She had heard about the situation in Caelum, but honestly it seemed foolhardy. Talks of the Void had become recurring, to the point that she couldn’t help but think that they may have been validity to them. The topic was barely spoken of within Fiore, both within the public space and the political theatre; the idea of even acknowledging the presence of the Void within the latter space being a sore place of contention. Fiore was still struggling as it was dealing with the combined fallout of Astrid’s political policies and the conclusion of the Talaz Lagaar civil war, a conflict that had significantly drained the nation’s coffers, made worst by the reallocation committed by the young Senator. The last thing that anyone wanted to admit was that there was a new threat emerging in the form of the Void.

So, Astrid’s presence felt much like that of an unexplained outlier. Her notoriety certainly had become noteworthy within many a circle within Fiore, but in a foreign nation she was just another figure, sold by her having maintained a low profile even before crossing through the border. She travelled light, effectively a wanderer, the tricks of the trade she would normally be at her disposal instead being reserved, the last thing that she were interested in doing drawing unwanted attention.

After all, she could not hope to achieve the intended success if it were realized that she were a political figure. Even those within the Senate knew nothing of her presence within Caelum, this trip having taken place within the middle of the extended recess, interrupted only by the emergency session that she had called for barely a week before. For all any of them knew, she was engaged in some bedroom fun with her primary ally within the Senate, Lady Tsara.

And under most circumstances, that would be exactly it.

But the allure of the Void was something that she certainly could not scoff at, nor risk it being true. The tale of what was occurring had come to her through private channels that stressed the urgency of her arrival if she sought to take full advantage of the situation. It should not have come as any surprise that she were not the only individual here; a small assortment of figures, some native to the lands, many foreigners like her, having converged upon Caelum for one reason or another. Likely some out of pursuit of fame, hoping to make a name for themselves. Others maybe out of a sense of pride, the hero sickness that so many young adventurers and Mages seemed to have been afflicted by. Or perhaps they came with their own motivations like Astrid herself, seeking out proof of the Void’s existence, or if not more, a way to benefit from it.

There may have been opportunities to determine exactly what those motivations were, enough time having passed before the amassment was broken up into smaller expedition groups. But that took time, the logistics proving to be a nightmare, which lent to plenty of time for the people there to interact with one another, establish some superficial sense of comradery, develop trust before they inevitably descended into a threat that for many was above their heads. All save for Astrid, whom spent more time to herself; there was no point in entertaining the idea of friendships or anything like that in this kind of environment, especially knowing that many of them were certain to suffer some sort of tragic fate.

No point in getting acquainted with inevitable corpses.

After what seemed like hours, the groups were finally given orders and sent off: some deploying earlier than others, the number of people dwindling down a few by few until eventually there only remained the auxiliary presence in the makeshift base camp, along with Astrid and the few others that at this point had come to make up her expedition team.

If it could even have been considered a team.

Some foreign creature, a fairy she seemed to recall one of the auxiliary members describing it as, along with two young boys, several years at the minimum younger than she, and based on their excitability, neither as informed, mindful, or anywhere close to prepared for what may have been encountered. The irony of her final point was not lost upon her; even Astrid unsure as to what would be encountered either, but unlike the two children she had been tasked with babysitting, at least she were capable of surviving on her own.

The others? Well, it was fair to say that Astrid were more interested in what the fairy said as to the promise of treasures and relics. A reward of that sort was the minimum that could have been offered, and begrudgingly, within her mind came to the realization that as frustrating as it would be, there was a benefit to having the two alive.

The success of this expedition was unlikely to be much influenced based upon their survival or not, but it may have been at least a deciding factor in that delicate balance between inconveniencing and difficult. She preferred the idea of handling the former as opposed to the latter.

And besides, if push came to shove, there were more than enough ways to deal with the children if they turned out to be unruly…

Just what those methods may have been were for her own devious mind, her attention divided between her own warped imagination and listening to the fairy speak, her eyes opening with full attentiveness as the order to move had been greenlit. With the cavern secure enough to enter, she sauntered forward in its direction, expectant that the trio would follow behind.

Or not.

Wasn’t outside the realm to believe that they wouldn’t chicken out then and there. But, if they had any spines, she half-expected to hear the sound of rushing footsteps coming behind her as they hoped to keep up.

