Coco Adel - Near City Hall
Coco shot up straight in her seat. "What the hell was that?" she asked, reaching her now-free hand down to the seat to feel it up. "...down there?"
Near City Hall
Inside the truck, the exoskeleton-wearing gnome would regain its balance. With its powered limbs, it would jump up, grab onto the inside of the top-hatch with one arm, climb up, and attempt to leap down onto the right side of the truck.
The driver-Clown would stumble over into the semi-trailer, stow away its heavy pistol, and grab a submachine gun lying on the ground, along with ammunition.
“This truck sure is stuck,” the driver-Clown said to no one in particular. “And here I thought this thing could drive backwards out of any jam! Humans and their Animes.”
The driver-Clown briefly glanced over at Johnny on the ground outside, but ultimately didn’t give him much mind.
“Guess I’ll have to wait my turn,” the driver-Clown said, looking up at the escaping exo-gnome. Or, perhaps I can make my own escape!”
The driver-Clown would then open a side hatch on the right side of the truck. With the long-barreled pistol in hand, the Clown would then begin to contort, wriggle, twist, and squeeze its way through the side-port, which was a bit smaller than the one on top.
Jaroline/Nepbike- Outside City Hall
"That would be leather, madame. I think." Jaroline needed to ask Nep that later.
They drove, Jaroline with her foot on the accelerator, and they eventually made it to the truck, at which it came to a stop without Jaroline touching the break. At this, the clamping sensation ceased.
"And here. Thank you, make sure to collect all loose articles as you depart."
2 Spooky 4 U
Talk about a tough crowd. No care about it's own well-being at all. Must be ready to die for his cause..............Wait. "What the hell are you doing!?" yelled Garrus as the gnome changed, the officer advancing up to him and grasping a hand forcefully on his shoulder.
edited 23rd Sep '17 3:48:18 PM by LightToAll
Near Army Base, Gnome Interrogation
The gnome would not budge or respond to Garrus when he grabbed hold if its shoulder. The part he touched would feel like smooth pottery or clay, and there was none of the fluidity of flesh underneath.
edited 23rd Sep '17 4:08:58 PM by CathariSarad
After having looked through the house and found nothing of interest, Tira returned outside.
Gary! I'm done in there, it was all old and empty and dusty!
She changed her personality as she reached Garrus.
My raven already searched the outside. If we want to keep looking for this other thing, we'll need to go house to house and search every one of them. I'll search with you if you want to bother, but first, did you get anything out of it? What do you plan to do with it?
edited 23rd Sep '17 4:09:40 PM by Meanken
But, hey, at least she was uncomfortably held tight against everyone else on the bike for a brief period of time! The second she could, she practically jumped off the bike and decided not to ask questions. Now that she was...oh, wait. Unceremoniously, she commanded her plant to swat the clown emerging from the driver's seat back into the cabin. "Lousy, good for..."
All that left was one clown, in a robot suit, and the brief period of time before Mr. Abrams was going to ride up on his ass. "Okay...let's just try and hold him off for a couple moments, alright," she asked Coco.
Shalltear and Monica - Approaching Swarmlord
"Of course. I do not intend to throw my life away recklessly. But this is my first time in a fight with this kind of weapon. Guns were not that common where I come from and I'm not properly equipped to deal with them completely." One of the Pleiades was a Gunner, I wonder if she might be of use to Ainz-sama in this world.. Shalltear spoke as they walked. House after house, nothing seemed unusual until they came across some remains and a nearby house. "There may be something in that house, friend or foe I wonder?"
edited 24th Sep '17 12:06:06 PM by StephanReiken
2 Spooky 4 U
Damn. Bastard pretty much killed himself or least seemed like it. Maybe it was still alive and just waiting, maybe it had committed suicide. Either way, not a lot of info coming from him anymore. Garrus removed his hand slowly, looked at Tira, and informed her, "Nothing. Told him that he would go with you for special treatment if he didn't give any info but right after he turned into that," shrugging his shoulder at the now lawn lawn ornament.
Garrus then looked around all the other houses and told her, "I'll tell my higher-ups about what went down here during my report. They can form together a search party for the second one and anything he managed to set up. The important thing gained here is the remains. I never seen a Clown that hardened like this and acted in the ways it does before. Might give scientists in the major cities some insight about the Clowns."
