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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 10, 2020 18:10:12 GMT
Geoff rubbed his eyes as the grog left him. From the naked walls, he was back in the same hallway he had been in before. Gone was the luxury. Well, it was a nice break. But as Geoff was standing up and looking around, he saw that he was without a roommate. An all too familiar feeling of ice running down his neck came up. If he was alone, it meant that there was another game going on. Whoever he was roomed with was probably in that environment. He rushed to the bare wall. Shame it wasn't the room with the phone jack again. Maybe Jessica or Hannah or even Katherine was on the other side of the wall. He had to make sure people were okay. It was the only way to keep himself sane. He reached into the folds of his leather jacket and looked up Jessica's cheat sheet. After reading over once or twice, he stareted out knocking the only bit of Morse he knew.
... --- ... (S.O.S.)
He read it over. It was tricky figuring out the dashes, but he could muster it. He was pretty sure a fluent Morser would have laughed at his attempts. It was liek asking for directions in Spanish only to wind up saying 'where's the bathroom?' A common issue
.. - .----. ... / --. . --- ..-. ..-. .-.-.- / .. .----. -- / --- -.- .- -.-- .-.-.- (It's Geoff. I'm okay)
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 10, 2020 20:55:45 GMT
When Ethan awoke once more, the fog in his brain immediately indicated to him that he had been moved once more. Of course, he'd expected it, the feeling of dread in his stomach growing with each passing day, but he'd hoped and prayed that their kidnapper would be merciful and let him remain with Sawyer.
No such chance.
What's more, as soon as he opened his eyes he knew immediately where he was. He'd been in that room with Freya just over a month before, and while it hadn't been the worst place to be stuck in, he still had to brace himself for two weeks of bread and water. He'd had a couple of weeks of incredible food, allowing him to build his strength up once more, but once again he was about to be starved.
Guess I really didn't impress our kidnapper by covering up the cameras, he thought to himself, a sardonic chuckle on his lips. It was totally worth it though; after Ethan and Sawyer had admitted their feelings for each other, the rest of their time had been spent teasing each other, learning more about each other, and, of course, had included plenty of kissing and cuddling. Nothing further than that, of course - even considering how quickly they had moved in their relationship, that was too fast for them - but it really had been two weeks of bliss.
Sawyer. His chest ached as he thought of her. God, he hoped she was okay, and that she wasn't in another one of those cruel games. Since he hadn't been put in an entirely horrible room (the toilet and shower worked, at the very least), he could only assume that she hadn't been punished too harshly as well. Maybe she's back in one of the fancy rooms, especially if she's gotten married by now... The prospect of her wedding, however, was something he didn't want to think about. Even though he knew it was superficial, Ethan couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous of David. But that, of course, was his own personal problem to deal with.
He rolled over, expecting to see another body on the bed with him, but instead there was nobody there. What??? He'd always woken up next to someone after a room switch, so either he was on his own like Keiari had been (which brought up a whole new set of fears), or...
His roommate was in a game.
Shuddering, he sat up on the bed, and just as he did so, he heard some knocking from the other side of the wall. It sounded almost like Morse Code, not that Ethan knew anything about that, but it was an interesting conversation starter, and good to know that at least somebody was nearby to be able to hear him scream. He got up, walking over to the wall and pressing his ear against it, trying to listen for any further movement.
"Hello? I'm sorry, I don't speak Morse Code, are you able to communicate any other way? It's Ethan, if you know who that is?"
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 10, 2020 21:13:09 GMT
"Ethan? Ethan, it's Geoff."
The engineer was delighted to hear someone from the other side. He and the younger man had gotten along in the conversation they had before. Sure, what they discussed was depressing, but it was better than sitting alone in the dark and staring at his bread and water experiment turning into beer.
He had so much he wanted to ask. Was Keiari okay? She had gone quiet since their first initial talk through the wall. At least the bridge was crossed of getting forgiveness. Heck, was Ethan okay? Was his roommate in a game, too? Were any of his friends in trouble? What happened during their room switch? Also, Geoff had a lot to share from his conversations with Jessica and Hannah. Hopefully, the young man had some info.
