A/N: EDIT: I made a mistake with SPOILER! Had to go back and fix it. Looking forward to your feedback, even if RWBY isn't as popular as it once was...

Does anyone want weekly updates for this? Really need to hear back from people here, or I won't know.

Aaaaaand we're back! Finally got away from Shadows of the Erdtree! Although now I hear there might be more in the future-

No, no, no! Don't focus on that, Neon. RWBY time.

The show may be in limbo at the moment -despite being bought-but we fanfiction writers are out here trying to keep the light alive, as it were. So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.

As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me.

I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.

Time and feedback will determine if this remains on the storyboard. Simple as that.

In other words...everything is up to YOU, the reader. Doooooo let me know~!

Rwby lyrics ahoy and a minor timeskip of a few weeks ahead.

"I'd understand if you'd rather not talk about this...

there's always a chance that we might remain in ignorant bliss...

~Fear.

A Simple Soul

Qrow was really starting to hate Mistral.

To be fair, he'd never had a particularly high opinion of the kingdom in the first place; but said opinion had only plummeted in the years since he left. Sure he'd been born here and all, but there could be no denying Anima was rotten at its core. Even as the second-largest-continent in all Remnant, there'd always been something indefatigably wrong here.

Maybe it was the crime syndicates. Maybe it was the bandits -significantly less so now that the Branwen tribe had been obliterated last month and sis wasn't sayin' shit about that -or maybe the fact that this kingdom was home to some of the worst species of Grimm imaginable. Seriously, Port would have a field day here. A field month! Even a year!

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because of Salem.

She'd always had her eye on this place; it was far from Vale and Ozpin, wasn't anywhere remote as Vacuo, and unlike Atlas, it didn't have an army at its beck and call. Lionheart did his best, really he did, but 'ol Leo had always been more bark than bite and they all knew it. No surprise she'd sunk her claws in here.

Which led him to his current predicament.

An empty vial crunched under his foot, drawing a grimace to his lips. He lifted his boot back and found the ground littered with them, scorched and burnt.

Picking one up, he brushed ash and grit from it and squinted at the emblem therein. Sure enough, the sinister sigil of a Spider stared back at him within its web. He crushed it in his fist, grunting briefly as aura sparked. It didn't make sense. He knew Little Miss Malachite. She gave Oz good info. Reliable info. Sure she was a criminal, but she was small-time. She'd helped them save lives, albeit for a price. This wasn't her jam. Why would she make shit like this?

Folks were calling it Amp. Shitty name, but Mistral wasn't exactly known for clever shite these days. And the results...

.

..

...those spoke for themselves.

He turned his gaze back to the dilapidated building where he'd found the vials, noting the burnt bodies, the blood on the walls...what was left of them. Someone or something had torn this place down, burned it nearly to the bedrock, and salted the ashes. It was the ninth he'd found this week. The number was rising. Yet for all that, there was no police presence. No cops. Nothing. What the hell were authorities doing? Did nobody notice?

Did no one care?

This drug...no one had paid attention to it for the longest time. They'd known about it, even seen hints of something similar during that brawl in Menagerie, but this...

A drug that boosted semblances. Sounded great on paper, right?

More power was always a good thing.

It wasn't.

Using the damn thing killed you eventually. Semblances were meant to grow and evolve naturally. This...whatever it was, forced that evolution. And kept forcing it. Until finally...well. He turned his gaze back to the burned out building and looked at the bodies within once more. Some of them were small. So very small. That coulda been Cinder or Winter. Gods forbid this drug find its way into Atlas.

Or Vale.

He was gonna be a dad -real soon!- and he didn't want this anywhere near his kids. Satin would agree; hell, she'd be with him right now if she weren't up the spout.

Just the thought of exposing their little girl to this made him shudder. "Well, shit." he blew out a breath. "Oz ain't gonna like this...

Hell, he might not even be able to help, busy as he was. Not enough Huntsmen, he said. Never enough huntsmen.

Damnit, this was important. Didn't they understand? Tai wouldn't listen, Raven was busy and Summer...

.

..

...nope, don't involve Summer her condition was far too delicate at the moment. He didn't dare.

And if 'ol Oz wouldn't act...well. He knew who could -and would- in a heartbeat.

