~ A Princess and Her Thief ~
*****
A/N: Well, here it is, the second chapter! I've been getting pretty good reviews so far. Thank you all, by the way. Um, still nothing fitting the R rating yet. I'd say PG-13 for swearing and usage of drugs and stuff like that. Not much is happening yet. Garnet and Zidane's romance probably won't blossom until the third or forth chapter. Oh, and I also realized that I didn't give the ages for the characters. They're not all the same age as in the game:
Garnet, Daisy & Annie: 16
Zidane, Blank & Cinna: 18
Brahne: 40
Baku: 36
Steiner: 30
Beatrix: 27
And there you have it. So R/R and enjoy!
*****
-- Chapter Two --
Zidane squinted as he felt a bright light spill into the room. It was no doubt the sun, he thought to himself, feeling the sun's rays warm on his face. He began to slowly open his eyes, but then quickly closed them again at the brightness of the sun. He rolled onto his side, away from the sunlight. He was on a bed. A soft, comfortable bed. Not like the hard, stiff bunk beds they had on the theater ship.
"Zidane? You awake?" He heard Cinna's loud, scratchy voice.
He groaned. Where was he? What time was it?
"Zidane! Time to get up!"
He groaned again, taking his pillow and covering his head with it. He was so tired. His head ached, his butt ached, his tail felt numb (had he slept on it all night?), his eye lids felt like they weighed a ton, and he couldn't find the strength to get up. Slowly, the events of last night came back to him. He remembered the play. He remembered performing before Queen Brahne and Princess Garnet. He remembered the accident and Blank getting injured...
He felt a pair of big hands rest on his shoulders, then shake him roughly. "Zidane!" Cinna called out again. "Zidane, it's almost noon! Time to get up!"
He opened his eyes, the bright light blinding him. He squinted until his eyes adjusted to the light. He turned his head to look at Cinna's big, round, blemished face and abnormally big brown eyes staring down at him. He had to force himself not to look disgusted. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he grumbled as he attempted to bring himself up on his elbows, but then stopped as a sharp pain seared through his right shoulder. "Ah, shit!" he cursed out loud.
Cinna laughed. "Oh yeah, the spell must've worn off, huh?"
Zidane glared at him as he flopped down on his back. "Yeah..." He looked down at the wound in his shoulder. It was wrapped in a white cloth - well, it used to be white, but now it was a brownish-red color from the bleeding. "Where am I?"
Cinna laughed again. "You're in the castle."
"Castle?" He looked around at his surroundings. Four stone walls surrounded him. There was a large red cloth hanging from the wall across from him with a painting of the waterfall Alexandria sat upon. There was one glass pained window right next to his bed, and two small wooden tables on either side of the bed. Well, this definitely wasn't the theater ship, that's for sure. "We're still in Alexandria?"
"Yep. Queen Brahne's havin' us stay 'til Blank's well enough to get on his feet. Then we're headin' back to Lindblum."
"Blank... How's he doin'?" he asked, concern filling his voice for his friend.
Cinna shook his head, frowning. "He's fine now. But that spot light did a helluva job on his leg--"
The door creaked open and a young woman with light brown hair dressed in a blue dress walked in, carrying a bowl with water and a towel slung over her shoulder. "Oh. I'm sorry," she apologized quickly when she realized Cinna's presence. "I didn't know there was anyone else in here. I'm here to tend to Sir Zidane's wound."
Zidane smiled when she called him 'sir'. "Hear that, Cinna? She called me 'sir'."
Cinna smirked. "Uh-huh."
The woman walked to the edge of his bed and set the bowl on the table. She reached for the bandage on his shoulder, and as gently as she could, started peeling it off. He winced when the cloth got stuck on some dry blood. She apologized and tried pulling it off more slowly, trying to make it as less painful as possible. He got impatient with her and pulled it off himself. He cursed as it tared at the scab that had formed there, opening it up and causing fresh blood to flow.
"I'm sorry," the woman apologized. She grabbed the towel off her shoulder and dipped it in the bowl of water. "You should've let me do it." She dabbed the towel on his shoulder.
"So, what'd the doctor say 'bout Blank? They patch him up?" he asked while the woman continued to clean his shoulder.
