Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Sunny Offshoot.
Northeast <NE> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trading Point.
West <W> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Gilded Path.

Aurora arrives from Commerce Road - Route 7: Sunny Offshoot.
Aurora has arrived.

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's cool and there's a mild wind from the east. In the forest, raindrops patter against the fresh leaves, and glisten like silver beads on their bright green surfaces. The wet tree trunks have darkened from grey to brown. While at the coast, rain pitters lightly on the deep grey ocean, and the waves are small.

It's actually not bad weather if you're not a fire type. It's cool, but not cold, and certainly not too hot. The wind is refreshing. The rain is light, and its soft pitter-patter is comforting and quiet.

Of course, as we've established, that's if you're not a fire type. If you are a fire type, it's absolute horror. To think! When Spring rolled around, Peppy thought he'd finally get rid of bad weather for a few months... and now, this! It's days like this where it's best to... well... take a nap. And that's exactly what the puppy is doing right now. Underneath the biggest, bushiest tree in the area - granted, that's not too large - the dog is snoring softly, probably dreaming about eating or sleeping. Yes, dreaming about sleeping.

Unlike Peppy, Aurora has had her share of... well, bad experiences with napping under trees and bushes. The other Growlithe is currently curled up under the picnic table at one side of the road, a few large leaves covering most of her. Her head is still poking out, though, and judging by her shivering, and the amount of water beading her fur - and, of course, the frequent sneezes - it's not been the best of nights for this Growlithe. She stirs slightly as the sun comes up, blinking water from her eyes and sneezing again as she starts to get to her feet.

Springtime means pokemon love all around, soon babies will abound! (Saving)

Silence, except for the pitter patter. Peppy's snoring has stopped. Silence... silence... then light but content growling comes from the pup. The growling continues for a moment longer... before a condensed drop of water makes its way through the leaves and plops right on Peppy's nose. The pup awakens with a sudden jolt and frantically peers around, wide-eyed. <Where...> he asks himself in a confused manner, wondering how he went from a land of burgers and blankets to a land of sogginess and - shudder - rain. <Where did...> And it takes Peppy a good minute to realize it was all a dream, too.

The large leaves fall off Aurora's back as she stands up, then shakes herself vigorously, making her look far more fluffy than before and also spraying the benches and ground with more spray. Shivering again, Aurora yawns and ducks down to crawl out from under the table, shivering again in the rain and looking around for shelter... spotting Peppy, she trots over towards the tree he's lying under. He doesn't seem quite as damp as she feels, at least.

The soft patter of the rain and heavy panting take over for a few moments. The rain seeks to annoy Peppy once again, however, and another large drop of water slips its way through the leaves and crashes down, its target being the side of Peppy's right ear. The dog instantly hops to four paws, cringes back, and glares up with surprising hatred. "Grrrowlithe!" he threatens the tree loudly, throwing in a defensive position for good taste. That's it, Peppy! You show that plant who's boss! After a couple of seconds, the puppy blinks, cocks his head very slightly, and assumes a sitting position facing the tree. Okay, so maybe threatening to Flamethrower the tree isn't right... but what can he do? Even as he thinks to himself, another drop slips through the cracks of the leaves... Though this one doesn't touch him, it comes within inches of the dog's nose and passes right in front of his eyes as it smashes into the mud. Peppy can only sighs miserably. This is not a good tree for protection.

Well, the rain may come dripping through the leaves of the tree Peppy's under, but to a half-drowned Growlithe, anything's better than no shelter at all. She woofs, <Hello!> to alert Peppy to her presence and awake-ness, and then sneezes as a post-script, padding towards the relative dryness of the large tree.

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's cool and there's a mild wind from the east.

A cheerful greeting, followed by a sneeze. Peppy whirls his head around, remaining in his sitting position for a moment longer as Aurora approaches. "Lithe?" It's a greeting, but it's something of a confused greeting - probably for obvious reasons. After greeting the other puppy, he goes on to ask, <What are you doing out in the rain? Aren't you cold?> The dog gets up to all four paws, turns around, and sits right back down. <... And wet?> The wind carries a couple of droplets that smash into Peppy's side, but the puppy doesn't seem to notice.

Navarone arrives from Commerce Road - Route 7: Trading Point.
Navarone has arrived.

