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Post by Salandis on Oct 3, 2023 3:44:47 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana greets Kail, snaps at Cas, and then looks in her backpack]
Moana returned the slap-handshake of Kail, pleased. It had been a while, and she had looked a little different. It was still nice to be recognized.
“Morningstar in the ring,” she grinned. “Out here I go by Moana. It was Kail, right?”
Casmir started asking questions. They were sensible questions, but it was Casmir. Kail answered nonchalantly, managing to keep a tighter cool than she did. Something about that human’s voice just rubbed her wrong though. “What do you care?” She snapped. “Why are you in here yourself anyway?”
She managed not to flinch away at the bone ornament Kail had. At least it wasn’t water shaped, probably. Instead she swung her own heavy backpack around. “I haven’t looked in this yet. I think I was collecting something? It weighs a bloody ton anyway.” She paused a moment. “I was going to see if I could stash it in the Staff area,” she admitted. “This place isn’t one of the boss’s though, I figured they would kick me out.”
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 3, 2023 12:47:59 GMT -6
The weight in Moana's pack becomes apparent when she opens it: there is a heavy red-and-black pipe wrench taking up a good chunk of space in her bag. Past that, she finds a nice flip-lighter and a small figurine with a rolled bit of paper tied to it. Unlike the other items, the figurine and the paper appear to be old and worn. The figurine is carved of dark reddish wood and holds a shape that would be immediately familiar to her: it's one she has worn before after all, resting in Malthiel's office. The paper when unrolled shows runic writing in an unknown language, but there is familiarity there too. She would know immediately that it is a spell, and upon looking at it the paper would shrivel to dust and the spell would be seared into her mind. It is a spell of water and of vengeance, it is a spell to cause harm to those deserving of it.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 3, 2023 14:40:57 GMT -6
[Stenson looks to the stores ahead but doesn't see any of interest. He spots the phone and thinks he should call work to report the missing backpack he had, and also ask if his own backpack/belongings were still at work. He will do one of two things: attempt to use his own cellphone if he has it on him, or attempt to use the payphone if he has any money on him and his cell either is missing or doesn't work.]
As Stenson slung the backpack back onto his shoulder, he looked ahead at the stores laid out in front of him, unaware at the moment of the others standing confused at the kiosk behind him. To him, he could only assume they were typical mall-goers, not yet recognizing any in that immediate instant save for Sameul.
The stores, meanwhile, seemed pretty typical. The first one on his left was a Hot Topic, not necessarily his style but then again maybe he'd had a late night idea to get Kit something from here? An apology for later, if he ever managed to figure out what was wrong with him and how to apologize to her. He knew he couldn't expect her forgiveness no matter what gifts he gave to her, but he had decided he would try. Hot Topic though seemed....lacking. If he did anything for her, it would need to be worth what he'd put her through. As this thought arose, so too did the alien ghoul that attempted to weakly push Kit from his mind and replace her with Kitty. However, with how distant it had become as of late, Stenson found it easier to tamp down the invasive vampiric hold and keep his own mind in place, though he could never quite kill it entirely... Past the Hot Topic there was a store called Torrid, some sort of clothing store perhaps? He still couldn't think of anything off the top of his head that he would have needed to come all this way for in a clothing store. Then, on the right was an H & M. Again...he felt no urgent need for a clothing store.
Just then, something else caught his attention to his right. A phone, which gave him pause. He supposed he should at least call his work or superior and let them know he had someone's backpack. If they knew, they could notify the workforce of the missing bag and pass along that it would be available at lost and found tomorrow. Stenson patted his khaki pockets, searching for his own cell phone to make the call. He honestly wasn't sure if he'd left it in his own backpack, probably still at work, or if he'd at least have any money in the event of needing to use the payphone. Whomever he got ahold of, he could also verify if he'd left his own things at work and request them to hold it.
