The Emerald Rose - Chapter 1

When she was born, she had loving parents. A father who rarely let her out of his sight and randomly held her, as though reassuring himself that she is here. A mother full of smiles, who cried happy tears when holding her for the first time and always made sure she was loved.

When she was fifteen months old, she became an orphan. Without the watchful father. Without the loving mother. All she had were cold stares. Thin hands slap across her face for crying. Meaty fists waving in anger, the purpling face scaring her.

When she was six, she was nothing more than a slave of the house. No one did anything. She did all the cleaning, the gardening, and even the cooking. They only messed up all her hard work then blamed their messes on her. She tried. She really did.

When she was ten, she was not much more than a broken doll. She was wound up then set to work. Her stomach grumbling familiarly. Her back throbbing from beatings. Her hands shaking and aching from overuse. Her feet nearly breaking carrying her around day in and day out.

When she was eleven, she was introduced into a community beyond her wildest dreams. Magic is real! And she can use it! Her loving mother and father left her money, too! Enough to last her a long time! She could hardly believe it! A month after the shopping for school, she made her first friend on the train. The second friend was made on Halloween.

But there was something she didn’t understand. She’s famous, right? So why was she not raised in this community? Why did no one look for her? Why did no one help her? Why are they all looking to her to save them?!

When she was twelve, there were no answers. Only petrified students. Only fear and distrust. Only scornful words thrown at her when she doesn’t understand why. Only a serpent that was willing to speak to her instead of killing her as ordered.

He’s such a good snake, hers by right of conquest is what he said. His gaze can’t hurt her. He showed her the hidden ways through the school. And she overheard the conversation that broke her fragile heart.

When she was thirteen, she learned of the man who chose revenge over her. There was no love in her heart for him when they finally met and the story was told. There was only anger burning in her veins. He chose vengeance over his responsibility as her godfather.

She hid in the Chamber of Secrets, crying. Why did no one love her enough to actually care for her? Her friends are fakes! Her godfather chose another path over raising her! The best friend to her parents never even tried to find her! Her serpent coiled around her, shielding her with his own body.

When she was fourteen, she was forced to participate in a tournament she wanted nothing to do with. One ‘friend’ turned his back on her, and was turned away when he tried apologizing later. No one was important to her, she had no one to fetch from the lake. Her fellow champion murdered in front of her. The man who stole her parents from her life was revived.

The Ministry did not take her word, but she didn’t care. Dumbledore pressed for information, but she only repeated what she said before. Back in the Chamber, she conversed with her serpent. He told her of a ritual to free her of her bonds to this realm. He said he would help her.

When she was fifteen, she did not return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She never made it back to the house of Petunia and Vernon Dursley that summer.

When she was fifteen, she was in a world of water, marines, and pirates.

Emerald green eyes looked over her shoulder, spotting her usual stalker leaning against the corner. She only had the misfortune of running into him once and he has yet to leave her alone. With a sigh, she paid for the produce she placed into her basket, turning on her heel, and walked away. As expected, he followed after her, not close enough for her to lash out and reach him, but still close enough for her to know he’s there.

It had only been a year and a half since she came here to this realm, her basilisk traveling with her. It took time, but she did learn the ways of this world. She learned how to fight with daggers and a whip. What she couldn’t handle, her serpent did. Her body, now receiving more nutritious meals at a steady rate as well as exercise, filled out to an hourglass figure.

Her hips were not too wide, but wide enough to draw attention with the unconscious swaying. Her breasts were large and firm, well supported on her chest, not even bouncing as she walked through the town. Her skin was seemingly blemish free, though she has scars hidden under her clothing. Her arms and legs were long and lean, hiding their strength. Her raven black hair reached her lower back in a wavy waterfall of shimmering obsidian.

Quite a few boys had looked at her with lust, some coming up to her to ask for a chance to be wooed by them. Each one was shot down. She did not need a man to look after her, much less a boy who thought of himself as a man. The latter was more than likely the case with this one following her.

He looked to be in his late teens, roughly eighteen if she was to guess. Sunglasses hid his eyes from everyone’s view, but his blonde hair (held back by a pair of goggles) helped him stand out. Well, that and his choice of clothing. While the black button-up shirt and the white pants weren’t too bad, a pink feather coat was not exactly subtle. He walked with hands in his pocket, his steps almost screamed confidence. The grin on his face told her that he knew she spotted him, but she only turned her nose up and looked away.