"He broke two bones in his leg. His Tibia and his Fibula..." Cinna shivered at that. "The doctor set the bones back in place and put his leg in a cast. But he said Blank won't be able to get out of bed for at least a week or two."
"Damn," Zidane muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "What about the spot light? They figure out how that happened?"
Cinna shrugged. "William had been working on them earlier - right before the play. He said there were a few loose and he went to fix them... he thought he tightened them all, but..."
Zidane nodded in understanding. William was the handy man aboard Tantalus. He did most of the repairs. He was good at what he did. He'd kept the theater ship going for about ten years ever since he joined Tantalus. But he was getting quite old - he was maybe in his mid eighties or early nineties - and senile. It was understandable for him to have forgotten, or even underestimated, one of the spot lights last night.
The woman finished cleaning his shoulder and put a new bandage on the wound. "Thank you," Zidane said, smiling his gratitude, as she left.
Cinna sighed. "Alright. Well, I better get goin' now. Marcus's waitin' for me down at the pub."
"Okay. See ya later then."
"Yep. See ya."
After Cinna left, Zidane pushed himself up on his bed. His shoulder still hurt, but not as bad as before. He wondered why the woman hadn't cast another healing spell. He remembered they did last night, but his wound had gone so deep that one simple healing spell couldn't heal it all the way. They'd wanted to wait it over night to see if it would heal on its own, but it hadn't.
He'd better get dressed, he thought as he scooted to the edge of the bed. Cinna said it was almost noon. He never usually slept in this late and he hated being the last one up.
Suddenly there was a knock at his door.
"Come in," Zidane called when whoever it was didn't enter the room.
The door creaked open and Princess Garnet stepped in.
His eyes widened. Princess Garnet? What was she doing here?
Her cheeks flushed when she noticed his bare chest and she looked down at the floor.
Zidane smirked in amusement. So, the princess was prude, was she?
"Excuse me," she said softly, not taking her eyes off the floor. "I-I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing."
"I'm fine now, Princess," he said politely. "Thank you."
She looked up at his face, but said nothing.
He looked her over for a moment. She was still as beautiful as she had been last night. Her long, dark her cascaded down her back, with a few short strands falling around her face, framing it nicely. She wasn't wearing her tiara now. Her big brown eyes, centered on her soft, delicate, heart-shaped skin, sparkled in the sunlight shining in from the window. Her full lips pursed together, as if in deep thought. His eyes lingered there. Oh, how he'd love to taste those lips--
She shifted, her white gown with tiny blue flowers printed on it swishing on the floor as she moved. She was nervous, he observed, grinning inwardly. But she seemed to be checking him out as well.
Her eyes fell on the bandage on his shoulder, and, forgetting her lady-like manners, she stepped up to his bedside. "You're hurt..." she said, reaching out a hand to touch it, but stopped herself and drew it back quickly before even touching it.
He looked down at his shoulder then back up at her. "This? This is nothing," he said, shrugging, but winced as pain flowed through his shoulder from the movement.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concern filled her voice. "Didn't they treat you with anything for it?"
"They cast a healing spell on it last night, but the wound was too deep to fully heal," he explained as he went to stand up. "A woman came in earlier and cleaned up, but she didn't cast anything on it."
"That was Gloria. She isn't well experienced with white magic." She stepped closer and placed a hand over the bandage.
At first he was surprised. She seemed so reluctant to even go near him earlier and now she was touching him. But then he felt a cool sensation seep into his skin and into the wound and he knew she was only healing him. He watched as she closed her eyes and concentrated on the healing spell. And once she was finished with the spell, she removed her hand and stepped back.
He moved his shoulder. The pain was gone. He took off the bandage and found that the wound was gone as well. There was only a small scar left in its place. He looked up at her. "Thanks."
She smiled. She had a beautiful smile. "You're welcome..."
He stood up, wagging his tail back and forth as he did, trying to get some feeling back into it, and went for his shirt that was folded neatly on the floor. He picked it up and put it on but didn't bother to button it. "How's Blank doing? Have you seen him or heard anything about him...?" He trailed off at the end of his question. He found it odd that she was checking on him anyhow. Why would a princess take time off her busy schedule to check on him? He was sure she had plenty to do. And she had plenty of servants. They could check on him for her. There was no need for her to make a personal appearance.
