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Reality Fault

Realms: Taps Logs

Assessing the Damage

Roy gallops back to the palace and snaps orders at the guards at the gate. One of them goes running toward the palace, the other starts clanging a bell in a small cupola over the gate. From all quarters, men are coming out of the woodwork. Roy rides right up to a small detached house inside the main wall, swinging down and bawling, "Pierce! Pierce! Put up your butterflies and get yer ass out here with your battle kit!"

Suraksha blinks startledly, clutching at the horse's mane as her 'backrest' suddenly abandons her. She glances around, then smiles faintly and slides herself backwards into the saddle, picking up the reins and tiredly soothing Hermoso. After that she just waits -- she figures Roy will need a ride back, and she wants to be there. She grins tiredly at the thought of a surgeon who likes collecting butterflies. Is it the pinning part he enjoys? She has to cover a small giggle at that thought.

The man that emerges from the building is wearing heavy leather armor and looks rather more like a fighter than a chirurgeon. He's got a carefully balanced backpack over his shoulders and his face is scarred -- both cheeks, each with three parallel lines, and his forehead mirroring the lines on each cheek. "How many dead? How many injured?"

Suraksha looks less amused as her mind abruptly flashes the picture of Alg's badly torn shoulder, and she hopes this Pierce can handle it. Her reply is clear and to the point, "Two dead, three injured."

Pierce nods and says, "Any fighting still going on? This a battle situation or a clean-up situation?"

Suraksha adds grimly, "One of the injured is a kidnapper, one's Alg -- who took an attack meant for me -- and one is..." She frowns, thinking, then adds slowly, "Actually, I don't know if his majesty's servant is injured or not." She shakes her head to Pierce, "Clean-up. Chanti has the kidnapper pinned, and..." She cuts herself off with a small gasp -- she doesn't know what form Sna'tha will be wearing when they return, so doesn't want to give a name to it. Instead she adds with sincere worry, "Can we -- please, can we hurry?"

Suraksha is guessing regarding the two other kidnappers being dead -- but she also knows when Sna'tha says something like 'that's it' after conflict, she usually means it in a terminal sense. The Hetaera adds in sudden remembrance, "The warehouse, there's... I don't know what it is, but there's something... wrong with it! Light has trouble entering." She gives the two very practical looking men an apologetic glance, adding, "I'm sorry, I... don't know how to be clearer than that, but there's definitely something wrong there. I... you might want to be wary?" She doesn't know of the four dead bodies, so she doesn't report them.

Roy is already swinging back up into the saddle, giving Suraksha the ability choose if she sits in front or behind. Pierce nods and says, "I'll bring a nurse and an ambulance." An ambulance, in this place, is probably a large boxy carriage with cots inside, much like Sabrina's wagon. Pierce glowers and mutters something about misuse of gifts as he stalks off toward the stables.

Suraksha hastily shoves herself backwards out of reflex, so she's behind the saddle. Had she had a moment to think she'd have preferred to be held securely in front -- it requires less effort, and she's getting very tired -- but her training kicks in and she reflexively takes the more self-responsible seat. She wraps her arms tightly about Roy's middle as far as she can reach, laying her cheek against his back and growling internally at herself: must hang on tight! No falling off! She calls quietly to her rider, "Majesty, do you know where the warehouse of Lafayette Carrefour is? That's the one we're at -- I can guide if necessary?"

Roy wheels back and stops at the gate long enough to order two ten-man squads to be dispatched with them; the rest should stay at the palace. He chuckles and snorts, "Yeah. I know Lafayette's pla.... shit? It's at Lafayette's? He's one-a the good ones."

Suraksha adds in quiet puzzlement, "Why did- er, yes, so Chanticleer said. But he wasn't there -- someone named Droog was. Apparently he has the gout. Um... why did Pierce sound upset about misuse of gifts, please? And what do the scars mean, please?" Her voice is starting to get unwittingly softer as she gets tireder, and without thinking she smiles and dreamily adds, "Silk feels nice..." as she slowly rubs her cheek against his back."

Roy smirks slightly, "Pierce is a Tap. Not very strong, but a Tap all the same. He is quite offended when people with real ability squander it." He tries to crane around to look at Sulochana, "OK, you need to get around front here." He stops long enough to shift her around.

