Breathe out, breathe in

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Boy it felt nice. Light. Breezy as though the wind took him all over the world and beyond to the next. He flew on wings unseen and felt the breath of the earth beneath them lifting him up - and up - and up and — “Oof”

Thud into a pile of snow as the boy fell from the clouds themselves and came crashing down onto earth on his back. The scent of decaying herbs, plant matter, and overly ripe berries dizzied his virgin senses. As though he had been reborn a new after being spat out by the clouds. It took a moment for him to come to, for Atreyu to realize what had just happened. “No — wait...” He felt groggy as the russet lad slowly sat up, feeling the soreness of his fall creep in on his back.

“No — No wait! Take me back!” He'd cry with a soft whine, eventually finding his bearings, tossing forest-colored eyes back into the clouds he had just come from. Sitting up on his hind legs, the boy would desperately reach up with long darkened legs, grasping at the nothingness between him and the cotton patterns above.

“Why did you throw me away?” His cries grew as he held back the tears forming, already homesick of the heavens above.

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 Last night was no easy rest. Not even after returning home with @Reiko had the churn in her stomach begun to simmer in it's entirety, because now she had to juggle her support for two friends to come together as one, the anguish it would cause her in the process, and Izu's desire to restore the friendship between her and @Quicksilver. For what seemed like the hundredth time in these past few weeks, the cranebird wondered what little peice on God's chessboard could've crumbled to dust in order for something once so sweet and innocent to become sour at the drop of a hat.

 The garden which say between Tsukiishi's mountains became a key spot to drown in her sorrows as of late and it's visual became the portrait of her current situation -- a flourishing garden, warm and blossoming like the freindship she decided not to let go of, and a glacier. Bitterly cold like the heart of a first love never meant to be.....

 Yet it appeared she would not be sulking alone, or at all, as another peered their head in the frosted garden. Lilac eyes, puffy and reddened around the lids from recent waterworks, squinted to make the figure out from the distance. They were no Shiroshika resident, and definitely no outsider she'd seen before.......Actually....

 That was just one abnormally large kitsune — fox....right?

 "Ah.....Excuse me?"

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He kept his pose, hoping that they would change their mind and bring him back up into the heavens with them to float around without a care once more as he was just moments ago. Why was he spat back out down here? What did he do wrong?! But no answer came. The clouds simply kept wandering with the breeze, while he remained behind. A soft whine sang from his lips only to be cut short as a voice called out, tugging at tall auds to attention.

“Ah — !” Almost immediately he found her, the woman wasn't hard to find in the field of browning herbs - though her tall legs did make her seem ethereal as they blended with the surroundings easier than the pale coat she wore. His face felt warm as he focussed on her - she was pretty.

With a quick glance back up the clouds, forest hues narrowed lightly as if to say nevermind, that this girl suddenly made this all better somehow. Returning his gaze to the crane, he felt warm under the collar once again - he couldn't stop studying her sharp features and lavender eyes - wait, was that red too? Was she crying? “Am I intruding? I — I'm sorry — I didn't —” Oh by he was nervous. Fumbling over his words and thoughts until a long pause followed... “ Hi.”

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 Izumi did find it rather strange that he'd been looking up to the sky this entire time, even switching her attention from him to the shrouded heavens every so often to see what the boy had been so fixated on. He was whimpering as well -- was it because of the weather? He did not appear to be someone who'd grow up in the tundras of all places (neither was she, but not the point) and carried more of a woodland pelt to him. Also, this was not a giant fox that she had assumed from before, that was a man.

 A man who, when turning to her, seemed surprised to see her there -- and who'd been staring for a little while longer than that, too. Izumi's tail drooped and her gaze fell sheepishly as a result, thinking that it might've had something to do with her rather tousled appearance. She didn't take much time to groom and look after her hygiene as of late due to recent depression spells, and the foxish man might've been wondering why a crazy-looking lady had approached him in the first place...

 Wait a second, what was she thinking? It was him that was near her home. Who was this anyway?