He knew who got shit done.

So he made the call.

(.0.0.0.)

Naruto squinted into his scroll. "...you want me to do what?"

"I'm askin' for your help, alright?" Qrow's raspy voice came through. "Don't make me say it again."

"I won't," he reassured him, sinking back into his chair as he planted both elbows onto his desk, "I'm just not sure what you want me to do, here."

"You practically run the SDC these days, don't you? You've gotta have some serious manpower. Well, I need it. Resources, help, people.

Typical Qrow, right to the point. He wouldn't ask for aid unless it was serious. Pride wouldn't let him.

He tapped two fingers against the desk. "This is about that semblance booster, isn't it?"

...maybe."

"Qrooooow."

"Alright, alright." he could practically hear Raven's brother flailing his arm on the other end. "It is. And its big. I'm up a creek without a paddle here. People are dying. Kids are dying."

The metal fingers of his false hand tightened around the scroll. "You didn't mention children the last time we spoke."

"Got your attention now, didn't I?"

Kali's head poked up over the sofa, golden eyes gleaming. "What's this about kids, now?"

He waved her down.

Qrow heard it, blast him. "What was that noise?"

Heat crept up the back of his neck. "Kali's crashing here for a little while. Nothing to concern yourself with."

Trust it to the buzzy bastard not to miss the byplay. "Her and the big guy have a falling out?"

Naruto looked to Kali. Her ears drooped. "I'm not at liberty to say...

Up they went once more.

"You lucky dog."

Down again!

"Lucky?!" Naruto glared bloody red daggers at the scroll; in his peripheral vision he was dimly aware of Kali taking her chance to flee as his voice rose. "How am I lucky, Qrow? I'm up to the gills in bills, my mansion is full of chaotic little gremlins, and now I've apparently taken in a cat. How is any of that luck?!"

"You say that, but Still can't believe you and Raven had a kid...

He bridled. "We did not "have a kid", she adopted Vernal."

Still counts. "You really think she can raise the squirt by herself?"

Two could play that game. "Aw but She isn't alone, she has you. Good ol drunkle Qrow."

Qrow made angry noises. "Hardy har har. You still saddled Raven with a kid, told her to wait two years, and buzzed off. Kinda fucked up."

"For the love of...!"

"I'm just saying, whatever issues are between the two of you-

"there are none-

"Nonexistent or otherwise, you need to sort them out. She hasn't said anything to any of us about this."

Naruto grit his teeth, refusing to rise to the bait. "How's miss Scarlatina?

Qrow choked. "You...not a damn word.

"What?" he twisted the verbal knife with relish. "I happen to think Velvet is a a lovely name for a daughter, don't you think? Tai seems happy enough with Glynda."

"Which is why I can't go to him with this!" Qrow cut in with an exasperated noise. "And you KNOW why I can't involve Summer. Thanks ever so much for that, by the way. Morning sickness is a bitch."

"I know. I've held her hair more than a few times."

It wasn't as simple as cutting ties with Raven; now that she'd gained the power of Spring, someone had to teach her how to use it. And who better than Willow? Ozpin still knew precious little and he aimed to keep it that way. THhy were doing this for her own good.

"Speaking of wayward birdies, you seen Raven?"

Naruto hummed. "She's...busy at the moment. Now about this help you need...

(.0.0.0.)

Raven slammed facefirst into a metal wall.

Her body slid down said wall.

Result? Humiliation.

"Get up." Willow lowered her hand, eyes blazing blue flames. "You'll never master the power at this rate. Would you rather face Cinde?"

Nestled in Summer's lap between Cinder and Sienna, Vernal clapped her pudgy little hands and giggled happily.

Shit, the Schnee was making her look bad in front of the kid.

Raven launched herself at Willow with a snarl.

(.0.0.0.)

...we'll be in touch."

A maid edged into the room as he set down his scroll.

"General Ironwood is on line one, sir." she bowed deeply, and idly, he noticed her faunus features, a pair of floppy dog ears resting atop her head. "He wants to have a word with you, sir..

'Ohhh I just bet he does...

He waved her off. "Tell him not today."

It was only natural that the army had taken an interest in Arthur's...advancements. Well, too bad! Neither he nor Watts had any interest in making war. He'd cross that bridge later.

