Evening rubbed his head at the report he just read. “That good for nothing…”
“Language, Minister,” Kibitz interrupted.
Evening sighed. “It seems, my daughter is playing politics in the middle of her training,” He concluded.
“Seems so,” Kibitz affirmed, “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Evening replied, “The nobles really dislike this Shining Armor fellow though.”
“Princess Cadence is infatuated with him, I think that is enough to bring their ire.”
Evening chuckled, “I don’t envy his luck though. He picked the wrong girl to flirt with.”
“Indeed.” Kibitz went to the door but before he left, he turned toward Evening, “What should I tell Princess Celestia though?”
“I’ll have my best pony on the job,” Evening answered.
“Are you sure you wish to drag Sun into this? He seemed really despondent lately,” Kibitz noted.
“First, Sunny is not my best pony,” Evening said before averting Kibitz’s gaze. “Though he’s definitely not going to like the reason why Moon isn’t replying to him, that’s certain. But he’ll find out about it sooner or later, so might as well he hears it from me.”
“It appears that you know what to do then, I’ll be off.” Kibitz opened only to be surprised by the pony standing in front of him. “Twilight Sparkle? What a surprise!”
“Hello mister secretary, is uncle Evening there?” She asked with urgency.
Something about Twilight’s voice concerned Evening. “I’m here,” He said, waving her in, “Come in.”
Twilight did not waste a single breath, “Sun Light isn’t feeling well. I helped him get to bed but he was shivering when I left.”
Evening was not expecting that. “I see,” He said before turning toward Kibitz, “I’ll just finish up early and head to see him.” Kibitz simply nodded before heading out of the door. Evening turned to Twilight, “Did something happen before that?”
“Blueblood told us what he was doing with Sun Light’s sister in the military school.”
Evening’s eye twitched. He knew that Sunny would eventually find out, he never expected it to be so soon. “I understand, thank you for telling me.” He told Twilight before returning back to his paperwork. After a moment, however, Evening noticed Twilight was still at the door of his office. “Is something the matter?”
“Is my brother okay?” Twilight asked with concern.
“What do you mean?” Evening tried to avoid Twilight’s gaze, hoping that Sunny didn’t teach her body language yet.
“I know my brother is a goofball sometimes and that he may have done something that might anger someone,” Twilight said calmly, “but he’s a great colt, and he likes to be funny even when he’s not.”
Evening debated internally for a moment and chose to tell her part of the truth at least. “Shining is being bullied, unfortunately.” The moment he said that Twilight lowered her gaze with a sadness on her face. “But you shouldn’t worry, I’ll have my best pony on the case.” He added.
“But Sun Light’s sick!” Twilight exclaimed, “He’s not going to help.”
“For the last time, Sun Light is not my best pony,” Evening exasperated, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”
With a nod, Twilight left Evening to his work. “I need to stop relying so much on Sunny if I ever wish to keep hold of my position,” He muttered to himself before returning to his work at an accelerated pace.
Evening finished his work earlier than normal, thanks to a fast pace work schedule, a short lunch, and only a handful of papers to read and sign.
He entered his house expecting to surprise his son but was instead greeted with a tower of books. Sunny must have cleaned up. He thought. “Sunny!” He shouted, but no one replied.
The first thing he checked was Sun Light’s room. He opened its door but was surprised by how dark it was with the drapes being closed. “Sunny?” He asked. A shuffle from the bed came as a response.
Evening entered the room and the first thing that struck him was the smell of freshness. It was evident that Sun Light cleaned his room to an obsessive level, even in pitch darkness the floor was practically shining; the room felt surprisingly empty, especially since it was only yesterday since this place felt like a sarcophaguses of books with the boards filled with scribbles and the desk being lost in a maze of papers and research.
Evening walked around the room to adjust his eyes to the darkness, the chalkboards that hang on Sun Light’s wall were shimmering as if they were new. The desk was properly organized with a heavy book sitting in the middle. No dust, not even a paper can be found throughout the room.
It was all clean, just like Evening ordered.
And yet, it felt so desolated at the same time.
Evening approached the bed where his son is lying. Sun Light had pulled the bed sheets to cover his entire body.
Gently, Evening pocked his son. “Sunny? Are you okay?”
