Yoshi and Shakti aimlessly wandered around the city together, taking in the beautiful life around them. It was clear as a crystal to see why this place was a sanctuary against Anomaly attacks. Citizens lived in harmony amongst each other, chatting softly and quietly. Shops were clustered together like a banana bunch. Convenient outdoor markets bustled with activity, selling stuffed animals, charms, hair ornaments, trinkets, home-made desserts, fruits, vegetables, small runes, and even weak grimoires. There were countless areas to sit down and breathe, such as sitting on the edge of a bridge to watch the gentle river shine underneath with a clear view of the setting sun in the distance, or sitting near small ponds where ducks drifted lazily, and even simply sitting on benches where the day slowed down to a gently rhythm

  Later that day, Yoshi, accompanied by Ann and Shakti, was training in her spare time. Julius and Division 2 were gone to explore, while the rest of Division 5 has been dispatched to explore all over the city

  Yoshi, even to an inanimate object, was ruthless with her precision. In a swift slash, she cuts the neck of a dummy, while thrusting another sword forward to where the liver would be. She impales the training dummy through the left kidney instead, then strikes it again through the middle of the right side of where the ribcage would be, and then with a vicious pull, yanks both swords out free, creating gaping wounds on the innocent dummy. If it was a common thug or target, they would’ve dropped dead on the spot

  Ann stares wide-eyed at the punctured dummy, almost feeling bad for it. Her jaw dropped low with her eyes looking as if they’ll pop out of their sockets. She blinked rapidly, hesitating to even breathe. Shakti, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear in delight “Hardcore!” she shouted with glee

  Shortly after, the dummy’s wounds closed on their own, straightening and standing up again, ready for more training

  “Master made training more intense,” she started. “The dummies actually attacked back. They gathered in numbers instead of one-on-one.” She gazes back at Shakti and Ann, purposely wording her words to attract Shakti’s attention. “Unless, do you two want to stimulate that type of training? I’m more than happy to oblige,” she offered, keeping her calm tone to sound professional

  Ann’s senses snapped back as if she was struck, her body violently jolting after that offer. “Wh-what?! Absolutely not! No way!” she shouted in fear, jabbing a finger at Yoshi. “You just murdered an inanimate object! What makes you think I want to willingly volunteer next?!”

  Shakti leans in lazily, a smirk forming on her face. “Don’t be such a square, Ann,” Shakti said teasingly. “You’re acting as if you never experienced the thrill of fighting someone incredibly skilled?”

  Ann crossed her arms under her chest in a small huff. “Because I haven’t!” Ann protested. “Excuse me for being normal!”

  “And how’s that working for you?”

  “It’s working just fine!”

  Yoshi smirks a bit as she watches the two bicker between each other. “It’s like watching two sisters bicker,” she thought to herself

  She turned towards the dummy again, readying herself for another go as her blades flash with the sunlight gleaming on them. Yoshi dashes towards the dummy, ramming a blade into the dummy’s collarbone on impact, using her own momentum to vault herself over the dummy. She barely touched the ground as she pierced behind the dummy’s left knee before sweeping their legs. She rolled backwards onto her hands, pushing up like a spring, and gracefully landing onto her feet

  “Being nimble is such an advantage,” she thought to herself, glancing back at Ann and Shakti. A small smirk grew on her face. “You two look like fans when you don’t say anything.” she said aloud

  A challenging fire burned in Shakti’s eyes as another smirk stretched across her face. “Says you. I just like watching you fight,” she declared. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Ann lets out an annoyed sigh, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m going to go find Fionn and cherish his sweetness. You people are a horrifying nightmare for my innocent heart,” Ann said, turning on her heel. “Boo!” Shakti teasingly called after her. When Ann disappears from view, Shakti turns her head to look back at Yoshi. “You sure you really want to fight me? I don’t go easy,” she said, sounding more like it was a declaration than a kind warning

  Yoshi’s expression remained unwavering. “Nothing wrong with fighting like your life’s on the line. That’s how you should train yourself,” she replied, looking at Shakti with the same fierce fire in her eyes. “A fight is life or death.”