She nodded. "Yes. He's doing... fine, now."
He arched an eyebrow. "Oh? When did you see him?"
"Right before I came to see you." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was really nervous. Maybe even scared. Scared of what? Of him? Why?
"Well, that's good..."
"Yes." She looked away from him. "You missed breakfast. Lunch will be served in about a half hour in the dining room."
"Okay. Just let me get changed and I'll meet you there." He really wanted to bathe first. He felt dirty and sweaty from yesterday, but decided against requesting one.
"Alright." And with that, she turned and went for the door.
"Oh, and Princess," Zidane said right as she reached for the door handle. When she turned to face him, he said with a wry grin, "Happy Sweet Sixteenth." He watched as she blushed fiercely and then whirled around and exited the room, slamming the door behind her.
-----
You fool! Garnet scolded herself once she had left the room. What were you thinking!? She stalked down the long hallway leading to the study and nearly plowed into Gloria, who was watering a vase of roses. "Forgive me," she apologized quickly, picking up the pitcher of water she'd knocked on the floor and handed it back to Gloria before continuing on her way.
She must've been insane to even think about going to see those men. She'd told herself that she'd just take a quick peek to see how they were doing. But no, she had to go in and talk with them as well. And what a fool she'd made of herself.
Blank had been asleep when she entered his room, but he awoke when the old wooden door groaned in protest to open any farther. They'd cleaned him up. By the looks of it - from what she could see through his half un-buttoned shirt - he had quite a few scabs over his arms, on his shoulders and across his chest. His leg was put in a cast and they had it propped up on a couple of pillows at the end of the bed. They'd cast a healing spell on it. It would heal, eventually. But unfortunately, they didn't have a strong enough spell or potion to dull the pain.
And what a ruckus he'd made. For someone who barely made a noise when a spotlight fell on him, he sure did a lot of whining and complaining about the aftermath. She'd have stayed nearly as long with him as she did with Zidane. She felt rude, but she just couldn't stand him.
When she went to see Zidane, she'd hoped he'd be asleep too, but she had no such luck. Zidane was wide awake, sitting up in his bed and bare chested. And she'd frozen in her place and looked down at the ground like she'd seen something she wasn't supposed to. But he'd made no move to cover himself, and she'd heard him smirk at her. Right then and there she regretted ever going there. And to make matters worse, she'd stammered when she spoke to him. She'd felt his eyes on her, roaming over her. She'd been nervous, of course. She wasn't used to men checking her out. But while he did so, she dared to check him out as well.
He was gorgeous. She'd seen many good-looking men, but this one put them all to shame. His blond hair had fallen out of its ponytail that he had last night, and it fell to the base of his neck. He had the most beautiful deep blue eyes she'd ever seen. And when he looked her in the eye with them she had to look away to keep herself from getting lost within their depths. He had full lips, full and supple. He had a pert nose, high cheekbones and a handsome jaw-line. He had a nice body too, she admitted shamefully - it had been her first time to actually see a man half-naked. She hadn't observed much of his body, but she saw that he had a strong neck and broad shoulders. Muscles rippled through his chest, his stomach and his arms, and she assumed everywhere else on his body, but she didn't look long enough to find out, for she stopped once she noticed the bandage on his shoulder.
She'd healed his wound. He'd seemed grateful for that, and it had brought a smile to her lips. He'd talked to her, about Blank. And while they did, she'd stood there like a scared little girl, fidgeting with her hands and moving back and forth. He wasn't stupid, she knew that. She knew he knew she was nervous around him. And yes, that bothered her, but it didn't as much as wondering why she was nervous around him. There was something about him. Something different and strange; something that intrigued her very much so--
"Garnet!"
Garnet stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. It was Annie. "Annie?"
Annie ran up to her, holding up the skirt of her navy blue gown as she went. "There you are!
We've been looking everywhere for you! Daisy's still searching for you upstairs."
"I'm sorry..." she said softly.
"It's alright. But where were you, anyway?"
"I went to check on Blank and that Zidane boy..."
Annie arched an eyebrow. "Did you?" She swept a long strand of red hair off her shoulder. "And how are they doing?"
