Where Fox and Hare say Goodnight 2

To her surprise, Olesya didn`t bring Linnea back to her cell, but to another room at the same level, but two doors apart from it. It looked like the lounge of a 90ies` youth hostel, complete with a few sat through couches and posters of Metallica and Iron Maiden on the walls. There was a slight stench of cigarette smoke in the air and when Olesya and Linnea entered, a woman sitting in one of the couches put her cigarette into the ash tray and looked up from her magazine.

Quite unceremoniously, Linnea was dumped onto one of the couches and when she looked around, she saw that except for Olesya and her, there were two more women in the room; the smoker, a tallish auburn haired woman, and a small brunette leaning against the wall. Each wore the same combat gear as Olesya and, to add to their uniformity, each had the same bob that ended right below the ears.

»I thought you would like to meet my comrades!«, Olesya said. The brunette pushed herself from the wall and slowly approached, letting her eyes wander all over Linnea`s body. With a strong Russian accent, she introduced herself:

»I am Milena – Captain Milena!«

Then, she suddenly barked:

»Sit straight if you are talking to an Officer!«

Linnea twitched and indeed sat up. Milena chuckled and now, the smoker got up from the couch and patted Milena`s shoulder.

»You still know the drill, Captain!«

Her accent was also quite strong, but whilst Milena`s was hard, it sounded as if the auburn wanted to emphasize it, trying to sound seductive. She bent over Linnea and brushed over her cheek.

»I hope Milena hasn`t scared you.«

»Mph!«

Linnea glanced at the woman over her gag, trying to show her contempt for her captors. The woman purred:

»I am Anastasja – or Nastja, for my friends.«

She bent forward, so her green eyes were only inches apart from Linnea`s blue ones, and she could smell the nicotine in her breath.

»Or ›Nasty‹, for my even closer friends!«

Her index finger brushed over Linnea`s neck.

»Do you want to be my close friend, Linnea?«

Instead of an answer, Linnea pushed her head forward, hitting Nastja`s forehead with hers. The Russian had anticipated the attack and so, she didn`t hit her hard, but now, Nastja stood there, rubbing her forehead and looking at Linnea as if she was a puppy that had just bitten her.

»So, you want me to be your enemy then?«

Linnea noticed that both Milena and Olesy were now watching them with interest. Nastja went for the coffee table, picked up her magazine and rolled it up. Then, holding it like a club, she ordered:

»Get up!«

Linnea quickly considered being defiant, but she was alone against three opponents who not only had their arms and legs free, but also were armed and seemed to have no issues in hurting her. So, she fought to get to her feet. The couch was soft and narrow and with her arms and legs bound, it wasn`t an easy task, but after some squirming and wriggling, she stood in front of Nastja who now put the rolled magazine under her arm before approaching Linnea. With nimble fingers, she opened the blonde`s belt and pulled it from her. Then, she let it swish through the air.

»Now, what is it going to be, Linnea? Are you our defiant prisoner – or just a disobedient pet?«

Linnea suddenly understood what she was talking about: a defiant prisoner would be whipped, whilst a disobedient pet would be slapped with the rolled magazine. She took a deep breath and bit down on the ball in her mouth, forcing herself not to lower her head.

Linnea wasn`t a coward, and had she been free, she would have been quite a match to any of these women. However, she was bound, gagged and outnumbered. In addition, she had to fear that, since someone had taken her place, her new colleagues had no idea she was missing. Whatever the next days would bring, she would have to stand it alone.

So, when Nastja once again asked her what she wanted to be, she chose »pet«. She knew that now, something humiliating would happen, but at least, she would avoid getting physically hurt by getting whipped.

Nastja hung the belt around Linnea`s neck, letting the ends dangle over her breasts. Then, she opened her captive`s jeans and pulled them down until the strap around her knees stopped her. Linnea panted, but managed to hold still, even as Nastja now gathered the hem of both her sweater and T-Shirt and made her grab the cloth. Now, her plain black cotton panties were revealed and the other two Russians looked closer at her middle. Linnea couldn`t help blushing slightly.