Sun Light shifted in his bed, then opened his eyes to see his father staring back at him, a mixture of kind and concern on his face. “No,” He answered his father in a wary tone, before rolling to the other side. “Just leave me alone.”
Evening decided to take a gander. “Is this because of Moonie not answering us?”
Sun Light turned toward his father with a glare that could pierce stone despite the bags under his eyes.
Evening sighed. He sat on the bed next to his son, “Look, Sunny…”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Sun Light cut his father. “I don’t want any excuse of being unreasonable, I don’t want to know how special I am from others, I don’t want you explaining anything about Moon’s behavior, or what is right or wrong, or anything for that matter. I just want to be left alone. Indefinitely.”
That, however, made Evening angry. Reaching out was never the old general’s strong suit; he is used to giving orders and getting them done. So he did what he was always used to; he stood above Sun Light and with a single word he ordered, “Move! I want to lie down next to you.”
Sun Light wanted to object, but his father’s gaze was insistent. With a sigh, Sun Light made space for his father.
Evening lied down next to his son, and in a gesture rarely took, he wrapped his hooves around him in a tight hug.
Sun Light yelped. “What are you doing?”
“Hush, you need this.” Evening tightened his grip.
“No, I don’t,” Sun Light insisted while trying to loosen his father’s grip.
But Evening wasn’t letting him get his way. “You are suffering,” He told his son, “You need this whether you wished for it or not.”
Sun Light gave up struggling after hearing that. He laid his head on his father’s chest and surrendered to his grip.
Minutes have passed without anyone saying a word. Evening felt himself getting drowsy and thought that a little nap wouldn’t hurt when Sun Light spoke, “Why is it that every pony claims to care for me but when push comes to shove I find myself alone?”
Evening expected anger and frustration from his son toward Moon’s behavior, but loneliness wasn’t what he had in mind. He took a deep breath then replied to his son with whatever his own life had taught him, “Despite what we like to believe Sunny, the world doesn’t revolve around us. And it is especially in the moments of our greatest need that it likes to remind us of that.”
“So this is all the irony of the world?” Sun Light concluded.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Evening said, “However, this is a fact that normal ponies learn much older. You have the misfortune of being without a mother. I would imagine she would want to be here in my place stroking your head until you slept all the while comforting you that things will be okay.”
Sun Light turned to face his father. “What was she like? My mom, I mean.”
Evening started stroking his son’s head while memories flooded his mind. “Hera was… the optimist,” He said while reminiscing. “She always carried herself with a smile, regardless of the situation she was in.” Evening looked down to his son who, despite his tiredness, had the most heartwarming anticipation on his face. “Why, the best example of that was the day you were born.”
“You see, Sunny.” Evening settled into recounting the events that passed, “The day you were born was an exceptional day by all accounts. The week prior to it however was, to put it on the best of terms, hell. It started with your mother getting sick, then we were attacked my sand coyotes who stole most of our supplies, and a sandstorm shredded our tents. It was a disaster, and to make matters worse, Hera went into labor.”
“Talk about a difficult week,” Sun Light commented.
“It sure was,” Evening affirmed before continuing, “We made a makeshift tent for her and her maid so that they can birth you without too much interference from the elements. Artemis was to stand guard, and I was to forage for food. Before I left them, however, your mother turned to me with a smile on her face and said, ‘now that this one is coming, things will finally look up to us, you’ll see.’”
“And you believed her?” Sun Light asked.
Evening snorted. “Of course not, I scoffed at her and told her that you will bring more misfortune to our already battered group.”
“Hey!” Sun Light objected.
“You have to forgive me Sun Light, but I was very tired and hungry to boot. I was not looking for a baby to keep screaming each and every night.” Evening said in a matter-of-fact manner, “Anyway, your mother looked at me and laughed. She believed in every fiber of her being that you would change everything once you pop out of her.”
Sun Light thought for a moment. “First, Ew.” He said which earned a chuckle from his father. “What happened next?”
“Two things happened before you were born. The first was that I found a huge supply of sand rocks. These are desert vegetation that looks like rocks, but once you open them, they have this sugary chewy interior. It saved many desert travelers in the past, and it surely saved us.” Evening remembered just how much he hated that stuff, always tasted like dirt in his mouth. “The other was that a bunch of coyotes attacked the tent, but your sister fended them off, and earned her cutie mark that day. Since then, no wildlife ever dared to attack us again.