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Post by luscen on Oct 3, 2023 21:01:00 GMT -6
[CASMIR points out the holes in his, KAIL'S and MOANA'S memories, puts on the ivory pendant he found in his bag, and then yells at SAM to get away from the door, concerned for his safety.]
"I don't remember," Casmir replied. "I don't know why I came here. I don't remember where I was before." His eyes shifted to Kail. "And neither does he. And I'm betting you don't either."
He pulled out a handgun, frowning at it- it was a Taurus G2c, a Brazilian-made weapon that was considered one of the best in the field for its magazine capacity and customizability. Why did he have this? It was excellent for concealed carry, but it wasn't the type of weapon Casmir would use, due to its issues with the recoil spring and battery return. He unlatched the magazine, saw that there was a full load, and clicked the mag back into place.
'That's something, at least...' He was skeptical that whoever had given him a firearm and then deigned to put him here would actually be interested in providing a proper means of protection, but even a butter knife was better than his bare hands, when push came to shove. The rest of the backpack wasn't much more enlightening: a taser, a can of bear mace, red spray paint and... a pendant?
The Hunter pulled the bit of jewelry out by its leather strap, putting his hands under the ivory figure. He didn't recognize it, but something about it made him feel calmer than he had been a moment ago. Frowning at it, he slipped the cord over his neck, tucking the pendant beneath his black shirt.
"There were some other people here, aside from just us," he began, only to look up as he noticed the doors slide open behind the biker. Mist from the outside started to waft in, and something about it made his skin crawl.
"Hey, get away from the door!" he yelled over at the helmeted stranger, standing and ready to move at the first sign of trouble.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 3, 2023 23:59:52 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam asks Casmir to calm down, before asking all three if they remember what they were doing before coming to in the mall. He steps away from the entrance doors.)
Strange, these other people also didn’t seem to remember why they were here, what their purpose was. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened and what might have brought them here. Most importantly, he wanted to know how they got out of here. Through the mist was not an option. Suddenly the blonde yelled at him and Samael’s head snapped in his direction, the movement just slightly unnatural.
“Please, calm down, sir” Samael spoke evenly, approaching the group slowly. His voice was hoarse and slightly distorted by the helmet, which didn’t exactly do him any favors when it came to talking with civilians. In his mind he quickly sorted through all the many courses he had been made to take on public communication, of course they were necessary for his job, but he always hoped he wouldn’t talk enough with people to actually have to use them. Still, he felt some sense of responsibility, a need to fix the situation.
“Do any of you recall what you were doing before ending up here?”, he asked looking at each of them in turn, “perhaps it could useful in figuring out what’s going on.”
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 4, 2023 2:24:17 GMT -6
Searching his pockets, Stenson does not find his phone, but he does find his wallet and his keys. He must have left his phone at home or at work. He has enough change in his wallet to use the payphone, at least. When he does call the office, the line rings three times then clicks as if someone picks up. There is no voice on the other end, however, only static. The static rises in tone to a painful point, the sound almost forming words but not quite. After a few moments of this whoever is on the other end hangs up.
Back near the entryway, the door slowly slides shut as Sam steps away from it. The tendrils of mist fade into the air as they're broken off from the rest outside. For a moment, the fluorescent lights flicker and there is a soft breath of air, a sound almost like whispered words, but it's lost in the pop-song playing over the speakers.
A pair of teens meander out of Hot Topic, laughing to each other. They don't seem to be paying much attention to the man at the phones or the others around the directory as they make their way toward the exit. An older woman steps out of Hollister and settles to stand to the side of the door. She is smiling and holding a fountain drink of some sort, sipping at it occasionally. Her gaze falls on the group at the directory, but it shifts away after a moment, looking around absently.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 4, 2023 2:49:31 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana suggests acting normally and wandering the mall for suspicious stuff]
Well, that explains why the bag was so heavy, Moana mused, absently hefting the wrench. It’s not her preferred weapon, but… well indeed. She turned to study the rest of the items and was taken aback. The sculpture is very familiar, down to the grain of wood. It, with the lighter, quickly vanished to an easier-to-reach pocket. The parchment…
The spell blazed into her mind. It was water based, and powerful, but very much woven of magic she knew. Her magic was growing things and guardianship, protection spells and cursebreaking, and she had learned precious little of that. But this spell was the darker side of that, a spell of vengeance, a curse in its own right, and she felt the power of it settle into her mind.