»Now, be a good pet and hold still!«

The slaps with the rolled magazine were harder than she had expected, but still, they didn`t cause more than a slight tingle and Linnea managed not to mew. Nastja nodded and put the magazine away, depositing it on the coffee table. Then, she placed the belt beside it before gently pushing Linnea against the chest, so she had to sit down on the couch again, with her pants still down. Nastja lit another cigarette and inhaled before she said towards her captive:

»Two things, you must know about us Russians: we love our pets – and we are very cruel to our prisoners!«

***

Isabelle owed her second name to Aunt Veronique who was also her godmother, but right now, she had fantasies about her aunt being tied to a stake whilst the flames were getting higher. Why had her Maman brought her with her?

It wasn`t that Veronique wasn`t charming – quite the opposite. At least, when it came to men. Of course, being flirtatious could also be said of Samantha, but her younger sister would at least have taken her eyes from the boyfriends or husbands of her beloved ones. Veronique, however, was not distinguishing between enemy and friend.

At the airport, she had barely allowed Mike to greet his future mother in law whom he now saw for the first time in his life for real before she had welcomed him in the family, hugging him longer than necessary and letting her index finger run over his cheek whilst telling him that she couldn`t expect to get into something more comfortable.

When entering the taxi, Isabelle had more or less draped herself on Mike´s lap to prevent Veronique from sitting beside him, much to the disapproval of her mother who obviously thought that this could wait until they were at their own room. Now, however, Veronique was sitting opposite to them and obviously seemed to have difficulties in deciding how to cross her legs, for she changed her position repeatedly, allowing her skirt to slide up her thighs.

Isabelle really felt pity for Samantha who, since Veronique had very spontaneously decided to join her elder sister, would have to share the Singh`s guest room with her, at least for one night. However, Samantha seemed more busy with her phone: obviously, she and Lalita were in WhatsApp contact concerning the ominous stag/hen night.

»Well, a trip through the bars of Sheffield will be quite the right thing, even with Aunt Veronique! At least, Mike won`t be around and if she bangs the rest of Sheffield´s male population, who am I to judge?«

Still, she wondered why Lalita had asked for so much money. However, she also wanted to see how Mike and her mother got along. So far, Ye Olde Dragon had not roared. She had even smiled when Mike had asked her:

»So, how does one greet his future mother in law? Handshake, hand kiss or hug?«

She had decided for the hand kiss, and seemed to have enjoyed Mike`s courtesy. Perhaps, the two would not become like those sons and mothers in law every second movie was making fun of.

Henri, who was gentle, quiet and a bit shallow, proved to be no problem. Isabelle herself respected him, but she and her would never become more than loose friends.

The taxi stopped at the house of Mike`s parents and another round of greeting started. Lalita immediately seized Samantha and the two obviously went on with details for the great surprise, and Mike and Isabelle were able to park Aunt Veronique with Mike´s parents, Maman Marceau and Henri; since Claudine and Henri spoke as much English as the Dunbars spoke French, they needed an interpreter and since Isabelle suddenly needed Mike´s help on some »wedding stuff«, Veronique had to prove her language skills.

»Why, Maman, why? If she eye-bangs you once more, I will gauge her eyes with a spoon and pee in the holes!«

»But – she will have to use her hands to get an impression of me then!«, Mike protested, feeling amused and a bit flattered by Isabelle`s jealousy. She fumed at him:

»Oh, of course, you couldn`t take your eyes from her! Sure, you knew the colour of her panties before I did!«

»She`s wearing none!«

Mike took the moment of distraction to grab Isabelle`s wrists. Gently, he brought her left to his mouth and kissed her engagement ring.

»Belle, there are two possibilities: first, I am an honest and honourable man who would never even look at another woman than his beautiful fiancé!«

Isabelle moistened her lips.

»And second?«, she asked with a hoarse voice. Mike pressed her against the wall, trapping her wrists and standing so close he could feel her heart bump against his chest.

»Second, I am just as shallow and drive-controlled as any man. And then-«, he kissed her, »then, I would always choose the younger one!«

He had to prove his truthfulness right then and so, he and Isabelle had to hurry to get dressed for the evening. They would have dinner at the same restaurant where also the wedding dinner would take place; in addition, it was the hotel where Lioba, Cordelia and David, and Bishop would stay.

At the restaurant, Mike thought if he should ask the waiters to remove all sharp objects; Lioba approached him and greeted him heartily; however, this didn`t cause Isabelle to get jealous, but Aunt Veronique obviously saw her main concurrent for any man`s attention in Lioba. Both looked their best, with Lioba wearing a long slotted dress whilst Veronique had chosen the classical small black – so small that she left little to nothing to fantasy.