 Her throat cleared as she spoke, not yet aware that the signs of previous crying spells could still be seen in her reddened optics. "I wouldn't say you are intruding but..." this was not officially claimed territory, after all, "--although my pack wanders not too far from here, so I was a bit startled to see someone."

 Canting her pale cranium to the side, she took a moment to peer into forested green eyes as she inquired; "Do you...did you just wake up here?"

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Her gaze fell and Atreyu immediately believed it was his fault, his fault to be staring way too long and had made her nervous about him. Oh no. She was the first individual he had met here, the first pretty girl too and he was already messing things up! “I'm sorry — I didn't mean to stare.” You're just so pretty and all, he wouldn't dare say what he thought in fear of coming off as some kind of creep.

He let his gaze wander around them instead, to the grasses who were greener than their usual dry summer shades. It told him this was either spring or autumn... The auburn man believed it looked and smelled more like autumn than spring judging by the smell in the air. There were no new sprouts but older dying ones, rotting and preparing for winter's touch.

“Ummm... more like abandoned?” He said nervously with a smile casting over his shoulder to the siamese woman, careful not to stare too long this time but instead just give her polite attention as they spoke. “It's weird, I know — I won't be any trouble I promise.” Braving another glance her way, he'd give her a little dip of his head. “They call me Atreyu - where I come from that means 'fearless' or 'great warrior'. A misnomer if you ask me.” Offering a sway of his tail, maybe this would make things less awkward...

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 To his apologeticness, Izumi shook her head dismissively. "No worries," she assured softly, despite reaching a paw to her face to smooth the furs of her cheek self consciously -- in any effort that would make her look more presentable and less like she'd just rolled out her bed too early this morning. Well technically, that's exactly what happened, but she did not like showing her vulnerability to others, much less strangers.

 There was ecspecially some embarrassment to be had looking like this infront of someone so whispy looking. Like clouds on high tide, tufts of fur flowed elegantly from his legs to compliment eye-catching patterns. Put together and handsome -- something about his air made the cranebird feel slightly messy in comparison.

 Unlike the answer she'd be expecting from the other -- similar to an "I'm not sure" or "I don't remember", he instead speaks of being abandoned.....by who exactly? A strange explanation to rouse some suspicion but...

 ...he was not a completely upsetting soul. Her weariness around strangers stood the test of times, but for some strange reason she found herself strangely calmed with is presence. His demeanor seemed more endearing than suspicious, and she'd offer a slight flick of her tail in response to his own wave. She was still too distracted by intrusive thoughts today to offer a full one, unfortunately...

 "Atreyu..." she repeated in her slow approach, forwarding her muzzle to sniff the air around him cautiously before shuffling herself into a seat nearby. 'Fearless' he said, 'Great warrior' as well -- 'In what language would that have been in?' she wondered. "I am Izumi -- where I'm from it means...harmonious spring..." sounding unnecessarily grand coming out of her mouth, the last parts of those words were spoken softly as she felt her ears heat up in slight embarrassment. Only fair to return the favor, was it not?

 "What did you mean by abandoned? Do you mean by your pack?"

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'No worries', she'd say so casually. Meanwhile, he felt the sweat bead off of his skin even though wolves did not sweat that way. He could swear he felt it though. Moistening himself in uncomfortable and unpleasant areas like his head, neck, and armpits.

She'd repeat his name, and the boy grew that much more excited. Ears pricking up and forward with a smile brightening up his features. Nodding along softly to the rhythm of her words. “That's right!” Atreyu - it sounded so sweet on her voice. Skewed lightly by her charming accent. What kind of accent was that after all? He couldn't tell... oh shoot.

“Izumi... It sounds very pretty.” With his head slightly falling to the side to meet his shoulder, it was as if he found himself in the clouds all over again. Drifting in his own thoughts. “It's quite fitting, really.” He mindlessly droned on, just happy to have a name to go with the face he had just met. 'Harmonious spring', he barely caught the explanation of her own name but he'd be damned to let it go unnoticed!

