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 Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:11 pm
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:39 pm
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 ❝ нσω ɢσєs ιт иσω, sιя? тнιs иєωs ωнιcн ιs cαℓℓєם тяυє ιs sσ ℓιкє αи σℓם тαℓє тнαт тнє vєяιтч σғ ιт ιs ιи sтяσиɢ sυsριcισи. ❞
___яυℓєs
__________❧ No posting without permission unless you are Plague Doctor staff or dropping off a present ICly.
__________❧ Respect Gaia Terms of Service.
__________❧ Respect the rules of Plague Doctor as well as the Daisy Code.
__________❧ Do not PM alpha lyrae without a good reason.
___cσитαcт
__________❧ AIM : matakokiri ( please PM me first so I may add you! )
__________❧ SKYPE : haliekins @ hotmail . com ( please PM me first so I may add you! )
___тιмєℓιиє
______ғєвяυαяч 1410
__________❧ A Deacon of a small sect of the Panyma Clergy passes due to the Plague.
__________❧ Priest's assistant Theodore Lucas is sent to retrieve his effects and is charged in keeping the Deacon's Ring.
__________❧ The Priest makes the acquaintance of Felicity Wickes, a follower from a sister church.
______αρяιℓ 1410
__________❧ Theo tends to the Lady Sage Estratus and her Knight, who make him quite aware of what his Ring is.
__________❧ A street urchin with a pile of sentient Ashes stays the night under the watch of Theo and the cook, Rosalie.
______мαч 1410
__________❧ Late nights give cause for lasting nightmares in the squeamish assistant when he hears confession of sins from a young woman.
__________❧ Theo is evicted from the fearful church when the question of his Ring is raised; he seeks shelter with Rosalie, who takes him in out of pity.
__________❧ He remains there for a week before striking towards the Northern Bases.
______נυиє 1410
__________❧ Theo completes his mission of loyalty to join the Mages, awakening a prized relic.
__________❧ His Ring becomes his Ophelia a week later.
__________❧ In order to prove a point to Rosalie, he returns to her home - only to find it abandoned and half destroyed.
______αυɢυsт 1410
__________❧ Ophelia's desire to see the world and gain more knowledge drives Theo to risk bringing her outside - to a Circus.
__________❧ The Troupe de Panymium incident, where Theo's eyes are opened to the dark reality of owning a Plague and public opinion.
__________❧ Two bell stunted Plagues are rescued from the hubbub and make their home with Theo and Ophelia.
______sєρтємвєя 1410
__________❧ In an desire to be useful, Theo and Ophelia meet with Sir Sloane to decide on what they can do to help the Fellowship.
__________❧ Theo introduces himself to Master Apothecary Oren Halloran, who (reluctantly) takes him on as an apprentice to his craft; Ophelia joins him in his studies for personal interest and desire to be closer to her Grimm.
______σcтσвєя 1410
__________❧ In his growing frustration with his studies and fellow student (and Oren's daughter) Ana, Theo happens upon information about alchemy and forms a rather stupid idea.
__________❧ A potion is concocted in secret, thought to be an elixir to help awaken his magical abilities and help him heal his arms.
______םєcємвєя 1410
__________❧ Theo's potion is ready, and he takes it - to dire results; Ophelia's readings prove life-saving as she realizes the book is grossly outdated and, with Master Halloran's help, produce a counter-potion to save Theo; he nearly loses his apprenticeship and full use of his arms if not for his Plague, and Ophelia is satisfied in her place in his life.
______мαяcн 1411
__________❧ A letter arrives for Theo, bringing grim tidings and a familiar face under a new banner.
__________❧ While Theo continues supply run business as usual, Ophelia is tempted by a stranger in an effort to bring her into the House of Obscuvos; she declines firmly due to her loyalties to her Grimm and narrowly escapes, aided by Master Halloran and his daughter; Kai is lost.
__________❧ Theo's supply run is interrupted by border checks, the former high priest of his church, and a panic raised by Adelie's apperance that ends with incarceration.
______мαч 1411
__________❧ Theo is released from prison thanks to Sir Sloane and Master Halloran; Ophelia is both overjoyed and upset with him.