Lalita defused the situation by placing both on opposite places on the long table. Mike greeted David and Cordelia who seemed to be well. Then, a quite jovial Bishop approached, offering him to call him by his first name. Still, Mike wasn`t sure what Bishop had in mind.

The restaurant belonged to a cousin of Mr. Singh and the cuisine also managed to please Maman Marceau who seemed to have developed a way of talking with Mrs. Dunbar, despite one barely understanding the other`s language. After the main course, Lalita rose and hit her glass with her spoon until all 17 persons had fallen silent.

»Dear friends, next week, we will gather here again, to celebrate the most important day in the lives of Oscar and Isabelle. I am still working on my speech, and don`t worry, I am not going to test it right now!«

There was some polite laughter and Lalita continued:

»However, it`s still six days until the great moment! And so, I decided that some of us could need a few days off, before the serious part starts!«

To build up tension, Lalita then thanked those who would stay at Sheffield and help preparing the ceremony: her mother and Mrs. Burgess were responsible for the baking whilst Mrs. Dunbar would arrange the flower bouquets, assisted by Isabelle`s mother.

»The elder men will do all the other stuff – but now, let`s talk about the bride and her entourage!«

Lalita announced that tomorrow at 3am, they would start a trip they would never forget.

»We will be close to the men, of course, but until the evening of the 15th, it will be girls only! So, who wants to join me on a trip of fun, pleasure and adventure?«

Of course, the hands of the younger women went up, but Isabelle noticed that Lioba glanced at Veronique who had also risen her hand.

»I hope that Lolly thought of enough booze!«

Lalita ended her announcement by telling them they should bring warm clothes and firm shoes. Then, Bishop took over – Roderick, or Roddy, as Mike still had problems to call him.

»Ladies, Gentlemen, as the charming Lalita already told you, us men will go to a place far away, yet close to our beloved ones! I thought that a man like Captain Dunbar would prefer something more challenging than having a few dozen drinks and watch a stripper jump out of a tart!«

Mike nodded and smiled enigmatically. Isabelle wondered whether he was thinking of the fact he had already seen every woman under 40 on this table naked – except Aunt Veronique. According to Isabelle, it could stay that way!

»For us, a real adventure for real men is waiting! Tomorrow at three hundred!«

The rest of the evening, the group peacefully drank, with the girls trying to get some more information out of Samantha and Lalita. The men followed tradition and went to a separated room for a cigar, though only Bishop, Mike and his dad, and Mr. Burgess actually had one. The latter spoke so wistfully of the stag nights of his youth that finally, none of the four actual stags could avoid asking him whether he wanted to join. The undertaker`s eyes sparkled and, playing reluctant, he said:

»Well, it´s my holiday, but I would have to ask my wife, of course!«

When he did so, Maud Burgess only said with a smile:

»Four days without you around? Give me five minutes to get your suitcase packed!«

»37 years, and the spark is still glowing! Men, I am on board!«

»At least, now, we have two sources for bad jokes!«, Ravi commented and poked Mike´s side.

***

For some time, it seemed that the three Russians had lost all interest on Linnea. They were sitting around the coffee table, playing a card game. They were having water instead of Wodka, but the few words they were shouting that Linnea knew were all very rude.

It was only after some two hours that Milena suddenly turned towards Linnea and told the others to shut up.

»He! Looks as if our pet doesn`t feel well!«

Now, Nastja and Olesya also looked at the blonde. Linnea, still with her jeans pulled down to her knees, was showing a strained expression and shifting in her seat. Nastja bent over her and brushed through her white blonde hair.

»What`s up, Blondie? Feeling bored? Ore homesick?«

»Mph!«

Linnea stared daggers at Nastja. Now, Milena called the others towards her. She whispered something and Olesya and Nastja moaned as if she had explained something obvious to them. Then, Olesya asked her:

»Do you need to pee?«

Linnea hesitated for a few moments, but then, she nodded. There was no point in denying the inevitable. Olesya also nodded and then, she reached forward.

»No problem!«

She grabbed Linnea`s shoulders and made her stand up. Then, she began to unbuckle the strap around her knees, but then stopped.