Aurora nods in reply, shaking water off her fur again before sitting down on one of the drier patches of grass. <It was wet, and I got woken up by the rain. But... I didn't want to sleep under a bush. I always get stuck...> The Growlithe bows her head slightly, looking embarrassed, and adds, <And you were sleeping under this tree, so I didn't want to crowd you.>

Peppy glances up at the grey sky from under the tree, before turning his head to take a glance at Aurora. <Same for me,> the pup woofs quietly. Unbeknownst to Peppy, he's sitting in an awfully muddy spot, and his rump is sure to be covered in muck when he gets up... but he doesn't quite notice that right now. <The tree...> He glances up at the leaves. <It, er, really doesn't provide that much help from the rain. It-> A drop of rain makes its way through the leaves once more, crashing down on the pup's nose. The dog flinches away. "Lithe!" he mutters, partially in disgust, partially in annoyance. <This is almost as bad as snow!>

Aurora shivers again as she's dripped on - though, thankfully for the female Growlithe, not as much water gets through the leaves of the tree as did through the table she spent the night under. <It's so wet out here...> she says, half-whining, and looks down the road towards Celadon. <I wish I was indoors. My trainer never took me out in the rain,> she woofs, quietly, as if to herself.

Springtime means pokemon love all around, soon babies will abound! (Saving)

Peppy glances around into the rain, nodding softly as Aurora speaks. <Yeah...> he agrees quietly, shifting his front paws uncomfortably. He turns his head softly to glance at the female, realizing that she's not exactly pointing this out with pleasure. <Oh, but... er...> The puppy glances to the side, thinking of the right thing to say. <There are advantages, too,> the Growlithe says at last, though he doesn't look right at Aurora. <I'll bet it'll be sunny tomorrow. If it is... it'll seem so much better than today. We learn to...> The puppy stops, glancing up at the sky once again. What was that word Patch used once? ... Ah! <Appreciate it.> How knowledgable and optimistic. Peppy can't help but grin very softly.

Some distance away, a lone Vulpix stumbles his way through the forest. He moves along at a slow pace with his head hanging low. It would appear that this fox, otherwise known as Navarone, is not in the best of moods. He softly grumbles as he makes his way to the Creek. He stops short of the Creek, far enough from it to not see the two growlithe conversing. He shivers, and then tries to shakes his fur free of dampness. He looks up at the rain-coated trees, and curses. <Blasted rain. And I thought Spring would be all sunny and the like, but noooo..> His voice softens as he starts grumbling again, to himself.

Peppy's words of wisdom are heard by the other Growlithe, who nods slowly and seems to take some time to consider them, before replying, <...I suppose so. Like after the winter ended, and it was warm again...> Another nod, and then Aurora relaxes slightly, lying down with her head resting on her forepaws. <You're right. When it gets better, the nice weather will seem even nicer.> She yawns slightly, and nods again.

Peppy! Wisdom! Ha ha! That's a cute joke. With a little smile, Peppy nods his head, before embarking on a somewhat related but still off topic sentence. <Winter... I'd take this rain over the snow any day, though,> the puppy mumbles with a little disgust, turning his head to the side. <With snow, you know it'll be there tomorrow. But after it stops raining...> The pup moves his paw a bit, sloshing it into a great big pile of mud. <You know it'll be sunny really soon. Maybe even the same day!> A fire type? Pointing out the good qualities of rain? You know that's not something you see every day.

After shaking most of the rain out of his orange-flame fur, he blinks twice, and thinks aloud, <Ah, heck, in a while things will be better anyway.> He looks around for a moment, and almost shouts, <Who am I kidding? It'll probably be flooding before I'm even aware of it!> He laughs at his own pessimism, as he's always making comments like that. He shakes a bit more, and then patters down the path, smiling to himself. He turns and makes for the Creek, intending to take a drink. <Well, at least rain is good for something.> He bends his head down, and laps at the cool, refreshing water, quite unaware of the presence of the Growlithes nearby.

<OOC> Aurora didn't. I'll pose going back to sleep, then I have to go to dinner. Back fairly soon, I think.