The alien officer would then try to lift the gnome, with or without Tira's help. Either way he would tell Tira, "Oh, and I'll make sure to not include you in the reports. Consider it repayment for helping a friendly neighborhood officer. In fact, I'll include that rifle as extra since I'm nice like that. Make sure to practice using it. Going to need it in a town like this.................Also, Gary? I like to think I'm more of a Harris," and would carry the clay remains back to his car.
edited 23rd Sep '17 9:45:16 PM by LightToAll
Coco Adel - Trucksylvania
"Leather, of course..." Coco said as she dismounted Nepbike along with Bethany, tossing her head back briefly to give Jaroline a nod of the chin. "Thanks for the lift, darling. Now if you'll excuse us, we have an appointment to keep with these clowns."Pulling out her DMR, she sighted the robot-looking gnome in question. "Lovely idea, Bethany." She opened fire. "Lovely indeed."
Southwest Residential, Swarmlord and others
What happened next would depend on what course of action Swarmlord took.
If either of the knobs on the two doors were opened, or if any sound was made nearby, the first door on the right would burst open, and fire would erupt from it. The Clown had known it would not live for long now that the aliens were chasing after it, so it figured it would go out with a bang.
Of course, if Swarmlord had decided to leave the Clown for another time, its explosion would only be delayed. When people from the army, or someone else who was less careful about concealing their footsteps, came nearby, the Clown’s boom would be triggered then and there.
The house’s sole resident had taken shelter in the basement (which could be accessed through the second door that had been on Swarmlord’s right), and for the most part they were positioned away from it. When the explosion subsided, they would hurriedly run up the stairs to witness the damage and escape before fire could consume the house.
The door the Clown had hid in had been something of a closet or pantry, which it had just barely managed to squeeze into.
Near City Hall
-HONK!-
The Clown that Bethany had slapped with her vine would be sent tumbling back in, and it would moan out in apparent pain.
As the gnome in the exoskeleton tried to make its getaway, it would be shot by Coco’s bullets, whereupon its body would be shattered into pottery/clay-like fragments. The exoskeleton would still remain intact, though inoperable.
With the presence of four empowered individuals at the scene, along with the approaching Abrams, it would not be long before the people gathered would be able to subdue the remaining Clowns. More people from the army base, and a few of the city’s police force, would gather to the site where the truck had crashed, and would begin examining the wreckage.
The relevant authorities would seize the gnome’s exoskeleton. Peculiarly it did not seem to be made with any miraculous Clown technology, but it was not something that was commonplace in the Alliance. They would also find the gnome’s smartphone, which was somehow lucky enough to avoid the fury of Coco’s bullets. When examined, the phone had what appeared to be footage as the truck drove throughout the city, though it had no apparent contacts.
The truck’s battle systems, namely the stunt cannon, shielding, the cowcatcher, and exhaust cannons, were clearly designed by Clowns, but most of the electronics, even though they had been damaged during the assault, still seemed to have some degree of functionality. In spite of the strange arrangements of its control system, the truck was still a truck.
When investigated, the authorities also were able to discover an external hard drive attached to the control setup. When taken in for examination later, they would discover that it contained footage from various hidden cameras around the truck as it drove towards and through Lakeside. There did not seem to be an apparent purpose for why this footage was saved.
Lakeside
With the threat of the Clown-truck taken care of, some semblance of peace and quiet would return to the city, as much as such a thing was possible.
Outside of a few vehicles and the chopper from before, the army had suffered relatively few casualties. Most of the people that had died were those who attempted to take it on early on in the fight, before the copters had a chance to weaken it. There were a few reported deaths within the Southwest District. Some had survived despite Clowns having barged into their houses, and others reported the presence of little men.
Some reported the presence of the Mario and Luigi Clowns within South Central Residential. Their Go-Karts would be found stranded out in the middle of the street, but other than that, they were nowhere to be found.
Similarly, the two gnomes that had briefly appeared in the building across City Hall were nowhere to be found, assuming people had bothered to search for them. Unlike their brethren near the Army Base, however, they did not leave their weapons behind (except for a large machine-gun, which was presumably carried by the Toad-Clown).
