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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 26, 2010 15:20:51 GMT -5
A shiver went down Roderich's spine as Gilbert's hand touched his cheek. Attributing it to the chill of the other man's skin, he swallowed hard at the raw emotion visible in his crimson eyes but couldn't look away. It was frightening, his breath catching in his throat until he forced himself to turn away, clearing his throat and trying not to think about anything he might have seen. His heart fluttered oddly in his chest when he looked into those ruby eyes, and the upset pain in them made his chest tighten.
"We... we both need to rest," he muttered with some embarrassment, adjusting his glasses over his nose as he picked up the mop. "You especially." Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled with genuine kindness. "Don't think I don't know that you haven't been sleeping," he scolded gently, crossing the room and pressing his hands against Gilbert's shoulders, guiding him to the makeshift bed. "You're going to lay down and close your eyes, even if you don't fall asleep, while I clean." Pushing him down with surprising strength, he stepped back and crossed his arms. "I'm not going to order you, but please do what I ask." [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 26, 2010 15:55:35 GMT -5
"...I don't need sleep," Gilbert protested with a pout, but allowed Roderich to lead him across the room regardless. "I'm dead, Roddy. Well, living dead, but that's more of a zombie thing. I'm just awesome, really. I don't need the sleep! I can go at least a week without any--hey!" The Prussian grunted as he felt himself being pushed down onto the bed, but again he didn't bother fighting against the brunette's grip. It would have been easy for him to shove the other back, switch their positions, or otherwise, but the Austrian seemed quite insistent that he rest, and the fatigue he'd been working to push back was all to happy to agree with the idea.
As he stared up at Roderich from the bed, he sighed, rolling his eyes in silent annoyance. It wasn't an order, which allowed him to stand back up without any form of guilt in doing so, yet the concern, or what appeared to be concern, in Roderich's gestures was enough to make him reconsider the idea of not listening. With a sigh, he nodded quietly and shifted himself into a more comfortable position, peering up at Roderich through half-lidded eyes. "Aw, I don't get a kiss goodnight? That's no way to treat awesome." Snorting, the Prussian shut his eyes and fell almost deathly still, the only indication of his life (or lack their of) was the very slight rise and fall of his chest that worked by habit.
Sleep seemed a kind idea, and while Gilbert didn't like the idea of leaving Roderich unprotected, he decided to rely on the knowledge that he was a fairly light sleeper to alert him of something going wrong. (Though, he would admit he'd slept through some very bizarre and rather loud experiences when he was exhausted before.) Less than an hour later, the slight movements of his chest stopped and the cocky smirk that was gracing his lips faded into a slight, but very gentle smile. His features relaxed and the normal tenseness that overtook his muscles melted away. Every few minutes, his eyes would flutter slightly, but beyond that, he was completely still.
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 27, 2010 13:34:49 GMT -5
Roderich smiled as the other man closed his eyes, satisfied that he would remain there on the bed. Setting the mop to the side, he pulled off his new white coat and set it off to the side, rolling up his shirt sleeves to get to work.
As he mopped the floor, he kept glancing back at Gilbert to make sure he wasn't just laying there and watching him. The floor was absolutely filthy -- it hadn't been cleaned in years, and it looked it. About an hour later, and Roderich had only finished with half the floor. Most of the dust and dirt had come up with a little effort, but he would need to get down on his hands and knees and really scrub the floorboards to return the dark wood to its original shine. With a sigh, Roderich leaned against the mop and closed his eyes for a moment before glancing over at Gilbert again. It had become habit to check him every few minutes now, and finally, it looked as thought he other man had drifted off to sleep.
Propping the mop against a shelf, he crossed the room and gently brushed a few stray strands of silver hair away from the other man's face. His hand lingered against his cold skin for a moment, violet eyes studying the contours of his face, the slight curve of his lips. For the first time, Gilbert looked relaxed, truly relaxed, and it warmed Roderich's heart in a way that he wasn't sure he was entirely comfortable with.