She led their little expedition, not by choice, but seeming to be out of purely the nature of natural hierarchy. What was she, if not an adult woman in the company of two children essentially and a juvenile Magic creature that likely had as little insight or intelligent thought as the duo. The only thing that she could have remarked towards them were of comments she happened to overhear as she walked along, a pair of attempted introductions, both giving names that would be likely forgotten, sprinkled within a general lack of information that was worthwhile.

Except for one thing. Blue Pegasus. The guild that Astrid had, at best, a mixed relationship with, viewing it and its members in a far worse light than that of their guild leader, and her ally sworn by blood, Alisa Vollan. Though, that greater sentiment may have since become a bit warmer in recent memory, what with Astrid having reversed much of the original legislature that she had first pushed while as a Senator, effectively erasing the plight that Alisa and her members had suffered under.

That wasn’t to say that such political shifting would erase the memory seared into the minds and memories of many a Blue Pegasus members, of her having walked through the doors of Blue Pegasus and having applied lost, unforgivable Magic upon them, to the point of it being her possessing them. Quite a few who felt that firsthand, but the two with her, she didn’t much recall seeing any children during her presentation. No doubt that they had been present then, their reaction to Astrid would not be anything close to as warm as they had made them be.

Or perhaps they had made mention of it? Admittedly Astrid did not give too much thought to it, her focus instead having shifted to overcoming the invasive smell that was lingering throughout the air, even with its own pungent taste to it. It was sickening. And it was only made worse the further they ventured in, the trio once behind her now quickly picking up and even overtaking her in their descent deeper in, a thick liquid soaking their feet as they continued to slog their way through.

It was miserable.

Everything about this was awful.

The smell was putrid. The taste that seemed to cake the air was so acidic that she found herself deliberately tearing into the inside of her mouth, drawing blood if only for the sake of having something else to taste than the alternative.

That she was venturing through this hell with the promise of something relating to the Void at the end of this, under no other circumstances would she ever find herself willing to travel through something as revolting as a foreign sewer. She dreaded this experience. She recalled a saying that her father once said, that adversity would build character and make a person better for it. With each step she knew that it was all the more shit, her father’s words and this kind of environment.

It had left her so frustrated, so jaded even, that her focus had almost been completely averted, had it not been for the Sonar within her head going off. Three figures in total, not too far out, indicative of if nothing else them having gone the correct way. Or at least a way that promised some sign of life, and perhaps a clue towards the Void. She said nothing at first, continuing to walk forward as small talk was made between the others, Astrid contributing nothing herself, just instead keeping intent focus on who may have been before them.

Finally, whatever she had picked up had been also discovered by the rest of the troupe, it appearing to be a trio of small creatures, kobolds. Ugly things that she had seldom ever interacted with; things that she would not have put past that the Blue Pegasus mages were far more aware of, whether through their own experiences or those of their guildmates. Either way, they certainly were beyond Astrid’s own expertise.

Alerted, she stood back while one of the Blue Pegasus mages rushed forward, taking to combat in a leadership sort of manner, a role that none had genuinely taken for themselves, not even Astrid. It was interesting to her, if nothing else, seeing one of the children take the initiative, to the point that she had become more interested in the spectacle than that of the actual fight that were now taking place. An explosion burst above, one of the grates slumping down as a massive splash threw water in all directions, where the other Blue Pegasus wizard had disappeared to being unclear. She assumed that in likelihood he would have been close towards his companion.

He probably wasn’t dead, if nothing else.

More interesting to her though were the creatures and how they seemed to have responded to the ambush going on. One found themselves directly in the throws of the one who charged, another was taken back by the suddenness, while the third seemed to be somewhere between the two in terms of awareness. That somewhat-preparedness did little to help either of them as a web shot out from her wrist, taking hold of one of the other two kobold, ensnaring it within. A quick pull and down went both of the kobolds, both of them landing in the water with another large explosion of water. Astrid looked, seeing the sewage water nearly rise to their heads. If it were a little deeper, then no doubt it would be drowning conditions for them.

She said nothing, but looked at the two creatures with a look of disdain and disgust even, holding out her hand down towards the kobolds as a blast of Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic rippled out, creating a massive explosion outwards, causing much of the foundation and ground within the sewer to give way, effectively creating a crater within the water. The kobolds, assuming not outright killed in the blast, would almost certainly have been pushed back by the force to the base of the sewer, their bodies smashing against what she assumed to have been concrete or some other hard substance. If conscious, their bodies would be tattered, in agony, now having descended within an artificial hole as water poured down upon them like that of a waterfall crushing down upon them.

