"The best way to kill your enemy is by becoming like them."

Carlos Castillo, 'On Survival'

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Chapter 29: Unwinding

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Kid let out a quiet breath and closed his eyes.

As far as his mental health was concerned, he was quickly approaching rock bottom. On top of the already omnipresent anxiety and dread that Kid had felt ever since the Ritual, he was now experiencing a growing sense of exhaustion both mental and physical. Physically, his joints were stiff — during his quick return to the van so that they could get back to the Academy, Kid's body had been on autopilot. Mentally, Kid was barely able to stop himself from closing his eyes and blanking out for the next few hours.

He did not know how much his bone-deep fatigue had to do with the Grave Colonists. They had been handled without difficulty for the most part. Despite the macabre nature of the task, it had been calming on some level. It had felt like he was setting things right, like he was making the world just a bit more organized, more ordered, just a little less mad. However, the fact that making the world less mad entailed mass death — or was it murder? They had all come willingly, or so he thought — did not do wonders for Kid's psyche, which was still bridging gaps between his previous 'human' life and his apparently renewed identity as the Grim Reaper.

It had not helped things when he thought he heard Marie's voice calling out to him while Tezca was exiting the tent. For a moment, Kid's mind had gone blank, and he had tried to find the source of the sound like a lost child. When he came to his senses shortly thereafter, Tezca was nowhere to be seen, and Kid could only hope that he had not given anything more away. Plans and assurances had been made, but simply talking with the Deathscythe was exhausting — the conversation made Kid feel like he had navigated a minefield.

This was all not to mention that after the talk with Tezca, new — or rather old but forgotten — issues had chosen to make themselves apparent.

What was Kid supposed to do in the first place? What course should he take as the Grim Reaper? Kid wanted to fully embrace the identity, it felt right, and it filled in all the gaps in the centre of himself that he could remember having felt — but he had no how to do so correctly. How proactive should he be about Liz's problem? How aggressive? Should he have handled the whole affair with the Grave Colonists differently? What about the ongoing fight against the Kishin?

In addition to all the above, Kid now also had to move forward with his and Tezca's plans to reinstate Sid and Naigus and figure out what the hell was going on with the 'assault' that was apparently in the works, all while working with…

"Milord."

Theodore.

Kid opened his eyes to regard the High Priest, who had seen fit to accompany Kid on the way back just as he had accompanied Kid on the way here. He was sitting opposite Kid exactly as he had last time. The man had remained silent until this point.

"Once again, I must raise my concerns about the Thompsons," Theodore said, and Kid felt stress knotting in his throat.

Kid's thoughts were a raging bonfire of anxiety, and Liz's precarious condition was a gasoline tanker crashing into the flames. Before today, he had put the matter of Liz having eaten souls aside hoping that it would sort itself out because, frankly, Kid had no idea what he could possibly do to fix things. Liz had already been walking a fine line having consumed uncorrupted souls. Eating any more would only reawaken and reinforce her hunger if it had not already…

It may not have been intentional, but Kid had put a brief stop to things today. He had frightened Liz when she tried to eat one of the Grave Colonist's soul, this much he realized. The details of the event were hazy, as his mind had been muddled at the time, but he had been very insistent, and Liz had simply… backed away.

After that, Kid had seen neither hide nor hair of her. The only exception to this was when Kid caught a brief glimpse of her trembling soul while they were leaving the Grave Colonies. Based on that, Kid had deduced that Liz was purposefully avoiding him. Still, he was familiar enough with Liz to know that fear would not be enough to keep her in line. The only permanent solutions Kid could come up with involved either straight up killing Liz — which was unacceptable — or, somehow, excising the source of her hunger, the hunger that stemmed from her having eaten uncorrupted souls.

As a Grim Reaper… could Kid do something about the souls that Liz had consumed? About the souls consumed by those who had not yet fully turned?

"I have them under control," Kid lied, not meeting Theodore's gaze.

"It is not simply about that, milord," Theodore insisted. "The eating of souls exacerbates the innate Hunger." The High Priest laced his hands on his lap, his knuckles taut and pale. "Once someone starts, it is only a matter of time before their soul becomes permanently corrupted."