She blinked, registering what Casmir had been saying, and then focused on the fact that he was yelling at someone, and in turn being quietly talked to. She answered the stranger calmly, since it wasn't Cas. “No, I don’t remember why I came here, only that there was a reason… and that I shouldn’t leave yet.” She glanced at the older woman settling by the door, and the unwholesome mist outside, and a chill went down her spine. “I’m not sure it’s safe out there.” She settled into a pose more like casual conversation, settling her backpack with a stretch and a smile. “I also think we’re being watched,” she murmured to the small group, her brain starting to function again. “Maybe we should drift around and do mall things to see if we spot anything weird before trying to break into the staff areas.”
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Post by luscen on Oct 4, 2023 3:13:08 GMT -6
[CASMIR recognizes SAM, then calls out to the TEENS heading towards the door, hurrying over to try and stop them, concerned for their safety and wanting to get some information.]
Casmir was weighing the Biker; he spoke with a degree of authority, which suggested Law Enforcement. He was familiar with Agent Jones, which probably made him out to be WDSA. He rifled through his memory from working with the WDSA, trying to put a name to the figure- He recalled seeing a large male that typically wore a coat with a hood, which he’d often kept up. Snippets of filed away conversations had him down as “Agent Samael O’Carrick.” Two Agents on hand was reassuring, perhaps they might have some ideas as to what was going on…
Before he could reply, however, the lights flickered, and a quiet rush of air blew through the mall. He thought he heard words whispered in that wind, but it was covered up by the PA system. Everything returned to normal, with some teens and an old woman stepping out of the nearby shops, the pair laughing and heading towards the door.
“Excuse me!” Casmir called towards the teens, leaving his bag behind and hurrying towards them at a brisk pace. The flickering lights, the quiet, ghostly whisper, and the fog especially told him that something was very wrong, here. Since he no longer had the Eye of Ahura, however, he couldn’t detect any hidden magicks, so he’d have to rely on his Hunter’s instincts.
And right now, his instincts were telling him that stepping outside, into that mist, was a very dangerous mistake. A mistake he was hoping he could prevent these two adolescents from making.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 4, 2023 3:36:05 GMT -6
[Kail agrees with Moana, begins to meander down the clothing section, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Keeps an eye on Casmir and the teenagers]
Kail looked the biker up and down with a look of faint incredulity and very obvious judgement. But more pressing than his strange outfit was the ominous creep of the mist, the strange pressure in the air.
“No idea, big guy.” He said, mirroring Moanas casual pose by leaning against the kiosk. “And I agree. Let’s play it cool and scout out this joint.”
His gaze settled on the old woman, and then flicked knowingly to meet Moana’s eyes. Watched indeed. But old people did have a tendency to stare, and it wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened yet.
Casmir evidently had other ideas for how to proceed. The wendigo tensed as the man yelled out for a second time, narrowing his eyes.
“Fucks sake.” He hissed under his breath, turning away. “Let’s get going while he plays hero.”
The wendigo meandered down the hallway towards the food section, hunting boots scuffing against the linoleum. He kept a keen eye out for any weird behaviour from the crowd, glancing inside each shop as he passed.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 4, 2023 14:25:03 GMT -6
(OOC: Samael agrees with Moana, tells Casmir to be quiet and begins heading down the clothing isle, towards Torrid to check it out and take a gander around the corner.)
These people, whoever they were, proved exactly why Samael didn’t socialize much. Still some valid points were made, people were behaving strangely here, meaning it was probably better to lie low and gather information. Samael nodded in agreement with the young woman’s statement. “It’s worth a shot”, he agreed, “no need to take unnecessary risks.” At least not for the fragile living people in the group. The rules were quite different for a corpse.