"Also," she said, "Young master Roman has returned."

Naruto's brow shot straight up into his hair. "Has he now? Show him in-

"No need!" His flamboyant boy sauntered in, ushering someone before him. "I'm already here! And I brought a gift!"

Someone latched onto his leg.

Naruto looked down and blinked. He blinked so damn hard, he thought his eyes were going to bulge clear out of his head.

When he'd sent Roman to Vale with Nicholas to discuss a dust deal, he'd anticipated many things. Better prices, an odd concession here and there, maybe even a decent haul. Yes, he'd expected many things. This was not one of them.

"And who are you?"

The little girl blinked up at him.

She said not a word. Not a whisper. Didn't make a sound.

Her hair was...pink. But also brown on the other side, with eyes to match. It looked like she'd tumbled off a burning ice cream truck. There was soot on her cheek and her clothes were a mad mix of black and white, but also dirty. And was that the faint hint of ash he smelled? He tilted his head to regard her. She mimicked him. Matched him now, when he leaned the other way.

His lips pursed in a frown. "Who is this sassy lost child?"

He looked about for answers,, and finding none, looked back to Roman.

"Okay, I'll bite." he looked back to the silent urchin, beginning to understand what Roman's so-called gift was. "Who are you and where did you come from?"

The girl touched a finger to her lips.

"Can you not understand me?"

She shook her head.

"So you can, then."

A nod.

"You understand what I'm saying." he said for clarification. "Am I right?"

Another nod. She gripped his knee tighter. He raised the limb, and balancing on the other foot, gave it a light shake. No dice. The new girl clung on like a demented spider monkey, grinning all the while. He looked at her for a long moment. She looked right back. For a moment he could've sworn he saw her lips move as she mouthed two words:

"New papa."

"New wha...?!" He chided himself for the slip a second later. No, no, heart be still. "Can I have my leg back? I need that to walk around."

She shook her head again. Sassy lost child indeed.

At his wits end, Naruto took the only recourse left to him. He reached down, plucked her up by the scruff of the neck and dangled her before his face as one might a naughty kitten. He expected more smug silence-only for her to surprise him again. This mute, nameless, wordless little girl tensed in his grasp, an awful flicker of fear flashing through her eyes. As though she expected violence.

"Boop." he bopped her on the nose. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

Naruto dangled the girl before him, brandishing her at Roman like a flail. "Who. Is. This?"

The would-be-criminal winced. "A friend...?"

"Is that your final answer." he scowled down at the boy. "Then why did she mouth the word papa at me?"

"Well, she can't speak so she kinda had to-

Naruto stomped, cracking the floor beneath his boot. Neo saw it and whistled. He let her go at the last; mercifully she didn't latch onto his leg again...

.

..

...for three seconds.

He looked down and resigned his right limb to its fate. "Roman, this is a child."

"Naw," the younger boy waved him on, "She's just really short."

The strange girl waved silently as he looked back to Roman. Naruto took the chance to pry her off and set her down. "And her name is?"

"Trivia." a wince now, as the girl stomped on his foot. "Think she prefers Neo these days, though...

Another blink followed. "And why have you brought her here...?"

Roman winced anew. "Weeeell, its a bit of a long story."

Oh, dear. "Simplify it, please."

"I adopted her!"

...what."

"I! Adopted! Her!" Roman gave Neo a shake for good measure, weaving the poor girl too and fro.

Sage save him from stubborn boys. "I can see that, but why...?"

Roman beamed, undaunted. "You want me to summarize it again? She had a shit life. I plucked her outta it. Mighta pissed off her folks, too, so...

.

..

...bugger.

"You said her name was Neo...

"Well, her name is Trivia technically," Roman supplied hastily. "Trivia Vanille, but we can't use that after the, ah..incident.

His brow furrowed. "What did you do?"

Roman tried to whistle. "Nothin'!"

"Roman!"

"Okaaaay," his adopted son made a show of tenting his fingers. "I'll tell you. But you can't be mad at me."

He was all of an isntant from spanking him. "What. Did you. Do?

Roman coughed into a fist. "I was minding my own business-

Five firm fingers descended in a stern chop straight to Roman's noggin. His words cut off with a startled squawk.

