Cuckoo

Grim stopped short at the entrance to the training room. Eule sat in the center, a bag of sand suspended in the air in front of him. Eule looked like he was struggling, and Grim realized that he was using telekinesis.


“Mark,” he called.

The bag dropped with a thud, and Eule turned to the door. “Hey, Mark,” Grim said.

Eule turned back to the bag. Grim climbed over the ropes and sat down across from him. “How do you feel?”

Eule wouldn’t look at him.

“So, did you see my copy?”

“Yeah.”

“Was he just as handsome as me?”  Grim smiled.

Eule focused on him. “He wasn’t black. He was blond. And he didn’t have wings.”

“What did you tell him about me?”

“Nothing.” He clammed up.

“Eule, listen.”

Eule now looked at Grim’s shoulder.

“Eule. You have people here who care about you. Kalius cares a lot about you. We wouldn’t have done what we did to get you out.”

“So I owe you?”

“No. But we don’t leave our friends behind. You don’t work for us anymore, Eule, you’re part of the family.”

“I would have been…”

“What? His lover? Until he’s done with you and finds more pleasant eye candy to feast upon? You going to be his puppy? Used?”

Eule stood up, seething with anger. “You don’t know!”

“Oh, I do know,” Grim said, looking at him steadily. “Because I know what this Kalius is fully capable of.”

Eule stopped.

“How deep did you go into his mind, Eule?”

“Just memories.”

“Did you see the rage, just barely kept in check? Did you see what kept the rage down?”

“No, I didn’t—“

“Love. Compassion. Tell me, did you see that in their Kalius’ mind?”

“I didn’t—“

“At all?”

Eule cast his mind back, to what the General had thought, and felt. There was no compassion, just hot and heavy lust. Eule had been caught up in it, and misunderstood. The Pooka was right – there was a difference between love and lust. He did know it in his head, but the General had stung his heart.

Grim waited, watching Eule, who showed no emotion on his face. Finally, Eule sighed. He looked at Grim. “Maybe…maybe if somebody shows him love…”

“I see where you’re going, Eule, and trust me, I went down the same path.” Grim got up. “What if he doesn’t change? You’ll be the one who gets hurt. Maybe even killed.”

Eule raised his head. “I’ll take that chance.”

“Is he worth it?”

“Everyone has some good in them, Grim. Even the insane – there’s good in them, I’ve seen it. You have to dust it off and show it to them.”

“Trust me, I know what you mean—“

“Don’t you think I can do it?”

“No,” Grim said calmly. “I don’t. You don’t know Kal’s like—“

Eule slipped into Grim’s mind and suggested gently that he wasn’t there. Eule seemed to then disappear from Grim’s sight.

“Dammit!” Grim ran to the main switch to shut the teleporters down, when he returned to the training room from that, he saw the remnants of an Oroborous portal close up.



Eule brushed back his hair and locked away his mind. All he knew now about Safe Havens was what was in their public file. Nothing about Raina’s cat, or Jack’s connection to her, or Stefan and Grim and Kalius, or even Oblique or Morgan. They would have to use some severe battering rams to get at that information. He would still be alive and functional afterward, but he would have a headache for a few days akin to a horrible migraine.

Eule had a plan in mind, and he knew that as long as he kept on that plan and didn’t get carried away, he could do it. He covered it in layers upon layers of thought, excuses, reasons, and then satisfied that the thought of “I wish to serve the General” seemed to fill his mind, he walked into the Mind’s Eye Enterprises building.

He shuddered, as if a sudden cold breeze caressed him as he walked in. He looked around, suddenly feeling very out of place. He took a breath from his training to calm his mind and walked directly to the front desk.

“May I help you?” asked the lady kindly.

“I am here to see General Kalius.”

The guards moved from their spot as the woman said gently, “I’m afraid you have the wrong place. There is no General Kalius here.”

Stay where you are, Eule suggested after going into the guards’ minds. One resisted, so he pushed the issue. When Eule had mentioned Kalius one of the guards pressed a button by the door. The elevator opened and some more security showed up.

Eule stood up straight and thought at them all, STAY.

They stopped where they were.

