Priory Business (SurpySoup x TypicalRage)

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Time was flying as Jade tried to occupy his mind. But it wasn't flying fast enough. Soon, hunger was distracting him enough to make him grumble and leave his library sanctuary. He went to the kitchen in time for lunch, enjoyed it sitting at the end of one of the long tables of the dining hall. Everyone was chatty and in such high spirits, he felt like a dark cloud down on the end. His eyes remained focused on nothing in particular, staring off into space. He ate quickly, absently, and stopped only once he realized there was nothing left in his bowl or on his plate. He brought the dishes back to the kitchen and washed them himself, anything to keep busy.

Then a thought occurred to him once he left the kitchens. He found himself making his way to the workshops, where Wysterion was probably making the final touches on his machines and getting ready to transport them. He peeked into where the male Sylvari was working earlier, only to find the darker Sylvari intensely focused on his work. Jade didn't want to distract him at such a critical moment, so he hung back. He even went back to the library, he hung so far back. He was glad for the other thoughts in his mind, as it sometimes got quite lonely in there. He needed to apologize to Wysterion. Being Soundless didn't mean he needed to make an ass out of himself. He merely collected the books he was reading through before leaving again. There was going to be a sort of demonstration contest soon, he knew that much. Wysterion's contraptions would be going against two others for selection. Whoever won would have their inventions brought on the expedition and he was sure other awards were tacked on with that.

He clutched the four thick books he was carrying close to his chest, slightly hunched at the weight. He looked like a regular bookworm, and a Norn passing in the halls picked up on that. He grinned from ear to ear, and Jade could already hear the beginnings of the rumbling laugh.

"Jade! So glad to see our little tomewurm out of the library! Looks like you can't keep away from work for too long, though!"

He was loud and rough as he slapped Jade on the back. It almost made the green Sylvari drop all of his books, but thankfully he was able to keep a tight grip on them. Jade just glared up at the Norn as he apparently decided wherever he was previously going was no where near as interesting as wherever Jade was off to!

"Brandish. What are you doing? Don't you have some students to be beating up? The expedition is creeping ever closer."

The old Norn laughed again, draping his big arm over Jade's shoulders. "Oh, pah! They're all taking a break, as you should be! Where are you off to, anyway? I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you outside of your book-lined lair."

Jade lowered his gaze as he walked. "The ballista demonstrations. A... An acquaintance is demonstrating his work and I would like to see the result."

"Acquaintance? I find it difficult to believe that little hard-as-bark Jade has actually spoken with someone other than himself in the heat of research," Old Man Brandish smirked, leaning in a little closer to Jade. "What's gotten into you?"

Jade attempted to shrug the Norn's arm from his shoulders, but failed miserably. He was no match for the old, seasoned warrior. He merely sighed in resignation and held on to his books. "Old memories. Bad ones. Triggered by this other Sylvari because, while I am Soundless, I can still feel subtle shifts in the Dream and such. He resonates... with familiarity. Pain. Suffering. More than I have endured, and I feel obligated to reach out to a fellow Sylvari."

Brandish lifted a bushy brow--the only hair on his head besides the thick mowhawk and huge beard--and his smile faded only a little. "You've never felt that before. There are plenty of other Sylvari here--even in the library--and you've never made much of an effort to speak with them."

"I know." Jade sighed. "Maybe I should."

"Having doubts about being Soundless?" Brandish chuckled, nudging Jade with his hip as they walked. "Gets lonely when you have no one to talk to."

Jade chewed his lip. "I had one of the mesmer students delve into my mind earlier. What was uncovered was... Unpleasant."

Brandish nodded, then pat Jade soundly on the back again. "I'm sure it was. Minds are the darkest things we have, and you've made a profession out of dealing with them. Either way, be careful on the trip. Make some discoveries and kill some Dredge for me while you're gone."

"You aren't going?" Jade asked, surprised. Brandish shook his head. "Where are you off to, then?"

"Visiting the Vigil. They've asked for some assistance in training some recruits on battle tactics. Meeting up with their young upstarts and going camping."

Jade blinked, his brow-ridges lifting slightly. Then he laughed, as Brandish did, and shook his head. "Well, good luck to them. I'm sure you'll give them hell."