"Ow!" The young boy whined a little, rubbing his skull. "I waaaas! Nicholas was tryin' to expand his contacts in Vale, strike better dust deals, you know?" he waved his hands as he wove his tale tale. "New money, old money, that sort of thing. So we met with this one family; they said they wanted to invest in the SDC and you know how gramps gets about that sort of thing...

He trailed off.

Neo clung on ever tighter.

"So we go to meet them, and the meeting was going well. Then this one," he jerked a thumb at Neo, did something that pissed him off. "Not sure what, but whatever it was it made her old man hit her. I took exception to that. And his existence."

"Tell me you didn't kill him."

"Nope." Roman smacked his lips audibly. "Didn't kill 'em...

Thank the sage for small mercies. That wasn't something he could explain away.

"...just burned down his house and stole all his lien! Also got Neo out of that shithole right quick."

Naruto found himself simultaneously proud and disappointed in the boy all at once. Such a strange feeling.

"And where is Nicholas now?"

"Spinning a cover story for the press." Roman answered promptly.

At least someone had their priorities straight. It would've been a pain breaking Roman out of the slammer.

"Well, its not as though we can send her back to Vale now." he looked to Trivia. "Do you have any other living relatives in the other kingdoms?"

She shook her head fiercely and clung tight to him.

"I told her she could stay with us." Roman put in.

Naruto rounded on him. "Did you, now?"

...yes?"

Try as he might, he couldn't fault the boy for being a good Samaritan. He probably would've done the same in his shoes.

"Fine." he relented with a sigh, raising his voice to speak over the subsequent whoop of joy that followed. "She can stay here awhile until she gets back on her feet. But next time warn me before you pull a stung like that. I'm sure Willow was worried sick."

"Naw, she'll be cool with it."

"Cool with what now?" a voice called from the stairwell. "...?"

All three of them looked up.

Willow glided down the stairs, one arm resting against the railing. She looked tired, but awake enough to be up and about. Her piercing gaze swept over each of them in turn before finally fixating on Neo, who immediately let go of him to stare at her in return. Well, at least she listened to someone...

"Ah." a small smile bloomed across her face. "So this is the one Raven warned me about...

Raven?! She'd been in here?! Damn sneaky birdie with her portals...

Neo looked to Willow with wide eyes. Then she held out her arms. Hopped once in place for good measure.

Roman coughed into a fist. "She wants a hug."

Naruto tutted. "And you speak Neo-ese, how, exactly?"

"No," his ward countered, "I'm damn good at reading body language."

Willow's face softened as they quarreled. In the end. She did far more than give the tiny girl a hug. In a single seamless movement the Winter Maiden swept down, dropped to a knee, and seized Neo, practically dragging the startled girl forward into her chest. Neo tensed in surprise but didn't fight. When it became clear Willo wasn't about to release her, she snuggled in happily, all but burying her face in her bosom.

Lucky little lass.

"Oh, please. You get to experience that heaven every other night. Let the kid have her moment."

Neo certainly looked like she was having one; she'd latched onto Willow even harder than him, and she didn't look keen on letting go anytime soon. Her shoulders quivered once, but she didn't cry. She lacked the sound for it, if not the tears.

"There, there, little one." Willow cooed. "The past is in the past. You're safe here, you have my word. The Schness keep their promises...and pay their debts." This she said with a brief look his way. "Don't we, dear?"

Another one? Where they honestly contemplating adopting another runt this late in the game?

Neo turned teary eyes on him.

Urk.

His resolved folded like a house of cards. "...she can stay."

Roman slammed a fist into the air. "Yes! Victory!"

Willow was the one to release her first. Roman.

The redhead stiffened. "Yeah?"

"That makes her your responsibility. See to it that this girl gets a bath and a proper change of clothes." she considered her hair a moment longer. I'm told you're skilled with illusions. Have you given thought to disguising yourself...?" She was still speaking when Neo's long locks shimmered into white, those mismatching eyes becoming a wintry blue. "Well! she cooed. "That certainly works!"

Naruto whistled. "Neat trick. Its certainly striking."

The disguise lasted as long as the girl's concentration, then faltered.

"Hmm. We'll work on it. How about it, Neo?" He crouched down before her. "Do you want to stay here?"

She nodded, but didn't speak.