Garnet sighed. She was humiliated enough as it was. She didn't need her friends becoming curious and asking questions. She really didn't feel like talking about her visit with Zidane. "Blank-" she shook her head in disgust at remembering her little meeting with him. "-seems to be doing... fine. Although, he did a lot of whining and complaining while I was there."
Annie laughed. "Oh, really?" she asked in an amused tone.
Garnet nodded. "Yes, and Zidane is doing fine, as well. I healed his wound on his shoulder for him."
"Oh, well that's good," Annie said, nodding in approval. "Did you inform them about lunch?"
"Yes, I did."
"Good. Well, we'll talk more later. Right now we need go find Daisy. I'll bet she's still searching
around the palace for you."
Thank you, Daisy.
-----
Zidane landed on his rump with a loud thud right outside the Alexandria castle's grand kitchen. "Alright, alright! I'm going!" He hollered at the head chef, who had thrown him out, rubbing his sore butt as he stood up.
Alexandria castle's angry head chef - a tall, beefy man with a long, gray beard, wearing a white apron and matching chef's cap, with a wooden spoon in hand - walked to the entrance of the kitchen and shouted back, "Don't let me catch you in here again, or I'll call Captain Steiner on ya!" He waved his wooden spoon at Zidane. "You'll just hafta wait to see what we're havin' when lunch is ready!" And with that, the chef turned on his heel and stomped back into the kitchen.
"Geez," Zidane muttered himself as he swished his tail a bit, making sure it was ok. "Grouchy ol' man..." All he'd wanted was to talk to the chefs and ask what they were having for lunch. He hadn't made it far in the kitchen. The head chef, including the other chefs in there, kicked him out before he could finish his sentence. What was up with that? He'd always wondered about that. It wasn't like he was going to go in and steal their recipes or mess with their food or anything. All places were like that, except for a few he'd been to.
"There you are!"
Ruby. Zidane whirled around to see her coming down the hallway, her light blue curls bouncing around her shoulders, her eyes sparkling with laughter and a smile playing on her thin lips. "Hey, Ruby."
She stopped directly in front of him. "What're you doin' here? I thought you were supposed ta be restin' in yer room?"
Zidane shrugged. "I was feeling better so I decided to just check out the castle before lunch."
"Oh?"
"Uh-huh."
She cleared her throat. "So how's the shoulder?"
"Fine, now." He moved his shoulder around in a circular motion, indicating that it was completely healed.
She grinned. "Well, that's good."
"So have you seen Blank?"
"Yeah. Haven't you?"
"I went to his room, but he was sleeping."
"Ooh." She played with the hem of her short blue dress as she looked him over. "So what happened here, eh? I heard a lot of shoutin'."
He blew a strand of blond hair away from his eyes. "Oh, nothin'. I just wanted to see what was on the menu, but I guess it's gonna be a big surprise."
She chuckled. "Heh."
"Where's Baku?"
"Somewhere with the queen, I believe."
He arched an eyebrow. "The queen?"
"Yep. Ever since the incident, they've been spendin' time together 'talking'," Ruby said, putting just the slightest bit of emphasis in her last word. "I think they're becomin' perdy good buds." She winked.
Zidane opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he saw a guard appear behind Ruby.
"Lunch is ready," the guard said, nodding once, and turning and going back the way he came.
Zidane sighed. "Alright then, let's go to lunch!"
-----
"Doctor Tot, how good of you to join us," Brahne said sweetly - a little too sweetly for Baku's taste - putting on a pleasant smile.
Doctor Tot - a tiny man with a huge nose that made up most of his face, the other part covered up by large spectacles - smiled back. "Thank you, Your Highness." He sat down at the other head of the table, directly across from Brahne, taking his hat off to reveal a mass of auburn hair. "Princess Garnet, it's good to see you again, as well," he said politely in her direction.
"Yes, Doctor Tot, it's been a long time," Garnet said from her seat directly across from him, a small smile forming on her soft lips.
"Yes, indeed, it has, hasn't it?"
Baku sneezed. Everyone looked at him. Goddamn allergies.
