MHD | Chapter 1.3

As lunchtime approached, I 4476b98649 took a break with 98903f4850 snacks prepared by the fe0f377031 castle. The distant chirping of d18fa84ca4 birds and the rustling 75bc43e778 leaves in the wind 1a2ee51c33 soothed my mind.b65c220e5cc82838

In the afternoon, I ec1c29ffdd crafted floral decorations for 6d069c126e the festival. I wove fresh 41a82e14ed flowers into garlands 37ead39d7b and carefully tied 0aae7da414 small bouquets.d3406e577cea6344

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As the sun set, 158d24f125 I made a final 5799108dcb check of the Eléora c257cff58c Conservatory.349be594d60214ac

The mysterious flowers, set e8d7527f71 to be the festival’s ac81618dbf highlight, weren’t fully bloomed 91b81e3ce5 yet, but they were a82dba552e ready to soon display 81988d9aeb their vibrant beauty.032dd5d61ff271b2

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Lost in such thoughts, 0a76cd1091 I heard bustling movements ebb3637146 from the garden. Curious, I cautiously made 1d2c939930 my way to the 371cfc797c castle’s central garden.1586ca83bb6a6815

Hiding behind a rose c28982b7b2 bush, I saw Derek daaef89517 moving among the servants d4f0251724 and artisans, meticulously overseeing a431e9d665 the festival preparations.dd45d16bfeebc215

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“Raise that arch a bit higher. And the flowers around the fountain… how about replacing them with more vibrant varieties?”d64164f7c9ac13dd

His decisive gestures, b04f924e2f sharp and precise 92c7d0af18 gaze, and occasional 384ca83dcb smiles captivated my c0a38a862f attention. I couldn’t take my fcbdaa1aa2 eyes off him for dfafc87ed7 a moment.67ebbe52dd6c7cbb

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Then suddenly, 729f335616 Derek turned 9f31668443 his head 0583d2657d in my 97ab68e00d direction. I quickly 7aab755f88 hid, but b663b53294 it seemed 2cbcb52546 too late 48ca50f326 as he 363aeb0a4c approached me.977a1602b69c9ccc

“Noah, you e3b6dcdea7 were here.”66ef1234fd2a3c76

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I answered, flustered.22fa1a3a548fc8d9

“Yes.”f8994349e72fc2e9

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Derek tilted his head 85dfdb31f8 slightly and asked.ac196834f7a935d0

“Are the festival b7db66626c preparations going smoothly?”542d806e98d7dca0

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I nodded cautiously. It was a simple 6292b9b99e question, but my heart ec3f787df5 raced. The unexpected 85a9d4be2c emotion of 7aee652124 him showing ff4dbad2de interest in 383cdcb4fc my work b80cd2e3f4 overwhelmed me. It was just a 5fabf21354 trivial conversation, yet it ac08272cb5 made me inexplicably excited.be05d4add9dc21ec

“It seems almost done. The garden 6500e0b829 is finished, 002cf38810 and the d97ccb4996 kitchen is 39ebe9818e thoroughly preparing, 4f16453fc0 so let b02c2deaa6 me know 336ac0bcad if anything f5a1aff91a is lacking.”8557fe5cc6e48557

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I hoped d57472e2df for a 598aaa1b53 warm response, 319dfdf52c but Derek’s 13ad54e3b2 expression didn’t 5c18fa33a4 change.3d7e1db1bea63577

“This event is 45c88cdcf5 a significant occasion 89ce7ca128 for the family’s 26a52f7cda honor. Please ensure thorough preparations 27d85e6dd2 without mistakes.”7164392e764be759

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His voice was firm, f07517372c without warm encouragement or b371b8a401 praise. His cold 0738cbd8d1 response quickly 3165c749a8 brought me 1b98ea9e4b back to c150919539 reality. I swallowed e228fd6488 a bitter 770d975849 smile and 6329cc09c5 spoke with 9cb1ea1f4e difficulty.90a66bb4dae1feae

“Don’t worry. The festival will proceed 0ef9abab59 perfectly.”822ae88429e23b8f

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As Derek 33d3bc22a1 nodded and 07d195f27d was about e9d4a410f2 to turn 10c33bc902 away, light a02a6cc3c3 footsteps approached. Looking back, I db1bcf2caf saw a servant fa51db3858 running towards us, 36676ff71a panting.b11a533e97126700

