Venturing Forth [invite]

Mt. Pauzo, Athren's favorite place on this planet so far. Of course, he still had a vast amount of the planet to explore but so far this place was special to him. It was calming and peaceful and provided enough privacy that one could do as he pleased without getting harassed by others. It gave him a place to use as his own to train, which was his main priority at this point in his life. He didn't have a relationship to worry about and he didn't really have many friends, his only two were Kira and Ukare and they were more than capable of holding their own. He didn't need to babysit them on the daily. Regardless of all that, today in the mountains was going to be a unique one for Athren wasn't actually intending on training. What he wanted to do today was relax by the river, take a swim and simply enjoy it. He had put so much work into himself the last few weeks that the break was well needed, much deserved and definitely well earned.

At this very moment in time he was laying on his back on a flat rock that laid in the middle of the rapid flowing river. His ocean blue eyes looked up to the sky as he hands were placed under his head for a little bit of comfort. He was using this time to reflect on his past experiences and what had led him here at this very moment today. The young saiyan-demon hybrid was deep in thought, thinking back to his very first memory all the way to where he was now and in all honesty he found himself quite conflicted. When the thought about it he very much did miss the life he used to have, it was definitely more exciting back in the day when he was running with the PTO.

It wasn't that Athren hated his new life but it just wasn't exactly fulfilling to him, if he had to describe it to somebody he wasn't sure he could find the words to do so. You see, he went from a very structured life that he actually liked to a life that didn't have any structure at all. When he ran for the PTO he had missions, assignments and duties to perform and he had a motivation to do it. He missed his squad and his true allies, he missed a majority of it. The only thing he really didn't miss was how he was running all of these assignments for somebody who didn't recognize him enough, who didn't care about his accomplishments. There weren't any bonus' on the pay and at the end of the day, the saiyan's had always been looked down upon, even if they were one of the best squads to be active in the PTO.
It honestly didn't make any sense how lower ranked got rewarded more than the saiyan squad, it was infuriating. Regardless, the squad had now ceased to exist as there had only been two surviving members.

At this point he would've sighed lightly at thought about his day to day life, he wasn't overly happy with it. Sure, he was content and wasn't necessarily complaining but he didn't have an overall goal in his life except for getting stronger and that wasn't enough. He needed something more out of his life, he needed a purpose, a mission. He could become the strongest in the universe and still need a bigger purpose, he needed something and he didn't know where to start. Hell, he didn't know how to start for he felt completely lost with himself.

Deep down this had been a lingering in him for a while, his lack of purpose and lack of a overall goal. He didn't know where he wanted to be by this time next year, hell.. he didn't know where he wanted to be by next week and it was quite annoying. Another light sigh had left his lips. "I could be the strongest person in the universe, yet have absolutely no clue what to do with it." At this point he closed his eyes and thought deeply about it, how sad would his life become if he didn't reach some kind of a goal?

Athren had been so focused on this current train of thought that he didn't even sense a power level nearby, which would've been a first. The saiyan hybrid was always a very attentive one, always paid attention to his surroundings but this time it was just different, he was too lost in thought trying to figure himself out to pay attention to another person that was inbound. Athren's state of mind was almost sad and it was one that he wouldn't easily explain to anybody else. He wasn't exactly the vocal type when it came to his feelings, he never opened up about what was on his mind except for a very select few. There wasn't any point, nobody on Earth had the same experience he had, they couldn't connect to him on the level he would've needed them too.

In all honesty, there were two people left alive in the universe that Athren felt like he could talk to about this problem and neither of them would be so open to having him approach. One thought he was dead and the other let him walk away and go AWOL and he knew deep down that she would've regretted doing that. Of course, he couldn't change the past and there was nothing he could do about it now but he really did wish he could fix his dilemma. Though at this point it was obvious that there wouldn't be any fix for his issue, he'd simply have to wait it out until a moment came to claim a purpose in his life. He didn't know when or how that would happen but he truly hoped that it wouldn't take too long, because he was sick of having no purpose.

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Word Count: 1,004
Heavy Weights: Equipped.

