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Post by Alfred Worthington on Dec 22, 2012 1:53:07 GMT -5
Alfred had finished giving out all the food and went back to the kitchen for more. He brought it back on his cart and left the cart in a place where anyone could come and help themselves, now that everyone had a chance to see the goodies that had been prepared. He stationed himself next to the cart, so that he could watch the gift exchange. He wondered if it would be all right for him to sit. He knew he was included in the gift exchange and he could hardly wait for his gift to be opened by the recipient.
Just then, he saw Leona. He hadn't noticed her before. She looked very fetching in her red dress. He smiled as she came up to him. "The party is progressing quite well except for a bit of embarrassment on the part of a couple of guests. However, the gift exchange has been a splendid success so far. How are you, dear Leona?"
Alfred had spent some time with the ghost and he and she seemed to have a lot in common and they had much pleasant conversation. He enjoyed her company immensely, even if she were dead... "I am quietly excited about the gift exchange...I do hope the person who receives my gift will be pleased."
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Post by Philippe Maurice de Chagny on Dec 22, 2012 1:59:20 GMT -5
Philippe grew even more confused when this "Raoul" told him he was dead. "A ghost?! I most certainly am not! I'm as alive as you are, I assure you!" He frowned, still unsure as to how this man could possibly be his brother. They looked about the same age! And he was also a bit shorter than his brother. Christopher and he were almost the same height, but this man made it seem like he'd shrunk a few inches!
"I know my brother is here though, sir, and I assure you you can't be him... You look more like my father, in fact that is how I recognized you... Is... Is your father Philibert by any chance?" Of course he would say yes, if he was an impostor, but this was most surreal trick someone was playing on him! How could he accuse him of being dead, anyway? What was he, from some future of his? Impossible!
... Then again, they were in 2012, supposedly. Stranger things have happened to him, like being here for instance. He sighed. "No, I am not a ghost..." he repeated. "But... If you're my brother, then who did I meet the moment I arrived here? My brother greeted me in town when I found myself in this strange place, at the age I'd left him as. How can there be two Raouls?"
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anastasia
Senior Member
Making a point is a matter of opinion. I'd rather make a difference
With me? Expect the unexpected!
Posts: 285
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Post by anastasia on Dec 22, 2012 2:28:13 GMT -5
A moment's glance that made her smile as the little boy talked to a man who looked somewhat like Lenoir, then moved over to Castagne and gave him something else which warranted a hug. She thought it was utterly sweet. This whole thing just made her utterly stunned. Never in a million years did she even imagine this!
Raising her brows as she looked at him, "You sure?" rather hesitant to socialize if he was not well. Her eyes shifted to Lavalais again and nodded as she stood, rubbing Lenoir's shoulder again. "If you need anything... and I mean anything... don't hesitate to grab my attention." Smiling at Lenoir. "Cheer up, hun. It's Christmas." And with that, she stepped away, rather hesitantly from Lenoir.
Halfway towards Lavalais, she glanced over and saw another enter the room. Rather glad to see that Erik had arrived. But her jaw dropped when she saw Erik was the poor victim of some man's mistletoe adventure. Stunned and felt utterly sorry for Erik as she watched a moment. Tossing to the back of her mind to at least do something to cheer him up. That was an odd way to enter a party.
Shaking her head and turned to make her way over to Lavalais. Inhaling deeply - Philippe was occupied, Lu was occupied, pretty much everyone was occupied and Lavalais was the first on her list to at least wish Merry Christmas after Lenoir at least. Forever in gratitude to Erik Lavalais for helping her. Stopping a moment as she watched the other half-masked man open his gift, think it was Lenoir who gave the gift but did not and then it was some golden hair girl who said she was the gifter. She smiled weakly then turned to face Lavalais and close the distance.
With a tingle of overwhelming energy surging through her, she slowly touched Lavalais' arm, "Mister Lavalais." Shyly smiling up at him, "Merry Christmas." And didn't really glance over a golden hair tall beauty that Lenoir was bashing his heart to smitherines over.
