Hidden 7 yrs ago 7 yrs ago Post by Kalleth
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Kalleth Let me tell you / a story friend...

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Jordan shrugged, realizing he was talking to thin air. Seemed only one thing got through to this kid, with the possible exception of this mystery girl. He truly had to wonder how she'd got through to him. He followed, closing the door gently behind him, gymward-bound.




Jordan arrived at the gym, and saw that Felix was waiting. The youngster gave a throwaway piece of smack-talk which made Jordan want to ask why he even bothered, considering he wouldn't even listen to his target's response. But the gym teacher sighed in resigned determination to at least tire this kid out, give him some exertion. He shrugged off his shirt, revealing what was undeniably a muscular frame. Lean, but riddled with scars, Manilow's body was an unspoken testament to his years of service. Here, a line of stitch-marks from where shrapnel had entered his side. There, a strange patch of stippled pale spots from where he'd once had acid dripped on his skin, as a means of torture. And lastly and most prominently, a long and dark scar ran all the way from the right edge of Jordan's collarbone, in a deep and jagged line down past his belt near his right hip. That particular scar was the makings of no armed conflict, but rather... Something else entirely.

Still, Jordan kept in good shape. By the very nature of his current occupation, and elemental power, he demanded excellent physical health from himself. In his pockets, he carried his element with him, in bags of sand, open and ready for use. An additional, less obvious source of his element was present. Early every morning, Jordan entered the gym with some of the dustiest carpets lying around the dorms, and beat them clean. Consequentially, even though the dust had settled, there was always a thin patina of earth all about the room. Too thin to see, at least until Jordan decided to use it. If he needed to use it. He doubted he would.

Unsheathing his rapier from his belt, Jordan took up his stance, and in a fit of adolescent pettiness, and perhaps frustration at being so thoroughly ignored, he decided to pluck a nerve.

"You don't deserve her," Jordan muttered, in a stage-whisper. And then his stance locked in place, muscles tensed to spring, every sense focused in on the fight itself. He felt his breath slow, and his heartbeat grow sluggish. It's just a friendly spar, Jordan thought to himself.

Since when is it ever just a friendly spar with you? His mind responded in answer.

@Zelosse
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Old Amsterdam
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Old Amsterdam Coven Witch

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Dia - Where... Where Did He Go?

@Kalleth@Zelosse



Dia all but skipped back to Felix's room, in a better mood in general than she'd been in for ages. Not counting last night, of course.

And it was with shock that she found no response to her knock, with nobody inside even. Her container of eggs hit the floor, somehow staying intact even if she was pretty sure the yokes had broken. She hastily picked up the container, dropping it on the table as she looked through the dorm with ever growing anxiety.

Why did he leave? Did... Did he realize I'm not special and that he doesn't like me? Did he decide I wasn't worth the effort? Why...

She shook her head, trying not to cry, when a thought struck her. He'd mentioned fighting a teacher. So, maybe that's what happened. So maybe it happened fast and he left angry. But then... Where would they be? She didn't know what teacher he'd picked a fight with, but it made sense that the arena was limited in options. She couldn't imagine the teacher would do it in a public space, why would they allow other students see them fighting a student? It didn't make sense.

Unfortunately, Dia really didn't know the grounds very well, having barely seen any of the school so far.

But what about the gymnasium, where they'd held the assembly? Or, at least, that's where she thought they'd been. With no classes until afternoon, it would reasonably be empty.

But she could just go to the Headmaster. She was certain he'd know what to do. But would that get Felix and the teacher in trouble? Assuming that's why he was gone...

No, she decided. She couldn't risk it. Not unless she couldn't find them. And she'd be lucky if she could make it to the only place she could think of in any decent time. She barely remembered how they'd gone from there to the dorms, having been too focused on avoiding attention.

Shutting the door behind her, Dia set off at a brisk pace. No point in breaking an ankle, right?

Right?
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Raptra
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Vera observed that Silas seemed confused at her keenness to take the tram, and then realized a moment later that he might just be more used to it than she was, though, she could be wrong about that. It occurred to her that she knew nothing about her new dorm mate apart from his name and the type of elementalist he was. It was understandable, however, considering they had only met the night before, and that was probably all he knew about her too. That was not an issue, for that would change once they started hanging out more.

"Oh well you see," she gave a small hiss before sheepishly explaining. "I can't remember the last time I had been on one of those, or any kind of public transport for that matter. Speaking of which, I might need a little help with that too."

Other than that, Silas did express his eagerness to go out into the city as well, so Vera was a little puzzled when he stopped just as they were out the door.

"About yesterday... there's something I need to say"

"Hmm?"

How nervous he looked as he checked the hallway only made her more curious about what he was going to tell her. The surrounding atmosphere quickly turned serious, and she said nothing else as she waited for him to speak.

"I wanted to say... thank you. Thank you... for what you did yesterday. If you didn't say anything when we ran into Felix... I might've... I might've done something really, REALLY drastic. So... Thank you, Vera."

He then apologized for the change in mood, clearly desiring for it to return to what it previously was, but what he said got her thinking again. Did it really mean that much to him? She really was concerned about him when she offered him the spare room she happened to have, it was not that big of a deal to her and it only seemed right, but the part about her wanting for them to walk away from that confrontation? In all honesty, that had been mostly for herself, because she did not want to deal with getting caught up in whatever it could have escalated into.

"Oh, that? I'm glad you felt that it helped love, but it's not like I wanted to hang around him either. Felix, so that's his name? He obviously has issues, but that's not our concern anymore. We'll see how long whatsherface will put up with him for. Strange isn't it? It's as if he needs her to stay in control or something. It's almost scary, and kind of like how-"

How Vera was supposedly there for Silas when he was about to do 'something drastic', as he had put it. Well, that did not sound too good. Sure, Silas was not the one going around breaking podiums and cursing out at strangers, but could what he would do in reaction to provocation be something to worry about? If he had a tendency of getting physical when he got angry, then there might just be a problem.

