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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2022 4:33 am
When this tribulation first began, Alkmene had asked, what do you need from me? He supposed that the answer was truly a distraction. Because that's what drinking was, wasn't it? That's what spending time with his boys became when his mind was always wandering to what they tasted like on the inside, if he ever caught a glimpse of their source of power and life.
Now Haru was indisposed. Caught up in some sort of a project, but Eion hadn't pried. He assumed it was with his sister, for how often they were together. He would have to turn to someone else for a distraction.
And Faustite had many someones to whom he could spread the burden of his company. But Celadonite already put up with him for so many hours a day, and he still felt a measure of guilt for attacking him in the Rift. Felt terrible for asking that his hands be bound when he slept, lest he try to eat Albite — or even Celadonite — in his sleep. Albite was busy, as he often was, with making new connections. Perhaps he found a new lover with whom he could occupy himself without fear of death. Jadarite was working. Fafnir was probably working, too, but —
He'd opened his backyard to Eion once, hadn't he? Maybe swimming would take his mind off of it for a while.
For as busy as Albite was, he hadn't taken his phone, and Faustite had the passcode now. Typing it in, he opened up the messaging app and selected the last conversation held with Trey Cameron. Seemed trey had asked to meet up, and either the question went unanswered, or Waru took that as an invitation to burst into being in Trey's home, probably causing Trey to question how much trouble he would get into for pasting the man's organs all over the lawn.
So Faustite, with cincher dawned and a couple nails heavily clipped, typed out his own characteristic response: NEED A FAVOR. WANT TO USE YOUR POOL.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:52 pm
It took a bit for Trey, after his phone had dinged at him, to actually get to checking it. He'd been in the arena with Firefly, phone with his things to avoid the distraction, and it wasn't until he had dismounted and gone for water for both of them that he'd taken the time to glance at it. He had to tug off a leather glove with this teeth to work the device, and it dangled from his mouth as he responded.
Of course. When are you thinking? His phone wooshed as the message was sent. Should he wrap things up early? Likely, Faustite wanted it now or he'd have specified a day. He could show himself to the pool, but it made Trey feel like a bad host to not attend a guest. Firefly still had energy and was used to their routine, if he put her back now, she was going to be disappointed and restless. The trainer he hired to exercise her did a good job of keeping her fit and her energy managed, but he hated that he wasn't the one to do the bulk of that for her. The two urges clashed and he leaned against the gate to the arena to wait and see if Faustite would have a quick response.
In his head, he was already running an inventory of what needed to be done. Firefly needed to be untacked and brushed before put back in her stall, and then a scoop of grain and flake of hay to replenish her energy. Tack had to go back in the tack room, after a rub down to remove any sweat. There would be drive time, and he'd need a shower before he could join Eion in the pool, there was no way he was going to take the horse and arena grime into it. It would be a while, even if he started now.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 7:53 am
He sat and stewed while he waited for Trey’s response. He felt the time passing — seconds dragged over his skin, minutes bored into his head like steadily descending nails. Faustite fidgeted, then fidgeted more, then when he’d gotten tired of bobbing his knee, he had started out of his office. It was a longer walk into the Rift than had he been a Captain, he knew. Most of the time, that annoyed him — he would’ve rather been closer to the Rift — but the longer walk granted him more time to wait for Trey’s reply. If he would reply. If. Even if Faustite was his General, he couldn’t deny that Eion had no more claim to Trey than anyone else. That, itself, was exciting for knowing that Trey was free to choose to ignore him, but worrisome for the same reason. While he wanted his boys to be able to ignore him, he didn’t want his boys to ignore him; he wanted them to choose to respond, to choose to stick with him, to enjoy their time with him. These thoughts dogged his heels as he descended the flights of steps to the central room adjacent to the Hall. Then the phone in his hand went off, and Faustite dropped it in his excitement to see if it was Trey who returned his text. The cincher-bound General scrambled down the last few steps to catch the phone, checked it for damage, then tapped in the pin to look at the text. It was Trey. The flamewrought thing smiled. SOONER IS BETTER he typed as he lingered on the stairs. A pair of Lieutenants passed him without looking back. 7? No, seven was much too far away. He couldn’t wait that long. Backspacing, he typed 6? then touched send.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:33 pm
A smile curled the young man's lips as he typed out a quick message and then tucked his phone into his back pocket. He set to work with a will, brushing down Firefly till her coat shone with good keeping.
