Woah. Slow down there, bud. You're getting ahead of me and freaking out. Take a breath.
Here are the facts: 1. Up until now, we've only had confirmed knowledge of Veracity and Duplicity. 2. No one's seen the actual city of Veracity until now. Could've just not existed. 3. No one found any other cities UNTIL now; people have told me there were none on their long trek back from Fort Harmony.
So there's been no definitive evidence of one theory or another. And for all we know, these cities exist on focal points, hence why we can't just walk to them via land or sea. We have to go through a tunnel. That's kind of suspicious. Why wasn't it visible until now? Why can't we get there via bus or cab? Why do we need to, essentially, go through the processing center?
Nothing about this city or this world makes sense.
And before you fly off the handle, answer me this... What came first: fears or the Entities?
[Well, if she wanted him to slow down, throwing all of that at him isn't the way to go about it. He'd just been worried about curses at the start of this. He hadn't expected a diversion into the possibility that there's just nothing beyond the borders of Duplicity and the Dread Powers might be plotting to invade the bloody multi-verse after sucking on the fears of everyone here.
He's not the one who does all the connecting. He just collects the knowledge. He tries his best to piece together the puzzle, but Jon's fully aware that without the 'helpful' insights from his patron he's not that good at it. Which is why he'd decided to smash the table instead of thinking it through on what that thing was doing to hold back Not!Sasha.
His heart is thrumming away as he types back.]
I don't know. No one does. They might have emerged at the same time as life did? What does that have to do with anything? If they're here, if they're trying to launch some sort of plan to get out into everywhere, we have to stop them. I need to compel the LIEs people. Someone. We need to figure out who to interrogate. Who do we interrogate for this? I need to look more into the Statements we have.
[ Yep, this is what she'd worried about before. Maybe Jon would be better suited as a Malkavian. ]
JON. You need to fucking take a breath. You are running ahead of things and you're not thinking. We talked about this. Re-read what you just wrote. "I need to compel the LIEs people." "We need to figure out who to interrogate." We need to slow down and just think about this.
What I'm saying is that we don't know why things have manifested as they have. The Entities might be here naturally. They might exist on other worlds, too, but no one's categorized them as they have in yours. Or no one from those worlds knows, if they've been brought here, but others do. There are a lot of possibilities. Don't freak out when we don't have information. And for fuck's sake, don't type out any intentions of hurting people at LIEs. You'll get in trouble and you'll get hurt.
Why I asked is this: if the Entities could emerge on your world at the same time as life, then it's possible and likely they already exist on other worlds. If something else brought them into being, then they are unique to your world alone. People have been affected by the Entities before you came here. Like Alex. Like others. So it's likely they already existed before LIErs came here, and that this world isn't a harvesting ground.
But they could still be planning something. For here? For the multiverse? Simultaneous rituals conducted across multiple realities? How would they time it? Communicate between each other?
I mean some of the avatars seem to have some idea of what's going on. Peter and Elias. The Beholding prompts me with knowledge sometimes. I mean most of it is rubbish, but sometimes it's important. I only learned Lilith's name from it. She wouldn't give me that or why she was even there until I Looked at her.
We still need to check into this, make certain there aren't any of the cults or something like them. The Lightless Flame? Maybe they're part of LIEs. They could have been responsible for that hellscape last month?
Because I was having a theoretical conversation with you? Because I was just kicking around ideas? You were the one who took it and ran. Have you never sat down with someone to just speculate things? You know, sit around with a drink or coffee and chat on the meaning of things?
We don't know how big this world is. If it's even a whole world. That's my point. This might just be an illusion and LIEs might be imitating the Entities to get data. I mean, let's be honest, people looking in on us can feel a lot like Big Brother Beholding. They can make things appear and disappear, so I assume they can also just conjure up creepy insects and put weird, obsessive, Lonely ideas in people's heads. There are just a lot of possibilities.
I can start looking into cults. But they're probably all going to be sex-themed, just warning you.
LIEs is the only group responsible for this. They can make things come and go. This is why I'm not sold on this place actually existing. Or, if it exists, that it's not a whole world. I don't know.
That wasn't really something we did much of, no. I worked things out on my own.
