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Separation - Part Seven
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Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah...I don't own Pokemon...I think we know that by now.
-_-;;
Key: I think that we also know this by now, but if you're like my brother ::cough:: Ryoga ::cough::, I think that it will safer if I did this a couple more times...
"..." Dialogue
'...' Inner thoughts or stressed words
*...* Annoying conscience/voice
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I'm your brother, Jessie."
Jessie could only stare at him. How could this perfect stranger be her 'brother?' "What do you mean, my brother? I don't have a brother, I'm an only child!"
The man looked at her in shock. "Jessie, don't you remember me? Jack?" He laughed suddenly at her. "Oh, I get it! You're just playing with me! Oh, that's funny! So, how are things going with you? How's Mother? Last I heard, she was still with Team Rocket."
Jessie whitened at the mention of her mother's name. How dare this complete stranger stand in front of her, claim to be her brother, and say her mother's name?
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but you're sick! You'd better get away from here before I hurt you!"
Jack stopped laughing at Jessie's outburst. "You still don't believe me? Come on, Jessie. I know you were young when we parted, but didn't Mother say anything about me?"
She shook her head, "No. But that's probably because you're not even her son!"
A light shadow fell over his face. "Or maybe it's because she wanted to forget about us."
Jessie didn't know what to say. Could this man be her brother? He couldn't have been three years older than her and he even had the same color eyes and hair she had. A thought entered her mind, and she swallowed, suddenly afraid to ask. "What do you mean...us?"
Jack shook his head in sadness. "I guess she really did want to forget about us. You see, when you were five, our parents got a divorce. You went with Mother, while your sister and I went with father."
"I have a sister, too?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yes. She's older than you by two minutes."
"You mean, my twin."
"Yes."
Jessie thought she was going to be sick. Could it be that Meowth had been right that there was a reason why that witch looked exactly like her? "Jessiebelle?"
He grinned, "Yeah! Do you remember?"
She shook her head as she grabbed onto Lightning's harness as her knees buckled under her. Jack immediately tried to grab for her but she backed away. He sighed and slowly put his arms down. "Look, Jessie, I know you're in shock right now, but I would like it if you came back to our family. Mother disappeared with Team Rocket, and we never heard from her again. Apparently, she didn't tell you of our existence, except for Jessiebelle, so..."
Gaining confidence that she could stand, she stood in front of him and pointed an accusing finger at him, cutting him off. "Look, buster. If Mother wanted away from her 'family,' than there was probably a good reason for it. I've met with Jessiebelle, and if you're anything like her, than I can see why! And that's..."
"What do you mean, you've met her. You're telling me that you've actually talked with her?" His eyes seem to burn with fury.
"Well, not actually a conversation, but we've been in the same room. And from what I've heard of her, she doesn't seem to be the sweet, gentle girl she looks like."
He growled under his breath. "I'm going to kill her. She knows how long I've been looking for you!"
Jessie crossed her arms. "Humph. With her attitude, it wouldn't surprise me."
"Where did you meet her, anyway? Certainly not at some small town in the forest!" he smiled jokingly.
"No. I met her at..." *That's right, go ahead and tell him. Not only will you give away that you're in Team Rocket, not that that wouldn't ruin anything, but you'll also give James's location away. Now, you'd certainly want to do that, now do you?* "Um...I just ran into her one day."
He looked weary at first, but nodded in approval. He then noticed what Pokemon she was leaning against. "Is she yours?"
Lightning growled at him and flattened his ears. "He?" Jack recovered uncertainly. Lightning nodded quickly, and Jessie grinned.
"No, he's a...rental. Isn't he lovely, though?" Jessie smiled and patted his nose.
Jack smiled at Jessie. "I see that you're still as gentle as ever. I knew there was a reason why I loved you best."
Jessie looked at him in shock. Her, gentle? She wanted to laugh at the ridiculous comment, but something held her back. Perhaps it was because of the thought that she had a brother, and he had just said he loved her, or maybe it was because of her childhood memories, few as they might be.
