diff --git a/fortuna.cpp b/fortuna.cpp
index 24c3b21..60d8e0d 100644
--- a/fortuna.cpp
+++ b/fortuna.cpp
@@ -101,11 +101,8 @@ auto Fortuna::random_data(const uint64_t n_bytes) -> void {
 		}
 		else {
 			const std::string n{R.Gen.generate_random_data(n_bytes)};
-			fmt::print(
-				stderr,
-				"got you {} proper bytes from generate_random_data -> {}\n",
-				n_bytes,
-				n);
+			fmt::print("{}", n); // intentionally without a newline
+			fmt::print(stderr, "[i] fortuna: delivered {} bytes\n", n_bytes);
 		}
 	}
 	catch (std::exception& e) {
diff --git a/generator.cpp b/generator.cpp
index 00f7054..41c0f97 100644
--- a/generator.cpp
+++ b/generator.cpp
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ auto Generator::do_crypto() -> std::string {
 
 	// William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
 	const std::string plain{"Oh, I am fortune's fool!"};
-	std::string cipher, encoded_c;
+	std::string cipher;
 	std::unique_lock<std::mutex> ul(crypt_mtx);
 	CryptoPP::FixedSizeSecBlock<CryptoPP::byte, Generator::ctr_len> ctr;
 	std::memmove(ctr, G.ctr.data(), Generator::ctr_len);
@@ -122,15 +122,9 @@ auto Generator::do_crypto() -> std::string {
 		throw;
 	}
 
-	// Pretty print cipher text
-	CryptoPP::StringSource str_src2(
-		cipher,
-		true,
-		new CryptoPP::HexEncoder(
-			new CryptoPP::StringSink(encoded_c)) // HexEncoder
-	); // StringSource
-
-	return encoded_c;
+	// just return the bytes, hex-encode can be done at a later point or by the
+	// final user/in console/perhaps not at all
+	return cipher;
 }
 
 auto Generator::generate_blocks(unsigned int k_blocks) -> std::string {
@@ -177,10 +171,8 @@ auto Generator::generate_random_data(const uint64_t& n) -> std::string {
 			static_cast<unsigned int>(std::ceil(static_cast<double>(n) / 16)));
 
 		std::string rr{generate_blocks(how_many)};
-		fmt::print(stderr, "rr (output from generate_blocks): {}\n", rr);
 
-		// since we're truncating hex, we need to get twice more characters
-		r = rr.substr(0, n * 0x02ul);
+		r = rr.substr(0, n); // not hex-encoded anymore, just ask for n chars
 		rr.clear();
 	}
 	catch (std::exception& e) {
@@ -190,14 +182,11 @@ auto Generator::generate_random_data(const uint64_t& n) -> std::string {
 	/* re-key */
 	try {
 		std::string nu_G_k{generate_blocks(2)};
-		// fmt::print("nu_G_k: {}\n", nu_G_k); // debugging
-		std::string dst{fortuna::Util::de_hex(nu_G_k)};
-
-		nu_G_k.clear();
 
 		/* clear out the old key and set a new one */
 		std::memset(G.k, 0x00, G.k_length);
-		std::memmove(G.k, dst.c_str(), G.k_length);
+		std::memmove(G.k, nu_G_k.c_str(), G.k_length);
+		nu_G_k.clear();
 	}
 	catch (std::exception& e) {
 		fmt::print(stderr, "{}", e.what());