Eule turned his mind to the woman and meant to tell her to find General Kalius but he was met with a block of resistance. He quickly scanned her mind to see if she was offensive at all, but she wasn’t – just totally mind-blocked. It would probably hurt her to push his way through.

“I’ll wait,” he said. The guards moved again, slightly confused. Eule picked up a magazine, and sat calmly on the couch. If anyone picked up his thoughts, they would be for the General and whatever he was reading, and it wouldn’t look like he was hiding anything.

He waited.

To know the enemy...

Grim looked up from his breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon and saw George Whitney come up the stairs. “What’s somebody gotta do to get a cup of coffee around here?”

Grim smiled. “Pot’s right here.” He got a coffee cup and poured him a cup. “How do you take it?”

“Depends. Who made it?”

“I did.”

“Do you make good coffee?”

“Nope.”

“Lots of cream and sugar, then.”

Grim got a carton of light cream and the sugar bowl and set it before George, along with the coffee. “Have fun. Want anything to eat?”

“What do you have?”

“Whatever you want.”

“This a restaurant?”

Grim grinned. “You could say that.”

George took a sip of the coffee then practically poured the sugar bowl into the mug. "Got an everything bagel with chive cream cheese?"


"We got that." Grim went to the fridge, thought for a moment, then opened the door. He pulled out a plate with the bagel already sliced and cream cheese on the side. "We don't have a toaster, though."


George huffed. "That's pretty good."


Grim set the plate in front of George with a knife. "Cornucopia spell."


"Corna-what?"


Grim chuckled. "Cornucopia. Horn of Plenty."


George took a bite of the bagel. "What's with the wings? And you're black. You were blond the last time I saw you."


"This is how I used to look, when I did dark and evil things."


"You still do?"


"Hopefully not evil."


"One out of two ain't bad, I suppose." He ate the bagel thoughtfully. Grim continued with his breakfast for a short time, and George looked at Grim. "So how come you're going to kill this LeBeau bastard?"


"Got an hour?"

"I'm fucking serious." George set his bagel down and his eyes bored into Grim. "What do you need to kill him for?"

Grim started ticking off on his fingers. "He comes in here and starts acting like he's god. He's an arrogant and full of himself son of a bitch. He invited trouble. His "friends" treat the rest of us like shit. We got some son of a bitch from his group to invade our sanctuary. They fucked with Raina, fucked with Jack, fucked with their kids. And LeBeau's taking his sweet fucking time solving a problem that I would have figured out in less than 48 hours."

"Then why don't you?"

"Oh," Grim sounded lofty, "because my magic doesn't work with their tech."

"Then figure out how to work with their tech."

"Not as easy as--" He stopped suddenly. "Petite..." He tossed his plate in the sink with a clatter, and flew out of the kitchen.

John Deere

“You’ll be drawn to them…”

Grim heard Stefan’s words as he walked among the crowd at Founder’s Falls. He caught some glances from Crey, but they didn’t want to start any trouble with him at the moment, and he didn’t want to get himself involved with them right now either. He went to the bank and let himself in.

The tellers weren’t busy, so they glanced up at his entrance. Grim looked around to see the security guard at the door. He nodded to him, and made a big show of pulling out his Hero ID. He went to sit beside a glass cubicle, where customer representatives and loan officers sat.

“Can I help you?” called a pleasant lady.

Grim smiled and got up. “I’d like to open a few mutual funds.”

“Do you have an account here?”

“No.” Grim knew that this could take some time, and he needed an excuse to wait. He sat across from her, and waited until she was settled before handing her his Hero ID.

“Do you want to go by your real name?”

“No,” he said, as she scanned the barcode on the back of his ID. He watched as his hero name, what agencies he was with, what his powers were, and who was listed as beneficiary. NONE. He'd have to fix that.

“Hm,” the lady said. “Not that many references.”

Just then, the door burst open. “This is a robbery!” yelled an electronic voice, and Grim jumped out of his seat to face them.

Arachnos.

The Wolf Spiders moved like lightning, grabbing a worker and throwing her into the other room. The Crab Spiders dashed into the vault, while Grim calmly walked out of the customer area to come face to face with a Night Widow.