Okay. See you then.
The intervening hours passed quickly and with more focus on the upcomming visit than on the chores he was supposed to be doing. He finished grooming his horse and putting away their tack by rote. He hardly remembered the drive, even as lovely as some of the scenery was on the way to the stable. Tires squealed on the pavement as he whipped into his parking spot in the garage and Trey was out of the car in moment, striding across the courtyard to the front door of his mother's spacious house.
If he took more care than he might have just for himself, he justified it as needing to upkeep some things he hadn't done in a little while and would have to later for work. Hair tied up in a messy bun at the back of his head, the young man hummed as he set up a cheese board and brought glasses out to the pool, arranging everything into a comfortable, 'not trying but totally trying', picturesque scene. Faustite had only mentioned the pool, but this late in the evening, there was always a chance he hadn't eaten yet. Hopefully he liked what Trey had put together... because belatedly, Trey realized he wasn't really sure what Eion liked to eat, beyond wine.
Did half youma eat? He had no idea, but he firmly put it out of his mind. Even if they didn't, he atleast looked like he was trying to be a good host. Strickenized sorry this took a bit! getting back into tags
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2022 1:40 pm
He passed his wait with busywork. Kept his legs busy with wandering the Citadel, kept his mind busy with sussing out every idle-looking Lieutenant and Basic he could find, even a Captain or a Super, and very liberally cussed them out until they found something to do. Even if it was cleaning the bathrooms or polishing the crystal protrusions that lit some of the hallways, he felt a margin better for watching them work miserably.
After each one, or two, he had Headache check the time on his tablet. It was never more than a few minutes passed, but that was a few minutes that he would never have to sit through again. It was a few minutes spent without eating starseeds, or thinking about eating starseeds.
Finally the minute struck, and Faustite gave up on the idea of showing up a few minutes late (which was a human tactic he'd noticed from some of his boys, and he wanted to try it for himself, but in retrospect, it seemed ridiculous and counterintuitive). He vanished mid-step, to the relief of the Lieutenant that he was about to pass in the hallway, and it cost him but a thought and a fair measure of energy to find himself in Trey's neighborhood.
If it could be called a neighborhood, for how much acreage over which each of the houses lorded. A quick duck near the arborvitae in the adjacent house gave him ample cover to don his guise as Eion, and as the youth slipped away, some of the leaves had begun to smoke.
Eion was going to see a Boy. One he liked very much, at that — and with that burgeoning thrill hidden under layers of jackets and pullovers, Eion made his way around to the side gate where he could let himself in with Trey's code. He shut the gate behind himself quietly, lest Joellen notice him, as he decided that he very much did not want to meet her. That made it compulsory to sneak under the windows rather than pass before him, and he peered around the corner to see if the matron was lounging on her pool furniture.
No Joellen. Only the exact boy he was looking for.
Eion smiled, and pushed himself away from his cover spot to trot over to the Boy of the Hour (or three). "You're timely," he observed, and without thinking much of it, absconded with a piece of cheese from the charcuterie board. Holding the slice in his mouth, captured the well-groomed boy in a hug.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:18 pm
He heard the crunch of gravel and looked up to find the young man he'd been waiting for. Without really realizing it, he was smiling in greeting, the expression actually genuine. It was so easy to forget Eion was Faustite when he looked like this... that his true form was a body cut in two with a core of fire. He looked so normal this way. Young, without the oppressive sense of rank difference.
