So this is when Gladio is gone and Episode Gladio is taking place. I like the implication that they wanted Cor to join up with them since Gladio was leaving, but they say ‘he’s busy helping the hunters’ as if they don’t know he’s with Gladio.
And they probably don’t, in Episode Gladio, Cor says this:
So maybe Cor never said Gladio called him or he’s spending time with Gladio. The helping the hunters thing could be a lie. Ignis said ‘as I understand it’ so it’s not clear, even to Ignis.
The ink is solid black, and has not faded much, although the book itself is dusty. It sits, hidden inside one of his desks at home, although it’s thick with photos and other items.
There is a photo at the front, a young woman, holding a baby, and a smaller boy trying to stand on his own two feet, but clinging to her dress. She looks happy. She has a bright blue cape, and long shining crown. Beside her, a Crownsguard standing with his hands at his side, back straight. Not smiling. His badges show he’s a brigadier general. He’s wearing a beret. At his side is a long sleek katana.
…
732 M.E. June 8th
Sylva is sick. I’ve requested an extension on my stay at Fenestala Manor in Tenebrae. Just received confirmation. Two month extension will be permitted. Sylva is against it, but all the same, she’s set up lodgings for me within her household. I’ve gone from one-star general to Oracle babysitter.
732 M.E. June 17th
Ravus is the boy’s name. Lunafreya is the baby girl. The baby will be one in September. Ravus has already turned five. The baby is quiet usually, and in Maria’s hands. Ravus follows me around a lot. Sylva has been bedridden, and I have been going between Fenestala and the camp. One of the refugees is very infected, but Sylva cannot heal them like this. A couple have died from other mild infections. Need to bury them soon.
732 M.E. June 19th
Tenebraean people usually do cremation. Not a lot of land, and it’s dangerous to dig on floating rocks. I’m still not very used to being here. Just sat there, watching the bodies burn, holding some little girl. Don’t know her name. Once the pyre’s stop burning, they push the ashes into the river with a broom. And then it’s gone.
732 M.E. June 26th
Sylva left the manor, even like this, just to go to the refugee camp without a military escort. I guess she knows I would’ve held her back. She was there at 3am and we found her around 11am. She’s looking really greyish and dark, and tired. I led her back home. She almost fell of the bridge. I might have to work on security to make sure she doesn’t leave again. She’s going to get herself killed.
732 M.E. July 1st
She said she was healthy, and I believed her. Just a few moments ago I was holding her hair back, while she vomited out blood, and this horrible black bile. I don’t know what to do. This is beyond me. Looks like starscourge. Isn’t it the Oracle’s job to clean it? Is it inside her? Maybe she just needs to rest, and it’ll go away.
732 M.E. July 3rd
It will never go away. Sylva said so herself.
732 M.E. July 7th
Ravus hid behind me while we started to burn more bodies. It’s a long process. The smell of burning hair is terrible. Ravus would hide and bury his face in my side. He’s afraid of fire. I told him not to follow me. I wish he didn’t have to see it. I took him home but he started crying. I’ve seen too many children watching, I forget he isn’t used to it. I hope he doesn’t have to see it again.
732 M.E. July 10th
My return date comes closer, but I still am at a loss with what to do about the refugees and with Sylva. I find her working with them at night. Does she ever sleep? I can’t really tell anymore. Did she always look so exhausted? Buying makeup for her, seeing her cover her face, hide all that behind a mask. Is this what it’s always been like for an Oracle? Or is this my fault? Should I be taking refugees from Ueltham like this? I don’t know what’s the right thing to do anymore.
732 M.E. July 15th
It’s a picture of Cor and Sylva sitting in Fenestala Manor. She looks exhausted, black veins going up her neck, and Cor is feeding her soup. Ravus is sitting at the foot of the bed, and Lunafreya in her crib. It looks like a family photo. There’s one note.
Spill it. How much of a hand did you have in Prompto's Crownsguard training? What was he like to teach? Was he a fast learner?
My muse has just taken a Truth Potion, send “Spill it” plus a question and they will answer.
“I volunteered personally to do it.” Cor replied, teeth gritting when he realized the answer he knew might slip out. “I... I had a feeling. He would be good at guns. Niflheim tech. He would take to them... better than anyone else. He was in for a rough couple of months, and I knew either they would be too gentle, and he wouldn’t learn anything, or they’d be too harsh and he would get hurt. It was a specific time frame, and a specific training.” Cor sighed soft.
