Kaldur'ahm

The Basics
Canon: Young Justice
Character Name: Kaldur'ahm
Character Journal: acceptedburden
Player Name: Erica
Best contact method: Plurk [bouncyerbear] or Email [bouncyerbear@gmail.com]

Character Details
Canon Point: End of Season 1 (Post "Auld Acquaintance")
Species: Atlantean - In the DC Universe, and Young Justice specifically, Atlanteans are a race that was once human but were forced to adapt to life under the ocean when their continent sank. They used a combination of science and sorcery to allow for underwater breathing. Evolution has caused various changes and subsets of Atlanteans -- some sporting features similar to aquatic animals. Even those who are mostly humanoid can sometimes sport webbed appendages, fins, or gills. Kaldur specifically has visible gills and webbed toes/fingers. I've included a few more of his biology features under the "powers" section as well.

Timeline of Important Events in Canon History:

Early Life - Originally from Shayeris where he was raised by his mother and Calvin Durham.

Pre-Hero Career- He completed his education and began mandatory military service at the age of 12. At 14 he transferred to the Conservatory of Sorcery in Poseidonis. While studying there, he stepped in to a battle between Ocean Master and Aquaman. Helping to stop an attack on Atlantis earned him the title of Aqualad and he became the sidekick to Aquaman.

July 2010 - After being a superhero for two years (2008-2009) he finally gets to meet more of the Justice League and tour their Hall of Justice. This will eventually lead to him forming a team with Robin and Kid Flash to investigate Cadmus Labs. The events that transpire in Cadmus will lead to the birth of a new team that operates under the Justice League and is made up of the various sidekicks. They are put under the care of Red Tornado and Batman -- who sends them on various missions.

August 2010 - Training under Black Canary begins. The Team takes on more missions and fights Amazo. Artemis joins the Team at this point and they get along fairly well, Aqualad being one of the first to accept her. Kaldur returns home for a bit after questioning his commitment to living on the surface and serving the team. However, Kaldur eventually comes around and chooses to remain with his Team.

September 2010 - During one mission Aqualad suffers from psychic induced memory loss and dehydration in the desert. After recovering, missions continue as normal and Kaldur even helps his best friend Roy Harper, aka Red Arrow, with his own workings in Taipei. It is at this point he learns about a potential mole on the Team and decides to investigate the matter on his own without informing the others.

October 2010 - The Injustice League comes out into the light and their team is sent to destroy their plans. Unfortunately, this is when Kaldur has his turn with the Helmet of Fate and is almost stuck being Doctor Fate due to his compatibility with the helm. He's able to get it off and they thwart the Injustice League's plans. He also prevents a Super Volcano from erupting with the help of his Team and their new friend Zatanna.

November 2010 - All of the adults disappear and Kaldur leads an effort to unite the remaining children in surviving without adults. Eventually they discover it was a major spell cast by Klarion. The Team, with the help up Captain Marvel, stage an attack with the adults stuck in another dimension and come out victorious -- at the cost of Zatanna's dad's freedom. They later celebrate Wally's 16th birthday.

December 2010 - Red Arrow officially joins the team and immediately they track Sportsmaster. Rocket also joins and Red Arrow is eventually promoted to the Justice League. Chesire, a reoccurring villain, sets a trap for the team while Red Arrow -- the mole -- is sent to infiltrate the League. Superboy, Artemis, and Miss Martian come forward as being linked to various enemies of the Team. It also comes out that while they were doing this the League was put under the control of a group calling themselves "The Light." Aqualad and his team board The Watchtower and help get the League away from "The Light" and Vandal Savage.

January 2011 - The Team ring in the New Year in space and celebrate their biggest victory yet -- even if they have the foreboding sense that something terrible happened during the League's mind control. Kaldur gets his first kiss from fellow teammate Rocket. Following this celebration, the Team resumes normal duties back on Earth, though Kaldur and his more trusted friends start to wonder what could have happened in those missing hours and are still curious about the whole 'mole' situation.

Personality:
Kaldur's main motivation is being a good leader. He wants to do what is best for the team and not necessarily himself or any one individual. This often makes him behave older than his age would have you believe and also demands he make tough decisions on a regular basis. Luckily, Kaldur is also very rational and is going to think through his problems before acting on them. This makes him both calculating and cautious -- especially when compared to his teammates who tend to be rash and impulsive.