[And he regrets it. Sorely. Regrets not trusting the others. Regrets letting the paranoia eat away at him, at the relationships he'd had with Tim, Martin, Melanie. He'd connected a little with Basira, but they still rarely talked until recently. And now she's more-or-less in charge and just... works away while she runs around doing god knows what for Elias. All in service of some 'grand plan,' no doubt.]
Elias didn't really encourage much 'team building.'
[He really tries hard not to let himself hare off again when she suggests they're just imitating the entities.]
The Beholding is here. I know what it feels like. And how would they even know to imitate the entities years before they pulled me out of my own universe? Before they even knew they existed? It would make more sense that they do exist here.
[He's going to start working himself up again with Ava's own logic.]
Yeah, well, fuck Elias. That seems intentional on his part.
Well, if the Entities have always existed? They might not have names for them or even rituals but they can still understand fear and conceptualize it. So they probably exist here. I don't know. Where does 'fear' end and 'Entity' begin? Fears likely existed before them in the grand cosmos of time. The Entities probably just found out that fear is particularly tasty and adapted accordingly. I digress.
Don't jump before you know what we're going for. We have no evidence for anything just yet. We just need to do some digging. We've got ghosts, insects, people who use fire a lot, the feeling of being trapped, a bunch of caves, and assholes who like to murder.
You might want to be careful throwing that phrase about in a place like this.
[Ha ha ha...]
Or fear began to exist when life started preying on one another? I can imagine the Hunt as one of the oldest. The Dark and the Vast, as well. Of course, that's assuming they weren't all birthed at the same time in some cosmic horror mass and only were able to properly begin manifesting once life had reached the point they could be frightened of them. I doubt the dinosaurs were overly preoccupied with feeling lonely.
[Then again, he's never met a dinosaur... Would there have been something like the Archivist back then? The Distortion? The Hive? It's too strange to think about.]
I'll sit with the Statements for a bit and see if any of them call to me. That helps. Sometimes.
[Sometimes he's just sitting on the floor for hours doing nothing and feeling like an idiot.]
We don't have nearly as many as the real Archives, so that should limit the range of potential.
I would be happy to introduce Elias to a dentata if I should ever have the displeasure of meeting him. Until then, he can rot.
I should think anything related to hunger, to food, and dark and/or light would be the most obvious ones. Maybe even the Stranger. The unknown.
How many Statements do you even have now?
[ Just...ballpark figure... ]
I'm going to be heading into Veracity and Insincerity in the next few days. See what I can see. I have off from work. I figure I can spend a few hours at each figuring out the lay of the land and what it's like. Maybe things are different there.
Do I want to know what that means? Dent... Something with teeth?
I have about 50. Mostly from the public. A few people in our program are providing them regularly to me. I haven't entirely sorted the public ones. I can't imagine they're all actually legitimate. I might do that this week.
You probably shouldn't go to Veracity after what I've heard about that from the others. Some sort of torture Fort? I'd like to come to Insincerity with you, though. I've been meaning to look in on that.
Oh, and I'm going to ask Martin about drawing up an employment contract. What sort of salary did you want? I can pay you now I'm not worrying about saving up for the building. Whatever you'd like as long as I have enough to pay Martin and whoever I hire for security.
[ Too late. She does a quick Duplicit search and sends him a picture. Enjoy. ]
That's not a horrible number. And I know where I can get a few more for you. Maybe sorting will help?
Sure, we can go to Insincerity. But I'm still going to go to Veracity. I want to know what's happened there. I just probably won't stay long, is all.
[ Oh, and...here we go. Ava's response to his last message takes much longer than the others. ]
No, it's okay. You can hold off. I'd just make sure you're helping Martin and paying security. That's more important. You keep getting too many people on your ass. Focus on that first.
[Pause for a moment, Ava. He has to search for pictures of adorable kittens and cat gifs for a minute here to bleach that image from his brain. It's several minutes later that he responds to the rest of her message.]
I imagine we'll have more than a few Lonely Statements if you interview people living near the graveyard in the Down. Martin's sleeping there. I don't think I'm meant to know that. Christ...
Well, just be careful, I suppose.