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Christine Svenna Daaé
Twisted every way, what answer can I give?
Screw being ladylike; Imma Pageboy!
Posts: 230
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Post by Christine Svenna Daaé on Dec 22, 2012 4:43:59 GMT -5
Christine really did think it wonderful to see another familiar face around here. She wondered why Raoul wouldn't have mentioned him. After all, it wasn't as if the two of them had never met previously...
“Oh, nonsense! In fact, there might still be time to go run to the village after the gift exchange. I hear the shops are open late tonight... How long have you been here? I'm sure Raoul has his reasons for not mentioning. It probably just slipped his mind...”
She watched, grinning from ear to ear as the count greeted Alfred. “Oh! Isn't this wonderful? Everyone seeing each other again during the holidays...” She pulled both of the men in for a brief squeeze of a hug before flitting off to go watch the presents which were now being opened. First up was a little boy that she recognized briefly from the wedding. Next was a masked man, followed by yet another one, and then it was Angie's turn. She looked around, wondering where Vincent could be, or if he was even coming.
((To clarify for everyone who missed this before, Vincent=Westley=Leroux Raoul, Angela/Angie=Blondie=Leroux Christine [you're welcome Meg], Svenna=InsaneMermaidSierraBoggessLOLWUT?))
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Christine Daaé
The Swedish Nightingale and Fairy of the North
If when the time comes, I refuse to go with you, well then, Raoul, you must carry me off by force!
Posts: 1,592
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Post by Christine Daaé on Dec 22, 2012 5:49:07 GMT -5
A warm smile came to the girl's face when the man who had received her gift thanked her, took her hand and, bowing, pressed his lips to her knuckles. She gave a courteous bow of the head as he did so. “Je vous en prie, Monsieur,” she said with a light chuckle, happy that he had, indeed, liked the gift.
She had, however, been caught up in the moment and had not noticed, as she went to go look under the tree for her gift, the man entering the room, nor the rather devious kiss from will that followed soon after. It was probably a good thing, for the sake of Érik, who had the misfortune of being the butt of that joke, for surely he would have been even more embarrassed had she witnessed just what had happened.
She found, beneath the tree, four white wrapped boxes with a gold bow tied around them keeping them together. She picked up the boxes, wondering what they could possibly be. They were a bit heavy, all squares and rectangles... She took them over to an empty chair and sat, setting them upon her lap, and was just about to undo the bow when she glanced up briefly and caught sight of something that caused her to stop short.
She had noticed a bit of shouting as she had been looking for her gift under the tree, but had attempted to ignore it. She still didn't know the full situation of what had gone on, but managed to capture a brief glimpse of an extremely unhappy Érik leaning against the wall, before he swiftly changed his expression to a smile when their eyes met for a brief second. There were a few snickers from around the room and she could not help but to feel a sort of sinking in the pit of her stomach that came with the odd feeling that he's had the misfortune of becoming the victim of some Christmas prank. Poor Érik... And now, he was leaning there against the wall, distancing himself from the rest of the Christmas event.
After a few brief moments of hesitation, she set her gift down on the ground beside her seat and then got up, walking over toward him. She couldn't just leave him there like that on Christmas Eve, after all... “Érik?” she said as she approached him. “Érik, are you feeling all right? I... I was wondering if I could ask a small favour of you, actually...” She glanced back at the gift that was still lying there where she had left it beside her seat, the looked back to Érik, motioning for him to stay where he was. “Wait right here.”