Shaking his head roughly, Roderich returned his attention to the mop, scrubbing furiously at a particularly stubborn patch of dirt.
Several hours later, and he had moved on to the kitchen, deeming the next most-important room. The sunlight had turned shades of red and orange by the time he had finished cleaning the counters and all the cooking and eating supplies, leaning against the countertop and rubbing his forehead with his rolled-up sleeves. The kitchen was spotless, he had to admit to himself, turning on the water faucet with some satisfaction as water poured out. He'd managed to figure out some device that brought the water from the well up to the kitchen sink, and while he didn't fully understand it, it worked.
Returning to the study, he began to pick up the books they'd recovered and stack them neatly of the shelves, dusting each one carefully before putting it in place. After dinner, he reflected, he and Gilbert could look over these books. With a soft smile, he glanced at the other man, still asleep, and kept his movements quiet, not wanting to wake him from his peaceful slumber.
With a sigh, Roderich finished stacking the books and lit several of the candles he'd found in the kitchen before sinking into one of the newly cleaned chairs and closing his eyes. [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 27, 2010 18:50:13 GMT -5
What was only supposed to be a few seconds of sleep melted into a few minutes, and the minutes merged into hours. His body had been more than grateful for the sleep, and by the time he woke up, he was feeling much better. He was still hungry, even more-so than before, but the time resting had proved it's worth by allowing the albino to move about freely with a much less sour feeling of the world around him.
"...Roddy's been working hard," he noted, glancing around the room. He was vaguely surprised that he hadn't been awoken by all the noise, but the brunette was good at being quiet when he wanted to be. He walked out of the room and inhaled carefully, following the faint trail of Roderich he was able to make out from the other various scents about the house, finding him in the kitchen, appearing to be, asleep.
He walked over to the table and grinned, running a hand through Roderich's hair carefully and slowly, reveling in how soft it was for not having had a decent wash in several days. "You awake...?" he asked quietly, poking gently at the bizarre gravity-defying hair that had captured his attention so many times. "You're not sleeping in the chair... are you?"
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 27, 2010 19:18:52 GMT -5
Roderich opened his eyes with a start and batted Gilbert's hand away from his unnaturally-stubborn curl. "I'm not asleep, you fool, I was just taking a break..." Covering the curl with one hand, he fought to keep his breath steady as his heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest at the contact. "And please don't touch my hair." More than a little flustered, he forced himself to his feet and glanced around the kitchen. "I think I made a good start on the cleaning," he added quickly, abruptly returning to work around the kitchen. "Why don't you go find yourself something that suits your tastes while I cook myself something. An actual hot meal would be nice."
He cleared his throat and left the kitchen uncomfortably, grabbing both his and Gilbert's knapsacks to bring the food into the kitchen. "I can boil some of the meat, perhaps, and add some of the vegetables..." A part of him knew he was babbling, and he abruptly stopped with a slight flush. Clearing his throat, he requested again, "Please don't touch my hair. It's... sensitive." [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 27, 2010 20:59:13 GMT -5
Raising an eyebrow, Gilbert looked between his hand and the standing hair several times with a bemused look on his face. Of all the things on a body that he'd seen fluster a human before, hair was not one of them. A sly smirk worked it's way onto the albino's lips, and he lowered his hand as told, noting the weak-spot for later use. He knew better than to attack now, the Austrian was tired and as much as he wasn't the type to take advantage of someone not like that.
"Go look for food, huh?" He grinned and shrugged, headed for the door. "I feel a bit like a dog the way you send me off like this..." The pout on his lips was obviously fake, but it didn't stop him from trying. Gilbert was sure that Roderich would be able to pick up on the obviously fake teasing, but he added a quick grin before he disappeared, just to make sure.