And if you don't want a salary, we can at least get the contract sorted. Fill in the pay later.
Why is he sleeping by the graveyard? He doesn't need to do that. I can show him where some places are that'll be nicer, if he really needs it. I know of an empty warehouse or two. He could shuffle it around.
[ Oh my god, Jon, you are making this difficult. ]
No, I'm saying you should hold off on the contract. Not just the pay.
Because he doesn't want the Lonely creeping out while he's sleeping. And he's impossible. I told him he could just sign a contract with me and move in. He's being odd about it. With the... feelings. I told him it could just be business!
[She doesn't want an employment contract?]
Oh, is this about the dreams you wanted me to see? We really should get those Statements out of the way soon, then. I'd like to deal with that and get you off my circuit.
Yeah but he cares about you. He has feelings for you. It's probably super awkward for him. I get where you're coming from, though. I know you just want to help him.
[ Christ. She needs to just be clear about this. ]
No, Jon, I-- I mean, yeah, that's part of it but. Jon, I don't know if I want to join the Institute as staff. At least, not on a contract or on paper.
[He might not have said anything, but he'd been right there with them.]
Sorry. Let me know what you find in Veracity. And no need to wait for me to go to Insincerity if you're keen. I'll find my way there. It might be good to have multiple accounts. Different times and experiences.
This isn't about you. I'm not rejecting you. I just need time to think about this and yeah, I need to really consider what this is going to do to me. And that's fair. You know that's fair. That doesn't mean I don't want to be there for you Or to be your friend Or to help you with your work. It just means that right this moment, I don't want to sign a contract and sign myself away. Please understand there's a difference.
Georgie had a point. But the point isn't "abandon Jon". The point, for me, is that I want to help you but I also need to find a balance that keeps me safe.
I didn't say it isn't fair. Forgive me for assuming you wanted a little distance. I've told you before you should have it. You keep insisting. Is that a good idea, Ava? You already read a Statement. The Eye has its attention on you. Being around me is going to make that worse, not better. And it's very good at getting what it wants in the end. I don't want to put you in that danger if you're not going to have some sort of shield from it. If you can find some other way, I'm all ears. But distance is the best ways to be able to legitimately step back. I'm not saying we can never talk again. It just might be best not to meet for a little while. And find something else to do apart from help with the Statements. Maybe the Eye will get bored and stop paying attention to you that way. We can still text. I'll still tell you when things have happened. I just want to legitimately give you the space to find that balance. The Beholding won't let you, otherwise.
How is it a shield if the Beholding still has me in the end? Whether I choose to sign the papers or not, in the end, it's the same. The only difference is you stop seeing me in your nightmares and I stop seeing you.
I don't know what that balance is going to look like but I also know that me disappearing and not seeing you isn't going to especially help you, either.
If you think the distance will help, then we can try it.
[ She just feels like it's too akin to giving up on finding a solution, and she doubts he's going to loop her in if she's not around. ]
I think you should do what you honestly believe is best for you, Ava. As you said, this isn't about me. I'll manage, either way. We all make choices. I want you to be certain of the one you're making. Knowing what you know. There is some protection the Eye offers. Critical knowledge or insight it could grant you in a moment of need. And yes, you'd stop having the nightmares. Yours aren't the only ones I visit whenever I fall asleep. That's my circuit. What everyone is experiencing right now? Walking through each others' dreams? That's just what I do.
[ She doesn't have anything to say to the rest of it. She doesn't know what's best for her. She doesn't even know what she's going to do with herself. There's no clear-cut answer...but it was never on Jon to give that to her in the first place.
The next reply is long in coming. But eventually, she sends a message. ]
I'll think about it. Text me if you need me. I'll still go with you to Insincerity if you want. But we'll just try this for now.
[His chest and throat tighten. He's losing her. He's going to lose her to good sense and better people. Better choices. That shouldn't hurt as much as it does.]
You, too, Ava. I'll let you know if I decide to head over there. It might take me a while with these files.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
winterfish
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 01:51 am (UTC)Slow down there, bud.
You're getting ahead of me and freaking out.
Take a breath.