She quickly walked back to the gifts and picked up the white wrapped boxes and then brought them with her back to where Érik had been standing, leaning against the wall, and set them down on the ground. "There are four boxes here, and it would take me a bit of time to unwrap them all on my own, so... would you be willing to help me? Here,” she said, taking his hand and sitting down on the ground, gently pulling him down to encourage him to sit with her. Once she was completely seated, she let go of his hand and undid the gold bow, then took the two boxes from the top and set them down in front of him, while she positioned the other two in front of herself. She gave him a hopeful look, wanting him to join in the unwrapping. After all, it very well might help to cheer the poor unhappy man up. After all, they didn't need any Christmas curmudgeons.
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Post by Aimeric Jayden Devereux on Dec 22, 2012 10:50:25 GMT -5
Aimeric had dressed into a white dress shirt, black bow-tie, black waistcoat, and black dress pants for this Secret Santa thing that was turning into such a huge deal. He pocketed his hands, and went inside the manor, looking around. He saw the tree with the gifts under it, so he discreetly put his under it, and then looked around a bit. He didn't know anybody there. He didn't have any friends, so how was he supposed to know a single person there? He felt awkward just standing there by the tree, so he thought for a moment. Maybe he could try talking to people? ..No.. That probably wouldn't work out for him.. He sighed.
Aimeric looked around for somewhere to sit, but ended up just going to the corner of the room, leaning against the wall with his hands still pocketed. He looked up for a moment and saw that everybody had someone to talk to. Everybody was talking to someone else. Except for him. This was his first party he'd been to in twelve years... Now he knew why he didn't go to them.
He used to have a friend when he was younger, after he had ran from home and lived on the streets. His name was Toby, and Aimeric was extremely good friends with him. But just as the two had started truly trusting one another, Toby had gotten killed by a mugger right in front of his eyes. He had gone into a dark place, out of it, then right back in it after Toby was gone from his life. He learned to be alone, not to trust anybody, not to love anybody..
He silently shook his head as he made those horrible thoughts escape from his mind, looking back down at the ground with a small sigh. 'Perhaps I should just go home...' He thought to himself. But he decided to stay, maybe just even for a few more minutes. He didn't need a gift.. Maybe nobody got him a gift. He wasn't exactly expecting one. Just because he had written his name on a sheet of paper didn't mean who ever was assigned to him had to get him something. He continued to stand there though, something keeping him from leaving. He didn't exactly know what it was, but something was holding him back from walking out of the door and back to his house.
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Post by Erik Lavalais on Dec 22, 2012 11:36:07 GMT -5
Erik looked down at the girl addressing him. It was Anastasia. They seemed to bump into each other, sometimes, when he never planned it. "And a Merry Christmas to you as well." He nodded politely, smiling just a bit through his mask. Unfortunately, something grabbed his attention away from the conversation. There was a commotion by the door...
The stranger who'd been sitting by Christine seemed to have sprung mistletoe on some poor fellow! He knew that he'd hate it if HE were the victim of a joke like that...The poor man shouted at the stranger and skulked off, and Erik had to double-take. The man looked exactly like him! Well, give or a take a few details, like the hair and the earrings...But the likeness was there! How strange....
As he watched the little scene unfold, something happened that he didn't quite expect that sent his spirits ablaze with jealousy. Christine went up to the doppelgänger, took him by the hand, and asked him to help her open the presents. Erik's eyes darkened. Was this an imposter, pretending to be him? No....no, wait...it had to be that other Erik, the one that Christine wasn't so fond of...but then why would she ask him to...? What was going on?!
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Raoul Edouard de Chagny
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
You need the man you knew back here beside you?
Posts: 365
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Post by Raoul Edouard de Chagny on Dec 22, 2012 13:19:35 GMT -5
"Perhaps I can shed a bit of light on this strange situation. If you are not a ghost, which I didn't really think you to be, and yet a possibility, you most likely are related to the other Raoul de Chagny, or I should say, one of at least four that reside here." Edouard nodded in the direction of the little blonde Christine . "That's her husband's name also... I am known as Edouard, for that is my middle name, to avoid confusion. Would your brother happen to be Raoul Christ0phe, by any chance? I have spoken with him many times and he told me I resembled his father too..."