“He was the fasted learner I ever had. He had to be, if he wanted to leave with Noctis on the trip. He would train for hours each day, and show up sore the next morning. Sometimes he fell asleep on the bench outside the training room, and I’d bring him a blanket and lay him down so he could get some rest. He’s very strong, you know? His muscles are much more pronounce than Noctis’s...” Cor blinked.
“I was right about the Niflheim tech. He took very well to it. I wasn’t surprised. I figure that would be good. I assumed that the trip wouldn’t be long, they’d go to Altissia and come back and then... everything else happened, and I realized why Regis had such high qualifications for anyone who was going to go with Noctis... I’m glad I taught Prompto as much as I could, but he still had some nervousness while fighting. I knew that only experience got rid of nerves, so there wasn’t much I could do.”
Cor thought for a while. What was Prompto like to teach? Other than a fast learner... “I think he had a crush on me.” Cor spoke all of a sudden. If he wasn’t so drugged by this potion he would’ve covered his face saying so. “I had to hold him, his arms, pull his shoulders back, hold his stomach, grab his hips -- I wasn’t trying to hit on him or anything, it’s just that the field... it’s very physical, so, I have to be tactile -- and he’d turn pink and look away from me... I tried to be professional about it, so I didn’t address it. I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed, but still... it was flattering. To think someone was attracted to me, even after seeing me up close. And seeing me work -- still, I think knowing he might’ve liked me actually made it hard to criticize him. Not that I stopped. He still had a few sloppy shots, and he still jumped, and made mistakes. He needed correcting. It wasn’t the time to be flirty. It never is. I’m not exactly someone who is going to flirt to begin with.”
“I came close... to telling him where he came from. He hid his barcode from me. Most people don’t know what it means, but I do... and I... wondered if I should’ve told him, but I didn’t want to ruin his mood about going to Altissia... so I never did.”
Spill it + "Are you ashamed of your Doman heritage?"
My muse has just taken a Truth Potion, send “Spill it” plus a question and they will answer.
“I pretended I wasn’t Doman.” Cor replied simply. He would’ve been shocked someone even asked, but, the potion kept those nerves calm, instead he was just going to share. “After the Trial of Gilgamesh, they looked into my background and found out that I was not the age I said I was, and not an orphan, like I claimed. They made fun of me for being half-blooded Lucian. King Mors called me a “Doman” for a while instead of my actual name...” He clenched his jaw. “They called me Shogun, usually, that one stuck for a while. Fushi Shogun.” Cor shrugged. “I pretended it didn’t bother me.”
“My mother was a stunt actress. Doman people ‘do computer stuff and martial arts’.” He quoted with some tone of voice. “They didn’t think I was strong, but King Mors did... since I was the only one who survied Gilgamesh. So I was put on security detailing. For King Mors personally. I was on the same rank as Lucian High Guards... they said I cheated. No way a Doman could get in without cheating.” Cor blinked.
“Mors taught me about Lady Fukuryu -- the Rogue Queen, is what she’s usually called. She was a Doman Queen, and when the Lucian King died, she took over. She suffered, because people didn’t trust her, and she had to hide, away from the public and the place she called home for so long. Her blade, the shuriken, causes more damage than any other Royal Arm. Do you know why? Because Doman’s are weak to magic. So her pain is transferred to anyone who wields her armiger. I too am weak to magic. I didn’t know why until then.”
“I don’t know how to feel. Getting this far wasn’t because I was Doman. If they knew, I think I never would’ve been put in the Crownsguard. But there’s a lot about the Doman’s that the Lucian people aren’t taught. Involving their own country’s history. I still feel ashamed when it gets brought up...” He clenched his jaw. “But I know it’s a part of myself. I wouldn’t be carrying this if I didn’t know that --” He summoned Kikuichimonji for a second, then lets it disappear. “I’m not ashamed of being Doman.” He finally answered. “I’m ashamed of letting the people around me make me feel like there was something wrong with that.”
Cor stood in the empty kitchen staring down at the dining room table. Thin blue light coming through the window over the sink, shining on the chrome polish. He adjusted his shoulder bag, holding the suitcase by the handle. There was a plastic bag full of crumpled up paper, from the typewriter sitting in his room. He covered it with a plastic sheet. He made his bed, cleaned up the house, packed away his old toy cars that had been collecting dust, and other action figures.
