Disclaimer: Not mine. No sue.

Chapter 12

Let's Get This Party Started

"What is it with that look today, Val? You're starting to worry me."

He just smirked, and she knew that there was going to be trouble…

"Hey, Amelia!" he yelled, taking a hand out of his pocket and waving her over, which was seemingly unnecessary since they were already walking towards them. It did, however, catch the attention of everyone at the party.

"What's up Mister Val?" she answered, stepping out from under the pergola. She put up her hand to shield her eyes from the sun when her face went completely red at the sight of what was being waved at her by one of her best friends.

"Val…" she growled. Lina looked up from her dessert. Amelia must be in a murderous frame of mind since she left the honorific off of his name. "Miss Lina, is that…" Lina's eyes traveled to her other friend, and she groaned.

In Val's hand was a bathing suit that was in the box Naga had sent, but to call it a one-piece was being generous. It was clearly a bathing suit, but it was made purely of fish net, certainly leaving nothing to the imagination.

"I was wondering if you were going to model this for us any time soon!" he yelled, hooking the straps with his thumbs and holding it up in front of his face, which was still visible through the thing. With hoots and catcalls rising up behind her, Amelia took off after Val, Lina at her heels.

"Sorry, Fil," he said without a hint of remorse, and he pushed her into the pool. Her eyes widened for a split second before she splashed into the water, capris, tank top and all.

Val laughed and sprinted off to the yard before she surfaced, and the two other girls went tearing after him. It was like a bizarre game of flag football, the flag being the fish net bathing suit. The boy cut back and forth across the wide field, easily jumping out of the way of the angry girls, but after a couple of minutes, the three were laughing. Val ran back towards the pool, and the crowd that had gathered quickly parted, not wanting to get anywhere near him should they catch up.

Then, without warning, he stopped, and both girls flew by on either side of him. When they did, he surged forward and grabbed them both by the waist. Although tall and lanky, Val was stronger than he let on, and he flung them both over his shoulders, much to the dismay of one young graduate who was wearing a short sundress.

"Val, let me down now!" Amelia yelled uselessly trying to cover herself and hit him at the same time. Lina was trying to turn around to grab his head, but before the girls could execute any permanently damaging martial arts moves, he jumped into the pool, girls still slung over his shoulders.

The roar of triumph the three friends surfaced to was deafening. Everyone was surrounding the pool, all cheering and clapping. Lina punched Val on the arm while Amelia kept him in a headlock, swimming with one arm to the side of the pool. Filia sat at the edge of the pool, positively livid, but only looking like a wet cat.

Val knew he was in for a royal beating by the three of them, but it was worth it if he could get them to laugh at themselves and stir up the party a bit. He was hauled bodily out of the pool, his nice slacks and shirt plastered to his form. Oh, he could picture himself now, sitting on the ground, staring up at the three beautiful, drenched and scowling girls. Unbidden, erotic thoughts flew through his mind, and he shook his head. With a grin, he thought to himself, If I'm going to die, at least I'll die happy.

Sure enough, unaware of the unjust thoughts running through his head, Amelia started to crack, first smirking then smiling. Inevitably the other two followed suit and soon they were all laughing.

"Idiot," Amelia said with a grin, grabbing the "bathing suit" out of his hand and whacking him on the back of the head.

"It was worth a shot, Princess," he countered, and she smiled. Other than her father and Beth, he was the only other person who called her by that nickname.

"Here, girls," Gourry said, offering them thick towels. It was then that they realized that through their light-colored clothing, they were plainly visible, especially Lina in her light pink dress. And Val's eyes had been raking over their bodies…

"Gimme that!" she yelled suddenly, snatching the towel out if Gourry's hand. She was blushing almost as red as her hair. Oh, she was going to kill Val later…

"Well everyone," Amelia said after draping a towel over herself, blushing, but not as badly as Lina. "At least now we can change and swim off this heat," she offered, turning around to address her guests. Another cheer rose up and people shot off towards the house to get their swim things.

"Hey, where's mine?" Val asked, trying to pull his wet clothes away from his body.

Lina caught Filia's eye, and the two leaned over him. The blonde was not too happy with Val either.