Making his way to the front gate, the Prussian slipped out into a small mass of trees within eyes distance from the castle. The various rats and rodents that were likely running around in in the walls were less than appetizing. He doubted any of them were healthy by and means, and that meant their blood would taste even fouler than they looked. It wasn't common that vampire's got sick, but given enough unhealthy or infected blood and even they would fall victim to an illness that couldn't be treated by a human doctor. I can't risk that... he added silently. Human blood is required to heal a vampire when they're ill... and Roderich is the only one around. It'd risk turning him and that's out of the question.
It didn't take him long to find enough birds and small animals to satisfy his taste, but by the time he returned to the castle his clothes held several more rips along the old and dirtied fabric. He really needed new ones. Regardless of his state of dress, he started back toward the house and slipped back inside with ease, lazily making his way toward the kitchen. Roderich would still be in there, or so he hoped, and would likely be almost finished, if not done eating. While he was out, a thought had struck him involving Roderich, and he knew what he could do to ease the brunette's exhaust (or at least help it).
"Honey!" he called in a sing song voice. "I'm hoooome!" A wide grin split across his features and he gestured to one of the chairs nearest him. "Now sit down, I've got something awesome I want to share with you."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 28, 2010 0:04:21 GMT -5
Roderich sighed as the other man left the kitchen and slowed his movements, raising a hand to his stubborn curl with a slight flush. He'd overreacted (again) to something small, but... he shivered at the memory of Gilbert touching that strangely sensitive piece of hair, not-so-unpleasant tingles running down his spine. Coughing, he quickly turned back and boiled water to make himself a simple stew from their dried meat and water.
As he finished his makeshift dinner and started to clean the dishes, he heard the sound of Gilbert's booted feet against the newly cleaned kitchen floor, and he twitched slightly, imagining the mud that he was undoubtedly tracking in, left over from yesterday's rain. It wasn't worth it to reprimand him to take his shoes off, though; if they went anywhere else in the castle, he'd simply have to put them back on. Roderich made a mental note with a wince to find an older carpet they could use to wipe their feet before entering.
At Gilbert's sing-song, Honey, I'm hooooome!" his eyebrow twitched just slightly.
"Would that make me the housewife, then?" he remarked dryly, turning to face the other man but following his order to sit down. Resting his elbows on the table, he glanced over his glasses at him. "What is it?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 28, 2010 0:23:57 GMT -5
Grinning, Gilbert crossed the kitchen, oblivious to the small but easy to see trail of dirt he left behind him. "Housewife, huh? You'd make a good one the way you react to everything," he teased, moving to stand behind Roderich. "I'll try and find you an apron lying around. I bet you'd look awesome. Maybe a head-scarf, too." Sometimes, the brunette really made it too easy for the Prussian make fun of him, but he quietly reminded himself that's not why he'd come back into the kitchen and calmed himself down.
"It's nothing, really," the albino said nonchalantly as he placed his hands on the other's shoulders. "I just noticed that you seemed really tired and sore. So, because I am simply awesome in all ways possibly awesome, I thought I might help you relax." As if to prove his point, he gave Roderich's shoulders a small squeeze, pressing his thumbs against the back with a wide grin. Where he'd learned to pick up on massaging he didn't know, but he was none-the-less pleased to know the talent was finally being put to use. "Just relax, okay?"
Carefully, he slowly worked his fingers toward the center of Roderich's shoulder blades, where he then worked downward, kneading his knuckles along the brunette's spin before fanning out toward the sides and back in again. His skilled fingers worked through the tough but thin material of the jacket, carefully spending more time over any knots or over-tenseness he'd feel in a muscle before moving away. When he reached Roderich's lower back, just barely above the white pants, he massaged is way back to the top, pausing as he reached the back of the neck. "Where does it hurt most?" he asked quietly, moving his hands to the middle of the brunette's spin, keeping up a rhythmic pressure movement as he waited for an answer.