Here are the facts:
1. Up until now, we've only had confirmed knowledge of Veracity and Duplicity.
2. No one's seen the actual city of Veracity until now. Could've just not existed.
3. No one found any other cities UNTIL now; people have told me there were none on their long trek back from Fort Harmony.
So there's been no definitive evidence of one theory or another.
And for all we know, these cities exist on focal points, hence why we can't just walk to them via land or sea.
We have to go through a tunnel.
That's kind of suspicious.
Why wasn't it visible until now?
Why can't we get there via bus or cab?
Why do we need to, essentially, go through the processing center?
Nothing about this city or this world makes sense.
And before you fly off the handle, answer me this...
What came first: fears or the Entities?
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 03:52 am (UTC)He's not the one who does all the connecting. He just collects the knowledge. He tries his best to piece together the puzzle, but Jon's fully aware that without the 'helpful' insights from his patron he's not that good at it. Which is why he'd decided to smash the table instead of thinking it through on what that thing was doing to hold back Not!Sasha.
His heart is thrumming away as he types back.]
I don't know.
No one does.
They might have emerged at the same time as life did?
What does that have to do with anything?
If they're here, if they're trying to launch some sort of plan to get out into everywhere, we have to stop them.
I need to compel the LIEs people.
Someone.
We need to figure out who to interrogate.
Who do we interrogate for this?
I need to look more into the Statements we have.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 04:17 am (UTC)JON.
You need to fucking take a breath.
You are running ahead of things and you're not thinking.
We talked about this.
Re-read what you just wrote.
"I need to compel the LIEs people."
"We need to figure out who to interrogate."
We need to slow down and just think about this.
What I'm saying is that we don't know why things have
manifested as they have.
The Entities might be here naturally.
They might exist on other worlds, too, but no one's
categorized them as they have in yours.
Or no one from those worlds knows, if they've been brought
here, but others do.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Don't freak out when we don't have information.
And for fuck's sake, don't type out any intentions
of hurting people at LIEs.
You'll get in trouble and you'll get hurt.
Why I asked is this: if the Entities could emerge on
your world at the same time as life, then it's possible
and likely they already exist on other worlds.
If something else brought them into being, then they
are unique to your world alone.
People have been affected by the Entities before
you came here.
Like Alex.
Like others.
So it's likely they already existed before LIErs came
here, and that this world isn't a harvesting ground.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 04:33 am (UTC)Why didn't you just say that?
[Don't ask him panic-inducing questions.]
But they could still be planning something.
For here?
For the multiverse?
Simultaneous rituals conducted across multiple realities?
How would they time it?
Communicate between each other?
I mean some of the avatars seem to have some idea of what's going on.
Peter and Elias.
The Beholding prompts me with knowledge sometimes.
I mean most of it is rubbish, but sometimes it's important.
I only learned Lilith's name from it.
She wouldn't give me that or why she was even there until I Looked at her.
We still need to check into this, make certain there aren't any of the cults or something like them.
The Lightless Flame?
Maybe they're part of LIEs.
They could have been responsible for that hellscape last month?
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 05:03 am (UTC)Because I was just kicking around ideas?
You were the one who took it and ran.
Have you never sat down with someone to just speculate things?
You know, sit around with a drink or coffee and chat on the
meaning of things?
We don't know how big this world is.
If it's even a whole world.
That's my point.
This might just be an illusion and LIEs might be
imitating the Entities to get data.
I mean, let's be honest, people looking in on us can feel
a lot like Big Brother Beholding.
They can make things appear and disappear, so I assume they
can also just conjure up creepy insects and put weird,
obsessive, Lonely ideas in people's heads.
There are just a lot of possibilities.
I can start looking into cults.
But they're probably all going to be sex-themed, just warning you.
LIEs is the only group responsible for this.
They can make things come and go.
This is why I'm not sold on this place actually existing.
Or, if it exists, that it's not a whole world.
I don't know.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 05:49 am (UTC)I worked things out on my own.
[And he regrets it. Sorely. Regrets not trusting the others. Regrets letting the paranoia eat away at him, at the relationships he'd had with Tim, Martin, Melanie. He'd connected a little with Basira, but they still rarely talked until recently. And now she's more-or-less in charge and just... works away while she runs around doing god knows what for Elias. All in service of some 'grand plan,' no doubt.]