It felt heartless, but every time he wrote something more heartfelt, he started regretting everything. So it had to be lifeless. He quietly looked into his mothers room, it smelt like her perfume, and she lay sleeping. The ruined side of her face, which hadn’t ever been fixed since the accident, she usually sleeps with that side of her face up. Angry patch of red skin that runs down her side and jaw, taking most of her ear, some of her nose, and her eyebrow no longer grew there. She’s still asleep. She’s a heavy sleeper. He knows, he relied on it to quietly pack his bags, and hide everything under his bed.
Cor set a snow globe on the paper, just to make sure it didn’t blow off the table. He takes the bag of papers, and throws it in a dumpster down the road, so his mother wont find all his attempts to write his letter. Cor adjusts his beret, and drags his suitcase. He heads down the block, and climbs onto the bus, onto the three hour bus ride to Leide.
Mom,
If you feel like selling the toys and my typewriter, I don’t mind. I won’t be using them anymore. If it makes some extra gil, you can also rent out my room to people. I’ll be okay. I have my own room now.
I know you always apologize, that we can’t live like we used to. You would apologize every day when I helped you in the hospital. When they told you you might not walk again, you acted really strong, but I know you were devastated. Your job was your life, you didn’t know what to do when you lost it. I used to pretend to be asleep on the couch in your hospital room so you could cry. I remember. It’s okay. I’m not mad. I was never mad with you. I was just sorry I couldn’t do anything.
Well. Now I can.
I’ll be in a basic training camp out in Leide by tomorrow. I applied and tested into the Crownsguard. I didn’t tell you because I know you’d be scared. Once I pass basic training, I’ll be moving to the Intelligence Center, out in Keycatrich. It won’t be that far from home. I’ll call as often as I can.
They don’t know that I’m not 18. I have no intention of telling them. If you try to pull me out, they won’t believe you. Registration has been convinced I’m a orphan. Please don’t come after me. I packed up all the gil I made from my paper route, and I’ll be using it to pay for everything. Don’t worry about it. I’ll send half my paycheck to you each month. I have no intentions of quitting. I’m not failing training. I’m not coming home. Don’t expect otherwise.
You’ve been through enough. I hope this will lighten the load. It’s about time I pull my own weight.
Send 📖 to read my muse’s diary: Bonus points if it’s about your muse
The book is ancient, pages are yellow and brittle, they crack closer to the center. It’s covered in stains on some pages, dried brown spots that look like blood, or coffee, it’s hard to tell. It smells musty too, and the words are written in pencil, which only faded more over time. It’s so hard to read, but, it’s possible.
735 M.E. October 8th.
Aulea and Regis had a baby. I wasn’t there to see him. Just like with Clarus and his son. His name is Noctis. Noctis Lucis Caelum. We have no powerlines out here, no phones, so it’s just word of mouth. Might be a lie, but, I don’t think my own soldiers would lie to me.
The rest of the pages for October are covered in blood.
735 M.E. November 17th
I’m still coughing up blood. I need to get this checked. Sent out the last body bag to the checkpoint. Heavy losses in the attack. People are losing their toes. The cold is unbearable in Ueltham. Isn’t there a proverb about invading Niflheim in the winter? I don’t know. I wonder if Regis is trying to kill me.
735 M.E. November 18th
The coughing is unbearable. There’s blood on everything now. I need to find help. Think doctors in Gralea would taken in a sick Lucian? I have to do something.
735 M.E. November 23rd
Met a doctor in a village outside Ueltham. Welcomed me in. Convinced him I’m a news reporter from Lucis. He said I need to be careful. There’s attacks on invading Lucian troops. I guess he lives close enough to the border to know the truth. Said there’s a better doctor up north. Gave me some pills. Need to head out.
735 M.E. November 25th
He tried to kill me. The pills were sedatives. There’s no doctor up North. There’s no anything up North. I wandered for miles. I wasn’t thinking straight. Of course he could tell. The Bio-blaster poison the Niffs infected us with isn’t cured with normal antidote. He could tell. He could tell I was infected with it. He could tell I was in the attack.
