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Grey Skies; [P] Ajax
Topic Started: Sun Nov 6, 2011 8:44 pm (1,045 Views)
Emery
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Emery sat in silence in the mountains. It'd finally lost the monks who were on his trail, using every trick his mother had taught him to slip away. He was below the tree line of the Dragon Spine, surround by conifers twisted by the cold and wind. Another gust blew through, and he drew his cloak even tighter around him, shivering before the small fire he'd created. It didn't give much warmth or heat, but it was a friendly thing in a frightening place.

Well, he'd escaped. He'd made it away. He was now in the trees and mountains that he'd only glimpsed over the monastery's walls. He' probably die now, either from exposure or his own illness, but he'd die outside those walls. However, he was lost. Where was he to go now? He knew nothing of the world out here. He'd traveled with his mother, but that was so long ago it had faded into blurry greys. The monks had taught him in the assumption he'd never come here, and now he was lost.

He shivered again, drawing his knees up to his chin, wishing he had more shelter than the trees and a bed softer than dirt and the log he sat on. Perhaps he should go back, find the monks, ask to return. They'd take him back in, he knew. He'd be in trouble, but he'd be safe and warm then. His mother's teachings, though, were clear that it was better to be dead than to be trapped as he had been in the cloister, and his mother's word had always rung strong in his mind.

He began to sketch with a stick in the dirt, a child's drawing of a woman's face. "What should I do, Mum?" he asked the image, tossing the stick in the fire when he finished. The night grew colder, and so did the young elf.
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Ajax Iceblood
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It was a cold night. It was getting colder, and darker as Ajax wandered. He was okay for now, but with the way the temperatures where dropping faster and faster, by the time the centaur reached the church up on the hill, he'd be frozen. Ajax didn't know what he'd do if he didn't find some form of life, something bad would happen.

That was when he heard it. A small voice, the voice what sounded like a child. Ajax walked closer to the voice. "What should I do, Mum?" Ajax heard. He saw a little light, but he couldn't be sure. It could be an illusion. Ajax had that happen a few times when he traveled the around. Ajax walked closer to what looked like a child. He didn't know what to think, but he kept going.

Ajax moved a branch out of the way, and walked up to what looked like a boy. After a moment of watching the boy, he walked the last few steps up to him. "I think you mother would want you to go home." He took a small look sideways at the boy, and then sat down next to him, curling his legs underneath his body. He looked at the fire for a moment. Then, took something small from his bag, and threw it too the fire. The heated up, and got a little bigger. He smiled, and looked at the boy, waiting to see what he would say.
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Emery
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"I think you mother would want you to go home," A deep voice answered from the darkness. Hoofbeats drew closer and a man on a horse emerged from the trees into the firelight. It took a moment for Emery's confusion to pass. The horse had no head, but that was because the horse and the man were melded together, the man's torso connecting where the horse's neck should be. To his eyes, it was some horrible mishmash of human and equine. And it was saying he should go back...

His mother would have admonished for wasting his breath in such a way, but he couldn't help letting out a scream as he dived away into the woods, his already scratched and sore legs straining with fresh energy. He didn't hear the sounds of pursuit, though. Confused again, he stopped behind a tree and peaked around, studying the strange creature who now sat by his tiny fire.

"Wh...what are you?" Emery asked, feet ready to run at the slightest movement. "Are you here to take me back?" He watched the horse man, wishing he had the courage to return. As cold as it had been beside his small campfire, it was even colder among the trees, and he could feel his feet and fingers begin to not only feel cold but lose feeling. He shivered in his cloak and thin shoes, debating whether he should run or return if the horse man was with the monks.
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Ajax Iceblood
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Though Ajax was used to people staring at him, he felt a little hurt that the boy had run from him. Ajax could easily see why someone would run, but no one had ever done so. He stared at where the boys voice came from. "I? My kind is almost gone... But the few of us that are left are called centaurs." It must have been something about the area, but Ajax's voice fell back into its olden talk. Ajax barely noticed this, though. Or maybe it was talking about his kind... Either way, Ajax was back to talking in his olden voice.

"Tell me, my boy, why are you out alone? Surely you must be cold?" Ajax himself was a bit cold, seeing as he only had a small jacket on. One that his sister had given him. But, a small jacket all the same. The fire helped, but only the smallest of bits.

((I know it sucks, sorry!!))
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Emery
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OOC: It's fine.