______םєcємвєя 1411
__________❧ Theo and Ophelia are both summoned to a summit of all Factions, held by the Council of Sciences; various truths are revealed and Ophelia and Theo realize just how powerless they are without connections or friends. |
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:41 pm
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 ❝ тнє ℓαםч םσтн ρяσтєsт тσσ мυcн, мєтнιикs. ❞
σρнєℓια: тнє яιиɢ
иαмє: Ophelia
иιcкиαмє: Ophie
ɢєиםєя: Female
sтαɢє: Excitos → Caedos
яαcє: Plague
αℓιɢимєит: Chaotic Neutral
αɢє: Three years
αℓℓιαиcє: Fellowship of Mages
нσмє яєɢισи: Shyregoed
αρρєαяαиcє: The light orange material is all actually the same piece of cloth, artfully tied around the Caedos' frame. Echoes of a nun's habit are seen in the headwrap and the presence of the ring lingers all over. Slanted eyes and frowning white mouth show her displeasure for the world and the weariness that underlies other darker emotions.
ρєяsσиαℓιтч: Based on appearance alone, Ophelia looks as though she is weary and displeased with the world. Part of this is true of her, while part of it is not. Like her Keeper, she is adept at masking the darker parts of her tiny heart. Behind the dry exterior lies bitterness, and a sharp possessive nature. While she may be initially curious, she is cold and easily bored with others. She is a chessmaster, thinking two steps ahead to make sure she has every base covered and people ready to do their part. Few people will rouse continued fascination with her, and to those who do should be warned: if it is you she desires, she desires all of you.
For the moment, her heavy-lidded eyes are only on her Keeper, Theo, and good luck to any who should try to steer him from her.
αвιℓιтιєs: Simple magics as per usual in Excito.
ғσит sιzє: Size 11
ғσит cσℓσя: #DAA520 |
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:44 pm
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 ❝ яιcн ɢιғтs ωαx ρσσя ωнєи ɢιvєяs ρяσvє υикιиם. ❞
The ring originally belonged to a high-ranked deacon of a Shyregoed church, which in turn had been passed down from deacons of old. Power and accumulated wealth quickly accelerated him to the highest ranks, as well as a commanding personality and way with words. He was a precise man, doing things to the mark in order to keep himself favorable to the public, and for several years it worked. With the spread of the Plague, his words acted as a small comfort to the peasant folk, and he reveled in the attention that he received. For the moment, he was on top of the world.
However, the deacon was not an honest man. The power of his position was also a demanding one; it was one that demanded utmost devotion to the cause in order to assuage the fears of the common folk, which meant that personal desires must be put aside. This was the one aspect of his job that he couldn't get away from. It began with one woman who would do anything for the next day's meal, before he moved on to another and the whole situation became a regular thing - always in the dark of night and with the highest secrecy, and some were taken by force when the need was dire. But his desires swam deeper, and the climbing number of women his be-ringed hand caressed didn't sate the fire.
Instead his desires fell upon a young woman whom he had never met face to face. She was a child to his years, but she already moved with the grace of a woman and had a few suitors who came to call. It was the tax collector's daughter he wanted, but she was one whom would not be bought. His eyes watched her every morning as she walked through the town square to the morning market, and he burned with lust and jealousy. Thoughts normally occupied by the day's activities turned to her face, her walk.. the image burned in his head. He would have her somehow, before he completely lost his mind.
A late night returning home brought the girl into close contact with the deacon, who by this point had decided to take her whether she willed it or not. Frightened when he grabbed her wrists, she struggled free and ran as fast as she could, but the man was gaining quickly. She entered the graveyard in hopes of deterring the pursuit, but the man pressed on. His lust played only a small role in the chase; now, anger raged in his heart at her flight, as well as fear. The girl had seen his face, and were she to spot him in town.. his reputation would be in ruin. He had to make sure that she would never tell, by any means necessary.
Unfortunately for him, she had the energy and strength of youth on her side, and soon he was lost among the unburned bodies. Rage consumed him, for a number of reasons. Anger at her for being so fair and moving as though beckoning men to follow after, anger at the gravediggers for being unable to keep up with the rising death toll and ridding him of these obstacles, and he was ultimately angry at himself for being so enthralled by the slip of a thing, and for being unable to capture her. If only she had not seen his face . . .
In his moment of blind anger, he slipped on the slick earth and sent his arms out before him to cushion the fall. He landed in a rather curious pile; it stank like bodily refuse and mold, and felt cold and hard beneath his fingers. His neck craned back and showed him fully what he was looking at - a small pale hand rested underneath his own. It was speckled with the remnants of the storm that had delayed any further cremation, as well as spots of mud and the marks of the Plague itself.
Intervention had come at last, and he realized it with a growing dread. This was where temptation had led him: rather than facing a fall from power, he had run right into Death's embrace. There was no escaping it now that he had been exposed, infected.