A woman in black found me. I thought she was an angel, but she gave me frost bite instead. She was freezing to the touch. She said Sylva sent her. The Oracle, I assume. Her name is Gentiana. Said it wasn’t my time yet. I wonder if I was hallucinating. I really need a doctor, but everything is trying to kill me. That doctor wanted me dead.
Can I blame him?
735 M.E. December 2nd
Argentum and Aventus were sent into Zegnautus. They’re horrified. I can see it in their eyes. I’ve ordered them to go back home. Argentum doesn’t want to. She can’t describe what she saw. People. Lots of people. Warehoused. Dying. I don’t understand it myself. She said she has to save them. She has to. She refuses to leave. I need all the soldiers I can get. I guess she’s staying.
735 M.E. December 7th
Turned 25 today. Nothing of relevance to report. Attack on Zegnautus will commence soon.
The rest of the journal is singed off including the back of the cover. It leaves an ash residue even to this day.
Send 📖 to read my muse’s diary: Bonus points if it’s about your muse
The spy would find no real diary in the living room, most of the journals were hidden in boxes in his closet, or, at best, in the bookshelf in his bedroom. Today that bedroom door he’d made sure to lock it. Rummaging around useless medical papers about the effects of certain medicine would prove to procure a different kind of diary. A C.D. laying abandon among some of Cor’s medical paperwork. Simply labelled. “Interview 2 -740.3.28” The disc is scratched in some places, but, still working, still playable.
Track 1 -
Can you tell me the date?
A woman’s voice picks up first, always responded to with Cor’s unusually stiff tone. He usually has some feeling to his words, but he sounds so… nervous?
March twenty-eighth.
Year?
Seven-forty. Modern Era.
Can you tell me your name?
Cor Leonis.
Occupation?
Crownsguard, Two-star General.
So you’re still working there?
Yes.
Can you tell me why you came here today?
Silence on his end.
Do you remember what happened today? One year ago?
Yes…
His voice is tight already.
What hap–
I was imprisoned. Against my will. In Zegnautus.
So robotic. He sounds disjointed. The sound of writing. Not much else.
Maybe you feel… more willing to talk about what happened?
I don’t.
Then why are you here?
You called me.
I call all the time, Mr. Leonis. You never answer.
I felt different today.
Why?
Shuffling. Cor moves around in his seat. The chair is creaking.
I visited it.
It?
It.
Elaborate, Mr. Leonis.
You know what I mean.
There’s a loud thud in the recording. The doctor tapping the recording device with her finger, right on the microphone.
Elaborate.
I visited their cenotaph.
He’s starting to sound upset. Pissed off.
What’d you do?
Left flowers.
That’s it?
What the fuck was I supposed to do?
Leonis.
A sigh. Everyone sounds tense.
Nevermind. I can’t do this today. Goodbye.
Leonis!
Goodbye.
The sound of a wooden chair sliding against tile floors. Some papers shuffle. Cor slams the door shut. The track ends abruptly.
Track 2 -
A much more subdued tone, there’s a quiet sound of writing.
Can you tell me the date?
… March twenty-ninth, seven-forty, modern era – look. I’m sorry.I just. Lost it… I shouldn’t have come by yesterday.
It’s all right Mr. Leonis… I’m surprised you came back.
I need to… talk about it.
That’s what I’m here for.
I… I don’t know where to start.
How about the beginning?
I already told you the beginning.
Tell me it again.
… Okay.
A long pause. Another sigh.
It wasn’t the first time weinfiltrated Zegnautus. It had changed since the last time. We had a tip.Information on how to get to the Emperor. How to cut through the facility withoutdetection. Not only that, but a way to trace where all the ranking generalswere coming and going. So we went in to secure it.
Writing scribbled in thebackground. It stops, and it seems to be a sign for him to go on.
I was careless. It was myfault. The scientist that tipped us off was on our side, but the guardsweren’t. Diane killed one of them. Shot him. They knocked us out. Shot me inthe knee, and in my arm –
A sound of fabric shuffling.
Knocked me out. Woke up in acell. All of us were in one. Facing each other. It was dark. There was nolight. No windows. You could hear… daemons. In the other cells. They strappedme to a bed, cuffed my hands, they took everything we had and I—
An exhale, shaky, his voiceis starting to crack, so he cleared his throat.
Leonis, stay with me.