She first met into him last month. Or more like, he found her first. Thugs thought to kidnap her and make her their whore, then sell her into slavery once they had their fill. She didn’t know when he arrived. She only noticed him once the last of the men was dead on the ground and he was slowly clapping his applause with a maniacal grin stretching his lips. He actually laughed at her when she threatened him as well, telling her that he wasn’t with the men, but he likes her spirit.

Her steps ceased at the edge of the town, her little shack in the hills protected by her basilisk companion. He kept coming until he was right behind her. While her previous health stunted her growth, she still stood at five foot three. He easily towered over her with his superior height.

"Mind if I ask you something?" he said, leaning over her slightly.

"Spit it out," she replied with a roll of her eyes, turning away from his lingering gaze. "I have to get home soon or my companion would be most upset."

"Wouldn’t want that, would we?" he chuckled. "I’m only asking for your name. At least, for now."

"If I tell you, will you stop following me everywhere?" she asked him in return.

"Maybe. I can’t make any promises," he answered, still grinning.

She huffed in annoyance. Of course the pest would be harder to get rid of than that. Might as well humor him for now and think of ways to get him to leave her alone later. Maybe she could feed him to Aster, after removing the feathers, of course. "Potter Evelyn," she informed him.

He chuckled. His hand suddenly on her shoulder before lightly running up her neck. She shivered in response. "Well, Potter Evelyn, I am Donquixote Doflamingo. You can call me Doffy, though."

"I prefer to call you Asshole, as in, ‘Leave me the hell alone, asshole!’," she nearly shouted at him. She had heard his name before, heard of the acts done in his name. She cared less, though.

"So much fire!" he laughed, leaning down to brush his lips against the other side of her neck, his hand still holding her. "I like you."

Raising a hand, she shoved his face away from her then marched off, ignoring his laughter. Feeding him to Aster was sounding better and better. Once out of sight of the town, and Donquixote, she deviated from the trail and disappeared into the forest. Her home would not be so easily found by following a trail, more of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ location.

"There is this thing referred to as ‘stalking’, you know," the sixteen-year-old raven informed him one day when he sat next to her. She just wanted to have a quick lunch in town before browsing over the meats. Aster always hunted his own food, but her meat supplies always seemed to shrink faster than she expected. She was only cooking for one, after all.

"And there is this thing referred to as ‘interested’," he shot back with a grin. He hadn’t even expected to see her around. Since he first arrived, he noticed that she doesn’t come into town very often, so seeing her twice within a week was a treat for him. "And I am very interested in you."

She scoffed with a roll of her eyes, looking away from his bright visage while planting her chin onto the palm of her hand. "Why do you wear that stupid thing?" she asked with a scowl. "People can see you coming miles away."

"Exactly the point," the blonde chuckled. "You know, you’re hurting my feelings, always looking away from me like that." His hand rose as his fingers moved.

She didn’t feel anything grab hold of her, but she couldn’t stop her body from moving. Her head turned towards him as her hand laid flat on the table. Her eyes were wide in surprise. How was he doing this?

"That’s better," he said. "You really are quite beautiful. Even with those frowns of yours, fufufu."

Seeing his hand in its odd position, she realized that was how he was doing it. He must have eaten a devil fruit, but the exact power he possessed was currently eluding her. Glaring and scowling, her other hand snapped out and slapped him. The feeling of self-control returned to her as she hissed through clenched teeth. "Don’t ever do that again," she growled, rising to her feet sharply as he rubbed his reddening cheek. "I hate men like you." Throwing enough beris to pay for her lunch on the table, she spun around and stormed away.

He watched her, his unseen eyes blinking in surprise. Most regarded him with fear now because all he had to do was say the word and their homes could be destroyed in seconds. Just about everyone knew who he was, and no one wanted to upset him.

Yet here was this young woman, her emerald eyes too old for her to be called a simple teenage girl. And she held no fear of him. She possessed no filter with her words. And now, she flat out slapped him as though he were a common man groping her plump breasts, which normally would anger him and cause a lash out.