“Go figures,” Sun Light quipped.
Evening ignored him and continued, “That night, you were born. When your mother’s maid carried you, you were squealing at the top of your lung. Then, she gave you to me while she tended to your mother’s wounds." A smile appeared on Evening's face as the picture came back clear in his mind of that day's events. "The moment I held you though, you calmed down and snuggle in my embrace as if holding to dear life. For me, it felt like time has stopped, just from that single embrace. Hera, even with her battered state, turned to me and said, ‘he likes you, you know. You should give him a chance.”
“And, did you?” Sun Light asked.
“Of course not,” Evening’s reply made Sun Light frown, “I scoffed at her and told her that you would be the end of us. Of course, she laughed at me, like always. However, she then said that when you were born, the last ray of sunlight fell on you blessing you with a kiss. I didn’t understand what she meant by that, and she never really told me if it even meant anything. But your mother was an oracle, she studied the hidden magic of the stars and the sun and probably thought it was a good omen or something...”
Sun Light waited for his father to continue his story. But the silence stretched, he asked tentatively, “And?”
“And what?”
“Was it a good thing?”
“It was the best thing, Sunny. It was as if the world was smiling at us, telling us that everything will be okay. Despite nothing ever truly changed about our situation, everything changed for the better,” Evening answered with a hug. “It is unfortunate that your mother died soon after. She would have really liked you, you know.”
A lump got stuck in Sun Light’s throat when he asked, “Then why did she had to die? Why did she left me, left us?”
So that he may flourish without the taint of his real father’s tarnish, those words sent a shiver down Evening’s spine as he remembered the maid uttering them to Artemis when she asked the same question. “Because a pregnant mare is weaker than most, especially to sickness, but you know that, you are a lot more informed about this subject than I am.”
“Yeah, it’s true,” Sun Light said with sorrow.
A loud knock surprised the two ponies.
Evening sat up from the bed. “Just stay here,” He told his son, “I’ll go check who’s at the door.” He stopped however at the door. “Sunny, would you like something to eat?”
“No,” Sun Light said tiredly, “I’ll just try to get some sleep.”
Evening nodded. “I’ll be downstairs if you ever need me.” He said then he closed the door.
His head still in heavy with what he told his son, Evening went to open the door.
“Mister Archive, good to see you again,” He greeted Archive Quill, the royal librarian.
“Minister Evening,” Archive greeted back, “I got this letter regarding our books?”
Evening allowed the librarian to enter. “As you can see, they are all placed in order and coded to be sorted out for their respective libraries.” He pointed at the large stacks of books.
“I’m going to presume that Sun Light read them all, otherwise I'd still be sitting there wondering who thieved them all.” Archive went straight to the pile to check which book is which.
“Then I’ll leave you to work,” Evening said before heading to the kitchen to prepare some tea for his guests.
“You know, Minister, I am quite happy for colts like Sun Light who always like to dig deep in their research,” Archive said, “but I do wish that he would do that in the library like a normal pony and not, you know, 'breaking and borrowing’ as he likes.”
“I guess so,” Evening said before leaving the librarian to his work. He goes into the kitchen in order to make some coffee. He figured it’s going to be a long night for him and for himself as well.
"If I may offer a piece of advice, minister," Evening gave Archive an inquisitive look. "But have you ever thought that you're overexerting your parental skills with Sun Light?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I mean," Archive elaborated, "don't you think taking on the job of both a mother and a father for Sun Light is kind of making it hard to do both?"
Evening stared at Archive for a good moment, just waiting to make him nervous enough. This particular argument he heard far too many times before, and like before, he was planning on shutting it down with Archive permanently. "I never faced that problem before," He said the moment Archive was going to say something. "In fact, up until this, I doubt that was even an issue."
"But wasn't that when Moon Chaser was around playing the mother figure?" That, however, took Evening by surprise. "I heard that she recently went to the military academy and that Sun Light began acting up the moment she left."
Another moment of silence passed. But this time, it was Evening who was on the defensive in this argument. Archive, however, noticed that his host was getting uncomfortable, "I apologize for intruding, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, no. You said what was on my mind from the very start, there is nothing to apologize for," Evening said in his diplomat tone. "I should brew some coffee, would you like some?"