  A sharp grin split across Shakti’s face, the bright fire of competing with Yoshi lighting up in her eyes. “Hell yeah!” she shouted, drawing her blade and sliding into her stance

  Shakti firmly planted her feet onto the ground, her right foot facing forward, while her left foot was angled at forty-five degrees. Both hands gripped the handle of her blade as if she was clinging onto a lifeline. She narrowed her eyes and slowed her breathing, keeping her focus directly on Yoshi

  Yoshi exhales in response, raising her blades to create a defensive X-shape guard. Her stance mirrored Shakti’s, but their demeanors were completely different. The two fighters kept their gazes on each other, itching for the other to make their first move

  “Three…,” Shakti counted in her head

  “Two…” Yoshi thought to herself

  “One…,”

  As if an imaginary bell went off, they both moved as one. Yoshi’s and Shakti’s blades clash together with a shriek of steel. Shakti aimed for a quick slash at her head, but Yoshi ducked down and thrusted a sword towards Shakti’s liver, parried when she reversed her grip on her blade and knocked it off course with a stab. Yoshi’s second blade flew in with an attempt to cut her thighs, but Shakti leapt backwards to avoid it. After landing with grace, Shakti’s grin returned out of amusement

  “She’s quick!” Shakti thought

  “Agile,” Yoshi judged

  Yoshi lunged towards Shakti’s right shoulder, aiming to cripple her dominant arm with a stab. Shakti deflected the incoming strike and countered with a flurry of three rapid slashes simultaneously. Yoshi’s eyes widened slightly, but she guards herself by spinning both blades like twin propellers, blocking the first two as she dodged the last slash by sidestepping. Shakti blinks in surprise at Yoshi being able to not get hit

  “That missed?!”

  The tension grew thicker as they both clashed blades again. Shakti gets an upper hand by pressing Yoshi with relentless strikes. “Come on! This is fun!” she shouted in joy, laughing aloud as her attacks grew wilder, hammering Yoshi’s guard backwards. “She’s like an animal.” Yoshi thought. The moment she let her guard down, Shakti’s brutal knee was rammed into her face and followed with a crushing elbow to her chest

  “Keep your eyes on me!” she barked as a sadistic grin stretched across her face. Yoshi staggered to get back on her feet, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought

  Her heart dropped as Shakti took a ready stance, waiting for Yoshi to stand back up. “This… Might’ve been the wrong person,” she thought grimly. She remembers what she thought earlier about Shakti: She hesitates to hurt someone. She plays defense. Her offense leaves her vulnerable. She’s agile and flexible. In that moment, Yoshi realized she was dead wrong about her assumptions

  As soon as Yoshi stood back up and ready herself, Shakti sprinted forward again. Her blade has a mind of its own as her slashes went wild, aiming to cut through any skin on Yoshi. Her rhythm was increasing with more fluid motions and more power drawn out with each strong. She locks swords with Yoshi again. Instead of pushing off, she used the momentum to jump off of Yoshi, twisted her body into a ball, then strikes like a buzzsaw, forcing Yoshi to parry or take a critical hit

  “She’s only using one blade! What the hell is this?!”

  Her assault ended when she stopped mid-air, twisted her lower body, then landed a deadly back kick on Yoshi’s head. Yoshi crashes hard against the ground but bounced back to her feet with a graceful flip

  “What the hell?! She’s terrifying to fight like this! Was Master going easy on me?!” she thought, her chest heaving heavily. Shakti lets out a laugh. “You can keep up! I’m impressed,” she teased, slowly clapping for Yoshi’s efforts. “You managed to keep up with me. I would elect you as my lieutenant if you weren’t already a creation of Finn.”

  Yoshi narrowed her eyes, slowly lifting her blades again. “You’re mocking me,” she said, standing up again

  Shakti took a teasing tone. “Oh, I swear I’m not,” she said, sheathing her blade. “But, we should probably go look for Julius.”