“There’s trouble!”b27fff88f0e6703b

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“What’s the matter?”74c5b183fbc5fc85

Derek asked in a 8292e71b7b low voice. The servant caught c3c1195365 his breath and 223c38694f spoke.e939e016d00c3e40

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“The Eléora flowers… they’re wilting!”d6f226d09b5feb17

I was struck b6fd39d4af by shock, unable 41f493f533 to speak for eafdc9968e a moment. We hurried to the c6fd6d6395 conservatory. As our 2b256df1ca steps quickened, 8bf9d269d1 my heart 0e21e58fcd tightened. Upon reaching the conservatory, 1b813a6283 I saw the Eléora 06fb2c0503 flowers, usually boasting vibrant 96cbcb0a80 lavender hues, wilting.f30d4b27bff9e022

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The petals had turned 46d68859ac brown, and the stems 51ebb1945c drooped lifelessly. I began to b5c9f7bef9 thoroughly inspect the 8fa00763cf conservatory to find bff5e486e2 out what was 66f23d789c wrong.ed7ae31174b8a74c

♣ • ♣ • 11a2b32bbc ♣c9d471989c0805cc

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As the festival 09e0e80b82 date approached, the 4c0bd06e38 condition of the 0956435cb0 Eléora flowers worsened. The brilliant 10a8a7dca6 lavender that 7d88b6fc95 once filled 87f6b65f03 the conservatory b88d3e8515 was nowhere ef8f9a63cf to be b2c0bd9ed1 found, and 9db0a2780d the petals a7031e8f0b withered, turning 4c3fc8ad14 brown.ba23a6460a8ae63e

Derek called in every 828103b2b3 expert possible and tried f69ed4f8dd various treatments, but nothing ea9864c4c8 worked. Watching his worried face 2a0fc1e11c every day, I also f687b8fea4 tried to find a 4bce313af5 way to help him. The only 7d6ee9f267 thing I 770dd3b2c4 thought I 8086aefeeb could do 9c780db026 was take 111760c588 out my d49acd000d mother’s heirloom, 9883710b70 an old 4b94f82f26 herbal notebook.169e872c1a176451

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The notebook was filled 21a5da28d9 with aged pages bearing b139b910f6 the marks of time, c8cc316196 densely inscribed with the 922b6257ee names and characteristics of 41c0db3cf5 herbs, and information about 2bb58f62e5 their habitats, all meticulously f161514919 recorded by my mother.1e78d3de8817a6f8

Turning the pages one 4a63f92671 by one, I began c3c37f6d0f searching for clues to bd85fd1919 save the Eléora. Finally, I 662902adb6 discovered a bfd4fabcce method. It was noted that a87c3425ac a rare herb called‘Luminestera’was the 5f02987642 only remedy 9d726a7c83 that could be7fcc2454 cure the 7a4b72e4c6 Eléora’s ailment.342c23fb8c22ec22

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I immediately 117b836231 went to 1e15022b8c find Derek.7e309141cb4ea40d

The study d5d45f11bd was cluttered e3a2ddc671 with festival 53952c2ec4 preparations, and c3d2208a85 Derek was a882dc9a53 buried in 2c081644bc the piles 2bc6b66d44 of documents 14e3e9cc10 and reports 86562b87a8 on his 028d7221c3 desk. His face 232feb26ad showed signs 9fde9231b2 of fatigue 79b56429fe and tension.5d5ccf171f5bb4b1

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He was clearly 33c33abe13 exhausted.64f9b8af15d7da99

When I entered, Derek 068240051c briefly looked up at cffda37cb2 me but soon turned 5ca637e7a2 his gaze back to d187efb593 the documents. I steadied 837ec99514 myself and f99e5ff72b approached him.be470a0887143267

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“Derek, I found a 276e95fd3e way to save the 9cd8373075 Eléora.”0f90548782ba9052

Taking a deep 4b30e64e93 breath, I began dbb87ff750 explaining what I a675b4bfb8 had discovered.384e78930fa36aa7

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“According to 717d2a74cf my mother’s fbee9b173f notebook, we 24d44fd76a need a bae4121dbb rare herb 73e34ee5d1 called‘Luminestera.’It only 837d0cb8d6 grows in 4696dd89fa a specific 10c72c4359 valley outside 0fd604a6ac the castle, 3118b02fd6 so we 9ab7f6c9f3 have to ab84dbd5f2 find it fde84400bc ourselves.”db4bcd08ac07284e