Aurora shakes her head, sprinkling several more droplets of water over the ground, and possibly Peppy. <I don't like either of them when they're falling on me,> she says, <but I suppose when rain stops, it dries up quickly... snow stays around.> She nods again, and yawns, looking up at the cover of the tree. <It's drier here... think I'll have a nap...> Laying her head on her paws again, the female Growlithe closes her eyes, and settles down for a slightly more profitable sleep, although a few droplets of water splash on her fur as she starts to snore.

Finding all kinds of positives of rain! This is not something fire types should spend time doing. Peppy doggy-grins out of the side of his mouth, turning his head slowly to glance at Aurora. <Oh,> he barks softly. <I don't like...> He blinks. Oh. She's already asleep. With a soft little smile, the puppy woofs gently, <Good night.> Though, technically, it's still the morning. With a little sigh, Peppy turns his attention to the front, and peers out into the rain. Drab. Dreary. Dark. Drenched. Dumb! ... But, hello, what's this? Peppy blinks softly. Is there somebody *else* out in that rain? With a little curiousity and a little worry, Peppy gets up to all four paws... and that's about when he realizes that he's been sitting in a huge puddle of mud. "Growlithe!" he barks in disgust, turning his head as much as he can to peer at his now-dirty rear and back. Yuck!

Aurora has disconnected.

Navarone suddenly looks up. <What was that?>, he thinks aloud. He blinks a little, and then his eyes widen in realization. <I recognize that sound, though I can't quite put a paw on it...> He closes his eyes, trying to think hard of the many sources that sound might have came from. After a while, he abandons his mental search. <It's no use.> He shivers once more, and then shakes the water out of his fur again. He turns back to the path, while saying to himself, <Well, I might as well be off now. Who knows what other things might be lying aroun- AIE!>, he lets off a shriek, as he comes face-to-face with Peppy, he hops backwards, awkwardly, and rolls and tumbles, before landing face first into the ground. He moans a bit, using his paw to rub his head.

The poor pup can only turn his head to the fire fox and blink helplessly at the Vulpix's antics, a sparkling contrast to the zany actions the other pokemon is going through. After the Vulpix's face is in the mud, however, Peppy rather cheerfully greets him. <Hello!> ... Ugh. What an idiot he is. His small smile fades a little as he realizes what he's going to have to do to get at least some of this mud off before it dries. Go into the rain. This makes the pup whimper once or twice. <Is the rain really, really bad? Or just sorta bad?> he asks Navarone. No, he's not making any movements to help the poor Vulpix under the tree.

A grunt from Navarone is all the Growlithe gets. The fox slowly gets up, and shakes his face vigourously to rid himself of the dirt and grass on his face. <Ugh.. disgusting>, he comments, apparently forgetting all about the Growlithe. Not for long. When Peppy asks about the weather, he almost goes hops into another round of tumbling, but he manages to keep his composure. He finds the question puzzling, as he tries to answer it. <Err.. sorta bad? I mean it's sorta annoying and all, and- Hey, what's with the showing up all of a sudden? You some kind of ghost or something?>, he asks, sitting in the same spot where he landed.

The puppy can't help but agree. <Yeah. Disgusting.> He's glancing up at the sky - he's obviously thinking Navarone's speaking about the rain or something. <Disgusting but sorta bad?> The dog turns his head to glance at the Vulpix, confusion rampant in his eyes. <I guess... it's okay to go out there for just a couple of... um, ghost?> The puppy glances to the left, then the right. <Where's a ghost? No Katerwauls, right?> Augh! And he can't just *run* and ditch Aurora, can he? The pup takes a nervous step toward the tree. <I don't see one...>

Navarone blinks. He peers at the Growlithe with a queer look, and even tilts his head to the side to emphasize. <Hey, are you okay? You don't look too well..> Oddly enough he can sense the pup's anxiety. And even though Peppy looks like he can recognize fear very easily, he's a bit slow in the upstairs, or so Navarone thinks. Navarone looks around, as if trying to confirm the pup's reason for anxiety. He shakes his head, and replies, <No, don't see no Katerwauls. Not for now, at least.> He looks back at Peppy, and suddenly notices a second Growlithe not too far away. <Companion of yours?>, he says, nodding his head towards Aurora.

