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 Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:41 pm
Welcome to the Zvezda Hotel!
Zvezda Hotel literally means, the Stars Hotel, named for its excellent view of the city. At night, the lights all around are reminiscent of the night sky. and the staff is said to be among the best in New York.
Owned by the D'ancanto Group, this five star gem couldn't be a better place to spend a getaway.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:42 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:43 pm
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:29 am
|| Entered from Las Noches ||
The last few things Meredith remembered before Rogue had injected her yet again with a sedative, a routine she was growing rather tired of, was that Alexz had tinkered through her mind, Ceon had been being tortured and ... she'd caught the scent of someone she'd sworn to let go of. It was such a hazy recollection that it rendered the hunter leader unsure if she had actually experienced the sensation or if her mind had simply elaborated it. Perhaps Alexz or Rogue toying with her and giving her hallucinations of things she'd spent enough time hardening herself over.
She felt the flame she'd thought doused long ago return with a renewed, uncontrollable vigor that threatened to burn down anything in its path. Even the wolf within her had grown to approve of Veroen and the notion of him possibly returning had even stirred it. While she wanted nothing more than to investigate the matter, the last thing she really desired to do at the moment was return to Las Noches. Even more so was the fact she did not want to get her hopes up only for them to be crushed again.
Similar to Veroen she had shedded herself as best she could of all emotion and attachments to others. Being alone was far better than losing someone you cared about, she'd gone through enough of that in her life. And it was precisely for that reason that she'd vowed not to allow herself to be coaxed into caring for someone again. She'd been walking a thin line already with intervening to assist Ceon and now she felt the feelings she'd thought had been buried years ago all rush back into her again at once. It was stifling, crippling and for a while all she could do was lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling imagining what yet another reunion with Veroen would be like.
Despite the initial rush that overwhelmed her, she was eventually able to quell the sentiment she no longer wanted. As wonderful as it would be to lie to herself and take Veroen back yet again and tell herself he'd stay this time, she knew that not to be the case. She'd grown a lot and learned a lot from his absence and during it. Independence and the refusal to fully trust anyone. Even if he was in New York, even if he did by some miracle want to take her back, she would have to spare herself the heart break. She was no longer a love sick fool blinded by her love: it was more than evident she hadn't been enough for him, that other things had trumped her in importance. While it had hurt immensely, she'd come to accept it a few years ago when he'd left her yet again.
Soured by her memories, she had to remind herself not to destroy anything within the room. Instead she chose to seek a distraction for herself, unwilling to relive memories she'd buried years ago: by figuring out exactly where the hell she'd been taken. It appeared to be a hotel of sorts and soon enough she figured out it was Rogue's family's branch. Very few knew her by her true name but Meredith was one of the few who happened to possess the information.
It wasn't long before she picked up on Ceon's scent within the room next to her. In her fluster from her previous thoughts she hadn't even thought to knock before moving onto her balcony and slipping into Ceon's own room to assure he was alright. She had heard his cries through the walls, above the music so she was very quick to inspect his currently sleeping figure and assure he was alive and well. From what she could make out he had no life threatening wounds, however, it was clear that he'd retained far more injuries than she had.
Soon after she projected her mind into his own, not wanting to wake him and compensating by speaking to him while he still slept. 'Ceon? How are you doing? You're sleeping right now and I assume you're healing your injuries so I'll let you rest. I just want to make sure you're alright.'
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[picture.perfect.failure]
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:33 pm
[Enter from unknown destination]
Felicia wandered quietly through the lobby, dazzling at the newest addition to the vampire district. It was lovely and elegant; the floors reflected the sparkly chandeliers above and she could see herself in the granite of the service desk. She had been gone a very long time, and this was a refreshing, almost exciting new start. Almost.
"I need a room, please. Preferably upstairs, but anything will do."
She slipped a platinum card across the counter along with her ID, then continued to analyze her surroundings. Money was no issue; her old bank account was well stocked, what with the money she made from writing, inheritance from her mother, and the interest on it all.
"Thank you for your business, Miss Webster. Your suite is number 318. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call us."
A small smile flickered across her face.
"You are too kind. I promise I won't be too much trouble."
The host returned her cards along with a set of room keys.
"Don't worry about it," he grinned. "Have a nice stay."
In the elevator, Felicia became lost in her thoughts. What happened in this city of the damned was a long time ago, but it did happen. And she had ran. Why did she return? Something about New York ran in her veins, as surely as the blood sucking gene she carried. But it was more than that. She was lonely. Sure, she had aged without visible evidence, but she felt far too young to be this lonely. Losing her family was hard, and Felicia never formed strong relationships with anyone since...
