He remained silent for a moment. He was not comfortable with anything that was happening to him, but he also knew the gravity of the situation. This wasn't his world, it wasn't his time. He needed to abide by their ways, not the ones he was used to - whether he liked it or not. What he was certain of was that he needed to trust Faring. She was young, and seemingly experienced, however she had already proven her aptitude with playing their political system. Claiming him as a slave was a bold move, but the correct one to loophole said system and avoid one of the higher houses taking possession of him. Things could have been significantly worse, and Faring was trying her damndest to prevent him from being separated from her. For now, he would trust her. He needed to, and he had no realistic reason not to.

"I'll do my best. Again, no promises."

"Just... Trust me, okay?"

She looked up and gazed into his eyes - her pleading brown orbs delivering a sense of sincerity to her words. Cedric nodded.

"Okay."

Satisfied as best she could be, Faring lead him off the shuttle. The air was warm and crisp, reminding him of New Florida from his time. He temporarily removed his mask and took a deep breath through his nose - the salty air tinged his nostrils with the scent of an ocean. He gently closed his eyes and embraced the breeze kissing his face. Cedric enjoyed this small moment, wondering if he'd ever get the chance to be somewhere like this again after all was said and done. A light tap on his waist stole him from his moment.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just enjoying the breeze."

He slipped his mask back onto his face, a solemn reminder of just how different he was. It wasn't a comfortable feeling. Maybe to some people, this would make them feel special. Not being able to enjoy things normally as he used to would never leave his mind. Maybe he'd get used to it, that was the least he could do for himself. He turned his head down to face Faring, his locks flowing in the wind ever so slightly.

"Let's go."

The platform they landed on was adjacent to many others of the same size. A vast line of pads with various shuttles, ships, equipment, and cargo dotted almost every single one. The sturdy, bleached metal of their construction was difficult to notice - but Cedric could see they used some sort of plating to create the surfaces - tiny seams marked where the plates were adjacent to each other. Metal girdering bordered the round pads - some were folded down, and some straight up. The pad they were on slightly shuttered as the girdering rose to a new position. It seemed that the structures lowered the girder barriers during landings, which also meant they'd do the same thing during lift offs. When the occupants of the respective docked crafts were safely landed, the fences rose to prevent falling from the platform. A small, regularly occurring design - it could sometimes be hard to notice, with its commonality.

Plated steps lead their way forward, descending to a large hallway gantry surrounded by the familiar girder fences - the walkway. Korellei hustled and bustled about, going about their daily lives in silence until they witnessed Cedric being trailed behind Faring. Whispers and awe abound, as per usual. They turned left, approaching some kind of large reception building akin to an airport reception for arrivals. He wondered if the Korellei had exorbitantly priced food, snacks, and goods to greet the tourists arriving for a well earned vacation following whatever tumultuous profession they grinded away on every day. Cedric himself never had the pleasure of experiencing such a vacation, tracking his knowledge only to those that would often talk about it with excitement. His situation of poverty and the rising prices of the UCSC combined with lack of additional pay to compensate assured that he'd never be able to experience such a thing. It was funny, he thought. He's going to get to experience something akin to those vacations - albeit as a slave. Maybe Faring would get him a pricey snack if he asked nicely?

So far, it seemed like Faring was keeping her composure. He assumed that the Korellei that were passing by during the walk were simply laborers for the houses, the closest one could get to being a 'regular' person. When they finally encountered persons of influence, the real test of mental and emotional strength would begin. Large, glass doors big enough for even Cedric to fit through greeted them at the end of the walk way, sliding open and closed constantly as foot traffic moved to and fro. Inside, a large lobby with freshly waxed tile floors shined in the white sunlight. Circulation of air was strong within the lobby, and for the first time Cedric witnessed Korellei pay no heed to him. The ones closest to them were uneasy, but for the most part they were more concerned with the excitement of beginning their vacations and finding places to stay - brokering transport, renting shuttles, complaining about lost luggage for those without personal vehicles - it really did feel like an airport. Cedric expected something akin to a spaceport to be more... spacey. Rather, it felt like one had just arrived in a new state after a long airplane flight of a few hours rather than arriving at an entirely new planet after however long public passenger transit took to get there.