Perhaps it was just his general unease around living things, but he didn’t like that vague feeling of being watched. As soon as it had been adressed, it seemed to manifest as a physical weight, an itch at the base of his neck. Though, now that he thought of living things, an uncomfortable realization settled over him. Normally, he was in tune with the lives and deaths of those around him, an awareness mandated by his nature. It a complex weave to navigate, a constant background noise, a sense akin to sight or touch- entirely tangible. But there was nothing here. It was gone. More than the mist and the emptiness of the mall, this somatic wrongness unsettled him.
Suddenly the blonde yelled again. He was fond of that, it seemed. Had he heard nothing of what the others had said or was he just choosing to ignore it? Samael’s gaze swept the area to check the mall-goers’ reactions.
“Stop yelling.” Leaving the blonde with those two words, Samael was off, heading down the clothing isle towards the store at the far end, something called Torrid. The hallway there curved around the H&M, possibly providing a way further into the mall. It might be worth checking out. The sound of his boots against the smooth floor was uncomfortably loud, making him all the more aware of himself. He kept his gaze straight ahead, never once looking at the other mall-goers, except the ones he had talked with. The leather of his gloves protested slightly as he clenched his hands into fists, before shoving them in his pockets.
Weren’t malls supposed to be places with crowds to disappear into?
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 4, 2023 17:31:06 GMT -6
[Stenson tries the phone and gets no reply. He overhears the shout and snippets of conversation from the others farther towards the front of the mall and starts to realize something weird might be up. He decides to approach the little old lady with the cup and once he knew she noticed him, he will ask if maybe she could tell him what mall they were in, or an address so he can 'give his friend who is meeting him for lunch directions to where he was' before noticing Samael was heading his way.]
A few quick pats of his hands across his pockets turned up only his keys and wallet. Stenson plunged a hand into the pocket and pulled them out, staring at them with disappointment as if that might encourage one of them to magically transform into a cell phone. As he returned the keys and opened his wallet, he was at least glad to find some loose change floating about and pulled two quarters that would be enough for a quick phone call, according to the 50cent tag on the pay phone. Shifting the backpack to his other shoulder and returning his wallet to his pocket, Stenson deposited the quarters into the phone's coin slot, each one making a hollow CHER-CLUNK as they dropped in. He then dialed his office's main number and waited. Protocol demanded that there was always someone on duty, so an answer was typically a guarantee. With the phone pressed to his ear, Stenson stood leaning slightly against the wall, staring at one of his tennis shoes as if they were some grand interesting thing while the line on the other end rang. There came a familiar answering click after the third ring, though strangely enough, there was no initial 'hello', so he initiated instead. "Hey, this is Officer Stenson Jones, I'm just calling to ask if-" he began, but fell silent as he realized there was an odd amount of static interference coming through. ".....Wait uh...hello? Hello, not sure if you can hear me?" He tried, but still there was no answer, only that persistent static. In fact, the static began to grow louder and for a moment Stenson thought he heard some kind of voice through it, but it became quickly lost as the static suddenly rose in volume, causing the officer to jerk the phone from his ear as it reached a painful pitch. "Ah ow..." Stenson hissed holding the phone away from himself before hanging it up.
"Great..." he mumbled, and turned to see a few more mall-goers milling out of the nearby stores. He should've known better. Some of the biggest crooks in public society was anything that would gladly take quarters in exchange for snacks, drinks or a phone call only to suddenly malfunction and unironically keep your money. He watched as two teenagers exited from the Hot Topic, and an older lady left the H&M happily clutching a cola drink. From the front of the mall though, Stenson heard a raised voice. "Hey, get away from the door!" a man yelled, and the volume of it suddenly breaking the eerie dead quiet of the mostly vacant mall drew Stenson's attention. He then heard Sam's voice, familiar, seeming to respond to the shout and now mixing with the others. As he listened, he caught a few more distant words, Sam's voice speaking "Please....calm, sir....any...recall what....doing before....here", and a woman saying "No...don't remember....came here." and "was a reason....not sure it's safe...do mall things...break into staff...."