"Here, Val, you can use mine," Lina said huskily, starting to pull off her towel. Blushing at the momentary thought that his fantasies might become reality, the boy was not prepared when they dumped him back into the pool with a laugh. Filia gave Lina a high-five and they followed Amelia into the house to change.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pool was soon full of girls and guys, playing pool volleyball, splashing each other, and generally having a blast of a time. Several of Amelia's close friends from school were not going to be attending DBU with her, and so were trying to spend as much time with her as possible. Since Van was going to Gaia University in his hometown, Hitomi chose also to attend that school as well, presumably for their sports/nutrition program, but everyone knew the real reason why. Van was currently sitting at the edge of the pool with his arms loosely draped around Hitomi's shoulders as she sat in front of him.

Yukari and Amano were already engaged, so it was no surprise that she was going to go to Japan with him. He had that track scholarship, and she had relatives there, so it was no real problem for them. Even Ken was going on some kind of pilgrimage with a friend from overseas, martial arts training or something. Mike and Eva were the only ones not leaving the area, but Mike was going directly to work at his family's machining shop and Eva was going to DBU for the pre-veterinary program (which was on the complete other side of the campus.)

Amelia watched all her friends with a fondness she seemed to have for an amazing amount of people. While she was clearly saddened by the separation from her friends, she was happy for their happiness. But it wasn't like she was going to be left all alone in a brand new school. Lina, Val, and Filia attended DBU now, so she wouldn't be that alone.

Val sat on the patio, now in a comfortable and dry set of shorts and a t-shirt, and watched Amelia as she giggled in a corner of the pool with Lina on one side and Sylphiel on the other. That girl seemed to get along easily with anyone, and found it easy to make friends wherever she went, so it was hardly surprising if she made friends with *shudder* Xelloss.

Swallowing his pride was something that Val was learning how to master. (Damn that motivational speaker!) With a growl, he went inside to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, but Beth shut it before he could reach inside.

"You know the rules, Mister Val." She stood with her arms crossed in front of her.

He smirked.

"It's not for me, Beth, and even if it were, I am allowed to have a drink if I want to now."

Reluctantly, she stepped away from the fridge and opened the door for him. He pulled out a bottle of Foster's and with a big smile for Beth, a bottle of root beer (organically made, amazingly enough.) She shook her head at him then shooed him away.

"Here. Sorry about earlier."

Zelgadiss looked from his book and squinted up at the green-haired kid then down at the offered beer. With a shrug, he took the bottle, tapped it in cheers with the other bottle, then took a refreshing swig.

"No problem," he replied, nodding towards the empty seat recently vacated by Gourry. The larger man was off prowling around in Amelia's garage for some reason, and that had left Zelgadiss alone in a shady corner of the covered patio. "Although I can understand the sentiment. Xelloss isn't the easiest person to get along with."

"How do you know him?" Val asked before he could stop himself. "If you don't mind, you know."

Zelgadiss looked at the kid, and shrugged. Maybe it was his bluntness, or maybe it was the fact that he shared something in common with him, but he actually answered the nosy question. "I knew him back in high school, so when I had…" his hands vaguely gestured to the scars on his face, "Xelloss represented me in court. I agree with you that he's a snake, but snakes aren't always that bad, are they?" Zelgadiss actually smirked.

Val appeared thoughtful for a moment as he considered the man's words. He guessed the same could be said about him, too. He had caused a lot of people a LOT of problems a few years ago, but there were those around who stuck by him without judging or being prejudiced. His eyes traveled to Lina and Amelia and Filia who were now lying out on the loungers (in regular swimsuits, dammit) with a group of Amelia's friends.

No. Snakes could shed their skins and live new lives.

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "So, if you knew Xelloss in school, I'm assuming that's where you knew Amelia and her sis from, right?"

"Er… I knew Naga in school, but I don't really know Amelia that well." He took another drink. Please don't ask me any more questions, he hoped, but he may as well hope the sun wouldn't set.

"Soooo… then why are you here?"

"She invited me."

"A guy she doesn't really know."

"As I said." Val's eyes narrowed. "Look," Zelgadiss continued, wanting to avoid another confrontation, "I'm not interested or anything like that. Besides, I don't think there are many women who'd be attracted to a freak like me. She's a nice girl who said she wanted to be my friend, and from the number of friends that she's got, I don't think I was singled out, do you?"