The other wrapped arms around him, and there was a faint surprise in himself that he found he enjoyed that too. In a way that was easy and thoughtless, and not bogged down with social niceties. Like hugging Rowan had been, except hugging Rowan had not come with that extra awareness of a familiar body pressed against his. And to his pleasure, the cheese was obviously a success.
"I'm always timely." He returned as he brushed the dark hair back from Eion's face, letting his long fingers curl into the strands at the back of his head. "Though I'm looking forward to 'playing hookie', so to speak. Entertaining you was a good chance to rearrange things for some extra time off. Joellen is in Milan, so the house and yard are ours. If you'd like more than cheese and wine, I can also make up something."
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2022 2:32 pm
"Teach that to the others, will you?" He couldn't complain about the group's punctuality too much; it was usually Albite who couldn't tell time well enough to show up when he was required.
Eion sighed for how he didn't want to let go, because it meant losing the hand in his hair and the warmth against his cheek. Trey was solid, and Eion was always cold, so he was ever happy to leech heat where heat was offered.
"Anything," he answered. "Anything's good." Eion felt like he was always eating, and his hunger never died down for long. Once, he had ordered a ridiculous amount of pizzas on another boy's tab, eaten through all of them in the same night, and never suffered a stomachache for it. Part of him wondered if that was because he had no stomach left to bother, but he'd felt nausea before, so a stomachache wouldn't be so astonishing. He woke up the next evening as ravenous as he always was, however; it was like he'd only managed to accomplish the day's calories in eating, much like any other day.
Eion bit off a piece of cheese, gave it a couple chews, and swallowed it (a little too whole, for he had to struggle to get it down). "Wish I could apply for more than three hours of glamour."
Staying an entire weekend sounded utterly divine. He was sure he would lose his drive to do work, however; he'd spend every waking moment warming Trey's bed instead, then he'd find a taste for laziness, and likely get demoted for all that complacency. Still, he couldn't deny that the idea of an entire weekend at Trey's place was tantalizing, if far beyond his reach. Perhaps he could seek out some sort of battery to sustain a glamour for longer — a project he could set Tama on in exchange for taking that surly cat into the Rift unscathed.
With a sigh, he withdrew far enough to pick up a wine glass. He swirled it in one hand while he spoke. "Think you can keep me distracted for a few hours?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2022 10:01 pm
Trey laughed and shrugged.
"I could try with the others, but Waru has no respect for schedules." He teased. Waru had certainly interrupted his enough to prove that. "He only listens when he wants to."
It certainly wasn't beyond Waru to obey orders, but he'd found it was very much only when he chose to. Which, actually, didn't do anything to detract from how satisfying it was when Waru did do as he was told.
"If I knew enough about how glamour worked, I would try to give that to you... but a Cat might be a better avenue for that than me." He watched as Eion took up the wine, releasing him from his hold for now. They had hours, after all, to do as they pleased... there was time enough for that. He retrieved the other glass as he offered up a sly little smile, his eyebrows lifted. "If I can't distracted you, then I am truly a complete and utter failure as a host... Would you care to share what you need distracting from first, or should I get straight to work?"
It was likely something to do with 'work', he thought. Something to do with being a General in a position of power and responsibility. Underlings being unruly? A demanding General Sovereign? A mission gone awry? It could really be any number of things, but it surely couldn't be anything so terribly important if he could spare a few hours to playing delinquent. Or, it wasn't something he could do anything about, which would make sense for why he needed a distraction. Trey couldn't help being curious about it, both professionally and personally.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 6:17 pm
Eion chuckled. Trey already knew Waru too well.
Even if his next comment was a joke, Eion glanced over at him. Watched him. Strong language for such an aside; Eion wondered if Trey was harder on himself than he let on. It would make sense, being the groomed future owner for Joellen's enterprise. Perhaps that habit stemmed from her, then.
Trey was right about visiting a cat, however, and Eion made a mental note to task Tama with this research. He figured the Mauvian owed him fro that trip to the Rift for his little research project.