The hardened gnome that Garrus and Tira had captured would be taken into custody, after which it would then be sent elsewhere to a facility where it could be researched. Unfortunately, when the search party requested by Garrus was formed, it would not find any signs of the missing gnome, no matter how hard they searched the area or the houses within it.
Once the city was secure, a strike force was assembled to take back the checkpoint that had been taken over by the Clowns. With much of its weaponry inoperable or destroyed, taking it back was a relatively simple task. In fact, the Clowns had already been dispatched by the soldiers who had not been killed in the initial assault.
The truck had left quite a bit of destruction in its wake. With enough time, the damage could be repaired. Until then, the citizens would have to make due with what they could.
However, in the wake of the chaos the Clowns had brought, a few new faces started to show themselves around town, some ordinary, some sinister, and some with other dubious goals in mind.
Somewhere, October 4, 2018
Three individuals were gathered in a place they had arranged to meet at beforehand. It was not their home - their homes were far, far away - but it was to serve as something of their new base of operations.
Their boss, or “Don” so to speak of, was not physically present, but they could nevertheless communicate with him with relative ease.
The three of them were not quite aware of each other’s histories, but they had spent enough time together that they had some idea of each other’s temperaments.
“Mr. Yellow, we’ve arrived at the destination with little difficulty.”
“You can sure say that again. How’d you even know about this thing anyway?”
“We’ve gone over this before during the mission briefing. I simply hope there isn’t anyone who is capable of listening in on our conversation.”
“Yes, that’s what the aliases are for.”
“You really couldn’t think of any better codenames for me?”
“I thought yours was fitting.”
“That so?”
“How come he’s the one in charge?”
“Well what can I say, I’m the best person for the job. I’m as sly as a fox!”
“Sure changed that around quick. Maybe you’re starting to…”
“Gex, was it? Or should I go by…”
“We’re diverging from our purpose. Yellow Jacket, we have arrived at the destination as you have requested. We have not had the time to search the city for any individuals like us. Indeed, due to our various conditions, Red Fox is the only one suited for such a task.”
“An accurate assessment, Mr. Blue Bird. I have been a bit vague on some of the specifics in the event things changed on the way there.”
“Speaking of which, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“I shall in a moment, Green Gecko.
“I have hired the three of you to act as a security team for some of our facilities in Lakeside. For a city its size and condition, it seems to have an unusually high concentration of individuals like ourselves.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
“There has been some unusual activity in La Crosse and Madison, and it is only recently that I caught wind of a possible attack in Lakeside.”
“And you didn’t tell anyone?”
“No reason to let the cat out of the bag this early. I still need to gauge who else might know about this. Plus, I need to know who else might be trying to take advantage of this situation, and to confirm my own suspicions. And besides, with an incident like this, the Mayor and Lieutenant Colonel might be more willing to buy some of my arms and wares. A little profit never hurt anyone.”
“A little profit my ass!”
“Ugh…”
“I seemed to have gotten carried away with myself. My apologies. My reasons for putting you in this situation are many, and I believe we can all stand to gain from this. Many of us have lost the ones we loved when we were brought into this world. I would like to reunite with my wife and son once more, and not just as some rendered memory.”
“Yeah, yeah, sappy backstory. Whatever.”
“Silence!”
“I know you might not have any interest in reuniting with your associates, but please try to show a little respect.”
“What he said.”
“I know our chances are slim, but if there is a chance of reuniting with our loved ones, it will be in that city.
“For now, however, I would like for you three to remain low, while keeping an eye out for other parties or unusual activities. With the currents in the air, I sense something big is about to happen, with Lakeside becoming one of many focal points. The Alliance rests on a delicate balance, and when that balance tips, I want to make sure that balance tips in our favor.”
Lakeside City, October 8, 2018, Daytime
A few days had passed since the Clown attack. In spite of the limited means of information dissemination, news began to spread throughout the Alliance cities. Various figures within the alliance, notably the Director of the Midwestern Bloc, Mayor Lorenz of Milwaukee, Mayor Scarlet of Minneapolis, Mayor Towney of Madison, and a few people from the eastern cities were planning to hold something of an impromptu visit to the city within a few days to express their condolences for its people. The numerous people involved would begin making arrangements to take lodging within the city, though its residents might not be entirely welcoming of their presence. Still assuming there was nothing to interrupt or cancel the arrangement, it would be a time to meet people across the Alliance, though the setup for such an event would not take place for a few days, even though the many figures involved had already made arrangements to visit Lakeside.