… it only gets worse.Should I keep going?
That’s up to you.
…
A long minute of silence. Soundslike the C.D. is stuck. Then he finally speaks again.
They knew… that I was apart of Regis’s “inner” group. Wanted to know. About the crystal. About the Ring.Something about the Six – I, I don’t really know. What they were talking about.They didn’t give a shit about my team’s intel. They wanted me.
There was an electronicsealed door. It would beep. Once, then three times before it opened. Outsidethe door, you went down a hallway, then a left, then they took you in a roomand – and –
He’s choking on his words.Breathing heavy. The chair creaks as he shifts around in it.
They had syringes. Knives.Defibrillators. Medical supplies. These metal cuffs. They – they used it. Allof it.
Cor…
She sounds different,genuinely upset, because Cor’s voice is breaking more and more.
I didn’t tell them. I broke.When they broke me I still lied. Sent soldiers after soldier to dead ends. Ithought I could outlast it. I was right, but I wish I wasn’t.
They knew that I hadsomething important. They knew they didn’t want me dead. The doctors, and themilitary, they wanted to know what I knew. Just me. My team… they didn’tknow anything. But that didn’t stop them. Since I wouldn’t break, they wouldtake me and one of them, and then they… and then they…
Cor finally freezes up,hyperventilating, clawing the chair so hard you can hear the fabric pluckingunder his fingernails. He couldn’t continue. The doctor finished his sentencefor him.
They tortured them. And thenthey made you watch.
…M-Mhm.
Silence. Then a sob breaksfree. It’s a wretched noise. Cor’s crying is such a raw and weak noise, sofilled with trembling and pain. The sound of tissues coming out of a box, andthe doctor’s chair rolling outward.
Cor. Cor. Take a breath.Breathe. Here.
I’m—I’m sorry.
Don’t be. Cor. Let’s take abreak. Okay?
…
Cor? Is that okay?
Okay.
Track 3 –
Sorry, hospital lunches areall shit.
I noticed.
You sure you still want tocontinue?
… Yes.
You’ve made a lot of progresstoday. If you want to come back tomorrow. Maybe you should rest.
No. If I… I need to keeppushing…
He gives a long shaky sigh,fabric rustling while he tries to sit properly in the chair.
If I don’t… I don’t knowwhen I’ll open up again. Might be tomorrow. Might be another year.
I see where you’re comingfrom, but… you need to pace yourself. I don’t want you to overwhelmyourself.
I want to think I can handleit. I’m still here, right? And they aren’t. So I… I have to say something.For them.
…All right. For them.
A pen clicking. Some papershuffling, the crinkle of a plastic bag as she discards the rest of an uneatenlunch in a trash bin. Cor waits.
Should I jog your memoryagain?
No. I remember. They wouldtake Diane and the others. Take me with them. They—
A shaky breath.
Cor—
They destroyed them.
His voice is suddenly louder,clearer.
They took a sledgehammer, anddestroyed her feet, destroyed his hands. They beat him. Crushed bones, sprayedpoison until we were bleeding from everywhere. Diane –
The chair is creaking, hardbreathing, but he’s not crying.
Who is Diane, Cor?
… She died last. She diedafter 64 days. Died in her sleep. Lucky thing… She was exhausted… shekept telling me. Every time. Every time they took her. Don’t break. Don’t tellthem. Don’t let them in. The last thing she told me… was not…
Another sigh.
“Even if it saves my life. Don’tbreak. Don’t let this break you.”
The doctor is silent, nowriting, Cor’s voice is so filled with grief, even when he tries sopathetically to hide that.
A Crownsguard’s job is tolive to guard and protect the King, and die to protect him further. And I knewnothing but that. That’s all I am.
You didn’t break.
Her voice, it’s like all theair has been sucked out of her.
No. I didn’t. They hadnothing left to break me with than myself… they left their bodies in thecells across from me. In all that blood and piss and vomit and – So… so I just,I just watched them rot—
Cor stood up suddenly.
Cor, here—
She lifts the trash can tohim, but he pushes it away. He heaves, but doesn’t throw up.
I need to go outside.
There’s a bathroom down thehall. Cor, let’s sit in the courtyard, this office is too… confined.
You think? Why don’t you havewindows?
Let’s go outside. Let me movemy things, and let’s go outside.
