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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:13 am
The morning was crisp and clear, the snow still heavy on the streets. The threat of snow was still in the back of everyone's mind as the cold seemed to just hang around. Despite all of that the market place was bustling with life, people carrying on with their daily needs. The market seemed to be especially busy today, the calls of the sellers hocking their wares in full swing. Everyone was interested though, people competing for the good deals they were being offered.
However one particular dark haired was skirting the masses, keeping his head down. Dark long coat fluttered around mid thigh in the slight breeze, his purple scarf following suit. An acoustic guitar strapped on his back, the slender male didn't seem all to interested in the crowds. He wasn't there to buy anything; he'd done his shopping already for the week. No he was simply out for a stroll, maybe find somewhere quiet to play a song or two.
Soft Storm blue eyes scanned around, trying to find a nice spot to settle himself down. He was aware of where each street performer played as to not step on anyone's toes. Ashton never came out here to play to busk like many did, he came out for the sheer pleasure of playing. It was like trying to warm himself up to the idea of playing in front of others. Since sometimes people would hear him and stop by to listen. He didn't want to attract attention, but if he did he didn't always seem to mind.
Sighing softly, a faint mist from from his lips and dissipated just as quickly from him. He spots a good spot, a bench pressed against a cement retaining wall. There's snow where grass and some flowers should be when spring arrives; a nice quiet nook. Walking into it, he looked around as its between some buildings, a narrow pathway or alley way to his left. Theres tracks of small paw prints; most likely stray cats, dotting around in the snow. Dusting the snow off the retaining wall lip, he steps up onto the bench and sits on the cement wall. He used the arm of the bench to prop up his leg, giving his guitar something to rest on once he swung it around.
Tugging his gloves off with his teeth, the young man set them out of his way and rubbed his hands together. He fished out his bottle, who oddly enough wasn't trying to burn a hole through his coat pocket. Perhaps it was wise enough to know it wouldn't get any more outings if it did that. Clever little thing. Setting it nestled on his gloves, having found out its general dislike for being unnecessarily cold. Once situated, he tuned his guitar and strummed a few notes; promptly ignoring the pained tug in his arm. Once satisfied, he picked a song from the back of his mind and fell into the beat of the chosen tune .
"Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep, little lion man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
Wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head"
The sound of his voice and guitar were soft and gentle in the cold air, echoing off the buildings as if tempting near by ears.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:09 am
Winter was a terrible thing, Eloise decided as she attempted to pull her scarf up a bit more, tucking her chin down, trying to retain as much warmth as was possible on her poor nose. It felt like her clothing was seven layers too thin and she might as well have gone out in a summer dress for all the warmth her shawl was offering her. The tiny woman swore to herself that she would be saving her coins from this point on and put it towards getting a real coat.
The morning saw that there was no thyme left in the kitchens and that the poor bay laurel plant hadn’t made it through the night. This would have been okay on any other morning; merely added to a list of things to purchase at the next market outing. This morning, however, Sara-Anne had wafted into the kitchen bright and early, spotted her maid, and zoned in on her with all the eagerness of a child on Christmas morning. “Soup. Eloise, let’s have soup for dinner tonight. I’ve been craving it. Cravings! Imagine that! I just may be with child!”
But of course to make a proper, well tasting soup, one needed bouquet garni. So with a sigh to only herself, the former priestess gathered her shawl and scarf, placed her tiny bottle in her wicker basket and set out for the market. And it would seem she wasn’t the only one none too pleased to be out in the biting winter winds. A bitter breeze was coming from the basket in her hand, the air slowly snaking its way out of the container and around Eloise’s arm. The maid pushed the bottle’s actions to the side, braving the extra cold on her arm. Displeased by the lack of attention, or so it would seem, the bottle continued to curl and waive invisible bursts of air up her arm and eventually, around her shoulders.