Otherwise, aside from recovering from the trauma of the recent Clown attack, today was just an ordinary day. Despite the lurking presence of Clowns and gnomes, they did not seem to wish to strike today, perhaps because they were so scattered and few.
edited 24th Sep '17 4:35:32 PM by CathariSarad
Coco Adel - Home
◊
Coco was busily working in her kitchen, gently humming along to the music
coming from the great room where she had a record player - it had been sitting in the thrift store looking neglected and she just had to have it - set up in the corner next to a bookshelf. After all the commotion with the clowns the previous day, it would be good to just have a casual lunch, and she was expecting at least one guest from that fateful day over any minute.
Looking down at the counter, she could only sigh. Wisconsin. Why couldn't the world's resistance groups have picked a more fashionable locale to inhabit? She could kill for Paris right about now. At least Wisconsin had some amenities.
With the fighting done, Tira said her goodbyes to her new friend (At least in Jolly's mind) and returned home. At some point in the next few days, while she was petting one of her ravens, she discovered something very odd, as she suddenly formed some kind of mental link with them. Much of the next few days were spent experimenting with this newfound ability of hers. She found only her special, trained ravens seemed to be able to be effected by this power, and it had an upper range limit, although this ended well outside the city limits. With this newfound power in mind, Gloomy took some time and plotted out exactly how she would use her new powers in conjunction with her ravens.
She assigned, in the end, 4 groups. the first one consisted of 4 ravens placed at locations she had deemed important to keep an eye on for the moment, the Military Base, the Police Station, City Hall, and the Harbor. The second group of 3 ravens would remain on constant clockwise patrols through various sections of the city, one raven in the southern areas, one in the central areas, and one in the northern areas. A third group of 2 ravens would remain with her at all times. The last group of 3 ravens would remain on standby at her house, switching out with other ravens every so often.
As her ravens circled, they kept in mind one particular order Jolly had given them. For reasons beyond them, she wanted to meet up with some odd being with a bird face she called "Gary". Insisting they would know him if they saw him, they had been told to keep an eye out for him, and to report at once if they spotted him.
After the eventful battle whereupon he bodily threw the weakened Toad Clown at the incoming rocket before scurrying out of the way, Johnny spent a bit of time recuperating from his wounds in question with his powerful healing factor before once more heading into the battlefield... this one of love and not war.
Dressed in his fashionable musculature conforming black shirt and jeans combo, the pompadoured man strutted about like a rooster on the university grounds' lawn in question, stopping every now and then to pose. Every movement accentuated his masculine form, biceps bulging and pecs jiggling around with the tempo of a beating drum. "Man, I look good. Ladies, now's your chance to have some time with Johnny Bravo, uh-huh." One had to give the man kudos for his determination to become a big hit with the female gender at the very least and his stubborn positivity as well.
edited 25th Sep '17 7:16:28 PM by Makaioh
Outside City Hall
The raven perched here would see a black car drive by, and then stop just outside the building. Two young-ish men in dusty business suits stepped out of the car. One wore a loosened, striped tie, while the other wore a red bowtie and sunglasses. The former seemed just slightly burlier than the other one.
“So, this the place?” said the one with the loosened tie.
“Think so,” said the man with the bowtie. “Who woulda known they’d have apartment buildings this big all the way out in Wisconsin.”
“Looks pretty good to me.”
“Hopefully it’ll just be a simple walk in, walk out sort of deal.”
Despite the building's somewhat damaged status, the two men then attempted to walk up to the front door.
“Huh,” said the man with the bowtie, “doesn’t seem to be open.”
“This is where the mayor lives, right?”
“Seems like it would be. Maybe she’s taking shelter someplace else.”
“You think the boss would’ve given us instructions or something.”
“Guess we’ll have to look around. Gotta do this some way or another.”
The two men proceeded back into their car and then drove off. They began to aimlessly drive around the city in their search for the mayor’s residence.
University
Most people simply walked by, simply ignored Johnny Bravo, or otherwise evaded Johnny Bravo’s advances. A few people stopped and looked, with one guy saying “Holy shit, it’s Johnny Bravo,” but most continued to move on.
One person, however, chose to stay and approach.
“The students seem to know you.”
