Chapter 1420: Stop the war

Quietly in the big tent, Robben and Ya looked at each other, as if they wanted to see more in each other's eyes, and no one wanted to speak.レm♠思♥路♣客レ..
After a long time, Robben shook his head with a smile, "It seems that I guessed wrong. I am still a heinous enemy in your eyes. I seem to be passionate about some things."
Ya asked: "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing." Robben took it lightly, as if he didn't want to talk about this topic.
"It's okay, you can say it." She also seemed a little persistent, and stared at Robben closely while questioning, as if he wanted Robben to say something.
Robben was a little helpless, and smiled: "Ya, you know...I am a human being. I am now a leader of the human continent. We gather our strength to resist the demons and the gods, although I don’t treat you as an enemy. But we are not friends with the Protoss."
"As I told you earlier, I am a bastard."
Seeing Robben uttering these words, Ya then slowly took his own wine and took a sip, and slowly said, "Yes, for the Protoss, you are a heinous sinner. Without your presence, then the Protoss We will not face the current situation. We may have opened the door to the demon world, directly attacking the hinterland of the demon world, and completely defeated the demon race that is not yet ready. Even if the demon race cannot be completely eliminated, this time it will be enough to damage them. , So that they will not be able to recover their vitality for a long time, but because of you... we have to laboriously gather all our strength to guard in front of this space gate, which has already brought us huge trouble."
Robben listened quietly, nodding slightly, even if Ya stopped here suddenly, he didn't interrupt, waiting for Ya's next words.
"But...there is a very simple truth," Ya really continued, "that is, the enemy's enemy...can be regarded as a friend."
Robben finally showed a happy smile, hehe smiled and said, "Ya, do you think I am still a friend?"
"No. I'm just making an analogy. What I have to say is that you are just the enemy of the enemy, Robben of humanity...You are no longer the same as before."
Robben sighed softly, "It's okay, but even so I feel very satisfied. I think as long as we are not enemies. Then everything can be discussed."
"We...but in a sense, at some special moments are not enemies." Ya emphasized.
Robben still smiled: "I think that's enough. There are no eternal friends or enemies in this world. At a certain time, we may not be enemies. This already makes me very overjoyed."
"Up to now, you can laugh so freely. I really have to admire you, no matter if this is your yīn plot or some kind of decision of yours, but I have to say that your current performance is indeed very good. At least I was affirmed by the people who saw this scene. Of course...you can't deceive me again. I will always look at your actions with a censorship."
Robben smiled bitterly, and said, "Thank you very much for your attention, but this is not because of any conspiracy, but the facts are like this. I am not playing any tricks. Now you. What the Protoss sees is that What I think is what I am doing. There is nothing to hide or obscure."
"Really..." Ya's tone was quite suspicious, and he was obviously suspicious of Robben's statement.
"If you have any questions, I hope you can raise them directly, if you can. I will answer you directly, even if this question involves some more confidential things." Robben said carefully after considering it.
"Oh...this seems to be good." Ya asked directly with a smile that seemed to show up in the corner of his eyes. "Then what will your next action be? This time you opened the space door and fastened both the Protoss and Demons to both sides of the space door. Now no one has the time and strength to take care of you, this It is definitely a good opportunity of a lifetime. It would be a pity not to do some major things at this time. I think you should already have a plan?"
Robben was a little embarrassed, "Speaking of this... we are indeed preparing for the next step, but as for what we are going to do, we haven't completely determined yet. We have discussed this matter a lot before, this... …I really have nothing to answer to you, because this matter has not completely happened yet."
Ya seemed to nodded as expected, "It's okay, even if I didn't answer, I would have expected it a long time ago, it's not surprising at all, then can you tell me whether your next action target is our race or demons What? I think you can answer me at least?"
Robben smiled bitterly again, "This...we haven't finalized it yet, we..."
Ya interrupted Robben's words directly, "I understand, you don't need to explain so much, it makes no sense to me."
Robben was a little anxious, "Ya, I really don't want to lie to you, nor do I want to hide anything. It's really that we are not completely sure of the next action, so I..."
Ya shook his head, "No matter what it is, the result is the same to me, there is no difference."