Kaldur is the leader of the new team and this is by no accident. He has a natural ability to take command and knows how to issue said commands as well. The others take note of this trait and this is why he is elected leader of the team, first nominated by Robin. While he can find being the leader burdensome at times, he hardly complains about it aloud. Instead he completes the missions assigned to him while doing the best he can to look out for his teammates, usually putting his own needs and desires last.

To his team, Kaldur is very much the big brother type. He will lend an ear when needed, but also tries to teach the other team members respect and how to be a stronger unit. He is a very responsible individual and is often the first to suggest they report something to Batman or the League, especially when he thinks the team is over their heads. He is also slow to anger which helps when dealing with the bickering and sometimes immaturity of the rest of his team (especially Robin and Wally). Despite his soft-spoken voice he has a strong presence and all of this helps him in his job as the leader.

Kaldur can be a typical teenager at times. He can be impulsive, as seen when he goes off with Robin and Kid Flash to investigate Project Cadmus. Despite his stoic appearance, Kaldur does know how relax and enjoy himself, but his responsibility always comes first. He has a good relationship with his teammates and puts a lot of his trust in them, even letting them know his real name as opposed to just calling him Aqualad. He can empathize with others to a certain degree which often puts him in the role of mediator. Kaldur is extremely respectful to everyone, whether they are older or younger than him. He always looks for insight from his fellow teammates but knows when a decision needs to be made that it comes down to him to make it.

He can also be a rather private person. So, while he has not expressly shared his hopes and dreams with his teammates (that is, aloud in canon), a few of them can be inferred from the interactions he has had. For starters, Kaldur hopes that he can live up to the burden of being leader for this new team of superheroes. Not only does he wish his team to do well and work together, but he also wants to impress his mentors, especially his King (aka Aquaman) and Batman (aka the hardest person to please...ever). Not only does he have high expectations for himself, but Kaldur has high hopes for his team as well. He knows they have the potential to do great things, and they have, but sometimes it can be troublesome getting there since all of them are still new at this.

Another dream of Kaldur's, but which might no longer be a dream, is to be with Tula. Tula was a fellow classmate of his as the conservatory along with Garth. The three of them learned the magical arts together, however when Kaldur took on the role of Aqualad he ceased his studies. This caused him to spend less time with Tula and, as such, Tula grew closer to Garth instead. Recently Kaldur considered returning to his home just to be with Tula again and to resume his studies, however instead he found out that Garth and Tula were now dating. Despite his usual demeanor, it is not too hard to believe that Kaldur still carries some feelings for Tula and might even still dream of her as the one for him. However, as Garth is his friend too, he would never think to try and come between Garth and Tula. So, for now, Kaldur has put his dream of love aside. Whether said dream will return in the future is anyone's guess, but his major goal right now is just to become a better superhero and great leader.

Abilities, Magic and Supernatural Skills/Afflictions:
-Breathing underwater (Gills; part of biology)
-Temperature resilience (Handles the cold thanks to living under water; not so good with fire/desert climates; part of biology)
-Durability/Strength (Part of biology)
-Toxin Resistance (Part of biology)
-Hydrokinesis (Atlantean sorcery he learned at the acaedmy, can only really use with his water-bearer tools, but did not "level up" enough to manipulate water without a conduit)
-Electrokinesis (Atlantean can discharge electricity like an eel)

The tattoos on his arms glow when he is utilizing his Atlantean magic.


Dragon & Magical Element
Elemental Alignment:

Ice - Ice is an element that is slow, unyielding, and (obviously) cold. Kaldur is slow in that he is a cautious individual. He doesn't rush into a situation without first thinking through the outcomes. Kaldur can also be stubborn, despite being told he could not join the Justice League, he went off with his fellow sidekicks to go on their own mission and defied their mentors. This has also made him a good lead as he does not easily give in to the whims and desires of his teammates. Kaldur can also come across as distant and cold at first, it's only as you get to know him that you find he is actually very warm and caring. Also, just as ice shields the earth during the winter, Kaldur often acts as a shield for his team -- taking on their burdens and the burdens of leadership so they do not have to feel that weight themselves.