Grim grinned, “Hello,” he said, and she threw a grenade at him. Grim dove back behind the glass – he realized that was probably a stupid move – and the grenade burst into smoke. Grim reached out and summoned a wandering soul -You hung yourself in the vault in 1929?- who appeared before him. The soul went out to the Night Widow, who screamed and froze in fear. Then Grim summoned darkness that encompassed the whole room, though he could see through it fine.

He walked out of the area and pawed through the smoke, seeing four people cowering in fear of the soul. The soul began to suck the life force out of them, even has he stood there. Grim walked beyond him to the room where the teller was held.

The Arachnos soldiers were well trained, but when he stepped out of the inky abyss that was the other room, they also cowered in fear. He put his hand out, and uttered a spell that would strike them with fear and dark energy that he gathered from the other room. He felt the power in him, writhing like tendrils, searching for a way out of him. He obliged, and threw a ball of darkness in their direction. It exploded at their feet, but the energy surged through them, stunning them. He pulled out his wand and struck them down with black energy.

"They're in the vault!" the teller screamed. Grim nodded, watched as the woman ran past him to the door. Grim turned, seething with darkness. He pulled together shadow, hardening them and making them like tentacles that lashed out and grabbed at the Wolf Soldiers. They were able to fire at him, and three bullets hit him. He felt the impact, but they didn't penetrate his skin. If they were point-blank, they would have. He raised his hand, and uttered a spell where all they would see was horrors of the Netherworld. They cowered, and Grim let loose again with his black wand.

He advanced past their prone bodies and headed to the vault. A Crab Spider was just heading his way, his arms full of bags. He fired at him using the guns and missiles on his back. Grim got hit, and his shoulder was blown apart. The soul stepped forward and robbed the Spider of his life force, even while Grim did the same and Raina's gift put things to rights. Then, Grim stood up slowly. He unsheathed his blade and stood in a crouch like Kal had taught him.

"You're kidding, right?" The Spider chuckled. "That won't go through my armor."

Grim took two steps and lunged, aiming right for the gut. The dagger slipped through the armored plates like butter, and Grim felt no resistance. He thrust further, feeling the stickiness of the blood flowing over the blade, and he cut horizontally, splitting the man's abdomen open.

All he could do was gasp and put his hands to his stomach, as blood flowed like a river and his intestines leaked out. He fell hard to the floor. Grim raised his hands, and spoke aloud the summoning chant to pull the soul out. The soul flew out of his body, and Grim cut the bond the held it. The man now looked up at him, his eyes empty. Grim bent to pull off the Spider's gauntlet to get at his fingers.

"Boy, you suck."

Grim whirled around to see dark-haired young man, dressed casually in jeans and a grey t-shirt. The young man, who looked no older than sixteen, shook his head at Grim. "What a mess."

"Who are you?"

"You'd better get out of here before the heroes come."

"I am a hero."

He looked at the body in a pool of blood. "Doesn't look like it from here."

Grim got up, sheathing the blade. The soul hovered.

"Well, dismiss him."

"I can't use that magic."

"Just do it!"

Grim made the rune and uttered the words that he knew from the time when he had the white magic and could send spirits on their way to their rest. He watched as the soul disappeared. Twice in twelve hours - could it be...?

"Let's go." The young man led Grim out, just as the doors burst open and a team of heroes came in.

They looked at Grim. "Stop right there!" a man in tights yelled.

Grim looked around. "Me?"

"Hold him!"

"Wait, you got the wrong guy. It's Arachnos."

The man in tights glared at him. "Likely story. You look like a robber to me."

A woman, also in tights came forward. "He works with dark magic," she said, looking down at him, disgusted. "I can smell it on him."

Grim blew her a kiss. The woman's look got even more disgusted.

An archer had his arrow on him, and a man held a fireball loosely in his hand. All four of them were glaring at Grim.

"Really, you got the wrong man." He looked around - the bank was empty of people. No one could come to his defense. Even the young kid was gone.

"Search the place," the first man ordered, and the archer pulled his arrow down, and the firebrand squished the fireball in his hand with a hiss. Grim would have paled if his skin wasn't black. If they went in the back and saw that Spider...

They headed into the back. Grim started moseying on over to the door, but got stopped with a glare from the leader. Grim held up his hands. "My hero ID is over there, on the desk."

The leader folded his arms against him. The archer came back. "No one here. There were some bags of money on the floor."