What he had initially tried to pass off as a cold soon became something obviously different (the darkening spots on his skin were tell-tale signs). Thusly, the deacon was quarantined by the priests under him under the guise of concern (an ill-fitted mask for fear). In the remaining time until the end, he was left alone with his thoughts, and the rage simmered, untempered by separation from society. News had an ability to find him, and this time it made its way into his brain though the narrow crack between the boarded-up window of his room. He heard of the tax collector granting a young man of stature permission to marry his daughter. The flame inside of him turned darker and burned with a deepening intensity until he met his death.
The thought of death did not bring him the peace that his religion so heartily preached. Instead he died as he had lived - burning with lust for one he couldn't possess, and anger that he had let the object of his desire slip away.
But hamlets are far from quiet places. Upon the funeral, the tax collector's daughter caught a glimpse of the body and assailed it with curses. Encouraged by the anger of the young girl, other young women came forward to share their horrible tales. The church was scandalized and the deacon stripped of any posthumous honors, but when the body was burned, the ring that rested on his finger did not burn with him.
What to do with the fallen deacon's ring? |
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:52 pm
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 ❝ ωιтн мιятн αиם ℓαυɢнтєя ℓєт σℓם ωяιикℓєs cσмє. ❞
cнαчєℓє ; The Shofar
... ○ ...
What indecision. ○ A weak-minded fool.
cℓαυםια ; The Flower
A sharp-tongued creature, isn't she? ○ Still as demanding as ever.
She believes she can fool everyone else, but I will be watching. ○ Once again, you prove your ignorance.
cℓυяιє ; The Ashes
What a strange creature.. ○ Did those ashes truly become the boy with the ember cheeks? Incredible.
A momentary safety net, that is all. ○ He protected me.
нαчαт ; The Gyrfalcon
... ○ ...
A proud creature, it seems. ○ Perhaps we have more in common than I thought. I wish to know more of her.
нσρкιи ; The Illuminated Book
... ○ ...
... ○ ...
σρнєℓια ; The Ring
What kind of trouble have you brought into my life? ○ She is precious to me, she is all that I have.
I am only as precious as my beloved master sees me as. ○ Please, do not leave me behind.
sℓσαиє ; The Sword
An amiable enough person, or.. Plague, rather. ○ I think he was an important factor in keeping control during the "meeting."
fine gentleman who knows how to treat a woman accordingly. ○ The bond he possesses with his Grimm stirs something within me. |
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:53 pm
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 ❝ тнσυɢн ι αм иσт иαтυяαℓℓч нσиєsт, ι αм sσ sσмєтιмєs вч cнαиcє. ❞
 тнєσ: тнє кєєρєя
иαмє: Theodore Lucas
иιcкиαмє: Theo
αɢє: 27
вιятнםαтє: September 4th
нσмє яєɢισи: Imisus
cυяяєит яєɢισи: Shyregoed, at the Fellowship's North Base
σccυραтισи: Apothecary and general researcher with the Fellowship
αρρєαяαиcє: Theo has short dark hair that is brown in color, edging towards black, that lies flat on his head. His eyes are a startlingly bright blue, contrasting under his dark hair and oddly expressive eyebrows. His head is overall lean with a slightly squared jaw; his nose is crooked and slopes a little, while his mouth is wide.
Overall he has a wiry look to his frame. At his height of nearly six feet, with his long limbs, he's very lanky, but not entirely weak looking.. at least, if one avoids looking at his arms. He's very defensive about his thin atrophied arms, so he masks them by wearing long, loose sleeves. Paired with his large hands and long fingers, his withered limbs look doubly funny.
ρєяsσиαℓιтч: On the outside, Theo appears to be a helpful, polite young man who is dedicated to his work. In all actuality, he's just a bitter individual who's been barred by hard circumstances at most points in his life, and is now just trying to get by by any means necessary, including faking ( very well, for that matter ) interest in a religion he doesn't believe in. He puts on a happy face for most other people, but his former dormitory mates and certain members of the church staff could attest to the sour, dry, selfish, closed-off person he really is.
He prefers books to people, if anything, but if he has to be around others, he has to do something that is proving himself a productive member of his society. He wants to be the kind of person who says, "I'm crippled, so what? I'm in a higher position than you, and I did it through my own means. What about you?" And his smug grin upon little successes will tell you just as much about him.
These thoughts are what get him through the day and help him not to dwell on his own weaknesses, which he is loath to do. He hates being coddled and treated as a weakling. Instead, he expects others to know his limitations, unfair an assumption as it is, and respect that boundary rather than push too much onto him or too little. This makes him highly critical of others and thusly very hard to get along with.