It was factual that it was unusual for Athren to be enjoying the moment and simply relaxing while thinking about the entirety of his life, but it was something that would've been required. For such a long time he had felt uneasy about his decision to come to Earth and the consequences brought on by that action. Being lost wasn't easy, his purpose in life was non-existent and it was something that drove him up a wall. A warrior without a purpose was useless, sure he might've been stuck working on himself daily to become a stronger, better, more well rounded fighter but that wasn't enough. He craved more, he needed more. He needed a purpose for his being and surely there was a lot more for him out in the known universe than being trapped on Earth with no reason for being. It was a complex scenario, one that he wouldn't advertise to anybody if they asked but he knew that he had to figure the issue out sooner or later before it drove him mad, all he needed to wait for was some kind of a sign or opportunity to arise that gave him a way out with meaningful purpose. Whatever the purpose was, he was unsure of but he did believe that something greater for him would have been waiting right around the corner.

There was something about this particular location that made this easier for him as well, the sound of the river flowing calmed his mind to a point where he wasn't necessarily concerned about his future. He was in a state of mind where it concerned him but it wasn't pressing, it was a place that he could think about it without pressure, without forcing himself to do something about it immediately. That had always been one of his flaws, if a problem had occurred he would always try to deal with it instantly instead of awaiting the right time to do it. Emotions, panic and pressure typically had the effect of forcing somebody into a choice and it often led to a terrible decision being made, this was a very common trait for Athren in the past but here? Here, it wasn't worry. The river made him feel like he had ages of time, there was no pressure to decide what he was going to do now and there wasn't any need for a quick, irrational decision. Plus, it was nice that the thought process was stress free.

Given that he was so lost in his thought she had been able to creep up rather close to him without him sensing out her energy, he wasn't concerned and he was in a very calm state. There wasn't a worry in his world right about now, he was in his own head thinking out some of his options. He didn't have time to sense out the area around him because it simply wasn't a concern. Besides, if there had been a threat to him incoming, he knew damn well that he would've picked it up instantly just from the power from the source.

It would've been at this point that he heard somebody mutter to themselves, his eyes slowly opened up as he sat up and looked over in the direction the sound was made. It was clear from the arch of his eyebrow that he couldn't understand a word that she had just said, but that really didn't matter much at this point in time anyway. Though, he was also kind of surprised that he didn't hear her, or sense her coming.

For a brief moment his ocean blue eyes watched as she took a drink from the river. Is that why she had come all this way? He had wondered to himself, surely she couldn't have traveled just for water though, right? This planet had been full of the stuff. Regardless of her reasons, Athren still couldn't get over how quiet she had approached. Then again, his focus was elsewhere which in turn could've left him open for some kind of injury, but that was something he could've worked on in the future. At this point he finally spoke to the girl.

"It's not very often that somebody can sneak up on me like that." He stated in a rather pleasant tone as he remained seated on the rock. "I don't know whether to be impressed, or concerned." At this point he would've shrugged his shoulders lightly, he knew he wasn't good at the whole small talk thing or ice breaking but he would've felt more awkward ignoring her and simply laying back down again. Plus, he would've figured that it'd be a much smarter idea to get her information and why she was here before relaxing again. Athren did have trust issues after all. "What brings you this far up the mountain anyway?" He asked with a arch of the brow again. His eyes scanning her body language for any obvious signs of a threat or lie.

Surely, he assumed that the woman had been no threat to himself. Even if she was, it was highly unlikely that he would believe it or assume it but he always liked to get information. The more situational awareness one presented, the better prepared they could be encase something did in fact, not go accordingly. The more he knew the better and this applied to nearly everything, his environment, those who surrounded him, himself. It all applied to a fight and sometimes would make the clear difference of winning and losing. Now, even though the saiyan hybrid wasn't expecting a fight he always liked to keep himself prepared just in case something actually happened. If he was always ready for anything, then nothing could surprise him and that train of thought was a very important mindset of his being. Of course, even with the preparations and planning, thing could've always went wrong for him but he always wanted to reduce the chance of that risk, because one never knew when trouble would come around:

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Word Count: 1,010
Total Word Count: 2,014