  Yoshi reluctantly sheathed her blades, crossing her arms under her chest. “Fine. I won’t forget this by the way,” she said, trying to sound like she wasn’t annoyed, although failing horribly. At least she tried

  The two women walked the streets side by side, the sound of their steps filling the quietness. Shakti’s black shoes softly tapped on the ground with each step, while Yoshi’s boots clicked with a steady rhythm. The street itself was hushed, only broken by the sound of occasional voices as people passed by them. Overhead, the sky was still lit by the bright sun that was just now passing westward slowly

  Yoshi’s eyes wandered from person to person, seeing how they interact with one another. It almost felt like she was being left out, even if she wouldn’t ever admit to it

  A man was carrying his child while the both of them were eating freshly made candy apples. A group of young women were whispering and laughing quietly together. A young boy was tossing a ball for his small German shepherd to catch. A grandmother was shuffling with her three young grandchildren that kept close to her

  The more Yoshi watched the people, despite her own calmness, the more she was starting to feel alone

  She wasn’t born, she was created

  She didn’t have a father nor mother, only a creator

  No organs, no background, and no real purpose

  But she could talk. She could fight. She could move… But, wouldn’t that just be a machine aching as if they’re alive? A soulless body given life? The thoughts clawed at her own life. It started to make her perception deteriorate in spite and jealousy of humans. Seeing something she never had started a craving desire to fit in with others. She was longing to feel something. Longing to be someone. Belonging. Bonds. Peace. But no one knew that by first glance

  She had the hips of a young woman, the mindset of a mature woman, and the grace of an expert swordswoman. She could cut down any hero in this city without fail. And yet… that didn’t stop the her thoughts from growing

  “Why does it… hurt? Master Fionn created me to help him train, to protect Division 2 and Division 5,” she thought. “But these thoughts… I don’t even have organs, but I have thoughts… Where do they come from? Why? I don’t even have a heart, yet my chest is aching to feel something. If I was just a simple training partner, I wouldn’t be having this issue. If Fionn-! If Master Fionn just…” her thoughts trailed off

  Her thoughts came to a collapse as Shakti, noticing Yoshi’s abnormal silence, flicked a pebble at her forehead. Yoshi jolted as her senses snapped back to reality. “Wh-what?!” she said with a startled gasp

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  Shakti folded her arms under her chest. “Did you die on me or something? Why did you randomly go blank all of a sudden?”

  “Just… thinking,” she muttered quietly

  “You suck at lying, you know,” Shakti teased, turning around to face her directly. “Judging from your voice and tone, you’re really jealous of something.”

  Yoshi’s eyes went wide after being read that easily. “How did you-?!” her voice abruptly stopped as she was read so easily by Shakti

  “Relax, Yoshi,” she assured. “I know your main purpose was to train and fight with others, so seeing peace for once is alarming. Honestly, you remind me so much of Fionn earlier.” She paused to let the words hang in the air, seeing Yoshi try to mask her envy was bound to happen at some point. “You both are some rookies thrown into the deep end of the pool, trying to piece everything without drowning.”

  Her voice drifts off, thinking back to Fionn’s amazement at the lab. She could see that same face of realization on Yoshi’s face as she was introduced to this Trial’s peace. “You both are still so new to Chrona Riftworks,” she quietly added. “Maverick knew what he was doing, pairing Fionn with me and Julius.”

  Yoshi looks up at the sky to think. She had a point after all. She’s just as new to this as Fionn is, so it’s not a bad thing to feel this way. “I-I! Oh, that’s right, Master created me to train with him about swordsmanship. Everyone else just followed along with honing their own skills,” she thought, gazing down to her blades. “If I asked Master to not hold back anymore… Would I still stand a chance?”

  Shakti reaches up and lifts Yoshi’s head up, a warm smile plastering her face. “Don’t sell yourself short, Yoshi. I’m sure you can still be a strong help in this Rift. You have nothing to worry about,” she assured. “After all, you kept up with me without taking serious damage. That’s more impressive than you think.” Yoshi’s eyes widened, blinking slowly. She tugged at her scarf, covering the lower half of her face. “I-I shouldn’t be so jealous of people,” she started, her tone taking a more relaxed voice. “The people here are safe and sound. Of course they had time to build relationships and peace with one another.” Her lips curve into a soft and sheepish smile under her scarf. “I needed that,” her voice trailed off to look Shakti in the eyes. “Thank you, Shakti.”