Stenson had closed his eyes while trying to listen and piece together the distant conversation as it echoed through the empty hall, still leaning near the payphone. Sam seemed to be ok, despite the shout, and there was no more shouting after that. But now Stenson's nerves began to take on an edge. Suddenly his own weird absence of memory was somehow more weird. And, at least from what he was hearing, possibly shared. Were the others he'd seen up front experiencing similar amnesia? And why? Perhaps this wasn't one of his usual bouts of dead-brain he'd grown so used to, and now that he considered it, this instance of forgetfulness did seem a bit more extreme than the others. He began to think more seriously back to his own last few hours and found that, try as he might, he could not remember anything before the mall. They say the road can hypnotize drivers into blanking through entire car trips, but this was at a whole new level as he couldn't remember ANY of his drive here, let alone when or from where he'd even left from....
Looking back towards the teenagers heading towards the mall's exit and old woman nearest to him, they seemed perfectly at ease and going about their business. Stenson's attention locked onto the older woman, and with his mind made up he moved from his spot against the wall towards her. He would ask a simple question. Perhaps what mall was this. A name. An address, anything at least to ground him where he was for now. Somewhere behind him, he heard another shout that nearly stopped him again, the same louder male individual calling out again, but perhaps they were a little....out there. Malls did tend to have strange folks wandering about, or trying to push some product or other on you through shock value or in this man's case, perhaps shouting you back to him.
"Hello Ma'am," He called as he approached her, an apologetic and disarming smile on his face. His hand was lifted in a half wave of greeting and stopped at a comfortable, respectful distance from her. Once he knew he had her attention, he proceeded with his question. "I'm so sorry to bother you, this is embarrassing but....I'm supposed to meet a friend here for lunch and....heh....I've never actually been to this mall before. I wanted to give them directions for where I was, do you know what this mall is called or maybe even an address I could send to them?" He smiled again, rubbing the back of his neck. He risked a small glance back and saw the helmeted figure of Sam now headed down the hall in his direction. He hoped the woman could answer him before Sam reached them, otherwise his 'friend' he was waiting on might not need directions anymore.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 4, 2023 19:02:06 GMT -6
There is a feeling of growing tension the longer they stay here, although the few people around don't seem to be paying much attention to them, even when they shout.
This changes when Casimir approaches the teens. The pair look back at him, their expressions vaguely confused: a blonde boy with a round face and a short slender girl with brown hair and dark eyeliner. "What do you want?" the boy asks, his tone suspicious and aggressive. "I don't know you!" cries the girl, clutching at the boy's arm. Their reactions seem... off, the aggression and fear unwarranted. But then again, Casimir was a rough looking man, with all of his scars. The girl tugs at the boy's arm, trying to continue to the door, but the boy holds his ground for the moment, glaring at Casimir.
On the other side of the Directory, the older woman outside Hollister has glanced toward the commotion again. She continues to sip at her drink, but her attention shifts to Stenson as he approaches her. She is about middling height, brown-haired with a streak of white at her temples. Her eyes are round and blue as she looks up at Stenson, and her expression is attentive, lacking the hostility the two teens project. She appears to be listening to him, still sipping her drink...
"I'm waiting for my son!" she declares after he has finished with his questions, answering none of them. Then she goes back to sipping at her drink. Or... wait no, this close the dark liquid can just be made out moving up the straw into her mouth... then sliding back down again into the cup. Back and forth, she isn't drinking anything. Her eyes have a strange intensity as they scan Stenson's face. When her mouth leaves the straw, she smiles at him, a bit of black staining her teeth. "I'm waiting for my son!" she repeats, her voice more intent, then resumes going at her drink.