Abandoned by his pack? “No, not 'pack'...” Tossing his gaze over to the side, afraid of meeting her own blossom gaze. “You'll laugh at me but —” He had already gone this far, so he may as well be truthful with his beliefs. Tossing his head up to the clouds once more, as if to draw her attention to them - this time purposely as he continued. “Them — I uh... came from the clouds?”

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 The aura of light that came from the man couldn't be outshone by even the sun itself. It was almost startling in the sense that their life energies had been completely different. Time always seemed to move painfully slow nowadays, or so it seemed to Izumi, in her days spent recovering from recent heart break and conflict. So to be faced with someone so full of life and character in this current state felt like a shot of caffeine. It was startling, but.....

 Not unwelcomed...

 His compliment caused her ear to twitch up in delighted suprise -- she became flustered rather quickly as a result, "Oh -- thank you..." and though words left her mouth, her eyes did not leave her forepaws. The cranebird couldn't find the courage to feel confident, nor beautiful about much of herself these past few weeks. Atreyu's comment felt genuine enough to provide her with a sense of warmth -- and though it did not show on equable features, she felt oddly happier than before.

 The pointed femme's own attention moved to him next with a newfound sense of curiosity for the fox boy who kept her company. A paw idly fiddled with a patch of while he spoke things she could've never imagined the first time. He did not have to worry about the occasional chuckle from someone who rarely laughed, but Izu did have to admit -- "The...clouds you were yelling at earlier?" -- the origin story he told had her at a mental dead end.

 Curious lilac eyes, bright and blinking beneath dark lashes, peered towards the boy as if egging him to continue clarifying.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were telling me you lived in the sky..."

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The mere fact that she didn't think of him as some weirdo thanks to his compliment made his heart flutter happily, beating along to the same vibrating spell that was placed on his tail as it drummed excitedly from side to side. He couldn't really tell if it made her happier or not, but since she wasn't running screaming to the hills in the opposite direction of which he was in - well that was a small win was it not?

After all, it was less of a creepy flirty compliment and more of a genuine kind remark. Less of a 'hey babe, what a pretty name, now let me get in those knickers of yours', and more of a 'omg cute!' kind of deal. Which seemed to have gone off without a hitch.

The way she looked at him next didn't help the heat rising in his face and under that collar of his. If his coat wasn't already dark enough, he'd be beet red by now. Nodding shyly as she clarified "who", which was... the clouds. Ah jeez, he was a wierdo wasn't he?

“I was!” Wide forest eyes cried out excitedly as if begging for her to believe him. That he wasn't some crazed man who was high off of the wrong mushrooms he picked. “At least... I thought I was.” He'd sit back down, almost defeated by his own words and thoughts. How crazy he sounded. “I was floating around just before well, crashing down here. I mean... — It's not so bad anymore. It sounds crazy I know. I — Uhh... — I promise I'm not crazy.” With shoulders lowering in defeat he cried out to her with glistening, nearly watery eyes. Not quite ready to cry yet, but certainly feeling emotional over just how nuts he sounded.

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 Her eyes widened and her ears fell in surprise to his rather dramatic display in response to her question. He was so expressive that she wasn't able to keep up, and for a second Izumi was fiddling with her paws and wondering if she'd said something she shouldn't have. Goodness, she was horrible at conversing! The cranebird did not think lowly of him because of his explanation -- in fact, her words and inquiries were purely out of curiosity. Perhaps she could've worded it better though -- saying it in her head a second time she could probably see -- OH MY GOD DID SHE JUST MAKE HIM CRY-

 "N-No, you aren't crazy," Izumi interjected almost immediately, frantic in trying to clear up the worries she'd just caused him, a soft whine emitting from her chest apologetically. Slowly and silently, the crane would stand to walk over to take a seat in front of him so the two could talk properly this time. The duchess was probably in no state to do so right now, as her concerns should've lied more in grooming herself. Yet seeing as the woodland boy didn't seem to acknowledge it much, the initial anxiety from it that formed at the pit of her stomach simmered down a little. "We walk amongst a land of dead spirits, after all. I couldn't afford to be picky about what sounds crazy or what doesn't, because I don't even know where reality draws it's line anymore..."