Astrid took a step back, feeling the ground beneath her feet crack slightly as small bits of concrete lent down into the hole, rubble to bury what may have still lived within that drowned crater.

It did not account for the third one, the one engaged in combat with the Blue Pegasus children, but as far as she was concerned, she had had given them a significant boon. Three versus two was hardly a fair fight to put children through. Even with whatever reservations she may have had towards them, she figured a two versus one could at least go their way.

---
Synopsis:

Used Spider Pull (Target) on one of the Kobolds, snagging it and pulling it and another Kobold into the water. Used Eldritch Dragon's Mind Blast to blast them with kinetic force that creates a crater in the floor, blasting the two Kobolds into it, potentially dead, potentially unconscious, potentially with broken bodies, all while water fills in, the pressure causing them to remain underneath, inevitably drowning as time goes on.

One Kobold remains fighting Vesper, and potentially Briar Caidth.

Mana: 11,250/11,530

Passive Effects:
Major Sonar Detection: Astrid can can use sonar to detect the movements of anyone within a 50-meter range and sense their location.

• via Aberration
  

Name: String Pull (Target)
Rank: A
Mana Cost: 200
Requirements: Arachnida
Type: Supplementary
Element: Arcane
Range: 20 meters
Cooldown: 4
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user shoots a strand of web from their wrists and connects it to a second point. The user can then pull the target at spell speed towards themselves. If it is an object, it must weigh less than twice the weight of the user. If it is a character, their strength must be more than the target and the target will be pulled at spell speed. This can be negated if the user uses mana equivalent to the mana cost of the spell to break free. If they fail, they are pulled towards the user keeping a distance of 3 meters between the user and the target.


Name: Eldritch Dragon's Mind Blast
Rank: A
Mana Cost: 200 [80]
Requirements: Eldritch Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Offensive [Enhancement: Damage Over Time, Armor Piercing, Overcharge - Offensive]
Element: Arcane
Range: 20 Meters [50 Meters | +10 Sage Monarch's Sunglasses, +20 Magus Passive]
Cooldown: 4 Posts [2 Posts]
Duration: Instant
Effect: The user pushes their palm forward towards a target to release an invisible blast. The blast expands outward in a cone, reaching a maximum height and width of 10 meters at the conclusion of the spell. It causes 1 S-Rank worth of damage on impact and knocks the target back for the remainder of the range.

She watched for a moment as the ripples in the water continued to pulsate outwards like a perpetual force, an stopwatch of sorts, monitoring the life that may have persisted within the water, crushed beneath rubble and water rushing over it and again like that of an unrelenting cycle. A rough way to go, she must have thought, to so unexpectedly find a fate like that. It were not known what these kobolds may have sought to achieve, if their presence was that of something nefarious or just unfortunate timings. Either could have been true, tragically this world cruel enough to where neither scenario would have much mattered.

If it had not been for Astrid’s and the two childrens’ involvement just now, it would have been an all but certainty that they would have met likely a more painful death outside these walls within Earthland.

She started away, taking a final glance back towards where the ripples had been, seeing calm water now finally. A weak smile flashed upon her face; she should have been commended honestly. She gave the pair of beasts a painless death, the impact of her blast all but certainly knocking them out as the water softly siphoned away their life.

That still left one, the one being dealt by the children. From the cries she heard as she slowly pushed her way through heavy waters, the aftermath of her efforts now having made the current all the more unbearable to walk through, it was apparent enough that things were still progressing.

“Still playing with this one,” she asked in a condescending tone, more like that of a mother scolding her children for playing with their food. “I would have figured us to be moving along by now,” she words cut through, much like that of the heels that seemed to leave a ear-splitting sound as she ascended the same sewer steps with a grace that seemed to give false illusion towards the grated steps.

She looked at the two, two Mages that hailed from Blue Pegasus, undoubtedly looking to follow in Alisa’s footsteps one day. Cute. But foolhardy. Certainly they would need to learn that there is more than just initiative to survive in this world.

Sometimes, cruelty was required.