Track 4 –
The sound of wind hitting themicrophone is prominent, but Cor sounds different. His hands are scrubbed raw,but that’s not something that comes over on the C.D. just that he’s wringingthem so hard in his gloves. The doctor gives a sigh, but she’s done asking Corif he needs to stop. This is the farthest he’s come in an entire year.
You need to remind yourselfthat you’re free. That you’re not there anymore.
That’s why I need to gooutside.
You still go out on recon?
Yeah. I just… I justrealized, we shouldn’t be talking about this outside, should we?
… To hell with it.
She’s not writing anymore.Just listening to him. Holding the recording device close to her lap.
I still do recon. Still workwith the Crownsguard. I don’t know how to do anything else. I can’t stay in anoffice, or a meeting, I don’t stay in rooms where there aren’t windows, not forvery long.
What do you dream about?
Them. Just them. Sometimes it’swhat happened to me. But… it’s almost always them. Sometimes it’s thingsthat happened a long time ago, but I. I still remember.
When you were… when you werealone. Do you remember what happened?
I lost count of the days.Didn’t want to keep track anymore. They talked about destroying my body a lot.My face. They tried, but the generals would get upset if I started to look unrecognizable.. . Said they wanted Lucians to recognize my face when they paraded the corpsearound.
A sigh.
I died twice. The doctorstold me. One time they had to defibrillate me. Another time, they had to dosurgery, because someone had crushed my windpipe, and I started to suffocate.They put a – a pipe in me.
An endotracheal pipe. Iremember. I replaced it when you came here.
That was just before theyfound me.
So, that’s why you couldn’tspeak for a couple days.
Yeah.
You healed quiteconsiderably, some people never sound the same after that injury.
People told me my voicesounds a bit different but… I can’t really tell, myself. The doctor inZegnautus was using the best he could afford.
… was he, was he beingkind to you?
No. He just wanted to. Theyaren’t used to keeping people alive and saving them in there, so, he said thebest equipment gets passed up. He was the one keeping my team from dying, butsometimes he wasn’t there when they… when they did it.
Would he get upset? When yourteam started to…
No. He was concerned withkeeping me alive. Just me. He revived Jacob a few times but… that was…
Cor. Breathe.
An inhale. A slow exhale.
You’re free Cor. Yousurvived.
I know.
But I don’t think you do. You’restill there. Mentally. You go back there. You can’t. Cor, there’s nothing leftfor you there.
I know!
His voice broke again, and hesinks into his seat, hand covering his face and muffling his voice.
You have to adjust. It’sgonna take a long time, Cor. But I know you can.
Haven’t I adjusted enough?
If you really thought thatwould you have come here today?
Silence on his end. Hewhispers one last thing to her, but it gets lost in the wind.
Track 5 –
So. Let’s just do theconclusion out here. First, this is just for you. I want you to give yourself aregimen, one that includes free time. I want you to find a hobby. I don’t wantyou in bed. The longer you stay there, the more nightmares you get.
I know that—
Shh. Let me speak. You don’twant a break from work, but any time you change your mind I’m here. I can writea note. As for your medication… I’m fine with you being on anti-anxiety andSSRI for your mental health. I’d like to do a screening to make sure you aren’tdeveloping OCD.
You think I’m getting OCD?
I’m not sure, but it can developas a coping mechanism.
I would also like to make sure youget screened for your PTSD.
I don’t have it.
Clearly, you do.
I can’t have it.
What do you mean you can’t?
I’ll get discharged.
Maybe that’s what’s best. Don’tyou think?
No. I don’t think so.
Why?
I don’t know how to doanything else.
So what are you going to do?Pretend you don’t have it?
I can deal with it.
You can’t.
Are we done?
A long sigh from the doctor.She’s given up on things like this.
I’ll put in a prescription foryou. If you ever feel like you can bring yourself to talk about it again… I’llbe here.
Thanks.
Cor zips up his jacket, andlets out a sigh.
You sure you’re okay Mr.Leonis?
I’ll live.
Are you sure?
Yeah. I’m sure.
If it helps, it gets betterwith time, you know. The nightmares. The memories.
Cor’s silent for a while.Then he speaks.
Do you know that for sure?
Now it’s her turn to besilent.
Cor. Please take care ofyourself.
Nothing, just the sound ofclothing shuffling while Cor pulls over his bag.