"I don't know where Christophe is tonight. He has taken a position in the village and yet, I would think he would make an effort to be here. I told him it is a bit below his noble position to hold a job, but he says in this new modern era, noble names do not have the esteem they once did."
And no, my father was not Philibert. His name was Étienne and my mother was Élise. Most certainly you did meet your brother earlier. For some reason, he and I have a lot in common. It feels as though we were from the same family sometimes, and that I have known him all my life. We had at first thought we were the same person but in different times, which accounts for the age difference. I am 35 years old and your brother is considerably younger. But that makes no sense really. We have given up trying to understand it."
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Adina Gillespie
Some things belong on paper, others in life. It?s a blessed fool who can?t tell the difference.
Maid of the manor
Posts: 320
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Post by Adina Gillespie on Dec 22, 2012 13:39:09 GMT -5
Adina decided to take one of the small cakes and a cup of eggnog. She looked about the room and sighed deeply... She was nervous about these kinds of gatherings; not knowing anyone or what to really do. For so long, she had been on her own in the manor, either working in the various rooms or studying on her own in the library. She wasn't used to be around a large group and she was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.
She took her refreshments and was about to sip the drink when she heard a man bark viciously at William. The maid nearly lept out of the skin and looked over at the very tall man. She blinked rapidly and tilted her head as she watched him stalk away. She thought about going over to him but decided against it. Perhaps he needed a bit of time to cool off before she went to say hello.
She looked over and noticed someone else in the room.... She flinched. It was Destler! A shudder running up her spine, Adina shrank back and moved to the other corner of the room. She didn't even realized she had just bumped into Lenoir until she turned around. "Oh! Forgive me, Erik. I did not mean to be so rude." She was polite in her apology and curtsied, accidentally spilling her drink on him! "M-Merde!" She hissed, pulling off her shawl and dabbing at his jacket. The poor maid began to flush deeply, terribly embarrassed that this had just happened! Why did she have to spill it on Lenoir, why?! Why not Destler instead? Or someone else, ANYONE else?! Why oh why did it have to be kind Lenoir?! "I-I am so sorry, monsieur Lenoir! I did not mean it. Please, let me take your coat and wash it for you. Oh dear, oh dear me! I did not see you there, Erik. Please, I am so sorry."
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Post by Christine Lucinda Dallas on Dec 22, 2012 13:42:52 GMT -5
Lu noticed a nice looking man , well dressed, but standing by himself with no one to talk to. His name was Aimeric, but she had no way of knowing that. She didn't really have anyone to talk to either, since Gunner didn't seem to be in the mansion. She walked over to the man, her green satin dress rustling a bit as she walked. She liked that sound. She then introduced herself. "Hello, Mister. Never met you before," she said in English, with an American accent, reminiscent of the old west of the late nineteenth century. "I'm Christine Lucinda Dallas, but folks call me Lu. "
Lu smiled. "I ain't seen you 'round these parts since I come here. Ain't the party grand? I am having such a good time, watching them gifts get opened." She smiled again, saying, "You gotta name?"
Just then a bit of commotion at the door caught her attention as a couple of men bumped into each other and then one of them, the host of the party gave the other a big kiss under the mistletoe which quite angered the other man. Lu giggled. She thought it was probably a joke and the tall man was taking it rather hard. As she watched him, she felt sorry for him; he seemed very upset. The blonde girl who was opening her gifts now asked the tall fellow's help. It looked as if the girl were trying to help the tall fellow and she thought that very nice.
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Erik Spectre
Don Juan Triumphant
One must get used to everything in life, even eternity...