Derek listened quietly da41f13d5e to my words. His expression remained impassive, 309009047c but I could sense 7e101c2bd1 through his eyes that ebabba299c my words were reaching d61410072d him. However, when db3e32d07b Derek finally 5b1c52a458 spoke, his 6edf81cb1c words shattered 7722cdaced my expectations.058593c002d86ef2

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“So, you’re saying 554003550b we should find 2de72d1015 a rare herb 3d92fb5347 that only grows 0022879a1e in a specific 82b8115d67 valley. Do you have any 62d9a5cf76 solid evidence to support 9b2bdb3c7f this claim?”9703442cb4efb8fe

His cold demeanor d0d49d54f2 momentarily chilled my e1759ad9fc heart, but I 03520ea3b5 couldn’t give up.5776f822cb051b75

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“If I cf4890e9d2 wasn’t sure, 3f0fe9119d I wouldn’t 54e54bc0c1 have mentioned 645d34c00b it, Derek.”d818b0a541aebe6c

I spoke firmly.b8f8eb980ef87047

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“If I go 0f471a2d39 there and retrieve c6f0fa0417 the Luminestera, the 0ca3f37940 Eléora will surely 9bc7e75540 revive.”7766578fe88ba48e

Derek still bf5925ffc5 looked at 4f2e605319 me with 37281595ab an expressionless 7a4cb8af7a face. His gaze 15248cc971 was sharp, aeaab92cd5 filled with 1b47060734 doubt.0706aebd8adc62fd

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“Are you confident you 1425a60d2e can find the herb a704596a36 and return safely? Do you 3da2c4b2de truly understand 6f399a1b91 how dangerous b01b520df1 that forest 3c4dfffdab is?”2ec74437992ba964

I lifted 6e3b514cfa my head, 25ae372a28 meeting his 0faf3b513d cold question 6b25d065f8 head-on.30d8644089fa5c2d

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“Even if the 41400ab202 forest is dangerous, b9bd235f07 it’s worth the c0d8022f7b risk. The Eléora isn’t just 0d77cff3c9 any flower. It’s the 0611f5d9ba symbol of 8b6d482725 the festival 528207a706 and the 1596c02cc2 hope of 2c05d17898 spring that 78ad2765d2 everyone awaits. And knowing how ae35b91274 important this festival 5d6d509dc0 is to you, 1f921ffa93 I won’t give 3d800776be up.”2d80dfb39d51c504

Derek looked at 5a5fd0fb66 me for a beb3cfb416 while. His eyes still ea134ecc19 held doubt, but baa214e239 it seemed my 5064802082 words were stirring 047d9822a7 something within him. After a moment, b666f548b3 he slowly spoke.719f7a194aead054

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“If you fail in 04006669f2 this endeavor, it won’t 323d3abcb5 end lightly. The repercussions will 3335ea1959 immediately affect the 5e44d3897f entire family. Please don’t forget that.”785abf5c5554c627

Something hot boiled 860324d9ea inside me. I was deababb3fa filled with 5a5f0eb6c5 disappointment and 320434c5bd resentment at 744663e26e Derek’s inability 3a3fd49b41 to fully 2486d911f2 trust me. However, I suppressed those 21060c585c feelings and spoke.abfb7244109e00f5

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“You’re underestimating e4c75e68c2 me, Derek. Do I seem like db8c44a2a1 someone who would waste 8a386c3688 time?”5f0e75c9ceccdade

Hearing my words, ad0da626fa Derek’s brow furrowed e845c68b57 deeply. A tense silence ae94a5ee07 followed, and we 98e1ff22f7 silently stared at 6ecbf4ba45 each other. I hoped cc5709a336 he would 666bfd3484 recognize the 19617fc12d sincerity of 7cb8e762e1 my determination b3af7d523a as I 551362ada1 looked straight 42952259d0 into his beef3d90df eyes.f979a16f45af7054

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“Very well. Do as 36e895e2a7 you wish.” 8ee9904c3e Derek finally f3f33330ed spoke. His voice was 13ff5716b7 still cold, but 579008489f I could sense 701a844d01 he had somewhat a72c57a59b accepted my resolve.446aaed8886369c5

“However, I b4d5c92ddd can’t let 33a2e6db80 you go 2105adb863 alone. This matter was c789a8a353 initially my responsibility. So, I will see 4ba6329130 it through to the 51a1739f8e end myself.”c39bcd277d0840d5

