[IC] Chicago After Hours

[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I give Kimiko a look when she calls me sir and tries to be bubbly. ”Right, well. I'm going to get you guys set up on the bags and run through some punching and kicking drills to help warm up a bit more, and get your minds thinking about defense and offense.”

I lead them over to a bench where I have set out wraps and gloves for each of them.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nicholas “Nic” Wu

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Brain still trying to recover from what just happened but excited to start on the bags, I follow Avery. Kimiko is acting weird and I can only guess it has something to do with my family, but she seems to be trying to avoid broaching that topic in the most awkward way possible. “Thanks again for agreeing to help me out with training, Avery.” I say as I get started on wrapping my knuckles.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m dying to know what Kimiko was talking about when she said ‘was’, but I kind of want to save it for later, especially if Cass and I are going to come back here tonight anyway. I glance over and see the fox in question struggling to copy what I’m doing with the wraps and gloves.

“I’m just gonna start on one of the bags…” I tell Avery with an awkward laugh before quickly leaving the two of them at the bench.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I watch Kimiko with amusement, wanting to leave her to struggle just for the hell of it, but Nic is the better man and says he’ll start with the bags. ”Start with a basic one-two punch, Nic, alternate between strikes, hooks, and uppercuts. I’ll give you two proper routines once I help hopeless here,” I say and look back at Kimiko with a grin.

I grab an extra pair of wraps and teach Kimiko by showing her what to do.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I roll my eyes at Avery’s grin, ears already warm in response to how awkward the conversation had gotten in a few short minutes. “All I did was tell him I was half kitsune! He immediately started talking about how his parents told him his family was blessed by fox spirits!” I hiss in a whisper as I try to concentrate on Avery’s teaching of how to wrap my hands.

“Both you and Cass were telling me not to ambush him or get him hurt and he just guesses exactly why I’m here?!” I glance over to where Nic is starting on his bag and give a weird quivering grin before turning to face Avery with wide panicked eyes. “Is he psychic??”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I listen to Kimiko panic and watch her wrap her hands. I have to get her to stop and refocus several times before she finally gets it right. I snort when she asks if Nic is psychic.

”No, he’s not psychic. He’s observant. He’s the head nurse at Chicago Med in the emergency department. Noticing things and seeing beyond is kind of his thing. Also, Cassi likes him, so there was likely something under all that that she noticed. But if his family was upfront with him about their history and your kitsune, well,” I shrug at Kimiko. ”Maybe answer some of his questions first if he has any. If he outright asks you, then you aren’t bombarding him with information. He’s asking for it.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I smack Avery’s arm when he snorts at me. “It’s not funny!” I tell him before I actually listen to what he’s saying. I let out a sigh as I realize Avery’s right once again. I’ve talked to humans who had made offerings to my mom before today, so I shouldn’t be freaking out about Nic putting two and two together. I just really did not want to get on Cassi’s bad side.

“You’re right.” I tell him begrudgingly. “Just… please don’t leave me alone with him. I don’t think I’m handling it well so far… He must think I’m some sort of freak now.” I silently pray that Avery will do me a solid here.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Well, you are definitely one of those,” I tease her again. I opened up the boxing gloves and slid them over her hands one at a time. ”Are you seriously that scared of Cass?” I ask, slightly amused by how panicked Kimiko is. It’s also quite adorable. Wait, what?

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I go to smack him again before I realize that’s not possible with the gloves on. I settle for a glare instead. “Are you not scared of her?” I retort with a brow raised. “She’s bloody powerful.”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”No, because I’m on her good side,” I say with a wink and dart away before she can retaliate. I go stand by Nic’s bag and watch him finish a round.

”Good, good. Alright, let’s do several rounds. Each round will be different and will last about three minutes, with thirty seconds in between to breathe or drink some water. Okay? Let’s get started.”

