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Post by Gar on Feb 19, 2017 14:49:14 GMT -6
Another day, another treasure map. Gar was in Sacae, reconnecting to his roots, when he came across a kind old shine maiden. The woman claimed that Gar seemed like the type of man who enjoyed hunting for treasure. She gave him a scroll with landmarks and a big X to mark a specified location. Gar thanked the woman and accepted the map. So began the hunt. Apparently he would be looking for a magical weapon. One that had the strange ability to manipulate time. That kind of power shouldn’t belong to any one being, but Gar figured it would be best in his hands instead of some potential super villain’s.
Are you so bored with my power that you are already thirsting for another weapon? Junzentaru communicated directly to Gar’s mind. The weapon’s complaint made Gar smirk a little. Don’t get jealous June. You’ll always be my first magical weapon.
Responding to that jealousy remark would dignify it. I refuse to do so. Gar chuckled again and decided to being the hunt.
Gar made it all the way from the shelter where he was staying to the town gate on his own. Then he ran into a problem. The map didn’t have a compass rose on it. All he had to go off of were the positions of the landmarks relative to each other. Gar didn’t recognize any of these places, he had only been in the grassy land for a short time.
Gar did the only thing that came to mind. He stood there at the town gates turning his map one way then another. He was hoping that reorienting the map would provide some type of insight into where he should go. The effort was ineffective. So Gar stood at the gates scratching his head while he attempted to figure out which way to go.
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Post by Midori on Feb 19, 2017 21:45:30 GMT -6
Midori had been working the loom for most of the day. The sheep had been sheared the month prior and now it was up to the women of the village to turn that wool into cloth. And then turn that cloth into all manner of clothes and blankets. The troubadour’s village gets cold at night regardless of the season, a result of them living in the shadows of the mountains. Midori was not fond of loom work. She disliked the horrible monotony of the thing. But, it was her domestic duty to be fluent in spinning and sewing. Not every day in the life of the shrine maiden was full of healing and helping the sick.
So when the opportunity arose to take a break far away from the loom, she took it. She made her way out of the monastery’s living quarters and out towards the stables. The sleek terrain of the upper valley made it difficult for horses to climb. So the stables were at the base of the shrine. And so Midori made her way down the path. A path that was a patchwork of smooth dirt road and steps.
She passed by those who worked the fields. Plateaus of earth that had been carved into the land ages ago. These plateaus mostly grew rice. The daily climb up and down the path ensured that those who lived at the shrine were in shape. There were several smaller shrines dotted along the path. A rest house marked the halfway point. A larger shrine was there too. Many of the towns folk who cannot make the full journey up the valley often stopped here for their prayers. There were always priests and priestesses here offering their services.
She continued down the path to the stables. She saddled up Ashes and then gently guided the horse through town. Her goal was to get to the wide open plains and go for a run. On her way she stopped alongside a familiar face. The man she helped escort here, the sailor, Gar. Who looked to be really confused at a paper. A map.
“Greetings Gar. You need some help?”
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Post by Gar on Feb 20, 2017 20:02:41 GMT -6
Gar stroked his short beard as he viewed the map. Is that a mountain range or a river? And that thing over there hoof prints? Are there wild horses nearby? Gar knew next to nothing about Sacae, its details and its intricacies. Gar looked over his shoulder as he heard the clip clop of a horse’s hooves moving behind him. He would probably have to ask the passerby for directions, but he was hesitant to do so. Don’t allow your prideful nature to interfere with your quest. Just ask for directions. Gar grunted but relented. He would ask this stranger where to go.
“Greetings Gar. You need some help?” It was Midori, a troubadour Gar had met on his way to the Chaklai’s village. This certainly made things significantly easier. Gar would be more comfortable asking her for directions rather than a stranger.
“Ahoy Midori.” It was perfect timing. The troubadour certainly knew more about the surrounding area than Gar did. He extended his arm to show her the map. He pointed to a few of the symbols that he couldn’t make heads or tails of. “So you see, I got this here map. Apparently a powerful weapon lies at the destination. Only problem is, the dang thing doesn’t have a compass rose and I don’t know the area well enough to figure out there these landmarks are. Think you could help me out?” Gar put on a welcoming smile to assist in persuading the troubadour to join his cause. If his impression of the girl was accurate, she would be happy to help. It wouldn’t be the first time Gar asked for her assistance.