Astrid leaned forward slightly, even at such a position seeming to tower over them all, the two Mages and the remaining kobold, a whirl of energies surrounding it in a most unnatural manner. “What’s this now,” she mockingly inquired, knowing full well the manipulation of the Void, the very sight of it one that caused her heart to race slightly with anticipation and excitement. She needed proof of its existence, and here it was. She leaned forward, even more now to where she was all but looking right over the kobold, her eyes staring right into those of kobold, the swirling miasma seeming to even consume its pupils.

“Such a burden you have there, isn’t it? All this power, it’s overwhelming you might say. There are ways to endure you know,” there came the illumination from her left eye as it flashed upon the kobold, a cacophony of mental commands all with the very same instruction “OBEY” echoed over and over and over again, an unyielding assault upon the mind until there was nothing left to do but that; obey.

“Look how cool and relaxing the water is. Enjoy yourself, let yourself get lost within it. Let it fill your lungs as you embrace this power of yours. Then, just as it feels too much, go deeper.”

The instruction clear, it was simply just a matter of the kobold to follow through. Unless of course, one of the two children sought to interfere or had their own plans. She was interested to see what they may have done, if anything. Had she assumed them any other member of Blue Pegasus, perhaps this would be a frightful reminder, but maybe this would be something different entirely.

Witnesses to speak of Astrid’s influence, the perfect foil to set forth discourse within Blue Pegasus.

---
Synopsis:

Used the Eye of Makima to "persuade" the remaining kobold to take a deep swim within the pool and never reawaken.

Mana: 10,950/11,530

Passive Effects:
Major Sonar Detection: Astrid can can use sonar to detect the movements of anyone within a 50-meter range and sense their location.

• via Aberration
  

Name: Submission
Rank: S
Mana Cost: 500
Requirements: Makima's Controlling Eye
Type: Supplementary
Element: N/A
Range: -
Cooldown: 2 Posts
Duration: Sustain
Effect: By gazing upon a chosen the target, the user can force others into submission and obedience as long as they have seen the user's eye. To use the effect, the user must issue an order, while the target may either submit to the user and obey, or attempt to resist the spell. Should the enemy attempt to resist, they must roll a D100 and roll higher than 50 in order to resist successfully; if they fail, they will take 1S rank damage directly to the head, while their Speed, Intelligence and damage dealt will be considered one rank lower for that turn. Additionally, the difference between the user's and their enemy's reputation will affect the threshold needed to successfully resist. Every 1000 points of difference in reputation between user and target will increase or reduce the dice success threshold by 1 depending on who has the higher reputation: The user or the target respectively. The treshold cannot increase above 75 or decrease below 25. In subsequent turns that the target attempts to resist, they may roll again to break free of the spell while taking only A-rank damage if they fail. Each success or failure in resisting will decrease or increase the threshold by 5 respectively. A target cannot be asked to commit actions such as the taking of their own life, committing explicit actions upon others, or other actions that would be considered taboo according to site rules. Attempting to have these actions carried out will result in the spell failing upon the target for the remainder of the topic. Though the user may look at multiple targets, they may only issue a single command per turn.

The sensation swirled and lingered, crawling onto her skin like that of an unwelcome spider, its presence unyielding, eternal, and there being nothing that one could have done about it. So too when she harnessed the power of the Eye of Makima, expecting the same sort of outcome and control exerted like she had done time and time again, to feel the corrupt sensation that she had become somewhat familiar with herself – that of the Void – by instinct she found herself pulling back, the arrogant lean replaced by a surprised backpedal. But there were no movement, no action taken by her body. Rather, she found herself now within something else entirely; an unexpected realm, nothing like that of where they were.

A real place? Perhaps at a time. But whatever had happened, whoever or whatever had forced her here now had done it for a very deliberate purpose. An example to be made? A threat? Something as simple as intrigue even? All could have been true, just as likely that none of it stood true too.

All she could tell for certain was that she did certainly exist within there, having the full capabilities of movement, her body in reality likely still as it had been. Sadly, even the concept of time were unclear, Astrid having admittedly thinking little towards the actual reality and instead to wherever she had been forced within. With barely time to even fully get a grasp of things, she heard it, the voice that crawled through her mind. Originating from nowhere discernable that she could tell, but existent within her head all the same.