I use Nic’s bag to demonstrate the moves I want them to do. I start off with just a hitting combo to ease them into it. ”Focus on speed or power in the beginning. Remember there are several rounds, and it’s important to participate in each one to keep your heart rate up.” I grab a remote and turn on some upbeat music. ”Ready?! Begin!” I say and step back.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I finish with the weights and stand up to stretch and drink some water. I go over to the bench and watch Nic and Kimiko at the bags, taking a bit of a break before I have to start on my resistance training. Thankfully, I’ve been working out with Avery for ten years now and have a well-established routine, so I don’t need him for much help.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nicholas “Nic” Wu

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Watching Kimiko an Avery with mild interest, I’m glad when they finally join me and we start on some routines. I nod along to Avery’s demonstration, understanding most of what he’s shows us. It’s kind of cool to have an actual trainer to work with though - the last time I had someone to show me what to do in a gym was back in high school.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
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Having stuffed every last straw I could find in Avery’s pillow case (after asking some of the staff to direct me to his room), I make my way back to the gym. I grin when I see Caden taking a little break and skip over to where he is, quickly grabbing the straw from Kiki’s bottle on the way. “Have I missed much?” I ask Caden as I watch Kiki and Nic punching some bags. Nic is impressive with how easily he repeats Avery’s instructions. Kiki, on the other hand, looks like a foal trying to walk for the first time.

“What’s wrong with the fox?” I ask, trying not to outright laugh at the scene.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I smile, looking over at Nero when they rejoin the group. I watch them take Kimiko’s straw with mild intrigue.

”Well, Nic guessed he lost the kitsune family blessing, and Kimiko is freaking out that Cass is going to kill her. As for what is happening now, it looks like Kiki isn’t used to such trained hand-to-hand training.” I turn around and look at Nero.

”Und was hast du gemacht, kleiner Kobold?

Translations

And what have you been up to, little imp?

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I watched Nic go through the first round, nodding in encouragement. He was doing really well. I would have to give him something more challenging on his second day. I gave the second routine while they had their cool down and started them before looking at Kimiko this time. She…was not so lucky.

”Okay, okay. Stop,” I said. I positioned myself on the side of Kimiko’s bag and walked her through the hand movements one at a time, getting her to mirror me. ”Focus on power if you don’t have the speed. I want you to make every hit.” I told her before getting her to start again.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”I don’t blame Kiki - Cassi is scary.” I say with a small smile. When Caden turns to ask what I’ve been up to, I grin widely as I tuck the straw into my pants.

“Ich habe dem Welpen geholfen, dem Fuchs einen Streich zu spielen.”

Translations

I was helping the puppy prank the fox

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I bite my lip in concentration, not exactly happy with myself so far with everything today. “I should have told you my dad pulled me out of boxing classes after a couple of weeks - I’m really quite terrible at it.” I tell Avery as he patiently shows me the moves again.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I chuckle and shake my head. ”You, Kiki, and Avery are a bad combination,” I joke and walk away from the bench to go and start my resistance training. ”Do you want to help me?” I ask Nero.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Boxing is the foundation of many things. What do you normally do if you get in a fight?” I ask, having her practice more slowly and with fewer moves at a time.

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
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“You’ll never be bored though.” I tell Caden mischievously as I follow him. When he asks me if I want to help him, I grin widely. “Yes! What can I do?” I ask excitedly, already bouncing.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“I don’t normally get in fights,” I tell Avery honestly. “And if I do end up in a fight, a swift kick or punch usually works well, especially if they’re human.” I try one of the moves with a lot of power behind it and end up glancing off the bag. Nic tries to cover a snort with a cough.

The human grins sheepishly over at us. “Sorry, I’ve just never… seen someone struggle this much.” He says, holding in laughter.

