1. Chains's Arc: Chains and Whips
By: Comet Burst
The muffled sounds of a stallion shouting echoed throughout the brothel, making many members of the clients shift nervously. To all the mares who slinked about throughout the establishment, the sound was quite familiar, but even they were still unnerved by the ambient noises. In a place like this, the mood was usually dark and seductive, a wonderful place to have some illicit fun, but the constant ear-piercing shrieks kill the mood.
Deep in the bowels of the darkened hallways, the screams seemed to get louder as one pair of ponies strolled slowly to a room. The stallion’s eyes twitched nervously as the mare led him in, locking onto a beaten wooden door at the end of the hallway. It was old and splintering, illuminated by several candles that gave it an ominous feel. The word ‘Chains’ was scrawled across the door in messy black paint, adding to the menace.
“W-what is t-that?” he asked nervously, turning to his escort.
The mare glanced to the door with an unimpressed look as another scream pierced the air around them, louder than the last. She pushed open one of the doors, leading into a dimly lit room dominated by an extra-large bed. Once both of them entered, she closed the door in a finite way and turned to the stallion, a lustful look in her eyes.
“Oh, that’s nothing.” she replied, laying a soft kiss on the stallion’s lips.
The muffled scream cut through the air again, causing the stallion to jump.
“What is that?!” he nearly shouted, “It sounds like somepony is being tortured!”
“Because he is,” the mare replied softly, leading the stallion to the bed with a gentle push, “He’s having a session with Chains, the freakiest mare this side of Equestria.”
The stallion winced as the two of them clambered onto the bed, the scream this time ending in a whimper.
“W-What is she doing to him?” he asked, fear filling his voice.
The mares eyes flashed, not with lust, but with a look of disgust.
“Putting him through hell,” she answered coldly.
Behind the wooden door, a series of mysterious black objects lay littered around the room, barely visible from the candles on the walls. Chains hung from the ceiling, the metal harnesses clinking gently as they vibrated with the screams. Behind all of the clutter, a stallion lay pinned to the floor, his legs held firmly in place by leather straps snaking their way from a frame beneath him. He closed his eyes tightly, biting down as hard as he could on the piece of wood.
Above him stood a gray mare wearing a skintight bodysuit of shiny black. Her face was hidden behind a gimp mask of the same material with only her ears, eyes and mouth exposed. A maniacal grin was spread across her muzzle, a whip lengthy between clenched between her pale white teeth. Her irises of baby blue were almost pinpricks as she watched her charge squirm helplessly before her, mad with power. Slowly, she leaned her head back, pausing for a brief moment as she looked at the ceiling before it snapped forward, the whip cracking violently through the air. It struck home and her charge gave a satisfying scream that only egged her on even more.
Pulling her lips back into a sadistic smile, she began her slow walk back to the stallion who filled the room with his heavy breathing. He was such a good participant, begging her to punish him the way only she could. The satisfying screams and moans of pleasure that came from him gave her inspiration to keep going. She contemplated giving him one more, if only to make sure he got his bits worth out of her, but she decided against it. One more strike and he would surely not resist waiting until she was ready, which was something she couldn’t stand. Slaves didn’t get to be happy before their masters did, even if he was paying for it. As she rounded his twitching body, she could tell he was ready. Everything from the way his legs tried to pull themselves free of his restraints to the bloodshot eyes that watched her explained what he wanted in ways his voice simply couldn’t.
“Why did you stop?” he groaned through his panting.
She made a small noise of indignation, pausing in her stride. She locked eyes with him, hers still on the tipping point of insanity. Slowly, she lowered herself down to him and set the whip on the floor like it was made of solid gold.
“Well well, aren’t you just an impertinent little freak?” she hissed to him. “Always about you, you, you. I got some news for you, though. Here, you only get what I give you, not the other way around. In here…”
She leaned in closer to his ear, the appendage standing on end.
“... I’m the bucking queen,” She whispered in an almost loving tone.
The stallion’s breathing picked up quickly as he began to fight his restraints, evidently more turned on than ever before. The mare eased herself back, raising herself to her full height as he snorted and struggled harder, his eyes filled with lust. She was the most insane, scary and downright kinkiest mare he had ever met, and she knew it.