It was Trey's question that gave him pause, however. Eion took a sip from his wine as his smile faded, and he lapsed into silence for a long moment. His attention reached the water, lingering there, even as he found a seat on the patio furniture.
Eion knew that Trey deserved a little more transparency, but Trey also deserved a General that he could respect. Was he defeating one with the other by admitting why he needed a distraction, or would Trey find it respectable that he would be open enough with Trey to disclose the reason? Would Trey think him weak? Would he regret the choice to transfer from Netherite to him?
Eion breathed a thin sigh, saw the wine in his cup ripple in his periphery. "I'm addicted to starseeds. Was under control, but something aggravated it. Senshi magic. Now I'm in its grip again. Nothing for it but distractions," he added as he crossed his legs, "Unless I want to finish becoming a youma."
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 5:46 pm
In the act of taking his own seat on the wicker couch, Trey paused at the admission before he completed the motion, his eyebrows raised. What an interesting admission. He knew, vaguely, what starseeds were and what the Negaverse used them for. And of course, the dire warnings not to over use them. Labyrinthite had taught him how to pull them, and once, had forced him to eat one to know how it felt. Had drilled it into him that they were only for emergencies, and with how distasteful it was for him to pull them, he'd never been inclined to eat another.
There were implications to Faustite being addicted to them. Perhaps it was easier for half youma... they were already half way to monster. More dangerous, for the same reason. To force oneself over the edge, to turn into one of those slavering beasts that prowled and oozed in the darkness of the Rift... It was not a good situation Eion had gotten himself in to, if that was where things stood. Did it offer an opportunity for Trey? Maybe.
"Ah. I can see why you need the distraction then." He said smoothly as he settled back, crossing one leg easily over the other. He kept his keen interested toned down to something polite and sympathetic. Trey didn't have a lot of experience with people who imbibed, when things went further than the occasional party. In his circles, drugs were simply something that happened as a matter of course in social circles, but when it became a problem, most had the good grace to bow out of the public eye and retreat to their detox center of choice... suggesting it to Eion seemed crass, but at the same time, an opportunity.
"If you would like... I could find you a place to get away for a few weeks." He suggested as he laid an arm across the back of the sofa, his head tilted a little in consideration. "The best facilities and staff. As good as a resort, or so I've heard. Professional assistance would make things easier, I imagine."
If he was careful with how he wrote it off, he could even cover it, though he didn't doubt he could find a return of funds from the Negaverse for it, surely. To care for one of their generals? They'd be mad not to want to invest in someone who had so much to give for them still. Surely, somewhere in their vast network, they had doctors among their ranks who dealt with addictions. He might need to go to the General Sovereigns to get a name, but that would be easy enough... and at the end of it all, Faustite would owe him, wouldn't he? Not that he was so cut throat as to demand a return of favor, but the tipped scales would still be there. The debt would still hover in the background. It would be incentive to help him in return, and Trey could not be faulted for it.
"Does Waru know?" He asked as he lowered his voice, putting his sympathy into it. Surely Waru knew, but Trey would not be surprised if the himbo were woefully unskilled to provide help for something like this. Addictions had never been a subject that had come up between them.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 3:02 pm
Life seeped back into Eion's body when Trey spoke again after his admission, dispelling any expectation of severe judgment. He seemed understanding, which was more than Eion could ask for of anyone — he'd heard enough chides and jeers and sneers about those who were addicted to starseeds, and loathed to hear more from a boy. Especially a delightful boy.
Eion also expected that to be the end of the conversation. With a starseed addiction, there was little for anyone else to do about it. They oft had a way of working themselves out without much outside interference: either the person summoned enough internal strength and fortitude to wear the addiction down as he had done before, or they succumbed to it and became youma. Thus, he expected most others to simply take it for what it was and continue with their days. After all, unless Faustite was reaching into their chests, it often didn't affect them.
He also knew that Trey had a distinct disadvantage by being lower in rank than Eion. If Faustite felt particularly peckish and couldn't contain himself, then wrenching Trey's starseed out of his chest would be less of a challenge than Albite's. That he broached no fear despite this admission was likewise welcome.