[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I grin and lean in close to Nero, whispering in their ear. ”Sie können mir helfen, indem Sie Ihr Talent nutzen, um mich zurückzuhalten.” I stepped back and grinned at Nero before I picked up resistance bands and ropes. ”You just hold onto one end and don’t let go,” I explain to them.

translations

You can help me by using your talent to hold me back.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I watch Kimiko hit the bag and smirk when Nic reacts. I cross my arms and focus on Kimiko. ”Humans maybe, but what about other supernatural creatures? The wolves the other night, you didn’t seem to have a problem punching them. What makes this bag different than that of a face or groin?”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I blush but stick my tongue out at Caden - he knows full well what his whispering does to me. Suddenly feeling warm, I pick up the other end of the ropes and bands. “Seems simple enough.” I say, looking up to stare intensely at Caden.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“Well, for one thing, It’s hard to miss a nose or groin.” I say after shooting Nic a glare. “And my fist doesn’t easily glance off it those either.” Biting my lip, I wrinkle my nose and stare at the bag. “What was the name of that limp dicked one?” I ask, trying to envision his face as the punching bag.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod. ”Just don’t let go. I fear I’m not fond of that sort of foreplay,” I say with a wiggle of my eyebrows. I grab hold of the other end of the resistance band and look at Nero. ”Ready?”

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I smirk at Kimiko’s name-calling. ”Terrance. Pick a spot on the bag and aim. Just focus on the one-two punch to start with. Don’t worry about getting the rest of the routine. I’ll keep moving forward with Nic.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I snort at Caden’s comment. “Lucky for you, I don’t think either of us are.” I reply, mirroring his smirk.

“Alright, I’m ready.” I tell Caden with a firm nod after I make sure I have a good grip on the things.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod, barely looking away from the punching bag as it slowly morphed into Terrance’s stupid face. Once I starting hearing his voice calling me a whore or whatever it was he said in my head, I make an effort to aim with the one-two punch Avery had shown me. Miraculously, I’m starting to land more shots than missing.

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Nicholas “Nic” Wu

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Mildly intrigued, I look at Avery after Kimiko’s able to land a punch finally. “So, a fight with werewolves? What have Cass and I been missing out on?” I ask Avery, taking the short break to drink some water and wipe my brow.

”Just know that the werewolves in Chicago suck ass.” I hear Kimiko say as she lands another hit. ”Present company sort of excluded.”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I grin and begin my stretches for my back and shoulders. I pull on the band opening my chest up. Nero keeps a good hold and gives me quite the challenge. I switched positions and stretched several times for my shoulders and back before I stopped to take a break and stretch out.

”I might require your assistance for resistance training more often. I haven’t been that challenged in a while,” I tell Nero.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I look at Nic and smirk. ”Trust me, you don’t want to get mixed up with the wolves.” I look at Kimiko and laugh at her comment about me. ”Yes, because I’m sure you could have easily taken on all three without me there.” I looked back at Nic and showed him what I wanted for the third round. I started throwing in front kicks into the mix.

”We were working on another case, and the wolves were there, interfering as usual. They don’t exactly like that Caden or I are here, despite Caden allowing them to run freely and hunt on his land.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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There are a couple of moments where I’m sure Caden will get the best of me or the bands would snap, but I manage somehow. I beam widely at Caden’s words when he stops for a break. “Well, as long as you remain shirtless during workouts, I’ll happily oblige.” I say shamelessly with a wink.

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”They put up with Caden cause not many people can really outmatch him,” I say, throwing a glance in said man’s direction. It makes me grin to see him actually struggling a little with Nero on the other end of the resistance bands.

I turn my attention back to the bags and the boys. “But they really did not like Avery one bit.”

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Nicholas “Nic” Wu

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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That makes me frown. “I don’t see why they would hate you.” I tell Avery as I match the moves he just showed me.

“The assholes thought Avery was stealing away their ‘prize’.” Kiki says with a huff and a roll of her eyes as she manages to finally get a one-two punch down.

I look at Avery and raise my eyebrows, impressed he’s already seeing his help rewarded. “What prize did you steal?” I ask before refocusing on my own bag.

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