She kept a lighthearted tone as she motioned for them to start walking again. "I mean, now that we're dorm mates, we're eventually going to make each other mad at some point. I just hope I won't drive you to do 'something drastic' then."

She made it seem as if she was teasing him, wanting to address a point, but at the same time not wanting to ruin the mood. She also hoped that the way she had cut herself off earlier did not seem too awkward.

@CriticalHit
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Stern Algorithm
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Stern Algorithm Loquacious Aggression

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Hearing Catherine praising her for having raw talent, and that she did much better than most of the other new students, Kanako couldn't help but brighten up. She was proud on her ability, and being praised like this made her even prouder. She would make sure that she would develop that talent properly so that she could make Catherine even prouder of her.

Kanako immediately did as she was told. She first examined the stance Catherine was making, before attempting to imitate it as best as she could. The first training would be some breathing exercise, and the point of the training was to make her more attuned with her element. So Kanako concentrated herself at every breath she took and released. She felt the flow of the air coming in from her nose into her lungs and then coming back out.

Thanks to Catherine's tact, Kanako was able to focus entirely on the lesson, since she still didn't realize that her skirt was gone.


"Good, now that you've got a rhythm going, try taking longer breaths than normal, or very short breaths, like you're hyperventilating.
You'll notice yourself start to shake or otherwise lose control. This is perfectly normal, but it reminds us that losing control of our powers is not so unusual since it's just as easy to lose control of our bodies if we push the limits, even if we're just breathing. If anything, when you notice the shaking, learn how to stay calm and pull back,"
Catherine explained.

Kano chuckled to himself politely at the first few attempts ShiZhen tried at attempting to repel the water. Indeed it was harder than it looked which was why he chuckled. So many students wanted to master everything quickly.

"The trick is directing the water. Not forcing it."

Fingers closed in a fist the headmaster pointed his hand at ShiZhen, taking his time to spread his influence across a large area around the young pupil. The change of the water would not be very obvious but under his command it became almost motionless, until Kano extended his fingers.
The water around ShiZhen, including the water on her outfit and hair, flowed out steadily until she sat on the smooth stones. All the water in the pool near her had receeded as if a sheet of glass had surrounded her.

"Perhaps repelling water might not be a good start for you just yet. Close your eyes and focus on the water around you, flowing free, until you can hear it in your mind. When that happens just imagine it collecting over your hands instead of away from them."


ShiZhen stared in amazement as the water parted, leaving her completely dry. She listened intently as Kano instructed her. As the water came back, she did as told and closed her eyes. She tried to focus on the water but intrusive thoughts clouded her mind, thoughts like, "I can't hear anything," and, "this is silly." She was having a hard time concentrating and became agitated, worried that the headmaster might be judging her as inept. As her nervousness mounted, her ability triggered, only instead of drawing moisture from the air and drenching herself, sheets of water flowed over to cover her body. Realizing what had just happened, ShiZhen gasped, inhaling a good portion of water. Her control broken by her inevitable sudden coughing fit, the water fell away from her body in a noisy splash. Had she had the right presence of mind, she would have noticed that in that exact instance, she was calm. Water calmed her, so she draws it from her surroundings when nervous. Her annoyance at becoming wet has gotten in the way of her realizing that, and right now, her trying not to drown also got in the way of that realization.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Hammerman
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Hammerman

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@Stern Algorithm
Once again, Kanako did as Catherine instructed. She began by taking longer breaths than usual. This was easy enough for her as she had quite a decent lung capacity. But when she tried the shorter ones, after a while, she felt it was beginning to take its toll on her stamina. It was as if she was not getting enough air inside her lungs.

"Haaa...haaa...haa...haa..." Kanako panted as she returned to her normal breathing pattern. "T-that was... quite tiring..."
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Regitnui
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Regitnui Lorespinner

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Zeke let Viola lead him down the hill to the station he'd arrived on yesterday morning. The realisation that it was the last place he'd seen his parents struck him with an odd mix of feelings. He'd been doing fine, he thought, but the thought stirred up a sense of homesickness. Didn't they say they were going to stay in the town for a few days? He might be able to go back home with them. But then he bumped into Viola when she stopped, and he grinned so widely his eyes closed. He liked his new friends. Icy and Yellow and Viola and he hadn't even been to class yet.

"Two for the student's rail?" A man in a floppy black hat asked from behind the glass. Zeke tilted his head at the man's big, grey, whiskery mustache, like a walrus'. "Thought you'd all be in class already," he mused as he gave them the tickets.

Zeke squeezed Viola's hand for reassurance. He didn't have to be shy. He didn't have to hide away. "Ummm..." His voice started out with good intentions, but it got frightened and trailed away. Instead, he pulled the note from this morning out of his pocket and held it out as explanation. Maybe that would help. The man's blue eyes trailed over it, then he nodded. The man's eyes were a duller blue than Viola's, a deep river blue to Viola's bright sky blue. Zeke realised he was staring and ducked his head down, feeling his cheeks warm up. "Sorry," he muttered.

The two took their tickets and, after a moment of searching, got onto the student's car. It was simple inside, with plain, cushioned benches that had seen better days, and too busy for photographs, but Zeke and Viola found a couple of seats together even as Zeke tried to look small around all the older kids who all knew what was going on. Once they'd sat down, Zeke realised that he hadn't let go of Viola's hand yet. This caused another blush, and he dropped her hand to hide his face. "Sorry," he mumbled into his palms. "Now your hand's all sticky and I'm..." The gentle rush of acceleration, and a change in the light, distracted him, and he looked out the window at the scenery.

@Pseudo Stygian
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Pseudo Stygian
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Pseudo Stygian A Phantom Thief

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Zeke's grin when he bumped to her was the happiest little thing Lyra had seen in a while, and whatever dark thoughts she was holding about the forest vanished. "Careful," she muttered softly, grinning herself. Zeke's smiles were infectious, and it was always so sweet and charming, the sort of smiles people write songs about. Happy songs, the sort you'll play to commemorate a day with perfect blue sky like this.