Val smirked.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, Zelgadiss." This earned a smile in return, but Val wasn't about to let this guy off easy. "But I think you're wrong. Amelia's got a lot of friends, but only a few she really depends on. If she ends up considering you one of her close friends, then she thinks you're something special."

"You speak from experience?"

"Yeah."

"How did you two meet? I don't remember you going to North."

"Nah, I went to Montgomery." Zelgadiss raised an eyebrow at that, and Val laughed. "Yeah, can you imagine what it was like to go to a private school? Couldn't do anything fun on campus at all."

They sat in silence for a few more moments, sharing a beer (well, a beer and a root beer.) The guests were slowly making their way back to the patio, pulling on warmer clothes over their swimsuits. It was approaching 5:00, and it was starting to get colder.

"You never answered my question, you know."

"I know." Silence fell between them for a few seconds before Val continued. "Do you know where Amelia went to school before she went to North?"

Zelgadiss racked his brain for any bit of information that he may have heard over the last few days or over the course of high school. He remembered Naga saying something over the phone one night about her little sister having to go to some school, and that she was glad that she was eighteen and didn't have to go as well. But where that was, he didn't know.

He shook his head, and Val only smiled.

"If she ever decides to tell you that story, then you'll know that she thinks you're someone special. If not, then you're off the hook."

He clinked his bottle on Zelgadiss' again, then with a nod, sauntered over to the garage, leaving the lavender-haired man to his thoughts. Hmmm… Maybe it was time to leave anyway…

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mister Zelgadiss?" Amelia bounced up next to him, still clad in a white, strapless one-piece bathing suit. She sat down in the empty chair to pull on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, clearly unabashed at "dressing" in front of him.

"Umm, sure," he said, trying to look anywhere but at her. His gaze inevitably landed on his drink.

"Oh, you're almost done with your beer. Let me get you another one," she said, always the gracious host.

"No, thank you, Amelia. I was just about to leave anyway…"

Her eyes widened in alarm, and he was in awe at how blue they were. Almost like sapphires.

"Oh, no! You can't leave yet, Mister Zelgadiss! Mister Gourry and Mister Val aren't done yet and I haven't even opened my presents." Then she crossed her arms in front of her and pouted cutely. "And you can't leave since you've just finished your beer."

He was about to protest that one beer was hardly enough to get him buzzed, much less impair his judgment, but he said instead, "So you're going to get me another one so I can't leave for a while, right?"

Amelia was about to protest, but caught the smirk he was trying to hold back. Well, if he was going to joke with her, then she would be a good sport about it.

"Of course. Now that you've seen though my plot, all I can do is follow through."

With a smile and a wink, she went to the kitchen to fetch her newest friend a beer. She had been happy to see that he had attended the ceremony, and was even happier to know that he had followed to the party. Although disappointed that her sister did not make it home, she was upset for Mister Zelgadiss' sake. He had gone through all this trouble to go to the graduation of a girl that he hardly knew, and his old crush (for this was how she saw them) had the audacity not to even show up. For Mister Zelgadiss, she would ensure he had a good time!

When she stepped into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Jordan try to hide a beer behind his back as the door to the refrigerator closed. Two years younger than her, he had always been fairly close to the youngest Seyruun daughter, but his shy and reserved nature always kept her at somewhat of a distance. His self-confidence had always been an issue due to his untrainable brown hair and large glasses, but Amelia had always tried to stick up for him like a big sister would. Seeing him swipe a beer, though, her protective nature took over.

"Jordan, you know you can't…"

He looked guiltily over the top of his glasses. His hand lowered, and he held the unopened bottle loosely in front of him.

"I just wanted one."

Her eyes narrowed. "Meaning you've tried it before."

Uncharacteristically, his voice raised, just a little bit. "You have too, Amelia. I know you have. More than just one, and more than just beer, so you can't tell me that I can't."

Changing her tactics, she became very serious with him. "I'm not telling you that you can't. I'm telling you that you shouldn't. Please don't put Miss Beth though what Gracia and I did to Daddy."

"What about the night you went to Prom? Mom and your dad didn't, but I saw how you came home."