Grim stared at him. But the body...even the teleporter wouldn't have kicked in with a dead body...

"Caught you in the act!" the leader accused him.

Grim focused and found himself rolling his eyes. "If you'd get off your high horse and listen for a second, there were Arachnos here."

The firebrand said, "The radio did say Arachnos..."

"Do I look like Arachnos?" Grim pressed.

The woman and the leader didn't look too convinced. The archer and the firebrand merely shrugged, and started to the door. Grim went to the desk where he had left his ID and retrieved it. The leader held the door open for the woman and Grim. "Sorry, buddy," the leader said.

"It's okay. Heat of battle and all that."

He nodded. "Okay, let's see what else is on the radio..."

Grim left them, and wondered where the body went, and who the hell was that kid.

The Wind of Heaven

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

Grim lit down just beyond the gates of the Journey's End Horse Farm. He had called them earlier to ask if they had any horses for sale, and they said they had a few. With a name like Journey's End, he figured that this was where old horses went.

He walked up to the office. The woman at the desk looked up at him, and her mouth dropped in shock. "I called earlier about some horses for sale," he said calmly, knowing his appearance was probably what made her look shocked. He smiled, and tried to be as normal as possible.

"Uh, hm, right..." She picked up a walkie-talkie. "Danny, someone here to see you."

"Be right there," came the voice back, and Grim stepped back from the counter to wait by the door.

Soon, a handsome man came into the room, long brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail, dressed in a simple sweater and jeans. Grim smiled and held out his hand. "Michael LaBonte," he said.

Danny shook Grim's hand. "Danny Mason." He studied him for a minute. "Want me to take you around?"

"Sure," Grim said, and Danny grabbed a small tablet laptop and went outside with him.

"If you don't mind my asking, what were you planning on doing with a horse?"

"Does it matter?"

Danny stopped, and gave Grim a look. "To us it does. You look like one of those demon worshippers."

"I was. I'm not anymore."

"Then what do you want a horse for?"

He said quietly, "I need it for a ritual."

"You're going to kill it."

"Humanely. Honestly, I won't cause it any pain, and it's not going to be used to summon evil spirits or anything like that. I swear on the River Styx."

Danny looked at him. "Do you mind if they're sick or old?"

"That's what I was expecting to find here. The name of the place is Journey's End."

Danny gave him a small smile. "It's from a Western movie. It doesn't mean here is where horses come to die."

"Oh." He looked down. "Then that's my mistake."

"I really don't feel comfortable about this."

"Then don't do it."

"Nobody else will sell to you for that, you know."

"I figured I'd be up front and honest."

"There's such a thing as too much honesty."

"Why would someone want to buy a sick or dying horse?"

"Okay, I see your point. But you shouldn't say you're going to kill it."

"Humanely."

"It's still killing it," Danny said, turning around to look at him.

Grim only stared. Danny finally sighed. "I think I have one for you."

Grim followed Danny into the stables, and was assaulted by the natural smell of horses and manure. Grim knew that smell would be with him for hours. Danny stopped at the first stall and pulled out his tablet.

The horse in the stall didn't even move at their approach. He was brown with a long black tail and mane - at least it looked like a he. Or a she. He wasn't sure.

"This is Raymond, he's a gelding, he used to be a trail horse but now he's mostly blind."

At Danny's speaking, the horse turned in their general direction and came walking toward them. Danny pulled out a carrot from his pocket and gave it to him. The horse snorted on his hand before taking it.

"He used to be yours?"

"He belonged to the Bakers', they ran horses for nature trails over in Lincoln Woods, then we bought him about two years ago as a trail gelding until he started bumping into things and we realized he was going blind."

"So why are you keeping him?"

"He's still healthy otherwise."

He reached out to touch the horse, and it shied away from him for a minute. Grim offered his hand like he would to a dog unfamiliar with his scent, and the horse sniffed it, and stood still. Grim scratched the top of the horse's head as Danny kept running through his resume. "Short answer is," Grim said, "he's just blind."

Danny looked up from his tablet. "Yeah, that's the short answer."

"How much?"

"$2,500."

"That's fine. How much to board him until I need him?"

"$500 a month."

"I'll need him before then, but I'll pay for the month. Where do I go pay for it?"