“I suppose,” she began in a playful tone, switching gears almost too quickly, “I could allow you to… relieve yourself. Only on one condition, though: you wait until I tell you to. Deal?”
The stallion sounded more like a rabid animal as he agreed, nodding his head frantically. Gingerly, she leaned down bit onto the end of the whip, lifting it into the air and laying it across the stallion’s neck. With slow and purposeful moves, she brought the rest of it around his neck and wrapped it into a makeshift noose. The stallion kept grunting as he watched her, his excitement hardly contained.
“I’m going to ask you this once,” she cut in through his grunts, “Are you sure you want this?”
“Yes,” he rasped, his voice hoarse from his screaming, “do it.”
Her grin widened even more as her eyes lit up, as if she was hoping he would say yes.
“Yes… what?” she asked in an almost demanding tone.
“Yes, Mistress Chains.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the whip tightened around his neck, cutting off the passage of air to his lungs. Chains held him there, his mouth flopping open and closed like a fish while he struggled to breathe. Her insane look seemed more pointed now as the whip stood at attention from her mouth to his neck, the psychotic grin fitting her perfectly. She counted to five in her head before loosening her stranglehold, allowing him to suck down a breath. However, a new scent rose into the still air around them, one that Chain knew all too well.
The stallion hadn’t listened to her. He had not waited for her command.
As the stallion breathed, his eyes grew wide and a satisfied grin stretched across his face. While he reveled in the intense aftermath of his unplanned release, behind him, Chains’s smile went from insanely happy to a look of utter shock as she lost touch with the outside world.
“What did you do?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly.
“Oh man, that was awesome!” he said in a breathless tone.
Before he could praise his mistress, however, a stabbing pain rocketed through his rear leg, right at his ankle joint. His smile contorted itself into a look of pure agony as he opened his mouth to scream, but the whip around his neck silenced him before it could happen. The whites of his eyes became the most prominent part of them as his pupils shrink to pinpricks. Behind him, Chains stared down at him with a look of utter contempt.
“You filthy, disgusting little swine!” she screeched through the whip in her mouth. “I told you not to release until I gave you permission!”
The stallion’s only response was a soft gurgle as his cheeks began to turn a shade of cherry red. Frantically, his eyes swiveled around as he searched for Chains, only to stare forward as the whip tightened more.
“You think I’m just some pathetic whore, huh?! One who will just roll over and let you do whatever you please, is that right?! I told you, in here, I’m the bucking QUEEN!”
Chains gave a sharp tug at the whip, pulling the stallion’s head back just enough to where his terrified eyes could see her from under his disgusting hairline. She loosened her grip on the whip, allowing the stallion’s head to snap back forward where he could gasp for any air he could.
“You like it when I hurt you?” Chains growled in a deadly tone as her eyes locked onto the leg she was standing on. “Then how about I give you a little PARTING GIFT?!”
As soon as she shouted, her foreleg lifted and slammed down on the stallion’s ankle joint. It resisted the pressure for all of a millisecond before it gave with a loud crack, followed by the screams of the stallion it was attached to. Chains breathed heavily as she removed her hoof, admiring the damage she had done. His hoof hung loosely from the restraint, obviously broken. His shouts pitch raised to unearthly levels as he struggled to get himself free. Chains, however, casually stepped away from him as if he was nothing more than a piece of equipment and headed over to a simple empty table. She pulled herself up and undid the mask, revealing her full face and luscious jet black mane as the shiny material peeled away from her skin.
“Such a pathetic wimp,” she muttered as she spun around to face the lad, pity written on her face. “You just couldn’t listen to me, could you?”
The stallion turned a fearful eye to her as she trotted past him, her nose in the air. Chains could still feel the excitement of being in control coursing through her veins, but her charge’s premature expelling had caused the buzz to taper off. It was a pity, too, because she was known for doing some interesting things if they listened, especially when she allowed them to release. The stallion began to whimper pathetically as she pulled the door open, throwing a sad glance at him.
“Aww,” she said in a mock baby voice. “Is the little guy all upset now? Did he get hurt playing with fire? Maybe he should’ve listened to his mommy and not played with matches.”