"That…" she sighed, "… was a mistake." She knew that would come back to haunt her. "And that's exactly what I'm talking about. Luckily, nothing bad came of it, but what if I had been driving? Then what?" Just as she said that, she realized she was preaching, and that preaching hadn't done her any good either. "Look, let's talk after the party. Just you and me. I'll take you to the pier so we can have a talk and have some fun too."

She smiled brightly, and his false confidence wavered. "Well…"

"Jordan, what do you think you're doing?"

Beth had stepped into the kitchen just then and saw the bottle in her son's hand. She took a threatening stride forward, but Amelia calmly held out her hand.

"Jordan is getting a beer for me, Miss Beth. It's for Mister Zelgadiss." Although her heart was surely beating as quickly as Jordan's, she forced her voice to remain steady and unconcerned as the boy handed her the beer with slightly trembling hands. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh. Nothing, Miss Amelia." She turned to her son. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I thought… never mind that. Can you please help Mister Phil? Mister Christopher and Mister Alfred have just arrived, and they brought some more gifts."

The boy nodded, thankful for something to do. Amelia smiled upon hearing that her uncle and cousin were here, and hurried out to deliver the drink to Zelgadiss.

"Did you run out of beer?" he wondered as she handed him the drink.

"Oh. No. I'm sorry I took so long. My uncle and my cousin just got here, so I'll have to welcome them. Don't worry, I'll be right back!"

And with that, she bounced back into the house. Just like a bunny, he thought wryly, fighting a smile. Lina was coming his way, and he was grateful for the company. He still had no idea what Gourry was doing…

Just then, the garage door opened, and thumping music suddenly filled the air as Gourry carefully wheeled out two large speakers and a DJ station. Amazingly, the record didn't skip, and Val stepped behind the station, placing a pair of headphones over his ears. One hand swept over the second record, slowing it down then speeding it back up to match the beats. He pulled one of the headphones off his right ear as he slowly faded one record into the other flawlessly, and was rewarded by the cheers of the people who jumped up and began to dance out on the patio and driveway.

It's getting hot in here

(So hot)

So take off all your clothes…

"So that's what they were doing," mused Zelgadiss, putting down his second beer, untouched.

"Val DJ's every now and again." Lina commented, as she took her place as the latest player in the game of musical chairs beside him. "He promised Amelia that he'd DJ her party since he couldn't make the prom." She eyed him, and he shook his head. She grinned. "I'm not going to ask you about it, Zel. Don't worry."

They sat and watched everyone dancing, continuing to celebrate the end of high school life. Filia and Sylphiel were dancing together since they didn't have partners, as were a couple of other girls. The number of guys at this shindig was a lot less than the number of girls. At this rate, Lina wouldn't get to dance unless it was by herself or with… She grinned.

"C'mon Zel," she said, slapping him on the leg, "Let's dance!"

"No!" he almost yelled. Uh, oh. There was that look in her eye. The one that brooked no argument. The one that threatened to embarrass him worse if he didn't succumb to her will. He put up a good fight, though. "No, I… I don't think soooo!"

Lina pulled him up and dragged him to the driveway almost kicking and screaming, but he realized its futility and grimly accepted his fate. Only she could get him into these situations, and only she could make it not be that bad for him. Surprising Lina, he proved to be a very good dancer, and despite his initial reluctance, he seemed to be somewhat enjoying himself. Before long, Amelia joined them outside with her cousin Alfred, and they melted into the small crowd.

"Hey Lina!" Gourry yelled over the music. He was still next to Val and the DJ equipment. Not stopping her jumping up and down, she turned to him. "Wanna dance?" he asked.

Without so much of a goodbye or a see-you-later, Lina danced her way to Gourry, leaving Zelgadiss in a bit of a lurch, standing amidst the other dancers. Before he had a chance to feel the awkwardness of the situation, Amelia appeared in front of him with a smile.

"May I?" she asked.

"Umm…"

"Come on, silly! Let's dance!" she said, echoing her friend's earlier comments, and grabbed his hand to pull him closer to her. Her enthusiasm reminded him of her friend. At first a little uncomfortable with each other, they soon began to move together with ease, dancing almost as if they had always been partners. He found that she had a certain ease that enabled her to meld with him, drawing him out of his initial discomfiture and allowing him to relax just a little bit more. He had been worried at first about the stares he would be getting, but Amelia's friends seemed to be just like her: sensitive and understanding.