"If there was a hole in the wall, I'd share my Morse Code cheat sheet. My last neighbor was Jessica, and she gave it to me through a crack in the wall. She suggested we use it if any important information got sent out."
But, like Ethan pointed out, not everybody spoke Morse. Well, so much for trying to be discrete.
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 10, 2020 21:28:23 GMT
"Ethan? Ethan, it's Geoff."
Ethan let out a sigh of relief at that, running a hand through his hair. Thank God it was at least somebody he knew, and probably could trust as well (that was kinda up in the air, but he was mostly leaning towards it). Geoff had been a pleasant person to talk to, and, perhaps more than that, he had known quite a bit of information. Well, now Ethan had even more to give, and he was going to gauge how trustworthy the man was depending on his reactions. Just for his peace of mind, of course.
"Good to hear you're still alive, Geoff," he replied, a slight smile on his face. That brand of semi-dark humour had been a good coping mechanism in that hellhole, and in truth it was good to hear Geoff was alive. It only furthered his theory that the marriages were going to act as a shield, which hopefully meant Sawyer was safe.
"If there was a hole in the wall, I'd share my Morse Code cheat sheet. My last neighbor was Jessica, and she gave it to me through a crack in the wall. She suggested we use it if any important information got sent out."
"If I can find a pen and some paper later I'll have to get you to read it to me. It might prove useful if I ever meet Jessica."
Certainly, from what he knew of the girl, communication (especially through a wall) was going to prove difficult, so every little helped. Besides, hopefully their kidnapper wasn't fluent in Morse Code enough to decipher any messages they were sending back and forth. For now, though, talking would have to do until he could find something to write the code down on.
"How have you been since we last spoke?"
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 11, 2020 5:50:53 GMT
"Good to hear you're still alive, Geoff,"
"Lady Luck somehow keeps rolling good dice in my favor. She must be doing the same for you." Geoff said.
At least there wasn't any awkward debts to pay or weird apologies to give to Ethan. He could just simply sit by the wall and just talk to people. Well, okay, Ethan was one of the few people that had been through a game clearly meant for torment as opposed to simple matchmaking, but that was beside the point. Geoff didn't even know the kid. At least, not well enough The name had come up from his and Kim's coffee talks, but whenever she seemed ruffled by just bringing him up, he let the topic go. He hadn't seemed as bad as Kim was making him out, but well..
Wait, did Ethan know about Kim disappearing?
"If I can find a pen and some paper later I'll have to get you to read it to me. It might prove useful if I ever meet Jessica."
"There's all kinds of strange things. But of all the things to not be found...I mean maybe in the colored rooms, you'd have better luck. These rooms are more like an attic with all the old trunks filled with junk. One in here I'm thinking of opening but just going towards it makes me sneeze from all the dust." Geoff gave a small laugh.
"How have you been since we last spoke?"
Geoff tapped his finger against his fitbit silently. How had he been? Weird to say, but the last two weeks before had felt...errily relaxing. It was a strange feeling, and Geoff didn't like it. "Is it bad to say it was a good few weeks before? I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking the hand Lady Luck keeps giving me."
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 12, 2020 22:28:56 GMT
"Lady Luck somehow keeps rolling good dice in my favor. She must be doing the same for you."
Ethan supposed that was true. He'd certainly felt lucky (all things considered) for the past two weeks being roomed with Sawyer, even more so when she'd actually reciprocated his feelings for her. Now? Well, he was alive, that was a bonus, but he was still physically alone and trapped in an asylum. But at least he hadn't been thrust into another game, not yet anyway, although he had a feeling he wouldn't have much longer to wait.
"I think so," he answered honestly, "It's been a quiet few weeks for sure."