Energy - Energy is an element that is about motivation, power, and bursts of insight. Kaldur is often the main motivating force for his team and brings energy to them when they are dragging. He is their leader and keeps them performing at their best and staying together. Energy connects us all, in a way, so the fact that Kaldur focuses on maintaining his teams balance is a part of that element. He is also powerful, though that power tends to be subdued in comparison to some of the stronger personalities in the group. Kaldur still flashes like the element and quickly reminds them why they followed him in the first place. He isn't just physically capable, but mentally and emotionally put-together as well. He is clever, too, and those bursts of insight are what have gotten the team through some tough times.

Water - Water is an element that represents change, subtlety, and direction. Kaldur has learned a lot about himself in the past year and, a such, has changed from the pupil he once was. There was a time when Kaldur doubted his committment to the team, but he adapted and realized that he had changed. He was ready to take up the mantle of leadership. Kaldur has shown that he is capable of mixing with the adults just as easily as his teenage friends and is probably one of the few members of the team who hasn't completely angered everyone. He adapts to the people around him quite naturally. Water is also known for being subtle: a gradual shift in the tides or a change in the depths can be unnoticeable at first. Kaldur is like that, his humor is not obvious and he can slide into his roles easily without people even realizing he's doing it. That's sort of how he became leader, the title just naturally fell to him as the team grew and developed. It is also an element of direction -- the tides and currents move in certain patterns and guide migration and ships around the world. Kaldur knows his place in the world and finds comfort in that, especially after he figured out that his direction was no longer pointing him towards Atlantis. Instead, he keeps himself grounded and following the path he has chosen for himself.

Dragon:
Egg: A black and aqua swirled egg that is roughly the size of an ostrich egg. The shell is leathery, much like a sea-turtle's would be.
Diet: She enjoys fish or vegetables. Chicken is acceptable in a pinch, but only if there is absolutely NOTHING else to eat. She cannot stand red meat.
Adult Size: Large (2.5 m)
Appendages: She has four wings total. The first set is larger and located on the upper part of her body. This set closely resembles bat-wings, though perhaps more fin-like due to her aquatic nature. The second set is further back and smaller but has the same appearance. They fold tight to the body to allow for maneuverability in the water (they are strong enough to serve as "flippers" or for her to walk on them -- kinda like a wveryn might). The wings are leathery but translucent and capable of flight. She has two "legs" but they are more like flippers or fins than true legs. If she's on land they fold close to allow for her to slip across the ground like a snake, if she is in he water they help with swimming.
Body Type/Hie: Her leathery body is a lot like a serpent -- slender but very muscular. She has thicker scales on her belly and under her neck for protection.
Ride-ability: Excellent for water/sky once she is full grown, do not try to ride on the ground.
General Appearance: Kaldur's dragon has strong sea-dragon features. She is long and could almost be mistaken for a giant snake if not for the four pairs of wings and her pair of flippers. Her body tapers off to a thin tail that resembles a fin as it flairs out with the same translucent skin as her wings. She also has a frill around her neck that can flare out and make her look bigger. The dragon does not have legs, so she makes up for it with a massive jaw and large fangs. Her coloring is mainly dark blue that lightens to a blue-green in some areas, while her translucent wings and fins are a bright orange. She has a single, white, jagged horn that juts from the middle of her forehead.

Personality traits inherited from Character Bond:

Cautious,

Quiet,

Stubborn,

Observant

Writing Samples
[First Sample - Heeding the Call]
Kaldur's eyes did not adjust as quickly as he would have liked, the cavern where the eggs were located was dimly lit. It was strange though, the dark did not make him uneasy. He'd been ill at ease since "being revived" in this world. His mind still whirling from all that he had learned. Yet, this place, he felt a strange calm here. As his eyes adjusted Kaldur noticed that the lights were not from any official light source, but from hundreds of runes. He stepped further in, the warmth of the floor was thankfully not unbearable to his bare feet. He was sensitive to extreme heat, but this was like a hot bath. Perhaps that was contributing to the ease he felt here.

'Focus,' he told himself. He'd been struggling with that as of late. So much to take in and process it was a little overwhelming. He was reminded of the time he'd first visited the surface world for himself. Except in that case he had at least an inkling of what it would be like through the words of his King and the exposure he had already had. This world and its inhabitants were all strange and new in ways he could not prepare himself for. But for now he could focus on the task at hand, or at least try, and that task was apparently locating a dragon egg that was just for him.