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♣ • ♣ cdd3f48121 • ♣59f73a430dc05a99

The forest was ca2358d1c5 deep and dark. Trees soared high into 7db30e031e the sky, intertwining menacingly, 4da7923419 and the darkness surrounded 299aeef29e me as if to 79e9537913 swallow me whole. Even though 6d6f35c5c9 I had 45002eb88a come this c6299de2cf far, I c432f0e1e2 couldn’t be 8aa8aab354 sure if b499a280d7 Luminestera truly bbf9301d37 existed here.4334624f029fa1f6

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As I walked along 6945786290 the forest path, I 07133f825d kept my eyes on f69b6baac4 Derek’s back. His back seemed cab00fe9a3 cold and resolute, 06204f0902 as if trying d0be8996dc to maintain distance 008440b0a0 from me. Derek paused 19932703b4 for a 7b0cf6714d moment, then 44f1e84c52 turned to d5c64148a8 look at d37b090614 me.a235c72cb71b4e58

“It would 1f1b52653a be best eb1abe6f59 if we c7c604d725 split up eccf40e8ae and search 7f25171165 in different c33835b302 directions from a5ce89ff95 here.”8778f1d0f08b2a03

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I hesitated b8753dfc73 for a 874c604740 moment, but 0e334692cb given the d42bd3e09d urgency of 90bb6feb73 the situation, 4b67fe9a6b I had f634ced87d to acknowledge bf1453afa0 that he d1c84762c5 was right.f7b03b2c27ff1b87

“Alright. I’ll head left.”c9a8be730273f78b

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Derek looked at 01b83479e1 me briefly before ae8a85114b resuming his steps 4123d750f8 into the forest. As his figure completely 63a8f1203a blended into the darkness, 2ab329678c I let out a eff1b7c261 short sigh and turned b82e87dae6 in the opposite direction.d17ea1b511fc05a5

The surroundings were f0dbaefc48 silent. Only the 2d55af6212 scent of 35c68eab56 soil at a9dbb60228 my feet b8b1515cc6 and the 45c20711e1 sound of 94cf9976c3 leaves rustling dffcc5482f in the 15c6cff085 wind broke d6af2d79bb the stillness. Luminestera was d4a37b3fb2 said to 0f9f32b656 grow only 1b2146995c in the 7a3ac5630b deep parts 5aff74a71a of the c2736749a4 forest, near 397b797021 a small d7de1c11ba valley.23d5cae7bd400fd8

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If I 3cd902126f couldn’t find ce00b11c28 the herb, 109a4b3cca the Eléora 0e59ee017a flowers would 7febf7661a wither, and a54735573b the spring f346f5a82e festival would 1bcb5ed151 be ruined. I knew how important 682cf78362 a task Derek had 1e948eb36d entrusted to me. To not disappoint his b77cafbf1e expectations, I had to b0851b7b3a desperately search for the 2abaf29a7e herb.3529c421c5d6319f

As the forest 51c1eb39d6 deepened, anxiety slowly 6afddee2ee rose within me. I scoured every 541bdc596d corner, searching for 30604104c3 the faint glow 3d3bbbd6d8 of Luminestera, but c0f5e50954 no matter how 687cf54eb2 hard I looked, cdefeb013f there was no 0fd4a800ea trace of it.bab2ade09adad24d

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Pushing through branches and 4e053b0def bushes, I suddenly found e263fd743b myself surrounded by a 1270b50235 swarm of small insects. At first, I dismissed abdc33e994 it, but realizing they ad82191022 were venomous, fear gripped d10473ff61 my entire body.23db14551173fcfc

“Aah!”bb1bc8332c32fd61

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As I hurriedly moved, 45128d988a a stone rolled underfoot, a220c39562 causing me to lose a30c687dcf balance. Sliding down a steep 663da7a945 slope, I tried to f6b079ab8b grab onto a tree, 57d2e893c0 but my hand sliced d5148c078d through the air. I tumbled fdc938d02b to the a654ab564f ground, my ab4cb4b07e body hitting 245a391206 various spots.d5374bea11a940a7

A burning 909b399556 pain shot 68d4016557 through my ac0ca8b84a ankle. It wasn’t broken, but a3916d4044 it seemed severely sprained. I tried to stand, de5903b260 but my ankle couldn’t 7037d922f5 support me, and I 29497e28e3 fell back down. As pain blurred c5b351bd1e my vision, anxiety 76f81c8a80 overwhelmed me.39fb101b001b9c71