"As I should!" Brandish boomed. Then he turned to go the way he had been going when he spotted Jade, and left the Sylvari to his thoughts again.

Jade was silent the rest of the walk to the arena the ballistas would be tested in. Spectators entered on an upper level, into stadium seating so everyone could see the entirety of what was going on. There was a nice, thick force field separating the seats from the field, one of the Priory's proud inventions. He took a seat by himself, setting his books around him for easy access. He'd do more studying until the competition began. He resisted the urge to look for Wysterion while he waited, and instead buried his nose in the books he'd brought.
 
Wysterion finally heard the call for the time remaining. After a billion checks and worries done he sighed and put his equipment away. His method to build an instant bridge was using the ballista a cleverly used in a different approach. They had to make this for a way they can reach the mountain without going in the valley flooded with raging water. To a secret dwarven door that only a bridge across the valley could reach.

The leader of the priory presented himself. The small brown asuran spoke of the requirements and how they were the best of the best in the department of technologies. First up was the charr. His method was crude but effective. Using a zipline they would propel themselves towards the target without the worry of falling off any bridges. The harnesses would fit anysize and there were even special ones for the bulls carrying the supplies. He demonstrated the device to be a gun. He fired it at the wall it penetrated and tied it to a stake. Then demonstrated putting on the harness and clipping it to the line. The whole time he spoke there were three judges scribbling on a notepad.

Wysterion waited by his own contraption and saw that the asuran was next. Kririix displayed a new bridge system made of asuran technology. They were flat panels that were designed to hover in air. The panels had the familiar glow that all asuran products had. She pressed a button and they all flew in a straight line. and hovered over the test area that represented the length of the gorge. Wyst grew a bit more nervous thinking that the judges might be impressed with the others work. It did have state of the art technology while Wysterion had just rehashed together an old concept and made it something different.

Next was Wysterion's turn and activated the engine on the ballistas. He turned towards the judges and shook away all thoughts except of his machine. "I present my hyperpropulsion ballista. Using the frame it can create enough force to drive an arrowhead equipped with my design of a new type of miniature drills. Then when secured the operator will activate the magnetic pulse stationed within it to create the bridge." With that Wyst gave a silent prayer for the Pale tree's guidance and pulled the first lever.

The ballista's fired at the same time as their arrows flew across the room penetrated through the marble. Opps a little to powerful. The drills had dug right through it to the other side and then the air chambers inside activated the arrowheads to snap open so that they would not go back through their hole like a grappling hook. A line was carried with the arrow that had metal planks sectioned at a certain point. Wysterion was glad for the power of the shot since it helped keep the weight from dragging the arrows down to the ground. With a hiss of steam it pulled the line in to make it tight. Then Wyst pushed a button as a humming activated and the planks all snapped together to form a horizontal bridge.

Now they tested the weight and since it had to be able to hold at least 2000 pounds a weight was used. Thane's zipline snapped as soon as they attempted to let the weight hang in suspended air. The thick metal cord had not penetrated enough to withstand the amount of pressure. Though Thane didn't seem that upset about it. Probably was something he threw together real quick so he could get back to doing whatever it was that charr's did best.

Kiriix's hovering plates only shifted slightly but soon recalculated and hovered back to the same height as the rest. Wysterion couldn't help but be impressed and wondered how it was able to function. Tuning crystals. A magnetic wavelength. Wait if it was a magnetic wavelength then where was the receptor that kept it connected all together. That's why Wysterion had used a metal line that way it can hold the current in a continuous loop and not draw on any other metal.

Sure enough the air seemed to change and as they were about to try and get the metal weight off they were unable to because of the loose magnetic current. He felt the shift as some metal was beginning to shift towards the panels. Leaving it on this long was making it stronger. He rushed towards the other contestant. Everyone oblivious with what was about to happen. "SHUT IT OFF!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as metal in the room started to fly towards the panels.

A whole tool box just missed smacking him in the head. He glanced back and saw his own invention hold its ground using the bars he had drilled into the ground and the panels held on by his own magnetic force. Wysterion ran over towards Kiriix as she was fumbling with her contol over the machine hitting every button she could. "Th-This is impossible my calculations are never wrong." Wysterion saw that this was hopeless and went to the control panel to remove it. A spark jolted to his fingers and knew the wiring inside it must be frying itself from the amount of energy it was producing. He gritted his teeth and ripped the panel off feeling electricity surge through his body.