Elias didn't really encourage much 'team building.'
[He really tries hard not to let himself hare off again when she suggests they're just imitating the entities.]
The Beholding is here.
I know what it feels like.
And how would they even know to imitate the entities years before they pulled me out of my own universe?
Before they even knew they existed?
It would make more sense that they do exist here.
[He's going to start working himself up again with Ava's own logic.]
no subject
Date: 2019-08-28 09:15 pm (UTC)That seems intentional on his part.
Well, if the Entities have always existed?
They might not have names for them or even rituals
but they can still understand fear and conceptualize
it.
So they probably exist here.
I don't know.
Where does 'fear' end and 'Entity' begin?
Fears likely existed before them in the grand
cosmos of time.
The Entities probably just found out that fear is
particularly tasty and adapted accordingly.
I digress.
Don't jump before you know what we're going for.
We have no evidence for anything just yet.
We just need to do some digging.
We've got ghosts, insects, people who use fire a lot,
the feeling of being trapped, a bunch of caves,
and assholes who like to murder.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 01:20 am (UTC)[Ha ha ha...]
Or fear began to exist when life started preying on one another?
I can imagine the Hunt as one of the oldest.
The Dark and the Vast, as well.
Of course, that's assuming they weren't all birthed at the same time in some cosmic horror mass and only were able to properly begin manifesting once life had reached the point they could be frightened of them.
I doubt the dinosaurs were overly preoccupied with feeling lonely.
[Then again, he's never met a dinosaur... Would there have been something like the Archivist back then? The Distortion? The Hive? It's too strange to think about.]
I'll sit with the Statements for a bit and see if any of them call to me.
That helps.
Sometimes.
[Sometimes he's just sitting on the floor for hours doing nothing and feeling like an idiot.]
We don't have nearly as many as the real Archives, so that should limit the range of potential.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 01:44 am (UTC)a dentata if I should ever have the displeasure
of meeting him.
Until then, he can rot.
I should think anything related to hunger, to food, and dark
and/or light would be the most obvious ones.
Maybe even the Stranger. The unknown.
How many Statements do you even have now?
[ Just...ballpark figure... ]
I'm going to be heading into Veracity
and Insincerity in the next few days.
See what I can see.
I have off from work.
I figure I can spend a few hours at each figuring out
the lay of the land and what it's like.
Maybe things are different there.
[ She means having different fears. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 02:33 am (UTC)Do I want to know what that means?
Dent...
Something with teeth?
I have about 50.
Mostly from the public.
A few people in our program are providing them regularly to me.
I haven't entirely sorted the public ones.
I can't imagine they're all actually legitimate.
I might do that this week.
You probably shouldn't go to Veracity after what I've heard about that from the others.
Some sort of torture Fort?
I'd like to come to Insincerity with you, though.
I've been meaning to look in on that.
Oh, and I'm going to ask Martin about drawing up an employment contract.
What sort of salary did you want?
I can pay you now I'm not worrying about saving up for the building.
Whatever you'd like as long as I have enough to pay Martin and whoever I hire for security.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 02:49 am (UTC)That's not a horrible number.
And I know where I can get a few more for you.
Maybe sorting will help?
Sure, we can go to Insincerity.
But I'm still going to go to Veracity.
I want to know what's happened there.
I just probably won't stay long, is all.
[ Oh, and...here we go. Ava's response to his last message takes much longer than the others. ]
No, it's okay.
You can hold off.
I'd just make sure you're helping Martin and paying security.
That's more important.
You keep getting too many people on your ass.
Focus on that first.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:06 am (UTC)[Pause for a moment, Ava. He has to search for pictures of adorable kittens and cat gifs for a minute here to bleach that image from his brain. It's several minutes later that he responds to the rest of her message.]
I imagine we'll have more than a few Lonely Statements if you interview people living near the graveyard in the Down.
Martin's sleeping there.
I don't think I'm meant to know that.
Christ...
Well, just be careful, I suppose.
And if you don't want a salary, we can at least get the contract sorted.
Fill in the pay later.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:10 am (UTC)Why is he sleeping by the graveyard?