After had had spoken his questions he could immediately tell from her that she wasn't exactly prone to the English language. Her body movements had said it all, plus the fact that she replied in a language he didn't know before digging into a book also helped him come to that conclusion. Regardless of whether she needed to get it from a book or not, she had been trying to talk to him so he figured he'd play along a little bit, after all he didn't have anything to lose and his schedule had been open all day long. He patiently watched as he went through the book and found the proper words to say, though it seemed as if she might've misunderstood he would've replied slowly and carefully as he slowly managed to rise to his feet and stretch out his arms. "Not many can sneak up on me like the way you just did. I didn't sense you, I didn't hear you, and I didn't smell you." Now, the smelling thing might've come across as odd but given Athren's hybrid nature he was given an enhanced sense of smell which was actually quite useful. If he couldn't see somebody or sense them, he could always resort to smelling them out. It was something that he used rarely but odors quite often did hit him before he could hear something coming. He though it was a perk, a blessing but it wasn't one that he typically advertised but in this scenario, why the hell not? He thought it couldn't hurt.

As she went through the book he couldn't help but see her getting annoyed with it, though she didn't tell him her body spoke a million words on the subject. Now, Athren was a professional warrior and had years of experience on reading body language and how to decipher it. Typically, he would look more for how a muscle twitched to expect an attack but he also got fairly good at emotions. Typically, frustrated people would tense up while happy people would seem more loose fitted, jumpy, etc. This was a skill that took him years to gain but it helped him in a various amounts of scenarios throughout his long career of slaughtering innocents. In this case though, it was virtually useless except to pick up the minor details such as her annoyance with the book. Upon hearing her answer he couldn't help but cross his arms firmly and arch his right brow again, it was such a broad answer that didn't really explain to much. He couldn't help but wonder why she was seeking nature, sure it might've been lovely but to have that as a goal? It wouldn't have made sense to a fighter like himself, seeking nature? The hell did that even mean.

At this point Athren would've nodded his head as he understood what she had said, though he didn't understand the concept behind it. "Seeking nature?" He would've asked as he slowly lifted off the ground and hovered over to her. "If you're seeking nature.." He said this as his head shifted around and his beautiful ocean blue eyes scanned the environment. "You found it, though.. I'm curious as to why you're seeking nature? Surely you've got some kind of goal in life that's better than that, right?"
Given that she appeared to be on the young side he assumed she would've been full of hopes and dreams, maybe they would've been unrealistic but he would've heard them out anyway.

Thinking back, he remembered when he was younger and in his late teens and how his hopes and dreams were wildly bizarre. It wasn't that they weren't possible, they were just really far fetched. He had always dreamed of becoming the most powerful warrior in the universe but that was something a kid had thought of, Athren didn't actually think that was possible but he knew he could match the top tiered fighters of the PTO and that was something that was extremely important to him, mostly because he would have to do that when the time came to fight them. If he couldn't do it, surely he'd die and that wasn't exactly an ending that he would accept. He had to live by his code, 'the strong survive while the weak perish' and to do that, he'd need to be at least stronger than those that wanted to harm him. That was a realistic goal in his mind and one that he was hopefully close to obtaining.

When he had landed next to her, he had hoped that she wasn't concerned or worried about him being a threat. Sure, Athren wasn't opposed to slaughtering hundreds or thousands of innocents but that was a thing to do at the work place, not here, not without a reason. He very much understood how he could be a brutal looking warrior and his appearance did reflect his personality when it came to having the heart of a warrior, but he had hoped he was getting across nothing to her but positive, welcoming vibes. Sure, it might've been a fact that he wasn't being extremely formal or super friendly but he was trying to be quite restraint with his words and he was also trying very hard to welcome this whole scenario. Given that he was typically a loner, talking to strangers was often something that he had found extremely difficult to do. It wasn't necessarily that he couldn't get along with people, it was more of the fact that he simply didn't want too. You see, he was attached to a handful of people before and most of them had died right in front of his eyes, the ones who didn't he had to abandon. It was hard for him to get over that 'attachment causes weakness' mindset but he was working on it slowly and surely, he just had to watch how involved he got in the strangers lives and watch how much he let them in his, because he never knew who could've been targeting him.