He smiled at her and patted her head, and she quickly pushed his hand away. "Don't touch my hair."
He grinned, "But of course." He looked at his watch and his face dropped. "Drat. It's already eight o'clock. Look, Jessie, I've got to go, but I want to see you again. What are you doing at...say, midnight, tonight?"
"Midnight? I...I don't know. Probably something." Knowing James, they would either be watching television or fast asleep.
Jack looked over her with a knowing eye. "I see," he said, smiling.
She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'I see.'?"
He laughed at her puzzled look and patted her shoulder. "This is a big city, but you're not going any where until we see each other again." He pulled something out of his pocket and wrote something on it. "Here," he said, handing it to her, "This is the name of the hotel I'm staying at and my room number. I'll be expecting you, I hope." With that, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Her eyes went wide as she watched him walk away. She looked at the card in her hand and stuffed it in her pocket. Maybe she'll seek him out. Maybe.
When James finally returned, he took one look at Jessie and knew something was wrong. "What happened? Is everything all right?" he demanded looking around her. Her eyes were lost and vacant, her skin white as a ghost, and she clenched at Lightning. When she looked up at him, her lips parted by no sound came out. He was at her side instantly and unclenched her hands. "Are you all right, Jessie? What's wrong?"
She was silent for a minute before shaking her head. "N-nothing," she responded, pushing away from James. "So...did you get a hold of him?"
He sighed, "No. There's no record of any one with the business title 'Violet City Carriage Rides' within ten miles. It's like, he never existed."
The two looked at Lightning. He was half-asleep and didn't seem to notice what they're conversation was about him. "What do you suppose we should do with him?" James asked.
"I honestly don't know. Had it been any other pokemon, I would give him to the boss, but, for some reason, I don't think we should do it with him."
James nodded, "Yeah. I have the same feeling."
They walked in silence, neither sure of where they were going. When they found themselves in the forest, Lightning decided that this was a good place to rest. He stopped walking and refused to go on. Sighing, James leaned against the tree as he thought over that day's events. First, they had had breakfast in a 'real' restaurant. Then they had gone for a walk. He looked down at his feet as he recalled that walk, and where they had ended up. He had told her why he carried a rose, but he didn't tell her the whole story. It was true he carried it in remembrance of the first friend he had met, the friend he had made before Growly had come into his life, but he didn't tell her that that little girl was her.
He didn't know why he didn't tell her that valuable information. *Probably because you're afraid of what she'd do to you.* 'Shut up. You don't know what she would do.' *No, but I have a fairly good idea of what she would do.* James sighed and kicked a dirt rock, sending it crashing into a tree, breaking apart. It was true. He was afraid of what she would say and do. She would be shocked, that was not even an option. But, the real question was, what would she do after it sunk in?
When he had first seen her at Pokemon Tech, he had truthfully thought that it was Jessiebelle. The idea of her being Jessie had never even crossed his mind, for someone had told him that she was dead. When he finally did realize who she was, he wanted to leap with joy; but that was cut short when she didn't recognized him. In fact, it was as if she had never seen him before in her life. It had hurt and cut him when she never said anything about their past, but he grew used to it. After all, they were making new memories together, and without the interference of Jessiebelle.
'That's another thing,' he thought suddenly. 'Why hadn't Jessiebelle done anything about Jessie when she saw her? Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but they are still sisters. Aren't sisters supposed to look after one another?'
"James?"
He looked up at the sound of her voice far from him. She was leaning against Lightning, lightly playing with the fire that ran along his neck. "Do you think that we'll ever find that man? I mean, will Lightning belong to us?"
He shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about that. "I don't know. I guess so. I wouldn't give him to Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy, because they're too busy to find a good home for him." He smiled at the Rapidash. "Besides, I think that he's taken a liking to you." As if on cue, Lightning leaned in towards Jessie. She smiled at Lightning and patted his head.
"That's because he's smart. He knows a gorgeous face when he sees one." With a laugh, she leaned over and placed a kiss his nose. Lightning neighed and nodded his head vigorously.