There was also something about Zeke's gray eyes, how they looked at the entire world as if they were trying to snap it all up, and then, then they had found the right spot, they'd just sit down and listen. Can eyes listen? It was the word that popped into Lyra's head when Zeke was staring at the ticket master. Staring was definitely not the right word. They way he was looking then was just the way Lyra's teacher had looked when a recording was being played. It was fascinating to see how fascinated he could be.

Lyra shook her head. She shouldn't stare at people either. She felt a tug on her hand, and after taking her tickets, she let Zeke pulled her into the car.

There were a couple of older students in the car, some carried bags or equipments. Lyra amused herself for a moment by guessing what they could be in them. The black case that guy was carrying there was definitely a guitar, and the long tube that the girl with hairband was carrying, it probably contained a rolled paper. A drawing, a painting, or maybe even some elemental device.

And then Lyra felt something missing from his hand.

"Sorry," he mumbled into his palms. "Now your hand's all sticky and I'm..."

Oh, he'd been holding her hand, hadn't he? She didn't mind. Now it almost felt like she was missing something. "Nah, it's okay, Zeke."

But those eyes were looking out the window now, at the changing scenery. Lyra looked out as well, but it was her ears that were open. She remembered trams and trains and all sorts of public transports when her father had taken her to the city, and they were all noisy in one way or another. This tram, though. It was moving, definitely moving, she could see they were going downhill, but there was barely a sound. What sorts of device powers it? Seeing as there is the Academy, it could be some manner of elemental contraption or something or other. Oh, her father would love to know more about that.

But the trip was over far too soon, and the older students were starting to file out of the car even as Lyra was distracted by her hypothesising.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Regitnui
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The gentle bump of the tram stopping was the only thing that distracted Zeke enough to get off his chair. He took Viola's hand again, only to stop himself from getting lost, but she said it was OK. He liked being close to her anyway. Why that was so was a mystery, but he did. Maybe it was the way her violin kept playing a gentle exploring tune, like they were in a TV show together. Maybe it was the way she seemed to get him, almost like they'd been friends for years. He followed the crowd of older students, keeping close to Viola with her hand... He looked up at her face and checked it was her hand he was holding. It had happened before that he'd taken the wrong person's hand by accident.

Her blue eyes were the right colour, and he smiled at her again. It was lucky she had such distinctive eyes, like the colour of blue tropical seas in summer. When the crowd thinned, the older students somehow all knowing where they planned to go, Zeke looked away from Viola and looked around at the town. His expression went from a gentle smile to a round-eyed wonder. People thought that grey was drab and boring, but the streets beneath the buildings were a hundred different shades, each cobble a different shape and with different shadows. He wanted to take a photo, but that would mean letting go of Viola's hand, and that meant she might get lost...

"Stay with me, ok?" He asked her, as he reluctantly took his hand back and focused on the cobblestone street with the camera. All the people made it difficult to get a clear shot of the street, but he managed to find a gap anyway. He wanted to draw it now, but he had to stay with Viola. He turned around, and had a moment of panic before he identified her clothes and hair. He took her hand again quickly. "Where are we going to go?" he asked her, when she turned around and he could see her pretty eyes again. "There's ice cream somewhere, I think." He had to take a photo of her, he suddenly thought. But here, in front of the station, seemed like it wouldn't fit.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Zelosse
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@Stern Algorithm

Kano watched with arms crossed in amusement as ShiZhen focused on the wordless call to the water around her. His satisfaction was doubled when the girl managed to do more than pull a thin strand of the warm water away from his influence, but sheets of it. Steaming from contact with the air it moved with grace and purpose to envelop the girl bit by bit- Until she flinched. A gasp escaped her lips and the headmaster was just a moment too late before she inhaled the water.

To the ground level of the bath he went, pushing aside the water around him without a thought, until next to the girl. Firmly he put his right hand on her back and focused on the water in her lungs. It was tricky but with experience and practice one could draw moisture from a persons body. Mercifully, Kano had plenty of both. Left hand pointed at ShiZhen and took hold of the inhaled water, carefully drawing it out in what was very likely to be an incredibly disgusting fashion. A flick of his wrist sent the globe of extracted water away into the pools around them once again.

"Breathe, ShiZhen. Calm and steady." The water around them remained in a perfect sphere around the two with only directly above them open. Little by little the dry stone under their feet began to wet as a trickle of the soothing warm water flowed in about their feet. "Lets take a moment to ourselves shall we? To enjoy the waters. Feel its warmth and know it apologizes for harming you. While we wait, please, tell me how you felt before the water graced your skin."
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Raptra
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The pair eventually made it to the ticketing booth for the tram, which Vera had been informed by her somewhat street-smarter companion was where they had to go before they could access the system. The queue was fairly long, with several other students of various grades waiting in line in front of them. Like Silas and herself, they had presumably also taken the unexpected day off as an opportunity to go out into the city. When they finally reached the front of the line, Vera cheerfully greeted the staff member at the counter.

"Good morning!" She chirped, before glancing at Silas, slightly unsure as she made her request. "Two, uh... tickets, for the ride out to the city, please."

Vera then pulled her credit card out and held it out to the staff, who looked up at the teenage girl slightly surprised, but accepted the payment and handed the card back to her with two tickets.

"Well, that's done," she said to Silas, handing him one of the stiff paper slips. She then chuckled a little nervously. "So, umm... what do we do with these?"

@CriticalHit
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Pseudo Stygian
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The town! What a spectacle it was, with its cobblestone streets and clean roads, with its buildings all neatly placed next to one another, with its people milling about, more people than Lyra was used to in the village that she came from. And yet they didn't seem like a crowd at all. She remembered being taken to city once, and it wasn't nearly this nice. There were too many noise there, from car engines, from people, from shouting, and there the air had a strange unpleasant quality to it. It was different here, even if she couldn't quite explain it. The differences between the air in the two cities was like between a cloudy sky and a clear one at night; on the latter you can see the stars.