Her heart raced. The encounters that she had had with the Void were seldom pleasant, but there were an underlying element that connected all of them before; she were in control. Here, she neither knew what was occurring, nor how. The only thing that was certain that it was neither by her own capability that she had been forced into this realm, nor did she likely have the ability to leave it by her own account.

The voice radiated again, a clear threat echoing throughout her mind. She wanted to speak, to challenge whatever or whoever it was to try, to just try and take it.

And it seemed that whatever it was, it knew just how to respond to her challenge, even without having been issued.

Astrid did not see it at first, with each utterance of the Void’s presence seeming to pull away at her focus, trying to sufficiently grasp hold of the situation. Only then did she it as it came upon her, a spectral grip, the loose outlining of a hand, dark and gloomy as that of the Void made spectral and in genuine existence. She sought to move back, to backpedal even a step or two out of the slowing approaching limb, only for her legs to remain stuck. She tried one leg. Nothing. The other. Nothing. Then the capability to turn her body ceased. Her arms were frozen.

Nothing that could have been done other than to stare ahead as the hand moved closer, three fingers puncturing together as they placed themselves around her own eye, closing together as they simultaneously pulled, the sensation echoing through Astrid in grueling fashion before suddenly she was gone.

The next thing that processed within her mind, Astrid stood there, before the Kobold and the two young Mages from Blue Pegasus again. As soon as the shift out of the realm came forth, she stepped back, her breathing haggard, a tear running down her right eye while she felt someone else running down her left. Without a word, she tried to compose herself, struggling, a hand – her hand – raised slowly as she put it towards her eye, smearing her finger with whatever was there.

She peered down, the blackened hands doing little to easily tell just what she were looking at, but she could tell all the same. The thick, maroon substance like that of paint, the darker color still standing out even against the cursed skin of hers. Blood. With her hand she lifted it again, covering her other eye, her vision remaining the same, yet something felt off.

It ached, her mind was reeling, her body felt the pain too. What happened exactly, she did not know, but one thing was clear now, the Void had taken notice of her.

Finally, her breathing calmed down, her composure somewhat returning to what it was. But there were no doubt that something had happened. Astrid turned towards the other two, the two Blue Pegasus mages, the faint trail of blood still sinking down from her eye, dismissing what had taken place to her, waving it off, “Let’s just keep moving.”

She was there, but wasn’t.

Astrid tried to maintain the indifference in her behavior, in her walk, in her voice, yet it couldn’t have been. The tragic reality was that in what she had just encountered, she saw something else, something within her that frightened her more than the threat echoed by whatever force it was that had tried to intimidate her. Vulnerability. Namely that of her own, the idea that the aura of absolute power that she carried herself with, borrowed power in part from the Eye of Makima, something sacrificed in part in order to bestow her absolute control. She had come to use it, to even rely on it to the point that her own weakness had been exposed in that usage.

Her weakness. The term sounded so foreign, so ugly. Uglier even was just how true it sadly was.

Though she may have stood like a giant amongst the two Blue Pegasus members, even her mind flashed to her encounter with the Blue Pegasus members when she had last visited their Guild Hall. Her dominance, the power she wielded, as much hers that controlled the scope of what the Eye enabled, but nevertheless without it would have been likely a different scenario. Yet, she had sought to command it as her own, behaving haphazardly with it, now seeing the ramifications of it for herself.

It was a mistake and the price paid was the warm sensation that ran down her cheek, a chill running down her spine as every so often the feeling resonated further. Astrid swallowed, gently taking her hand again to her face, her finger curled just enough not to make a fist but at the least all run the course of her face as she graced it, pulling it back then to see the blood smeared down the length of nearly finger.

She closed her eyes, dreading even imagining how she may have now looked, at best one side of her face looking as if she had been crying a steady stream of blood. Though, perhaps better than actual tears, the thought occurring within her mind, not from that of the pain, but rather that of the shame that gnawed at her internally.

But so lost within her own mind, she didn’t notice at first the Blue Pegasus mage, Veppy or some name to that effect, coming towards her. When his words, timid and etched in caution, broke the silence, even she couldn’t help but find herself somewhat startled. She turned in his direction, her eyes focused on him for just a brief moment as they then lay centered on what seemed to have been some confectionary. An olive branch? No, nothing with that sort of significance attached to it. A gift, perhaps a more appropriate way to have looked at it.