"I am aware. But..." Kid paused. "There may be something I can do," he elected to deceive, although deep down, he really did believe in the sentiment. If anybody could do something about those soul-eaters who were not yet Kishin Egg, it would be the Grim Reaper: Kid.

There had to be a solution. Just like Kid had stepped into his role by guiding the Grave Colonists to the final destination they so craved, he would also work out a solution to this soul-eating mess. He refused to give up on Liz and Patty. They would not give up on him, as proven when Liz and Patty had taken a shot at him in their belief that he had perished in the Ritual.

Kid looked up to see Theodore giving him a guarded look. "Truly?"

It was a shot in the dark. Truly, Kid had no idea. If anybody had the smallest clue, it would be the mysterious figure Kid had encountered his 'dreams'. Liz's situation would need to be discussed the next time that Kid encountered them.

"I am looking into it, and I will keep you informed," Kid said in the most polite tone he could muster.

The High Priest nodded, though his gaze did not stray from the Grim Reaper.

"Is there anything else, Theodore?" Kid asked, hoping the High Priest would say no and turn away.

"An observation, milord," Theodore said, keeping his gaze on the Grim Reaper much to Kid's disappointment and dread. "With your handling of matters so far, such as the capture of the traitor Deathscythes and the matter of the Thompsons…"

"What about them?" Kid flatly asked.

"You have been rather lenient," the High Priest concluded.

Kid's expression shifted into a frown. "Apologies. Am I not killing enough people for your liking?"

Theodore gave Kid a short bow, but he did not waver. "I did not mean to sound so flippant about your domain milord."

Kid neglected to answer, choosing instead to look away and cross his arms.

"I do wish this was a world where extreme measures wouldn't be necessary in the first place, but unfortunately, it is not." Theodore continued after a short period of silence. "Yet I believe we can make it so if we were to never falter in our approach." The High Priest's gaze fell onto his robes. "Difficult decisions lie ahead of us, but we must persevere."

Kid frowned at the High Priest's words. Was Theodore attempting to be...nice? To comfort the Grim Reaper in his own 'High-Priest' sort of way? Kid did not know whether to be wary or touched, but he supposed that it was… reassuring, in a manner. The message that Theodore wanted to pass across, the one about perseverance, wasn't all bad—

But then Kid remembered all else he knew about Theodore. The harsh things he preached were evident in how he chose to command the Academy, who would have killed Marie and Azusa if Kid had not intervened. His perseverance was apparent in his congratulating Kid when he thought that the Grim Reaper had murdered teenagers in cold blood. This was the man who had chained him and forced him to translate the Book of Eibon, the man who kept him locked up in a dungeon to await a fate worse than death. The man who...

"Is this what you were thinking when you cut," Kid took a brief pause, almost letting slip the word 'my,' "his heart open?"

If Theodore possessed any regrets about the Ritual, they did not show on his face or on his soul, as far as Kid could tell. "It was necessary. The boy was frail. Even if I had let him go, he wouldn't have survived out there."

'I seemed to be doing fine so far,' thought Kid bitterly.

"Has this affected you in any way?" Theodore asked carefully, pausing after each word to gauge the Grim Reaper's reaction to them. "The… death of the boy?"

"He has a name." 'I have a name.'

"Had a name, and a rather odd one at that. Kid or child or something equally… redundant."

That gave Kid pause. Technically, Theodore had just insulted him from beyond the grave, right in front of his face. It was quite frankly amazing, in a roundabout, I-don't-believe-this-could-even-happen sort of way.

'…Your face is redundant,' a childish part of Kid silently shot back.

"Though I did not know the boy well," Theodore began, and Kid felt his blood run cold, "he was more than glad to aid in your revival—"

"You're lying." Kid's tone could have shattered ice, and he felt his mask give way.

Normally, he would disregard Theodore's remarks as the words of a madman. But these claims… these claims were outright lies, lies that Kid would not — could not — allow to pass unchallenged. Even if the wounds had healed, even if the blood had been washed away, Kid's memories persisted. He remembered the musky smell of the dungeons, he remembered his emotions being a whirlwind of desperation, confusion and fear, he remembered the feeling of frigid metal wedging its way into his chest… It was a good thing that Kid's dreams had been sparse since the ritual, as he dreaded what nightmares his mind could conjure from such events.

To Kid's pleasure, Theodore had gone pale. "H-how did you...?"