"In the office."

Grim followed Danny to the office in silence. Danny held the door open for him and gave him a look that Grim couldn't actually read, it seemed empty of all emotion. Grim stepped into the office.

"Cassie, this man is buying Raymond."

The woman looked at Grim. "But Raymond's--"

"He knows."

"Oh." Cassie started drawing up paperwork. Grim explained he'd be boarded here and would pay for the boarding up front. When given the total, he counted out the money from his wallet in hundreds on the counter. Cassie took them without a word, and put it in the drawer. "You can come visit him any time you like."

"Thank you, I think I will now, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," said Danny.

Grim nodded, and went back to the stable. As he walked, he felt around for ley lines. There wasn't much that he could grab hold of, so he let it alone and entered the stable. He stopped at the stall, and saw the horse in its same position as it had been when he first saw it.

"Raymond," Grim called.

The horse perked up its ears and turned its head. Grim looked over the stall door to see if it was clear, then vaulted over it. He walked across the hay-strewn floor carefully. He took out a long blue, and braided it in the animal's mane. He nodded, and stepped back. Then he turned to see hand brushes against the wall. He picked them up, and began brushing the horse down, singing a spell of calmness under his breath.

Excerpts from the Hero Corps Ethical Guidelines for Telepaths

(Influenced by the APA Ethical Guidelines, 2002)

Principle A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

First, do no harm. In our professional actions, we seek to safeguard the welfare and rights of those with whom we interact professionally and other affected persons. When conflicts occur among our obligations or concerns, we attempt to resolve these conflicts in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm.

Principle B: Fidelity and Responsibility

We establish relationships of trust with those with whom we work. We are aware of our professional responsibility to society and to the Corps. We consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other professionals to the extent needed to serve the best interests of those with whom we work.

Principle C: Integrity

We seek to provide accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness. In these activities we do not engage in fraud, subterfuge, or intentional misrepresentation of fact.

Principle D: Respect for People's Rights and Dignity

We respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination, except when endangering themselves or others or as required by law enforcement.

4.0 Confidentialty

4.01 We have a primary obligation and take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information obtained, recognizing that the extent and limits of confidentiality may be regulated by law.

4.02 Unless it is not feasible or is contraindicated, the discussion of confidentiality occurs at the outset of the relationship and thereafter as new circumstances may warrant.

4.03 Before accessing individuals to whom they provide services, we obtain permission from all such persons, the highest-ranking person of the group you are working for, or a member of law enforcement.

...

Scythe

(Having taken place before the events depicted in "Shifting Characters Without a Clutch")

All mages carried wands or athames (pronounced ah-THE-may in some circles). These were used as a ritualistic tool for directing energy. However, Thornites used these things differently. Their athames were from the thorn tree in Nerva, used for cutting flesh as well as directing energy.

Grim was no different. Grim had gone through two thorn athames in his time with the Circle, and gave them up when he left them. He had two specially made, silver ones, and kept one for his use, the twin to the one he had used to bind his demoness. Grim destroyed after it was realized he didn't need it because of the white light he was able to direct.

Now he needed a new one. He could easily go into any magic shop and pick one up, but most of the time they were already consecrated or at the very least tainted by its maker. The other option was to find one, and quick. He went to Astoria. He could pilfer one off a Banished Pantheon shaman and cleanse it.

Grim took out his divining rod. Banished Pantheon were everywhere, but he needed something particular. He pictured what he wanted, the "essence" that would be in the blade, and he followed the rod's direction. It brought him deep into Astoria, to the actual cemetary there. He continued into the catacombs under the hill, and stopped at a wall.

"Well, that doesn't help," he said, scratching his head. "I didn't think I'd need C-4."

"You don't."

Grim whirled around in a crouch and faced a man dressed in a simple brown tunic, and wearing a winged helmet on his black curly hair. Grim noticed his winged sandals. His gaze went back up, and Grim noted he filled out that tunic pretty nicely. The man smiled, "Thank you."

"You heard that?"

"It's pretty obvious."

"Let me guess. You're Hermes."

"What gave it away?"

"The wings."

"Mmmhmm..." He then took out something from his tunic and tossed it on the ground. "You're going to need this."