They approached one of the counters, lines breaking apart in lieu of a noblewoman and her charge. The counter looked to be made of marble, or at least a material that was similar to it. The receptionist was a cordial sort, she looked like a house cat. She was clearly trying her best to keep up her customer service appearance - despite someone of high stature casually greeting her.

"Hello ma'am. Did you arrive via public or personal transport?"

"Lady Faring Kilik, personal transport. Official business. Tadani penthouse."

Faring produced a wallet of some sort, no doubt holding official papers bearing the seal of House Kilik.

"My apologies, my Lady!"

She bowed to Faring, and seeing the response from the receptionist, many of the Korellei closest to them also bowed. Those farther away attempted to get away from them as soon as possible, hoping to be relieved of the need to show respect.

"Yes, of course. Enjoy your stay in Saint Amelìon!"

Cedric was curious, and turned to face Faring as they headed left of reception to exit the building. He was careful to not speak English, as she requested.

"I find it strange."

"Hm?"

"Shouldn't someone of your title be clearly obvious? The other people didn't bow or pay you any mind until the receptionist did."

"You'd think so, but it's not uncommon for people to try and play off they are members of houses they don't actually belong to. Anybody can own a slave, I guess the people here don't realize who you are yet - you're pretty obvious."

"Wasn't the deal supposed to be public?"

"It was, but making it public doesn't mean that the media immediately finds out about it. Or if they do, almost all houses have dedicated media experts. It's illegal to broadcast any media that hasn't been stamped by a House."

"I see, so the houses can control the flow of information as they see fit."

"Yes, and it gets abused a lot."

"It's not surprising, all things considered."

"I guess. When deals are made public like this, pretty much all the houses catch wind of it quickly - but the public doesn't."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"It's smart, if a bit dystopian."

"Maybe, but if media wasn't filtered then fake information could spread like wildfire - inciting a panic."

"Couldn't the houses technically do the same thing and spread misinformation?"

"Technically yes, but doing so is seen as very unsportsmanlike."

"I see, so the reason they don't use their authority to spread misinformation is because they want to keep their reputations intact."

"Pretty much, yeah."

There was aways to go before they reached the corresponding door to exit the building. Cedric realized that Faring had shared much of herself and her world with him, but he hadn't done the same. It may be pointless, given he was still confident that she'd tire of him eventually - but he felt he owe it to her to at least reciprocate what she shared.

"I suppose I can share some of my past while we walk."

Faring tried her best to stop her tail from wagging at the prospect, especially in public - to no avail.

"We had something similar in my time. One of the policies of the UC as a whole was free speech. There was a few social media outlets online that people could freely join. It was a cesspool of misinformation, but a lot of people were so jaded they would often believe it right off the bat."

"The UC? Free speech?"

Faring turned her fuzzy face to him, her ears perked in an intense listening mode.

"UC, United Countries. A conglomerate of a few different continents annexed by one. A while before I was born, there was a few continents with large countries on them. The United States, Canada, and South America. They were located on the western hemisphere."

"What happened?"

"The United States annexed Canada and South America by force to avoid a global war for resources."

"That sounds... Really bad."

"It technically was, essentially the President that was elected for his four years did a lot of backend deals and shady stuff to make it happen. Everyone kind of knew it was a thing, but of course all government sources would blatantly deny it."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, having the strongest military in the world meant that a war wouldn't be worth it. So they tried an appeasement policy, which the US took advantage of. It's heavily debated how it happened because it wasn't realistic, but believe it or not Canada and South America just kind of... Let them do it. It should've sparked concern - which it did, protests from the other countries in NATO - which was a global alliance - were loud and proud so to speak. So, the US just kind of... Left NATO. The UN, or United Nations stood no chance against the now independent military - funny, because it was the US they relied on to protect NATO. They were one of the few countries that had regular bases outside of their own. With such an overwhelming force and a patriotic ideal of isolation spurring everyone, the president was elected for a second term."

"Wow, that's crazy!"

"It really was. It was a really rough time, but believe it or not it turned out well."

"How would an annexation turn out well?"

"Well, because the newly formed United Countries was so large and now under the same banner, all the research institutes worked together as well. That's how asteroid mining was first born, so not only did it somehow work out, but because of the technology for asteroid mining becoming a thing there was no longer a resource shortage on Earth - so things went peacefully from there. Had it went different, I'm not sure the planet would've survived."