The Grim Reaper clenched his teeth. His mask had already slipped too much. Or maybe it had not. Kid could salvage this. He had to.

"I am Death, Theodore." The impunity with which Kid could invoke the High Priest's name was cathartic. "Did you think I wouldn't know?"

Theodore's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Pardon my lack of faith. And my attempt to deceive you." With a deep breath, Theodore bowed his head to the Grim Reaper. "However, I stand by my claim."

Kid squashed down a desire to cuss out the High Priest, and he settled instead for raising an eyebrow.

"I believe if the boy had fully realized the gravity of his situation, he would have marched right up to the altar himself and demanded that I perform the Ritual," Theodore continued, his head still bowed.

Kid's scowl deepened. Just how delusional could a man be? "Go on."

"This was not a mere sacrifice. This was necessary. With all due respect, milord, were it not for the boy's demise, you would not be here, and I refuse to let Earth plunge into Madness." One hand hovered over his side, where Kid knew the pouch containing Ana's remains was. "Not after…"

Even as Theodore unwittingly placed his hand where Ana's pouch was located, Kid felt not a sliver of empathy for him.

"Despite your objections, milord, if I were given the choice, I would do the same thing again without question," Theodore continued. Kid became acutely aware of his own heartbeat thrumming in his eardrums. "You did not hesitate over the fate of the escapees, just as you did not hesitate over the Grave Colonies, and now they no longer burden us."

Kid was glad his cloak only left his neck and face visible, for his fists were clenched so tightly that he was drawing blood from his palms.

"This needed to be done. There was no other way. I have hesitated before, milord, and it cost me." The High Priest brought his head up and stared into the Grim Reaper's eyes. "You are in no position to risk the mistakes I made."

Kid briefly held Theodore's gaze but did not answer. He could not answer without being snippy at best and outright blow-his-cover insulting at worst. Instead, he buried his indignation deep and stared at a corner of the van as if it would set itself alight.

Theodore caught onto the Grim Reaper's foul mood and went silent.

Good. Kid was in no mood to talk anymore.

Taking a few calming, quiet breaths, Kid slowly unfurled his hands within his cloak. He felt his fingertips slick with his own blood. He had hurt himself. Splendid. He hoped that the wounds were at least similar on both his left and right hands because, even if he was furious, it would not do if he was unbalanced, disorganised

But his mind could not help but circle back to one question.

What if Theodore had a point? The man's actions, his setting up of the altar, made Kid's stomach lurch, but…

What would have happened if Theodore had not gone through with the Ritual? How long would Kid have gone on with his true nature hidden? How long would the Grave Colonists have had to endure their awful existence? How many more unfortunate dead souls would have been found and consumed by soul eaters instead of passing on as they were intended to?

No, that was not a good line of thinking. Theodore was not responsible for any of that. The High Priest had no idea of Kid's true nature, only conjecture and extreme coincidence. He had not performed the Ritual to revive Kid as the Grim Reaper, but rather as a desperate attempt to bring back a broken God.

…If Theodore was right in any way, shape, or form, it was in that Kid would not repeat the High Priest's mistakes. Kid would not adopt the High Priest's cruelty, his methods, his… everything.

Kid was not the Grim Reaper that Theodore desired. Kid would not become the Grim Reaper Theodore desired. That much, Kid was absolutely certain of. But the worst thing was that even with the rock-solid determination to be everything that Theodore was against, Kid still had no idea what he was supposed to do.

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Maka huffed and crossed her arms in impatience. Next to her, Soul had placed his hands in his pockets, and he glanced at the Weapon-Meister pairs surrounding them. After a brief nap in which Maka had rested her head on Soul's shoulder and the boy felt his face grow warm, they had woken up to find themselves with another batch of people watching over them.

Black Star's rapid thumping of his foot caused Soul to glance at him and Tsubaki. The girl was sitting in an almost-meditative position, her back straight and her eyes darting between the guards. Kim stood on the other side of Maka, who hugged her legs to her chest and warily eyed the guards around them. Jackie stood by the Witch's side, and, judging by her tight expression and her practically rubbing against Kim's shoulder, Soul guessed that she was prepared to transform at any moment.