"Do you know who I am?"

Another nod.

...why wasn't she talking? Was Roman telling the truth?

His squirrely son coughed into a fist. "She's really is mute, boss."

The inner-do-gooder in him could hardly let that be now, could he? He laid a hand on her throat, frowned a little as he found the problem. Yup. Definitely internal. It wasn't so much that she couldn't speak, but rather she lacked the capacity to. The block was as much mental as it was physical.

Without thinking, he reached right in and he...

Plucked. It. Out.

From there it was a simple matter of encouraging her body to repair the damage. He'd regrown the eyes of others and even brought Gai himself back from the brink of death. He might not be able to regrow his lost arm for reasons he couldn't wholly understand, but he COULD do this one thing for her.

Neo gasped. Coughed. Choked for a moment now as her body regrew that which she'd lost. Her hand flew to her throat as her eyes flickered wildly and for a single wild moment he thought she might try to attack him. He stood his ground, wondering if she would. If she would take that little blade at her hip and punch it through his throat.

It never came.

Neo stared at him for a long moment. Her lips worked wordlessly, to no avail. So many emotions flitted through her, almost too much for him to comprehend.

"It's alright." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. You're perfect just as you are."

Her eyes watered. Crap. Had he said something wrong...?

"Hooo boy," Roman rasped behind him. "Probably shouldn'ta said that, old man. You pressed the trauma button."

"I did?"

Neo sniffled.

His inner parent twitched.

Willow hummed softly. It was a dangerous sound. "Tell us about this Vanille family. I think it's high time I paid them a little visit."

Roman rubbed his hands together. "What kinda visit we takin' about here, pops?" when Naruto hooked a thumb over his throat in response, he barked a laugh. "Knew you still had it in you, shitty geezer...

Naruto scowled. "I'm not too old to tan your hide, young man-"

Movement in his peripherals. It was his only warning.

And then, quite simply:

"PAPA!"

Neo jumped him.

(.0.0.0.)

Arthur's scroll rang, and was retrieved at once.

"Speaking."

Naruto's voice emerged from the other end, harder than iron, colder than steel. "I want you to find a family for me. The Vanille family. They're supposedly well connected in Vale."

His mustache twitched in amusement. "Looking to adopt again?"

"No." Isn't it remarkable how a single word could convey such menace? "I need to send a message."

"What did they do?"

"Upset my newest daughter."

Watts chortled softly, mind whirling. 'Ohohoho that's a dead man. A brave dead man, but a dead man nevertheless...

Outwardly, he said otherwise. "Most unwise of them. Might I make a suggestion?"

"I'm listening."

"Rather than humiliate them, we should make an example of them...

A poignant pause. And then: "What are you suggesting?"

Arthur looked to Alma, playing cards with Penny.

"Scorched earth."

A/N: YOU DO NOT HURT THE NEO.

If you're at all familiar with Jimmy and Carmel Vanille (Neo's parents) then you know they have this coming. Caramel to a lesser extent perhaps, but she still tossed her daughter away like trash AND tried to make Trivia (Neo) feel bad about it. In short, bad parents. Blood for the blood bod, skulls for the skull throne. That about sums it up.

Roman Holiday (the RWBY book) was an absolute treasure trove for new ideas! So many new characters to use! A score of them will be appearing in "Take the Girl."

Thad said, would you like weekly updates? Do let me know! Feedback is important. Reviews are the fuel that keeps me writing. That's no joke. I really am sorry that the chapters are shorter these days, and the updates slower, but I'm trying my best. Silence hurts more than any flame...without feedback, I can't write a single world. Seriously! So speak up! Every word -and every review!- really does matter!

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ...Review, Would You Kindly?

Here, have some previews. Lemme know what you think!

And as ever: Possible spoilers! Seriously!

Mostly the same previews here.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

SPOILERS AWAIT AHEAD!

YOU WERE WARNED~!

(Previews are condensed to save space!

Give me a little inspiration, something to fight for...and I'll give you a world of problems.

Tyrian tittered. "Riddle me this! what do you get when a Maiden and a Shinobi have a child together?

The answer might surprise you! Shall I give you the answer?

You get a goddess."

Target in sight.