The magnetic energy was coming from a shard that was centered as the core power system. If it wasn't removed it would explode. Kiriix finaly noticed Wysterion in her heisteria "Did you sabotage my work!!" Wysterion shot her a glare for bringing something like this here "Evacuate with the others I'm going to disarm it." he felt her fist hit his jaw and stars flow into his eyes. "How dare you! This is my machine. Mine!" He could only do one thing before it was too late. Wysterion threw his arm to push her back and grabbed the crystal as quickly as he could and ripped it out. He felt the energy explode him backwards into the force field.

Blackness covered his eyes as he felt one last thud as he fell to the ground still clutching the crystal.
 
Jade didn't really pay attention until it was Wysterion's turn to go. Charr were brutes and didn't impress him in the least, and Asura were pricks. He hated how they acted entitled. He refused to work with any in his library. When the fellow Sylvari began his demonstration, he must admit he was a bit excited. He set aside his books and focused his whole attention on Wysterion. He wanted it to go well for him. Everything seemed to be going well, until he noticed Wysterion fidgeting. Something wasn't right.

There was a small fracas as Wyst approached the Asura. Fists were thrown. Jade winced, mentally noting how that would instantly disqualify her from even being considered. Then came the explosion. It had the mesmer on his feet in a flash, and rushing down the stands to the force field--which was being deactivated as he approached it. People were being escorted out of the arena, and there were medics checking on Wysterion. He felt obligated to do -something-, but being a mesmer, there wasn't much he could do. Once the explosion happened, the Asura's machine was powering down and literally falling to the ground. It was loud, it was dangerous, but everyone was already out of the way.

Jade chewed his lip as he stood by, out of the way but helping where he could. His illusions may have been just that, but they were substantial enough to carry anyone wounded in the explosion. Once things were a little more cooled down, he followed the medics taking Wysterion away to the infirmary. Minor concussion damage, blow to the head, slight burns. All he could do was wait in the hall, watching people rush by.
 
Wysterion was rushed to the infirmary where his burned hands were treated and his head wrapped. The medics figured he would be okay but were worried about the blow to the head he had received. It was a just a minor concussions and scans show no brain damage but it was tricky to say because even the slightest hit could cause someone to fall into a coma. They continued to run tests becoming more and more antsy as time passed.

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Dreaming was a form of connection with other Sylvari. Wysterion was still tied to his own kind so when he fell into his subconscious it wasn't quite what he expected. He looked around trying to gain his surroundings. His thoughts felt sluggish and it was hard to move. What was he doing before he got here? He tried to think but felt a sharp pain in his head. He gasped and covered his eyes waiting for the pain to subside. His hand gliding over his damaged eye finding something was missing. Though it felt good to not have the weight.

"It has been a while... Wysterion." he heard the lush voice and felt a slight alarm try and push through the fog in his mind. "Ne-Nexius?" he whispered trying to fight the emotions flooding back to him. He saw his figure but was so disoriented and tried to stand. He felt his strong arms capture him to help steady him. "My have you grown dear." he sounded so happy. Wysterion's fingers lingered and touched his smooth face. His silver eyes looking at him passionately. Nexius brushed his leafy hair and entwined his clawed gloves deep into his scalp. "Ho-How is this...." the other chuckled and burried his head into Wysterions neck. Taking in his scent. "The Nightmare has greater powers then you could ever believe. Just the same as we attack those who have yet awaken from the dream. I can return to you in your deepest subconscious. This day was predicted so I have waited... for you."

He withdrew and Wysterion felt some memories flood to him but were being suppressed. "Mesmer.... how?" He felt his cheek being rubbed and pressed himself closer to the touch. "Shhh... it went all according to plan. We are together again and that is all that matters." Wysterion held onto Nexius coat to try and feel if this was as real as it seemed. It was. He was here. He felt tears well up in his eyes "Nexius." he whispered. They leaned in and kissed passionately. Wyst forgot how much he missed him. How much he needed him. The ended their kiss and Nexius held Wysterion closer as if he might leave him again. He touched the side of his face where his work still remained. It made him glad inside to see the brilliant marks on his other. Showing all who he belonged too. "Beautiful. Soon... time will pass and they will leave you behind and I will come and retrieve you..."