Sou sighed and looked at the guards once again. Two pairs were at the only entrance while four more were positioned at the corners of the room. Soul found their presence unnerving and overbearing but considering that they had done the equivalent of busting into their secret hideout, Soul supposed the people here had reason to be on high alert.

Their arrival at the Resistance HQ had gone off without a hitch, save the part where they had to pick a driver. Black Star had initially volunteered, but that had turned out to be a terrible idea, and the vehicle almost drove off a cliff. Maka had taken up the position next, and after a few false starts in which the car's engine heaved with abuse, they managed to slowly but steadily make their way into the southern outskirts of Mexico City. They had left the car at the edge of the urban area and ventured into the inconspicuous sea of grey, stone, shuttered-off buildings. The city did not greet them, its streets sparse of people, until Maka spotted houses, one of which had a faded green rug hanging from an archway. They had knocked on the wooden door, and upon receiving no response after several raps, began shouting and making a racket until a cross, growling guard let them in.

After that, they had been escorted into a room with little furniture, surrounded by Meisters wielding Weapons, and instructed to wait. Several questions were asked of them, but Soul and the others had remained tight-lipped. Now, Soul knew what they were most definitely not supposed to say; a full explanation of the circumstances of their escape would make them sound like they had been plucked straight out of the worst-affected Kishin territories.

"I'm bored! I just want something to happen already…" Black Star said with a loud groan as he stretched and his elbow almost hit Soul in the face.

Black Star's wish was granted by the sound of hurried footsteps and the opening of the room's door. A new figure stood in the gap.

The guards whispered to each other, and Soul squinted his eyes to see the newcomer. Maybe Soul was losing it because there was no way anyone could have a head that big—

As the man entered through the doorway, a ray of light fell over him, revealing a felt textured noggin and a cartoony-bear design.

Soul frown deepened. He had heard enough about the man to recognize who he was: Tezca, a Deathscythe. The Leader of the Academy's Rebel faction.

"Well, since I've never met some of you before, I suppose we should start with introductions. Along with addressing some of the elephants in the room, and oh boy, are there a lot…" casually proclaimed Tezca as he faced them, like a teacher addressing his class. He raised a hand to point at Kim, and Soul felt the room go cold. "First of all, you were accused of being a Witch."

Jackie clutched Kim's arm more tightly, and Soul also felt himself stand straighter. He didn't know Kim particularly well, but she had helped them escape, Witch or not. Soul was grateful to her for that.

Judging by Maka's now tense shoulders, she held Kim in similar regard, which was nice. Soul knew that Maka was protective of their group, especially after the Ritual, and little reminders like this would never let him forget it.

"They sure did," Kim eventually said with a shrug. "But come on, big rebel that you are, you know that half those claims are bull, right?" She asked so casually that Soul almost found himself believing her.

"If I may," Tsubaki spoke up, not having shifted from her formal posture. "Kim was instrumental in our escape," she said with a straight face. "Such claims will only cause trouble."

"I see." Tezca scratched at his neck, and Soul found himself hating the bear mask because he could not make heads nor tails of where or what the Deathscythe was looking at. "Moving on then." The oversized head turned slightly.

"I'm Jackie, Kim's partner." Jackie curtly introduced herself, a wary expression on her face. "We've known each other for some time."

It was obvious to Soul that there was more to this story, but Tezca neglected to add anything. The Deathscythe simply nodded at this information, and the stuffed, cartoony eyes turned to face Black Star.

"And now to the ones I know. I suppose we should talk about how we have a member of the Star Clan in our midst." Tezca's words left the room silent, and Soul fidgeted as he felt everyone's gaze shift to Black Star's tattooed shoulder. "You are from the Star Clan, correct?"

When Soul had first noticed the tattoo, he had experienced his own mental freak out. Those of the Star Clan were dangerous, and they were not people you associated with unless you had a death wish. Soul had been hesitant about interacting with the boy at all, but the more that Soul saw of him — loud and boisterous and oddly supportive in a way that went against everything Soul knew about the Star Clan — the more he saw Black Star as a good, if occasionally bone-headed, friend.

"Sure am!" Black Star immediately exclaimed as if it were no big deal at all.

"Dude," Soul whispered to Black Star, "I'm pretty sure he didn't mean that in a good way."