"Wow. You have GOT to tell me more when you can, it's like a book - but reality."

Cedric hadn't paid attention during his tangent, and realized he had to go to the bathroom. They were almost at the next door for exiting the building already.

"Uh, before we leave. I have to go." He said awkwardly.

"Go? Go where?"

"Like, the restroom."

"Oh! Yeah sure we can do that."

Cedric rose a brow in response.

"Well, you. You know what I mean!"

Faring, slightly flustered, led him across width of the spacious hallway hosting all the foot traffic. Cedric saw not two, but three different signs. Presumably, all to different restrooms. He had no idea which one was what, as they were not color coded and featured no words identifying who was allowed.

"Which uh, which one do I use?"

"What? Oh."

She pointed at the symbols from left to right.

"Female, Male, Other."

"Other?"

"For additional privacy, or for those who aren't comfortable going into either."

"So... Like someone who doesn't identify as either?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Interesting. I don't need to be escorted do I..."

"Technically, it happens. Things can get weird sometimes. I'm not going to do that to you."

"Thank christ."

"I'll be waiting over there, at the benches."

Faring pointed to a set of benches complimented by some plants for decoration. They were somewhat cushioned, and a few elderly Korellei were sitting down in them - presumably to take a break from walking. In that direction, Cedric noticed a couple of food carts and what he assumed was an entire food court. A large sign depicting what appeared to be a coffee mug with a neon sign featuring its steam flickered on and off. He began to salivate, it couldn't be - could it? Faring waved her paw in front of his face as best she could.

"You good? They aren't that impre- oooh. I see."

Faring wore a mischievous grin, and spoke in a babyish way, akin to how one might communicate with a pet - the gross irony was not lost on him, but it was comedic.

"Does da good boy want a snackie?"

"Oh FUCK off."

Faring's attempt to stifle her laughter was a horrendous failure, but a welcome one.

"Is that a coffee place?"

"Oh. Like a cafe? Yeah, it is."

"Can we?.."

"Yes, we can. I thought you had to use the restroom?"

"Sorry, I got distracted."

"Well hurry up, we are still on a time table."

"Ah, right."

Cedric was worried that the men's restroom would be a forensic experience - thankfully, it wasn't. The only real difference was the stalls of varying sizes - presumably for different sized Korellei. Toilets, sinks, hell even urinals were easy to identify. He kept forgetting that all their technology was based on pre-existing designs. It was rather unimpressive for a restroom. Plain, mosaic tiles adorned it. Easy to clean, and hopefully sterile. He finished his business quickly.

He stepped out, making note of the fancy dryers that were a case of slipping your hands in and out to dry water in one fell swoop. It was an intelligent idea, and one he was very familiar with. He was quick to spot Faring, but as he approached he felt a tug on his jumpsuit. He looked down, and beheld a fox kit. Male, by the looks of it.

"Are you a superhero?"

He was instructed not to talk to others unless spoken to first, this case seemed to qualify. A slight grin crossed his lips - the innocence of children never ceased to amaze. He saw this as an opportunity to be seen in a positive light.

"I may be." He replied hintingly.

Before the kit could respond, he was pulled away by an older female, a fox same as he was.

"No no, honey. We don't talk to slaves."

"But he's not a slave, he's a superhero!"

"No he isn't honey, he's a dirty slave. And a liar."

She turned to face him - some of her fur on end.

"Where's your owner, you beast? How could you talk like that to my boy?"

"What? Sorry, he asked-"

"I asked who your owner was!"

"He's mine."

The woman whipped around.

"You should remind that slave of his place- Oh. I am so sorry m'lady. I didnt realize-"

She forced a deep bow, grabbing her kit's head and encouraging him to follow suit - which of course he did.

"I'll bet you didn't. Now leave."

"Of course madam!"

She scurried off, her muzzle fraught with embarrassment.

"I can't leave you alone for two seconds, can I?"

"What? That kid-"

She cut him off.

"I know, I'm sorry."

Cedric sighed, it obviously wasn't her fault- just the fault of her fucked up society.

"How can you people be conscious enough to have an 'other' bathroom, but not treat everyone with basic respect?"

"Because Cedric, you don't classify as everyone."