You just can't trust people, she thought. But of course, she wasn't dealing with people anymore. Real people were nothing more than potential meals now.
The metal box dinged and the door parted. After a short walk, she unlocked the door to room 318 and stepped inside. It was luxurious, and she was in need of rest and a drink. It had been a long trip.
[Door closes]
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 7:27 am
Ceon awoke abruptly to the sound of the air conditioning turning on. He had no idea where he was. How long had he been asleep? Hours? Days? It was then that the memory of Rogue injecting him with more drugs flashed in his mind. "Oh dammit! They did it again!" He soon came to his senses and realized that he was lying on a king sized bed in a rather elegant hotel room. To his right, on the night stand, there was bottle of wine and a note from Rogue, 'I wasn't sure if you preferred red or white, but I figured a wonderful 1978 Rhone wine was a safe bet.' Ceon stuck a claw into the cork of the bottle. With a flick of his hand the cork came off with a resounding POP. He lifted the bottle to his lips and meandered over to a set of clothes that were lying on a chair in the corner of the room. He had nearly forgotten that he was nude, and had been nude since the debacle in the park.
The suit that he now adorned fit him like a glove. He was amazed that the vampires got his measurements so fast, or maybe he had been asleep longer than he thought had. His body no longer held the grey color that tinted his veins. Ceon felt Edith reaching out to him and quickly responded, I'm fine, Rogue and I worked things out. We need to talk though, there are some things you should probably know.
((edited))
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 12:40 pm
Ceon's abrupt, unexpected exclamation to himself clearly caught the hunter leader off guard as her response to his scene was jumping backwards and biting back a snarl that would have been on the wolf's behalf. Both had been startled by the suddenness of his movements and both had instinctively moved away in the event it was potentially detrimental to their well being. In that regard: the human and wolf worked together in near perfect sync. Preservation of their lives in extreme moments of danger, fear, and anger, these were a few differing topics they generally reacted to in similar manners for the most part.
"Holy ********>" she finally managed to breath, realizing she had a hand to her chest as though the action would prevent her body from administering the minor dose of adrenaline Ceon's abruptness had brought on. Calming down was a lot more difficult now considering the wolf was far easier to rouse than the human in her. "I know I didn't take the traditional entrance but that doesn't mean you have to scare the s**t out of me after I got kidnapped by ******** vampires, damn it."
She exhaled for an unnaturally long period of time, her entire system still prepared for a fight based on the natural mechanism and instinct even the most basic of creatures possessed. The wolf was yet another defense mechanism, it had been roused and calming it down was proving a lot more difficult considering it had been at the mercy of vampires the last time it had known consciousness. The excitement that the wolf felt was also reflected in Meredith's own conscious seeing as it was shared, in turn causing her blood to churn, heart pumping. A fight. That's what she was prepared for and somewhat longing for at the moment as both the wolf's and human's pride had been hurt by the kidnapping incident. A need to renew dominance and establish they were not weak. As a result her eyes involuntarily glowed amber, reflecting the wolf's persona within her.
It took Meredith a few moments to respond, having found herself lost in the primal need to re-establish herself and authority. After a moment, however, the amber eyes again reverted to hazel, signifying she'd gained control over her instincts and wolven counterpart. The sarcasm was also a good sign, though it was deadpan, showing she was simmering down and starting to relax again. "Wait. You actually worked something out with someone and it was a vampire of all things? What a big boy. You must be growing up!"
Upon Ceon stating they needed to talk and there were things she ought to know, however, she immediately grew defensive. She wasn't certain whether Ceon's words were meant in a positive or negative context and not knowing something just naturally made her paranoid to begin with. She hadn't been informed of the safehouse bombings and now Ceon had things to discuss with her she wasn't aware of. The realization of both facts combined with the potential return of Veroen served to completely sober the huntress as she returned to her robotic, mechanical way of functioning: her coping method. By doing so she was easily able to put a buffer between herself and Ceon, the wall erected practically physical with how reinforced it was. She trusted no one's word fully as a rule and Ceon was no exception.
This was a matter of business and that was exactly the persona Meredith embodied with a small hint of urgency. "Very well. What is it we need to talk about? I presume it has something to do with the vampires?" Her tone was for the most part, nonchalant, laced with distrust and skepticism. For all she knew Ceon could have been forced to agree to destroying her or her hunters in an alliance with the vampires in order to attain his freedom.
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 7:37 pm
Felicia woke some great time later, making her first movements in hours. She groaned and writhed in the 700 thread count sheets until she felt all her kinks loosen.
What the hell time is it...