And then there's Zeke, who was like a little star all on his own. He seemed just as awed with the city as she was, or at least the cobblestone street, which he took quite an effort to take a picture of. Lyra grinned as he came back and held her hand again, his curious eyes a little more nervous than they used to be. "I'm not going anywhere, you know," Lyra said comfortingly, "I'm not going to let you be a lost little sheep."

"Where are we going to go? There's ice cream somewhere, I think."

"I... hmm, I'm not sure? But ice cream sounds nice! Yeah, let's go look for some!"

Lyra didn't know where they could find one, though, so she just took a direction at random. Or rather, the direction that that she thought wouldn't have too many people around it (because Zeke wouldn't like crowds, would he?).

"Ice cream. Where would ice creams be?" Lyra muttered, on their way. "An ice cream shop? Well, if we can find one, of course. A market? A cafe? A park?"

And then as if she'd conjured it with her words, they came by a park. It wasn't a very big one, but it was an open area in the middle of the city, with just enough trees to keep it shaded. There wasn't a lot of people there, either, or at least less than she'd expected. Lyra saw some younger kids being accompanied by their parents, saw someone walking their dog. On the other side of the park, there were some stands selling small food, although there weren't a lot of buyers.

"Oh, yeah. It's a school day, isn't it? People have work. We have classes later this afternoon too. Hmm." Her humming turned into a bit of a song without her realising it. A faint breeze was flowing, and she could feel a thousand pleasant notes in it. It would be nice if she can spend the rest of the day wandering town with Zeke instead.

@Regitnui
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Zelosse
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Felix vs Jorden


Felix gripped the handle of his rapier hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Every thought and feeling was coming to its inevitable boiling point as the hippo comment repeated endlessly in his mind, desecrating the image of the frost-coated angel from the stars into some sort of grotesque animal. Mocking him was one thing and could be ignored a little but to mock someone this lumbering meathead had never even met!

A burning wave of anger flooded his limbs searing away any pain or fatigue he felt. It was like a volcano about to erupt. Anything could set him off to devastating end.

"You don't deserve her,"

Felix grit his teeth hard enough he could have sworn they cracked.

"ILL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!"

Without any kind of vent the fire had burned within Felix without end waiting for the moment to explode. To burn and consume everything around him mercilessly. Without control that may very well have been what happened. Fire elementalists could freely manipulate open flames at whim just like the other practicioners. What made them so dangerous was with practice a Fire elementalist could create fire from a spark of their emotions.
The gleaming sword in his hand held the weight of his anger as it became the focal point of the latent power trapped inside. The steel point of the dulled rapier was absorbing all of it with ease, taking in the raw emotions let loose and turning it to heat.

When Felix advanced with sword at the ready, its tip had turned a violent red that was spreading downwards. The attack pattern was simple and straightforward; a series of fast slashes from left to right followed by an angry thrust. The blows were strong but uncoordinated, any semblance of true technique lost in the blinding rage.






Jordan stood, his will still and calm, his body held with poise. He heard the scream of rage somewhere in the back of his mind, but his hearing was much more attuned to the thumping of his heartbeat, to the crackling sounds of his opponent's foil, a sound that was gentle, yet lethal. The boy was burning his sword. The Gym Teacher tsked, unconsciously. He saw the way the battle would turn out, already. It was that way with some fights. The worst were the ones that gave you no chance to see the way through, that just tossed you into the mire to see if you came out alive on the other side.

The first blow, always a crucial factor. It could be your last, or the first in a series of triumphal blows. But it could always be your last. Luckily for Jordan, this particular blow came with the expected force and speed. After all, he'd been studying the boy since they'd first begun to interact. He'd long grown familiar with the boy's body language, his stances, and he felt he had a fair appraisal of the boy's fighting style, especially when angry.

It was like when you started to learn a new language, and you could listen to somebody explain something, know what they meant, even if you couldn't pinpoint the exact words.

Jordan blocked, applying the first coat of reinforcement to his blade, crystallizing the surface, realigning the metal. Bringing it to order, applying subtle and insistent pressure. His will shaped the weapon, and his direction shaped its course. Manilow's blade took the force beautifully, the core of the sword remaining flexible, while the merest leaf of the outer layer proved harder than rock. Hard as diamond, perhaps.

Where Felix's blade met Jordan's, there was a mournful clang, and the cherry red of the blade bowed significantly. At least, such a thing would be visible had the boy paused to check. Perhaps he might have realized his error if he broke then, and Jordan would have had the decency to offer him a new foil. But no, the second, third, and fourth swipes, all hugely choreographed, so much so that Jordan felt he was the one having to react more slowly to be in proper time, all came heedless of the rapidly deteriorating integrity of the foil's metal.

The school had excellent funds, but even a strong funding base can only provide for so many foils of quality. And if Jordan were honest with himself, he'd diverted quite a few funds to his shed. He'd justified it as a necessity for the school's security, but he doubted the school's superintendent would see it that way.

Thus, when Felix made his last vigorous thrust, the blade was bent in about half a dozen places, and glowing hotly as though a smith had yet to make a sword with it.

Jordan side-stepped easily, and then slashed downward with his own thrust, at half the speed, and managed to completely cut the sword in two, the searing metal cleaving at the points where the metal had warped beyond repair. The gym's wooden treated floor hissed and whined and the heat crackled into it from the fallen bits of metal. Jordan brought his own foil up to Felix's neck, smirked, and conjured a barrier of sand, gathering up the molten metal into a heap in the corner of the gym.

"Now just imagine what would happen if you ever overreacted that way towards her." His singular statement was punctuated by the still-loud hisses of metal trying to melt through the inner layers of rock.