The solitude in a public setting suits Theo just fine, though. He gets his fill of people during the day, and study takes up the rest of the time. He would be the best just to be the best, because there was nothing else he could really hope to do. He had to make due with what he had, and he is very, very bitter about it, despite how well he masks it.
Since his departure from the church, Theo has changed slightly for the better. He is a little wiser and a little less of a sourpuss, but is still determined to prove his worth. He seems to think that he would not do so well with too much power on his hands, though . . which is probably the wisest thought he's had in many years.
нιsтσяч: Born to Elizabeth and Perry Lucas, Theodore had an amazingly normal, dull life ahead of him. With his mother working as a baker's assistant and his father a blacksmith, his life would certainly follow a similar path to theirs. Years of hard work would reap their minimal rewards, and at least make life bearable, if the Plague didn't get him first. His parents banked on this stroke of good fortune and consistently prayed for him not to contract the deadly disease.
Instead, a different stroke of luck found him. A fierce and sudden childhood sickness denied Theo that normal, dull life. The bacterial infection that caused his blood to boil and the food to churn in his stomach kept him bedridden for weeks. By the time that he was able to leave its confines, the toddler was still considerably weakened. The muscles in his arms only worsened with the passage of time, becoming atrophied to the point where he was barely able to lift anything more than fifteen pounds without injury. This turn of events worried his parents, for both their own futures and for his. Crippled people could not function normally in their town's industrial work-based society, and if he couldn't do menial work, what else was there for him? He would be unable to take care of himself, and more importantly to them, unable to provide for his parents in their declining age.
Meanwhile Theodore watched the world go by from his window. The boys from the neighborhood refused to let him play, calling him "Cripple" among other demeaning names. A couple of incidents of bullying pushed him to remain indoors, but it never sated the burning question in his mind: what to do now? Reading books proved to be a good enough distraction, but it wasn't a problem solver. With the doors of his future closing in his face and his parents being constantly worried and isolated, Theo too became despondent, sinking into his own world away from everybody else - a place with little excitement and no future, but at least he knew everyone present intimately.
The years rolled by with little notice and change in routine for the child. He spent each day inside, reading the same books, eating awkward meals with his family, talking as little as possible, and watching life move on from his windowsill with anger in his heart. A break in the monotony came in the form of the annual family excursion: a trip over the border into Shyregoed to attend a yearly Mass during the autumnal equinox. His twelfth year saw spring and summer pass, but when the autumn winds tumbled in, he noticed a slight change in the demeanor of his parents. The nervous words exchanged during mealtimes and uncertain glances became more firm and carefully evasive. The annual trip was approaching, and if anything, it meant a getaway from the house and small town he'd come to find confining.
The wagon was packed up and the journey began. The sojourn was quiet, as it normally is, but a sense of tension was thick between the three. Theo couldn't quite figure it out, but then again he didn't really care. It was a change of scenery and was away from that prison box of a home. The church was crowded, and in the thick crowds he found himself separated from his parents. He became only a little concerned, but decided to watch the mass and catch them as they left by stationing himself near the door. There was no way he could miss them.
The end of the mass came and Theo kept his eyes peeled as the crowd petered out through the double doors. It was a long procession, but one that brought no sign of his mother and father. At last, the church was empty except for the confused child. That was when an elderly priest approached him, wearing a hopefully appealing smile. "Come along, son. You'll be staying with us now. All's been arranged."
Then it became obvious to the twelve-year-old: the tension for the past few weeks, losing his parents in the crowd.. they didn't want him anymore. He'd been abandoned and left as a burden on the church. His first night in the dormitory frightened his new dorm mates as they heard screams of rage from his new room.
Theo's anger at the abandonment eventually subsided into resignation. In the end, perhaps this had been the best move for him. He didn't come to understand his parents, nor pity them, but he decided to make the best of the life that was given to him. His sharp memory proved useful, and ability to speak gently with the parishioners helped him slowly climb the ranks to an assistant priest. Eventually he was presented the option of becoming a fully qualified man of the cloth, which he took on. Not out of any particular joy, but because it was better than nothing. If he was to be in the church, he might as well be active in the priesthood. He drilled himself with the same mantra every morning: At least I'm doing something. At least he wasn't homeless, nor sick. Or worse yet, dead. He had to count his blessings, few as they were.
When the ring came crashing into his life, Theo had initially thought he'd been given a great tool - the key to his future, if he played his cards right. He was certain of ordainment, even to the point where he had begun to decide on changes when he had officially become a priest. But as most big plans tend to go, he was unceremoniously ousted from the church . . all because of the ring. A previous offer came back to him, and now he finds himself a crippled man among mages, slightly aware of unknown inner abilities and ready to find out what they are.