A slim man with short, lustrous silver hair and a black long-coat, his voice had a deep, almost seductive quality to it. Holding his curled hand to his chin, resting it upon the mid-knuckles on his middle and index fingers, he let out a playful giggle.
“I don’t think we’ve ever quite met. Sebastian Piper.”
The man extended his hand out to shake.
Coco’s Penthouse
Assuming nothing obstructed her way or ascent, Victoria Dunton would begin making her way to the Mayor’s residence, based on what she had gathered about its location.
Today she was wearing something of a business suit, with a black coat, shirt, red tie, skirt, stockings, and black loafers. Additionally, her hair had been tied into something of a chignon bun. She also was carrying a notepad along with writing utensils.
If and when she arrived, she would knock on the door and say, “Miss Mayor, are you by chance receiving guests?”
edited 25th Sep '17 9:13:54 PM by CathariSarad
Coco Adel - Home Sweet Penthome
"Ah, Victoria, lovely. How grand of you that you could make it," Coco said with a smile as she opened the door. "Do come in, come in. Allow me to take your coat - excellent pairing with your tie I must say. The powder room is just behind me on your left if you'd care to freshen up. But please, do make yourself at home."If the woman surrendered her coat, Coco would make make sure to put it in the hallway closet with care.
Shalltear and Ainz - Home
Shortly after the invasion of clowns and everything died down, Shalltear returned to home. "Ah good Shalltear, you've come back." Shalltear bowed deeply to her beloved master. "Yes I your loyal servant have returned Ainz-sama." "No need to hold back, tell me how things went. How was your first battle since we arrived to this world? What did you encounter on the battlefield?" "My report is short I'm afraid, Ainz-sama. I was grouped with the pest control speicalist and her large companion. He didn't seem to speak human and soon separated from us as we spread our search area. We encountered a couple of human soldiers. With them, Monica, and I, we sought out and encounter a single enemy. It was a strange non-clown enemy of small stature wielding a large gun. I would compare him to a dwarf or their cousins a gnome. We exchanged fire and I dealt a single decisive blow. It was strange, his body dissolved rather than leaving a corpse behind. After that we found little more and found the enemies routed by the other forces in the city." "Hmm I see, good work Shalltear." Shalltear squealed with delight. "Ahhh of course Ainz-sama as your guardian I live only to serve."
That isn't enough information. This event was all too short, this may have just been a probe to test the defenses of this city. We should expect larger enemy forces in the future. I hate to say it but we don't have enough information and no contacts to rely on for more information. Without significant power we don't have much way to bargain to more information. Spending the gold in the treasury probably won't get far either, we wouldn't have much in the way of verifying information "Ainz-sama?" "Don't worry about it Shalltear, I'm just thinking we don't have many options right now." "If anyone could figure out how to deal with this enemy it would surely be you Ainz-sama." "I wonder if I can.. nevermind. You should apply first aid to those wounds, I appreciate your dedication but we can't afford a needless death here. We don't know how effective your undead immunity to poison is in this world and we don't want to find out right now." "Y-you don't need to concern yourself about my health Ainz-sama! I will see to it immediately!"
Jaroline/Nepbike- Residence
Normal Days
Eventually, the craziness ended. Jaroline was a bit bitter about losing the knife, but at least she survived. She just happened to ignore Nep humming a Jingle, and thought nothing of it.
She eventually found an abandoned building somewhere in South Central. It was... abandoned, but at least it was free.
Still, she really didn't do all that much, did she? Besides get her wrist broken, which she wrapped up herself. Speaking of which...
"Um, Jaroline, you do remember I have Regen Status, right? You don't need to repair me." Nepbike said.
"Well, it will go faster if I do so, and it's not like I have any other plans."
"Perhaps letting your arm heal?"
"It'll heal."
"Not if you keep working it. Come on, chill. Maybe take a day off and relax."
Jaroline sighed "But-"
"No."
"B-"
"Rest."
"Alright, alright, we need to grab some food anyways."
"Well-"
"I need to."
"Fair Enough."
Grocer
"Was Lakeside always known for its ravens?"
"You'd know better than me."
Jaroline entered the store, looking for a meal for the next couple of days. Eventually, as she was passing the snacks, which did include pudding, there was a purple, short-haired girl in a white sweater, with plus-shaped hairclips stared at her.