After Navarone says there aren't any Katerwauls in the area, Peppy instantly relaxed. As the fox speaks further, the puppy makes a light gesture toward his mud-covered rear end, whimpering softly in the process. <I sat in a mud puddle,> the pup woofs softly. <It's uncomfortable.> Glancing at whomever Navarone's nodding toward, Peppy nods softly and explains for the Vulpix. <That's Aurora. She was wet and tired, so she decided to find a tree. It's not the best protection-> A drop of water slips through the leaves and splashes Peppy on the nose. The pup twitches lightly. <But it beats no shelter!> The canine is rather cheerful, despite the awful weather.

Navarone squirms, and nods. <Yeah, uncomfortable. But still, not quite as uncomfortable as eating dirt>, he speaks, in a 'as a matter of fact' kind of tone. He looks back at the sleepier of the two Growlithes, and nods. <Aurora huh? Strange name.> He flinches as well when a drop falls on the pups nose, almost as if he could feel what Peppy is feeling. <Uh, yeah. Beats nothing I suppose.> Looking back at Aurora, he enquires, <Are you two mates or something? It is spring after all, and..> He stops mid-sentence. Maybe it's better if the pup answered one question at a time.

Peppy's eyes turn to the side innocently. Having once engaged in a mud eating competition with another Growlithe, he knows that yes, it's much worse to eat mud that it is to wear it. But both are bad. <Strange name? I don't think so... What's your name? I'm Peppy.> As Navarone glances at Aurora, so, too, does the Growlithe... but the Vulpix's inquisition sends a rupture through the dog's chest. <What? Mates?> He blushes under his fur, shifting uncomfortably. <No, of course not. I just know 'er. That's all.> A moment of awkward silence.

Springtime means pokemon love all around, soon babies will abound! (Saving)

Navarone stares blankly at the Growlithe. The awkward silence is broken, however, when Navarone breaks into a wide grin. <Ah, well, it seemed that way. But thanks for the clarification.> He shakes his fur a bit, the rain ceaselessly trying to get into his fur. He smirks at the inquisitiveness of the Growlithe. <Well, my name is a tad weirder. Name's Navarone. Nice to meet you Peppy.> Well, that's strange. He's never been this nice to a Growlithe before, but this one doesn't mean any harm to him. At least, not now. He continues peering at Aurora. <You sure she's not your mate? I mean, you two look so.. well, cute, together. Like two leaves from the same plant, know what I mean?> He smirks at Peppy, offering his mannerisms.

Peppy is beginning to redden under his fur, and he only growls a little <You're welcome,> under his breath. Now he's all embarrassed. <Navarone?> he repeats, perhaps trying to change the subject. <That's a good name. Did a...> He pauses for a moment. Wild pokemon? Maybe mentioning trainers isn't exactly the right thing to do... <Who gave the name to you?> There. Nice. Granted, it makes him sound like an idiot (who else but mom or dad?), but hey. We've already established that he's an idiot. And then Navarone brings it up again! <No,> Peppy shakes his head, once more becoming shy. <I'm sure she's not my mate.> And, as an added bonus: <And I doubt she'd want to be, either.> Awkward pause. <I mean...> Peppy glances to the side. Life is so, so, so much easier when you focus yourself on eating and sleeping and not other things.

Aurora has connected.

(Cut: After a bunch of 'augh!'ing and frantic rushing about, Aurora asked that the poses she missed after disconnecting be @mailed to her.)

Navarone smiles at Peppy's reaction. What a shy little fellow. He continues looking the poor embarressed pup head to toe. But when he mentions the subject of where he got his name, his smile temporarily fades, and his eyebrows narrow. Still, he doesn't hold the frown long, and smiles, weakly. <Ah, that would be a long story, it's something kinda personal, you know what I mean?> He continues to listen to Peppy's stammering. <Are you sure? How do you know that she'll say that?> He quickly adds, trying to shy away from the subject of his name.

Yes. A subject change is definitely a good thing. <Long story?> the puppy asks softly, his eyebrows furrowing softly. <Behind your name? Nobody just...> He pauses for a moment. <-Gave- it to you?> Apparently, the idea is beyond the poor dumb pup. <I thought names...> There's a thought. Can you give yourself a name? Hrm... <What?> And we're back on this topic. <I don't. Nothing. I mean...> Okay, life is a *lot* easier when you revolve it around food and sleeping. This 'other' stuff is too hard. <Why... do you ask?>

Water's been dripping, slowly but steadily, through the cover of the tree and onto the sleeping Growlithe. When a raindrop lands on her nose just as she's about to take a breath, Aurora inhales the raindrop, splutters slightly, and wakes up with a start, raising her head from her paws. <Uh... where am I?>

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's cool and there's a mild wind from the east.