Suraksha blinks tiredly at him, "Huh?" then gives a small, "Eek!" and grabs startledly at him, as he literally has her hanging in the air for a second while he hauls her around over his thigh and up front. She's still clutching in breathless shock at him once he's settled her, feeling much more awake now! "You- whoo! Next time, warn me, please?! I thought I was falling!" She takes a deep breath and tries to make herself relax, then adds confusedly, "And what -- I mean, who is Pierce upset with for squandering abilities?"

Roy snorts, "The reason I did that was to keep you from falling. You're getting battle-exhaustion." He adds without pause, "Whoever's doing this with the light. Usin' a Tap ability to do something wicked."

Suraksha sighs tiredly, "Oh... all right..." as she lets her head fall back against Roy's chest again. Her weary mumble is soft, "Thanks..." then adds blearily, "Never heard'a that one before..."

Roy keeps one arm around Suraksha's waist, "Well, what else'd do somethin' like that?" They reach the warehouse in very little time and Roy snaps at one of the guards to come keep Suraksha from falling down.

Suraksha smiles tiredly up at Roy, "Oh, don't waste a guard on me." She holds her arms out as she adds, "A lift down would be absolutely wonderful, though, please?" She thanks the guard for the hand, then looks around assessingly. Good, it's Marcie now, not Sna'tha... and she wants to check on Alg. She heads over to the goblin, walking slowly and carefully to sit down next to him. She smiles quietly, "Hey, Alg. Brought help. You'll be all better soon."

Chanticleer is inside the warehouse, doing an investigation of what was going on without disturbing either the bodies or the crates. In particular he's trying to find bodies of whomever else Droog and his conspirators killed. He really hopes he doesn't find Carrefour. As creepy as the guy is, he's been a stable influence down-river of Baton Rouge. Chanti and Sna'tha have helped Alg and the maid Lisbet outside, and Chanti asks Sna'tha to keep watch over them and the door, to make sure nobody comes in.

Sna'tha has bound Alg's wounds and is checking over Lisbet. She's not a surgeon or even really a medic, but she can recognize serious wounds. The sidhe woman is wearing glamour again, not wanting to give away her identity to all and sundry. Chanticleer doesn't go very far inside, still weirded out by the unnatural darkness. The bodies he finds cover a broad range of ages and both sexes. They are also arranged around a small structure that looks very much like an altar, though rather an obscene one.

Pierce and his nurse are among the vanguard, and Pierce is telling the nurse to help him do triage -- only to have the nurse whisper not-quietly-enough, "But one's a goblin! The girl's human!"

Suraksha glances over and glares at the nurse, her voice sharp, "Yes, so?"

Chanticleer, once he finds the altar, stays very the hell away from it -- preferably in the doorway if it can be seen from there. The nurse's comment gives him a brief urge to show her what's inside the warehouse and suggest -- none too gently -- that Alg helped save the girl from that, but he's pretty sure Pierce will respond to her comment vehemently enough for several people.

Pierce snaps at the nurse, "He's a person, nurse. Don't make an ass of yourself!" He crouches by Alg but keeps his hands well away at first, "This is going to hurt. A lot. If you bite me, I will put you out to stop it, but I'm not going to let you die." The nurse scowls at Pierce and crouches by Lisbet, starting to check her over and asking Marcie about the other wounded person. Droog is not conscious at the moment.

Suraksha stares in startlement at the chirugeon, then puts a hand on Alg and says firmly, "Some courtesy, please? He took this wound for me." To the goblin she murmurs, "Alg, do you understand that we need to do more work on you to help you? We need you to not bite us, please, all right? Does that make sense?" She adds gently, "Would you rather the chirugeon give you something so you're asleep while he works on you?"

Chanticleer crouches down, in eye-shot of the front door and also of the horrible altar, rubbing his chin as he narrows his eyes. He's a knight, not a mage -- what humans call 'Taps' -- but he knows enough about occultism from both sides of the veil to recognize there's a bit of a pattern here. Four bodies occupy four points of a pentagram around the altar; the one point that isn't 'occupied' is pointing due south. He is not about to tell the others this, not while Lisbet is around; she doesn't need to know just yet what they had in mind for her.