Posts: 87
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Post by Erik Spectre on Dec 22, 2012 14:31:40 GMT -5
For: Blondie! Érik wished he could save himself from further embarrassment by just leaving the party, but he couldn't. It would make him seem a coward and unreasonable, and his plan would fail... It could not fail! It would not fail, as he would see to it's success, no matter what he had to do. If it meant suffering through being kissed by a man in the middle of a crowded room, so be it... But Christine had to see that he was a brave and reasonable man. And then she did see him. When their eyes caught he watched her hesitate for a moment... What could she be thinking? That he was a fool for coming? Probably. He was glad he didn't see de Chagny in site... His embarrassment would have escalated tenfold. He rubbed his chin, sighing and averting his eyes again. He hadn't expected it when he heard her call his name. "Érik, are you feeling alright?" she asked him. Why would she care? He stood a little straighter, and began to wring his hands. A favor of him? Really? What on earth could she possibly want from him? Érik was quite confused, that was until she brought her presents over to him. His eyes widened as she set them on the ground and began to drag him with her. He sat numbly with his legs folded under him, his hands hovering near his chest. He wasn't sure what to do, considering he'd never even unwrapped a present before, and that it was Christine who had asked this favor of him. He was speechless... Maybe his plan was already working? He had thought she hated him before... Was he wrong? How could he be wrong? Silently, as he stared puzzled at her, his lips twitched into a wary smile. He looked around a bit, to see if anyone was watching them, but there were only a few glances here and there... nothing more than that. They were mostly alone by the wall where he'd decided to lament his carefully built reputation's demise. After a moment, he looked back at her, and to the two presents at his knees. With one cautious hand he turned the first slightly heavy present over, and with his thumb and index finger he began to gently peel back the ivory paper. He glanced up at Christine, to see if what he was doing was right. He could hardly speak in front of her anymore, for fear of sounding like a complete fool. Instead, all he could do was swallow hard.
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Erik Lenoir
Hide your face, so the world will never find you...
Hide your face so the world will never find you...
Posts: 1,241
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Post by Erik Lenoir on Dec 22, 2012 14:59:14 GMT -5
For Adina: Erik stood up and went to Alfred's cart. He wasn't hungry, but he took an hors d'oeuvre anyway. It would give him something to do. He filled up his cup again with punch. Watching the commotion at the door calm down, he realized that Érik had been terribly embarrassed and he felt a bit sorry for the man. He was happy it hadn't happened to him. He would avoid Will in the future, for certain, especially if mistletoe were anywhere near. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, someone bumped into Erik and spilled a drink all over his coat. His new, expensive coat! Damn, how could that happen! He inhaled quickly and he turned, his already strained nerves nearly at the breaking point. He was about to explode in anger and call the person an ignoramus when he saw it was Adina. He forced himself to calm down and to smile. "It's ...it's all right, Adina. I...I just need to change my clothing..." How could the evening get any worse? Then Adina offered to wash the coat. "I can't leave just yet to change. Why don't we go to the washroom and see if we can get out the stain..."
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Post by Aimeric Jayden Devereux on Dec 22, 2012 15:06:48 GMT -5
Aimeric was ready to head out the door, up until he heard a lady talking to him. He looked up, in shock to see that somebody was actually talking to him. "H-Hello.." He said quietly, shy. He hardly knew how to talk to somebody else, but now that he had the change, he knew he couldn't blow it. Not if he wanted to actually make a friend. He kept his hands pocketed as he kept quiet for a few moments, listening to her. 'What an accent.. Western perhaps..?' He thought to himself.
As for Aimeric, he hardly had any sort of interesting accent. He had a plain old Canadian accent with a slight hint of a French accent to it, seeing as he came from Quebec where most spoke Canadian-French. Although English was his native language, Canadian-French was his secondary language that he had picked up along with English over the years. He had actually taught himself many other languages such as Spanish, Dutch, Italian, and a few others. With all of that time on his hands as a child, he decided to do the smart thing and educate himself. He knew more than an average college graduate, yet he had stopped attending school when he ran away at 9 years old.
How was he supposed to make any sort of conversation? Did he tell her about himself, ask about her background, where she came from, who her Secret Santa was..? His mind was all jumbled up, making himself dizzy. If it wasn't for that wall, he probably would have fell over.