He had to admit, the thought of fighting alongside a dragon did give him a thrill of excitement. It tapped into the childish side of him that had always yearned for adventure on the surface world and had wanted to explore all the mysteries life had to offer. Kaldur started walking further into the cavern, focusing on that feeling and the feeling in his chest that seemed to be like a string. If he tuned out everything else he could almost detect the slight changes in its calling when he needed to turn down one path or another.

After several minutes, but was actually a lot sooner than he had anticipated, he stopped without thinking. He turned to his left and an arm's length away was a large egg with black and aqua marks swirled in a pattern similar to spiraling ocean current. Kaldur looked away but found it was hard not to let his eyes drift back to that egg in particular. It had to be that one, he felt it deep inside. Kaldur stepped closer, getting down to one knee and gently placing a webbed hand atop the egg. He felt its leathery casing pulse beneath him and then felt something inside stir against his touch. "I am here," he found himself whispering, eyes wide with fascination as the leathery shell began to stretch and then rip.

Kaldur leaned back as he was greeted by the pointed snout of what he could only assume was a dragon. It pulled back and Kaldur caught a glimpse of a silver-blue eye staring at him. It blinked and then went back to work tearing at the shell with new fervor. Kaldur leaned back on his hands, sitting on the dirt, "I suppose I have to wait for you then." There was a soft chirp from the egg and Kaldur shook his head. What had he gotten himself into.

[Second Sample - TDM] Link to Thread

[Player name] Erica
[Age] 24
[Personal Journal] shakespereience
[Other characters currently played]
Clint "Hawkeye" Barton | Marvel movies | rainingarrows
Setsuna Meioh | Sailor Moon | timeywimeyorb

[Character name] Kaldur'ahm
[Age] 16
[Canon] Young Justice
[Point in time taken from canon] End of Season 1; Post "Auld Acquaintance"

[Background]
Kaldur’ahm’s past is mostly unknown at this point. When he was young he joined the Conservatory to learn Atlantean magic with his friends Garth and Tula. Eventually Garth and Kaldur joined forces to help Aquaman take down the Ocean Master. After helping him, Aquaman
offered them the chance to become his proteges, Garth declined but Kaldur accepted and became Aqualad. That was two years before the present day when the Young Justice team was created.

Of course, the team was only forged after an incident with a Cadmus facility that he, Robin, and Kid Flash investigated. It turned out that Cadmus had several genetic experiments, including a clone of Superman dubbed Project Kr. They rescued him and in the process destroyed the building. The League was rather furious with them, but Aqualad convinced them to let them form their own team because they worked so well together.

After a few undercover missions, Aqualad was named team leader, although he told Robin that he was the one destined to do so. Since then the team has grown by one member, Artemis, who joined them a few months after the initial group was formed. They helped take down several bad guys along the way, after all, they are superheroes. While not helping the team he does continue his friendship with Roy aka Red Arrow and helped Roy with a solo mission of his own. At first it was just to provide intel, but when Roy requested his assistance (when he could have called someone else) Kaldur stepped up to help.

He parted ways with Roy that night having forged a stronger bond, but also wary of the future given that the villains had announced there was a mole on the Young Justice team. Kaldur was determined to find out without revealing he knew to the other teammates. Unfortunately, however, the Team has a knack for finding out things and after Red Tornado and his siblings nearly killed everyone, Kaldur accidentally revealed that there may be a mole on the team. This upset the team dynamic for a short period of time (the others not trusting Kaldur so much) and Kaldur was forced to reclaim order when things got out of hand. He convinced them that he had not kept the secret on purpose but had hoped that the person would reveal themselves in due time and letting that information out would break up the team (and it nearly did).

Not long after that, a team of supervillains revealed themselves and Kaldur was forced to don the helmet of Dr. Fate in order to take them down. It was a last ditch move and while it did defeat the villains it nearly cost Kaldur his freedom since Fate was getting desperate for a host that Wally had promised him awhile back.

Meanwhile the League was still looking for Red Tornado and his robot siblings in the hopes of finding out why he had attacked the Team. The Team, on the other hand, decided to take matters into their own hands and track Tornado down themselves, with the help of a potential new teammate Zatanna. It turned out that Tornado had not betrayed the team but had followed his siblings off to discover his origins and find out who was behind his siblings. The team ended up rescuing Torando and saving the world from a super volcano, so it was all in a day's work.