[And Droog survived,] he thinks grumblingly. [Well. After seeing this, I'm sure that he'll be given a choice: come clean, or die. If this is part of something bigger, I'd rather he come clean and then go away somewhere dark and damp for the rest of his uncomfortable life. Then again, if he's a mage -- er, a Tap -- who's into something like this, I doubt RoiRoy will let him live and risk him doing more of this.] The thought brings him surprisingly little cheer.

Chanticleer makes a quick guess at the victims' ages: one child, a boy. One man in his late twenties, a woman in her forties, and one elder man. He scowls; Lisbet is eighteen. A good spread of ages for whatever this was for. He stands and goes to the entrance, remembering to drop his glamour at least in part to show the livery on his breastplate, now Roy is here.

Two of Roy's guards are making their way into the warehouse, going bounding overwatch so 'point' always has protection. Just a little way in, though, they have to return for lanterns, not having the night-sight of the sidhe. The rest of the men are swarming around outside the warehouse, checking the wharves nearby. Four more follow the first two when they come back for lanterns. Roy is barking orders about getting the bodies out before they start opening crates. Between times, he's swearing viciously about Droog and his people.

Chanticleer moves to Roy. "There's something you should see first," he says with quiet urgency, such that Roy and Suraksha can both hear. "Before the bodies are moved.

Suraksha wonders silently if Roy knows Droog, and what the man did that's so bad -- she still doesn't know about the six bodies inside. She's waiting for a response from Alg, and doesn't immediately look up when Chanti approaches. Alg looks groggily at Suraksha and then nods, face contorted in pain. Pierce nods and takes a small bottle out of his jump-bag. He yanks out the cork and pours some into Alg's mouth, "It'll take the pain, too."

Suraksha gently strokes Alg's ears, murmuring quiet reassurance until his eyes glaze over. After that she sighs and looks at Pierce, "Thank you. Are you going to need an extra set of hands with Alg, or can you do this on your own?"

Pierce doesn't smile, "Extra hands will just get in the way. Go on."

Suraksha nods, wearily pushing herself to her feet, "All right. Let me know when he's about to wake up, please? I imagine we don't want him groggy and disoriented then, after all." She nods to Chanti, "Yes? What's wrong?" Stepping forward, she can feel her exhaustion like a pressure behind her eyes, and she stops and takes a moment to take a slow, deep breath.

Chanticleer glances to Lisbet, to make sure she cannot hear as he drops his voice. "The bodies are arranged in a pattern inside," he says quietly. "There are four arranged around an altar, with space for a fifth. I suspect Droog was going to use Lisbet to be that fifth."

Suraksha blinks at Chanticleer, her fingers covering her lips and her face going a little pale. She feels dizzy for a moment, but closes her eyes and masters herself... then she takes a deep breath and looks at the two men, "Thank goodness we kept Droog alive. Was he working alone?" She goes pale again as she adds softly, "Was... was one of the dead poor Lafayette?" Then she adds more worriedly, "Oh, dear -- that must be the cause of the birds' unease! But how... do we know how to defuse this?"

Chanticleer says, still quietly, "There's more. They're arranged around an altar of some kind, and it looks like some sort of Tapping ritual. The bodies were of a child, a man in his late twenties, a woman in her forties, and an elder. I suspect Lisbet was to be the fifth, and I cannot imagine that the spread of ages is a coincidence. The five bodies would have formed the five points of a pentagram, with the currently-empty point pointing due south." He pauses. "I should show you the altar. Come inside. It's not far in, but we should bring torches or lamps."

Roy's eyes are flat with anger and he says, "Show me what you mean, Chanticleer." He motions to a guard and is handed a couple of small lamps, already lit. The king is getting calmer and quieter as he hears more of it.

Suraksha feels slightly dizzy again -- not without faint exasperation at herself for being so fragile currently -- and glances around for Marcie. She can probably surreptitiously lean on Sna'tha as they walk. She sees the sidhe woman is busy with the wounded, and sighs internally. Hmm... she smiles, murmuring, "Sir Chanticleer, if I may?" and takes his arm. The king has lamps in his hands currently, and the sidhe knows she's... 'odd.' This should work.