"Aimeric Jayden Devereux.." He said. "You may call me Aimeric, or Jay. Whichever." He shrugged. He looked over when she did, smiling the slightest bit. If that were him he would have been angry. "S-So uhm... Have you opened your present yet, er.. Lu..?" He asked awkwardly, hardly taking notice that he was nervously fiddling with his fingers as he stood there, trying his best not to say anything stupid.
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Teressa Lavalais
Fine. You?re rehired. Now shut up or I will run you through.
Posts: 248
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Post by Teressa Lavalais on Dec 22, 2012 15:11:23 GMT -5
For Destler:
Teressa cocked her head. He called her...but that was...? "Erik Destler?" She smiled a little in confusion. Was it really? "But...your face...forgive me, but...what happened?" She furrowed her brow. What happened, indeed...
Then she heard a commotion by the door. The handsome stranger that had been sitting with the little blonde Christine had gone on an escapade with some mistletoe. And the poor man on the other side...It was that Érik! The one who looked like hers...What was he doing here...? He must've signed up.
She watched as the little blonde Christine went over to him and asked him to unwrap the presents she'd received. She smirked. Erik would NOT be very happy about that...
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Christine Daaé
The Swedish Nightingale and Fairy of the North
If when the time comes, I refuse to go with you, well then, Raoul, you must carry me off by force!
Posts: 1,592
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Post by Christine Daaé on Dec 22, 2012 15:42:41 GMT -5
Christine watched Érik with caution, praying that he wouldn't be too startled by her actions. At first, she wasn't quite sure if he would go along, but slowly yet surely, he began to ease into what she was doing and go along with it. She was quite relieved when he sat down on the floor beside her with the gifts. The rest of the party didn't seem to be paying them much attention, which was probably a good thing for Érik's sake, for she knew quite well his distaste for 'the human race.'
It seemed wrong though, to let him stand there so upset at a time like this. Despite what he ever may have though, she did not hate him. How could she hate him after everything he had done for her in the past? Even at the wedding... sure he had shown up uninvited, but he did not attempt to kill the groom, so she supposed she should commend him for that much. The poor man wasn't used to social events like this though, and she had this funny feeling that whatever had happened had not been a plesant experience with them...
She pulled one of her two presents up onto her lap and looked at Érik. He seemed as cautious in his movements as a doe in the forest when footsteps were nearby. She saw him gently peeling back the paper and glancing up at her, as if seeking approval, at which she just smiled and shook her head a little, then went back down to the gift on her lap and pulled back the paper at the tape, not being too terribly careful about saving the paper. It was pretty, but she wasn't sure if she would reuse it, and even so, there was quite a bit of it, so a few tears would not matter.
The first box that she unwrapped was a white box that said 'monopoly' on the top of it, and the next was a reddish looking one that said 'scrabble.' She had never heard of either of them before, and wondered what they were. From the pictures on the boxes, they appeared to be some sort of... games? But... she hadn't told anyone about wanting any new games to play... Her eyes lit up and she looked up at Érik, to see what had been in the two boxes that he had opened.
She glanced around the room, wondering who could have given her a gift like this. Surely, she thought to herself, it must be someone I know... But then again, I hadn't known Mister Y and I gave him his gift... hmmm...
She was that a couple more people whom she had not noticed before, had also entered the room. Now she was curious. Who could have possibly left her these things... The wrapping seemed a bit feminine, so either it was a bit feminine it seemed, so either it was a woman or a man who had good taste in design... She almost wanted to say that it was Monsieur Lavalais, but she didn't want to risk and further unpleasant encounters after the last one... She looked around at the other possibilities in the room. “Hmmmm... was it.... Roselin?” she called out to the others in the room, half guessing, afraid to say what she really thought... There were, after all, several people who she thought it could possibly be...
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