Wysterion just stared at the other as he spoke not really understanding what was going on fully. "I will be your protector again and I will fit all these broken pieces back together." He stared into Wysterion's purple eyes "I love you." the engineer wrapped his hands around the others face. "I love you too." he said with a warm smile on his face. "I will never let you go.... never again." he whispered harshly holding onto him tighter.
 
All tests were showing normal. Head wound, yes, but light and no concussion. Something else was keeping Wysterion unconscious, and no one was really qualified to know what. Jade was only hearing everything from the doorway, for he had no desire to actually get in the way of the actual healers and doctors. He wasn't sure how much he'd be able to help. Sylvari, yes, but he severed his ties to the Dream a long time ago. He knew why, now, and didn't regret his decision... But he couldn't go in and see what was going on in Wysterion's head. Only through the use of his own magic would he accomplish anything, but even that might not be any good.

Jade entered the infirmary when things were dying down, Wyst was stable and sleeping. The doctors let Jade sit by the bed, leaving the other Sylvari to watch over the engineer's body. Jade let out a breath and removed his gloves, staring at the red embers twining through the fibers of his fingers for a moment before reaching out and touching Wyst's forehead. He let it rest there for a bit until pale purple light began enveloping his hand and spreading over the other's bandaged head. Maybe he can take a peek.

And he found himself staring at Wysterion and another Sylvari, embracing, caressing, kissing. It would appear that the other was Wysterion's lover. He felt a cold chill wash over him, as he recognized the armor worn by this mysterious Sylvari. Nightmare Court. It would appear Wysterion's scars ran deeper than he'd previously thought. Was he trustable? A rage began burning in Jade's gut, knowing that Wysterion would fraternize with the likes of a despicable Nightmare Courtier. However, being an observer, he could do nothing but watch. At least he was able to understand what was keeping Wysterion unconscious. If a Courtier was present, this sleep was probably not a natural one. Not to mention that Wysterion would probably not wake up the same.

He withdrew, pulling his mind from Wysterion's. It was nice, seeing a glimpse of the dream again, but at the same time... He didn't miss it. With a sigh, he sat back in his chair and pulled his gloves back on and waited.
 
Three days passed and Wysterions conditions did not change. The doctors were baffled and ran the same tests over and over with the same results. The priory interrogated Kiriix who was under the impression that Wysterion had sabotaged her in some way. She said that her invention worked according to her design. Then there was the crystal that was powering the device. It was magical but Kirrix wouldn't say where she got it from. Any who tried to touch it would feel its powers effects within and were trying to figure out how they could even investigate it without handling it. The past two days all the sylvari connected to the dream are having troubles sleeping. They murmur with one another that something was wrong. Everyone seems to be on edge. The expedition was held off and those involved are getting testy with their leader on putting it on hold. If they waited to long it may be too late.

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Nexius was just as patient as Wysterion but even though he had complete control over his body his mind was still slipping away from him. He had tried multiple times to get Wysterion to join but something deep within him pulled him away. He still held onto his morals. While the other slept in his lap his partner contacted him. A memser named Thyna. She didn't appear whole like he did. She was just a projections in his mind. Her lush red lips curled into a smile "How cute. Nexius's little pet but I see that he does not call to us as he does to you." Nexius curled his lips at her "That is Sir Nexius or have you forgotten your place." She was a bit intemidated by the necromancer but tried not to show it." She leaned on her staff as he continued to pet Wysterion's hair. "You forget that without my help you wouldn't even be here." He smirked at her "You forget that we have many other capable mesmers. The only reason why I picked you is because you owe me for breaking you out of jail. Then again I'm sure you'd love to go and rot there wouldn't you." His voice a low rumble.