Sighing through his nose, Eion found himself a seat. He'd rather have joined Trey on the wicker couch, but perhaps it wasn't time for that just yet.
"Your offer's sweet." Far sweeter than he expected, which left him a little misty. Eion spared himself a moment for some self-control by sipping at the wine. "That you would offer it at all is deeply generous. But…
"Think anywhere would accept someone who burned for 24 hours and didn't die?" Eion was skeptical; regardless of how highly trained the staff, Faustite was something distinctly unearthly that they would not have had exposure to prior. Unless Trey wanted to obtain the whole location and quietly replace its staff with some of their own, Eion doubted that he could stay anywhere for any length of time as Faustite. And he would have to, given the few scant hours of glamour that he had.
"Unless we do like you said before — get a cat to take care of it." It'd be the only way.
Pale fingers with clipped nails circled the bottom of the wine glass as he contemplated it. His reticence to answer the question reflected in the raspiness of his voice. "Oh, he knows. Caught me before I could kill my best friend. The reason Kamacite still lives."
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 7:50 pm
Somewhere along the way, between trysts in the office and swims in the pool, Trey realized he had managed to forget that Eion was Faustite and that Faustite was literally on fire twenty one hours of the day. The realization hit him like a two by four upside the head and he stared blankly at the other man for a moment, trying to reorder his thoughts.
When had he gotten so comfortable that these things had started to blur for him? He couldn't remember, for sure, when that voice in the back of his mind had stopped whispering 'monster' whenever Faustite was around. The sense of danger had faded, leaving him entirely confident in his position with the fiery general. Now, he was forcefully reminded.
His best friend?
Trey had assumed as a matter of course that he was safe with Faustite. He was valuable, he did good work, and surely the Negaverse frowned on starseeding your subordinates. But if a best friend wasn't safe with him, then he couldn't be assured of his safety either...
Eyes heavy lidded, he leaned forward to take one of the glasses and pour himself his own drink, using it as a cover to school his expression again. Eion would have to drop his glamour to starseed him, so while he wore his human guise, he was probably safe. They'd embraced and the nearness had not prompted anything untoward. Eion had admitted to the addiction to him, and perhaps that should count for something. It was, all around, a good reminder of who and what his general was, and what Trey was working towards. It would be good to remember to be more cautious.
"I admit, I forgot about the time limit." He said, shrugging with one shoulder. "Regardless, there must be doctors in the Negaverse with experience in this, at the very least. It would be possible to find you a place that was remote and secluded to rent for a month or two."
"I'm glad Waru has been making himself useful." The comment was light, mostly in jest, and a way to move around the loaded statement. Unpacking emotional luggage was not really Trey's forte... and Eion had said he came for a distraction...
"What do you find helps distract you the most?" What distracts you from the desire to rip out someone's soul and consume it?
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 8:37 pm
"There were," he admitted as his attention shifted to the pool. Eion raised his glass, took a deep pull, then found himself a proper seat in which to fidget. "Was experimenting on youma, though, so he's out of the picture. Might be more." It'd be worth looking into; he knew Celadonite had mentioned Amazonite once before, and Faustite had worked with her as well. She might be the next person to try for some kind of solution to his starseed problem.
Then there was Jet, and his quiet project. Eion didn't know anything more about it, yet it was intended to help.
The words remote and secluded called his gaze back to his conversation partner, and Eion studied him inquisitively. "Rift's free." Assuming that the place was strictly remote and secluded, and didn't come with the trained staff that Trey had mentioned previously. If it did, then the Rift was likely the worst place to be — all of its denizens ate starseeds and had no qualms about it. He supposed that would be antithetical to the help offered by trained individuals.
With another pull of wine, Eion was starting to feel the heat in his core reach his fingertips. His lips tingled, and it was a pleasant distraction in its own right. Nothing compared to what Trey could do to anchor his thoughts in the moment, but he had already begun feeling a margin more at ease in his own skin.