With a chuckle and a grin, he rose from his seat and headed back to his base. No doubt the others would notice his stinging red cheek and want to correct the one who gave it to him, but he won’t let them. Evelyn is an interesting woman, not to mention her beauty is unmatched and her fire burns brighter than the sun. It will take some work, but he will eventually have her for himself.

What was…that? Evelyn couldn’t help but wonder just why exactly half a ship was in the shape of a flamingo. She could only guess as her toes kicked at the cool water under the dock. Most of the workers left her alone, even though she could feel them leering at her wantonly. Her forest green skirt was at least loose enough for her to dangle her legs over the edge of the dock without having to hike it up to give the men a show, and a wrong message. The white blouse she wore was form fitting, yet still loose enough that she didn’t feel restricted.

Coiled on her lap, however, was one of the reasons why no one was actually approaching her. Aster apparently reached the age in his life where he could change his size for convenience sake. And after listening to her rant about a certain stalker, the basilisk decided that she was no longer allowed to go through town without him, even if he is only six feet long. He wanted to see this annoying human for himself, to judge whether the boy should die by venom or gaze.

Light, nimble fingers ran town the body of the serpent as her eyes closed and a soft smile graced her lips. She leaned her head back to bask in the sun, letting the ray kiss her skin. Faintly, she could hear footsteps, but with so many workers, she couldn’t tell if they belong to them or to someone else. But they were approaching.

"You should smile more often," the familiar voice commented once the steps ceased.

Emerald eyes snapped open as she sat up straight while twisting her body to look behind her. "Oh, it’s you," she scoffed, turning her gaze back to the sea. Aster hissed, his tongue flicking out briefly. "What do you want now?"

"To apologize," he replied, startling her into looking back at him. "For our last meeting."

"Apologize?" she repeated in confusion the scoffed again with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Puh-lease, you’re the type of man who takes what he wants, whether you’re doing it or your lackeys are. You aren’t the type to apologize."

Aster rose from his position, his head hovering over his mistress’s shoulder. This is the human who has been bothering her. His tongue flickered out again, taking in the scent of the man. Old blood covered him. This human has been killing for a long while.

"Well, I am apologizing to you," he pointed out, leaning over her while ignoring the snake that was starting to bare its fangs at him. "And only you. So I am sorry that I upset you last time we met."

She hummed for a moment, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Aster?" she called, asking the serpent his opinion. The shrunken basilisk hissed then shot out towards the blonde.

Doflamingo pulled back to avoid the sharp fangs that would have grabbed his neck if he didn’t move. He fought back the urge to kill the snake, believing that if he did, then Evelyn would forever hate him and he never will win her.

Serpentine tongue flicked towards the blonde before the head pulled back, burrowing into her hair with a soft hiss. "Apology accepted," she informed him, pulling her feet back in order to stand.

She turned and looked up at him, noticing just how tall he really is. She knows that the average height of a human in this world ranged anywhere between four to sixty feet. Most would be considered giants back in her old realm, even if the giants here were something else. It took her a while to grow accustomed to it, but it no longer bothered her. So his towering ten feet, while slightly intimidating, didn’t affect her very much.

"Nice snake," he commented.

"Also very venomous and very protective," she giggled mockingly as Aster poked his head out of her hair. Raising a hand, she rubbed at a small area behind his head. "Don’t worry so much, though. At this size, his eyes won’t kill you. But I can’t say the same for his venom." Smirking, she walked by the tall blonde, head held high as Aster wrapped around her torso. "What do you think, Aster?" she hissed to her only friend.

"He tastes of old blood, but his pheromones suggests he wants to mate with you," Aster answered.

"I figured that much," she sighed heavily with a shrug of her shoulders. "Oh well. If he tries anything, do what you will."

She blinked in surprise. Someone not only found her home, but they managed to get past Aster and leave roses on her table. Not just any type of roses, either. Her namesake, the Evelyn Rose. She did have to admit, they are beautiful, their centers pink while the outer petals were brighter shades, probably because they were more spread out than the center petals. There were a dozen of them, tied together by a thin strong. No note.

"Aster!!" she yelled. Not even a moment later, the large head of the basilisk was looking through her window, large yellow orbs gazing upon her then going to the roses she was currently glaring at. "That asshole knows where I live!"

Her companion pulled away from the window, scenting the air. Growling lowly, he looked back into the small house. "He must have come while I was hunting and you were gathering herbs," he offered.