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Word Count: 1,013
Total Word Count: 3,027

Athren had picked up on the fact that she wasn't overly knowledgeable on his language but he wasn't in a position to make it easier on her, the simple fact of the matter was that his people skills did indeed suck. He wasn't one for communication and he wasn't really one for socializing either. He was a warrior type, strong and silent and that's the way he always was. Now, if he knew how to make things easier for her he would've tried but that just didn't seem to be an option at this point. He observed her carefully with every single word that he spoke, he wanted to read her body language to see just how much of it that she actually understood and for the most part she had seemed to be doing okay. She had huffed and he simply arched his brow, her cheeks had filled with hot air before she started to flip through her pages once more. He watched her carefully, observing for any signs that could help him help her but there weren't any there that he could've picked up on. Man, he really sucked at this kind of thing. In an instant she had vanished and appeared behind him but he didn't take it as a threat, he didn't move a muscle and he remained extremely calm. Hearing her giggle he just assumed that she was having fun, therefore he found no need to worry. At this point, he couldn't help but comment as he was almost jealous of that ability. If he had something like that in his arsenal, it would've came in handy for sure! "Shit, that's one hell of a technique you've got there.." He complimented it, whether she had understood it or not might've been a different story though.

When he had made the effort to approach her and get closer she had made it obvious that she was still being cautious around him. It made sense, he was a complete stranger that couldn't even communicate with her properly. It was an odd situation that could spell danger, especially for her considering that he was a saiyan warrior. He kept his ocean blues on her at this point and raised both his hands up, his palms open and facing her. "You don't have to worry about me, alright?" At this point he tried his best to smile, though it would've been awkward as all hell. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" He spoke slowly and softly, trying his best to pass the point that he wasn't a threat to her in the slightest. Maybe slowly he was learning how to better approach this situation, maybe he was better at this than he had originally thought. Time would tell.

At this point he watched her again as she flipped through her pages, it didn't take her too long this time to come up with a solid sentence. She was doing quite well given the fact that she was literally reading from a book. Though he couldn't believe what she had said, she was sent here to die? He shook his head briefly as his right eyebrow arched up curiously once more. "Sent here to die..?" He paused for a moment as he rubbed his chin. "Why?" He then thought of an idea, maybe it was somebody strong that he could've fought. "Is somebody trying to hurt you..? I mean, I might be able to help.." He said this sternly, though he wasn't doing it for her per-say, more just so he could fight somebody.

It didn't take long for the roles to be reversed, for he went from asking the questions to receiving them and he really didn't mind this at all, it was a new experience for him after all and he was almost enjoying it. "I enjoy nature, it does get me away from other people.. and out of the boxes." He couldn't help but chuckle lightly here as a smirk crossed his face, he assumed that she meant houses. It was in this point that he tried to explain to her what he was doing out here. "Plus, I'm a fighter.." At this point he took a playful fighting stance and threw a couple slow fists in the air. "I come out here to train a lot, where nobody bothers me and I can't accidentally destroyed those.. 'boxes'." He said this with a reassuring smile as he observed her once more.

She had seemed to relax just a little bit more, she had taken a seat on the riverside and dipped her toes in the water. It appeared as if his friendly attitude had proven to her that he wasn't a threat. It was then that she began to sing or hum something in her native tongue, he didn't understand a single word of it but it did sound relatively good considering. Though there was definitely something about the sound of her native tongue, he had felt like he had heard it before but he couldn't identify where. He couldn't even think of a place of origin, at this point in time he couldn't help but assume that it was off on some distant world while conquering planets. Surely, it must've been from a race that he slaughtered while they were begging for his life. Of course, this was just his assumption when the fact was that he had multiple encounters with his father that he didn't quite remember well enough. They would've felt like a dream to him, they were something that just seemed so unreal that he thought it didn't even happen. Truth be told, if Athren was told he was half demon he wouldn't believe it even for a second. He was a full blooded saiyan in his own mind and he was all his life, he wasn't anything different. He was raised as a saiyan and he was going to die like a saiyan, that's exactly how Athren would live his life.