"Um, excuse me, what do you want?"
Jaroline admitted the child looked cute. But she just stood there, innocently smiling. Almost smugly, as if Jaroline should recognize her.
Come to think of it, the girl did look familiar. She saw her before. Her name was Neptu-
....
"Nep!?" Jaroline stumbled and tripped back
"There we go." Neptune clapped. "That took you to long. You sure you didn't have a concussion after being punched across half a block?"
It should be noted at this point only Jaroline could see Nep. anyone else would only see Jaroline stare, and then shout, at thin air, and then trip backwards.
Coco’s Penthouse
“No need,” said Victoria as she glanced over at the room in question.
The woman did not offer her coat.
After removing her shoes and placing them somewhere appropriate, Victoria would wander to the table up ahead.
“Quite the taste in music you’ve got there. Have there been any new developments since that day?”
Grocer
A few people turned to look at Jaroline, but otherwise went about their business.
There seemed to be some guy talking on the phone outside when she went in. He seemed to be giving out directions to whoever was on the other side. He seemed to be dressed in a white, button-down shirt and jeans. He also had ashen blond hair which went midway down his neck and then curled out a bit, but other than that, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about this appearance.
Enjoying his attention (or lack thereof for the most part outside of the few people who seemed to know his more infamous escapades), Johnny finally stopped his strutting when a silvery haired gentleman appeared out of nowhere. Giving this 'Sebastian Piper' a look up and down for moment, the bounty hunter then simply gave a shrug before extending his own hand out to clasp the older man's gesture and give a firm handshake.
"I see you know of Johnny Bravo, uh-huh. You got a honky infestation you want me to clear out? My rates are pretty okay since I want them out as much as everyone else." Pausing for a moment, the glasses wearing muscleman would then lean in a bit closer. "So uh... you have a daughter you that you can introduce too? I'll give you a discount if you do."
University
“No,” said Sebastian, “I do not require anyone’s services, and I do not have family so to speak of. I was simply having a walk when I noticed you here. Sitting around with books all day isn’t all that good for one’s health.”
Just another guy
By the Mighty Power of Hand Wave-ium
Alya and Zul I Hope Restaurant I Business as per usual
Despite everything that happened a few days ago, everyday life must move on, and that rings true for both father and daughter. Granted, they haven't really been in any danger and might have been more luckier than the rest in avoiding it, but the fact that they could live another day was a blessing to Zul.
"Welcome! Please, let me show you to your seat~"
A greeting came from Alya, who is now in her working waitress uniform, bringing customers to their table and taking their orders with practiced efficiency. The owner in charge, meanwhile, is busy cooking the customer's orders in the kitchen, while giving occasional glances at the people entering his establishment every now and then.
All in all, it was just another regular day.for them.
"A post per day keeps the GMs away!"
That was in the past, though. Now, we're ready to party! Honestly, it was probably going to be a shitshow considering how eccentric Coco seemed to be, but just visiting someone's house was doable in return for saving her life. It probably went both ways, again, but this was something she could do.
She stepped inside, decidedly sans umbrella, and came face to face with that Victoria lady's back. "Oh, I thought I was the only one invited."
Coco - Home
"Oh, just the usual city business, as well as some cleanup efforts - it's more on the Army's plate right now, you know how secretive and insistent on 'need-to-know only' those military types can be," Coco said to Victoria. "We'll be having some of the mayors from neighboring cities coming to make a social visit sometime soon, as well as a few other political figures.""Oh Bethany, wonderful that you could make it as well," she addressed the newcomer when she arrived. "My apologies if you were hoping for a smaller get-together, I'm sure we can schedule something in the future. In the meantime, if you need to freshen up, simply turn left and the powder room is the first door on your right. Now if you don't mind, allow me to take your coat."
Jaroline/Nepbike-Outside City Hall
Quite a Club
Jaroline leaned forward to accommodate the two girls, realizing Nep was going to have a field day with this later.
"Alright, Your riding Jaroline Groundlines. Next stop, Truck. I say strap in but..."
Bethany and Coco then felt a sensation similar to being clamped where they contacted the seats.
"That's hardly necessary. Enjoy your flight."
Jaroline quickly drove off to the truck, which should be easy enough, seeing as there was a lack of either RPG's or movement on the truck's part.