With a vicious snarl, Evelyn grabbed the bouquet then stormed from the house. "I’ll be back in a while," she informed him, stomping off towards town.

For a moment, the large serpent debated whether he should go with her or not. If for nothing else, then for entertainment while she tore into the man who invaded their privacy. He did have to admit, the human is a persistent one.

Evelyn wasn’t sure if it was her anger that made the trip seem shorter than normal or if she accidentally Apparated close to town and just kept marching. Either way, it took almost no time at all when she arrived. A few of the townsfolk noticed her foul mood and wisely backed away. For a brief moment, she wondered where exactly she was going to find him.

That didn’t take long either once she spotted the familiar pink feather coat he always seemed to wear. There were a couple other men with him, but she didn’t care long enough to even think about how odd the group looked. Instead, she focused on the grinning blonde.

"Hey, asshole!" she shouted, gaining not only his attention, but the attention of the men around him and a few bystanders that flinched from her shout.

"Is it just me, or is she looking at Doffy?" one of the men asked, the shorter of the two with dark skin, light hair, and dressed in black.

Another, larger man with a dripping nose, stood a little taller. "Watch yourself, girly," he warned with a dark laugh. "It would be better for your health not to disrespect Doffy."

"Then maybe ‘Doffy’ should stay the fuck out of my house!" she shouted at him, earning an amused grin from the blonde. The other two men reeled back in surprise at the sheer condescending tone she used for their leader’s nickname. "What the hell is this, asshole?!" She held up the bouquet, scowling at the still grinning blonde.

"Isn’t it obvious?" he teased, his head tilting to the side slightly.

"Well congratulations, you figured out my namesake," she stated harshly. "Want a reward? Not gonna happen!" The bundle of roses was thrown to the ground, petals scattering from the rough treatment. "I don’t know what you want with me. I don’t know how you managed to find my house. But you stay the hell away from me!"

"Why?" he challenged, holding up an arm to stop the other two men from attacking her in his defense. They looked at him in confusion. He tripped on uneven pavement and didn’t even bat an eye when they destroyed the town in response. Yet here is this girl screaming at him and he won’t let them punish her.

"Just stay away from me," she growled. "Come near my house again and you’ll be snake food. If you even live long enough to be squeezed to death."

The larger man approached her, easily towering over her. "You think to come here and threaten our Young Master? You are a foolish little girl," he stated, his hand reaching for her.

"Leave her alone, Trebol," Doflamingo ordered.

Trebol looked to the young blonde in confusion and shock. Doffy was just letting all that go? Even Gladius was looking at him like someone replaced him with an imposter.

"I like her, she’s feisty," he informed them, his usual grin firmly in place.

"And I don’t like you," Evelyn stated in response, walking around the dripping man and up to the blonde. "Don’t think I’m just another every day girl you can throw money and power at and expect to find in your bed the next second. I’m no one’s whore. Especially not to some cold-hearted, murderous bastard like you. I hate manipulators. I hate those who think that they hold all the power and that everyone should just bow down to them. You and your fucking high horse can leave me the hell alone."

He only laughed at her, lowering himself to be face to face. "Oh, but don’t you get it?" he asked. "I don’t want you as a whore. I want you as mine and only mine."

"Not going to happen," she snarled.

"I think it will," he argued. "See, you said you didn’t like me. You didn’t say that you hate me. Just people like me. So I think I have a chance of winning you."

She scoffed, stepping away from the blonde teen. "Keep telling yourself that." Turning around, she threw over her shoulder, "And stay away from my house. Aster will be more vigilant that usual."

"The snake? Fufufu, it’s six feet, it can’t eat me," Doflamingo threw back with an unseen roll of his eyes.

"Oh, didn’t you know? He can alter his size. He’s actually sixty feet, give or take." She looked back at him with a wicked grin. "And if you lock eyes with him, you’ll die that second. If that doesn’t kill you, his venom will. You won’t last a minute and there’s no antidote. Now that you know that, have fun getting near my house again."

Doflamingo blinked in surprise as she walked away, even shoving Trebol as she passed him, though it didn’t affect the man.

"If you want her that bad, Doffy, we can always kidnap her," Gladius suggested.

"No. I’ll win her myself." He looked down at the thrown flowers. "I just have to try a different approach."