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 28, 2010 0:52:46 GMT -5
"I will wear no such thing," Roderich stated firmly with slight irritation. Really, why must he persist in--
And then a light gasp emerged from his lips as Gilbert's fingers pressed firmly into his back, tensing all his muscles simultaneously before he forced himself to relax as best he could. For a while he said nothing, small, pained gasps sporadically escaping his lips as the other man's fingers found a particularly tense spot. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a massage; if ever, really. The friction of moving his fingers against the soft cloth of Roderich's vest seemed to have warmed Gilbert's hands, further soothing aching muscles he had barely even noticed before now. His muscles all but melted under the Prussian's skilled touch, and, closing his eyes, Roderich managed to finally relax.
With every muscle that loosened its reluctant stiffness, a weird tingle radiated out along his back to the tips of his fingers and toes that made his heart beat more rapidly and dry his mouth so that he had to swallow hard every time Gilbert touched his back. It was not unlike when the other man had touched his hair-curl earlier, a strange feeling that made him feel at once safe and... different. Roderich still hadn't identified this feeling, and he still wasn't sure if he liked it or not.
Resting his head in his palms, he closed his eyes as the Prussian spoke. "That... that feels really good," he murmured as Gilbert's hands didn't stop the pressure. "You've mostly loosened the knots in my shoulders, but since you asked... my neck and my lower back are still slightly tight." Quickly, he added, "But I can barely notice it, really. Don't worry about it." He tried to turn, but the pressure from the other man's hands told him otherwise. "Perhaps I can do the same for you, later." [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 28, 2010 1:20:59 GMT -5
Clearing his throat, Gilbert quickly moved his fingers back to Roderich's neck, working his fingers carefully up and down each line of muscle. When he was finally satisfied with the loosened muscles of the brunette's neck, he quickly moved down to his lower back mimicking the deft finger strokes there. Each time he came across a muscle he found particularly tense, he'd slow his movements and go back over the spot several times until it would loosen before moving on.
"It's fine," he finally said with a small shrug, looking faintly embarrassed. "I'm good at dealing with pain; I'm too awesome for it. Besides, you're already falling asleep in your chair. I can handle what's left in the study. You, on the other hand, need rest." Contrary to his protests, the idea of getting a massage from his contractor was quite tempting. Given the brunette's mastery on the piano, he had no doubts that his hands were quite skilled when it came to touch as well. He couldn't remember having ever gotten a massage in his life, all two-hundred-some years of it, the closet he could think of being once time when he'd managed to hurt his ankle and Frederick had kindly offered to rub it for him to ease the pain.
"I'm just pleased to help you, young master," he cooed, slowly moving his hands up toward the middle of Roderich's back and then back down again. "You're loosening up pretty fast now. That's good. I means you've stopped being so..." he trailed off, frowning as he finally took notice of the off movements beneath his fingers. While most wouldn't have noticed it, both audibly and by touch, it was easy for Gilbert to tell the sudden increase in the musician's heart-rate that had yet to slow down. His own chest clenched in an oddly pleasant way, taking pleasure in the fact that it was him making Roderich's heart race. But as to why this was... Gilbert didn't know. "...uptight..." he finished with a quiet mumble.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, the Prussian trailed his hands back up Roderich's back; no longer massaging but simply, touching. His fingers came to rest on the brunette's shoulder before he leaned forward, slowly wrapping his arms around the musician's shoulders and pulled the other back against his chest. His nose twitched faintly as it was tickled by brown hair, but Gilbert made no move to brush it away. "Feel better?" he asked, reveling in the pleasurable but confusing feelings that seemed to be rushing through his body like wild-fire. He was warming up quickly, and he knew it was thanks to Roderich, but even so, the brunette had never dispelled the cold feeling of his skin this quickly though simple touch before. It was something else, something to do with the emotions rushing through him, and something Gilbert couldn't name.