"I got the crystals and I'm the one that made sure that dimwitted asura would receive it." She mocked back at him. He raised an eyebrow at her "What are you doing?" he asked knowing that she was up to something. She laughed mockingly at him "Why catch one fish when you have a net to catch them all." Nexius silver eyes sparked. "Your channeling your energy into my crystal to power the other and effect other sylvari within the dream." She chuckled and nodded "Didn't think of that now did you SIR Nexius." She bowed before him. He only smiled at her which put her off a bit "If you make one mistake. You better hope I don't wake up or I'm not near you to strangle you as soon as I wake." Thyna looked at him knowing he would keep his word. "You worry too much. No one can touch the crystal without burning their hands. They have no idea what beast they have unleashed on their own. Pretty soon I'll capture all of their minds and the Nightmare ranks will grow."

Nexius scoffed "Your ambitions will lead to your downfall." she tilted her head "Your obsession with this welp will be yours." With that he summoned a chaos beast to rip through her. Her image shattered into laughter. He growled "Thyna.... even if I don't achieve this I will kill you for your insubordination." he murmured then noticed that Wyst was slowly waking. He looked up at Nexius and sighed softly into the other. Nexius felt his heart soften if only he would be come his true self and turn from Ventari's tablet. "What's wrong?" he asked drowsily. "Nothing go back to sleep.... dear." He slowly nodded and Nexius hummed the song that Wysterion had made with the music box. The very music box Nexius always kept with him.
 
Jade heard the whispers and the concerns of the other Sylvari, though he didn't experience the same restlessness. His dreams, when he had them, were filled with fire, and sometimes more pleasant things. Whatever was plaguing the other Sylvari, he had no part of it. This made him believe it had something to do with the Dream. He was sure it did, since no one else, non-Sylvaris, was effected. This brought his attention to the crystal everyone was having a fuss over. No one could touch it without it retaliating, thus no real tests could be performed on it.

He went into the interrogation chamber one afternoon to see them still trying to question the Asura. She wasn't being very helpful. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"If you don't mind me interrupting, I'd like to attempt my own version of interrogation..." Jade stated as he interjected through the proceedings. "For starters, where did you get the crystal?"

He was fully prepared to delve into the Asura's mind, as was his talent. She was under suspicion in his opinion, and he would not hold back if it meant helping Wysterion and the other Sylvari.
 
The interviews were surprised that Jade had come in to try his hand. He was a bookworm but they didn't question and were actually happy that they could have a break from talking to the stubborn asura. The pale brown asuran watched as Jade entered and didn't waste no time. She scoffed "I refuse to answer any of your questions. I know my rights and I know that as soon as the peacekeepers back at Rata Sum have heard about what I have had to deal with then you can bet that your going to be quite sorry." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. If they knew that she had got the crystal from what she believed to be a courtier then she would be ruined. Plus she really needed that crystal since all other sources of power would not create enough energy. "I'm telling you it was sabotage and I demand to talk to Gixx right at this moment."

Though Kiriix had no idea that the sylvari before her was a mesmer. She was about to get a rude awakening.
 
Jade sat across from the Asura, his expression blank. He wasn't buying anything she said. His blue eyes were hard, and as he stared they gained a purple hue to them. He let out a quiet sigh, then unleashed a bit of magic. The room around them held a strange aura: a null zone.

"You had better start answering my questions, Asura. You do not want me to get cross," he laced his fingers in front of his face and leaned forward on his elbows. "I need to know where you got that crystal. Wysterion's life--and the life of all other Sylvari in this compound--depends on it. I am not one of the investigators here. You know me, I'm one of the librarians. However, I will get to the bottom of this, whether you cooperate or not."
 
The asuran noticed the change in the field and raised an eyebrow. A mesmer. This could be problematic. She didn't want to anger him and have him crack her head open like a chicken egg. Kiriix had to play this carefully if she was going to get out of here. She wasn't going to be played as a fool though. She narrowed her brown eyes at the other "Before I talk about anything I'd like to remind you the consequences of mind intrusion and that it is considered a direct attack on my body." She narrowed her eyes at the other hoping he understood what she was saying.

"I'll tell you about where I got the crystal but you must use only a portion of this information. My reputation is already damaged as it is I don't need it completely destroyed." She huffed out. The engineer crossed her arms and wished that she had other options to choose from but at her current situation there was no way avoiding it. "I stayed in the Brisban Wilds for a certain period of time during my construction of my invention. I had made camp there with my Krewe and we were going through old ruins for any valuable resources." When she talked about the ruins they were of an old lab of a long dead Electromage. Hoping to find notes on powerful energy sources or rare components.