»You know, Linnea – everything comes at a cost!«

»Mhm?«

Olesya let her eyes wander over her captive`s body.

»Capitalism, you know. Anyway, it`s your choice – the prize is one cloth item for one favour!«

Linnea was about to tell Olesya where she could put all her favours, but then, she thought twice. Her captors had all seen her in her panties already, and in addition, they were all women. So, she would be able to do without her trousers. So, she nodded and Olesya untied her legs. She then had to shimmy her jeans down her calves and step out of them before Olesya led her to a small bathroom. Olesya let the door open, but at least turned her back towards her.

Now, Linnea realized that, with her arms tied at wrists and elbows, she could hardly grab her panties, let alone peeling them down. For a while, she squirmed and distorted her arms. Olesya turned around and giggled.

»Do you need help?«

For a moment, Linnea considered peeing through her panties, but she had no idea whether her captors would force her to keep them on afterwards, and for how long. So, with a look of pure hatred, she once again nodded.

»You know that this can be definitely called a favour!«

Painstakingly slowly, she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of Linnea`s black panties and pulled them down. Then, she once again turned her back, but asked mockingly:

»Do you want me to whistle a melody – for free, of course?«

»Mhhrrrm! Uuhmmph!«

Laughing, Olesya waited until Linnea had finished. She pulled her panties back in place and then, she reached for the hem of her sweater. She pulled it over the girl`s head, blindfolding her. Then, she shrugged.

»Actually, pulling your panties down and up is two favours!«

She pulled the T-Shirt over Linnea`s head, too, revealing her plain, black bra. Like that, the girl had to stumble back to the lounge. Here, her head was freed, but only so they could methodically strip her: whilst Olesya and Milena held her arms, Nastja removed her elbow cuffs and pulled her sweater and T-Shirt to her wrists. Then, she reapplied the elbow ties, only to free Linnea`s wrists, remove the garments and tie her hands again. Linnea then felt the Russian pluck at the clasp of her bra.

»Ah, here it is! 34C! Just like me! Aww, we are sisters in boobs!«

»Or, as my ex said, ›just a handful‹!«

Still keeping Linnea`s upper arm in a vice grip, she cupped her right breast with her free hand. Milena let her small hand wander over the girl`s other breast. Then, she said:

»Well, you maybe have to wait for the men! They have bigger hands!«

***

At about the same time, Mailin and the fake Linnea had finished their patrol round. When Mailin invited her new colleague to have dinner with her, she agreed, and so, the two attended the small house Mailin was living at.

»At least, in a small town, you can get some living space for the salary of a Policewoman!«

»In Oslo, you would have to kill someone to get something like this!«

Linnea had taken off her now totally sullied high heels. She entered Mailin`s living room that was indeed nice and cozy. Mailin asked her to put on a fire whilst she was putting on the noodle water and washing the salad. Soon, the logs were burning and Linnea turned around. When she saw Mailin holding two glasses with wine, she gasped.

»Is everything okay?«, Mailin asked with a slightly puzzled smile. Linnea blushed slightly and shook her head.

»Sorry, it`s just – your hair! It looks – beautiful!«

Now, it was Mailin`s turn to blush. When she was at work, she usually wore a tight bun, but now, she had opened her hair that now fell over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. It had a golden tone and now shimmered slightly in the light of the fire.

»Th-thank you!«

Linnea removed her hair tie with an ostentatious gesture and shook her shoulder-length curls in a way that made Mailin giggle. Linnea joined in, took the glass from Mailin`s hand and they toasted.

»To a nice next year!«

Mailin brushed her hair over her shoulder and when she saw Linnea`s view, she wished for a strange moment that the other had touched her hair.

»Maybe, if I asked her, she would not say no!«

Quickly, Mailin disappeared into the kitchen and the two helped each other to prepare some salad and spaghetti. During the dishwashing, Mailin told Linnea about her breakup with Eirik, a clerk at Kirkenes` bigger bank. Two months ago, he had decided that he was meant for bigger things and had left.

»What an asshole!«

»Cheers to that!«

Since Linnea had assured her that she could walk the few steps to her own apartment, they had both shared the rest of the bottle and were now sitting in the living room, looking at the dancing flames. Linnea told Mailin the story of how she and her last boyfriend had separated. Actually, she didn`t have to lie very much, just to change the Russian names for Norwegian ones. Now, the slightly abusive gambler Vlad from St Petersburg had turned into the slightly abusive gambler Thore from Bergen, but apart from that, the story was more or less true. And though it was just to bond with Mailin, to show her that she was a trustworthy new colleague, it felt good to finally get some compassion.