When Robben heard these words, he could only close his mouth, his face full of regret, "Ya, I know I am not qualified to say such things, but if you still have even the slightest affirmation of me in your heart, then I ask you Don’t doubt me. What I am saying is not false, nor is it for ulterior purposes. I really just hope that we can understand each other. We are not real enemies."
Ya said lightly: "If it wasn't for this, now..."
He glanced at Robben quickly, there was a bit of murderous in Ya's voice, "Your head is already on this table, you have no chance to resist or run away, do you believe me?"
Robben's heart felt a little cold. When someone said something like this, maybe he could laugh three times and ridicule him back, but if Ya said that...
I have to admit that Robben doesn’t know what level Ya’s strength has reached. He only knows that the power is almost limitless. Until now, he has not seen what Ya’s absolute strength looks like. If Ya says he is sure to Kill yourself, then...
Robben suddenly became a little scared, maybe it was really a huge gamble to see Ya himself. In the current God Realm, among the people I have seen, the most threatening to myself, and the only thing that makes myself feel that I can’t defeat it, maybe only one...
Looking at the tooth, Robben nodded slowly, "I believe it. If it were you... I think it is definitely possible to kill me."
Ya looked at Robben carefully, and suddenly smiled: "It seems that the first time I saw a like you, are you scared?"
Robben didn't hesitate and nodded directly, "Yes. I feel scared... When life is really likely to be threatened, I don't think it is a shameful thing. Fear... is also a kind of power."
"Heh...so you don't have to expect me to really trust you, look...even if you keep saying how sincere you are and how friendly you are, you will doubt that I might do something to you, Robben...of us At that time, there is no longer the kind of trust that was at the beginning. Do you understand?"
Robben was silent for a while, and sighed helplessly, "I understand that when my identity was revealed, we would no longer be able to go back to the past. Although all this is inevitable, I still feel very sorry. , In the previous period. Although I have been cautious, but at some point... really happy, I think I have made real friends."
Robben's words seemed to have some feelings for Ya, and he sighed: "Perhaps...we were real friends once, but now...maybe we just hope to be real friends."
"Even so, I feel very relieved." Robben poured himself a glass of wine and drank it. Then he asked: "I don't think we need to go around, Ya, what are you calling me back this time. If possible, I will help."
Seeing that Robben had already started to go straight to the subject, Ya hesitated a bit, as if he was still thinking about something. He fell silent for a while, Robben did not urge him, and poured himself another glass of wine, drank slowly, slowly Wait...
After a while, Yacai slowly picked up his wine glass again, and said with a heavy voice: "Roben, do you know...I wish I could trust you so much, thinking that you used to be Ann, and I am most worthy of trust. My friend, I have never had any friends, and I dare not have too much contact with others, because that would expose my roots and I can’t let people know my secrets.

Robben just nodded and kept listening.
"But reason tells that it's impossible. You are the human Robben, who poses a huge threat to the Protoss. From the beginning of obscurity to the unrest of the gods, everything about you is shrouded in lies and deceit, I You must be very careful."
Robben still nodded.
The tooth paused, and then said: "However, I have to admit that I was a little shaken because you sent Crick back."
"This is what I promised you, what I should do."
"It was Ann who promised me to help Crick." Ya was a little confused, "not you as a human."
Robben was silent, not knowing how to respond to this sentence.
"I really didn't expect such a thing to happen. Crick was isolated and helpless on the human continent. Now the God Realm simply cannot send any rescue. Everything can only rely on herself, and I know... She is in deep crisis, I She is even ready to get the bad news, because in my opinion, starting from the current situation in the God Realm, Crick... has no way to go. She has reached the end of her life, and no one can save her. No one can help her out of the predicament, but..."
"It turns out that your enemy rescued her at the last moment, and sent her back to the gods safely to see me. These... don't do you any good."
"I also wanted to fulfill my wish. After all... I promised you at the beginning, and... These things happened because of me. I can't just watch Creek fall into such a tragic fate."
Ya smiled slightly, his smile looked a little helpless, "So... I now have some hopes for your enemies of the Protoss that shouldn’t exist. I don’t know if such thoughts will make me fall into it in the end. An unrecoverable situation."
Robben's eyes lit up slightly, "Ya, what you meant is..."
The tooth face solemnly said, "Yes! Human Robben, now I am here to ask you the answers to your questions in the name of my God of War. If I want you to do something for the Protoss, would you agree? "
Robben felt his blood surge and his whole body became hot. "what's up?"