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Post by luscen on Oct 5, 2023 5:33:07 GMT -6
[CASMIR tries to learn a bit more about the mall from the two TEENAGERS, while also attempting to convince them to stay inside and wait out the storm. He notices there's something off about them, and discretely examines them for any signs of deception or malice.]
"Sorry," Casmir replied with a self-depreciating chuckle, shifting his posture and body language and affecting the air more suited to a hapless-yet-harmless civilian. "I just happened to notice that you were heading right out into that storm, and well... I didn't think your ladyfriend there wanted to ah, ruin her makeup?" he nodded towards the girl. "Maybe you should wait the rain out or get an umbrella?
"Anyway," the Hunter continued, maintaining the façade of the absent-minded mall-goer. "I'm looking for a birthday present for my sister, but I don't have any idea what she might want. She mentioned... oh, what was it..." He looked back over his shoulder at the store that'd caught his attention. "'Duh-lee-ah's? I don't suppose you two know much about it? She's a fan of cute stuff and video games, neither of which is my wheelhouse. Can I find anything like that, there?"
Something about the way the two kids were acting was a bit odd. In fact, the more Casmir looked at them, the more he felt as though something was off. Like they weren't entirely all there in front of him. He studied them carefully, looking for any signs of ill intent or magical mischief, wishing again he still had his magical eye instead of the dead one currently sitting in his scarred socket.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 5, 2023 15:12:38 GMT -6
[Moana follows Kail to the food court and inspects stores 1 for food]
Kail wandered off, and Moana followed him as they meandered towards the food court. With the barrier in the way they were forced to detour around, past the H&M store and bathrooms. Usually she didn’t like mall food, they put so much salt on everything, but it was where visitors might go to meet or just drift.
“Maybe we should get him a sign?” she suggested thoughtfully. “He could go the traditional way with spandex and tight underpants, but that might be more of him than we want to see.”
“Hey, It might help with his kills,” Kail responded. Was that a grin? “I’d wanna die after seeing that.”
Moana bit back a chuckle. “God, it would make him harder to kill too. You’d have to look at him dressed like that, and that would make anyone flinch.” She screwed up her face in mock disgust even thinking about it.
Moana could feel the wrongness of the place. It wasn’t bustling, it almost seemed too empty, as if the people there weren’t even really people. She could probably strip naked, she mused, and the only ones that would react would be the group she was just talking with. But she didn’t feel in danger, per se. In a worst case scenario she could simply drain down one of the sinks somewhere.
Instead she drifted over to the oddly named Valuetinos. Was this a cut rate Valentino's? Would they even have real food here?
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 5, 2023 19:12:46 GMT -6
[Stenson is immediately concerned for the woman as she seems not exactly well and asks her for any information on her son while taking over in leading her back towards the store to look for him. Sten also offers Sam a quick 'hey taking care of something' wave, in case Sam was on his way to talk to him.]
Stenson's smile held well enough as the woman stared up at him, replying to his questions but answered none of them. His eyebrows creased slightly, concern crossing his features as the woman repeated herself, pretending to sip the drink she held but never actually drinking any. As a police officer, he'd dealt with plenty of different people from all walks of life, and his immediate impression was the woman perhaps supposed to be in the care of her son, or someone she thought of as a son, and had gotten lost.
After her second, more intent statement of trying to find her son, Stenson nodded. Right away, police duty took over. "Absolutely, ma'am, we will find him. Let's go back into the store to see where he might be, ok? Can you tell me what he looks like?" As he said this, he made to shepherd the woman back the way she'd come from, hold his arms open to motion in a leading manner back towards the store. With lost or confused folks, it was usually easier to have them retrace their immediate steps while staying with them. If she was fixated on looking for her son while meandering out into the mall, then it was highly likely he'd still be in the store potentially looking for her as well. Either way, as an officer, he felt responsible for helping her.
With a quick glance back over his shoulder, Stenson gave Sam a quick wave as if to tell him he had come across something that needed to be done. He wasn't sure if Sam had spotted him at all, or had initially been on his way to greet Stenson, but he at least wanted Sam to know something was going on.
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