A shiver and a mild glare was its response. Awhile back the Morrow girl had discovered the bottle rather enjoyed being talked to, especially after it had become an active little wind storm. The marketplace, however, was not a place to appear as if one was talking to themself, so she ignored the bottle’s attempts at protest and pushed her way through a particularly large crowd. As if in a stroke of rebellion, the bottle swirled to life around her body, its wind picking up the collective moisture and warmth from the breath of those around them. It wrapped the warmth around them like a blanket, which would have been all well and dandy (Eloise could actually feel her nose for a breathe second!) if it weren’t for the now visible wisps of breath being drawn towards her, twirling around her for a brief moment before dissipating in the air.
Paranoia hit the woman hard as she glanced around, wondering if anyone else noticed the supernatural happenings around her body. Deciding it was all together not worth it, she pushed her way out of the crowd, hustling over to a quiet little area. Generally out of sight of the others, she pulled her basket up to eye level, a stern glare in place. “Now listen here! You cut that out this instant, you understand me? If you were alive, you’d be in a world of trouble!” A little wind blew, tickling her re-frozen nose. “Oh, you are a cheeky thing, aren’t you?” Eloise huffed, dropping her arm, and the basket, back to her side. With her free hand she ran her fingers through her wind-tangled tresses in an act of frustration.
Moving to push off the wall and attempt to return to her shopping, the maid faltered as some light strums hit her ear. Curious, she paused. She didn’t have to wait long before the light strums soon turned into an actual melody. The gentle strains of vocal notes hit her ear after and the young woman found herself entirely transfixed. “What’s that?” She asked herself out loud, following the sounds of the music.
Not too far from where she had pulled over to reprimand her ‘child’, she found a bench and a wall with a lip. Perched comfortably on the lip was a man with his back facing towards her, his foot rudely propped on the arm of a sitting area. In his hands were a guitar and, again, Eloise felt a pang of jealousy. Hayden was a piano instructor, and now this man sat with his instrument in his lap, crooning out notes in accompaniment with his musical tool. Oh, how she wished she knew how to play an instrument! Settling, instead, for listening to the man, she inched her way closer, attempting to get a peek at his face without disrupting his focus.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:06 pm
The chilled wind tousled his raven locks but oddly enough he didn't seem very cold as the little bottle next to him kept him fairly warm. It radiated a warmth that chased away any cold, as if the bottle was trying to keep him warm. However the general temperament of said bottle it would most likely be it was trying to keep itself warm more then its guardian. Either way it made it easy for his slender fingers to fly across the strings.
"But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really ******** it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my..."
And with that his fingers flew faster across the instrument, making quick and fun sounds. It was a song he'd played a couple times a while ago, having written it ages ago. Then almost as quickly as the song picked up it slowed down again and started to sing once more. Ashton was totally unaware of the audience he had, although his bottle flickered in the direction of the spies.
"Tremble for yourself, my man,
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble Little Lion Man,
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face,
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days Biting your own neck
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really ******** it up this time
Didn't I, my dear? "
Repeating the chorus, Ashton went about nearing the last few verses of his song with much enthusiasm. However, it seemed the little phoenix bottle wasn't taking too kindly on being spied on and flared. Crying out in surprise, the guitar hit several sour notes as the raven haired man jutted his arm away from the flame.
"Really! Really did you have to do that? Honestly...." Ashton sighed, patting down the singed elbow of his coat. This was something the bottle did often when he wasn't paying it enough attention. There had been a few sweaters the bottle had burnt through as if testing its power.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 8:36 pm
Eloise was entranced by the music. Pulling her basket, and thereby her bottle, close to her chest, she crept around until she had a good look at the man’s profile and the work his fingers did on the neck of the guitar. The priestesses in Idia often played instruments. Many days as a child were spent fetching ice for the women so that they could numb their fingers before and after a practice. She wondered if the raven-haired man was using the same theory, instead of using ice, however, he used the bitter cold winter winds. It made sense, in a way. How else was he able to play so well when it felt like her own fingers were about to fall off?