The...centaur, he didn't seemed to be hostile, so Emery drew back toward his small fire. He sat across from the fire, studying the strange amalgamation of horse and man. The fire was a much nicer place to be, anyway. And perhaps speaking aloud would help stiffen his resolve, give him the inner strength he needed to keep moving out of these mountains. But how much to tell? He'd never spoken about his doubts or fears to anyone since Abbot Winthrop had...

But this was a stranger. A very strange stranger to boot. What did he have to lose by sharing a little bit? Either he knew already and was here to catch him, or he knew nothing.

"I...ran away. From the monastery. They..." Emery's mind recalled all the injustices he'd suffered since the new abbot came to power. "It was alright, living there, but then...They began treating me like a prisoner, or a criminal. I've lived there years and suddenly..." Emery's eyes began to well. He fought the tears back, but it seemed if they weren't going to stream down his face, they were going to choke his throat. "It's the new abbot. He hates me, and I don't know why. And he's been teaching everyone else to hate me, and I haven't done anything! I've learned to follow their damn rules, to listen, to obey...mostly. At least where it counted...and...

"And I'm not going back!" the dam of feelings he'd kept so well mortared began to crumble. He suddenly realized how bad an idea this was. Now he was a mess. He was practically bawling, he could feel his nose running, and his words were almost hurting his throat as they were sat. Still, he kept his eyes determined and fierce, deciding not to hide his distress and stare the centaur horse man straight in the eyes.

"And...and if you're here to take me back...well, I'm not going back, and I'll fight you." He'd lose, Emery knew. The best he could do is try and run again. He'd succeeded this far. He wouldn't let someone with the same number of limbs as a fly catch him now.
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Ajax Iceblood
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Though Ajax had known many emotional people in his to long life, he had never known someone to break into tears quit as this boy did. As the tears started, slowly at first, Ajax grabbed part of his through, and ripped it. He handed it to the boy, hoping to show that he was not there to harm him.

As he spoke, the boys tears got worse, and worse. He seemed to be keeping this bundled up for a while. Ajax wasn't sure what to do. When the boy said that he didn't want to go back, and that he would fight Ajax, Ajax released just how broken the boy was. Ajax wanted to stand up, to go over to him, and wrap him under his arm. But Ajax didn't. He held himself, handing the boy some more cloth to whip his eyes.

After a moment of thought, Ajax spoke, slowly. "...No. I don't know what to say. As much as I wish for you to return to your home, I release that going back would do you no good.

Though one wouldn't believe, I have wandered all over our Southern neighbor. People though I've met, I have only one with whom I call friend. I have only met her within my return."
Ajax smiled as he remembered his visit home, meeting Lyvian, and all that went along with that. He smiled, and then brought himself to the present.

"I am not a member of that church. I was on my up to stay for a few days, perhaps learn something of what they do. But, if you say the abbot is nothing good, then, if you like, I shall travel out these woods with you. Having someone with whom can shoot an arrow could be helpful." Ajax left it fully up to him. If the boy decided that he didn't want Ajax with him, than Ajax would continue on his way up to the church. If he did decide he wanted Ajax, then Ajax would stick by his words, and stay with him until they get out of the forest.

((Hope this works. Been a while since I've posted :XD: ))
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Emery
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Emery stared at the centaur in wonder. Not since the old abbot died had someone actually been...friendly might have been the word he was looking for, but Emery hadn't come across it much in his life. Someone listening to him and thinking he could be something of help was even rarer, and it didn't take more than one hand to count them up.

"You...You'd help me?" Emery asked quietly. "I...don't know how to use a bow, though. I mean, you don't need to stay with me...I understand you're probably busy, but...just until we get out of the forest..." Emery reached down to toss a dead leaf into the fire, and heard the twang of a bolt striking a tree behind him, just were his head had been.

Emery's brain barely registered the black shaft still shuddering in the trunk when he jumped up and ran away from the fire back into the darkness of the trees. He dodged this way and that, the forest floor beneath him bearing his footprints, then those of a deer, then a fox, then a bear. They shifted one final time to badger, and Emery focused, his hands shifting to and elongating into living spades. In the soft forest earth, it only took him a few moments to bend over and dig deep below the floor of the woods, carving out a small cave between the roots of the trees.

There, he curled up and huddled. He was still tired, still worn, and the centaur's fire had only just begun to warm him. They'd already found him. They'd been so close. He should never have stopped and stepped into the firelight. How stupid and careless of him! His only hope, he felt, was to hide, hoped they passed by him, mislead by the false tracks he left behind along with the matching scents, and then make his way out of the mountains alone as best he could.