Geoff continued to talk about some of the objects they'd found in their rooms, and that was something Ethan had been curious about. What did a single dead rose, a teddy bear, and a chest filled with soil mean? They were such random objects to find, but clearly they had some sort of a purpose. It just remained to be seen what they were, and honestly, he had no clue. Couldn't their captor have left a board game or something more interesting lying around instead?
"Is it bad to say it was a good few weeks before? I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking the hand Lady Luck keeps giving me."
"Honestly, not bad at all. I've had a comparatively good few weeks too. I actually got to eat proper food for the first time in over a month," he chuckled quietly. Eating proper meals wasn't something he'd ever considered anything other than essential before he was kidnapped, but in that hellhole it was apparently a luxury, along with a toilet.
"I can't help but think that this is some sort of false sense of security though. I'm sure I'll be carted off to die soon enough."
A soft sigh escaped his lips. He didn't want to think so pessimistically, but honestly he knew that at least if he did he could be pleasantly surprised, instead of disappointed.
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 13, 2020 2:41:30 GMT
"Honestly, not bad at all. I've had a comparatively good few weeks too. I actually got to eat proper food for the first time in over a month,"
"You start to get sick of it after a while. Especially since there's a rotation of meals for every day. Now I know how the Army feels," Geoff said dryly, laughing with Ethan.
It was probably too good of an analogy to pass on. The sense of dread that one day could be your last. Who would remember you for all the good things you did? Were your friends killed in combat, too? Poor kid. He must have been thrown back and forth to all these rooms. What they lacked in luxury, they made up for with possible clues and whatnot. If Geoff had been thrown in here months ago and hadn't been thrown into the 'death' games, he probably would have thought this was an escape room still.
"I can't help but think that this is some sort of false sense of security though. I'm sure I'll be carted off to die soon enough."
"Me too. Marriage doesn't exactly give you a 'get out of jail free' card, I found out. Right after the 'shocking' wedding, I got thrown right into a card game. Someone wasted no time in giving me shit for my role in that awful Russian roulette, saying I did it on purpose, that 'I was getting something' out of it."
He wasn't going to give names. Besides, he knew who the true villain was. No need to paint others as the bad guys. That'd only be playing the same bullshit they were.
"I was livid. Still am, but it's at a low simmer, I guess? Mostly I'm just mad that my side of the sotry in that event is getting twisted. And I'm not going to let people gaslight me. All I can do is press forward, make the wrongs I did right, be it my choice or not. Besides, now I know who I can truly be mad at, and I'm gunning for her."
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 14, 2020 0:32:28 GMT
"You start to get sick of it after a while. Especially since there's a rotation of meals for every day. Now I know how the Army feels," Geoff chuckled, and Ethan shrugged even though he was aware the man couldn't see him.
"I haven't had a chance to get used to it," he sighed a little, "I've mostly been eating bread for over a month, considering I've only been in two fairly good rooms this whole time. So I'd much rather have repeated meals than nothing at all."
His stomach grumbled a little in complaint from all the food chat. God, he really didn't want to be stuck with only bread for the next two weeks; he was far too hungry for that. It seemed almost unfair to deprive him once more, considering he hadn't had the best pick of the rooms since being there, but he supposed that was the way of his kidnapper. Nothing was fair with her. Besides, she probably wanted to starve him so he wouldn't be able to fight her off in whatever game she put him in next.
"Me too. Marriage doesn't exactly give you a 'get out of jail free' card, I found out. Right after the 'shocking' wedding, I got thrown right into a card game. Someone wasted no time in giving me shit for my role in that awful Russian roulette, saying I did it on purpose, that 'I was getting something' out of it."
"What, a sham marriage with a woman who doesn't love you?" he snorted drily, "What a great prize to have."
If his tone sounded bitter, it was because he most certainly was. Maybe Geoff actually liked Hannah, and maybe she liked him back, but all Ethan could think of when it came to those marriages was how the girl he liked was going to be married to someone else, and he didn't have any way to stop it. So, yeah, he was resentful of those weddings, because as usual, he didn't even get a shot at being happy. Not that anyone was happy in there, but Sawyer had given him two weeks of something pretty damn close to it. If she ended up falling for David on the basis of their marriage... honestly, he would be devastated.