By Halloween, Kaldur had come to completely trust in his teammates and denied that there was ever any mole on the team despite Roy's insistence that there IS one. Kaldur argued that any member of the team would put their lives down for the others and this had been proven in events like Failsafe and numerous other missions which could have been jeopardized at any given moment. Eventually, Roy decided to join the team for himself. Partly this was to work his way up to the League but it was also an effort to sniff out the mole that Kaldur denied exists.

In the worst of twists Roy discovered that he was the mole and had gone and infected the Justice League with a strange new magic-infused technology by the Light. Roy escaped and when the Team found out they went and tracked him down (having already determined that none of them were the mole and forging a stronger bond). Kaldur confronted Roy and talked him down from shooting him and the two reunited with the Team to "compare notes." With Roy and the Team's help, Kaldur was able to take down the infected League members and restore order to the Justice League, all before the new year rang in.

[Personality]
Kaldur is the leader of the new Team and this is by no accident. He has a natural ability to take command and knows how to issue said commands as well. The others take note of this trait and this is why he is elected leader of the team, first nominated by Robin. While he can find being the leader burdensome at times, he hardly complains about it aloud. Instead he completes the missions assigned to him while doing the best he can to look out for his teammates.

To his team, Kaldur is very much the big brother type. He will lend an ear when needed, but also tries to teach the other team members respect and how to be a stronger unit. He is a very responsible individual and is often the first to suggest they report something to Batman or the League, especially when he thinks the team is over their heads. He is also slow to anger which helps when dealing with the bickering and sometimes immaturity of the rest of his team (especially Robin and Wally). Despite his soft-spoken voice he has a strong presence and all of this helps him in his job as the leader.

Kaldur can be a typical teenager at times. He can be impulsive, as seen when he goes off with Robin and Kid Flash to investigate Project Cadmus. Despite his stoic appearance, Kaldur does know how to relax and enjoy himself, but his responsibility always comes first. He has a good relationship with his teammates and puts a lot of his trust in them, even letting them know his real name as opposed to just calling him Aqualad. He can empathize with others to a certain degree which often puts him in the role of mediator. Kaldur is extremely respectful to everyone, whether they are older or younger than him. He always looks for insight from his fellow teammates but knows when a decision needs to be made that it comes down to him to make it.

Kaldur is a rather private person so while he has not expressly shared his hopes and dreams with his teammates (that is, aloud in canon) a few of them can be inferred from the interactions he has had. For starters, Kaldur hopes that he can live up to the burden of being leader for this new team of superheroes. Not only does he wish his team to do well and work together, but he also wants to impress his mentors, especially his King (aka Aquaman) and Batman (aka the hardest person to please...ever). Not only does he have high expectations for himself, but Kaldur has high hopes for his team as well. He knows they have the potential to do great things, and they have, but sometimes it can be troublesome getting there since all of them are still new at this.

Another dream of Kaldur's, but which might no longer be a dream, is to be with Tula. Tula was a fellow classmate of his as the conservatory along with Garth. The three of them learned the magical arts together, however when Kaldur took on the role of Aqualad he ceased his studies. This caused him to spend less time with Tula and, as such, Tula grew closer to Garth instead. Recently Kaldur considered returning to his home just to be with Tula again and to resume his studies, however instead he found out that Garth and Tula were now dating. Despite his usual demeanor, it is not too hard to believe that Kaldur still carries some feelings for Tula and might even still dream of her as the one for him. However, as Garth is his friend too, he would never think to try and come between Garth and Tula. So, for now, Kaldur has put his dream of love aside, focusing instead on his duties as a hero and leader. While it is nice to see his teammates forming romantic bonds, Kaldur mostly keeps his heartache to himself and focuses on other aspects of his life.

[Abilities]
As an Atlantean, Kaldur has certain abilities that are natural to him. He can breath underwater thanks to the gills on the sides of his neck and can swim fast thanks to the webbed fingers and toes on his hands and feet. Living underwater also means he had a denser skin and is more durable than normal humans, allowing him to withstand high water pressure as well as heavy blows he might encounter in a fight. Kaldur is capable of a great deal of strength, much greater than that of any human. It has also been stated that his blood is like jelly-fish toxin and gives him a degree of immunity to most poisons.