"If you would be so kind."
Evening nodded then went into the kitchen. However, what was said plagued his mind heavily. Moon Chaser was a great brake for Sun Light. But now, with his daughter now out of the picture, Sun Light has been on a downward spiral ever since. Evening did, in fact, expect some form of self-destruction, however not to that degree.
Evening placed a teapot on the stove. He, then sat back while waiting for the water to boil. He sighed. When he became an adviser to Princess Celestia, that was one of the very first thing ponies would ask him about albeit in a different format; if he's thinking about dating again, if he wishes to find a mother for his foals, if he feels lonely and would like some female company... Back then, he often said that his wife died recently and was still in mourning, or that he was still new to the land and wasn't comfortable enough, or that they were managing without an outsider and everything is okay. However, it has been so long since his wife died that he could no longer use her as an excuse, and with Artemis gone, he can't really tell if they are okay or not.
But taking into consideration the way things are, can he really hide behind these excuses? Artemis is no longer a foal, she no longer needs a mother figure in her life. Sun Light might still benefit though, he is around that age where a good relationship role model will benefit him greatly for the future. And besides, Evening have been feeling a bit of loneliness from time to time, when there isn't a crisis that is.
The biggest issue though doesn't lie in his refusal to the idea. The problem lies with Evening himself. He has been out of the dating game for so long that he doesn't know how to do so in the first place. Not that he was ever good at the dating game, not like his younger brother anyway, even his marriage with Hera was arranged to broker peace Ramitha and Bytros. Adding to that, the fact that he is not in his native culture makes this an egregious challenge.
“This is going to be harder than I would expect,” He mused when the whistle declared that the water had done boiling.
Archive Quill suddenly yelled from inside, “Minister Evening, I found something that belongs to you.”
Evening came out to see that the unicorn had gone through a good portion of the stacks. That was fast, he thought, Must be the constant training Sun Light subject him to. “What is it?”
“This book doesn’t belong to my library,” Archive said while levitating a peculiar book. “Or any library for that matter.”
Evening took one look and realized it. “That’s Sunny’s notebook. He must have left it there.”
“That’s unusual,” Archive noted, “Mister Light never made a mistake like that before.”
“Thank you for finding it,” Evening took the book from Archive’s telekinetic grab. “Say, Coffee is ready. Come and have a break with me.”
“You have my gratitude.”
As the stallions entered the kitchen, Evening’s curiosity started to itch. Inside that book is a huge part of his son’s misery. It shouldn’t hurt to take a peek.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Archive said as he poured the hot water into the cups.
“Of course I am,” Evening said, “Though, what’s in it for you to know?”
“He stole every book on telekinesis from four different libraries. It goes without saying that I am curious as to why.” Archive answered.
Evening nodded as he took the cup from Archive, then both of them sat on the table, putting the book between them.
Evening placed the cup a bit further away from him; he knew Sun Light would freak out if a single droplet fell on his precious work. He then opened the book as if opening a treasure trove.
On the first page, it read:
“Probing is the key technique to learn Telekinesis properly. However, without a proper conduit, probing becomes a guessing game. But that is only the tip of the iceberg, the real challenge for proper telekinesis is how I can wrap my earth pony strength on something that I am not physically touching.”
“Is Sun Light trying to learn magic?” Archive Quill asked in amazement.
“He is,” Evening feigned ignorance.
“If he manages to pull it off, he’ll be the next Starswirl the bearded.” Archive Quill noted. Evening only shook his head.
The next several pages were about the transfer of magical energy from one point of the body to the next, a recap about teleportation, and the basics of how telekinesis should work to an earth pony.
Then the stallions came upon a page titled “schematics”. Underneath the titles were drawings and scribbles of what the movements should be.
Evening gasped.
The first picture showed a pony first thrusting his hoof toward a ball in the first pic; bellow it there is a caption that reads: Initial step is to wrap one’s strength around the desired object.
The second picture portrayed the same pony lifting his hoof, and the ball rises above.
“That’s not right,” Evening suddenly mumbled to himself.
“What’s not right?” Archive asked.
“Not sure,” Evening said without paying him any mind
The third picture showed the pony bringing his hoof toward his body while pointing at the ball, and the ball etches closer to the pony.