She huffed, her gaze scanning over the area. Aster was basking in the sun at his full size, even going so far as to lay on his back to warm his belly. Of course the only area where the herb grows is also her basilisk’s favorite sunning spot. That wasn’t the bad part. The bad part was the he was partially laying on the patch. Some was exposed, but the amount being crushed under him will cause a backup in her stock.

With a fond roll of her eyes and soft smile, she approached the basking serpent. As she grew closer, she could hear him breathing heavily, signaling his sleeping status. "You useless lug," she giggled, patting his side as she walked along his body to the half-crushed patch.

Arriving at the patch, she knelt down and started picking, ignoring the slumbering basilisk next to her. As her nimble fingers inspected every inch of the patch, her mind wandered to the past few weeks. They have been a wild ride for a while, but things were calming down somewhat. Almost to a point of scaring her.

After the incident with the roses, she thought that Donquixote would leave her alone when he didn’t bother her for a couple days. Then while she was having a cup of tea at her favorite cafe, he sat at her table like he was supposed to be there. He didn’t come bearing a gift, which she was thankful for. Instead, he just silently sat there until she asked him if he was going to talk at all. His response was a grin and telling her that he was simply enjoying her presence and would not mind listening to her speak.

Her response was a blank stare then shoving him off the chair. He actually just sat on the ground, chuckling as he watched her. Then when she had enough and got up to leave, he followed her around like a lost puppy. All the way to the docks. She figured if she needed to get away from him, she could jump into the water and swim. He wouldn’t be able to follow her then since he ate a devil fruit.

But upon reaching the dock, she noticed the flamingo ship again and could help but comment about it out loud. It shouldn’t have surprised her that it is his ship, the El Flamenco, but it did. Really, she should have expected it since it was obvious. It also shouldn’t have surprised her that he was also a pirate, a Captain. That wasn’t as much of a shock. He just hadn’t gotten very far out of the North Blue.

She said a small comment about wanting to sail someday, he offered her a place on his ship. She declined, saying she got enough exposure to him as it was. He laughed at her as she walked away, thankfully not following her.

Small gifts started popping up randomly after that. The occasional flower of various species arrived at her home quite a few times. She tossed out most, but did hold onto the lilies. It seemed that he noticed and more were often sent to her. Sometimes the gift was a piece of jewelry, which she tended to throw back at him and accused him of thinking of her as a woman he expected to win with riches.

She could tell that the various men he associated himself with did not favor her reactions. More often then not, he had to stop them from reacting when she rejected a gift. Though she did notice a couple seemed amused by their antics.

When Donquixote found her in town, he either stayed with her silently or made small conversations. She could admit that he was sometimes charming, and despite his carefree attitude, he was also smart. He caught on to what she was fine talking about and what makes her storm away from him in a rage.

Aster rolled his body until he was back on his stomach, startling her slightly. She was in too deep a thought that she didn’t notice her companion waking up. "Sorry," he said, noticing the patch she was working on.

"It is enough to suffice until next picking," she informed him, rising to her feet and tucking the basket under her arm. She also managed to harvest some seeds so that she could attempt growing them around her home. The plant was surprisingly hard to come by. "Have a nice nap?"

"Well enough," he replied, his mouth opening wide to yawn. The sun glimmered off his fangs brightly, small drops of venom gathering at the tips. He looked down at her as his mouth snapped close. "You seemed to be thinking about something very hard."

She sighed gently, walking back towards the small house she was currently living in. "Ever think of going somewhere else?" she asked.

"Another world?"

"No, just another island. This world is beautiful and amazing. I love it here. But seeing the same people and faces every day gets kind of dull. We have so much to explore. Why not do so?"

"Because those sea kings are larger than me and you cannot sail a ship on your own," the basilisk pointed out calmly, slithering between trees.

"What if it wasn’t on my own?" she asked, looking to him.

Aster returned her gaze curiously, the spines on the back of his head twitching slightly.

Evelyn exhaled heavily with a shrug of her shoulders. "Donquixote offered me a spot on his ship a while back," she explained. "Apparently, he’s a pirate captain and that odd ship we saw a while back is his."

"I don’t trust him," Aster firmly stated, scaly lips lifting in a silent snarl.