"Hey, who's that creepy-looking guy dancing with Amelia?"

Well, maybe not all of them. He felt a shudder pass through him, and it took him just a moment before he realized that it was his partner who was shaking with anger. He gently let her go.

"Alfred, how dare you insult my friend like that?"

A few people stopped dancing to watch. Alfred, a handsome young man of twenty-one who shared Amelia's raven hair and blue eyes, stood a few feet away. Upon seeing him, many of the unattached girls sighed and inched closer.

"I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect, Amelia," he said smoothly, placing his hands out in a placating gesture.

"You still shouldn't say those kinds of rude things!"

"Maybe I should go," muttered Zelgadiss, suddenly very aware of all the eyes that were focused on him. He had the sudden urge to get away.

"No, Mister Zelgadiss. We were having fun. Alfred, you should apologize to my friend."

"Amelia, can we move this inside? Please?" Zel practically begged. Upon seeing his distress, she nodded and grabbed both men's arms, pulling them along after her towards the house. For such a petite girl, she certainly had a lot of strength.

She marched them inside and straight into the billiard room, which was always empty. It held a regulation-sized table, four and a half feet by nine, and the room was decorated in rich cherry wood. A cue rack was set into the wall beside a small chalkboard. Cushioned stools were set up about the room as well as a couple of bar tables with checkerboards inlaid on the surface.

The second she closed the door, she pointed her finger at her cousin.

"Alfred. Apologize. To. Mister. Zelgadiss. Now." She punctuated each word with a jab to his chest, which he took surprisingly well.

"If you insist, Amelia, but I told you that I didn't mean anything by it." He extended his hand to Zelgadiss. "I'm sorry if what I said offended you. If my youngest cousin had been dancing with Gourry and I didn't know him, I'd call him a creepy-looking guy too."

Zelgadiss took his hand a little hesitantly, but offered a strong handshake, which Alfred returned in kind.

"Well, if it will help any, my name is Zelgadiss Greywords, and I am one of Amelia's friends." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, only slightly aware of the challenge in the gesture.

"Zelgadiss, nice to meet you. I'm Alfred Seyruun. My dad is Amelia's dad's little brother. No hard feelings?"

It took a moment for him to process their relationship, then shook his head. "No…" He was cut off when his pocket began ringing. "Excuse me."

As he searched for his phone, Amelia flew at her cousin and hugged him around his middle. "I'm sorry," she wailed, although there were no tears in her eyes. "I just don't want anyone I care about to not get along like that." Alfred merely patted her head gently and tried to pry her off of him.

"It's okay, Amelia. Hey, do you think I can get something to eat?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Go on ahead. I'm going to wait for Mister Zelgadiss."

With a small smile and some degree of relief, Alfred left the room.

Having finally found his cel phone, Zelgadiss answered the ringing.

"Hello? Oh, it's you. What do you want? Now? Why don't you…" Zelgadiss sighed as he listened to the person on the line. "Alright. I guess it works out anyway. Give me a few minutes."

He hung up the phone angrily, looking as though he was ready to throw it through the window.

"Mister Zelgadiss? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Amelia. Umm… I've got to get going now."

"You aren't angry, are you?"

"No." With a resigned sigh and a glance towards the ceiling as if asking for divine patience, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he tried to sound calm. "Can you walk me out to my car, Amelia?"

"Sure, of course." She immediately led him to the front door, worried that she had somehow done something wrong, but when they arrived at his car parked just down the street, she saw something that brightened her day.

"Mister Xelloss!"

Sure enough, Xelloss was standing next to Zelgadiss' black mustang, dressed in a black suit with a tan shirt. He was holding a small wrapped gift in his hand.

"Congratulations, Amelia." With a smile, he gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "Sorry I couldn't make it earlier, but I had to make sure you got your present."

He handed it to her, and she unwrapped it carefully. Inside a small box was a beautiful silver necklace with a sapphire pendant. Her breath caught in her throat.

"It's lovely, Mister Xelloss. Thank you."