Seeing Robben's question so directly, Ya's heart trembled slightly, "I want to immediately end this confrontation that I don't know how long it will last. I will counterattack the demons and let this stalemate that I don't know how long it will last. The war turned into the beginning of our great advantage."
"End the stalemate!?" Robben was slightly surprised.
"Yes, although this stalemate will not last long, because the space gate will not exist for too long. But... the longer this stalemate lasts, the more intense it will be when it finally erupts. The result is more unpredictable, that is not what I want to see."
"Breaking out?" Robben was stunned.
"Do you think... we will stay in a stalemate like this until the space gate disappears, and then each breathes out. Think of another way to start this war?"
Robben was a little surprised, "Could it be that... do you have other ways to do it?"
Ya suddenly smiled, "After all, you are not a protoss, and the female demon around you, Rosie by your side, although they know the demons and the protoss very well. But in terms of the entire history of the two clans, they are still too ignorant. Now, do you know how many wars between the gods and demons attacked the mainland in the history of the two clans?
Robben only shook his head.
"I can only say that it is very rare. After all, some wars cannot be verified, and no one can prove their existence, but no matter which time, such wars have been extremely tragic, almost fighting to the last soldiers and soldiers. Corpses. It’s not an exaggeration to pile up mountains and blood flow into rivers. In order to eliminate the other party, we...do everything."
Reaching out and pointing to the huge space door outside, Ya said: "This space door will be the first battlefield of the war. Now the two sides are in a stalemate, no one dares to move first, but this does not mean that the stalemate will continue to the end. , Continue until the space gate disappears. You know...It is very difficult to attack the opponent’s homeland. It is a method of war that can obtain a huge advantage and directly cause destruction to the enemy, whether it is the demons or us, I will never miss this opportunity, even if I have to take some risks."
Robben suddenly felt cold all over, "You mean..."
"I mean, the space gate will continue for a long time at present, and both sides are fairly stable. They gathered strength and guarded both sides of the space gate, but once the space gate began to become unstable, signs of disappearance began to appear. , Then facing the two races who are about to lose the opportunity to give the enemy a fatal blow, they will become crazy... The God King and the Black Emperor Jedi cannot miss such an opportunity. In the end... only an unimaginable war will break out in history. Killing each other like never before."
Ya's eyes became solemn, "Before the space gate disappears, the two races will take fierce action, or fight to the death, at least there will be a large number of warriors gushing out of the space gate. The demons will do this, and so will we! There are few opportunities to go to the enemy’s homeland to fight. Even if you lose most of the clan’s lives, you must seize this opportunity that may drive the enemy to an end..."
Thin beads of sweat began to appear on Luo Ben's forehead, "According to our estimation, this space gate... will not last long."
"Of course!" Ya's tone was quite certain, "Such a huge space gate will not last long. It consumes a few people every day, and it is not easy for it to show signs of weakness for so many days. But it will definitely not last too long. Soon it will run slowly due to insufficient energy, and at that time... it is time for the two clans to start preparing for action. At present, we have gathered a considerable amount of troops here. The gods of war are gathered here. I think the situation in the Demon Realm is the same. All the demon generals should be standing by behind the space gate. Once the Black Emperor has made a decision, countless demon races will appear. At that time..."
Robben understood that at that time there would be a very tragic battle, and the battle would not stop until one party was completely driven out.
"I think... you don't want something like this to happen."
Robben thought to me that I certainly didn’t want to. If a large-scale war broke out immediately between the two sides, it seemed that the human continent could stay out of the matter, but no one could predict the direction of the war. What kind of ideas would arise during the frenzied killing. It will be closed, and the war between the two races will naturally be carried out on the human continent. At that time, the fragile human continent will be fragmented.
Suddenly, a trace of doubt flashed in Robben's mind. Looking up at the tooth, his eyes are full of puzzles.
Ya looked at Robben, "What's wrong, showing this kind of god, do you think there is something wrong with it?"
Robben said rather strangely: "Ya, what are you thinking?"
"Me?" Ya was a little surprised, "What do you mean? What do you mean by what I am thinking?"
"You want to persuade me to do something for you. Right?"
"Yes, I really want you to do something for me, because you can do these things easily, but I can't."