Chains smirked at him before leaving the room, pulling the creaky wooden door shut behind him. After the moaning and screaming in her room, the hallway was unnaturally quiet. As she stood outside her door and breathed deeply, some sounds began to come to her. Several were of carnal moans coming from both stallions and mares in the rooms lining the hallway while others were the creaking of worn bedsprings. Much to her satisfaction, though, the sound of a pony crying came from behind her. With a spring in her step, Chains left for the front desk in order to inform them that her charge needed a doctor.
Chains sat glumly in the carriage as it rumbled along the cobblestone streets, staring at a small speck of black on the wood in front of her. It wasn’t of any particular interest, but it kept her mind and eyes busy. Her thoughts remained mostly in control, but she figured this wasn’t really needed. Jail seemed a bit extreme for a reaction to a stallion with a broken hoof, but what did she care? She was used to being extreme and even liked it.
The guards hadn’t been exactly gentle with her after they had arrived. The recent war with the Gryphons had made them pretty hard and callous, at least those who came back with all their limbs intact. They barely conducted an investigation before shoving her outside and into the carriage, but Chains didn’t exactly protest either. Rough play only made her more excited, so she allowed herself to be shoved around and even hit by one of them. All of the other prostitutes at the brothel didn’t say anything as they watched her leave, some even breathing a sigh of relief from what she could see. Their actions stung at her pride, even though she didn’t know any of them personally. They all had avoided her like she was a feral animal in their midst, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.
After about three more minutes had passed, the carriage came to a stop and Chains could hear the guards moving around it. That was when it occurred to her that, despite her session earlier, she didn’t get her own release. Why she thought of it was beyond her reasoning, but she could probably get one of the guards —if not a few of them— to help her. It was always more fun when she had an audience. The door creaked open and the stern face of a slate-gray unicorn guard with purple eyes glared lazily at her. He would make a fine little pet for her to abuse if she could get him excited enough.
“Out. Now.” He spoke tonelessly.
Chains proceeded to ignore his command, preferring to take her time stretching. She lifted her forehooves above her head, steadily leaned away from him, and fell onto her back, leaving nothing to the imagination.
“Oh, but I’m so comfortable,” she purred, knowing that he was watching.
She was pulled by her tail out of the carriage, landing hard on the cobblestone street below. A sharp pain shot through her back and she gasped in pleasure, writhing suggestively. Standing above her, the stallion glared down without the slightest hint of interest.
“Get up and move.” His toneless voice rang out again.
Chains didn’t argue, but she made sure to seem as inviting as she could to the unicorn. Her tail hardly stayed in one place and she made sure to stretch often, but he kept his eyes forward and pushed her when needed. It took a while, but eventually they made it to a dingy cell that contained a single bucket, a mattress lying on the floor, and more green moss than a swamp. Chains eyed her new abode with mild excitement before the guard forced her in with magic. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving her all alone in her new den.
“Aw, you’re not going to join me?”
The stallion merely snorted in response, watching her like a hawk.
“You are hereby charged with aggravated assault and battery,” he spok, “You will remain here until an official case is filed.”
“You will play with me though, won’t you?”
The stallion turned and marched away without another word, leaving Chains all by herself. The silence of the empty cell wiped her innocent smile from her muzzle, replaced by a frown. Glumly, Chains trotted away from the bars and into the darkness of the damp cell.
The walls were slimy, cold and, quite frankly, uncomfortable as hell on her back. There was no point of light in the cell, just a cold and stuffy mass of air that pressed her into the moss. As she scanned the cell around her, she began to wonder how she had gotten here. The stupid stallion had gotten what he deserved, even if he didn’t agree. A small smile crept onto her face as she thought of that; he would obviously listen from now on.
No, what puzzled her was how she got here, as in this point in her life. While it was no five-star drama, it was still not just one disaster after another. Her parents had both died in the war, her father being a soldier and her mother as a field nurse. Chains grimaced at the memory, a sense of hate building in her chest. After their untimely demise, the economy collapsed and she joined the throngs of mares who became personal escorts.
Chains scrunched up her nose at that, some of her most hated memories coming back. She had been drilled in all the ways to pleasure a stallion properly and was unceremoniously thrown to them. She did okay, but it got boring after a while. That was when the beatings came, along with her “education” on being a dominatrix. Drinking deep of the intoxicating power of those sessions, she quickly found herself a much sought-after dominatrix with legends she had to live up to. Overall, life was good as long as the stallion waited for her signal and begged occasionally.