Around Ajax's modest campsite, only the softest rustle of branches and dark shapes flitting through the boughs suggested something moved out there, unconcerned with the centaur now that the elven boy had run from him. They spoke not a word, moving on some unheard signal in the direction the boy had run.
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Ajax Iceblood
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As the boy spoke, Ajax looked into his eyes. Something in them lead him to one simple conclusion. This boy has been through to much. He needs a new life, a new family. Perhaps I can help...

As Ajax came to this, he started to speak. "Yes, my boy. I help those with whom I see need-" But he was cut off the sound of an arrow running through the woods. It hit a tree, right where the boy's head had been. Right when he started to hear it, Ajax stood on his feet. When the boy started to run, Ajax followed. He saw the figures. Part of him knew that they where from the monastery, but he didn't care. Ajax pulled his arrows from his back, and shot them.

He was swift quiet as he could be, taking his pray down, one at a time. He followed the trails, trying to find the boys. As Ajax ran through the woods, he found that at random points, the foot prints, and the scents changed. He followed, steady. They all went the same way, same line. Each time a dark figure would come into view, Ajax pulled an arrow out swiftly, and shot it, silent as the night.

After a little way, corpses following him where Ajax stepped. He came to the end of a trail. At the end was a small hole. He peered inside, but didn't know what he would find. The storm had let up, so Ajax decided to settle down. He kept his eyes trained on the hole, but also keeping his ears out for pursuit, and his feet at ready, should anyone come.

Soon, the morning came. With it, Ajax woke. He was a light sleeper. Ajax looked around, but saw nothing. Everything looked the same as it had the night before. He stood slowly, bow at ready with an arrow. Ajax took slow, deliberate steps closer to the hole. In same tone as he used last night, Ajax called out, "They are gone. Only you and I are left, my child. I wish to help. I have no where to be, I am in no hurry. But, by the looks of it, you are. I can help. Let me take you to my people. We are kind, and by what I have seen, you need that. We can help you. Please, boy, let me take you home." Ajax know not if it would work, but he hoped that the boy would have enough brains to come. Ajax could even help mask his scent, if that is how they where following him. Ajax stood, at ready, waiting for the boy to return to the surface, and come with him...
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Emery
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Safe below ground, Emery huddled, hoping to get some chance of fitful sleep as his pursuers passed over him. He didn't manage it. He listened instead, feeling more than feeling movement above through the packed dirt. Some quick steps, running guards, perhaps. They passed, ran back, looking for him. Everything got muffled and quiet, then heavier steps moved above his dugout and stopped. Emery waited for it to move, but it stayed put. It could have been the horse man, but Emery wasn't about to poke his head aboveground to make sure. Instead, he used his Arial Anchor, blinking once to cast his sight into the sky, except all he saw then was the forest canopy. That didn't help. He'd wait here. Eventually whoever was above would settle down and sleep, or just leave entirely. Emery could outwait them.

Hours later, and no sounds of movement. Emery sighed and began digging a new tunnel, packing the dirt in the old one to seal it off. If they weren't moving, then he would. He couldn't stay down here forever. The air got stale after awhile.

The earth quietly moved, sifting to the sides as a blackhaired, blackskinned elf emerged into the still dark night. He looked toward where the old entrance was, noting the blurred silhouette of who had to be the manhorse. Emery began to climb out, moving slowly, trying to make no sounds. He reached out a hand to begin, and felt something soft and cool under his hand. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and he looked down to see a woolen robe similar to his own. He slowly lowered the raised hood. With those thick eyebrows and tiny nose, it had to be Lilton, one of the monks trusted by the new abbot to guard him and, so it seemed, hunt him down. And now here he was dead, struck down by - Emery felt along the body until he found a wooden stick tufted with feathers - an arrow.

Emery didn't dare think of striking out against them. He knew them after all, and he thought that if they chased him, they wouldn't shoot to kill. Tonight proved otherwise however, and this arrow, well, Shan felt the monks were skilled enough to not shoot at each other. Emery was no good at archery, which left the horseman.

Emery listened. There were no sounds of movement, no crackling of twigs or bushes. Did he manage to kill them all? If he did, it'd be a while before the monastery would learn of it. At least until morning. And now he was staying and watching over the small hole Emery had dug for safety. Cautions and uncertain, Emery crept back underground, digging a new shelter under Lilton's body. There he stayed, in his slowly warming cave, until dawn began to break, and a voice began to speak.

Emery listened, sticking his head into the tunnel to the surface to better hear the words. It seemed the horse man truly did want to help him, and offered him a new place to stay, a new home to live in among his fellow horsemen. Emery poked his head out into the open.