"But... I can't figure it out. It seems to be of no benefit to me." Robben shrugged his shoulders. "What I hope is that the Protoss and Demons will face each other. Let you have no time to take care of the human continent, so that we can There is more time to gather power and more time to obtain the necessary conditions for survival, but... if I help you to end this confrontation early, and even give the Protoss the opportunity to start aggressively attacking the demons, then ...All of this doesn't exist."
"The war between the two sides broke out in an instant. Although the battlefield was in the Demon Realm, the space gate was soon closed, and under the premise that the Demon Clan was already wary, the effect of opening another channel to the Demon Realm was greatly reduced. It is still unknown whether you will still have the ability to open another channel after the first fight. The battlefield of war will obviously be transferred to the human continent..."
Robben paused, "This is a disaster for me."
Ya smiled softly, "Do you think... what I asked you to do is not good for you at all?"
"If it's just that. And if things are not difficult, I would be willing to do a favor to my friends, but this is simply a devastation to myself. I can't do anything about it. I have to protect my family and friends. I can't put them in danger."
Ya lightly nodded, "Indeed. You should have such considerations, but... I don't seem to tell you what I want you to do, and I haven't said... What you do will cause this war to break out immediately. "
Robben was stunned, "But you said that what you want me to do will become a condition for the great advantage of the Protoss. Doesn't this mean anything?"
"Of course not..." Ya said softly, "I naturally want to gain some benefits for the Protoss, but... I don't necessarily want the war to break out immediately."
Robben was a little confused, "This...why?"
"War means bloodshed and sacrifice. Although in our faith, dying for faith and glory is a very glorious thing, in my opinion, it is essentially the loss of life, no matter what the reason is. It is the same to cover up and whitewash. If there is no war, they are already loyal fighters supporting the Protoss. They will also express their loyalty in other ways. Death in battle is not the only one, but also a tragic extreme. Way, I think...life shouldn't disappear in vain."
"It's white?" Robben was very surprised. As the tooth of the of war, he would say that the soldiers who died on the battlefield died in vain. This kind of thing is really quite strange.
"Whether it's birth, old age, sickness, death, or accidental death due to misfortune, the passing of life is the same. I have been thinking a long time ago that war has swallowed the lives of countless soldiers, whether it is us or the demons, in countless years of war. I don’t know how many soldiers died and disappeared forever... And we are still us, the demons are still demons, we have not become stronger due to war, and the demons have not received any strange benefits from the war. ."
Ya let out a sigh of relief, "Our war...except for consuming countless lives, it seems to have no other meaning."
Robben had already opened his mouth wide in surprise.
"Perhaps I still can’t understand the true meaning of life, but as far as I am concerned, it is a very terrifying, even terrifying thing. There is only one life, an extremely precious one. Once lost, it will not be regained. Will disappear forever, forever...Who can realize the loneliness and fear that disappear forever, death...what a terrible thing, and we...always let this happen, happen to us, our friend With relatives and friends, even myself...and being proud of and proud of it, this... is really terrifying."
"I live, and I have been looking for the meaning of life, and have always been aiming to be a real life. I am afraid of death. In this world, I think death is the most terrible thing, although this kind of thing is always in my mind. It happened by my side, but countless years have passed, and I can still feel the fear that makes me tremble in death, if possible...I want death to stay away from me, and it’s best to never see death happen again."
"War. It swallows countless lives, countless deaths abound in wars, or wars are piled up with deaths. I once wanted to find the true meaning of life from the end of life in wars, but I finally got it. There is only infinite fear. I sometimes feel...maybe such a war has no meaning at all."
Robben was speechless in astonishment. Although Ya's words were in line with her own thoughts, as the of war, her words like this were a bit earth-shattering, and if they were passed out, it would be an explosion.
Swallowing, Robben looked around nervously, of course—no one was there in the big tent. And just now, he also set up a magic enchantment around him, and no one would hear these words of Ya.
Ya continued: "I think...the reason why life has death as the last part must have profound meaning, but this kind of death is definitely different from the death of war, which plunders the right to exist in life. This kind of death is shameful. Shouldn't exist..."
Closing his eyes, Ya sighed, "I don't know when it started...I'm tired of war. I'm tired of wars in which countless lives are blown out by violent winds. This kind of meaningless war makes me feel sick. It makes me feel deep fear and helplessness, because I am also in it, and I myself will create a lot of death..."