They lingered on it for a moment. It was an unexpected moment of kindness, one that genuinely Astrid did not expect, neither simply out of what she imagined of people, doubly so given a Blue Pegasus member was the one extending such an offer. The idea even that this may have been a test was something too that had her wondering, but a ploy like that, though something that surely her mind would entertain carrying out herself, to find herself the pawn of one now, under these circumstances, it felt hard to believe. Possible? Certainly. But unlikely more likely.

A second or so passed, what felt like a much, much longer timeframe before her hand extended, fingers delicately enwrapped around the candy like that of a spider’s legs gripping onto its prey. Delicate, yet still having a hint of fear in them all the same. She was silent for a moment, almost as if struggling to figure out just what to say, before the visage broke; a smile fainting appearing in stark contrast to the blood that ran below her eye. “Thank you,” she muttered, with not much strength nor the same indifference shown before.

Her grip tightened around the candy as the Blue Pegasus member turned to the attentions of his comrade, the duo seeming to be in far more attentive conversation with their fairy guide. More than suitable for Astrid as she lingered behind somewhat, within her hand still holding the candy given earlier, her eyes focusing more on it as she ever so often glanced forward to the pair, Vessy and Burt. In a way, she also felt saddened; seeing the Void again, the interaction that took place here than in her previous encounters with it…

Though she was confident that she would survive what happened next, a part of her was almost saddened at the likely fate awaiting the others. Astrid hoped that maybe she was wrong, but what confidence she may have had towards them faltered to the sensation of suffering from the Void firsthand.

She had been so consumed in her own head that she had not given much thought as to what was going on with the two Blue Pegasus boys. Venti and Brill were alive, that much was obvious given the sounds of them chatting amongst themselves, the obstruction having been in the way and seeming to have been for quite a bit. Though, had much time passed over the course of all of this? In reality, Astrid could not much tell, the fact that they had been within this sewer system seeming to have been lost to her, albeit briefly.

Her mind still felt ravaged after that strange encounter she had, the pain that she felt from her eye earlier having since faded to the point where she could think and focus, her mind no longer being splintered by the pain felt. Although certainly bearable, it made the ability to focus all the more difficult, but with the pain now having ceased, she was able to focus a bit more, but even then it seemed that her mind still was struggling. Within one hand, her fingers danced around the confectionary treat, almost treating it more like a coin being shuffled within her grasp.

After some time, she looked up, seeing that, to her surprise, the two had figured out how to open the door. Eyes opened and focused for the first time in a moment, she followed behind, allowing the pair to lead the show for now. As it was, she recognized that there were two realities: that her aggressiveness had resulted in the dried blood upon the side of her face, and that when posed against a threat she had the greatest chance of coming out the victor and surviving. The latter reality was one that could have come forth regardless of who led, but she had already suffered enough to assume the former was not worth the risk.

The two wanted to be heroes. They wanted to prove their worth.

Astrid was more than willing to allow them that opportunity.

Proceeding along, she felt the Magic imbuing around her as her attention turned to Birren, the hue lingering around him as she felt something. It was faint, diluted even. Her mind ran back to a different experience, the sensation when her arm waned, the ability to absorb Magic, or even channel it again harkening into her head. This was not the same sort of incident, but it was notable that it drew such strong parallels. Despite this, there was still something, a faint level of Magical energy imbued within her, affirming at least that there was some Magical potency within him.

What the strategy was that had been established by the pair, she was not sure. Nor quite what the room had in store either. Pillars, structures, the rough scent of stale air having not been disturbed for seemingly years, plaguing her nostrils. It was far from pleasant, but hardly a horrid situation either. She shifted her attention away from the scent that was invading her nose and instead towards observing the pair. It seemed that they had a plan and were carrying it out, watching as the one began to strike at one of the statues.

As tempted as she was to participate herself in helping, there was a part of her that was leery about proceeding. There was no doubt in her mind that her Eldritch Dragon Slayer capabilities would be more than enough to destroy the statue, but she didn’t see the worth, especially if the Void were simply lured once again by her abilities. It was somewhat fortunate that it only came after her Eye of Makima before, but for the time being at least, she felt it better to allow them to continue with what they were doing.

If anything, they could have considered an insurance plan, than anything else.