When Linnea finally had to leave, she staggered a bit and stumbled against Mailin who maybe held her arm a moment longer than necessary to aid her. After the door had fallen shut, Mailin stood at her window and looked after Linnea. As the blonde disappeared behind the corner, she let out a sigh.

Linnea, or rather Lenya, also sighed. Actually, she should have cheered: her new colleague didn`t suspect anything and they were friends already. However, she also wished for one thing: that she would not be forced to hurt Mailin to fulfil her duty.

***

At 3am, two minivans approached in the street where Mike`s parents lived. One was black, the other bright pink.

»Let me guess which is for whom!«, Mike murmured. Lalita, who, quite unusual for her, was wearing jeans and a coat, directed:

»Now, those of you who have to, say Goodbye to your loved ones!«

Obediently, Mike kissed Isabelle who, since Aunt Veronique was close, showed quite some passion. Cordelia and David exchanged a shorter kiss; they felt no peer pressure and in addition, Cordelia felt a bit shy about showing passion in public.

»Hey, what about me, tongue acrobat?«

Veronique demanded a kiss from Mike who managed to dodge her lips and just kiss her cheek. To show Isabelle that he was just polite, he kissed the others` cheeks, too. Mike couldn`t help noticing that Bishop – Roddy! – also kissed Lalita, albeit it was just her cheek.

The bus seemed to be equipped for trips like that, as it had a lounge and a well-filled fridge inside. The driver put on some party music and from an adjacent window, a neighbour reminded them it was fucking 3 o`clock in the morning.

»Oi, don`t mess with the undertaker!«, Billy Burgess shouted back and Mike pushed him inside the van.

»To the airport!«, Bishop shouted and they drove off, followed by the girls` van. It had taken a little longer to stow the luggage of the six women. Lioba let her eyes wander over Veronique who was wearing a fur coat that ended at the top of her thighs, showing a lot of her pantyhose-clad legs and since the coat was closed, it looked as if she was wearing nothing underneath. Veronique noticed Lioba`s stare and said:

»Don`t blame me! I inherited this coat from my grandaunt! This baboon was killed 60 years ago!«

Isabelle knew that this was true. She bit her tongue not to say anything about baboons and their bright red asses and instead just remarked:

»Warm clothing, eh!«

»Come on, before I lost some pounds, I also didn`t freeze easily!«, Lioba commented and Lalita hurried to hand everyone a Champaign flute and to toast to a wonderful trip before things could escalate further.

Inside the men`s van, the mood was better and Bishop now handed a paper bag to Mike. It contained three things: a bright red woollen pullover with a stupid looking moose on it, a knife in a leather sheath and a bottle of Russian Wodka.

»Guess where we are going, Cap- Mike!«

Obviously, Bishop also had problems with calling him by his first name. Mike looked at the content of the bag and guessed:

»I have to put on the pullover and walk around until someone makes a silly comment. Then, I kill the guy with the knife and then, I use the Wodka to bribe the Police!«

Only Billy Burgess laughed.

»One more try!«, Ravi said and Mike now concentrated. Such pullovers were typical for Norway, whilst the knife was from Finland.

»Are we going somewhere close to where Norway, Finland and Russia border each other?«

At least, this would explain the high prize and why they needed to go by plane. Bishop nodded.

»We are going to Norway. To Kirkenes, to be precisely. Or, to be even more precisely, our plane will get us there and then, it will be a few miles more until we can do what a man has to do. Believe me, it will be fun!«

»Yeah, being close to the Russians is a synonym to that!«

»At least, they know how to use potatoes!«, Billy shouted and opened the Wodka bottle. It was a rather small bottle and they were five men and so, it didn`t survive the trip to the airport. Forced by the others, Mike now sported his new pullover. He then noticed that he would also be allowed to keep his knife, for a private plane was waiting for them.

»On the plane, the sexes are allowed to mix again!«, Lalita announced. She also seemed to be a bit tipsy. Mike approached Isabelle and, accompanied by some »Awws!«, he cradled her in his arms and carried her up the stairs.