A desk clock indicated it was nightfall. The actual numerals of time no longer had meaning to her. In any case, she had been asleep a very long time. And while it unnerved her to have done so in such a strange place, she hadn't slept that soundly in weeks. It was wonderful.
She reached out to the night table for a smoke. It was empty. Maybe she had knocked them on the floor... Nothing was there either. Felicia was now totally conscious and extremely agitated. Addiction was virtually impossible in her state, but when she wanted carcinogenics in her lungs, she wanted them.
She knelt on the floor and dug through her minimal luggage - still nothing. Her face flushed. Just before she lost composure entirely, Felicia remembered that she'd smoked her whole pack in between each transportation transition. She laughed and sighed heavily.
"Dammit..." she murmured. "Guess I'll just have to get more. And a drink. Yeah, a drink sounds great."
After a quick shower, the groggy vampire stumbled into one of her few outfits; she would need to go shopping soon if she planned to stay here very long. Then she pulled the curtains apart to scan her surroundings. The nightclub was only a few blocks away, and it probably had everything she wanted.
With a whirl, she slid into a heavy pea coat and out the door.
[Exit to Las Noches]
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[picture.perfect.failure]
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:07 pm
Ceon took a large swig of the wine and passed it to Edith. He wasn't sure if she drank anymore. The last time they drank together, bad things happened. Still, he handed it to her to soften the blow. She was often unpredictable when it came to her handling any sort of delicate news. "You might want to take a seat, Meredith..." He hadn't used her formal name in a long time. It was one of the things Ceon felt he'd have to get used to as the new alpha."The incident that happened was because of some lycans. I took care of them, though. The won't be bothering anyone. I feel you know, actually, that I'm the new Alpha Male. Rogue and I made a blood oath to get rid of some vampires that have been causing us trouble...Ummm, yea...that's pretty much the gist of it. Any questions?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:11 am
Wine was considered very 'classy' in Meredith's experience so while she did not drink it in particular when given the option, she accepted Ceon's gesture, taking a sip from the bottle just as he had. It served to calm her nerves the slightest bit once she felt the fire from the liquor course through her veins and warm her slightly like a summer's night. Refreshing was a good word for it though she definitely felt under classed to be drinking wine.
She hadn't failed to miss Ceon's usage of her full name versus the name friends called her and that alone was enough to cancel out the momentary effects the wine had offered minutes before. Back to being rigid and guarded, she took a seat on a nearby chair next to the desk and decided to hear him out for whatever it was he had to say. Of course she had the option to extract the information for herself but she didn't like invading people's privacy and minds were noisy, she didn't feel like a headache just now.
The information Ceon relayed to her was met with a stone-cold expression that made it difficult if not impossible to tell whether she'd soaked the information up or not. Her lack of reaction initially almost seemed as though she'd zoned out and hadn't heard a word he said. However, after a few moments she responded in kind to his information. Despite the fact none of it came as a shock to her she still seemed tense as if prepared to be ambushed suddenly. "Guess if you're alpha, that'll probably change a few things, won't it?"
There was a sinking feeling within her stomach. She knew it was due to the finalization of Ceon being the new alpha male of the lycans. The uncertainty behind it and where they would stand as individuals who had known one another before either had taken up their occupations as leaders. Would him leading the lycans change their relationship? It wasn't like they saw much of one another to begin with but at the very least in the past she'd been able to rely on Ceon for support in times of utter distress. Now the option seemed like it was being buried with his self promotion to alpha. "One question: how is that going to affect our relations? We just going to bury our past and forget we were ever friends and whatever the ******** else we've been?"
More likely than not his duties would occupy him, again leaving her isolated and without much of anyone. She'd lived that way before, was still virtually living that way this very moment but the fact that yet another person she'd known fairly well seemed to be pulling away. She felt herself trying to grasp at the little she had left, the survival of their relationship in the form of her question. Then again perhaps it was for the best. Maybe him being alpha would teach him responsibility and keep him from being as reckless as he used to and getting himself killed.
Not really able to come up with much to say and not particularly in the mood to congratulate a occurrence that was filled with so much uncertainty, she reverted to her defense mechanism. Remaining stone cold and pushing Ceon away before she wound up hurt yet again. "I'll tell you this right now so it's not questioned later on though I assume you know the way I work by now. I see a lycan attacking anyone without provocation, it's dead. Same as a vampire, same as a demon. I won't make exceptions simply because you're their leader now, I have my own role of leadership to perform and reputation to uphold. I have enough hunters as is that are wary of a lycan leading the hunters as opposed to a human."