"So am I!" Black Star, defeating the purpose of Soul's whisper. "Do you know how annoying it is when the only thing people know about me is that I'm from the Star Clan?"

Soul gave Black Star a look. He supposed Black Star had a point, but it also made him wonder what his relationship was to the rest of the Star Clan. Was Black Star an outcast, or related to someone important?

"What else is there to know?" Tezca asked with a tilt of his stuffed head.

Black Star's sneer became a toothy smile. "Heh. You better get a good look at this, cause I'm the one who's gonna kick God's ass!"

"Which God's?"

"Anyone's!"

Soul had to admit, that was one of the coolest statements he had heard.

Arms akimbo, Tezca gave Black Star a long look, a look which the ninja reciprocated with a wide smirk.

Tezca glanced at Tsubaki and let out a sigh. "I suppose you can't be that bad if you've partnered with the Nakatsukasa heir."

"Wait, you're a Nakatsukasa—?" Jackie blurted out.

Tsubaki nodded slowly. Soul looked at Maka, who reciprocated his confusion.

"Uh," Soul spoke up, "are we supposed to know who the Nakatsukasa are?"

"The Nakatsukasa Clan are an ancient and unbroken Demon Weapon bloodline," Tezca informed them.

Oh. Soul was largely ignorant of Weapon 'culture' — or whatever else it was called — but he could guess that being from an ancient bloodline was important or something. Of course, he could not know for certain, since his family…

Not wanting to go down this train of thought, Soul shook his head.

…His family would be fine. Wes had made a good impression at the gala despite the disaster that followed afterwards. He and his mom would be fine. Suspicion would never fall on them, as it was hardly uncommon for people, Weapons especially, to go missing. It had been for the best, really. His mother had always gone on about how much danger they were in because Soul was a Weapon—

"What about you, boy?" Tezca's words broke Soul out of his thoughts, and the Weapon found himself the recipient of the Deathscythe's… gaze or equivalent thereof through a bear head. "Anything more you'd like to reveal about yourself?"

Soul blinked, lost for words. "Uh…"

What was there to say? He was just some random dude who had stuck together with Maka because she could wield him. He had gone along the group's multitude of hare-brained schemes and had miraculously not died yet. And having been partnered with the child of a feared Deathscythe — whom Soul had later found out to be in reality an awkward parent, but the fear of coming up short next to that legacy still lingered — he found himself very much overwhelmed. He was working with Witches, members of powerful clans, and the Grim Reaper himself.

Yup, Soul was completely and utterly out of his depth.

"Not really…" He shrugged, scratching at his collar in discomfort.

"Soul's my Weapon partner," Maka said, and Soul thought it was a silly thing to say given that Tezca already knew that.

Still, it felt nice to hear it out of her mouth.

"And you're Spirit's daughter, Maka," Tezca continued, and Maka nodded in affirmation.

"Quite the group…" Tezca muttered. He cleared his throat as he addressed them again, this time very clearly and loudly. "So, you've been asked this before, but do you mind telling me again how you motley bunch, who, let me remind you, were supposed to have been killed, ended up on my doorstep?"

Soul's expression fell dramatically. They had not worked out any semblance of a cover story for how they'd escaped the Academy — at least not one that kept Kid's cover.

"We want to help," Maka declared, taking the third option, that of not answering the question at all.

"So that's a negative," Tezca muttered before saying, "help with what, exactly? Lots of things need to change."

"Getting rid of Theodore," Maka announced, and the words immediately felt off to Soul. He knew what the plan was, but to hear it said aloud made it real and immediate.

They were planning a coup. This was his life now.

"So you're working together."

"What are you talking about?"

"With the one who got you out, AKA the one who provided your cover story." Upon being greeted with silence, Tezca let out an impatient sigh. "Come on. Are you gonna make me spell it out?"

"Ki—the Grim Reaper," Maka let slip, and Soul supposed she was using the hefty title as a last-ditch attempt to maintain Kid's cover in some form. "How did you find out?"

"You just told me." Tezca inclined his head, and Soul could picture with sharp clarity the man winking underneath his mask. Maka's face became an angry — or embarrassed, it was hard to tell which — shade of crimson. "But to be honest, I'd still have suspected it even if your answer hadn't been honest. There are only so many ways you can make the pieces here fit together, and even then… Well, enough of that. I'm not sure how much you know, so I'll give you all a quick recap of the plan and your role in it."