Chanticleer offers his arm to Suraksha as she takes it. He is quite good; if Suraksha is at all leaning on his arm for support, he makes it seem as if she isn't leaning all that much. "No, as far as I can tell, none of them are Lafayette -- not the bodies at the altar, nor the two others we killed. If Droog has killed Lafayette, it wasn't here. Sir... we should send an envoy downriver and see if they can find Lafayette as soon as possible, to see if he is still alive -- if he is, to let him know what happened to Droog... and if he is not, then to find out what is going on there."

Suraksha murmurs quietly, "My guess is M'sieu Lafayette really does have the gout, actually... and Droog and his confederates took advantage of the unguarded warehouse here." She nods in agreement with Chanti's excellent suggestion, then takes a deep breath, "All right... let's see this thing." Mentally she adds to herself, [and get it over with.] Her voice is quiet as she adds, "Dear Lady, what could they have been trying to do? How do we defuse it?"

Roy nods, following Chanticleer. "Someone discreet. I tolerate Lafayette, but I can't really go storming down with horns blaring. If there is something that needs to be done, I'll muster a larger force." Roy stops several feet back from the bodies and the altar. He whistles through his teeth and crosses himself.

Chanticleer nods to Suraksha, then again to Roy. "Just so. Lafayette will need to be told what happened to Droog anyway, and better from us than from one of his agents... or at least, better from us as shortly as possible after one of his agents tells him."

Suraksha is mentally braced for the sight of the bodies at the vile, makeshift altar -- but it still causes her to draw in her breath sharply and turn her face abruptly away for several heartbeats. Chanticleer remains still as they look upon the grisly scene, falling silent. Roy's eyes flicker around the scene and he crosses himself again, muttering something under his breath. "I don't know what would cause this place to eat the light like it does, but this looks like voudon to me. Bad voudon. The gris-gris and zombi kind."

Suraksha is whispering softly half under her breath for a few seconds; Chanti's excellent hearing can tell she's chanting a quiet prayer. When she's done she touches her forehead, her heart, and then her lips very lightly with her fingertips... then she straightens in determination and looks back at the altar. Though she's shockingly pale in the lamplight, her voice is composed, "So... what stops that? Salt, if I remember correctly, and cleansing, yes?" She makes a silent internal note to herself to talk to her lady's-maid, Fantine. The girl is a loogaroo, and although she's rather young she might have some good suggestions on how to fix this.

Roy says, eyes still intent on the altar, "Holy water. Salt. Fire. But I don't want to burn down Lafayette's goods if there's anything left here. Salt and holy water it is -- and a voudon queen or priest." He raises his voice, "Out! Everybody out! Stake out a perimeter!" He turns back to Chanticleer and Suraksha, "Don't say a word about this to Lisbet."

Suraksha nods silently to the king, her voice grave as she asks, "How will you tell which are Lafayette's goods and which are Droog's?" She glances towards the door, then adds, "We need to wake Droog and talk to him. This is serious."

Chanticleer says quietly as he helps Suraksha out, "I believe there's a houngan here in Baton Rouge, down on the poorer side of the merchants' quarter."

Suraksha adds slowly, "The light... it is still... wrong. Does this mean the Tap is still alive? Or will the Tap's work remain after his death?" She's relieved to hear there's someone in town who can take care of this -- she'd rather not involve Fantine if she doesn't have to. She quietly thanks Chanticleer, once they're out of the warehouse, for the escort -- and even more quietly, for his patience with her small bouts of shocky dizziness.

Roy shakes his head, "Usually a Tap's work dies with him or her. Unless there is a physical change... Light is not..." He makes a seesawing motion with his hand, then realizes his mask has slipped and pulls it back into place, "Out, I said. I'm not risking anyone else in here."

Suraksha looks a bit puzzled at Roy's reaction, but doesn't argue. She waits until they're outside to quietly add, "So does this mean Droog must be the Tap?"

Chanticleer looks at the unconscious form. "Probably," he says, a little uncertainly. Human mages always confused him, especially since for many of them it seemed to be less a natural talent that required training and practice, and more something they just did.

Roy's voice is still cold, "Possibly. It's him or someone else that's still alive and not far." He's walking briskly toward the door. Outside, Pierce is finishing up dressing Alg's wound and the nurse is setting Lisbet's ankle. Droog has a bandage on his wound, but it looks fairly slipshod.

Suraksha nods and leans to ask the nurse and Gramma Marcie, "Can one of you awaken Droog for the king to question?" then looks up at Roy, "Wait... do you want to question Droog in private, your majesty?" She's relieved to see how Alg is doing; she settles down cross-legged next to the goblin and carefully out of Pierce's way.