Still, this place could be comfortable. She looked around, admiring the darkness and cramped space. It almost felt as cozy as her den back at the brothel. It even came with a locked door, just like home. Settling herself in, she let her eyelids close over her baby blue eyes and soon felt sleep embrace her. At least she could catch up on that while she waited for the master to come and fetch her.
She wasn’t sure how long she had been in the cell, but her eyes snapped open at the sound of hooves trotting across the cold stones. Chains shook her head, not even aware she had fallen asleep while she waited. It didn’t surprise her, though, as her line of work rarely allowed her to sleep peacefully, so being alone for a while was quite the treat. Leaning forward, Chains stretched herself out, feeling her joints pop in a satisfying manner. A couple muffled voices echoed over to her, distorted by the stone walls. What sounded like a mare’s voice was the loudest noise, but a couple stallions were in the background. Did her boss send one of the mares from the brothel to come get her?
Much to Chains’s surprise, a tan earth pony mare walked out in front of the cell. She was a very ravishing looking mare, sporting a wonderfully colored spring green mane. She had a few wrinkles were here and there, as well as a tired look in her eyes, but she wore a sweet smile on her rosy red lips that Chains had seen many times before. This was obviously one of the escorts from the upper echelons of Canterlot, one of the noble’s personal stock. She immediately began to press herself into the tiny corner of her cell, hoping that she would just leave.
As luck would have it, the mare stopped right in front of her cell, peering into it with her sparkling rose eyes. Contempt began to build in Chains’s chest as the mare backed away a bit, looking over to the other cells in confusion.
“Emerald?” the mare called. “Are you sure she’s here?”
Chains heard the sound of hooves shuffling as the mare was joined by a handsome stallion, tall and strong. He was well-built, much like the soldiers who had thrown her in here earlier. His stunning emerald-green coat almost outshined the tan of the mare, but he peered into the cell as well, obviously searching for her.
“The guards said this was it,” he stated with skeptical certainty. “Cell —”
“Are you looking for me, handsome?” Chains cooed, not yet revealing herself.
Both ponies froze at that, staring into the depths of the cell with wide eyes. From the furthest corner of the darkness, a glowing set of baby blue irises peeked around to them. It took a few seconds for the mare to speak up again.
“Um, hello? Is this Chains?” The mare spoke.
Chains suppressed a growl in her throat.
“And who wants to know?”
“My name is Rosy Lips. I’m here on a special mission from Princess Celestia.”
Chains’s interest piqued a bit at that.
“Then why did the illustrious Sun Princess send a high-class tramp and a noble to come and talk with me?” She spoke smoothly, watching Rosy Lips’s face pale and Emerald’s face contort in rage.
“Do not speak to my wife that way!” He called out. He was about to say more, but Rosy lifted a hoof up and touched his side.
“Let me handle this, dear,” she said softly. “Remember, we need to reason with her.”
Chains almost let a laugh escape her throat at that. They came here to reason with her? What on Equestria could they want to reason with her for? If they knew anything about her past, her name, then they knew she only reasoned one way: with either her or the opposer kneeling and begging for more.
Still, Rosy looked back into the cell and spoke, despite not having a clue where Chains was. “Chains, I know who you are. My name is —”
“Rosy Lips. Such a sweet name.”
“Ahem, yes. Since you already know me, then you probably know why I came here. I have an offer for you from Princess Celestia herself. Can I please talk to you face-to-face about this?”
Chains could feel her contempt for this mare growing. Princess Celestia sent her to offer a deal? Something smelled fishy here and it certainly wasn’t the damp-green moss. However, one did not deny acquiescing to a royal emissary. Reluctantly, she strode slowly out from the shadows and up to the bars, smiling maniacally the whole time. Rosy stiffened at the sight of her, but remained neutral to her appearance.
“And what does my liege want from a simple criminal like me?” she asked, sarcasm dripping from every line. “I doubt she’s into what I specialize in.”
“You’d be surprised, Chains,” Rosy Lips said, her rosey eyes locking onto hers. “In fact, she is very interested in your line of work.”
Chains was unsure of how to answer that, but managed to keep her cool. Her smile never faltered as she came up with a response.