He smiled, and gave her a light hug.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"Of course. Are you coming inside? I think there's still food if you're hungry…"

"No, I've got to go, Amelia."

"But you just got here."

"I don't think a couple of people there will be too happy to see me, and besides, I had just enough time to stop by. I've got something that I have to do."

"What's that?"

He smiled, one eye opening as he wagged a finger in her face.

"That's a secret."

The disappointment on her face was quickly covered up by a cheery smile as she giggled. Xelloss didn't seem to notice, but to Zelgadiss, her face was an open book. He allowed the two of them their time alone, and was grateful when Xelloss finally left. Although he was one of the few people who didn't want to kill the man, he still loathed a lot of the things that he did, and the more Zelgadiss got to know Amelia, the less he liked the idea of those two having any kind of relationship.

"I'm sorry you have to leave, Mister Zelgadiss," she said to him, startling him out of his thoughts. Xelloss was long gone. "Will you be okay to drive?"

"Yes, Amelia. I would have stayed a little longer so you could open your presents, but he didn't have much time to stick around."

"You mean that was Mister Xelloss on the phone? You left so I could see him?" Before he got the chance to answer, she wrapped her arms around his neck, surprising him with a hug. "Thank you, Mister Zelgadiss."

She released him, and he scratched the back of his head, fighting off the urge to blush. He luckily remembered his gift and reached into his coat pocket.

"Umm… here. I almost forgot to give you your gift. It's not as fancy as Xelloss' but I hope you like it."

He handed her an envelope, which she took curiously. Opening it, she withdrew two slips of shiny paper…

"Tickets to the Classic Auto Show?" Her face lit up, and she again hugged Zelgadiss, but this time, he only smiled as he hugged her back. "Oh, thank you! This is perfect! I've heard that this year they have a special exhibit: Mustangs Through the Years!"

"I thought that maybe you and your father could go again."

"That would be…" She looked at the tickets again and frowned. "Oh no. The show is on the same weekend that Daddy will be out of town."

"Maybe Gourry would want to go."

"No. He likes working on cars, but it's not a real treat for him like it is for me." She considered for a second then said with a grin, "Mister Zelgadiss, if you're free that day, we could go!" He had to admit, when he bought those tickets, he had thought about getting his own so he could go too, but decided against it. Who knows, it might be fun…

"Sure, Amelia. There's one problem we have to address though."

"What's that?" she wondered, concern flitting over her features.

He laughed. He actually laughed. "Your Mustang or mine?"

********************************

A/N: Wow. That was a LONG chapter (to make up for the last one), with a lot of different things going on with a lot of different people. I hope it wasn't too confusing. Hmm… questions have been answered only to have more questions revealed. Mwahahahahaha!!!!

And a very special set of thanks to everyone who reviewed. (Thank you to anyone who read and enjoyed, but didn't review, as well.) You guys all rock my world!

Cookie (I'm glad you liked it! So, what did you think about what Val did? Highly embarrassing situation, but sometimes, those can be fun, too!), Pogo (Point taken about the A/N. It's hard when I want to explain things right away, but I know it interrupts the flow. Thanks for the tip. Also, Val was hard to write because he just didn't have the same kinds of experiences as in the anime, but I tried to make it close. I'm glad you find my characterization entertaining still!), Kaeru Shisho (Well, just a little bit of Xelloss. He'll be making tiny appearances for a while, until we get more into his story, as well as Filia's, Val's, Lina's, Gourry's, and Naga's – I'm still trying to figure out Sylphiel…), Aisha C (I hope you liked everyone's interactions in this chapter as well. And when I initially wrote this chapter, I had Val with gold-flecked eyes. But then I second-guessed myself, looked in one of my art books and he actually had orange-red eyes in the picture… *hangs head* Oh well. I fixed it. ~_^), kitkat (Oh, new reviewer! I'm happy I can make you guys happy too! I wish I could just post everything I've got up right away, but I know I'm going to get stuck one day and not have anything to post, so I've got to pace myself. I usually update every Tuesday, so check next week!), treefairy (Hey, another new reviewer! I really am blushing now. ^_^ I'm glad I can make this AU story interesting enough, because I'm a huge A/Z fan too! I hope you continue to enjoy!)

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