His own fake skin, he reminded himself. His fake skin that he couldn't seem to manage beyond three hours without needing a nap.
Eion failed to suppress his smile at Trey's question. "Swimming. Wine. You." Eion chuckled briefly. That Trey had to ask was adorable, and endearing in its own right; perhaps encounters like this were run-of-the-mill to the wealthy, attractive boy, but to Eion? They were three hours of living a fantasy where nothing was wrong, where he could leave behind his day of draining energy, honing soldiers, and slowly burning to death. He could pretend he was part of society again. Could sneak a taste of normal. That, he found, was sufficiently tantalizing to the senses that he wasn't always thinking about starseeds.
"Your life's so different from everything I know. I like being a part of it sometimes."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 4:33 pm
Trey snorted, dismissing the idea of the Rift with obvious, if playful, contempt.
"The rift is dark, dank, and full of youma. Not exactly some place I would want to go to 'relax and recover'. It doesn't seem conducive to sheltering someone in rehabilitation." He said as he cradled his glass. "If that is to your taste then I apologize, but I was thinking something with a beach, shade trees and mixed drinks."
A smirk pulled at his lips as he considered the pool and the wine, tapping a finger lazily against the stem of his glass. As much as he knew it was flirtation, he was pleased that he'd managed to provide what Eion said he wanted. A little professional pride there.
"I don't know how much of this I would call my life. I don't spend a lot of my time sitting around the pool drinking wine when you aren't here, unless I'm entertaining some client. But I'm glad I can provide a good distraction. I suppose if you ever wanted to get a real view of my life, I could arrange three hours of it to drag you through for a taste of the whole of it. Get dressed up and have photos taken, then sit through a board meeting where we discuss next season's projected trends before meeting with potential clients at a fancy diner. Its might be interesting at first, but it looses its appeal after a while... This," He said, waiting his glass at the water. "Is far better, I think. But I enjoy this too. Swimming has always been one of those activities I really enjoy, enough to set aside time for it on a regular basis."
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 5:11 am
Talking about Trey's life was a far better distraction. Eion shook his head vehemently after nearly choking on his drink. Dress him up, parade him around in front of cameras? "N-no, no, that's — no. I'm not… tall enough for that." Among other things. A myriad other things. He wasn't built for it, didn't have a kissable, perfect face like Trey, didn't have the ripped body that Waru spent so much time sculpting… He was always terribly frustrated with himself, and for the rest of the world to see his every inadequacy all dolled up and put in front of a camera? Unholy. The whole idea was a punishment.
"Rather just watch." That'd likely be boring enough. The food sounded nice, though. He liked food. Probably more than he ever did before he became a General.
He couldn't keep himself from thinking about rehab, however. If the idea was to relax and be sheltered, then the Rift was precisely the worst place to be. But Eion wasn't entirely sure what rehabilitation meant to Trey — it sounded worlds away from what he had experienced in the past. There must've been multiple paths to reach the same end result, but he wondered which of those paths were most effective. Was it better to go about it Trey's way? It sounded less trying, less violent and isolating, but he couldn't speak to its effectiveness.
"My General," and he started swirling the wine as much as he fidgeted with himself, "she… Learned I had a starseed problem, when I was a Captain." He wasn't looking at Trey so much as past him, at the door in the distance, as if watching for Joellen to show up — as if watching for when he should stop talking. "She locked me in a broom closet, gave me so much work I wouldn't have time to think about starseeds, and kept me sleep deprived for months. If I ever snuck one, she cut more out of my life. Another hour of sleep, or she'd do something worse, like make me eat cat vomit 'if I was so hungry that I needed a snack'. But I stopped eating starseeds. Eventually." He finished with a lopsided shrug and a pull of wine.
"So, rehab any other way — I don't. Really. Know what that's like." Eion looked at Trey and blinked. "Appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone."
Well. Now that that was out of the way —
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