»Mylady!«

It was David. Cordelia giggled and, since she didn`t wanted to be the party pooper of this hen night, she didn`t resist as David carried her into the plane, too.

»Great!«, Samantha pouted, »Us poor single Ladies have to use their own feeeee-«

Her complaint ended in a squeal as Billy Burgess cradled her in his arms. Samantha flailed her legs and pretended to be abducted, but at the same time, she laughed and when he had placed her on the floor again, she kissed the old man`s cheek.

Now, Bishop approached Lalita.

»May one Master of ceremony help the other?«

»Oi, that`s my sister!«, Ravi protested.

»Really? I wouldn`t have thought that, she`s beautiful!«, Bishop remarked and Ravi grunted something in Hindi. He then looked at the only women left, Lioba and Veronique. He hadn`t the best radar for female emotions, but even he could sense that if he would offer his help to one of them, the other would scratch his eyes or put a curse on his balls (since both were redheads, he was sure both were capable of witchcraft). Even if he carried first one and then the other, the one he chose second would be angry at him.

He stammered an excuse and ran for the next toilet. As he returned, the two had luckily found their way into the plane by themselves. Ravi also entered and sat down. A few minutes later, they started into the night, approaching the North of Norway.

***

 Inside her cell, Linnea was lying on her bed, but she was far from falling asleep. The three Russians had put her back inside some time ago and had even freed her from the cuffs and the gag. She still was only clad in her bra and panties, but that wasn`t the reason she was shivering.

Milena`s casual remark about »the men« had given her something to think about. Whatever the Russians were planning here, it was strange that they were all women. So, according to Milena, sooner or later, they would be either replaced or joined by some of their male comrades.

Linnea didn`t believe all the horror stories about Russian soldiers, but there were a few points she could not ignore and that added in no small part to her discomfort:

They had replaced her by a fake Linnea and so, they had to take care that the real one didn`t show up at Kirkenes – until what? Until they had committed whatever heinous crime they were planning, until they all, including the men, had had their way with her – or until they could manage to get her to Russia?

»I must get out of here! I have no idea how, but I sure won`t give up without a fight!«

***

Colleen Brown looked at the small red signal at the thing on her left wrist that looked like a smart watch. In fact, it was a smart watch, but with some extra features. Colleen left her tent and checked the area before she re-entered and started the small radio she kept hidden inside her Kindle reader.

»Black Dahlia, this is Manati!«

»Manati, this is Black Dahlia, code 347i5956!«

The nicknames both were a bit treacherous, but fitting. »Manati« was the operational basis of her commanding officer, an atomic submarine somewhere in the North Atlantic. A few weeks ago, they had approached the coast as far as they could risk and Colleen had passed the last half a mile via a small inflatable boat now hidden at some remote fjord not far from here.

Her own nickname had been her own choice: still, she was proud that her superiors had chosen her, despite all odds. The biggest issue was that Colleen was black. The Norwegians were, like most Scandinavians, not very racist, but in a small town at a country with very few black people, she could hardly vanish in the crowd. Even if Colleen just went to a shop, the keeper might remember her.

And yet, she had been chosen for the mission. After all, she wasn`t meant to infiltrate the enemy, but to watch from her cover, and, if necessary, attack stealthily. And for such a mission, she was the best. Colleen smiled as now, »Manati« wanted to know what she could tell so far.

»Three days ago, some Katjushas have entered the target! So far, they have kept their head low, I keep observing them!«

»Katjusha« was their code for female Russians. Colleen has seen two women at the abandoned base, but as she had just reported, they had not shown up again yet.

So, at least, their informant hadn`t told lies. The conditions between Russia and the West had gotten worse since the Russian attack on the Ukraine and so, as one of her elder superiors had put it, »we are all getting some Cold War vibes«.

She ended the call and checked her weapons without turning on any light. She could disassemble and reassemble her assault rifle in complete darkness, taking less time than an ordinary soldier in broad daylight. Maybe, she would get the opportunity to prove her value as a fighter. A warrior.

Colleen was no fanatic who would have risked her mission, let alone starting a war. But she was a highly trained soldier and so, she was eager to show what she had learned.

»Tomorrow, I will get closer, whether they are showing up or not. As a modern woman, I am allowed to make the first step!«

***