Settling herself against the opposite wall of him, she listened as the man strummed and sang, wishing she had a few coins of her own to give him (despite already telling herself she needed to save for a real coat.) for showcasing his talent like this. Just as a serene relaxed feeling was settling over her, she was snapped from the moment by the sight of a flame shooting towards the man.
“Oh!” She cried, rushing towards him, stopping a few steps away, hands fluttering uselessly in front of her as the man batted at the now singed elbow of his coat. He seemed only mildly surprised- not at all panicked- and a little bit annoyed. Not at all the reaction the young maid would have expected from someone who seemingly randomly combusted. …Especially not yelling at himself. Unsure how to approach the situation, Eloise crept the last few feet to him. “Uhm…e-excuse me? …are you okay?” She inquired, though her body was ready to turn tail and run if he looked in any sort of deranged.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 8:55 pm
Ashton wiped his head up upon hearing a soft voice, his storm blue eyes wide in surprise. He had no idea that there was even anyone around, let alone close enough to hear him. Pale cheeks colored slightly knowing he had been caught talking to the little bottle to his left. It was still nestled to his left, his gloves now rendered useless from the surge of flame.
"Um.. yes I'm fine thanks" he smiled awkwardly at her, nothing deranged could be seen in his eyes. A touch nervous and embarrassed maybe but nothing dangerous for sure. Taking his guitar off himself, he set it on the bench at his feet before shifting to take assessment of his elbow. Thankfully his coat wasn't any way ruined, which was good since he wasn't sure he could afford a new one. He had to adjust his budgeting since he knew the little bottle would turn into possibly an unruly child.
The space around Ashton still felt oddly warm, the bottle still pumping out heat from itself. " I think my gloves are the only casualty.... A-ah OUCH! HOT!" Ashton hissed again, this time burning his poor fingers. He had tried to pick up the little red bottle up from his burnt gloves, only to be burnt himself by the agitated bottle. The said bottle fell from his hands and tinked off the bench before rolling to the women's feet. Once it reached the women's feet, more heat radiated from it to signal how displeased it was from being dropped.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:17 am
“Oh, well that’s a relief,” Eloise sighed, pleased that the man seemed okay. If the worst damage was done only to gloves then they had something to be thankful for; especially after having seen such a random flame attack the poor soul. Unfortunately, before she could fully bask in relief for the stranger he was crying out again.
Her hands fluttered in front of her in a useless manner again, not sure how to soothe the man who had, in a rather silly moment, picked up the source of the flame. Though she couldn’t tell what it was from her distance, she knew that it was in the direction of the spontaneous flicker of fire and was probably still hot. He confirmed the idea when he dropped whatever it was he was holding and fell to the ground with a soft tinkling sound of glass.
Instincively she backed away from the object as it rolled closer to her. The heat radiating off of it wasn’t something she was all together fond of and the last thing she needed was for it to scorch her own dress. Only when her toes were a safe distance away from the fire creator did she notice, what, exactly, it was. Though the color was different- a deep red rather than the emerald green of her own- the markings and gold top were the same. The shape and form- this was certainly a bottle baby. And apparently the essence inside of it was fire.
“Oh! You’re one of us!” She cheered, though she didn’t pick up the bottle. Eloise had recently come decided that the guardians of these dust-children were something of ‘chosen ones’. Surely her goddess and creator wouldn’t be so foolish, after all, as to leave the magical children with just anyone. So, in the young maid’s mind, there was something of a club for the parents of the special children and, evidently, the raven haired man with his guitar was a member as well. “…I don’t want to pick her up,” She stated, staring nervously at the bottle. Amelth had mentioned it not being good for bottles to be handled by other people than those who found them. …Plus this man’s bottle spat out fire opposed to her own’s relatively safe wind bursts. “…I don’t want to get burned. No offence.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:13 pm
Dark Stormy blue hues darted towards the fallen bottle, hoping the little thing wouldn't break. Nursing his hand, the raven haired male stepped down onto the bench and to the solid ground. It wasn't uncommon that the little bottle did stuff like this as it seemed to have a slight temper. Shepard had went out and bought some burn cream since it seemed to be a common occurrence at the house. He couldn't wait for this stage to be over; Ziya was never this bad as a bottle.