  She let out a small laugh, the corners of Shakti’s lips stretched into another grin, but it was different from the excited one earlier. They laugh softly together, like two sisters having fun

  By the time evening hit, their bond had taken root. Yoshi saw her as an older sister, while Shakti saw her as a younger sister. When the moon was finally glowing up above, the girls met up with everyone else at the local inn. Julius was already arranging rooms while Division 2 and Division 5 were chatting amongst one another. Fionn stood apart from everyone, leaning against the wall just outside. He had his arms crossed, lost in his own thoughts

  Ann stepped outside of the inn, her head darting left and right as she was looking for him. She cupped her hands over her mouth, hoping for him to hear her. “Fionn, honey!” she called out to the night air

  Nothing. There was no response for her; at least, not from in person. Instead, his voice crept into her head, speaking directly to her mind. “Yeah?”

  Ann jolts as if she was scared by a prank. “D-don’t startle me like that!” she yelped, drawing unwanted attention from citizens passing by

  “What’s bad about telepathy?” he asked, not seeing an issue

  “It’s creepy, child!” she hissed

  “What’s creepy about it? I’m not reading your mind. Just talking,”

  “Ugh…,” she groans, the palm of her left hand covering her face as she puts her other hand on her hip. “Fine. Where are you right now then?” she asked, looking up at the sky

  “Not in the air,” he teased

  “Fionn!”

  “Okay, okay,” he said, sighing. “I’m just outside the inn. I hate being crowded around.”

  A proud grin appeared on her face. “Oh! I personally booked a room just for you and me to share,” she said, sounding like a proud mother getting to sleep next to their newborn

  In reality, Fionn’s heart sank to his stomach as his face started to burn. “Did you really?” he asked, hoping she was kidding

  “Of course I did, silly! I know you hate crowds and I don’t want you to be alone!” she said, both hands on her hips now. Onlookers passing by thought she was some crazy woman talking to a ghost. A mother quickly passes by, holding their child close

  Ann’s face flushes, looking at the ground now. “Can you please show yourself? I look like a lunatic talking to the air,” she mutters to herself

  “Why? It’ll take my mind off having to sleep next to you,”

  “Was that an insult?!” she pouted, faking her offended tone. “I thought you loved me, honey.”

  “That’s not what I meant!” he said telepathically. He sighs, pausing to pick his words carefully. “I’m not opposed to you wanting to be in the same room as me–that’s fine. It’s just how I sleep that I don’t want to make anything weird.” he explained

  Ann’s grin softens into a smile. “Hey, don’t be so down on yourself,” she said, her motherly tone kicking in. “No matter how you sleep, I’ll be okay with it.”

  He sighs, but his voice sounded like he was convinced. “Fine, fine,” he muttered, turning into a small laughter in her head. “Back to back, by the way.”

  Ann’s cheeks flushed deeper. “D-did you think I wanted to cuddle?!” she shouted

  After everything gets situated and Division 2 and Division 5 go off to their rooms for the night, Fionn finally shows himself, teleporting into the inn with practiced grace. The atmosphere was much more cozy and spacious on the inside. He looks around the inn, seeing the structure and build

  The dark oak flooring was stretched everywhere beneath his feet, stopped only by the inner walls made out of cobble stone painted white that gave a warm appeal. At the front beige painted wooden desk, a young woman was leaning over a ledger, scribbling down the names and room numbers of guests. She had dyed burgundy hair that reached down to just above her hips, hazel eyes with an easy gaze, and stood at around 5’5, judging by how she was leaning. She wore a garnet red blazer over a white collared shirt with a matching red ribbon underneath. Her nails were noticeably painted pink. She looks up briefly to see Fionn approaching her, straightening her posture

  “Welcome to our family inn! Looking for a rental?” she said, a kind smile spreading across her face

  “Uh… I think there’s already a reservation. Which room is Ann in?”

  “Ms. Bennett? She has room-!” her voice abruptly stopped for a moment. She looked down at her journal. “You’re Finn?” she asked out of the blue, studying his face

  He raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned about the sudden change of voice. “Yeah…?” he muttered quietly

  She quickly clasped her hands together. “Oh! Forgive me for sounding like that. She said you were her child, so I thought of a biological one,” she assured him. “She’s in room 34, second floor.”