The fourth picture showed the exact opposite.
“Well, that was informative,” Archive Quill exclaimed while standing. “I should finish checking the books and take my leave. Thanks for the coffee minister Evening.” He then placed the cup in the sink before heading to the entrance. “Oh, and tell Mister Light that since he’s working now, he’ll be paying the late fees."
“Can you leave a message about that? Please?” Evening said without even taking his head off the book.
Archive Quill nodded his head and left the minister alone.
Evening closed the book. He looked at the clock and realized that it was well past midnight. He went to the entrance and saw the bill Archive Quill had left.
He picked it up and placed it on the fridge's door. “I need to talk to Sunny about that,” He said to himself. Then went to the toilet, did his nighttime cleaning.
The moment he saw himself in the mirror, a sudden realization struck him. “I know what’s not right!” He exclaimed then went back straight to the kitchen.
Sun Light woke up later than usual. However, he felt drowsy. “Must have overslept,” He concluded. He went to the bathroom for his morning routine. However, the moment he entered the bathroom, he noticed something odd.
“Dad!!” He yelled, “Did you even used the bathroom yesterday?”
Everything was exactly as it was yesterday, not even his father’s toothbrush changed its position.
When his father did not respond, Sun Light went downstairs. “Dad?” He yelled again.
“Down Here,” Came his father’s voice from the kitchen.
Sun Light felt anxious. He knew his father was the military type; wake up, brush your teeth, shave your mane, take a shower, get dressed, get to work. Always the same routine.
To break his routine is unprecedented.
As Sun Light entered the kitchen, he first noticed his father sitting at the table reading a book, the cup of coffee was sitting quietly next to him, full and cold. That made Sun Light even more anxious. “Dad? Are you okay?”
“Hey Sunny!” Evening greeted his son while putting down the book he was reading. “I’m fine, and how are you this morning, still down from yesterday?”
Evening’s eyes were red from not sleeping but his movements were normal. No, Sun Light thought, He’s way too energetic. “I’m okay,” He answered, “A bit peeved, but better than yesterday.”
“Good, good,” Evening said, “Come, sit. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.” Sun Light walked toward his father. Evening slid the book he was reading to his lap, making sure his son would not see it. That, of course, did not go unnoticed. “What’s that book? Looks familiar.”
“Something for later,” Evening said while gesturing his son to sit in front of him. After Sun Light sat down, Evening started, “Tell me Sunny, would you like to have a mother?”
“Not necessary,” Sun Light said tentatively, “Why? Is there someone wish to introduce?”
“Not really,” Evening said, “I was simply testing the water.”
“Are you in love and wanted to take my permission to date?” Sun Light pressed forth.
“No, Sunny, I just wanted your opinion on the matter,” Evening reacted defensively.
“Why do you want my opinion when it’s something that touches your life more than mine?” Sin Light asked with increase suspicions.
“Because Sun Light…” Evening tried to retort, but could not find anything, “Just drop the subject, okay?” But Sun Light held his gaze at his father, still expecting an answer.
Evening sighed. “There is something I want to show you first,” He said while lifting the book for his son to see.
“That’s my notebook!” Sun Light exclaimed, “What are you doing with it?”
“I found it among the books you took from the library,” Evening stated.
“Oh,” Sun Light cursed himself inwardly for making such a mistake without him even realizing it.
Evening placed the book on the table then stood up, “I read it yesterday, and finally understood what you were trying to accomplish.”
Sun Light regarded his father with suspicion. “You mean telekinesis.”
“Well, yes and no.” Evening said while detaching his prosthetic arm, then placing it on the wall. “You’ve been focusing too much on doing it like a unicorn and forgot an essential part of being an earth pony.”
“And you think you do?” Sun Light said in his most cynical tone.
Evening scoffed. “Just watch.”
Evening stood on his hind legs, cracked his shoulder and neck, fixed his posture, then closed his eyes while breathing deeply.
A few moments later and Sun Light started to notice the air around his father getting heavy all of a sudden. That’s a lot of earth pony strength, He thought. Suddenly Evening opened his eyes. Sun Light noticed a small glow emanating from them. “Okay dad, that’s quite impressive.”