Pierce shakes his head and mutters, "Lucky someone knew how to put a compress on the wound. He'll need to be very quiet and very still for a few days to keep that from ripping back open." The chirurgeon stands and says, "I suggest we take him back to the palace and do the questioning there. This location is far from secure -- and definitely not hygienic."

Suraksha nods in relief, "Oh, good. Might Gramma Marcie and I hitch a ride there with someone, please?" She smiles a bit wearily -- she still must talk to Roy about the party he wants her to go to with him, and she's going to need sleep or food soon. She glances at Marcie, adding, "Can you handle gathering the appropriate attire for tonight, Marcie?" She glances down at her blood-stained clothing, adding with distaste, "And I think I'll want to change clothes too, once we're back at the palace." She's managed to keep her hands relatively blood-free only by wiping them on her clothing -- which was already bloody from Alg. The fastidious feline part of her shudders.

Sna'tha gives Suraksha a disapproving look. Roy says, "Screw the party. It's postponed -- all of those people were connected with my household. I am getting answers about this." His eyes fall on Droog and he says, "Keep him alive. If he's going to die, it will be an execution and not from neglect."

Chanticleer nods soberly at Roy's orders. "I will see about finding the houngan in the Merchants'."

Suraksha leans her head back against the warehouse wall, her voice weary, "Oh, good. One less thing to worry about." She's not sure what Marcie's upset about, but she'll worry about it later. For now she just wants to make sure Alg is well cared for... and then she's afraid she's going to need sleep... or food.

Pierce looks Suraksha over critically and says, "Yes. In the ambulance with you." He nods to Marcie, "You too. Up. Guards, get the wounded settled in!" He has the demeanor of a man used to having people listen to him.

Roy nods to Chanticleer and lowers his voice so only the sidhe guard can hear it. "Go to the cathedral. Get Frere Alfonse to bring as much holy water as can be spared. Just t' be safe, see if you can find that old preacher woman, Mother Therese. She lives somewhere on the east side. Let's cover all our bases."

Chanticleer thinks: three stops -- the Catholiques first because Roy asked for them and isolating the warehouse takes precedence, and then the houngan. He nods to Roy. "It will be done," and then he is gone -- this time ignoring his usual way of ambling through the streets to his destination, instead taking to the rooftops to expedite his errand.

Suraksha stays next to Alg, since she doesn't want the goblin to wake up alone and panicky. She waits for Marcie to sit near her in the ambulance, then whispers tiredly, "What'd I do wrong?"

Marcie's voice -- Sna'tha's voice -- is crisp, "Even had His Majesty not postponed the party, you might not have been able to go. Your health comes before your contracts."

Suraksha is silent for a moment, then exhaustedly murmurs, "Oh. Sorry." She considers a bit, then adds with a faint smile, "I'd have napped first...?" She adds softly, as she stretches carefully out next to the goblin on the ambulance bed, "Thank goodness Chanticleer and Alg were there."

Sna'tha nods once, "Indeed you would have -- and indeed, it is good they were." The girl seems to be unconscious now as well. As beaten-up as she looks, it is very likely a mercy to her that she's not awake.

Suraksha drifts off a bit herself too, one hand resting lightly on Alg as they ride in the big ambulance wagon back to the palace. Before she closes her eyes she murmurs, "Marcie? Could you make sure I get some food, please, once we're back? Would like to be in on the questioning..."

Suraksha gets another look and Sna'tha says in a deceptively sweet voice, "Why thank you, ma'am, for reminding me how to do my job." To anyone else it would seem either very subservient or painfully sarcastic. To Suraksha, there is a tone of affection to it. Her godsmother is an odd one. Sulochana smiles faintly as she drifts off to sleep.

The ride back to the palace is not so quick nor so comfortable as the gallop away from it. Alg, Lisbet, and Suraksha are all taken to the palace's infirmary and Droog is taken... elsewhere. Where is not volunteered. Suraksha is actually a little surprised, some time later, to wake up in the Infirmary. She looks around quickly for either Alg or Gramma Marcie. She's amused, in fact -- once her head clears -- to see where she is. Considering how insistent Roy had been at her staying under his roof, she wouldn't have been surprised to awaken in either the loaned room, or his bedroom.