  “Thank you,” he said. Instead of walking like any normal person would, he teleports straight to the second floor. The woman froze slightly at his instant disappearance. “Oh! Teleportation magic is a thing?” she muttered to herself

  Upstairs, Fionn materializes in a quick glow, seeing a woman and what appeared to her young son carrying towels to a cart

  “Make sure to put the dirty ones in this bin, honey,” she said, pointing to the empty bin on the cart furthest from her

  Fionn could clearly see that this woman was the mother of the receptionist at the front. She had the same hazel eyes, similar facial structure, and long hair, except for the woman it went down to just past her shoulders and was dark brown. She wore rounded glasses with brass frames perched on her nose. Fionn noted that the woman’s nose was smaller, featured a more curvy and lean body, and stood at 5’7. She wore a red sleeveless cardigan over a black collared shirt that too featured a red ribbon underneath, onyx gray pants, and black leather loafers. The boy wore a scarlet red blazer over black pants and cherry red shoes. He had a lighter shade of brown hair compared to the woman, which Fionn could tell that he resembled his father more

  Once the woman and her son finished gathering any dirty towels, used rags, dirty pillows, and anything else that needed to be cleaned, she started to push the cart. Fionn called out to her, almost like it was instinct. “Let me help you,” he said, making his presence known now

  The woman jumps slightly, startled by Fionn’s offer. “My goodness, dear! You nearly gave poor old me a heart attack,” she said, a hand clutching her chest in surprise

  Fionn bites back a grin, biting down on his tongue literally and forcing out his words. “Sorry about that,” he said, his eyes drifting to the left

  She shakes her head, waving him off kindly. “Oh, you don’t have to worry yourself with helping me. I’m doing just fine,” she assured, a warm smile creeping on her face

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind helping out with work.”

  “Well, I don’t want to take any of your time, but if you insist,” she said, clearing her voice. She puts her hands together in front of herself. “You can quit anytime you want, but I would appreciate some help with the laundry. My dear Andrew here will give you the towels and such and I’ll be washing them.”

  “Easy.” he calmly said

  The woman smiles at his help, clasping her hands together. “My, you’re really a positive young man, aren’t you?” she complimented, thinking back to her younger days, placing a hand on her chin. “Much better than the fools I grew up around. Such ignorance.”

  Fionn started to push the cart himself with one hand, having the woman steer his direction. He glanced over at the child, who was walking silently by them. “He’s pretty quiet for a kid, especially at that height. Andrew, was it?” he thought to himself

  Once they arrived at the laundry room, the woman carefully opened the double wooden doors, leading to a secluded outside. “Don’t worry about the night air, dear. I’ll check on them in the morning,” the woman said, a smile creeping onto her face

  Meanwhile in room 34, Ann was struggling to bathe properly–or at the very least, get water on her body and dunk. “I really do take modern times for granted,” she muttered to herself. She undresses out of her uniform and sets it off to the side. To test the waters, she dips her right toe into the bucket of water. It was cold–very cold. On contact, Ann immediately jerked her foot away. “That’s freezing!” she exclaimed. Her eyes darted down, looking at the rag, bar of soap, and towel around her. “Why… Ugh, whatever!” she frustratingly thought. She forces herself to stand in the bucket, scooping up some water in her hands and pouring it over herself. She froze up, her own determination getting the best of her

  “Bad idea… A really bad idea!” she thought to herself. She crouched down in the bucket, bringing her knees up to cover her mouth. The water stopped sloshing around, calming and sitting still just as she was. “Jeez, I look so pathetic right now. I’m forty years old and I can’t even bathe without automatic running water,” she thought to herself. She stands up again, putting her hands on her hips in protest. “I might as well just go to one of the bath houses instead. At least there the water is much warmer.” She stands up, letting the water fall off of her body. She glanced down at her bare glory, thinking to herself again. “I should work out more. I screamed internally in fear instead of taking on Yoshi. She just… looked too scary to fight. Then again, Shakti is bat-shit crazy,” she thought, stepping out of the water and looking into the mirror

  She narrowed her eyes at her reflection, making a serious face. After everything that has happened in her life, being this much of a coward shouldn’t even be a possibility. “If I’m going to be a part of Division 2, I need to take these Rifts more seriously,” she said aloud, determination starting to flow into her voice. “I am Ann Bennett! Sister of my heroic brother, Cameron Bennett!” she continued, making a fist as she punched the air. “I can’t let Fionn grow up again without me to be there to guide him!” a grin of self-confidence brightens her face