Ethan absentmindedly played with the hairband around his wrist as Geoff continued to talk. While he could see both sides of the argument, he was somewhat biased towards Geoff after his own experience in a game. Sawyer hadn't wanted to hurt him or the other guys, and so he presumed that it was the same way with Geoff. Still, a little part of his brain wasn't fully trusting, for whatever reason, but he'd never been quick to trust people in the first place, especially when he hadn't actually met the guy face to face.
"Yeah, I heard about that game. Kinda freaks me out that even when you're married like she wants you're still not safe," Especially considering the fact that it meant Sawyer was still at risk...
"I'm sorry people don't believe you though. Like you say, they should probably redirect their energy towards confirmed villains, rather than some guy who didn't actually kill or physically hurt anyone."
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 14, 2020 3:18:55 GMT
"I haven't had a chance to get used to it. I've mostly been eating bread for over a month, considering I've only been in two fairly good rooms this whole time. So I'd much rather have repeated meals than nothing at all."
Geoff felt the metallic taste of guilt come up in his mouth. Ethan had been stuck in the crappy rooms this entire time with maybe an occasional peek into the luxury ones? That hardly seemed fair or right. But maybe other people in the house had the same treatment. Here he was having a "first world problem" of the food going in on rotations and goddamnit, can I have a taco or a cheap hotdog instead of pepper chicken or whatever else was being cooked? He could really go for those gyros that the Greek eatery near the university served.
"This is going to sound disgusting at first, but hear me out. Soak the bread in the water for a bit. It's a little more bearable, and edible that way. You're not choking on dry crumbs."
He didn't tell him about the bread-water experiment he was trying out. What he thought was going to become beer became a rancid smelling water. Maybe not the smartest plan there. But a tiny part of him felt some glee at giving back their jailer a nasty thing to look at, and smell, for some kind of punishment.
Ethan made a snide comment about the marriage, and Geoff chose to ignore it. Yes, it was a sham, but Hannah and him had been...neutral about one another even before. It wasn't until the card game and them spending time in the honeymoon suite that they had gotten to liking each other. Maybe even...No, it was too early to think that. Kim was still out there. A chill ran down his neck. Had his confession gotten her in trouble? Damn it, just leave him alone!
No, no, this isn't about you, asshole. This is about making friends.
"Have you heard from Sawyer since the game?" he asked.
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 14, 2020 23:13:50 GMT
"This is going to sound disgusting at first, but hear me out. Soak the bread in the water for a bit. It's a little more bearable, and edible that way. You're not choking on dry crumbs."
Ethan's eyebrows raised so high they practically disappeared into his hairline. That... really did sound disgusting, and he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to eat it that way. Besides, it wasn't the dryness of the bread that was the problem, it was the fact that it was the only thing there was to eat for the foreseeable future, and that he'd much rather be eating pizza or literally anything else. God, captivity sucked, not that he'd ever been under the impression that it didn't.
"Yeah, that does sound pretty gross," he laughed uneasily, "I might give that one a pass, unless I get really desperate."
Secretly, he kinda hoped that he was alone in his room for the next two weeks. At least then he could have double the food, even if it was just stale bread.
Geoff changed the subject, asking about Sawyer, and Ethan felt his heart flutter within his chest, but also a dull ache creep into his stomach. He really missed her... he wouldn't even mind sharing the bread and water with her if it meant she was by his side. It seemed almost silly to feel so strongly about someone he'd only known a few weeks, but Ethan just couldn't help it. She was important to him, and spending time with her was something to look forward to, one of the driving motivations behind his need to escape.
"I have, yeah, we were roomed together in the last switch," he could feel heat rise in his cheeks at the thought of their incredible time together, "She's a lot better than she was. I did have to give her a lot of bad news... but I think she's slowly healing, so that's good."