Another sigh, more out of frustration erupted from his mouth.

"Right, slave. No good dirty piece of shit. Guess the emblem on my collar wasn't obvious?"

"Sorry..."

Faring really wasn't sure how else to reply to him, but then her ears perked. She knew just what to do to make him happy again.

"You still want to go to that Cafe?"

Somehow, he'd already forgotten about it - his train of thought derailed from the events that had just transpired.

"Yes, please."

"My, Cedric!"

"What?"

"That's the first time I think I've heard you be so polite!"

"Is it really?"

"Yeah."

He shrugged. What else was he supposed to do? That's just how he said it.

"Well, I guess because you said so so nicely... I'll even get you what you want!"

Cedric stared at her, unmoving.

"I don't have any money."

"Oh, don't ruin the moment!"

Without pressing further, they proceeded across to the other side of the building, making their way to the evident food court with ease of movement thanks to the quality of the flooring within. They waited in line, a few Korellei were taking their sweet time figuring out what they actually wanted. Cedric would berate their behavior, if he wasn't about to do the exact same thing. He took advantage of the extra time to decipher the menu, and figure out what he wanted. He understood most of it, but some words were still present that he didn't recognize.

"Do they have something like a white chocolate cappuccino?"

He delicately, and intently kept his question to a whisper - audible to none but Faring - as he had to use some English words within the sentence to identify the Korellei equivalent.

"Hmm..."

She pursed her chops.

"I'm pretty sure a weiss cacao with steamed milk is what you want?"

"That sounds about right."

"Sure, I can get you that. I'll get you the largest they have."

It was their time to order, Cedric almost began to speak - but remembered he wasn't technically allowed to. It was a most frustrating feeling for him, having his normal freedoms taken away so casually. The cashier was a strangely busty sort, a brown cow by the looks of it - seemed her body correlated with the expectation of such a species. He wondered just how many variations there were. Was there black and white cows as well? What about hamsters, lemmings, or martens? Hell, ferrets? Based on what he has seen so far, most likely all variations of land based mammals could be a potential variant of Korellei. He actually somewhat looked forward to it, wondering just how many there would be, and how they would act relative to what they were based off of.

"Cacao, weiss groß with steamed milk bitte."

"Oh, right away miss!"

She spoke high Korellei this time, he noticed. Their process for producing coffee was not unlike what he'd seen before, albeit a bit more digital. Raw grounds were inserted into a bowl on the top of a machine - she pressed a button and the process began. A laser shifted back and forth through a small window, most likely some sort of glass. As it did so, a cup began to form. He turned to Faring.

"3D printing?"

"I don't know what that is, but if you're talking about the cups it's magic material formation. Only really works with disposable materials though."

"So... it's 3D printing..."

"I guess?.."

"You want anything for... Um, him too miss?"

"Oh, that is for him."

"Oh!"

She struck up a conversation. She was surprisingly bold for talking so casually to nobility, but given her profession it was most likely because she was so used to it. Even from his time, business officials and even council members and CEOs grabbing a cup of fancy coffee after a long flight was hardly an uncommon concept. This woman probably saw those of her stature all the time. Or she was just really nice.

"Been a good boy, has he?"

The response had Cedric's emotions begin to boil. He struggled to keep them in check. The cashier didn't catch on, nor did Faring it seemed - as she nodded in response.

"You could say that."

The cow girl, for lack of better wording, leaned on the counter.

"I thought about getting one for myself, help with house chores and stuff. By the time I get home, I'm always tired after work. They're just so expensive. At least for a good one. He isn't a breeder is he?"

Faring stole a quick glance at Cedric pleadingly, trying to apologize in a non-vocal method. He understood.

"No, he isn't."

"With a size like that, can't imagine it'd be comfortable anyways."

The machine whirred in response to the printing of the cup coming to completion, hot brown liquid dispensed into the container. Cedric temporarily removed his mask, inhaling the satisfying scent of a fresh brewed coffee. How long had it been? The machine opened its window and sounded off with a casual beep. It was ready. The cashier removed the cup from its place, grabbing a lid from the side and popping it on. He noticed how her hands were formed, and looked over the counter just enough to see her lower body. She had cloven hooves, with digigrade legs - a cow tail swishing back and forth. Her hands though, were more like that of a human - but with three digits and covered in brown hair. Long, rounded nails tipped her fingers, and did not have small pads of any sort unlike Faring's paws and claws. They were dark, but not quite black - and featured a distinct sheen - fingernail polish. Finger hoof polish? He wasn't actually sure.