Navarone shakes his head and sighs. If there's one thing that has been confirmed, it's the fact that Peppy might not be so bright after all. <Ah, don't confuse yourself. Somebody did give it to me, but how I got the name, -that's- the long story. Get it now?> He continues to watch Peppy try and talk his way out of this. <Why I ask? Oh, I dunno, just for the sake of it, I suppose. I'm a curious little guy.> He smiles widely, but then he notices the other Growlithe waking up, and his smile fades once more. This one might not be as friendly as the first, and so, he steps back a little.

Peppy glances back at Navarone, shaking his head softly. <No,> he growls softly, his tail giving a wag or two. A little mud falls off due to the wagging, but most of it stays on there. <I don't. Who gave you the name? Why is there a story behind it?> You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can't teach this dog anything at all. The sounds of Aurora waking do reach Peppy's ears, of course, but the poor dog is in such a confused muzzle that he can't place the sounds of 'confused, tired-sounding Growlithe' with 'Aurora waking up'. He really is thick. <Just... curious? But... you asked even after I said no...> Peppy blinks, raises his eyebrow at Navarone, and comes to an amazing conclusion. <You're weird.> Likewise, I'm sure.

Still fairly groggy from her nap, and not really following any of the conversation between Peppy and Navarone, Aurora sits up and shakes some of the water from her fur. Looking around, she seems to remember where she is, and who Peppy is, but... <Oh. Who are you?> she asks the Vulpix curiously. <Did you come here while I was asleep?> Her tail thumps on the ground as she looks at Navarone, interested to find out who this new arrival is.

The Vulpix peers at Peppy. And he thinks that he's weird, sheesh. <I dunno, somebody must 'ave given it to me. They called me by that name, and it stuck, I guess.> By now, he's getting a tad bit annoyed at the pup's enquiries. I mean, he's already said that it's a personal thing, right? So, give it up already! <No, I just asked several times to make sure.> He turns his head to the waking Aurora, and he 'ahs' in approval. <She has awakened, I see. My name would be Navarone, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Aurora. And yes, I came while you were still in slumber.> He bows his head down, in a curtsy of sorts.

Take a heart attack. Double the pain. Then spread it around the entire body. That's basically what Peppy's feeling right not. His eyes widen, his body stiffens, and his chest suddenly has a real sharp clenching feel. And it hurts. That's already been established. <Um,> the pup stumbles for a moment, thinking of something to say. Use that brain! Rack that mind! <Um, good morning. I mean, afternoon. I mean, did you have a good sleep?> The grin Peppy gives Aurora is rather cheesy and sort of... er... apprehensive? Hrm. <No water got on you, did it? Ah... Our conversation, um, didn't wake you up, did it?> Please say '<No, I didn't hear a word,>' Peppy thinks to himself, gritting his teeth slightly.

<Oh, hello, Navarone,> Aurora replies, still wagging her tail happily, and completely unaware of Peppy's... discomfort at her waking up. <Do you live around here, then?> she asks, and then turns to Peppy without waiting for the Vulpix's reply. <I think the rain woke me up,> she tells him. <Were you two talking when I woke up, then? What about?>

Navarone nods back to Aurora. Well, at least she's as friendly as the first one, that's a good thing, right? <Actually, I live near the south of Saffron City, but I wouldn't know if that would be near enough.> While he's talking, he's busy staring at Peppy, who recently became rather.. Stiff? The rain perhaps? But then, his eyes trail back to Aurora, and back to Peppy again. He does this several times, before emitting a loud 'ooooh' and snickering to himself. He leaves the pup to answer the question for himself, patiently awaiting the outcome.