“I didn’t know the Princess had such a profound interest in dominatrixes. How quaint it is that I seemed to have tickled her fancy.” She hissed as if she was talking to one of her clients.
“She has an interest in all of us,” Rosy replied, unfazed by the comment. “The war has done terrible things to this country and Princess Celestia wants to fix them. Have you heard of the Rehabilitation Program?”
“Oh, the war, the war,” Chains quipped, rolling her eyes. “And what do you know about it that I don’t?”
Rosy narrowed her eyes to Chains, wondering if she should put her in her place before continuing. To her side, Emerald gulped as his gaze shifted between his wife and the mare he was glad was behind the set of bars.
“I know far more than you,” Rosy said as seriously as she could, “I went to the battlelines to take care of the wounded soldiers and feed the young ones who died the next day. I was even captured.”
She paused, her face contorted in an expression of pain, before she finished her thought.
“I was forced into slavery by the gryphons, so do not test me on what I know about the war.”
Chains’s grin melted away as Rosy finished speaking. Planting her rump on the hard stone beneath her, Chains continued to stare out of the cell right into Rosy’s unflinching eyes.
“So what is this deal you say the Princess has for me?” She began, her voice no longer laced with sarcasm or lust, “What services could I possibly be able to supply for her Majesty?”
“The same one I did,” Rosy replied without hesitation. “To help rehabilitate a soldier.”
She glanced over to Emerald, who nodded in approval. It had been a while since she had fully rehabilitated him from his bouts of war-induced anger as well as herself from the life of a prostitute, proving the program worked. Turning back to Chains, however, she noticed a strange smile had crept onto her face. Not the insane grin she wore earlier, but one of a pony finally understanding a joke.
Chains chuckled. “That’s a real thing? Seriously? The Rehab Program actually exists?”
“Yes…” Rosy said slowly, “The goal of it is to help Equestria recover from the toll the war took on us.”
“Bah ha ha ha ha! That’s too funny! And here I thought it was just another one of those dumb stories mares passed around to feel better! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Chains’s hysterical laughter echoed around the empty cell as she lowered her head, pounding a hoof into the stone floor.
Emerald gritted his teeth as Chains kept laughing, but Rosy remained unaffected.
“And why is that so funny?” she asked.
“B-b-because! Y-you want me to help rehabilitate a soldier!” Chains spoke between breaths and laughs. “And here I was thinking the Princess had a thing for domination! Me, help a soldier recover?! Bwa ha ha ha ha!”
“This was a bad idea,” Emerald muttered to Rosy while Chains continued to laugh her head off. “I thought it was a long shot, but this won’t work out. She’s completely crazy.”
Rosy sighed as well. She watched Chains laugh her head off manically, wondering just why she was so hard to reason with. There had to be some way to communicate with her. Everypony had something they wanted, something they cared about. Painful memories of the gryphons who tortured her came back, along with an idea. As much as she hated them for what they did, the technique of using what a pony cared about against them was a powerful tool. Gulping hard, she forced herself to remember the line of questioning they used.
“Chains,” she asked slowly, “do you enjoy this?”
She knew the answer to the question already, but it would get her talking.
“Ha ha ha! What do you think?!” Chains almost shouted, wiping a tear from her eye. “I love this job! I love everything about it: the power, the control, and, best of all, the pleasure.”
Rosy let her words sink in for a bit, watching Chains for any kind of reaction. Much to her surprise, she saw exactly what she was hoping to see. Chains broke eye contact, her eyelid twitching for a second before before she met her gaze again. Rosy knew right then that there was something on her mind.
“Do you?” Rosy asked earnestly.
The most spectacular thing happened right then. In an instant, Chains’s wicked smile vanished and her eyes lost the darkness that filled them. In their place, a deep-seated hate began to glow behind her baby blue eyes as an frown took center stage on her muzzle.
“Shut up,” she growled, “I told you I do, so leave if you’ve got nothing better to offer me.”
Rosy took this as a cue. Chains’s hard mask was beginning to crack.
“But you don’t. How could anypony possibly like being considered as some sex object?”
Chains ground her teeth behind her lips. Who did Rosy think she was, talking down at her like she knew better?
“Because I like it when I stallions pay for me to break them. I love it. I love the feeling of control, the sound of them begging for more. I love everything about what I do!” She shrieked back in an acid-laced tone, pounding her hoof into the floor.