"If you don't want anything else... we should head back to the study," he advised, making no move to pull away. "I'm awesome enough to handle the rest, seriously. You just curl up like a cat and sleep the night away~ Unless you think you'd miss me. Then I could sit with you for a bit." His words were large and ego-boosting, but even as he spoke them, his voice remained oddly soft and quiet, as if scared he might break the comforting atmosphere that seemed t have settled around them.
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 28, 2010 17:11:56 GMT -5
For several rapid heartbeats, Roderich said nothing, unwilling to let this moment -- whatever it was -- end. The feeling of the Prussian's body was strangely comfortable against his now-loosened back, the other man's skin oddly warm and soothing the remnants of his stiff muscles. Warm... Roderich had never thought the other man could be so warm, like a blanket he just wanted to turn and relax into.
Clearing his throat, he flushed slightly and rose to his feet to release Gilbert's grip in an attempt to dismiss such confusing thoughts from his mind. "The study is clean enough for now," he replied with a smile. "I'd like to start going through some of those books we brought up now."
With a start, he glanced over Gilbert's torn and filthy clothes as if seeing them for the first time, eyes narrowing. "But first, lets go find you something to wear, hmm?" A gentle smirk, softer yet not too-unlike the Prussian's own graced his lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder what you would do without your young master here to make sure you're properly fed and clothed." [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 28, 2010 17:41:21 GMT -5
Rolling his eyes, poking Roderich in the cheek as he tried to rid the brunette's face of the cocky smile. In all honesty, he quite liked the smirk, it made the brunette look dominant and powerful; like the young master that he was. "I'd probably die off in a corner, I'm sure. All my awesome would just fade away without you to make sure I tried my boots and changed my underwear." As sarcastic as his words were, they were, in a sense, true. If it hadn't been for Roderich, Gilbert doubted that he would have still been alive. Suicide was always a tempting thought for one who lived forever and nothing to live for. The brunette have given him a new reason to start caring about both his life and another's, saving him from both himself and the despair of being alone. Thus, if new clothes were what Roderich wanted, he'd look for them (he was started to get disgusted with them, anyway).
"I doubt we'll find anything good. That outfit of yours was complete chance; but I found it because I'm awesome." There was little sense to the small explanation, but Gilbert didn't stick around for Roderich to point that out. He quickly made his way toward the stairs, scaling up to the second floor where he began to poke through bedrooms, throwing open closets and drawers without much thought as he looked for clothes that had the chance of fitting him.
Unfortunately, most of the clothes that he found which had any chance of fitting him were already falling apart or ridden with holes made by moths and various other small creatures. Several shirts that had been piled together looked as if they had been temporarily made into a makeshift nest for a mouse, and Gilbert was quick to toss them out the window in hopes of tempting at least one of the families of rodents outside. It meant one less group for him to catch and made the cleaning job that much easier.
"Where the hell am I going to find anything that fits...?" he muttered, clearly annoyed that his search had come up empty handed by the time he reached the fourth and final floor. He wasn't too keen on trying the attic, and he doubted that there was much that would still be usable stored up there. "This is... ah...?" A bag hanging in the back of one of the closets by a hanger caught the albino's attention and he reached for it curiously, tugging it open with a satisfied grin. "Whoa... awesome. It looks like Roddy's family had a good taste in clothes after all."
Not bothering to ask if Roderich had found anything in his search, the silverette quickly shut the door of the room his was in and stripped down without a second thought. His old clothes were tossed carelessly on the floor and the new ones tugged with a child-like glee as he admired himself in a long mirror. "Kesesesesese, I look awesome."
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 28, 2010 18:13:06 GMT -5
Gilbert had dashed off before Roderich could think of a suitably scathing reply, and contented himself with a muttered, "That made absolutely no sense for as 'awesome' as you claim to be, idiot." The effect was somewhat ruined as he smiled, unable to keep a straight face at the other man's random bursts of energy.