The warped red blade struck hard time and time again in a shower of angry sparks, the wielder willfully oblivious to the growing damage to the blade as it warped out of shape further and further until finally it was beyond use. Still seething with anger, the seemingly endless spirit pouring out of Felix hadn't even begun to cool off. Not by a long shot. In a fit of rage Felix tossed the red hot piece of warped steel across the room and marched over to the rack to receive another one.

Again that energy had nowhere to go but the nearest object, heating the sword as quickly as the last.

Sadly to the same effect.

Over and over the same mistake was repeated to the same end. Felix wildly slashing full tilt and Manilow responding with the same dreary, almost bored, expression. It was humiliating to be bested, toyed with even, and kept the pressure up in Felix. Stubborn to the bitter end..




let go of it

The whole universe felt like it had stopped. Indeed that single moment almost had. Felix felt his hand bringing the sword down but the action was simply not happening fast enough, Manilow had already put his guard up anyways so the strike would be worthless.
The sword would be too if this kept up.

Is this how you want it?

Was that his own thought or.. How could it be anyone elses! Absurd. Felix tried to think but found it impossible. There was nothing for him in this fight now, and he knew it. Locked in this moment was enough for him to really look at the foe ahead of him, muscled and scarred. Years of experience packed into his frame and etched onto his flesh as a testament to achievement.
In retrospect, the ill-tempered lad had nothing to show for his practice here and now but a few mangled swords. Burns on his hands caused by himself.. Nothing but pain he deserved.

Learn.

Felix could only see Jorden, couldn't glance around, but felt it. Something else entirely. Something shimmered behind his opponent but couldn't be seen.

Control it.

The shimmer was getting brighter now. Painfully so, to the point where it was beginning to swallow Manilows face.

Win

The voice was deafening, echoing so loud in his skull that the boy was certain the words had been spoken aloud. It hummed with life and power beyond his imagination. A glimpse of the sun itself behind Manilow, eclipsing everything now, dominated his vision with roaring flames.




Felix dropped the blade mid-swing and screamed, fumbling back from the vision. In a blink of the eye it was gone, nothing but Jorden staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. All Felix cared about at that moment was getting away from the teacher and whatever he had seen behind him, all but scrambling on his behind across the floor as fat beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Snarling rage had been replaced with an overwhelming shock.

"J-just now! You felt it right? The sun! The inferno. It.. It was here, it was behind you, burning me alive. Stealing the air from my lungs as it consumed us both.."

Jorden eyed the boy skeptically as he glanced over his shoulder to find, sure enough, nothing. Just the charred spots on the floor from the melted slag of Felix's destroyed swords. Turning back to eye the boy suspiciously, he lowered the rapier respectfully but did lower his guard. Something spooked the kid but there was always a chance this was a distraction.

Felix took his time focusing on just getting air back into his lungs. The whispers and shouts of.. advice? Both lingered in the back of his mind as he slowly got both feet firmly on the ground, concentrating on the task at hand. The experience had been overwhelming to say the least. After whatever that was he felt.. tired. Adrenaline had evaporated under the duress of his own minds over-imagination..
A quick glance at Manilow reminded him of the why and where. Fighting, swordsmanship.. something about a hippo?

"I'm.. its ok. Just a.. thing. Mind playing tricks.."

Get your head in the game, god damnit! We said he would eat his words.. lets just try to get a hit in first. Start small! Yeah!

Felix took the last sword from the rack calmly, focused on the weapon itself instead of his frustrations. Words of advice he didn't understand danced at the edge of his conscience thoughts to guide his rampaging soul into working order, feeling the energy in his body flow.. around the sword. The heat of his burning will was coating the weapons dulled edge.. It wasn't perfect by any means but it was a far better attempt than the other pieces of molten scrap he had created.

Returning to his position across from Manilow, Felix did was he expected the teacher least expected. A bow. Blade in hand at his side, the fiery student offered a low and respectful bow expected from a student to a teacher rather than a dismissal wave. Not even a rude comment. Taking up proper footing, Felix slid his leg back and pivoted so that his right leg was leading with the rapier in the right hand waiting for Manilow to take the first move.






Jordan took a deep breath, and he sunk himself ever deeper into the stance, the headspace, the attitude of a warrior. Initially taken aback by Felix's odd behaviour, it seemed that whatever had affected him had dispelled that cloud of anger weighing down his movements.

"Good," Jordan said quietly, watching the boy bow. "You're finally taking this seriously." He flicked his foil back and forth, working the kinks out of his wrist. His left wrist. Locking eyes with the boy, the gym teacher switched hands to his right, and then sighed gently. As though relaxing, and not giving any indication that he was-

A purposeful distraction, accompanied by a lightning quick lunge forward on legs pushing him forward so quickly that Jordan's hips seemed almost perpendicular to the floor. A vaulting uppercut and a forceful kick into proper stance once again. Mere inches from Felix's own place, Jordan then skipping back with a feinted slash and flourish of the blade that left the foil pointing toward Felix just as before, only now being pointed from a radically different place. In the span of perhaps a couple seconds, Jordan had invaded Felix's space, brushed blades with him, and evaded just as quickly. Terribly showy, and not practical against somebody of Jordan's skill level of higher. But now, and against a novice, Manilow was willing to have some fun.

Jordan's first honest attack, a simple touché, came after a couple caught breaths. His rapier spiralled in a blur towards Felix's chest, brushing the boy's own foil aside as though it were an after-thought, and felt the blade give as it pressed into the boy's chest.

Manilow came away, wiped a shiny coat of sweat from his brow, and cleared his throat. "The first and only determinant in fencing is finesse, and its only dependent factors are those of speed, accuracy, and reflex. Technique is a prerequisite to all three of those, and such mastery of technique requires many hundreds of hours of drills, physical training, and competition with athletes of similar skill level. Also, don't try and pull any of that shit I just did, with the leaping and the spins. That was me being a show-off. I'm by no means the best at this particular discipline, but I have unquestionably mastered the basics. Why did you choose this martial form for our fight? You must've known you wouldn't stand a chance against anybody with any real experience. I mean, just look at how you're holding your sword."