Rosy didn’t respond right away. Simply from her manner of speaking, it was easy to tell Chains was deflecting Rosy’s questions. It almost felt as if she was talking to one of the younger mares back when she was a member of the brothel. Perhaps a little affection could open her up more. A small smile picked up on her rosy red lips, sincere despite the disrespectful way Chains was speaking to her.
“Chains, I can see that you’re a beautiful young mare underneath that mask. I don’t know what made you like this, but I’m sorry it happened. Young mares like you don’t deserve this life.”
The anger in Chains’s stare seemed to intensify threefold at that, a sign Rosy was getting somewhere with her. Her former tormentors in Gryffonia would be proud, despite how much she hated them.
“Get away from me.” Chains growled in a more deadly tone. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything! You don’t know what I feel or why I’m here and you never will!”
“Chains, I truly am sorry about whatever happened to you, but you don’t have to be like this.”
“Shut up! I want to be like this! I have never been normal and I don’t want to be! This is all I’ve ever known since my parents died in that stupid war!”
Silence rang out after that outburst, everypony staring in complete shock. Chains clamped her mouth shut instantaneously while Rosy stared in disbelief, the memories of the gryphon tormenters returning. She could see their smug smiles and felt a pit in her stomach. Hoping to to soothe her now guilty conscious, she tried to say something in return.
“I’m… I’m so sorry, Chains. I didn’t—”
“Go away. I don’t want to be part of your stupid program and I don’t need your pity. I am happy with who I am, even if you’re not.”
Rosy kept her silence, knowing it was futile to argue with her right now. After an emotional outburst like that, it would take a while for her to think it over with a clear mind. Before she left, though, there had to be a reward for her to consider.
“I will, but I want you to remember this, Chains. There’s a poor stallion out there who needs you in more ways than you know.”
With that, Rosy turned away from the poor mare locked in the dark cell, sorrow welling up in her chest. With a small nod, Emerald followed her away from the cell, glancing once more to Chains before rounding the corner with his wife.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” he mumbled to Rosy, “I knew she was crazy, but not that bad.”
“She’s not crazy,” Rosy replied. “She just needs somepony to understand her the same way we needed each other to.”
Emerald grimaced. He preferred not to think of his wife in any similar way to Chains, but he couldn’t argue against her point. When they had first met, Rosy was very off-kilter, waking up to terrible nightmares and flinching whenever he said anything to her, like she was afraid he would attack her at a moment’s notice. It was only after piecing together her tearful sniffles and whispered admissions did he find out how she had been massively traumatized by the abuse she received while in captivity, but she had never delved into the madness that gripped Chains. The pair had almost let the door shut when a shout of what sounded like anger rang out. They immediately froze, only to hear it ring out once more, clearer than the last. Even Emerald could tell that it came from Chains.
Turning around, Rosy ran back towards the cell, Emerald following behind closely. Their hooves rang out on the stone, echoing louder and louder as they approached their target. In a few moments, they both stood at the bars, watching the back of Chains’ head as she leaned back against the bars, her ears pressed to her head.
“If I agree to this,” Chains said slowly, “I do it my way. No rules or restrictions, no following me and whoever the buck I’m with. Do you understand?”
Rosy allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps there was some hope for Chains after all.
“Of course, Chains,” she said sweetly, “All that is required is that you meet with me once in a while to discuss how things are going. Does that sound reasonable?”
Chains grunted, but didn’t argue back. It took a while for either pony to speak up again, but, luckily, it was Rosy.
“Chains?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” she spat back.
Relief washed across Rosy’s face, a sight Emerald had not seen in a long time.
“Okay. I think you may find out that this will be the best thing to happen to you.”
“One last thing,” Chains said, breaking Rosy’s line of thought. “Stop calling me Chains.”
Rosy’s eyes widened. She was in a very precarious position here and the slightest incorrect wording would make her change her mind.
“Of course,” she replied warmly. “Do you have a name you prefer to go by?”
Chains heaved a huge sigh, wondering why she was even about to say this.
“Black Lace,” she answered, sounding the words out. “My name is Black Lace.”
Rosy cracked a large grin, happy beyond belief.
“I am very glad to meet you, Lace, and I look forward to working with you.”