Ya seems to have a lot of emotion, but... Robben feels that now is not the time to listen to Ya tell all the thoughts in his heart, it seems that if he continues to say so. Even three days and three nights can't finish.
"Ya, can I... ask a question?" Robben interrupted Ya gently.
"What?" Ya asked suspiciously.
"Well... since you say that and hate war, then what you asked me to do. What exactly is it? What do you want me to do for you, and what impact will it have on this war? "
Ya seemed to know that he was talking too much, so he hurriedly cleaned up his mood, his face returned to the flat spirit, and said: "I know you don't want this war to break out immediately, and it's even better if this war is infinitely delayed. It’s best to go down, even though we all know it’s impossible, but...it seems that at present we all hope to delay as much as possible. We can still reach an agreement on this point."
Robben tentatively asked: "Do you... hope that the beginning of the war can be delayed?"
"To be precise... I hope that this war will continue to be prolonged in this way, and finally... it will end directly.
After listening to Ya's thoughts, Robben's face was full of horror, and almost all of his chin fell on the table. This kind of thought was even more unreliable than he hoped that humans would immediately defeat the Protoss and Demons.
"Direct...end directly?" Robben's eyes widened several times.
"Yes, my hope is like this. Such a war is worthless. It just consumes the strength of both sides in vain. Each war consumes countless materials and countless outstanding fighters, but there is no return at all. "
Fang frowned, "The purpose of our war with the demons is to fight for control of the human continent, but...that continent has never really belonged to us, or belonged to the demons, no matter who wins, No one who rules that land can really take root there. In that land, there are always so many human beings that make us and the demons desperate. There is only a human country, but no gods. The fief with the demons has been like this for countless years. We and the demons ruled the land almost in turn, but no matter who failed, the traces of ourselves on that land would quickly disappear. Only humans...they Living there all the time, multiplying and thriving, creating an incomparably splendid culture, creating heavier skills and tools that make us and the demons sigh."
"Many times, I have thought that we admire the vastness of the human continent, but our own land is not crowded at all. We envy the beautiful scenery of the human continent, but if we can seriously transform our own world, everything may Even better, we admire the splendid civilization created by mankind. We marvel at how fast mankind reproduces, but... If we don’t have a war that almost consumes us every once in a while, then we will have many With a population of, we will also have countless skilled craftsmen. There are countless clans with outstanding artistic talents to create civilizations that are not inferior to mankind. If there is no war with the demons, we...maybe the other way around."
Ya's words couldn't help but make Robben think deeply.
Perhaps Ya's consideration is very simple, very one-sided, and there is no actual basis at all, but some things are indeed facts, and the two clans of the gods and demons have killed each other for how many years. The materials consumed can no longer be estimated, and the demographics consumed will be a terrifying figure. If wars had never happened before, then if the gods and demons thrive on their own land, I don’t know what it will be like. Perhaps... the human continent will not be envied by the gods and demons.
"So... I always wanted to one day if I could stop the war from happening. Stop those meaningless lives from disappearing... Maybe I took another step forward on the road to find the meaning of life." Ya said in conclusion.
Robben nodded slightly, "Perhaps what you said is right, but... it is extremely difficult to achieve. This is much harder than my path. I just hope to survive the war between the two races. And you...you want to stop the war, Ya. The feud accumulated over the countless years of the two tribes is not so easy to resolve, and war is not easy to stop."
"I understand." Ya nodded, "I have participated in many wars and I know it is difficult. I also have people around me who died in the wars and were killed by the demons. I hated them, and I killed them madly. Understand the feeling of loneliness and pain. These pains and hatreds are deposited in the blood of the two races. War... Maybe it has become a way to vent such emotions a long time ago. It is very difficult to stop it, but ...I also saw hope."
"hope?"
"Yes, although... this is not the kind of hope I want to see, but it finally gives me a little confidence."
Seeing Yafang looked at me with strange eyes, Robben couldn't help but asked weirdly: "The hope you said. It won't be..."
"Yes, it's you." Ya admitted directly, "Although you are an enemy, I have seen many things in you that surprised me. I feel moved. You are a human being, but you gather around you. There are sèsè guys from different races and regions, there are even demons, protoss, rivals of the era, and completely irrelevant guys, but from the result, these will happen together. The war guys got along well too. This surprised me a lot, but it also gave me a little more confidence. As long as the conditions permit, as long as the conditions are met, nothing is impossible. The disappearance of the war... is the same. "
The truth seems to be right, but it might be quite difficult to do it.