A dark eyebrow arched at the women's choice of words, wondering what exactly the women knew. 'One of us,' that was a term he had never heard when tiptoeing around the subject of dusts. He had never considered that there could be a club of sorts if that is what she meant. Ashton was aware that there were quite possibly more dusts and guardians then he could imagine. However he had yet to meet all to many of them despite Ziya telling him he had met a variety of dust children. Rubbing his neck a little, he blinked softly and gave her a slight smile.
" I suppose..." He smiled uneasily before looking back at the bottle on the ground. It was as if he was leaving it down there for a moment to teach it a lesson. He chuckled as the bottle flared a little up in being referred to as a she, which answered at least one question from the mysterious little bottle. "I don't blame you for not wanting to pick it up.... testy little thing..." He said as he fished a handkerchief from his pocket and crouched down. laying the cloth over top of the bottle, he gently picked it up and stood.
"So am I safe to assume you have a bottle like this yourself?" Ashton smiled a little, holding his bottle carefully. He could feel it warm in his hand, not unbearable but a gentle heat. The soft pulsing of heat could be felt through the cloth; it feeling as though the bottle was trying to communicate with him. There were times that the bottle was complacent and would just glow but others when it would be nasty in the ways that had already been shown. "I have this little guy here and one thats become a teenager....." Ashton murmured, assumign the girl knew they became more then just little bottles.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:46 pm
Eloise backed up a little more at the bottle’s flair. Oh, so not a she then. “I thought I had it bad with mine,” She joked, with a smile. The normally timid woman was feeling rather confident with this stranger, for once. Perhaps it was the fact that he seemed as skittish as herself? Or maybe she was just getting better at communicating. Either way, she was rather proud that her normal stutter was missing from her speech. “Now I will know better than to complain!”
“Yes, I do,” She agreed, watching the man cradle his own. With a smile she gently procured her own from her basket. The bottle was cold to the touch and the moment it was brought into the open air it swirled to life. It went to work rustled her clothing with an invisible breeze, grazing her face with a gentle stroke before messing with her tresses even more than the normal wind on the winter day. Finally, it stole from both her and the dark haired man, their breath. It took the collected moisture in the air, the white puffs that came out from the humans, and swirled it around itself as if in an attempt to keep itself warm.
“It’s a wind or something, according to Allegro,” She explained, with an affectionate smile down to the bottle. The smile, however, was short lived as she turned her face up in shock. “Wait, a teenager? You’ve had one that long?” She questioned her eyes wide. “I’ve met many children, but none so old! And two! For some reason I thought we’d only ever find one in our life! Like…a soul mate of sorts.”
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:38 pm
When his soft exhale was stolen from him, Ashton's eyes widened at the sudden flurry of wind. It was always so extraordinary to witness what power each of these bottles and children were capable of. The bottle in his own hand seemed to simmer a little at the display of powers; seemingly not impressed. He had the striking feeling that whoever came out of the little bottle he had was going to be a handful for sure.
"Wind seems like a very good guess..." He smiled a little and turned the bottle in his own hand over a little. Studying his own bottle for a moment, he faintly wondered if he was just a simple flame or there was more to it then that. With his current track record he was sure he'd find out soon in an interesting manner. Flexing his bandaged arm, he sighed softly at the twinge he received and nodded at the astonishment of him having two dusts.
"Yes, his names Ziya and his element is lightening... and he may look like a teen but sometimes I still think he acts like a child " Ashton chuckled a little. Scratching his cheek a little, he shrugged and gave the women a very slight smile. "I have yet to come across anyone else with two dusts..... so I think its a fair bit of an oddity.... but you never know" He shrugged again.