He doesn't need to do that.
I can show him where some places are that'll
be nicer, if he really needs it.
I know of an empty warehouse or two.
He could shuffle it around.
[ Oh my god, Jon, you are making this difficult. ]
No, I'm saying you should hold off on the contract.
Not just the pay.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:14 am (UTC)And he's impossible.
I told him he could just sign a contract with me and move in.
He's being odd about it.
With the... feelings.
I told him it could just be business!
[She doesn't want an employment contract?]
Oh, is this about the dreams you wanted me to see?
We really should get those Statements out of the way soon, then.
I'd like to deal with that and get you off my circuit.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:18 am (UTC)He has feelings for you.
It's probably super awkward for him.
I get where you're coming from, though.
I know you just want to help him.
[ Christ. She needs to just be clear about this. ]
No, Jon, I--
I mean, yeah, that's part of it but.
Jon, I don't know if I want to join the Institute as staff.
At least, not on a contract or on paper.
...Wait, what do you mean by 'circuit'?
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:26 am (UTC)Oh.
Georgie's right, I suppose.
[He might not have said anything, but he'd been right there with them.]
Sorry.
Let me know what you find in Veracity.
And no need to wait for me to go to Insincerity if you're keen.
I'll find my way there.
It might be good to have multiple accounts.
Different times and experiences.
[He just sort of assumes she wants the distance.]
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:30 am (UTC)Jon.
Knock it the fuck off.
Right now.
This isn't about you.
I'm not rejecting you.
I just need time to think about this and yeah,
I need to really consider what this is going
to do to me.
And that's fair.
You know that's fair.
That doesn't mean I don't want to be there for you
Or to be your friend
Or to help you with your work.
It just means that right this moment, I don't want
to sign a contract and sign myself away.
Please understand there's a difference.
Georgie had a point.
But the point isn't "abandon Jon".
The point, for me, is that I want to help you
but I also need to find a balance that keeps
me safe.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:38 am (UTC)Forgive me for assuming you wanted a little distance.
I've told you before you should have it.
You keep insisting.
Is that a good idea, Ava?
You already read a Statement.
The Eye has its attention on you.
Being around me is going to make that worse, not better.
And it's very good at getting what it wants in the end.
I don't want to put you in that danger if you're not going to have some sort of shield from it.
If you can find some other way, I'm all ears.
But distance is the best ways to be able to legitimately step back.
I'm not saying we can never talk again.
It just might be best not to meet for a little while.
And find something else to do apart from help with the Statements.
Maybe the Eye will get bored and stop paying attention to you that way.
We can still text.
I'll still tell you when things have happened.
I just want to legitimately give you the space to find that balance.
The Beholding won't let you, otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:45 am (UTC)Whether I choose to sign the papers or not, in the end, it's the same.
The only difference is you stop seeing me in your nightmares
and I stop seeing you.
I don't know what that balance is going to look like
but I also know that me disappearing and not seeing you
isn't going to especially help you, either.
If you think the distance will help, then we can try it.
[ She just feels like it's too akin to giving up on finding a solution, and she doubts he's going to loop her in if she's not around. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 03:55 am (UTC)As you said, this isn't about me.
I'll manage, either way.
We all make choices.
I want you to be certain of the one you're making.
Knowing what you know.
There is some protection the Eye offers.
Critical knowledge or insight it could grant you in a moment of need.
And yes, you'd stop having the nightmares.
Yours aren't the only ones I visit whenever I fall asleep.
That's my circuit.
What everyone is experiencing right now?
Walking through each others' dreams?
That's just what I do.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 04:19 am (UTC)[ She doesn't have anything to say to the rest of it. She doesn't know what's best for her. She doesn't even know what she's going to do with herself. There's no clear-cut answer...but it was never on Jon to give that to her in the first place.
The next reply is long in coming. But eventually, she sends a message. ]
I'll think about it.
Text me if you need me.
I'll still go with you to Insincerity if you want.
But we'll just try this for now.
I'm sorry.
Please take care, Jon.
no subject
Date: 2019-08-29 04:23 am (UTC)You, too, Ava.
I'll let you know if I decide to head over there.
It might take me a while with these files.