 Her soft lavender optics trailed to her silken tassel, which she idly let flicker from side to side. "I was just a little surprised is all. You're the first I've met to have, erm, fell from the clouds..."

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According to the pretty girl, he didn't sound crazy after all. Her interjection had cut him off almost immediately, silencing his whines like a knife cutting through his emotions. “You don't think so?” Atreyu sniffled, so much for a fearless warrior huh? What were his parents thinking naming him such a thing? They had some mighty high expectations apparently for the boy with his head in the clouds.

What followed... well... he wasn't certain if it was any better or worse. “... We're... dead?” Nervously he asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer or not. Well, it would explain the pretty girl at least, she was far too celestial to just be some regular mortal girl, right? It kind of made sense no matter how scary it sounded. At least it didn't hurt, at least he didn't even notice if they were dead!

“I'm not really sure how I feel about that.” With the back of his paw he would rub the residue of tears from his eyes. “Is that why your eyes are red? Are you sad to be here?” She approached and he could see the red shining through those pretty lavender eyes. How sad they seemed. He tilted his head, concern clear on his face as he waited for her to either open up on what was bothering her, or brush it away - whatever made her more comfortable. He had opened the door and it was up to her to walk through it or no.

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 A breath of relief would rise and fall from her narrow chest when the boy seemed to calm down a bit, and a reassuring shake of her head would answer his question. "Of course I don't think you're weird. I find your company...quite refreshing, actually..." A new face to talk to -- who knew that's all she needed to uplift her glum? Tucking herself away in the den all day and thinking avoiding everyone in lonesome would help her cope with the pain that seared her heart. She realized Atreyu's presence couldn't have come at a better time...even if the two of them barely knew each other...

 "Ah, well...it is a theory in itself..." she admitted softly as her eyes found her paws again. Izumi was sure that each and every creature that walked this planet had died and been reincarnated in some way and she never hesitated on speaking her mind on the topic, yet she didn't want to say anything that might sink the fox man's mood once more -- so she became more fiddly about it than she would've.

 Her eyes would widen after his next words and in that moment, she couldn't bring her face to leave the ground. The crane certainly didn't know how she looked in the eyes of another right now and began to feel overexposed "I-I...."

 Fujiwara was taken aback by such a sudden inquiry....though the impact didn't nearly feel as bad when it came from someone she didn't know. A more relaxed sigh would leave her breath, despite the newfound nerves which jittered about.

 "No..." she answered honestly "I am happy to have a second chance at life...but no matter what life fate seems to place you in, I can't seem to escape misfortune..."

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Refreshing, that's what she called him! It made his face feel oh so warm but in a fuzzy kind of way. Like it got to his head or something. It seemed he didn't need to be in the clouds to feel as though he was a part of them once more as Atreyu honestly felt as if he was floating again. Really it didn't take much apparently to lift him up, all he needed was a pretty girl handing out compliments he didn't feel deserving of and that was it.

Signed, sealed, deliver.

A theory then huh... he brought a paw up to his chin as he gazed down, deep in thought over what was just brought to his attention. So she thought they had died... but couldn't be certain. Purgatory? Is that what this was? And if she was just as clueless as he was on the matter... then Izumi wasn't his guardian angel in all of this.

Since thinking to himself, Atreyu had missed Izumi's reaction to having the redness in her eyes pointed out. Only snapping back to shoot her a pearly smile once the siamese spoke up again. “Was it misfortunate to meet me miss Izumi?” This time he didn't get so downcast with his inquiry - instead he waited to see what she'd said before continuing. “Personally I feel quite fortunate. Maybe I came here at the right time, at the right place! For you!”

Maybe he had it backwards this whole time, perhaps he was her guardian angel!