"You mean there's more than one of you?" he asked, staring wide eyed at the horseman's back. "I thought you were some escaped drow experiment."
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Ajax Iceblood
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Ajax turned around quick as he could. A few feet away, there was the boy. He was half in the ground, half not, next to one of the now-dead monks. As he stood up, he started to chuckle, taking the child's words in good humor, instead of as insult, which most would've. Ajax walked up right next to the boy, and held out his hand. "Yes, my boy, there are of more us. We are a race at the end, though. Few of us still live here, and those of us that do, live in the forest. We live with the trees. And we help those with whom need it."

Ajax's hand was held out so that the elven boy could take it, if he wished. If he took it, than Ajax would genitally pull him from the ground to his back, allowing the child ride him as though he where a horse. If he took Ajax's hand, then Ajax would say "I think you'll like my family, my boy." And with that, Ajax would start riding off, feeling the snow under his feet, the breeze in his face. Most would be chilled by the cold winter air, but Ajax enjoyed it. He felt his mind clear with the breeze, his skin clean as it rushed passed his face.

If he didn't take Ajax's hand, then Ajax would let his hand rest to his side. He would sit down by the hole in the ground, and ask the boy about his old life. Ask him about his friends, his enemies, all of it. Ajax hoped to gain more of the boys trust, so that, at some point, Ajax would be able to pull him onto his back, and ride off with the breeze.
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Emery
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Ajax turned at the sound of his voice and smiled as he walked forward. "Yes, my boy," he said, stretching down a hand toward Emery's little hole. "There are of more us. We are a race at the end, though. Few of us still live here, and those of us that do, live in the forest. We live with the trees. And we help those with whom need it."

Staring up at what turned out to be unexpected help, Emery took the proffered hand. His mother, after all, never looked down on help unasked for. She often said it was the best help one could find, since those who freely offered were far more generous than those you had to ask. Once Emery held Ajax's hand, he found himself hauled up out of the hole and onto Ajax's back, plopped onto it like a sack of flour.

"I think you'll like my family, my boy," Ajax said to him as he began to trot off through the snowy woods. Emery grabbed the back of his armor, searching for an anchoring point. Ajax looked tall from the ground, but from up here, he seemed even taller. He did not want to fall down. He was also very wide, and that was putting a strain in the fork of his legs. With the ease of breathing, he shifted genders, allowing herself a great deal more flexibility and comfort. She was still young enough that the only major cosmetic difference was a slight swelling of the breast. Otherwise, well, there were humans who claimed to be unable to tell the difference between genders of adult elves. She supposed they didn't live long enough to learn more than how to stay alive, anyway.

"I'm not sure if I could stay there," she said, her voice slightly higher than before. "But, well, if you could help me get away from this place, and maybe help me with some supplies and a place to rest for a few days, I'd be eternally grateful." She tried to be as polite and charming as possible. He was, after all, her personal knight. It was only chance that he was also his own mount. "I wouldn't mind meeting your family, either. You're the first centaur I've ever met...though I suppose that was obvious from the start."

She turned to look behind them, searching for movement both with her eyes and with her Arial Anchor. "Did you kill all of them?" she dared to ask. She still wasn't certain how to feel about the murders he committed for her, except worry about how the new abbot would react.
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Ajax Iceblood
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Though he got a little worried, Ajax thought that the boy's voice changed because of nerves. After all, riding a centaur had to be odd, if only because there was a man's head there instead of a horses. "You'll be fine. My family views me in good respect. After my father left, I kind of became the head of the town. Once I left, well, I don't know. I cam home, though. And now everyone shows me the same respect, as far as I can tell. They will like you, I am sure." Ajax turned his head and smiled at him.

At the question of killing all of those from the monastery, Ajax nodded slowly, grimly. "Aye, or at least wounded them greatly, so they bleed to death. I knew that if I didn't kill them, they would kill you. I stand by my choice. If I must kill to keep the innocent safe, I will." With the last part, Ajax's head dropped a little. He didn't know how the boy would react to his words, but, that was the truth. Whether the innocent must kill the guilty, or the guilty must suffer for the innocent, one way or another, those who make crimes, will pay...

That was when it hit him. "I don't know if I've properly introduced myself. The name is Ajax. Ajax Aineiastar. What be yours, my boy?" Ajax looked back slightly again, waiting patiently for the answer. Once he would answer, Ajax would nod, thinking for a moment. Since Ajax was not much good with conversations, he might let it drop, and tilt his head forward. All he wanted to do was as far away from the monastery as quickly as he could. Ajax would run as fast as he could, the cold breeze hitting his face, clearing his head.