Her words didn't serve as an extremely forceful push but they certainly wouldn't serve to lighten the mood. It was evident she was establishing boundaries that had always existed; assuring Ceon was aware of them. There were a few occasions where she'd spared his life so even if the debt wasn't repaid she expected respect from him. They were friends but it seemed now they were also both leaders. From one leader to another she had to establish her competence as well as her expectations. There were no rewind options in the case of actions. Both had responsibilities to fulfill and she was making that clear to Ceon from the get-go, this was a matter of pure business.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:19 pm
With a sigh, Ceon layed back down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. "I guess so...I mean, I can't keep charging into things head first if I want to live to stay the Alpha. Also, I don't think I can get away with killing random people for food without reason. That might set a bad example for the others" Ceon hated changing with a passion, but he hated not being the Alpha Male even more. He now had responsibilities once again. He made an oath to restore the lycans to their homes and to their former glory.
At the mention of their relationship, Ceon's head rotated towards Meredith, memories flowing through his head like a river. "Edith...you know how I've always felt about you, even though you don't feel the same. Whatever from now on happens, well, happens. Our new positions will either draw us apart or bring us closer. Or it may just stay the same, there's an infinite amount of possibilities."
God knows Ceon yearned for Edith, and time and time again, she shot him down. Yet she never stopped helping him through thick and thin. He never seemed to understand her.
As Edith abruptly went cold with her speech, Ceon sighed once again. There was that sudden transition that irked him so. "Calm down, Edith, I know. You've told me time and time again. I'm not worried about you or any hunter stepping out of line. We have our own problems."
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:56 pm
"Yeah. You definitely can't be killing random people for food. Admitting to that in my presence probably isn't the smartest idea either. If you're really hungry there are such things as homeless shelters or asking for help. If lycans are going around killing people, yeah, I'm going to be killing them, plain and simple. I have to reinforce law within the supernatural and have to assure the hunters' existence preserves the lives of the innocent. I have to enforce that they fulfill those duties with the ethics upon which the hunters were founded." She knew what responsibility meant but sometimes it was difficult to balance responsibility with her own personal morals. Sometimes they came into conflict with one another, just as her and the wolf did on many occasions.
She didn't know why but she'd gotten the impression that Ceon had moved on and had dropped the idea of loving her. To hear that he still felt the same despite the fact he knew she didn't share his sentiments was, to say the least, troubling to her. It made her feel guilty for one thing and on the other hand it made her curious. What would it have been like had she been willing or able to open herself up to Ceon. At current her opening up to anyone seemed like an impossibility. She'd suffered enough at the hands of love and passion, it was dead to her just as her heart was dead to the world. She performed her duty to save lives and maintain order and that would be her life. She didn't need more than that, she'd taught herself to live without it.
Ceon's words still had her wondering what it would have been like. What if she had been less harsh toward him and given him a chance? Would they have been a family? Would they have been happy together? She knew cycling through such questions were dangerous. Then again with Ceon becoming the lycan alpha she knew there was no such possibility of them being together. They both had responsibilities and they were to factions that opposed one another a lot of the time. Her loyalty remained with her hunters first and foremost, she was not going to abandon them in a time of need. She suspected Ceon felt the same toward the lycans, that he'd risen up due to the lycan's need for leadership.
"Yeah. That's what scares me. It's completely uncertain where we'll stand even a month from now. I just ..." It was obvious something was on her mind, that Ceon's becoming alpha was clearly not something she perceived as a positive thing. "... Please don't step out of line. I don't want to have to kill you." Her admittance to that, her confession to him, sounded weak in the wolf's ears and the human part of her agreed. It made her seem vulnerable but Meredith had always been truthful to a fault, hopefully it was not something Ceon would test or take advantage of. In her moment of weakness she held back tears that threatened to transition her into a full out break down.
The possibility of Veroen having returned and now hearing that Ceon was the new lycan alpha but still had feelings for her was overwhelming and she really didn't know how to feel about most of it. She just felt despair, her pessimism getting the better of her and convincing her that Ceon and her would become enemies pinned against one another with his new position. It tore at what she had left of a heart. It wracked her insides and incited pure agony. The thought alone was unbearable so she could only imagine how horrible the situation itself would be. She kept telling herself it would only be a matter of time, the wolf telling her the same. Yet the human part of her grasped for hope. That somehow they could remain friends despite their vast differences and division in factions.