  Just outside her room door, she heard the light footsteps of someone, her confidence immediately turning into worry. She was still nude, standing in the mirror like a child playing around. Her room door unlocks, and she could tell it was the one person she least expected

  Fionn enters the room, closing the door and locking it on instinct. He lowered his hood, letting his messy hair show, and rolled his sleeves up. “Ann?” he called out, his eyes searching for her. He didn’t have to look far before he saw Ann’s face beet red staring right back at him. They stared at each other for an awkward seven seconds, until Ann’s shrieking voice broke the silence with a painfully loud scream directed towards him. “KNOCK NEXT TIME!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, chucking a heavy bar of soap like a cannonball at him

  After the moment passed, the tension was thick enough to be cut by a butcher’s cleaver. Fionn sat on the end of the bed with tissue stuck up his nose from where the soap bar smacked him. Ann stood across from him, arms crossed underneath her chest. They didn’t talk for what seemed like several minutes, until Fionn broke the silence

  His voice was lower than normal. “Why was the door open…?” he asked, the pain still evident in his voice. Ann’s face scrunched up out of her own flush. “Oh quiet you! I wasn’t expecting anyone to just barge in! Why would I lock the door if I’m the only one in the room?!” she said, puffing her cheeks into a pout

  He raised an eyebrow at her, finding her reasoning stupid. That… that’s it? Really? “Ann… that’s stupid,” he said bluntly. As much as he cared for her, he wasn’t going to sugarcoat it

  “Shut up!” she threw her hands up in embarrassment. “Just go ahead and lie down. I want to forget about this night already.”

  His eyes widened, his mind replaying back to earlier. “How… How did I forget I agreed to this?!” he thought to himself. He attempted to speak, but his mouth didn’t even open. Ann raised an eyebrow, but didn’t bother to mention it. Now wearing a white night gown, she climbed into bed, taking up the left side

  Fionn watched as she lay across the bed. There was another deafening silence in the air. Suffocating even. He didn’t want to make this awkward, but knew how much Ann had missed him. Even for her age, she was nothing different since then for the past fourteen years. That’s Ann. She shifts in the bed, turning over to face him. “You look creepy watching me, honey,” she mutters

  He shakes a bit, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “O-oh, right, sorry…,” he said, startled. He stood up, rustling to take his trenchcoat off. Once he does, he blushes slightly at revealing that he had a sleeveless white shirt underneath. His arms underneath were much different than when the coat was on

  Ann was drawn out of the attempt to sleep, staring at him in awe. “H-hon…?” she said quietly, trying to remind herself that this was Fionn she was looking at. It barely worked as her face heats up the more she stares at his arms alone. One could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. No! She’s not supposed to be thinking like this! Fionn has already been through enough! She kept reminding herself… but it started to sound like she was faking it

  Not noticing her own internal struggle, Fionn slips the shirt off, allowing his fully upper body to be on display

  Ann paused

  No words…

  No sound…

  Only hesitation

  A thin trickle of red blood ran down her nose, catching Fionn’s attention quickly. He materializes a handful of tissues, rushing to her side. “Ann, are you okay?!” he panicked, the concern in his voice becoming as clear as glass. Maybe sleeping like this was too overwhelming for her. He has slept alone for some time–now he sees why.

  Her senses came back in full effect as she gained the ability to move again. “Oh! Did I… space out?” she asked, her eyes searching his own for reassurance, completely disregarding the line of red on her face. “Yes! And you scared the hell out of me!” he replied, gently tilting her head back so no more blood would come down

  “S-sorry, Fionn honey…,” she muttered quietly, her voice much softer as if she was talking to herself. “I see why you hesitated to agree…”

  He stands up straight after handling the situation, a heavy sigh of relief forcing itself through his throat. “Yeah… anyways, back to back,” he reminded

  “I know, I know,” she said, her voice teasing again

  He settled next to her, keeping his distance as he gazed through the window in front of him. The moonlight spills through the glass like a sleeping sun as it illuminates the room, emitting a glow for him to see. Fionn continued to stare at the moon, searching for an answer that he thinks that’ll come. He turned over in bed, seeing Ann’s back

  The only thought that came to mind was the one and only woman he considered… his mom, regardless of genetics and blood

  Rosie