Unbeknownst to Jessie, Lightning gave James a smirk. Already irritated by Jessie's behavior towards the pokemon, it didn't help with his arrogant attitude. However, when he stuck his tongue out to him, Jessie did see.
She thwaped him over the head with her paper fan. "Cut it out, James. We know that you're immature, but don't you think being a baby to a Rapidash is any way to become friends? After all, wasn't it you who said that we were going to keep him?" she asked charmingly.
"I never said that..." he responded, scratching his neck nervously.
She grinned, "Of course you did!" A flash of lightning lit the sky unexpectedly, making Jessie and James jump from both shock and fear. They took off running with Lightning behind them.
It was only when they had reached the hotel that they realized they still had Lightning with them, and there were certainly no barns around for them to put him in. After many debates on what to do, James snapped at Jessie.
"Just put him in one of your pokeballs and release him tomorrow. It's getting late and it's snowing again, if you haven't noticed! I'm cold, too."
"I can't do that! He probably doesn't even like confined places."
James rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jessie! One night is not going to kill him!"
She looked over at Lightning. "Is it alright with you, then?" When he didn't do anything, she took it as a 'yes.' James was right. It was cold, dark, late, and who-knew-what lurked out there. She quickly pulled out a pokeball and threw it at Lightning. He was quickly caught in it and it dropped to the floor. It shook only a few times before it laid still. Jessie only looked at it. James snatched it up and dragged her inside.
It was late in the night when a branch scrapped against the glass of the window. The wind howled outside violently. Stars twinkled dimly. The moon's light was gloomy. James had been asleep for a long time now, but Jessie was wide-awake. She couldn't sleep, despite how hard she tried. She couldn't stop thinking that not only had she a family, but that that family was 'Jessiebelle.'
She didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, or cry at her mother's betrayal. Instead, she thought of what her life would have been if she had grown up rich with both parents. Would she be the way she is now? Would she be cold and unforgiving like her older sister? She shuddered at the thought of her. She couldn't believe that 'Jessiebelle' was her sister! She looked over at the sleeping James and felt a wave of compassion fall over her. He was the one who had had to live with her during his youth, and it was he who was engaged to her. A sudden unwanted thought came to her then. 'What if it was I who would have been engaged to him?' She shook that thought away to where she kept all thoughts of him; in the back of her mind.
She turned away from him, and her eyes spied the clock. When she saw the time, she debated on whether she should go to Jack or not. She had so many questions to ask, and he had, no doubt, some of his own as well. She sighed and sat up on the bed. This would probably be the only chance to get those questions answered.
She didn't know how, but she soon found herself running out of the hotel and through the city. Her heart pounded as she raced passed building after building. Thoughts flew around uncontrolled throughout her mind. Was this all a hoax? Was Jack some sick man with some type of vengeance on her? Or was he telling her the truth?
She ran blindly through the city. She had seen the hotel the day before, when they had been looking for Meowth. It was huge and obviously expensive to be at. Flowers of all kinds were either growing on the walls or buried beautifully below.
She slowed to a walk when she entered the hotel and pulled out the card he had given her that held the information she needed to see him. Unsure, she walked up to the receptionist. "May I help you?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.
Jessie swallowed her fear. "Yes. I'm looking for this man. He said he was a patron here." She handed her the card.
"Ah yes, of course. He's expecting you." The woman behind the counter eyed Jessie when she handed it back to her. Jessie only glared at her and went up to the room where he had said to go.
When she found herself in front of the door, she couldn't bring herself to knock. As hard as she tried, she couldn't lift her hand. Instead, she turned around and started to go back.
That was, until the door opened for her. She froze when he called for her, and spun instantly around. He was smiling uncertainly at her.
"You came. I'm glad. I have so many things to ask you!"
She nodded and followed him in. The last thing she heard was the close of the door behind her.
'Well, looks like there's no turning back now.'
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To be continued...