Tucking the bottle into his pocket, he rubbed his now chilled hands together and blew into them slightly. Casting a glance at his guitar then skywards, he shivered a little. "Would you like to grab a coffee or something? I think its going to try and dump some snow and I rather be inside before that starts" He smiled a little then paused. "Oh, and I'm Ashton by the way" he smiled, extending a hand towards her in a proper greeting. better late then never right?
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:28 pm
As Ashton placed his flame bottle in his coat pocket, Eloise took the cue to return her own bottle to her basket. She took an extra second to place the blanket over it- just in case it could feel the chill of the wind as well. When her bottle was properly situated she turned her emerald gaze onto the man in front of her.
Her hand found its way into his, though she did not shake it. Her other hand reached to hem of her skirts, pulling them out just a bit as she curtsied. "I'm Eloise Morrow." She returned with a tiny smile. Raising herself back up, she released her hand from his. “And a warm beverage sounds wonderful right about now. I’m afraid my nose my just freeze right off my face at this rate.”
The young maid backed up a few steps, made sure her basket was secure in the nook of her elbow, then made her way out of the alleyway, turning to wait for her companion at the exit. She pulled her shawl a little closer to her for warmth as she waited. He had to get his guitar, after all. “Lightening?” She repeated in a questioning tone. The poor man seemed to get stuck with all of the dangerous elements. “Does he shock you when you touch him?” She asked, thinking of the odd spark that would sometimes come from an object to her when she was cleaning the manor. On occasion, at night, when it was so dark she could not even see her hand in front of her face, she would move her blanket just wrong and tiny blue shocks could be seen. They always made the same noise as when she zapped herself accidentally. She didn't know how she would have dealt with a child who did that on a constant basis.
The train of thought had Eloise imaging poor Ashton’s hair flying up in all sorts of funny directions thanks to his child. A tiny giggle escaped her, which she politely tried to cover with her hand. “I think one might be good for me,” She said at length. “I can’t imagine two running around the manor. It would probably be too much stress for me.”
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other she glanced out the alleyway. Sucking a chapped lip in between her teeth, she chewed on it as she glanced at the nearby shops. “Do you have any idea where you’d like to go?” She asked after a moment. She really hadn’t explored much of Aimes since her arrival and truly hoped the man would know where they could go for a drink. She certainly didn’t.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:45 pm
"Well its nice to meet you properly Eloise" The raven haired man smiled and retracted his hand after. Rubbing his hands together, he nodded with a smile when she agreed to coffee. He'd never really asked a girl out for coffee before in any sort of sense. Ashton wasn't sure if that was amusing or just plain sad. Shaking that thought away, he reached for his guitar and shifted the strap over his head so the instrument could lay sturdy. Adjusting the strap and his scarf, he smiled and followed her out of the alley way.
"Mmmm? Oh no not often, unless there is a thunder storm brewing outside... then he has problems maintaining it.... he explained it once that its from the higher charge in the atmosphere.." Ashton explained as best as he could, not fully understanding even now what went on with poor Ziya on the more stormy evenings. "He's shocked me badly once" He said softly, blue grey eyes a twinge sad and pained.
He let that drop when the women giggled about something or other and raised an eyebrow at her in question. Ashton chuckled a little and nodded, slipping his cold hands into his pockets. "I think I may be in a little over my head... but I have help so I'm sure it'll work out" He smiled faintly. When she said manor, he blinked softly and stepped out back to the edge of the large shopping crowds. " You live in a manor then? I have walked past the district where most of the larger houses are... sold my mother's piano to someone around there"
"I know a few places, one of my regular stops is just around the corner, they have really nice strong coffees and teas" he replied, looking around. The air was so cold despite having his little warm bottle in his pocket. It seemed to be tuning them out, which was fine by him as his pocket wasn't on fire. His large warm coat only kept him warm for so long as the clouds darkened and the smell of snow kicked up in the air.