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 It didn't occur to her that she'd been making Atreyu happy at all -- quite the opposite, actually. She'd always found herself a dull audience in comparison to bubbly types such as him, or even Rei-chan. She wasn't very expressive as others, vocally or otherwise, and while she'd learn to come to terms with who she was and never felt bad about being "Izumi", that didn't mean there were occasional moments where she feared "Izumi" might've been too boring to her more extroverted counterparts. Was she adding enough to the conversation right now? To her, it only felt like the bare minimum...

 "Huh?" but her attention soon snapped back to meet the sire's pine forest gaze again. Was he still feeling nervous around her? The crane didn't think she said anything that might've caused a question to his presence around her, did she? "No, of course not, I-" Izumi wanted to reassure Atreyu that he wasn't being a burden, but just as she was getting ready to do so he'd left her stumped. Lavender orbs became locked onto him -- owlish in surprise, blinking in perplexion. 

 "F-For me? What..." He'd came here for her; what was that supposed to mean!?

 "I'm not sure what you mean..."

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The young man was complete, 100%, winging it if he was honest. Just trying to lighten the mood and keep things on a more pleasant note. She was sad about something, so perhaps there was some card in play from the fates that brought them together - but he was no stranger to pure coincidence as well. But why back down now and make things awkward?

Well.. more awkward than it already was.

“You know - maybe I was sent here to come cheer you up!” While she looked at him, Atreyu would try his best to be as exuberant as possible. To just radiate confidence even if he was sweating under his collar. “Like someone up there saw you were sad.” It sounded creepier to say that it was him looking down on her, so he kept the figure as vague as possible.

There were religions out there after all where some thing in the sky was looking down on them all the time wasn't there? So it wouldn't seem to far-fetched. “Or maybe... allergies.” The realization hit, that perhaps her eyes were just red because it was still allergy season for some... Oh dear.

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Sent here to cheer her up......or allergies....


 Izumi sat there to glance his way for a moment -- those lavender orbs lined in reddened glaze fluttering under dark lashes to widen a bit, lips slightly parted and leather nose twitching -- an unreadable expression, even to herself. The silence was only elongated whilst attempting to read his expression...read him, and read the whole room -- and at last the pause had come to an end, when the cranebird would close her eyes and slowly fall to lie on her stomach while dark paws covered the base of her muzzle. For a moment, it would've looked like she was upset and covering her face -- if it wasn't for the sides of her ribs and stomach that "bounced" ever so slightly. Izumi was giggling.

 and she couldn't even remember the last time she'd ever laughed in the first place, let alone if she'd been able to become humored at all. There was something so silly and exaggerated about the way Atreyu carried himself since they began talking to each other, and the mention of allergies is what finally did a number on her -- out of all things, Izu finally broke at something so ridiculous. Was her sense of humor so broken?

 She peaked her pale head from her forearms to look at him with a uncharacteristically bright smile and tears -- not from sadness, but from strained laughter. "どうしたんだい?" — What's up with you? the pointed girl mumbled in her own furs at him. She didn't expect him to understand her, but they were merely the thoughts that came to her head. Atreyu; a strange little brunette boy from the clouds. How endearing he was...

 How had he been willing to go out of his way and make her, a stranger, feel better? Even so...

 "I think I'd appreciate that, Reyu-chan"

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Oh dear. Oh dear! He had forgot all about allergies and maybe that is why the crane lady was so confused by him! Oh how silly he must have looked! And foolish is how he felt when she lowered herself to the ground... covering her face as though in shame of what she saw. In shame of seeing him!

Concerned he stepped forward, tilting his head as he gazed down at the pointed Izu, wondering if he should say anything at all or just walk away and cut his losses here. Her shoulders shook and he lifted a paw, wondering if she crying with how pathetic he was, if he should just say "hey, ur cute and all but way out of my league so I'm just gonna bounce".