"After our efforts found that some mangy skritt had taken most of the technologies to that disaster of a city they call skrittsburg." she cringed ever after saying that name. "We tracked down the rodents and had a little chat with their king. He said that they founded the equipment and used it to protect their dug out hole they called home. I told them that I needed whatever they could supply me for the competition. We probably stayed there a few days sorting through all the damaged papers and components they half way ruined. Through a trade I took care of some of their problems like reconfiguring their defense systems." She crossed her arms and stared hard at the other. She wasn't unreasonable if she gained from it.

"Apparently while we were there rumors had spread that we needed a high class energy source. While we were leaving to head back to the lab in Rata Sum we were encountered by a Sylvari saying that she may have our answers to our energy problem. She told us of a legend of a crystal of untold power. It was created by a massive merging of magical energies. She informed us that if we provided her with something she would give it to us. I didn't believe it at first but when she first presented the crystal something told me I had to have it. You could also just feel the energy coming off of it."

Kiriix made sure not to tell what she had exchanged for the crystal because it was information that could be taken as confidential. Though she did wonder in her mind that telling that Sylvari how many of her own kind resided in the priory was a good or a bad thing. Including a registry of their names. It seemed like useless information to her. "So I told her you better hope on your life that this thing will work. She assured me that it would.... so when I tested it in the lab it worked perfectly. No problems."
 
Jade leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He listened silently, as was his specialty. The field did not falter. His eyebrows knitted together in concern when a Sylvari came into her story, though.

"Suspicious that a random Sylvari would show up with just the thing you were looking for. What did you provide her in exchange for this crystal?" He tilted his head, "I don't believe I heard what you had said about that."

He tapped his foot against the marble floor. Of course the crystal would behave properly when not in the presence of whoever this Sylvari was targeting. Chances were the artifact was being manipulated anyway. The fact that only Sylvari are feeling long-term effects of the crystal even being here made him nervous. And it was only those connected to the Dream. Even more nervous.

"I have no desire to betray your rights as a Priory member. Your reputation is quite capable of destroying itself without my help, after all. And I can only assume Asura have morals. Your endangering of several lives should weigh on your guilt enough. Although, I cannot say that for sure."
 
Damn him. She could grind her sharp teeth dull with this one. He was paying extra attention to her words. She was hoping that the information would slip away but no. Kiriix propped her head using her chin. No use trying to hide it. She was a member of the Priory but she got what she needed from the order and that was recommendations. Something to make her look like a shining star. Now it seemed all her hard work for nothing. She sighed and looked at the plant. To think years ago when they first arrived her race were picking at their bones to figure out what they ticked. Now they thought they could walk among them like equals. "A registry of names. She wanted the names of all the Sylvari that are living within the Priory."

She thought that there was no harm in it towards her and what could you even do with a name. She thought it was a steal. Maybe they wanted it for just informational purposes. "Look that's all I know and that the device was functioning correctly until I came here. Now I want to know why that Sylvari knew exactly where my power compartment was located and what gives him the right to tamper with my invention." A flicker of purple passed through her eyes as she gathered a sudden rage. "I worked too hard and too long to let some nit witted half brained vegetation get away from messing with my machinery. He was the only one in the labs since I got here!"
 
"Wysterion wouldn't tamper with anyone's invention. He was too busy working with his own." Jade crossed his legs, his eyes closing momentarily. He let out a breath. "You obviously know nothing about our people. I'm so sorry for you."

He stood, the null field dropping. He had what he wanted from the Asura. All signs pointed towards Nightmare Court at this point. He walked to the exit and stood in the doorway.

"I hope you are proud of yourself. A registry of names allows your 'mysterious trader'...whom I can only assume was of the Nightmare Court...now knows how to effectively torment those still connected to the Dream. Lucky me, I severed that connection long ago. But the others here.. They aren't sleeping because of what haunts them in their Dreams. I feel bad for them. I can only pray that the Priory sends you packing, soon, before I lose my temper with you."

With that, he had nothing left to say. He left the interrogation chamber, nodding to the other investigators that were taking a break. He needed to speak with the head of the Priory to sort out a way to send that crystal and Asura far away from here.
 
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