"I'm worried," she finally exhaled a breath she'd clearly been holding in for too long, "that years will pass and we'll grow to hate one another. Funny you mention problems. Because you and I together could probably form the problem bureau. As sad as it is: you are the one person that's been here for me and hasn't just ******** off. I guess you've been almost a life line at times. You helped me adjust to my wolf, you're the reason I'm alive right now, you've never given up on me or abandoned me. Like ********. I just- I don't know how to feel about this right now. About all of this. I just- I really don't know, Ceon." She didn't know what she wanted, what she needed, what would make her feel better or reassure her at this point. Her nerves had gotten so bad she was visibly shaking as she sat on the bed. She'd since brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her hands around her legs and hiding her face behind her legs, ashamed, angry and confused over why she was this distraught and that she'd shown Ceon just how gravely it impacted her.
The fact she knew she wore her heart upon her sleeve and could be so erratic with her emotions was definitely something she hated about herself. The one thing she strived for was to be the absolute best, fairest person she could but sometimes it just felt like she wasn't good enough or was failing to accomplish her goal. Her harshest critic, no doubt, was herself. Her want to do the right thing always trumped everything else but there were always those situations one looked back on and wondered if something different could have been done. By now Eden had racked up a ton of those scenarios. In general right now she was just miserable and weak, it just fueled her self loathing even more so.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:34 pm
Ceon grabbed the bottle and took another sip. This wine was indeed delicious. He expected an elder such as Rogue would have fine tastes in wine. On several occasions he had met with her at Bribonona. It distracted him for a few seconds, though his tolerance was off the charts. Just before the fight, he had downed an entire bottle of vodka and felt absolutely nothing. He focused once more on the situation at hand and glanced upon Edith's face. "I understand, you're just doing your job. And I commend you. I just wish that somewhere in time I could have convinced you to join us. You'd be a great warrior in our ranks. But I know what you must do when the time comes."
Ceon could tell Edith was trouble and that he hit a soft spot...finally. Stubborn as he was, Ceon's hard head sometimes paid off. He touched Edith's arm tenderly and spoke very softly, "We don't know what the future holds. We've always been on semi-decent terms though. I'm going to rule over the lycans as best as I can, I promise you. I'm also not going away for a very long time. I know you're scared. We both are. But everything will be alright."
His voice held sympathy and solemnity. With cautious movement, Ceon rested his forehead on Edith's shoulder, looking straight down her arm at the mattress. Ever since Layna had left him, Edith was the closest person he had to any sort of family. The both annoyed each other beyond belief, but they were always there for each other.
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:12 am
She bothered to look up from the nest that had become her chest and knees for hiding her face upon Ceon's reminiscent statement. "You and I both know that was an impossibility from the start. The hunters would fall apart without me in their current state, in the state they were in back then. I can't just up and abandon them ... I can't just disappear on them like my brothers did or like Veroen did to me ... Because I know how much it hurts." She dismissed his comment about the fact she'd make a great warrior within the ranks of the lycans. As honored as she was that Ceon had taken the time to recognize her as a warrior and actually wanted her in his pack alone illustrated the respect he had for her, it was too hard for her to look back on the past right now.
Normally someone touching her arm would have merited a more adverse response but in her current state, while it had taken her off guard, she did little to prevent him from touching her. Comfort was something that would be nice right about now and as small as the gesture was, she knew it was Ceon's way of trying to make her feel better. The words that followed also reflected the effort he was putting into trying to reassure her and make her feel better. All of it was appreciated, as upset as she was. "You scared? Of what?" She couldn't imagine what Ceon had to fear. It had been a long-known goal of his to attain alpha status and he had finally reached that goal. What was it he feared?
The sentiment in Ceon's voice was genuine and it was that most of all that served to comfort her. When he came to rest his forehead on her shoulder, she accepted the gesture, not bothering to correct it or make a fuss over it. In fact, she moved to rest her cheek against his forehead as they sat there in silence. While the quiet served to bother her to an extent, the fact he was so near helped to quell the feelings of discomfort. It also served to fuel the hopefulness of her human side. Maybe it was possible for them to both lead their factions and remain friends, after all.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:38 am
Ceon stood up and looked at the window. It had started to snow outside, covering the window with frozen white specks. "I never expected you to leave the hunters. You were always so dedicated to keeping the peace in this city. I don't know what my future holds for me, but what I do know is that as long as you are around I'll be around." The truth was that through the series of events that they had been together, to Ceon, Meredith had gone from a drunken one night lay to a woman that he secretly loved. The fact that he had been the one that turned her only strengthened the feelings he had for her.
He turned back around and slowly made his way to Edith. He extended his arms and embraced her, letting out a quiet whisper, "I'm afraid of losing you." He kissed the top of her head and began walking to the door. "I have to go take care of some things. If you need to find me, I'm sure you'll have no problem doing so."
(Exit to Ceon's Apartment)
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![[picture.perfect.failure]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/da/db/7c7cfbe541dbda_flip.png?t=1586250496_6.00_01)