"So, Doctor Tot, how is young Blank doing?" Brahne asked, taking her napkin from the table and gracefully placed it on her lap. "I haven't gotten a chance to go and see him myself yet." She looked to her right and smiled at him.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Damn her. Damn this whole thing. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to stay here. He didn't know why he was staying here. He should've just refused her and gone back to Lindblum. Why had he even taken her up on her offer? There was something in the way she had asked him. Something so sincere. She sounded like she really cared. But then again it just didn't seem right. It seemed like there was more to it than that.
"He seems to be doing fine now," Doctor Tot said, taking his napkin from the table and using it to clean his glasses. "That was quite some accident. He broke his leg in two places and he's got quite a few cuts and scrapes, but he should heal just fine."
"Oh well that's good," Brahne said with nonchalance. "Garnet here was worried sick about poor Blank and Zidane."
He looked over at Garnet to see her face turn beet red. Poor thing. "M-Mother…" she whispered, but trailed off in embarrassment.
Zidane, on the other hand, seemed to be pleased with what Brahne had said. That didn't surprise him. Zidane had had a little crush on the princess ever since he first laid eyes on her portrait.
"How long will it take for him to be able to get back on his feet?" Baku asked, trying not to sound too eager to leave, but failed miserably. Truth be known, it wasn't the fact that Brahne had offered to help them that bothered him - even though he was used to taking care of his band of thieves on his own and not depending on others - he just felt uncomfortable around her.
She'd been asking for him and wanting to talk to him since last night. He'd had suspicions from the beginning and had been trying to avoid her all morning, but then he decided to just see what she wanted and get it over with. His decision hadn't eased his mind any, for all she wanted was to talk to him about meaningless nothings and about plays and poetry.
"Oh, I'd say in about two weeks in the least," Doctor Tot said.
Great, just great. He looked over at the queen, searching for a reaction to the doctor's statement, and was relieved to find her expression void.
"And what of the spot light? Did they figure out how that happened?" a girl, one of the princess' friends, asked.
"There was a spot light loose up on the rigging," Baku explained. "William was repairing them right before the show. William's a good man. He's good at what he does, but he's getting old. He must've just missed one." Baku always stood up for his friends and people he loved. William was definitely one of them. He and William, they went way back, way before Tantalus was even established.
All was silent for a while, and he wondered what had caused it. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. Damn it all! What the hell was he doing here? He didn't belong here. He'd always felt uncomfortable around the "important" people. One other thing that made him feel almost as uncomfortable as being around these people was silence. He wished they were back on the theater ship. Or back in Lindblum, where there was always noise. Not here. Not this place. This was a quiet, peaceful kingdom.
-----
Finally, he was out of there. That had to be the quietest lunch he'd ever sat through. Doctor Tot, Brahne and Baku mostly conversed amongst themselves, every once and a while saying something to him or the princess or someone. From what he remembered, his friends had mostly talked about what happened last night - he hadn't really been paying attention. He'd sat there quietly most of the time, eating his food, thinking about the princess and occasionally stealing glances at her.
"Would you like to go into town, sir?"
Zidane stopped in front of the gondola. He'd been lost in thought again, he wasn't watching where he was going. "No, thank you. Sorry," he apologized to the soldier running the gondola. He turned and headed west toward the gardens. He needed a smoke.
He'd hoped she'd say something to him. But she hadn't said a damn thing, unless you count when she asked him to pass the green beans. She'd been too busy whispering and giggling with her friends. But he did recall catching her looking at him a couple of times. He smiled at that.
He reached a bank near the water surrounded by tall grass and some bushes that badly needed a trimming. That seemed like the perfect spot so he decided to make his way through the grass and sit near the water.
The water was clear and crystal, the sun shining down on it, making it sparkle. He sat down on a large rock and took out a cigarette and lit it with a match. He took a drag and sighed, beginning to relax. He wondered what the princess or the queen would say if they knew that he smoked. That would be interesting. Even though he was of age to smoke, he was sure they wouldn't approve anyway.
He rested his tail on the cool grass, moist with dew, and stretched out his long legs, the water lapping just at the tip of his boots. He took another drag and leaned his head back. His head still ached, but other than that he was perfectly fine.
So he'd be spending two weeks at the castle. With the princess. The thought brought a smile to his lips. She was a real beauty. He couldn't get over that. He'd never seen anything like her in his life. She had no flaws. None whatsoever. He replayed in his mind the way she'd stood there nervously in his room, fidgeting with her hands, pursing her lips together. Those lips. Damn, he'd give anything to taste them. He betted they tasted as good as they looked, or even better.