ғσит sιzє: Size 11
ғσит cσℓσя: #6B8E23 |
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:54 pm
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:58 pm
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 ❝ иσ ρяσғιт ɢяσωs ωнєяє ιs иσ ρℓєαsυяє тα'єи. ιи вяιєғ, sιя, sтυםч ωнαт чσυ мσsт єғғєcт. ❞
___нσмє
______❧ ___Now that he is in the company of the Fellowship, Theo and Ophelia are lodged in Fellowship quarters. It is somewhat more spacious than what Theo is used to from his previous stay in his old church's dormitories, but still had his knack for simplicity. The stone walls lack any kind of decorum and the stone floor near the edge of the bed is covered with a small, ornate rug ( left from the room's prior tenant ). A small table with an oil lamp rests beside the basic four-poster bed with cotton sheets ( as well as two pillows, with one noticably smaller for Ophelia's convenience ), where an ornate silver candy dish sits cushioned by a lace doily ( again, from the room's last guest ). A pine chest runs the foot of the bed, where Theo keeps fresh clothing and his other sparse possesions. His old priestly clothing rests here as well, in case they should ever need use again. Buried at the bottom of the chest is the dagger he was charged to find during his mission to join the Fellowship, swaddled protectively in a clean cotton cloth and taken out every so often for him to puzzle over it. None outside of he, Ophelia, and his bell Stunteds know of its location.
Along the walls, two large, wooden desks have been pushed together at the corners of the room to form a large workspace. The area looks crammed and busy, although everything is kept aligned in rows for some semblance of organization. Books of all shapes and sizes line the edge of the desks touching the wall, quills and ink bottles arranged in front of them. Paper and hastily-bound notebooks of notes are placed willy-nilly on both tables. A single stool works as the chair for both, but each desk has its own oil lamp for late nights. A candlestick sits in the window for additional light if needed. In the far corner of the room is a wash basin and a small mirror that hangs on the wall.
___σтнєяs
______❧ ___Theo is only just beginning to meet others who are under the guidance and protection of the Mages. Aside from his acquaintance with Lady Sage Estratus and her knight Sloane, the former priest spends time with the Fellowship's master apothecary, Oren Halloran. Oren is a grumpy man who is getting on in years, and is still very much uncertain of the lanky, dour young man who beseeched him for apprenticeship. He would rather trust his own failing eyesight and shaking hands than let Theo work on something alone, but this behavior is starting to change. Along with Oren is his daughter Ana, who makes an appearance every so often in the High Tower where they do their work. Ana is a girl on the cusp of adulthood ( so she says ) at the ripe age of fourteen, and appears to be rather hostile towards Theo, now that she has to compete with him for apothecary apprenticeship training.
The unknown whereabouts of Rosalie, the seamstress and cook from his prior home, and her young daughter still linger at the back of Theo's mind. There is a subtle, gnawing guilt at the fact that he may have been the cause of their possible deaths, but it is only a thought that comes upon him in the late or idle hours, and is easily pushed away with any work to be done.
There are also the bell Stunteds whom he rescued during the Troupe de Panymium incident, the silver bell Kai and the golden bell Adelie. Each tries to be as helpful to Theo as they can while works at his desk, bringing him more paper or extra ink with enthusiasm. However Ophelia's rough treatment of the bells and attempts to instill fear in them ( all whenever Theo is not around to see ) keeps them in a constant state of jitters.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:00 pm
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 ❝ ωнч тнєи, cαи σиє םєsιяє тσσ мυcн σғ α ɢσσם тнιиɢ? ❞
___ρσssєssισиs
______❧ ___Given his unceremonious eviction from the church, Theo has no possessions that have followed him from his earlier days - save Ophelia, who cannot really be called a possession. The former priest is still in possession of his former clergyman robes and rosary, which remain locked away in his chest until they may be needed again ( or to serve as a reminder for what the church did to him ). His desk is lined with many, many books, most of which are borrowed from the Fellowship's stocks, about magical histories, relating to his new career path towards apothecary, and a growing interest in another art - alchemy.
Tucked at the very bottom of the wooden chest at the foot of his bed is the dagger adorned with a tiger`s eye stone that he obtained on his mission to join the Mages. He keeps it sealed away until he can properly figure out what it is capable of - or, rather, what he is capable of.
___ɢιғтs
______❧ ___None to be had yet. |
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:15 pm
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Friendly Conversationalist
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