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Word Count: 1,000
Total Word Count: 4,027

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She had been doing really well understanding him for the most part and he had been rather impressed by it all, the girl had appeared to be a quick learner and Athren couldn't help but smile faintly at that. In a way, she reminded him of himself slightly. It was the fact that he was once a strange creature on a new planet, with no friends, no allies, no knowledge of how the place worked and dangers everywhere around him yet he dug deep and quickly adapted to his new surroundings. He got used to the world he lived on and made the best of it, he dug deep and fought through the new things that he wasn't sure he could handle. Now, we weren't talking a physical fight but the fight that was inside him when he arrived. He had conflicted feelings about it but he didn't give up on himself, hell.. even today with his self conflictions.. he stayed strong and continued to push through them, he kept trying to find his purpose even thought it had always seemed as hopeless as ever. He wasn't sure what he could've done to solve the problem, but he was working on it. Just like this girl was working on herself. He smiled reassuringly at her when she had given the curtsy, she was definitely more mannered than he was. So she had that going for her, that was for sure.

Athren had picked up her distancing from himself, she had always insured that she was just out of striking range. He could tell she was intelligent just from that, she was trying to be friendly yet being cautious at the same time and the fact that she hesitated to trust him, showed she was all about self preservation and Athren could've listed off countless times when he had to think like that. Even the day he left the PTO, it was all about self preservation. It was in this moment that she started to rant in more of her native tongue, it was complete nonsense to Athren but he simply just rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to rudely cut her off so he tried to listen and as he listened, he looked for obvious body language to maybe help identify what she was trying to say. Though, there wasn't anything that could help him decipher that message. So, instead he was going to wait patiently until she translated her own words into english for him and surely, he wouldn't have to wait long. She had finally translated it and he couldn't help but nod his head, he completely agreed.

"Your father is right. Human's fear what they don't know, it's a natural instinct that's.. rather unfair.. but that's just the way the universe works, but they aren't so different from you or I.." At this point he pointed to the distance between them. "You're standing just out of range for a purpose, self preservation.. for humans, Killing their threat is their best method of self preservation because the truth is.. You never wound what you can't kill." He shrugged his shoulders now as he ocean blues stayed locked onto hers, he really did hope she'd understand the point he was trying to make. Human's weren't bad creatures and he did see quite a bit of kindness from their end, but they all weren't like that. Though when it came down to it, they'd do whatever they could to spare their own lives with the exception of a few.

She had smiled at him once again upon his statement about enjoying the world, and he liked that. He liked it because she was showing happiness and she seemed innocent enough, she had just seemed lost and he had known the feeling for all too long. Hell, she even started to sing. Though, Athren's fighting pose changed everything. She instantly moved away in a blur, her positioning was across the water at this point and he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. She had a look of horror on her face as she looked to him, he didn't like this look but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. She had started to form two purple blasts in her hands, she was ready to defend herself if necessary. Clearly, she didn't understand that he was just trying to communicate.

At this point Athren raised both his hands up, his palms facing her. He was trying to display once more that he didn't mean her any harm, there was no intentions of hurting her. "I was just playing around, Relax.. Alright?" he said this confidently, he knew he was capable of taking whatever blasts she had tossed his way but he didn't want it to come to that because he wasn't aware what extent she'd take this too if she really thought he was a serious threat. "Just.. Calm down." He wanted to avoid this, because if they ended up fighting over it he might've hurt her and that wasn't something he wanted. He didn't have anything against her, she wasn't his enemy, she wasn't a target and she had basically looked quite innocent.

Though, if it really did come down to it Athren would do whatever he had to do to avoid getting himself hurt. He wouldn't restrain himself on her behalf if she was actually trying to cause him some serious harm, and even if he didn't like it he would kill her if necessary. The thing was, Athren had killed countless like her before while he was on assignments and missions, but that was in the past and at the time necessary. He didn't want to repeat that part of his life, not now, and not here. Not like this, this situation just wasn't turning out to be the best, though he had to try and save it, he had to try and turn it around and once again convince her that he wasn't a threat.

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Word Count: 1,000
Total Word Count: 4,027
Heavy Weights: Equipped.