“I haven’t even started yet,” Evening retorted with a toothy smile. Then, he thrust with hoof with a twist of his hips toward his prosthetic.
Sun Light realized what his father was trying to do. “Come now, Dad. Do you think…?” But Sun Light fell speechless the moment his father moved his hoof upward.
The prosthetic started to levitate.
Evening snuck a peek at his son looking at him flabbergasted. He exhaled while releasing his stance, and the prosthetic fell on the ground.
“Earth ponies need to use every fiber of their body if they wished to perform any task,” Evening said smugly, “That goes double for what you are trying to accomplish."
Sun Light said nothing. He remained transfixed at his father with his mouth wide open.
Evening looked at his son with beaming pride. He knew that if he fixed the biggest problem, things will get fixed. He waited patiently to get showered with praise.
“What… Was that?”
Evening looked at his son and found him fuming. “What was what?”
“That!” Sun Light pointed at the floating prosthetic.
“I solved your problem,” Evening said unsure of what just happened, “Was that a bad thing?”
“YES!” Sun Light exclaimed, taking his father by surprise.
Evening stared at his son in shock. He felt his face burning as a thousand thought bombarded his mind, from remorse over the wasted time, to anger over the ungratefulness, and, most importantly, to disappointment. But before he could say anything, He took a deep breath. “Alright,” He said while inhaling heavily, “I’m not going to overreact, but I will ask why?”
Sun Light bit his lip. The frown he is seeing on his father was the deepest since he talked back to him after getting stuck in the armory. “Because I wanted it to be my discovery,” He said sheepishly.
He can’t be that selfish, can he? Evening thought. “Why?” Evening asked angrily, but he was too stressed out so he continued without even giving his son the chance to speak, “Why is it so important for you to figure things out alone? You’ve lost your standard, you’ve lost almost everyone’s trust, heck you lost your fur and you still think you can do everything alone?”
“Because it will make you proud of me!” Sun Light screamed back at his father.
Evening stared at his son speechless for the second time in less than five minutes. It finally clicked to him what’s going on, and a laugh escaped Evening’s lips.
Sun Light sat baffled at his father’s sudden burst. “What are you laughing at?” He asked with a mixture of anger and shame.
“Because you actually think that I’m not proud of you,” Evening said between fits of mirth.
“Well, aren’t you?” Sun Light asked on the verge of tears.
Evening stopped laughing. He stared at his son in amazement. No, he can’t seriously think that can he? He thought. But the fear in Sun Light’s eyes was genuine enough to tell him otherwise. “Oh Sunny,” Evening walked toward his son, then started patting his head, “My precious little Sun Light. There has never been a moment where I felt otherwise.”
Sun Light's gaze dropped, shame prevented him from meeting his father's eyes. “It’s just that, you really make it hard for me to believe that.”
Evening grabbed his son’s face then leaned stared straight into his eyes. “Look at me,” He ordered, and his son did. “It is not a lie or a joke when I say that you make me the proudest father in the history. Understand?”
When Sun Light gave a small nod, Evening continued, “It doesn’t matter to me if you get that spell right. Heck, it doesn’t matter if you get it at all. For the past couple of weeks, you have shown commitment, discipline and a drive that most adults would dream of having. You worked harder than anyone I have ever seen. You made a friend out of someone you perceived as an adversary. And let’s not forget, you made the impossible, possible. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and so I took an initiative and thought of a solution, that doesn't mean that I am disappointed. So would you please let your old colt help you once? I still like to feel useful to you, you know.”
Sun Light smiled, and through teary eyes, a chuckle escaped from him.
Evening wiped his son’s tears with his hoof. “There is my Sun shining for today.” He said causing his son to chuckle further.
“I don’t think I need a mother,” Sun Light finally spoke.
“Oh yeah? And why is that?” His father asked.
“Cause I have you,” Sun Light concluded, causing his father to smile broadly before smothering him with a hug. “Though, I wouldn’t object in finding you a wife.”
Evening broke the hug. “Say what?”
“I’m already in my pre-pubescent years,” Sun Light said, “And the older I get, the fewer moments like these will come. So… you kind of need someone else.”
Evening wanted to retort, but he couldn’t find anything to say. “Just don’t tell cadence,” He finally settled, “I don’t want to play in any of her dating games.”