"I’m going to sound crazy, but he doesn’t seem so bad once he stopped treating me like I’m a trophy to buy or a doll to dress up with shiny things," she replied. "I was thinking a compromise. We go on his ship until the next island they dock at. Then we get off and start a life there. If we want to move on again, we’ll find a way."

He let out a low grumble, head low to the ground. As much as he detested the idea of traveling on the same vessel as the persistent blonde chasing after his mistress, the idea of a new island was appealing. The various animals he hunted on this island were starting to diminish in a way that even the hunters from towns and villages noticed. It was getting harder to fill his belly. He was no stranger to hunger, having fed off rats back at Hogwarts or hibernating most of the years.

"Just to the next island?" he asked, wanting to make sure that was it.

"Exactly!" his mistress replied with a smile. "Maybe then, when he leaves that island, he’ll leave me alone for a lot longer."

"That sounds promising. He infuriates me when he gets into the den without either of us noticing."

"So sounds good, then?" she asked. "I’ll have to make some more medicine to sell so I can have enough to start all over somewhere else."

"Or you could keep those little ‘shiny things’ and sell them," he advised. "Quick and easy."

"Hopefully," Evelyn sighed gently. "I’ll go find him tomorrow."

"That won’t take long. I think he’s tracking you somehow."

The first place she looked was his docked ship. There was, of course, the look out guarding the deck, a tall man with wavy brown hair. Sniffing slightly, she walked away from the ship, not noticing that he was watching her. Once reaching the solid ground. She turned back to the ship and inhaled deeply.

The man, she noticed, was watching her curiously, his thick lips pulled up into an amused grin. "Hey, asshole!!!" she shouted, startling the lookout.

Just as he looked ready to jump off the ship and probably attack her, a door flung open and a mass of pink feathers jumped off before him. "Evelyn!" the blonde greeted, arms out wide and wide grin on his face. "This is a first!"

"Doffy?" the man called.

"Relax, Diamante, she’s mostly bark," the teen informed him then his grin grew larger. "Mostly."

"I’d show you the Bite, but I want to talk to you about something," Evelyn stated, walking up to the blonde teenager. Considering that she normally walked away from him, the approach didn’t feel so wrong.

"Alright," he accepted, looking back to her as his back slouched slightly so that he didn’t stand so tall. He didn’t want to intimidate her as much as he normal would others.

Evelyn crossed her arms, locking her eyes to the sunglasses. "I’m bored of this island," she explained. "I can’t sail on my own, I don’t have the skills. And Aster can’t carry a bunch of provisions and me while defending us from sea kings."

"So you want a spot on my ship," Doflamingo summed up, chuckling lightly.

"If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, but I do have to ask for a couple of conditions," she replied, closing her eyes and turning her head away. "First of all, Aster comes with and no one bothers him. Anyone touches my serpent, I won’t be held responsible for either of our actions."

"I don’t think anyone wants to mess with that snake of yours," he pointed out blandly. He was surprised that she was asking to travel on his ship then throwing these conditions out. Though the one about the snake is understandable, somewhat.

"Good!" Evelyn huffed as her eyes opened and looked back at him. "Second, the next island you dock at is my stop. No matter where you’re going, wherever you dock next is where I get off. No fuss. And no stalking!"

"Fufufu, that’s if you even want to get off," he stated, tilting his head a little. "We can last a long time on the sea. You don’t even know how long you’ll be on my ship."

"Drive me crazy enough, and I’ll go overboard with Aster," she informed him, her arms uncrossing before planting her hands on her hips. "We’ll see how long we can last that way. In exchange for passage, though, I’m a pretty good cook and can make some good size meals while not using up a lot of food. I can also treat most injuries and ailments as well as create some very deadly poisons, should you have need of them. And I’ll try to behave myself."

"I’d rather you stay as you are," he commented. "You’re more fun."

She let out a single laugh before holding out her hand. "Deal?"

His larger hand took hers before pulling her body closer to his, tucking himself around her. "Deal!"

The snake popping out of the front of her shirt was enough to make him release her, especially when the fangs were heading towards his face. "I did say he’s coming with," she giggled, walking towards the ship.

If Doflamingo didn’t know any better, he would think that snake looked very smug about startling him like that. Then he had another small thought. How the hell was she hiding that thing in her shirt?