Once more, she had gone through her book. Flipping the pages rapidly and Athren just waited and watched patiently, he didn't want to interrupt her considering she probably needed to focus on what she was going, plus if he said anything else she might've got confused by trying to figure out two things at once. Regardless, he awaited her soft speaking tone and she claimed she didn't understand what he had said, though in her statement it reinforced his point. "That's exactly it. They wounded you because they couldn't kill you and in turn, you killed them." He crossed his arms firmly against his chest at this point as he spoke, explaining himself slowly. "That's why you don't wound what you cannot kill, because you'll wind up dead." At this point his shoulders shrugged slowly, hoping she had understood what he was trying to say.

He watched her cautiously, regardless of their power level differences he really didn't want to start dodging attacks form this girl. That wasn't a situation he wanted to be put into, because it could've turned to life or death and he didn't exactly feel like dying today, that wasn't a thing he was going to let happen. Though, a sigh of relief came as she snuffed out her attacks. She drifted sideways as he watched her carefully, she glared coldly for a while and her eyes even flickered. He shook his head as she spoke about how he got into fight mode. "That.. That wasn't fight mode." He shrugged his shoulders. "That was communication." He explained as he remained standing firm, his arms still crossed against his chest.

He watched as she had now crossed her arms, it appeared that she wasn't interested in taking this conversation any further and in a way, it wasn't necessarily a bad idea. He could get out of there now and completely avoid any further incidence that he didn't want to risk. Though, she had appeared to tense up and he picked this up, she was getting angry. Athren's right brow arched, he was preparing for something to come his way. Just the way she was talking and the language her body was speaking, braced him for some kind of attack that he'd have to dodge. "By playing, I meant kidding, as in.. It wasn't serious. I was trying to demonstrate what I was speaking." he explained this, he was completely on his toes and ready.

The fact was that he really didn't know what she was capable of but he really didn't like this, Athren was typically the first to throw a punch in this situation and instigate it further but this time.. it just didn't make sense. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want it to go there. "Just.. Calm down." He said again trying to de-escalate the situation. Whether it would've worked or not was up to her. Though he tried to explain himself further. "I really don't want to fight you, or hurt you." At this point Athren took a minor leap back, putting even more distance between them. This should've been a very clear indicator that he meant what he had said.

Even though Athren had created even more distance and her energy blasts went away, he was still on the lookout, he was ready and prepared for anything. After all, he spent his entire life in life threatening situations. He had more experience than most with this kind of thing and he might've even dubbed himself a professional and the fact that he was here to have that thought, meant it must've been true. He fought opponents of all levels and nobody had even managed to put him into the ground, with all the sneak attacks, cheap shots, gang attacks, nobody could kill him. Surely, he could handle himself just find here if she did decided to attack.

"If you don't believe me, I'll just go." At this point he clenched his fist slightly, it wasn't because he was angry at her, it wasn't because he was looking for a fight but because he couldn't believe the next words that were about to come out of his mouth. It wasn't something he ever imagined he'd say in a thousand years, they weren't the words of a saiyan, they weren't the words of a true warrior. "I'd rather that, than a fight right now." It was mind blowing, he didn't know what caused this shift in attitude but he knew he was slowly becoming softer and softer. He assumed it had something to do with the planet and his time here.

This lifestyle change was something that he was really starting to regret, he needed to get back into his old mindset quickly though he wasn't sure how but he knew he needed it, he craved it. It was something that was deep in his roots, it pulsed through his veins, the urge and itch to fight was ever so present but yet it was slowly being concealed. It wasn't causing it ever chance he got, he found himself using his words more and more every single day to avoid it. Sure, when he had little assignments he took it differently and did what he had to do but there was a purpose behind all of that. They weren't just random brawls in the middle of nowhere, they were a pay day, or had some kind of significant benefit to his life.. Whether it be material items or money, he got something from that but here and now, in this moment there wasn't anything to gain from fighting. He shook his head, trying to snap out of his way of thinking. Regardless, he awaited her action and was prepared to leave. If she had something else to say, he would've heard her out and responded but if she had nothing more to add to it, he was going to blast off into the sky quickly because he needed to sort himself out.

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Word Count: 1,000
Total Word Count: 5,027
Heavy Weights: Equipped.

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