That didn't feel right though. He wanted to get to know her more, didn't want to just end things here on a sour, awkward note... He was only stopped as she looked up at him, mid paw reaching over to reassure her, with a smile of all things. A sweet giggle on her lips and tears forming at the corners of her eyes she laughing so much!

Relieved, he placed his paw back down onto the ground and laughed in return. Not sure why, but when in Rome right? At first, she said something that didn't register, but what came next was something he had wished to hear without realizing. “Well, I'd be honored Izumi.” And she called him something so sweet... Reyu-chan, even if she couldn't see his blush the boy still wanted to cover it up with his paws.

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 The two of them laughed together -- and to her surprise, it was exactly what she needed at the time. To be overwhelmed with a different kind of feeling that didn’t make Izumi feel like she was being torn apart from the inside out, but mended together instead; not to be overrun by sadness, but to be hugged by joy instead. The serotonin that the siamese had been deprived of for a while now came in doses from something as simple as a conversation from a once sky-bound stranger….admittedly, it felt unnatural to feel so casual around someone she’d just met…but it did not feel wrong either.

 Her joyous expression had slowly begun to warp at the features into self-awareness, and then flush over in embarrassment of having just called him by such a casual name. This time, her face had been hidden underneath ink-dipped paws to hide unease…“Sorry-! Sorry, I…...should probably leave soon…” the crane fumbled as she reared up to sit on her haunches, rubbing her face with a paw. What was she, a damned child? Why would she so blatantly call someone she hadn’t met by now Reyu-chan?? It would probably be better if Izumi saved herself from any further embarrassment and make a run for it.

 But…

 “Do you plan on coming back here? In this garden, I mean….” she asked the reddish sire faintly, chin still tucked against the plume of her chest as lilac eyes glazed over with a feeling of longing. Fujiwara wanted to see him again. Even if Atreyu had just been a simple passing stranger, desperation to search for the distraction of a newly found friendship had been set in motion by this meeting -- Izumi wanted to know if they’d ever cross paths again...

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Wow it was so relieving that they were just laughing together! After having just met moments ago, after the sudden awkward greeting that Atreyu felt like a fish out of water, suddenly everything was going so swimmingly.

Then she apologized, saying something along the lines that she had to go. That she should go. “Oh — Okay.” As much as he would have liked for her to stay a little longer, to talk a little more and get to know the pretty girl who greeted him in these new lands; he couldn't hold her hostage. From the smell wafting off of her, something sweet as well as the scent of others.

Even he could tell she was from a pack.

Atreyu was for a moment left defeated remembering that soon he would be alone, only to perk up not too long after as a smile found its way back to his face with the following words Izumi uttered shyly. He'd nod along happily. “Y-yeah!” Clearing his throat, it felt uncomfortably tight despite how much he wanted to remain calm and collected. “I have... nowhere else to go after all.”

Don't look desperate. Did that mean she would come back and here is where he could find her again? His tail had a mind of its own as it's cream tip tapped softly against the ground.

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 As much as Izumi would’ve liked to stay longer to color herself charmed by the awkwardness of the pleasant kitsune — fox boy, a sharp twist in her stomach came to life. The crane knew better than to let her inner shell become vulnerable so quickly...and Izu was far to bruised as it was already to receive any more scars to her fragile heart.

 The crane needed to stop being so gullible and listen to her grandfather -- since she already had to learn her lesson the hard way this past month. He seemed happy to know she might return though, and a silken tassel waved in the beat of his own speckled one. To leave so suddenly felt rude, but….necessary…

 The willowy crane slowly stood to her full height and dipped her head respectfully, though more hurried than in the graceful motions she always took her time to set forth. “T-then I will see you next time!-Uhm.....Atreyu...” There, his actual name -- not the stupid nickname she just called him. Izu wouldn’t be surprised if it made him cringe the first time he heard it, and it wasn’t polite to refer to strangers like that anyhow….

  And before you knew it, she was hurrying away to leave.

  Afraid to turn back and seek his expression -- yet strangely eager to return again...

 

-exit-

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