But now Robben can’t say anything else. He nodded and said,
Okay, I understand what you think. If this war can disappear directly into the invisible, then I can’t be more happy — although it sounds It seems to be dreaming, but I'm still willing to listen to your thoughts and plans, um...better not be too difficult, and what you want me to do is not too outrageous."
"My words can’t do those things, but if it’s you... it will be easy, and I will also assist in this matter. This will show that we have won a great advantage. I don’t think my idea is Will be opposed by other gods of war."
"Well, what the is going on, you can tell it directly. If it is not very troublesome, I can give you an answer now."
Ya nodded and beckoned to Robben. Robben was stunned for a while before he came over. He hurriedly leaned forward and attached his ears, and then whispered his teeth against Robben’s ears for a while...
Robben's eyes widened again.
After the tooth finished speaking, Robben raised his head in astonishment, "You...you are not kidding? How can this kind of thing succeed?"
"Will this kind of thing succeed?" Ya asked back.
"It doesn't seem to be successful in any way?" Robben smiled bitterly. "Do you think this is a matter of course?"
"Aren't you very influential in the Demon Realm? Although you have now broken with the Demon Race, but you haven't smashed your face publicly, you can still do these things?"
Robben couldn’t laugh or cry, "I said Lord Ares, don’t you say it so easy, OK, you know, there is still a Lord Demon staring at me above my head. He believes that my cursing power will eventually force me to bow to him and go. He asks for help, I must always beware of this, and after I escaped from the God Realm, I almost turned my face with the Black Emperor. He can't wait for me to die immediately. The Devil Realm is far more dangerous to me than the God Realm, at least... …The God Realm, I and you, can chat, drink and drink, but in the Devil Realm, I must be careful every step I take."
"Hmm..." Ya fell into thought, "Isn't this feasible? I thought it was a simple matter."
Robben rubbed his forehead, "Even before... this is not a simple matter. Although I say that I am a demon king, it is only a name. How could the cunning fellow of the Black Emperor give me actual rights?"
"In other words... can't it, right?"
When Ya asked, it was very difficult for Robben to ask. After thinking about it again and again, Robben sighed, "Well, since this is the way you worked hard, and it is not impossible to achieve results, I will try my best. , It’s an expression of some sincerity, at least...Don’t make me a traitor seem too false."
"If you can't succeed, you don't have to be embarrassed. I also know that my idea is very difficult to realize, and it is not strange to fail the first time."
Robben waved his hand, "Forget it, give up before trying. This is not my style. At least I have to wait until I really fail and then sigh. Before that... Work hard, and you also start to prepare. Okay, I will go to Crick immediately when I go back. After setting her up, I will set off to the Demon Realm immediately, but... you'd better prepare with both hands, because the chance of failure this time is far greater than the chance of success."
"I understand this."
"Okay! If there is nothing special... I'll leave first."
"Wait!" Ya suddenly stopped Robben, "You opened the space door. Do you know how long it can last?"
Robben shook his head, "The tool to open the space door was given to me by the Black Emperor. I don't know how long this thing will last, but when I approached it, I probed it a little bit. When this thing disappeared... …I’m afraid it will cause distortion in a wide range of space. At that time, you’d better hide far away, otherwise it’s not a joke that your body is twisted into pieces."
Tooth frowned~EbookFREE.me~If I give you another chance...Can you accurately get the situation of this space gate? We have already had many magicians to detect, but the conclusions obtained are quite different , And now they have different opinions, no one knows what it is like. "
"Me?" Robben smiled helplessly. "I will die as soon as I show up. Akalis is still lying there. If not, his sword is already on my neck."
"You can use Ann's identity to act." Ya said directly.
"Huh?" Robben's face became strange.
"You defected...no one knows now except Mundo."
Robben's expression is even stranger this time, "What... no one knows yet? Why is this?"
"In order to stabilize the military spirit, well, let's not talk about it. Now we will walk with me like An. We have to save time." After speaking, Ya took the light armor on one side and put it on his body indiscriminately, and walked out of the big tent.
Robben scratched his head, this... how does this feel weird?