Out of the frying pan and into the fryer. Seeing as how Navarone's not going to be much help... <Names,> Peppy barks quickly, loudly, and enthusiastically. <We were talking, er, about where Navarone got his name,> Peppy explains. And, technically, it's not a lie either. Peppy turns his head to the fox - it's a choppy move with frequent, nervous pauses. <Weren't you...> And here, the tone is ever so slightly more angry. <Navarone?> Peppy gives the fox a little glare - but, granted, Peppy is a cute and fuzzy creature. His glare is not the fiercest thing in the world. And, granted, he's so nervous and edgy, it looks more like a peer.

Droplets splash in puddles at mid-day.

Aurora nods again, not noticing the angry tone in Peppy's voice, and sounding rather interested when she speaks. <I know. Names are important, aren't they? I think my parents called me Aurora... my brother told them about lights he saw in the sky once, when he was with his trainer, and that's what she said they were. What does Navarone mean, then?> Maybe Peppy's managed to dodge the subject after all...

Navarone looks at Peppy's glare, staring strainght at him. Inside, he's going "Well done! Wormed your way out of that one, and rather nicely I might add!", but on the outside, he's looking a bit sheepish. <*whoopsie*>, is the best he can muster for now, what with Peppy glaring at him and all. He quickly looks back to Aurora, and focuses on her instead. But the question she poses makes him shrink as well, as his ears flatten against his head. <I dunno, it's just a name they gave me, long ago, after some incident.> Whoops, maybe that was too much. It's almost as if he's hiding something...

Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Who da pup? Peppy breathes a soft sigh of relief as Aurora takes Peppy's cover-up for real and begins to inquire about Navarone's name. Wow. Maybe Peppy's getting smarter! ... ... No, probably not. Maybe he got lucky. Or maybe he didn't trick Aurora at all... Whatever the case, Peppy plunks himself right back down - yet again in a mud puddle - and adopts a sitting position as he listens to Navarone. <Incident?> Peppy asks, before long. Uh oh... Is Peppy going to venture upon the secret lurking inside Navarone's very soul, the one thing he hides from the world? <What's an 'incident'?> ... No, apparently not. Cue facefault.

Aurora yawns again as she nods, and blinks. It's past noon already, the sun is up, and it's still raining... <I think I might have another nap,> the Growlithe murmurs, yawning again and lying down. <At least it's dry under here.> She closes one eye, the other one half-open to watch for anyone who might disturb her, though the eyelid slowly lowers until Aurora's sound asleep. Aww.

Aurora has disconnected.

Navarone glances at Aurora. Boy, does she take naps like breaths or what? He quickly looks back to Peppy. <Uh, an incident is a.. is a... I dunno, how to put it, an event? A happening? It's.. It's.. something!?> He sputters, looking very confused and frustrated. Even if Peppy happened to inquire more about the origin of his name, he would have quickly shut up and not say anymore. But in any case.. <I don't like the way this conversation is going. How about you?>

Peppy notices Aurora falling asleep out of the corner of his eye, and the pup lets out a little exhale. He doesn't even really bother to see that she's totally asleep, however - assuming is just that much easier. The puppy nods slowly in reply to Navarone - hey, Peppy learned a new word today! Incident means event! - and doesn't press much further. <That's okay,> he woofs softly, adding a little grin. <If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine.> Shoot... Peppy's got his own background to hide, anyway. <Um... Do you think she's asleep?> The Growlithe asked after a moment, adding an unnecessary gesture toward Aurora.

Navarone turns to Aurora, glancing at her sleeping form. <Like a log, and that's a fact.> But it isn't a fact, just a phrase, and besides, he doesn't really care. <Well, Peppy, I've business to attend to. I've gotta run.> He quickly turns to leave the scene, but stops and turns around. <It was nice meeting you, and your girlfriend. I'll see you some other time!> he turns back to the path, and treads forward, slowly.

Blush. <She's not my girlfriend!> Peppy replies quickly, adding perhaps a bit too much passion to the retort. <Well... I'll see you around. Be careful in this weather!> Peppy warns, and adds a quick "Littthe!" of a farewell. Were Peppy's limbs a little more movable, he'd probably rub his head softly. Instead, the pup only sighs, and glances to the side. For a minute or so, he simply glances at Aurora's sleeping form, merely lost in thought, before he plunks right down, keeping his distance from the female pup. Even with the rain slipping through the trees, it's not long before Peppy is fast asleep on his tummy, chest expanding and deflating softly, barely making a noise.