Due to his studies at the Conservatory of Sorcery, Aqualad had other abilities as well. He has an eel pattern tattoo on his arms that glow and allow him to electrocute others with his hands or by channeling it through water currents. Aqualad also has the ability to manipulate water to his will and has shown himself capable of making a number of different things out of it to assist in a fight.

[Other important stuff] Kaldur is arriving with both his water pack and water bearers. The water pack is basically what it sounds like: a black metalic backpack that stores water inside (although how much water is unknown). The water in the backpack is what he uses for his water bearers and he stores them in the backpack as well. The water bearers are the tools he uses to manipulate water and convert said water into any shape he chooses. Without the water they are just a pair of twin hilts. Also his tattoos glow when using his water bending, so there's that too.

[Sample post]
[First Person]
1. What were you doing before now?
I was celebrating the New Year with my friends. I believe we deserved such a celebration after the year we just rang in. It was quite nice.

2. If you could have any super ability, what would it be and why?
I am quite satisfied with the abilities I already have. However, I believe everyone wishes they could fly at some point. That seems like it would be an interesting ability to have. However, I am quite content with myself as I am. Any ability I lack, my team more than makes up for.

3. You're asked to take someone out for a date. Do you agree? If so, describe what you would do. If not, tell why.
I suppose it would depend on whom the person was. If my friends were trying to set me up on what you call a blind date I...may be hesitant. I have things I need to be focusing on right now. A...relationship of that nature can wait.

4. You are a given a mission. Would you complete it effectively or would you goof off and do something else? Expand a little on the response.
Of course I would complete it as effectively as I and my team are able. Batman is not a person you want to displease and the team looks to me as their leader. If I were to goof off it would set a bad example and we are still sometimes, I think, attempting to prove ourselves to our mentors. It is important that we focus on the task at hand at all times. We can always goof off and relax after the mission is over.

5. Your country is in the middle of a war. What do you think of it? Do you support it or try to solve it yourself by going on an epic quest? Explain.
If Atlantis were at war I would perform my duties as my king saw fit for me to.

6. You see a bloody knife on the floor. What do you do or think?
I would investigate as much as I could on my own and hopefully be able to contact Robin or Batman. They are detectives and would easily be able to figure out the details beyond "a bloody knife." Hopefully it would not be anything too serious, but my team would be ready to handle it regardless.
[Third Person]
If leading the team had been difficult before, current events were making the burden exceptionally difficult. Kaldur sat at the lake's edge with his feet in the water. It was not the ocean, but it was as close as he could come to it at the moment and the lapping of the waves helped him to think. This place was a dream world and somehow it had taken his team from different points in the previous year. It made relationships...difficult. Kaldur was busy contemplating that fact. How was he to lead a team when he knew all of their secrets and some did not? Some had not even realized there WERE secrets? Was he supposed to keep that from them or wait for the proper time?

He snorted at that last thought. The proper time was an amusing joke as far as this world was concerned. He would just have to let the team come together on their own. If they could work through it once, they could work through it again. He had faith in them, after all. There was the other matter to consider as well. Robin had been here for far longer than the others and had made contact with another group of hears known as the Avengers. Kaldur had yet to meet with them but he could not help but be curious as to what they were like. The League had always kept the team separate from them, relying on Batman to delegate missions. Was that what this was going to be like? It seemed different, but he would not know for sure until he met with Captain America, an event that was to take place soon.

Kaldur stretched and rose from the edge of the lake. Perhaps a swim would clear his mind further. He had heard that there was a creature beneath the surface and he was curious to encounter what could only be described as a lake monster (though the term seemed negative). Kaldur waded out into the water and then slipped beneath the waves. Yes, a swim was indeed just the thing to help him focus. At least down here he would not run the chance of encountering others unless they, too, could breathe underwater.

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[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?] BECAUSE OF TEAM! Seriously, Kaldur is their leader and big brother. Sending the team here without him is just grounds for everyone to hate each other and act like little kids :|
[Which rule was your favorite and why?] Be nice to other players! Because a game is only as good as its players and if we all get along then we can all have fun.
[Where did you hear about Somarium?] I've been here, but Kat, always Kat
[Any questions?]