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Separation - Part Seven
********************************************************************************
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah...I don't own Pokemon...I think we know that by now.
-_-;;
Key: I think that we also know this by now, but if you're like my brother ::cough:: Ryoga ::cough::, I think that it will safer if I did this a couple more times...
"..." Dialogue
'...' Inner thoughts or stressed words
*...* Annoying conscience/voice
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I'm your brother, Jessie."
Jessie could only stare at him. How could this perfect stranger be her 'brother?' "What do you mean, my brother? I don't have a brother, I'm an only child!"
The man looked at her in shock. "Jessie, don't you remember me? Jack?" He laughed suddenly at her. "Oh, I get it! You're just playing with me! Oh, that's funny! So, how are things going with you? How's Mother? Last I heard, she was still with Team Rocket."
Jessie whitened at the mention of her mother's name. How dare this complete stranger stand in front of her, claim to be her brother, and say her mother's name?
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but you're sick! You'd better get away from here before I hurt you!"
Jack stopped laughing at Jessie's outburst. "You still don't believe me? Come on, Jessie. I know you were young when we parted, but didn't Mother say anything about me?"
She shook her head, "No. But that's probably because you're not even her son!"
A light shadow fell over his face. "Or maybe it's because she wanted to forget about us."
Jessie didn't know what to say. Could this man be her brother? He couldn't have been three years older than her and he even had the same color eyes and hair she had. A thought entered her mind, and she swallowed, suddenly afraid to ask. "What do you mean...us?"
Jack shook his head in sadness. "I guess she really did want to forget about us. You see, when you were five, our parents got a divorce. You went with Mother, while your sister and I went with father."
"I have a sister, too?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yes. She's older than you by two minutes."
"You mean, my twin."
"Yes."
Jessie thought she was going to be sick. Could it be that Meowth had been right that there was a reason why that witch looked exactly like her? "Jessiebelle?"
He grinned, "Yeah! Do you remember?"
She shook her head as she grabbed onto Lightning's harness as her knees buckled under her. Jack immediately tried to grab for her but she backed away. He sighed and slowly put his arms down. "Look, Jessie, I know you're in shock right now, but I would like it if you came back to our family. Mother disappeared with Team Rocket, and we never heard from her again. Apparently, she didn't tell you of our existence, except for Jessiebelle, so..."
Gaining confidence that she could stand, she stood in front of him and pointed an accusing finger at him, cutting him off. "Look, buster. If Mother wanted away from her 'family,' than there was probably a good reason for it. I've met with Jessiebelle, and if you're anything like her, than I can see why! And that's..."
"What do you mean, you've met her. You're telling me that you've actually talked with her?" His eyes seem to burn with fury.
"Well, not actually a conversation, but we've been in the same room. And from what I've heard of her, she doesn't seem to be the sweet, gentle girl she looks like."
He growled under his breath. "I'm going to kill her. She knows how long I've been looking for you!"
Jessie crossed her arms. "Humph. With her attitude, it wouldn't surprise me."
"Where did you meet her, anyway? Certainly not at some small town in the forest!" he smiled jokingly.
"No. I met her at..." *That's right, go ahead and tell him. Not only will you give away that you're in Team Rocket, not that that wouldn't ruin anything, but you'll also give James's location away. Now, you'd certainly want to do that, now do you?* "Um...I just ran into her one day."
He looked weary at first, but nodded in approval. He then noticed what Pokemon she was leaning against. "Is she yours?"
Lightning growled at him and flattened his ears. "He?" Jack recovered uncertainly. Lightning nodded quickly, and Jessie grinned.
"No, he's a...rental. Isn't he lovely, though?" Jessie smiled and patted his nose.
Jack smiled at Jessie. "I see that you're still as gentle as ever. I knew there was a reason why I loved you best."
Jessie looked at him in shock. Her, gentle? She wanted to laugh at the ridiculous comment, but something held her back. Perhaps it was because of the thought that she had a brother, and he had just said he loved her, or maybe it was because of her childhood memories, few as they might be.