"Ope, guess he got curious huh? He's a smart one. Here's your order!"

She bowed shortly after her hooves were free of the cup.

"Thank you, have a pleasant evening!"

"You too, miss!"

She walked away, inhaling the scent of the cup before turning to Cedric in tow.

"You must be smelling something I'm not, you had a little moment there!"

Cedric did not wear a joyous expression.

"Was it about what she said?"

"She... just talked about me like I wasn't even a sapient being. Oh, I'm curious so I must be smart? That's insane."

Faring actually began to seem irritated at his thoughts.

"I told you what to expect, didn't I? I know you're upset but... Well, you're kind of complaining a lot."

"Dude, seriously?"

"It's really not that bad. I can't control what other people say or do, but I feel you're thinking about it too hard - blowing it out of proportion."

Cedric was appalled, he couldn't believe what he was hearing - and from Faring of all people!

"Is that really what you think?"

"Yes! I can't keep apologizing to you, especially when it's not my fault. I did what I did to prevent you from being taken away from me!"

He was speechless.

"Look you've voiced your thoughts, I get it, but this is normal behavior! I know you're used to things being different, but this isn't your world anymore! I've tried to be understanding about you, but now I feel like you're being insensitive - constantly voicing your opinions. Is the way we live really that horrible to you? I'm asking you this because I care about what you think of me, and when you say things like that it-"

She stopped, trying to keep her composure in the public eye. They also started to warrant attention from the prying ears of the crowds - feasting off the potential gossip. Faring let go of an exasperated sigh, and handed Cedric the cup. It was warm, and comforting in his hands. As they walked, he swished it about - thinking long and hard about how to respond to such a confession. Was he really being that insensitive? People as a whole treated him badly, and it made his blood boil, but Faring had been nothing but kind and respectful to him. If she had any complaints about how things were done in his time, she didn't voice them.

"Faring, I don't think..."

"Don't think what?" She came off as brash, but she was most likely nervous about what he was going to say next. The emotional tension in the air was palpable.

"I don't think I'll ever agree with how things are done here. Maybe I will at a later time, after being in it for a while and I learn more. My intention is not to be annoying or disrespectful, I'm just - still figuring things out, getting used to how things operate. I've only been exposed to all this for a month, you've lived in it for your entire life. The only reason I'm tolerating it is because I trust you. You're the only person I trust in general. So, out of consideration for that. I'll figure It out."

She tried to put a paw on his shoulder, but had to settle for his back instead.

"Thank you, for trying. You don't have to force yourself more than you're comfortable with, but I do ask that you try and make a little bit of progress every day, okay?"

"You make it sound like therapy."

"Is it not, in a way?"

"In a way, I suppose so."

In actuality, it felt more like forced indoctrination. He obviously couldn't admit that to her. He took a deep gulp of the coffee, and recoiled. It was hot!

"Ow! Motherf-"

He cut himself off out of respect. Faring looked to him quizzically, and stifled a giggle.

"Did you burn your tongue?"

He tried to look away.

"I might've."

"For being a smart guy, you make some really dumb decisions!"

He didn't reply - his pride wouldn't allow him to.

They finally reached the exit door, and stepped out. Warm air wafted over the duo, and Cedric's eyes grew wide. The city before him looked incredible. Tall, imposing skyscrapers of whitewashed paneling ascended high in the sky - as though reaching to touch the pool of blue presented by the atmosphere. Wide roads in good repair lay the foundations for foot traffic, whilst personal shuttles soared above them at breakneck speeds, transporting their occupants to their desired locations. Far in the distance, grass plazas hosting decorative marbled fountains made their artistic presence known. A few shops and carts complimented the sides of the walkway, their staff ushering many a tourist in with their promises of once-in-a-lifetime deals and exotic produce. Many signs and holographic advertisements clung to whatever surfaces they could muster, barraging onlookers with visions of only the finest products afforded by the most elite quality of houses. Cedric's mouth was agape at the sight. Faring turned to him, a smug grin showing itself on her patterned muzzle.

"First time?"