She'd been so careful these last few days, making sure no one saw her, that no one suspected. This was her time, this was her moment! Her day was now!

"Ruby Rose! You put that cookie down! No desert before dinner!"

Buuusted.

Mommy was best mom, but she really did keep a close eye on her cookie jar...

Daddy was better. He let her have sweets all the time!

"Again."

Winter climbed to her feet. Cinder waited her, golden eyes shining with flame. Roman knelt to retrieve his hat, dusted it off, and brandished his cane at her. Sienna cracked her knuckles.

"Pick up your sword. We're not done yet, little sister...

Winter wasn't cut out to be a big sister. Truly, she felt she wasn't. She'd been born broken. She only knew how to fight and kill. That was why she seldom spoke. Why she shunned others.

It was precisely why she was hesitating now, as the mewls of a newborn infant filled the hospital room.

"Oh, stop that. Come here and hold your baby sister. Weiss won't bite."

...you're gonna be a daddy again.

Naruto fell out his chair!

"What's gotten into you, Winter?"

She wouldn't look at him. She mustn't. She refused.

"I heard what you said to mother." Father arched an eyebrow at her, and in the absence of his words, child though she was, she found the strength to continue. "You think I'm weak because I'm not like you, like Cinder and Sienna, or even Roman." she stomped a foot and looked down, unwilling to meet his eyes. "I know I was never what you wanted, but I thought after all this time, maybe things were different.

His stoic gaze drilled into her. "When did you get the impression I didn't want you? You don't know everything kiddo...

"No, she sniffled, "but at least now I know the truth.

"The truth, eh?" he thumbed his chin. "Alright." a quick shove pushed his chair out from behind his desk. "You want the truth? C'mere." A metal hand patted his knee. "I'd wanted to wait another three years, but I suppose now's as good a time as any."

Her legs betrayed her and she found herself climbing into his lap. At the end of the day he was still her father and she was only five.

She tilted her head up to get a better look at him. As such she saw the moment his sapphire eyes snapped into scarlet.

Winter gasped despite her best efforts. "What did you do?! Is that a semblance or...?

"Nope. I'm a jinchuuriki, girl." she watched golden light dance across his face as he spoke, burning bright. "From another world, far from here. When I first met your mother I chose to be who I am now. To be more than a fight, but a leader as well. But the truth is, I'm far from perfect." he held up his false arm from her to see. "I killed my best friend. It wasn't something I wanted to do-that's how I got this arm. Even after that, I destroyed many who were deserving...and many who were not."

"That still doesn't explain why you think I'm weak-

"You think you're weak, Winter? No, no, no." he shook his head, setting his pale hair swaying. "You're strong; the only other person on this planet with chakra besides me. Hell, you're probably going to be even stronger than me, once you grow up. Which is why you must be BETTER. I didn't want to tell you any of this until you were ready."

"Why not tell me all this before?"

"Because it could go to your head. Because strength without experience can create a lifetime of tragedy if you're not careful. I also wanted you to have a normal childhood."

She scowled at him. "How is anything about my life even remotely normal?"

He granted her a small smile.

"Fair enough...

...why do I laugh, you ask? I laugh because you have no idea what you've unleashed. There are things far worse than death."

Something tore the roof clean off above them; the roar of a beast split the air.

"Ah, right on time."

Winter scowled. It was a very impressive scowl she felt, easily capable of causing even the mightiest of Grimm to quaver in its boots.

It had no effect whatsoever on Big Sister Cinder. Her sister was everything she wanted to be; poise, power, and perfection. It didn't matter if they weren't related by blood. They were sisters. Anyone who said otherwise was getting an ice spike through the eye.

Now, now, there's no need to make such a face. You're only four, after all. What troubles you?

Daddy is busy again.

Cinder's face lit up. Really? Then I suppose we'll have to change that.

EDIT: Good 'ol Jason Statham here...

I asked twice. He started it. He's a bully.

...maybe this is my fault. I taught her to defend herself.

You think its a good idea teaching a little girl to fight?

Fight, no. Defend herself though? Definitely.

"Naruto, stop! This isn't you! This isn't who you want to be! They need to face justice!

Rationally, yes. But he wasn't feeling very rational right now.

"They came for my family. This is justice."

He squeezed their neck harder.

CRACK.

R ~!