I don't have a damn choice to be anything but serious, now do I?

Felix was not a soldier. Every nerve in his body was on edge at Jordens sudden change of attitude. It had gone from the usual mild-seriousness to an almost casual approach.. It was as if he was-
The strike was perfectly executed and deathly fast, too fast for the lad to even try and defend against with anything serious of his own but to his credit both blades struck as reflex took over where thought could not. Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed. Felix's own blade withstood the strike unbent.

Doesn't matter. We knew going in he was gonna be tough, but damn!

The foil came in at a dizzying display of control, a fairly common misdirection that shouldn't have caught him but the blade he held was pushed aside before Manilow struck home with a direct hit to the chest. Blade out wide there was nothing he could do but accept the strike for what it was. Of course that didn't mean Felix was going to be happy about it; far from it!
Familiar anger welled up in his chest that spread to his eyes before a quick intake of breathe focused that feeling onto himself. His body, his arms, the steel in his hands. If it was the last thing he did Felix swore there would be a strike that landed on this pompous macho.

"Why do I choose this martial form?"

That was the first real question Felix felt compelled to answer with something beyond a snide remark. His posture slouched as he looked away from Manilow, eyes a thousand miles away at a home long gone.

"Because it used to mean something. Every moment of my younger life was spent in the room performing the basics you preach about because there was nothing else for me. No friends, little family, just me and a quiet room full of expectations.."

memories of his time as a boy flooded his thoughts as he recalled, days on end, practicing the simplest of moves; The lunge. Like Jorden had demonstrated it was just a forward rush aimed at the opponent, but footwork and precision were crucial. Strike after strike on the wooden target until every thrust was where it needed to go.
As a teenager the muscle memory was there but.. it was distant. Unused. The memories were there but the skills were rusted over.
With conviction burning on his face Felix locked eyes with Manilow,

"I chose this because it is all I have left. One last chance at a respectful fight that doesn't end with a bare knuckles.." He left out the obvious fact that hitting Jordan was futile anyways. Instead Felix focused on his hands, both of them stung from the abuse he had inflicted on himself over the last few days that swelled painfully whenever he tightened his grip.
Even now his right hand bled ever so slightly into the dirty stained bandages she had put on him.
Like a badge of honor he stood taller at the thought of her.

Just gotta wait for a strike I can predict. If I can just time it right..

Felix stood his ground and took up his stance, blade at the ready and light on his feet, and focused on the opponent ahead. Now it wasn't Manilow that looked at the adolescent but the image of his father scowling back.. The source of his agitation.

I'll crush you for good.






Jordan listened to the boy state his convictions, and saw him lie in wait, more cautious, and attentive. That was good of him. He was actually paying attention now. And Manilow believed him, that he might have seriously practiced fencing, and developed some skill with the blade. Of course, training alone would've reinforced his errors, but Jordan had seen many an old pro lose their lustre after a sufficient break period. The key now? Probably to throw him a bone, Jordan figured. The convictions in his ability and techniques wouldn't loosen until he'd been given evidence that he wasn't just throwing himself against a wall. Manilow hadn't the time, environment, or resources to carefully break down the boy into a malleable state the way he might with a new recruit to his unit. He needed this done delicately, and with more finesse than one might expect.

"The only way you can disrespect somebody in combat is to not take the fight seriously, to not p-"

Jordan did it again, feigning a predictability that he would never have risked in a fight where he was at risk of losing, or even reaching a tie. He leant back onto his leg nonchalantly as he spoke and then shot forward, low to the ground, and then opened up with a flurry of strikes, this time aiming for the boy's blade, treating it as though it were Felix's torso. The blades clanged and sparked, and Jordan spent what he felt was enough time to reinforce the notion that what happened next was not at all intentional.

Two things, piled on top of each other, leading to disaster? Such a thing was not merely impossible to fake, but ridiculous to expect, especially from an old pro like Jordan. Of course, his finishing thrust, coordinated with such fervour that a blind man could readily point out the direction, angle, and speed of the blow was made. And in the same instance, Jordan's shoe slipped on the gym floor. Of course, it was really sand slipping underneath his shoe, deliberately, but that would have been something Felix needed to be watching for, instead of fighting to beat back his teacher's blows.

Come on then, I've thrown you this bone. Reach out and grab it Felix! Jordan thought as he fell, preparing in his throat a cry of surprise and frustration.






Felix held firmly and gave ground freely under the weight of Manilows sudden offense. Each attack carried a significant amount of weight behind them that the ill tempered lad could scarcely keep up with let alone retaliate against and yet from the outside it looked as if he were doing just that, matching strokes and lunges with his own as the two blades shed sparks.
Eyes locked unshakably on the brutish teacher.

Back and forth it went as the two combatants traded blows now. With his initial momentum slowing down they were locked in a contest of stubborn will with Felix suffering the most and finally realizing the difference between them. Like a flower blooming in an open field he realized this school held monsters within it disguised as the staff that had clawed from the bottom to stand where they did.
Blinded to the harmony of this place his minds eye was drawn instead to what he had seen. Wielders of flame and stone alike, people flying in the sky, and controlling the waters with grace.

If they wanted to any one of them could kill another.

If they weren't careful-

The critical moment was interrupted as Manilows defense slipped wide, opening his chest to a single chance at a strike. It was all Felix needed, wanted, desired in the world, and by whatever demons in his heart it would be so! The tip of his blade slipped aside of Jordens, slapping it harmlessly to the side before being brought back for the thrust.
No more big talker.
No more bullying.

This was the start of an end for the dirty dust covered meathead that paraded himself around as the toughest.. Felix was going to throw him from that lofty perch one day!