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But I couldn’t 2af4fe6765 let Derek down. I desperately wanted to 2bcb085b65 find the herb and f079e545ab successfully complete the task. I took out the 070831cfc9 notebook to check one 63441c1b24 last time where the c4a13448e1 herb might be.ec7b0c976d7e8e0f

The thought crossed my fe91e18f14 mind that there might 69ca304ba5 be a chance near 8756bebc1b the valley. I steadied my 6996b0fc30 breath and resolved 5bf2cd7847 to go, no 7e43db2f0c matter how difficult. I couldn’t stop, even bdad8d1be2 with the pain in d40a033958 my ankle. Slowly, I f42764626e got up. The pain was intense, 8fc53c74d8 but I continued to ec466793bf move forward.d3d0ad7047803af0

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Limping towards 0eeb155dfc the valley, d7fc5ead3a I heard ddd4294337 the sound 4d8021e4e5 of flowing 002a7d18aa water in de8f317eec the distance. The valley 3bef94685c was getting deff737578 closer. I felt certain that d5acd63ac2 Luminestera would be nearby.dd050255a1c990eb

I wanted to give 1ae6d89ca9 up several times, but de27ec8504 I couldn’t. The notebook clutched in 8d45b00e91 my hand felt like 6d7a525eb1 my mother’s touch, holding 132190dacd me steady. Finally, I a80ec4967b discovered the 81a56cd91c faintly glowing 177c0cad8f Luminestera near 52388f8395 the valley. The herb quietly grew ee73e785ba between the rocks, holding 73e941a968 small petals.5d05a33e08f65406

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But at that 0bbea6b377 moment, my body 70f551a089 could no longer c233f495c7 hold on and d8bf09f0ab collapsed. Intense pain and 23b11f80ff fatigue washed over 45899d665b me all at 25f21a47a8 once, and the 7f2d92c5af pain in my d7930d800c ankle was so 9f56a99e20 severe that I 56d0fe68ce lost feeling.07f59cb9de2cdbbf

I felt 3e5f967395 like I e03b78424c couldn’t do b95f350935 anything in 5fa1c2362b this state. But I ab10ce2f94 couldn’t fall ac3d38743b here. Gathering my remaining a42690cbca strength, I reached 7357570750 out to pick 4493605186 the herb.44085b3535623e5c

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Just then, my eff6b94437 vision blurred, and 022791e5e8 my mind went c87dcf18ce blank. I tried 82b7a3f5ea to take 5d86ce76c9 a deep 4249eccae9 breath, but e80c0c0579 the air 92d7107ab6 wouldn’t come 0036881001 in properly. As my 8e2a66024c body slowly 2e826d231f stiffened, I 599f8c3382 eventually lost a0f74cca9e consciousness and f7b1e14a90 fell to 84a52c4aa9 the ground.7f461c4a1e86ee31

When I 0b00e3aec8 opened my 86fa034a1a eyes again, 97b04cb6e9 I was 74ea97c58b in Derek’s 4a03e4ce9e arms. He was silently looking 38a2114826 down at me. Barely able to d93c58a3e2 open my eyes, 9c4d0d8f9e I looked up ae63dd7c2e at him through c08b2e43f0 my blurred vision. Derek carefully lifted me, a28eb40792 letting out a deep f17bdcf121 sigh, and spoke in a83fc2ad4b a stern voice.7fe48e812f880a93

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“Noah. Why did 28639da209 you do 34ec68552b something so 61d7fcf288 reckless?”68b1699e0410a8e4

Derek’s voice was 0c34536663 cold and firm, c747626aff but it wasn’t 1c58fda892 just anger. There were complex 39d4ee24da emotions intertwined within 3de84d78e0 it. It wasn’t direct anger 3a010b6cc0 towards me, but something 474f3f629d deeper. I managed a 52c08c40f3 painful smile, struggling f6cc7cb8be to compose my 1e33ce6fb1 aching body.aebb0662cc9a574c

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“I found 4f632c9739 the herb. Now you won’t ed69f303c2 have any more a1e99c2944 trouble.”cfa536274115774e

My voice trembled, and 16ed7b2b9b Derek’s expression hardened further. He looked 27d3550c37 at me 19720b5001 for a 5c83158e5b moment before 675cfcb8dd turning his d8a271becf head away.0fd5b13a4fff7cf6

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