Maybe 'a lot better' was an understatement. She'd definitely seemed pretty blissful when they had been together, once they'd begun to work through and move past their grief at losing Huxley, of course. He really hoped he was the one who'd helped her...
"Who were you with?"
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 15, 2020 19:27:10 GMT
"Yeah, that does sound pretty gross, I might give that one a pass, unless I get really desperate." Ethan said with a weak laugh.
"No worries. Thought it'd make less boring since that's all you've been eating. But I'd kill for a gyro right nw. Not literally, but...well you get the idea."
The topic of food would have miserable for them both, so for now, they could focus on chatting on the people here. Ethan was more than happy to talk about Sawyer, and the engineer picked up vibes of a sort of affectionate pull the young man. But that wasn't any of his business. Besides, if he did say that, oh, so and so liked so and so, who knew if the matchmaker would twist the connections into something that would only benefit her. It was bad enough she was taking people that were already married and marrying them to people tat she thought were more preferable. Now she was making a game of dangling would be relationships in front of people. It made Geoff's blood boil. She had done that with Kim in the first "game".
The gun hadn't killed her, but it also hadn't matched them. Why Geoff was processing this now, he didn't know. It had been a lot of get through, so it had been one of the last few things on his mind. Or maybe because he didn't want to focus on his own heartbreak and worry about the others that were more dire situations. He wouldn't lie, between not being matched and the no kiss, his heart was starting to ache.
"Who are you with?" Ethan asked.
"Right now, I don't know. I can only assume my roommate is in another event. Whether or not they get back, I don't know. I was Aoi before. Made me feel a lot better seeing her safe."[/i]
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 16, 2020 22:40:10 GMT
"No worries. Thought it'd make less boring since that's all you've been eating. But I'd kill for a gyro right nw. Not literally, but...well you get the idea."
Ethan let out a soft chuckle.
"Honestly, agreed though. The things I would do for a Dominos pizza..." He hoped their kidnapper wouldn't take that literally. He loved pepperoni pizza as much as the next person, but he wasn't about to kill for it. Still, it would be nice...
"The least she can do is order us a takeaway if we survive one of her games," he added jokingly, "Celebratory meal, and all."
Maybe his humour was growing darker by the day, but if it was helping him get through this hellhole, he supposed it couldn't be all that bad.
His brow furrowed, however, at the revelation that Geoff was alone, just like him.
"Same here," Ethan sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, "It's honestly freaking me out a little, I haven't been in that position before. I hope whoever it is is okay..."
More to the point, he hoped that nobody he cared about was going to get hurt. Huxley had been a bad enough blow; he wasn't entirely certain he could take much more bad news. Just let them all be okay...
"I was Aoi before. Made me feel a lot better seeing her safe."
"I'm glad she is," he replied honestly. He didn't recognise the name, but it was a relief to hear at least somebody was okay, at that moment anyway. Their numbers seemed to be dwindling by the second, and it freaked him out that he could be next.
"Honestly, it's kinda scary how many people have been hurt already. Seems like her end goal is to match us all up, and then kill us. I wonder why..."
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 16, 2020 23:59:46 GMT
"Ah, yes, the rare place that has a delivery radius to the middle of nowhere. Five-star reviews," Geoff joked.
But joking between him and Ethan aside, it gave Geoff something he hadn't thought about. If this woman was able to track down where Claudie and Dorian were, it meant this place had to have WiFi. Some kind of connection. It was also why cell phones and fancy electronics were stolen. She didn't want them to make any communication or cries for help. If there were any phones with some miraculous battery power, they were going off who knows where. He should have picked at the box when he had the chance.
"It's honestly freaking me out a little, I haven't been in that position before. I hope whoever it is is okay..."