A key part of the swirling collection of raw fire that danced across his blade the focus needed to keep it there, contain it across the edge of the foil instead of storing it all inside like a bomb. Without that focus to keep it around and in...

It went out.

All at once it erupted in a catastrophic ball of biting flames, the pent up anger and raw emotions that were the foundation of Felix's ever burning spirit. Released without knowing. The pain in his hands, the bleeding, thoughts of his father, everything and anything that elicited a strong internal response fueled his ability to create flames and rarely had he ever found an outlet.
The detonation triggered the moment his dulled point hit Manilows chest.

An overwhelming sense of pride and happiness became the spark. While the flames were short lived and quickly consumed, it was enough to launch poor Felix clear across the room in a heap as the dirty clothes that hung across him blackened every further from the uncontrolled burst.
Exhausted, Felix couldn't move if he tried. Instead.. he just laughed. A chuckle of true happiness untainted by self doubt or fear of failure, but true and honest happiness.

"I think.. I went.. Too far.." He groaned.






Jordan was falling, and he inwardly whooped when Felix took the bait. Although he frowned slightly when he caught the expression on the boy's face.

Have I just set this kid up to exploit his full potential and use a maximum energy attack on my body point blank? Fuck I'd better harden my ch-

Felix's sword exploded. Jordan flew through the air. With near instinctual reflexes he twisted in the air and landed on his feet. Jordan gingerly rubbed at his chest, feeling for any permanent injury. Perhaps a slight bruise. Jordan saw the boy was in much more of a state. He hurried to his side, and trying to be as gentle as possible, hefted the boy up in his arms. Jordan took the boy over to his office, and used his power to clear his desk of clutter, a wave of sand brushing the wood clean. He then collected the sand and packed it to form a simulacrum of a cushion.

Laying Felix back on his desk, Jordan chuckled lightly, patting the boy's shoulder. "Sit tight, and I'll go get the nurse to look you over. We'll get some training for you yet, you've just got to stick with it."

And so Jordan left his office, rushing off to the infirmary to call a nurse back to the gym. And once he'd turned the corner, he took a breath, and calmed himself. They'd fought, and Jordan had had to work harder than he'd have thought, though nowhere near his maximum strength. He shook his head, and made his way out the back entrance of the dorm. It'd be quicker to get up to see the nurse.

And thus, Jordan's sigh of relief went unheard.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Old Amsterdam
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Dia took a deep breath. She'd finally found the Gym, after dozens of wrong turns. But would he be there? Was she wrong?

Was she crazy?

With a gentle push, she opened the door. Her eyes meet the sight of molten metal, of a scorched floor, of the sun shining brightly through a window...

Her heart caught in her throat. He'd been here. She was sure of it. Worry. Fear. Hope. They all clashed inside her chest, fighting for dominance.

Confusion. Worry. Anger.

It didn't look like it had gone well.

A deep breath, frost appearing in front of her as she exhaled.

Control.

She had to be strong for him. Else the Void, the bubbling fear, everything would consume her.

Her eyes found him, far to the side. Bleeding. Injured?

Rage.
Excitement.
Joy.
Fear.

Dia ran towards him, leaving frozen footsteps in her wake.

"Felix..." she breathed, dropping beside him. The everlasting cold poured from her in waves as her emotions bounced around. Without waiting for a response, for him to notice her, she leaned in and kissed him gently, carefully, cautiously.

So many questions. But no words to form them. All she had was her touch, and she could only hope it was enough to portray all the emotions, all the questions, all the words she couldn't say.

The anger at whoever left him in this state began to boil.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Regitnui
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Zeke gradually became aware of Viola's music changing, and somehow it seemed more appropriate for the wide open park they were now in. His parents had brought him here the day before school started, and he knew there was an ice cream trailer by the fountain. He looked over and spotted it, tugging at Viola's hand so that she followed him, and her music followed her.

The person at the ice cream stand was tall. Or was it that Zeke was short? An older kid who had a funny hat that looked like an upside-down boat folded from cardboard. "Viola," Zeke stretched the word until it was a tune of its own. "What kind do you like? I like the chocolate ones, with the nuts." He pointed with his free hand at the sign on the front of the cart, slightly in shade from the red-and-blue umbrella above.

As always though, his attention wandered. The fountain in the park reminded him of the splash from yesterday, and he thought about how he got a rainbow from the spray. Then he looked at the people sitting on benches near the fountain and how the shadows were almost directly underneath them. After a few minutes of intense calculation, Zeke came back to himself and tugged on Viola's hand again. He knew what sort of photo he wanted to take of her.

@Pseudo Stygian
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Stern Algorithm
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Once again, Kanako did as Catherine instructed. She began by taking longer breaths than usual. This was easy enough for her as she had quite a decent lung capacity. But when she tried the shorter ones, after a while, she felt it was beginning to take its toll on her stamina. It was as if she was not getting enough air inside her lungs.

"Haaa...haaa...haa...haa..." Kanako panted as she returned to her normal breathing pattern. "T-that was... quite tiring..."


Catherine nodded, ""Although I've been using the human body as an analogy, in many ways, our elemental powers are more closely tied to our sense of self than even our physical bodies are. The most powerful elementals don't let their environment force them to change who they are fundamentally. On the other hand, they are conscious enough to choose improvement over stagnation and will opt to change themselves, but knowingly, and without being forced." Catherine sighed, she knew she'd have to bring it up sooner or later, so she might as well get it out of the way. "Take note of what happens in the next few moments. Remember and burn the experience into your mind. I am about to say something that will most likely make you lose control. You will experience a strong knee-jerk reaction due to pressures that society has placed on you. Your sense of self will be tested, and you will be extremely uncomfortable with your current state. Learn to let go. learn to not care about these sorts of things. Understand? Ready? Your skirt is ripped up and your panties are showing."