It was a simple dagger, its plain sheath glittering silver in the dimness, but its handle was black and seemed to suck light into it.

"You're the trickster god," Grim said, leary.

"Why does everyone right away think that? I'm a messenger god, too. That's a message to you from Hades."

"So I am a reaper."

"You work for him, he might as well give you the tools of the trade."

Grim bent down and picked it up. It thrummed in his hand, and the sheath grew brighter. "Do I have to claim souls when I unsheath it, or does it demand blood, or..?"

"What do you think this is, some fantasy novel?"

Grim unsheathed the blade. It was silver, and finely edged.

"However, it does have some special properties."

"I knew it."

"Oh, you'll like them. Not only does it rend flesh, but it also rends souls. You can cut the soul away from the body instead of yanking it out like you used to do. More humane that way, don't you think?"

"A humane reaper. That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one."

"You're Hades' version of Dr. Kavorkian."

Grim looked up at Hermes and chuckled. "You're not what I expected from a god."

"They're all stuck up." He smiled. "You could serve me instead."

"Uh, no. I don't like stealing things. Life force, no problem, but not people's stuff." He examined the blade. "What else does it do?"

"You never have to sharpen it. It hurts anything with a soul."

"Provided I hit them."

"Yes, you need to have physical contact with them."

"Can I use it as a director of energy?"

"Once it's bloodied you can't."

Grim sheathed the blade. "Does it have a name?"

"Scythe."

"You're kidding. That's original."

"I'm not the one making this stuff up. Take it up with Hades."

"No, no, thank you."

"Thought so." He hovered in the air. "Michael. Like Marcus said about the Pius, don't let it consume you. Don't let this consume you, either." With that, he flew straight up in the air, and through the rock above them.

Kalius' Last Journey

Many, many, MANY years from now...and not canon.
Inspired by:
"Seen a million faces
Seen a million places die
Well I wonder who will walk with me
When I get to heaven..."
Hootie and the Blowfish, Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven)

The next thing he knew, he was on a boat. Kalius looked down at himself, dressed in full Grecian armor, the armor he was buried in.

"Sexah," said a voice behind him.

Kalius turned around to see a blond main with gentle blue eyes, dressed all in grey, holding a staff as he rocked with the boat's movements. What struck him were the wings on his back, black as a raven's. However, his halo was bright gold.

"You look silly with a halo, Grim."

"Don't I?" He grinned. "I've been asking them if I really have to wear it, but down here it's like an ID badge."

Kalius walked across the boat to him. Grim smiled at him, and gently turned him around so he faced the prow. "Look ashore. They await you."

Sure enough, a crowd of people waited on shore, people of many times and places, of all the lives Kalius had lived during his search for Dimitrius. His soul seemed to want to jump out of the boat and join them immediately, it was Grim's hand on his shoulder that restrained him.

The boat touched the shore, and Kalius was out of it in moments, making sure not to touch the water. Immediately he was surrounded by happy faces of family and comrades, and he would have wept if he could. Then Grim was guiding another man in robes out of the boat and helped him to make sure he didn't step in the water. Kalius turned to look at Grim, knowing this would be the last time he'd see him. Grim gently slid the hood off the man he had guided.

Kalius gasped. "Dimitrius."

Dimitrius smiled at Kalius. Kalius in his Grecian form was a big man, and pulled Dimitrius into his arms. Grim stood by, watching, with tears in his eyes. "How did you..?"

"You wouldn't believe the strings I had to pull," Grim said with a smile. He nodded to Dimitrius. "I was very gentle."

"What did you have to do?" Kalius gave him a look.

"Oh, renewed my contract. For a couple hundred years."

"Grim!"

"Don't worry, Kal. Time here is different. I'll be done in no time." Grim hugged Dimitrius, and then hugged Kal tightly. "You know I love my job."

"Too much, sometimes."

Grim laughed. "True, that." He drew Dimitrius and Kalius together. "You boys have fun, now." He spread his raven wings and suspended in the air. "Be seeing you soon."

"Grim..."

"I love you, Kalius of Thebes."

"I love you, too, Michael."

Grim gave him a Grecian salute, and flew straight up, then headed back East. Dimitrius slipped his arm around Kalius' waist, and Kalius did the same, watching Grim's grey light fade away.