Roderich could hear the other man running from room to room, and winced, imagining the damage being inflicted on innocent dressers and closets. Moving far more leisurely, he went through the piles Gilbert had hastily combed through to see if the other man had missed anything. As he went on, though, he could see why Gilbert had been able to go through so quickly -- there was literally nothing decent. Giving up, he let Gilbert run through the house and started to pile the clothes together, grimacing in disgust at the thin slime that coated some of them as though they'd been partially eaten, then rotted. Tomorrow, perhaps, they would burn these clothes, or tear them up and use them to dust.
He glanced up after a few minutes, realizing that he hadn't hear Gilbert's running footsteps for some time. "Gilbert?" An irrational fear took hold of him for a moment as he strode briskly down the hall and mounted the stairs carefully, gripping the rail as if afraid (and rightly so) that the stairs might collapse under him until he came to the fourth floor.
Pausing, he thought he could hear the faint rustle of cloth-on-cloth and frowned. "Gilbert, did you find something?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Gilbert Weillschmidt on Mar 28, 2010 19:06:59 GMT -5
Hearing Roderich call him, Gilbert pulled away from the mirror and turned, his face resembling that of a puppy's after being called my it's master. Rushing toward the door, his new red cloak billowed around him as he quickly buttoned the white pants that reached down to his ankles, but were carefully tucked away in the black boots that nearly reached his knees in height. "I found something awesome!" he grinned, throwing the door open with a sense of glee about him. His hat and new white cravat were slightly crooked due to his rush to get them on and show the brunette his new uniform.
His face, no longer obscured by the high collar of a cloak or large hat was accented nicely against the darker colours of his uniform. His pale skin was almost as white as the disheveled cravat around his neck, and the dark shares of red and gold about the coat made his already very crimson eyes appear much brighter and deeper than before. Messy strange of silver hair stuck out hap-haphazardly from under the black hat, complimented by a lovely fake rose and long red feather, which no longer left his features shrouded in shadow. All in all, though the clothes were somewhat loose, they framed his slender figure nicely and did little to hurt his already handsome features.
"It's like an old military uniform," he grinned, lifting the edge of his cloak happily, running a finger over the material before tugging on the white gloves he'd found in the pocket of the pants. "You never struck me as the type who came from a heavy military family, but I'm not complaining. I look even more awesome than before--and look! One of my birds could ride in the top of the hat easily." It took several minutes for the Prussian's child-like pleasure with his new clothes to die down before he turned, carefully holding himself as still as possible for Roderich to see. "What do you think?"
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Post by Roderich Edelstein on Mar 28, 2010 19:53:03 GMT -5
Roderich's mouth all but dropped open as Gilbert ran toward him, his arms flapping like a madman. His new uniform was... stunning, to say the least, and he could barely speak for a moment as the Prussian stopped before him and babbled on and on, something about 'awesome' and 'military' registering vaguely in his mind. These new clothes, not as dark as the other's, seemed to give his skin tone a more natural and healthy shine, perfectly complimenting the shimmer in the other man's crimson eyes, clearly visible beneath his new hat.
"You look... good," Roderich managed, realizing that Gilbert had finally stopped speaking and was waiting for his approval. Taking a few steps closer, he reached out and adjusted the crooked cravat, fingers lingering against his chest perhaps longer than necessary. "Really good... I would never have imagined there would be something that sophisticated left intact."
His eyes were so much more visible now, Roderich realized with a start as he glanced at the other man's face and straightened his hat. They were nearly the same height, and the casual movements had brought him closer than he'd expected, their noses nearly touching as he stared into the other man's eyes, seeing a softness he hadn't expected deep within the crimson orbs. Absently, he raised his hand and brushed a stray bit of dirt away from the Prussian's cheek with his thumb.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Roderich yanked his hand away as if he'd been shocked and stepped back, feeling his cheeks flush. "If you're finished admiring yourself, we should head back downstairs," he muttered uncomfortably, forcing himself to look away. A strange warmth was enveloping him the longer he stared, and he forced the unfamiliar feeling deep down inside him. "Let's go." [/blockquote]
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