"Breathe, ShiZhen. Calm and steady." The water around them remained in a perfect sphere around the two with only directly above them open. Little by little the dry stone under their feet began to wet as a trickle of the soothing warm water flowed in about their feet. "Lets take a moment to ourselves shall we? To enjoy the waters. Feel its warmth and know it apologizes for harming you. While we wait, please, tell me how you felt before the water graced your skin."


Tears welled in ShiZhen's eyes as a natural reaction to the discomfort of having inhaled water. She stilled coughed reflexively, despite the fact the the headmaster had already extracted all the water from her lungs. She wanted to cry, she wanted to ask him why everything had to be so hard. Her body shook from the sobs she stifled. Sobs induced by her feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness, by her shame of simply being herself. But she held it back, and tried to calm down, slowing her breathing. She thought about what the headmaster was saying, and hadn't thought about water apologizing. "I-I was nervous. I was afraid nothing would happen, that I'd be a disappointment...I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I try to listen but I don't hear anything."
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Hammerman
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@Stern Algorithm
Kanako listened to Catherine's explanation just as intently as before. When she said to prepare herself and to burn what would happen next in her mind, she became nervous. What was going to happen? She was going to say something that would make her lose control. What could that be? She wouldn't lose control, no matter what happened.

"Your skirt is ripped up and your panties are showing."

Like a comical scene from an anime, Kanako's face slowly turned red as she froze in place. She looked down and saw that her skirt was nowhere to be found. Just to be sure, she patted her butt, finding that she was touching her pantyhose and the panties underneath directly.

It was true.

She had no idea how it could be true but it was true for sure.

C-calm down, Kanako, c-calm down... T-take a deep breath... D-don't scream... N-no one else is here... T-there's only Catherine and she's a woman, not a man... Come on Kanako... calm down!!!

Kanako began taking her deep breaths. Slowly but surely however, her breath became shorter and shorter, and eventually, she buried her face inside her palms, sobbing, mumbling, "Uuu, this is so embarrassing... I-I'm so sorry, Miss..."
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Pseudo Stygian
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Ice cream! "Viola! What kind do you like?" What kind does she like? She'd never thought of that. Where she came from, there was only one ice cream, made out of milk fresh from the cows in the farms. But here, the sign in front of the cart had about a dozen of them. She wondered if they have farms too around here, if the ice cream and its dozen of taste was made here or if it came from somewhere-

The ice cream attendant snapped his fingers. "Hey, kid? Are you gonna buy something?" His voice was more joking than unkind. He looked at Lyra, then at Zeke, and then he grinned. "Skipping class to be out with your boyfriend, eh? Man I shouldda done that when I was your age."

Unfortunately, Lyra's brain filtered through half of what he was saying. "Huh? Oh, sorry! We'll have the chocolate nuts one, and the," vanilla? But might as well get something new, "mint one?"

The ice cream seller rolled his eye. He took scoops of each flavour and set them on their cones. "Here you go, that'll be- oh, thank you." Lyra already had the money for it out of her pocket. He took it and handed the two ice creams, one brown dotted with more brown and another that's a light blue. "Enjoy. Oh, and nice music, there."

"Huh? Oh." The violin was still playing, all by itself. Was he listening? Did he not think it was strange that a violin was playing on its own? Back home people would definitely freak out if they see one. She supposed things are different here, so close to the academy. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Zeke was tugging at her hand. "Yes? Oh, and here's your ice cream." She handed the chocolate one with Zeke, then looked at his eyes. "Hmm, did you find something nice to photograph?"

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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Stern Algorithm
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@Hammerman

"It's fine," Catherine said, smiling sympathetically, "We're both ladies here." Catherine made to go in for a hug, hoping that Kanako would accept. Catherine wondered if she had been cruel to not point it out earlier, or for using it as a way to test Kanako's ability to remain calm. Taking off her jacket, Catherine offered it to Kanako, "Here, you can wrap this around your hips to cover yourself."
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Regitnui
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Zeke took his ice cream, absently taking her hand and winding their fingers together. The same motion bumped her shoulder lightly, but he hardly noticed. How could he explain? He had found something nice to photograph, but it somehow seemed rude that he just took her photo. It had to be right. Something that wasn't just her, but was all of how she looked. He chewed on the nuts, taking Viola and sitting on a bench facing the fountain with her. "I want to take a photo of you," he said, looking at her eyes. "You on the fountain with your violin and smiling when the sun shining on you," He blurted, then stuffed his mouth with ice cream.

After a moment of brain freeze, Zeke swallowed. "Um... I have something called prosopagnosia," he explained, "So I don't know what you look like. I have to photograph people I want to remember, because then I can look at the photo and compare what they look like. Or I remember something about the person I'm talking to, like your eyes or your song." He poked a finger at the air, with the rest still holding his ice cream. It left a dot in the air of the exact, rich blue her eyes were. "That's Viola's blue," he said. "Your blue eyes." Zeke looked away, suddenly unable to look at her anymore.

He could keep looking at her, of course. Her face was a fascinating collection of shapes, shades and colours, but it somehow seemed wrong to stare at her no matter how much he wanted to. "So I want to photo you playing on the fountain side when we're finished with the ice cream, if that's okay," Zeke mumbled. He looked down at their hands together and then at her shoes and his, and trailed the patterns in the paving around the plaza. "It's okay if it isn't okay," He added, spotting a wet patch on the side of the fountain but the glistening stone failing to attract his attention more than the girl next to him he was trying not to look at.

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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Hammerman
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Kanako accepted Catherine's hug, even though she felt awkward doing so. No teacher of her had ever acted this... warmly towards her.

"T-thank you, Miss..." Kanako said as she accepted Catherine's jacket, tying it on her waist to cover her exposed underwear. Her thought immediately went to the fact that she had to return to her dorm room at this state. From a glance, people probably wouldn't suspect anything, thinking that there would be a skirt underneath the jacket since wrapping your jacket this time was quite a trendy thing to do. But who knew what accidents could occur? The jacket could fall down and her panties would be exposed to the world.
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