He smiled at her and patted her head, and she quickly pushed his hand away. "Don't touch my hair."
He grinned, "But of course." He looked at his watch and his face dropped. "Drat. It's already eight o'clock. Look, Jessie, I've got to go, but I want to see you again. What are you doing at...say, midnight, tonight?"
"Midnight? I...I don't know. Probably something." Knowing James, they would either be watching television or fast asleep.
Jack looked over her with a knowing eye. "I see," he said, smiling.
She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, 'I see.'?"
He laughed at her puzzled look and patted her shoulder. "This is a big city, but you're not going any where until we see each other again." He pulled something out of his pocket and wrote something on it. "Here," he said, handing it to her, "This is the name of the hotel I'm staying at and my room number. I'll be expecting you, I hope." With that, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Her eyes went wide as she watched him walk away. She looked at the card in her hand and stuffed it in her pocket. Maybe she'll seek him out. Maybe.
When James finally returned, he took one look at Jessie and knew something was wrong. "What happened? Is everything all right?" he demanded looking around her. Her eyes were lost and vacant, her skin white as a ghost, and she clenched at Lightning. When she looked up at him, her lips parted by no sound came out. He was at her side instantly and unclenched her hands. "Are you all right, Jessie? What's wrong?"
She was silent for a minute before shaking her head. "N-nothing," she responded, pushing away from James. "So...did you get a hold of him?"
He sighed, "No. There's no record of any one with the business title 'Violet City Carriage Rides' within ten miles. It's like, he never existed."
The two looked at Lightning. He was half-asleep and didn't seem to notice what they're conversation was about him. "What do you suppose we should do with him?" James asked.
"I honestly don't know. Had it been any other pokemon, I would give him to the boss, but, for some reason, I don't think we should do it with him."
James nodded, "Yeah. I have the same feeling."
They walked in silence, neither sure of where they were going. When they found themselves in the forest, Lightning decided that this was a good place to rest. He stopped walking and refused to go on. Sighing, James leaned against the tree as he thought over that day's events. First, they had had breakfast in a 'real' restaurant. Then they had gone for a walk. He looked down at his feet as he recalled that walk, and where they had ended up. He had told her why he carried a rose, but he didn't tell her the whole story. It was true he carried it in remembrance of the first friend he had met, the friend he had made before Growly had come into his life, but he didn't tell her that that little girl was her.
He didn't know why he didn't tell her that valuable information. *Probably because you're afraid of what she'd do to you.* 'Shut up. You don't know what she would do.' *No, but I have a fairly good idea of what she would do.* James sighed and kicked a dirt rock, sending it crashing into a tree, breaking apart. It was true. He was afraid of what she would say and do. She would be shocked, that was not even an option. But, the real question was, what would she do after it sunk in?
When he had first seen her at Pokemon Tech, he had truthfully thought that it was Jessiebelle. The idea of her being Jessie had never even crossed his mind, for someone had told him that she was dead. When he finally did realize who she was, he wanted to leap with joy; but that was cut short when she didn't recognized him. In fact, it was as if she had never seen him before in her life. It had hurt and cut him when she never said anything about their past, but he grew used to it. After all, they were making new memories together, and without the interference of Jessiebelle.
'That's another thing,' he thought suddenly. 'Why hadn't Jessiebelle done anything about Jessie when she saw her? Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but they are still sisters. Aren't sisters supposed to look after one another?'
"James?"
He looked up at the sound of her voice far from him. She was leaning against Lightning, lightly playing with the fire that ran along his neck. "Do you think that we'll ever find that man? I mean, will Lightning belong to us?"
He shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about that. "I don't know. I guess so. I wouldn't give him to Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy, because they're too busy to find a good home for him." He smiled at the Rapidash. "Besides, I think that he's taken a liking to you." As if on cue, Lightning leaned in towards Jessie. She smiled at Lightning and patted his head.