"Our role?" Tsubaki asked with a small frown.

"We're not exactly up to our eyeballs in members, as you can see," Tezca said as he gestured to the guards. Upon closer inspection, some of them had bloodshot eyes. Their faces were the same as those that Soul had seen when they first arrived, which meant there had not been a single rotation of guards. "But don't worry, I know everyone's limits."

Tezca tucked his hands behind his back, and Soul found himself listening with rapt attention.

"One of the best ways to undermine Theodore's control is to free Stein and the Deathscythes he has imprisoned." Maka's face went hard at the indirect reference to her father. "So far, the plan is to essentially abduct them while they're dispatched on a mission."

"Dispatched?" Kim asked. "How on Earth is that gonna happen?"

"Let me worry about the details. What's important is your role." There was a hint of bemusement in his voice. "You'll be doing the 'abducting'."

"Hey," Black Star spoke up. "What about Sid and Mira?"

"They'll stay at the Academy since they should be released sooner rather than later. All part of the plan."

Black Star's face fell. "That's it?"

"Your role won't be easy. You won't have to deal with any Academy members that spot you, but there will be third parties involved. There has to be a reason to dispatch the prisoners, after all. The location will be crawling with Kishin Eggs," Tezca explained. "Your first priority will be undoing any bindings placed on the Deathscythes. After that, you will all work together to extract yourselves from the situation and head back to one of our outposts."

"We can do it," Maka proclaimed the moment that Tezca finished. She looked around to see faces of approval, and a smile made its way onto her face.

"Good. Of course, the entire plan hinges on trusting everyone involved in this conspiracy of ours." Tezca added just before they could answer. "And I'm not referring only to the people in this room." The implications were clear, and Soul hoped Kid would not be too angry at what had already been revealed. "Well?"

"We trust the Grim Reaper," Maka stated without hesitation or pause.

"As you say," Tezca acquiesced with a sigh. "Not much room to do otherwise."

As Tezca turned and exited. The majority of the guards followed him. Soul lightly poked Maka to get her attention. "Hey. Think we can do it?"

"We have to." Maka's scowl softened to but a frown when she looked at Soul. "Are you worried?"

"You can tell?" Soul replied with an uneasy smile. Just after escaping from the Academy's clutches, it seemed they would have to venture back into the fray. Soul understood that it was necessary to rescue others, to rescue friends and family, but understanding certainly did not mean that he didn't get anxious thinking about it.

"I'm worried too," Maka admitted. "But we have no choice if we want to keep everyone safe."

"We're rescuing Deathscythes."

"Which means we have to get stronger too," Maka sighed, troubled. Moments later, her face lit up. "Say…"

"Yeah?"

"It's been a dre— an idea I've had ever since we met." Maka looked away with a small pout. "Well, even before I've had a Weapon partner, actually—"

"What is it?" Soul cut her off, knowing that she would continue rambling without encouragement.

"I'll…" Maka's hands became clenched into fists. "I'll make you a Deathscythe."

Soul was at a loss for words.

A… Deathscythe? Becoming powerful enough to be wielded by the Grim Reaper? Such a status was the highest distinction a Weapon could ever hope to achieve. The 'wielded by the Grim Reaper' bit had always been theoretical since Death had been destroyed by the Kishin, but now with Kid around, it was a potential reality. If Soul were to become a Deathscythe, he would definitely be powerful, but if Maka were not the one to wield him…

No. From what Soul knew, Deathscythes could be wielded by their original Meisters. Plus, Kid was absolutely nothing like what he had envisioned as the Grim Reaper, so even if he had to work with the guy every now and then, it wouldn't be that bad.

Still, the amount of work that becoming a Deathscythe required… Not only would it mean collecting many Kishin Egg souls, it also meant eating the soul of a Witch. Presently, this seemed to be a downright impossible objective. But for all these doubts in his head, from what little Soul knew of her, if there existed one person determined enough to actually achieve the impossible, it was Maka.

"Knock yourself out," Soul casually answered.

The thought of himself as a Deathscythe was a fever dream and nothing more. But feverish or not, it was a pleasant dream.

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Beta'ed by riodoodle. Feedback is appreciated.