She gave him such a hard-on. He recalled with embarrassment the way whenever she leaned forward to reach for her glass or something he saw a good amount of cleavage. He'd kept one arm rested over his lap the entire time to hide his arousal. He took a long drag and looked down at the water. "Damn," he muttered to himself.
"Is someone there?"
Startled, he went to put out his cigarette but burned himself with the tip. "Ah, shit!" he cursed out loud. He stood up and stomped on his cigarette and turned in the direction of the voice, hoping whoever it was hadn't caught him.
And then he came face-to-face with her. Shit. "P-Princess Garnet?" he said in what he thought was a calm voice.
She walked through the grass and stepped down onto the bank beside him. She was tall. Probably only a couple inches shorter than him. "I'm sorry," she apologized, sounding so innocent. "I thought I heard someone down here."
He swallowed. "Yeah, it was me."
"So I see…" She looked down at the crushed cigarette butt down by his feet, a small spiral of smoke still emitting from it. "What were you doing down here?" she asked, again sounding so pure and innocent, her dark eyes looking straight into his.
He looked away from her. "I… uh…" Honesty was always the best policy, was it not? It was obvious, anyway. "I think it's obvious…"
"You smoke?" It was more of a statement than a question.
He nodded, feeling suddenly ashamed.
"Are you of age?"
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Oh." She actually sounded disappointed. "I see…"
"Yeah," he mumbled. He didn't know what to say. What did he say to a princess? He'd just been thinking about her a few minutes ago, thinking of what he could say, but now that she was here his mind was blank.
"Well, I'm sorry for bothering you--"
"No, you aren't bothering me." Smooth, Zidane, real smooth. "I just… uh…"
She bit on her bottom lip, trying to hold back a smile. But he saw it in her eyes anyway. Her eyes, he loved her eyes. They were big and round and dark, with long, black lashes. They were perfect. "So… um… you're feeling better, I assume?" she asked softly.
"Uh, yeah." He kicked himself mentally for being so stupid. "Yep. Couldn't be better."
She nodded, her hair falling around her face. "That's good… So, did you have a good lunch?"
She was trying to make conversation. That surprised him. Her, wanting to talk with a poor thief, a member of Tantalus. He smiled wryly. "Yeah, it was pretty good, I guess. The food was good, at least."
Again, she nodded. "Yes it was, wasn't it? Alberto is an exquisite chef."
A real pain in the ass too, he thought to himself. "Uh-huh." He went to grab another cigarette, but stopped himself, and instead just stuffed his hands inside his pockets. "So, what're you doing out here anyway?"
"I… I was just going for a walk," she explained hesitantly. "I believe I ate too much."
He didn't believe that. "Oh…"
"What?" she asked. "What is it?"
Could she read minds? he wondered. "It's nothing."
"No, please tell me," she said, her eyes pleading.
"No, really, it's nothing. I just--"
"Princess Garnet?"
It was a man. A soldier, he assumed.
A tall man emerged from the barrier of tall grass and stood before them. "There you are, Princess. I've been looking everywhere for you." He glanced at Zidane and scowled. "I see you're talking with one of our 'guests'." The man's voice sounded disgusted. He didn't like that.
"Yes, Steiner, this is Zidane. He was injured during last night's accident too," she explained, gesturing toward him with a small, delicate hand.
"I see. Well, it's good to see that you've fully recovered." Steiner didn't seem pleased at all. "Well, I'm sorry to break up your little meeting, but, Princess, you have lessons in a few moments."
"Oh yes, I almost forgot." She turned to Zidane. "I'm sorry. It was nice talking to you."
"Yeah…"
And with that, she turned and made her way through the grass. Steiner stood until she was at the top of the bank before he faced Zidane and 'hmphed' at him and then followed in the princess' direction.
That guy was going to be a problem.
*****
A/N: Ugh, I must say, I think Chap. 2 sucks. I'm sorry. I'll try to do much better in the next chapter. I might even re-do this one, I'm not sure yet. Again, please, point out any spelling or grammar mistakes to me and I'll try to fix them A.S.A.P. Thanks.
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