"That's because he's smart. He knows a gorgeous face when he sees one." With a laugh, she leaned over and placed a kiss his nose. Lightning neighed and nodded his head vigorously.
Unbeknownst to Jessie, Lightning gave James a smirk. Already irritated by Jessie's behavior towards the pokemon, it didn't help with his arrogant attitude. However, when he stuck his tongue out to him, Jessie did see.
She thwaped him over the head with her paper fan. "Cut it out, James. We know that you're immature, but don't you think being a baby to a Rapidash is any way to become friends? After all, wasn't it you who said that we were going to keep him?" she asked charmingly.
"I never said that..." he responded, scratching his neck nervously.
She grinned, "Of course you did!" A flash of lightning lit the sky unexpectedly, making Jessie and James jump from both shock and fear. They took off running with Lightning behind them.
It was only when they had reached the hotel that they realized they still had Lightning with them, and there were certainly no barns around for them to put him in. After many debates on what to do, James snapped at Jessie.
"Just put him in one of your pokeballs and release him tomorrow. It's getting late and it's snowing again, if you haven't noticed! I'm cold, too."
"I can't do that! He probably doesn't even like confined places."
James rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jessie! One night is not going to kill him!"
She looked over at Lightning. "Is it alright with you, then?" When he didn't do anything, she took it as a 'yes.' James was right. It was cold, dark, late, and who-knew-what lurked out there. She quickly pulled out a pokeball and threw it at Lightning. He was quickly caught in it and it dropped to the floor. It shook only a few times before it laid still. Jessie only looked at it. James snatched it up and dragged her inside.
It was late in the night when a branch scrapped against the glass of the window. The wind howled outside violently. Stars twinkled dimly. The moon's light was gloomy. James had been asleep for a long time now, but Jessie was wide-awake. She couldn't sleep, despite how hard she tried. She couldn't stop thinking that not only had she a family, but that that family was 'Jessiebelle.'
She didn't know whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, or cry at her mother's betrayal. Instead, she thought of what her life would have been if she had grown up rich with both parents. Would she be the way she is now? Would she be cold and unforgiving like her older sister? She shuddered at the thought of her. She couldn't believe that 'Jessiebelle' was her sister! She looked over at the sleeping James and felt a wave of compassion fall over her. He was the one who had had to live with her during his youth, and it was he who was engaged to her. A sudden unwanted thought came to her then. 'What if it was I who would have been engaged to him?' She shook that thought away to where she kept all thoughts of him; in the back of her mind.
She turned away from him, and her eyes spied the clock. When she saw the time, she debated on whether she should go to Jack or not. She had so many questions to ask, and he had, no doubt, some of his own as well. She sighed and sat up on the bed. This would probably be the only chance to get those questions answered.
She didn't know how, but she soon found herself running out of the hotel and through the city. Her heart pounded as she raced passed building after building. Thoughts flew around uncontrolled throughout her mind. Was this all a hoax? Was Jack some sick man with some type of vengeance on her? Or was he telling her the truth?
She ran blindly through the city. She had seen the hotel the day before, when they had been looking for Meowth. It was huge and obviously expensive to be at. Flowers of all kinds were either growing on the walls or buried beautifully below.
She slowed to a walk when she entered the hotel and pulled out the card he had given her that held the information she needed to see him. Unsure, she walked up to the receptionist. "May I help you?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.
Jessie swallowed her fear. "Yes. I'm looking for this man. He said he was a patron here." She handed her the card.
"Ah yes, of course. He's expecting you." The woman behind the counter eyed Jessie when she handed it back to her. Jessie only glared at her and went up to the room where he had said to go.
When she found herself in front of the door, she couldn't bring herself to knock. As hard as she tried, she couldn't lift her hand. Instead, she turned around and started to go back.
That was, until the door opened for her. She froze when he called for her, and spun instantly around. He was smiling uncertainly at her.
"You came. I'm glad. I have so many things to ask you!"
She nodded and followed him in. The last thing she heard was the close of the door behind her.
'Well, looks like there's no turning back now.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To be continued...
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