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:15 am
“Likewise,” Eloise agreed with a warm smile. The fact she had, thus far, held a conversation without stuttering and sounding all together incompetent had a small skip in her step as they walked out of the alleyway.
As they walked, Eloise turned the new information around in her head. “I wonder if he stealing the energy or something from the extra charge he feels?” She pondered aloud before taking a glance at her new companion. Her eyes made a quick scan of the flesh that she could see, looking for any visible scars. “I’m glad you appear okay,” She tried, hearing his somber tone. A quick glance at his eyes told her the incident hadn’t been one of the nicest memories between the father and son.
Which was why she easily embraced the topic of having more than one child when his eyes lightened. “Oh! That’s wonderful, having help.” She knew that when the bottle was ‘born’, she too, would have help. Sara-Anne had been longing for a child from the day they met. Certainly she’d take to the magical babe as if she were her own. “I do live in a manor, but it is not mine. I work for Lady Sara-Anne. She brought me to Aimes from Idia.” The maid said, thinking back on her time as a priestess. “She’s a wonderful woman. It’d be too funny if the piano in foyer was your mothers!” She joked, not stopping to think if the subject might be sensitive. Being raised by several ‘mothers’ in the temples had left her rather desensitized to sentimental value in objects owned by specific people and unable to predict if the piano had any meaning to the man beyond being a piano.
“The stronger the better,” She agreed, adjusting her shawl once more. She was freezing and the way the bottle was swirling the wind around itself, even from its confines, told her that it might only get chiller still. She couldn’t wait to warm up in whatever shop Ashton was thinking of. “Lead the way, good sir,” She said as she motioned for him to take the lead. She didn’t offer her arm, unsure of his status in comparison of her own. Only Hayden had willingly offered his arm to her in Aimes. She wasn’t about to take liberties with this stranger, regardless of the ease in which their conversation came to her.
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 7:36 pm
"Perhaps.... thats one way of looking at it.... but he has a hard time controlling it so he finds other outlets to allow the energy to course without hurting anyone or himself.... he's gotten into mechanics... which I suppose works well for him" Ashton smiled slightly. His garage had been turned into a little work shop for the teen. Before it had just been a place to put stuff, but the teen had been determined and cleaned it up and made space for a work bench. Ziya did odd jobs at the bar Ashton worked at for money for tools and parts.
It had been very hard and it was still relatively recent enough to still be bothersome. With the kind of immune system Ashton had it took him a little longer to heal then it did for most. It had been a couple months and it was still a rather nasty looking burn. He covered it with soft white bandages most of the time since it wasn't very pretty to look at.
"From Idia? I've been there once... it was a very pretty place.. very quiet and relaxing" Ashton smiled a little and continued to walk. He chuckled very softly at the idea of the piano being the one in her mistresses home. It wasn't a overly sensitive subject to him as he wasn't overly fond of the piano. He knew how to play yes, not as well as the guitar but well enough to play some songs his father and mother had written. He had sold the piano shortly after his mother died; it was either eat or have a unused piano. Simple as that.
"The world works in mysterious ways... but if it has the name Madeline somewhere on it then its my mothers" he smiled a little and continued to lead the way.
Before they knew it the sight of a small little cafe came into view, tucked in a corner between a book store and a watch makers shop. Pulling open the cafe door, he motioned for Eloise to venture in first. The warmth of the cafe rushed out the door from the large open fireplace int he back corner of the building.
"ASHTON!! Long time no see!!!" A cheery voice called as they entered the cafe. The dark haired male smiled faintly and gave a small wave to the barista. Knocking his shoes at the front door to clean them off, he bowed his head a little and tugged his scarf off.
"Wheres Shepard and Ziya?"
"At home....." Ashton smiled faintly then looked to Eloise, "What would you like? Clara makes a little bit of everything"
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