When she wakens, she can actually hear Roy talking with Pierce. The doctor is saying, "...all in one place. Except Droog, of course."

Roy retorts, "I don't want 'er way the hell out here. Bring the whole bunch of them back to my wing if you gotta." Suraksha blinks with sleepy pleasure, obscurely touched. Does Roy mean her? How sweet, if so!

Pierce makes an annoyed sound, "Where none of my medical supplies are. If you want to keep an eye on them you'll do it here. I'm already taking enough time out to keep Droog from dying."

Roy smirks, voice amused, "Yer lucky yer an old friend, Pierce. Awright. Keep 'em here if you gotta." The king lingers briefly in the doorway, but leaves soon after.

Suraksha sighs faintly, a bit disappointed even though she understands Pierce's reasoning. She looks around for Alg -- at the least she can make herself useful and be there when the goblin awakens. She wonders if Alg would like curling up on the foot of her bed... he doesn't strike her as the type to stretch out like a human.

Suraksha is right about Alg not stretching out like a human. He's already on her bed, however, curled up at the foot in a much smaller ball than it seems he ought to be able to make. Sna'tha is in a chair at the head of Sura's bed, with knitting in her hands. Occasionally there's a slight twitch of the yarn in a way or place that simply couldn't happen with just two hands. She says quietly, "The king was not happy you were brought here, Jyotsana."

Suraksha looks pleased at sight of Alg neatly and safely curled up. She stretches to carefully stroke his head, then lies back with a tired sigh. Her voice is soft as she murmurs in return, "Is this a bad thing? Are we in trouble, or is this just... possessive protectiveness?"

Sna'tha smiles slightly, "I believe he is concerned about you."

Suraksha looks relieved, "Not trouble; excellent." She yawns, then adds peacefully, "Can cope with that. Gon' sleep more now, 'kay...?" She adds very softly in explanation, "Had to Command Droog..."

Marcie does not appear to look up from her knitting, murmuring, "Definitely no party." Suraksha chuckles softly as she drifts off once more.

Elsewhere, Mother Therese turns out to be not a Catholic, but a very old Native American woman with white hair and deep wrinkles in her smiling face. She wears a simple white dress and a colorful lace shawl. Her "church" is a large vacant lot with a medicine wheel marked out in white, black, yellow, and red stones. She watches Chanticleer approach, from a rocking chair on the front porch of the low, sprawling building that serves her as a house.

Chanticleer rebukes himself -- he's already spent too much time in Baton Rouge to be assuming anyone named 'Mother' would not be anything other than Catholic. He drops to the street near the entrance to her lot and approaches the building, stopping a respectful distance away. He bows; formality must be observed, especially when dealing with the religious and the wise. "Mother Therese. Please forgive me my haste." Formality only goes so far when there's a crisis. "There's been an incident in the warehouse district. King Roy has asked for your help."

The old woman laughs and it's a warm, crackly sound, like a cozy fire on a crisp winter night -- just enough to keep you comfortable, but it's still fire. "Help? With warehouses? I am not a teamster, young cockerel. I am an old woman with rheumatism and weak water. I cannot help with warehouses."

Chanticleer doesn't laugh. Instead he says bluntly, "A Tapper has attempted a ritual of some kind, killing four people and almost killing a fifth, arranging the bodies around an altar. The warehouse is suffused with an unnatural darkness. The Tap is in custody but we do not know what the purpose of the rite is. King Roy has... we need your help to protect the people around the warehouse, and possibly identify what is going on. I am on my way to Frere Alfonse to ask him to bring holy water, and thence to Froid Jacques the houngan."

The old Native woman listens to what Chanticleer has to say, and then nods, "It is always best to speak the truth out clearly. I will come." She stands and walks slowly back into her house, calling over her shoulder, "Come in. I will need someone to carry my things."

Chanticleer estimates times to travel, then shakes his head. "Please prepare what you will need, Mother. I will be back shortly to help bring it, but first I must go ask Frere Alfonse to gather as much holy water as he can and make his way to the warehouse."

The old woman laughs and calls back, "Smart boy. I will wait here," and then her door closes. Chanticleer nods, more to himself at this point, then scrambles and flits off to the Baton Rouge cathedrale.

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