"If it makes you feel better, I'm in the same boat. And if you're still alone in, oh, however long it'll be, I'm just a wall knock away,"
It was nice actually chatting with Ethan. The two of them were getting along, and it gave Geoff the tiniest glimmer of relief. Finally, someone besides the girls that were willing to put up with the nerdiness, as some called it. Sure, there was Greg and Noah, but that had been a different scale. Ethan was one of the younger kids, about the same age as some of the people the Badass Roosters played against or with. It gave him a sense of...normalcy.
"Honestly, it's kinda scary how many people have been hurt already. Seems like her end goal is to match us all up, and then kill us. I wonder why..."
"I know. Nothing about her makes sense. He marries people off and then has them together for say, oh, two weeks at most. Then she separates them. Those who lose at her sick games wind up dead from awful means, even if they're wed. I don't like it. That's why I'm focusing on figuring out what's making her tick while trying to keep as many people as I can sane. I messed up big time, and I'm going to try to fix all my wrongs."
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Post by Ethan Kaul on Aug 18, 2020 0:08:04 GMT
"Ah, yes, the rare place that has a delivery radius to the middle of nowhere. Five-star reviews."
"Honestly if any place delivered to this hellhole, it'd get five stars from me no matter how shit the food is," Ethan chuckled, "I need some serious junk food in my life right now."
In all seriousness, he could feel dread settle in the pit of his stomach. Knowing that he wasn't the only person to be alone basically confirmed his fears: that there was a game going on at that very moment, and that it was likely that whoever his roommate was may not make it out alive. A shiver went down his spine, and his fingers began to tap against his leg, nerves getting the better of him, and he was almost glad that nobody (bar their kidnapper) could see him.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm in the same boat. And if you're still alone in, oh, however long it'll be, I'm just a wall knock away," Geoff replied, and the calmness of his voice did a little to soothe Ethan's nerves.
"Thanks, the same goes for you," he nodded. It was nice to know somebody had his back at least, and he felt a little bad for not trusting him wholeheartedly. Not that he trusted many people, but still, the man seemed like he placed a lot of trust in Ethan. That was something he hoped he could live up to...
The doctor nodded along to Geoff's theory, agreeing with every word. It was crazy how the goal of this place seemed to be matches and marriages, and yet people were dropping like flies, whether they rebelled or not. Plus, the separation was definitely weird; surely if they were married their captor wouldn't want them to be tempted by people they actually wanted to be with, like what had happened with Sawyer. Maybe it was a way of testing them, and he and Sawyer had undeniably failed. Ethan wondered whether Geoff could say the same.
"So, wait, you haven't been with Hannah since you were married?" he frowned, "What kind of a place is this? Do you think it's some sort of a test, to see if we're worthy of something?"
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Post by Geoff Alen on Aug 18, 2020 5:12:39 GMT
"I need some serious junk food in my life right now."
Geoff's stomach made a noise that sounded like it came from whatever weird monsters lurked in hell. Junk food sounded good. Would that be a reward for completing a sick task? Geoff wasn't sure what this woman would even have people do for something as simple as a craving. The crazy 'what would you do for a klondike bar' ad came to mind.
"So, wait, you haven't been with Hannah since you were married? What kind of a place is this? Do you think it's some sort of a test, to see if we're worthy of something?"
"I've only been roomed with her once, but after that, not once have we been in the same room. And no, the event doesn't count. We've been wall to wall, but that's literally we closest we've been."
It was so bizarre. This woman was cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but that was an explanation and not an excuse to continuously kill people. What about Helena? Was she part of this strange bizarre experience? She visited Noah, and probably had been here for a while. Who knew what kind of abuse the poor woman had her going through? He glanced at the doorway. She was visiting people. Wait. He and Ethan were alone because their roommates were probably in an event. Did Helena visit them?
"Ethan, did a blonde woman visit you? Or do you know of a blonde woman that's spying on single men? She came to Noah, and a few weeks ago I found a folder with medical bills and a picture of a very plastic induced woman with the name Helena H. scrawled on it. It's her, and she may be working for the matchmaker from hell. I honestly don't know, but I do know she's here."
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