By the time night fell, the monastery would be almost completely hidden. More had fallen, and the hope for a good fire was gone. Ajax laid down, and helped the boy off. "You get some rest, I'll keep guard. More of them may be coming..." Ajax pulled his bow from his back, letting the boy rest against his warm skin. If the night went well, than they would both awake, good and healthy in the morning, and continue off to his home.
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Emery
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"Emery," said Emery. "I never really needed a last name, so I don't have one." Ajax fell silent and continued walking through the forest. Emery didn't have anything to say, so she let the sounds of the forest and Ajax's footfalls fill the void of silence. She huddled against Ajax's torso, shielding herself from the wind even as she clutched the back of his shirt. Her legs grew tired and sore from sitting in such a strange position, but she said nothing, not wanting to complain about getting a free ride.

She was happy, however, when they finally stopped for the night. Ajax helped her down, and she began to stretch her legs. They were just as sore as if she spent the day walking instead of riding, just in different areas.

"You get some rest," He said to her. "I'll keep guard. More of them may be coming..."

"In that case, I can hide," Emery said. "I can dig another burrow to sleep in, so you can run or fight or whatever without worrying about me. And I can make a fire, if that'll help. And, um..." Emery considered her empty belly. "Do you have any food? Or maybe just water...Or I could maybe eat some snow or something...." Her stomach gurgled as she scanned the forest, blinking to quickly look down from above as well. "I'm not used to traveling like this, so I'm not sure what would help most."
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Ajax Iceblood
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Ajax nodded. He noted that Emery's voice was still slightly high, but that, also he thought, could be pushed off for the high of the first ride. As the young lad shook his legs, Ajax laughed a little himself. He thought it would be a little odd to hide under the ground, decided that it would rude to say this. As for the fire... "No. Do not start a fire. If they are looking for us, we want to hide as much as we can. Plus, with the amount of snowfall..." Ajax stopped mid-sentence, and stared off, over Emery's left shoulder. Then, he got his bow, and two arrows. Within the moment, the arrow went flying. One, right over Emery's shoulder, barely missing it, and the other went higher up. A moment later, you hear the "Thump, Thump" of the arrows hitting the trees.

"Stay here." Ajax said. He stood swiftly for a centaur his age. He galloped off, a little ways behind the clearing. For someone who didn't see what the small flick of the tail, someone would've thought that Ajax was crazy. A moment, later, though, Ajax walked back into the small clearing, s small fox, and a squirrel in his hand, in the other where to two arrows. He walked over Emery. "Start a very small fire. Only big enough to cook the meat." As he said this, Ajax sat down, took out an arrow, and started to take the skin off the fox. Slowly, he took off the good meat, and threw the bones to the woods. He stood up, and covered the blood with snow. Then, he walked over to the small fired. He pulled out a fresh arrow, and stuck the meat to it. Then, he started to roast the meat. Slowly it cooked.

After a while, Ajax pulled back the arrow, and slide the meat off. He offered some to Emery. "We must build our strength, if we are to get out of here in time." After eating the meat, Ajax would nod to Emery, saying that the boy could do as he wished to stay warm. The fire would be out soon enough...

As Ajax settled down for the first guard, he looked up to the sky. It was hard to see it from here, but the stars where beautiful. Ajax sent up a short prayer and then turned his attention back to watching for those from the monastery.
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Emery
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Emery stiffened when Ajax let his arrow fly, but it flew off into the trees rather than into her heart, so she let herself start breathing again, to be followed by the centaur. Ajax soon returned, his arrows piercing an unlucky fox Ajax bade her to start a small fire. From the sound if it, he intended the fox to be their dinner.

Emery let her hands grow thick and spade like so she could dig a small depression into the forest floor. No need to make the fire at ground level where it could be spotted easily. After that, she dragged over some sticks, branches, and dried grass and leaves, igniting the pile with a magical spark. Soon, she had a small fire burning, most of its glow hidden in the pit she'd dug for it.

Ajax skewered the fox on another arrow after cleaning it, letting the meat cook as he turned the shaft. Once he deemed it done, he pulled it off, tearing off a piece for Emery. She took it, juggling the hot food between her fingers before biting in. She'd never had fox before. It was gamy, but good.

After their meal, they put out the fire and Ajax scanned the forest for movement. Emery dug herself a burrow to sleep in below. It would be warmer down here, if they couldn't have a fire, and Ajax could fight above without worrying about her, if it came down to another conflict. She curled up and slept, her hood over her head. She smiled. For the first time since the old abbot's death, she truly felt safe.
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