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Post by Midori on Feb 20, 2017 20:41:49 GMT -6
"Hm?" Midori had to lean a bit to see the map. It was certainly a map of the area. She knew all these land marks. The hoofprints marked the territory of the wild horses. The river was towards the west. Mountains.. were.. well they were behind them. And parallel to them. She knew the layout of some of the farms that lingered at the edge of the territory.
"Yes, I can help you with that." She smiled softly. A small trip outside their borders was just the distraction she needed. It was a relatively short journey too. Just enough to give both her and her horse some exercise.
"This is the first I've heard of this powerful weapon." She paused.
"I'm kind of curious to see what it is. Do you mind if I tag along?" Oh wait a minute. Right she couldn't just do that. She was a priestess. It would be bad if she was suddenly seen scampering off with a stranger whom she had just met a few nights ago. While the hunt for treasure was an innocent thought she knew there would be some out there who would twist that intention into something hurtful. She sighed. Why couldn't things be simple.
"I'll need a quick moment to find an escort though." Customs.. Customs.. Customs.. The voice of her head muttered in an annoyed voice. It was custom that dictated what she must do and what she had to do. Customs that told her her place was in the at the loom or the kitchens. Wait no I LIKE the kitchens. She took a brief moment to bring herself back to the situation at hand. She needed to wait for Gar to say yes or no to her joining.
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Post by Gar on Feb 23, 2017 21:10:34 GMT -6
"Of course you can come with. Honestly, I'd be lost without the help hahar." Gar grinned at the troubadour to show his sincerity. However, Midori claimed she had to go find an escort before they left. This was an unexpected request for the good-natured pirate. Was he considered a danger that she needed protection from? Gar took it as a bit of a slight against his character but he couldn't blame her. He was a foreign sailor who had just recently taken an interest in this tribe and it's culture. There was no way he could expect to be trusted immediately. Especially not around one of the tribe's priestesses.
Nonetheless, Gar made an inquisitive face. "An escort? Pff I'm harmless. But if you feel more comfortable that way then sure, let's find us an escort." Gar moved to follow Midori wherever they needed to go, he was still unfamilar with the layout of the town. He thought about the role of an escort and what kind of person they would be. If this person was coming along, he would need to trust them. Not just any person could be taunted by a magical weapon and not try some underhanded tactic to try to get their hands on it.
"So this escort. How well do you know the person? Do you think we would be able to share the contents of the map with them?" Perhaps this was Gar's upbringing kicking in. He would never share treasure maps with pirates that he didn't personally trust. But this case was a little bit different. He wasn't at sea with scoundrels where there were no rules. He was in an unfamiliar land with their own way of doing things. Still, it never hurts to be safe.
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Post by Midori on Feb 25, 2017 19:02:59 GMT -6
"Thank you Gar." Midori bowed softly atop her steed. She thanked him for both the permission to go with him on this small adventure and for the permission to let her find an escort. And Midori knew exactly where to go to find one. She guided Gar away from the village gates and into the local inn. The inn doubled as a pub. Midori quietly got off her horse and tied her to the post. There was a trough of water for her to drink from. The bottom floor was the pub. This was where many people gathered to grab a good bite to eat. With fish ball soup being the local special as well as some other imported foods. She waved past Hana, the receptionist. The elderly lady waved back. She was busy with a customer of her own. However, it would be rude of Midori to have simply walked past her without at least gesturing a hello.
Now at the pub there was one person she'd consider the perfect escort for the job. Her friend Skai. The blue haired sniper who had been her friend since child hood. Midori was honestly surprised to see him here. She pulled up the seat next to him.
"Greetings Skai." She smiled softly at him.
"Oh, Hey Midori!" He greeted back.
Midori turned around and introduced Gar.
"Gar, this is Skai. One of The Chakai's finest snipers and one of my good friends." Skai had a vague recollection of him. He knew him as the sailor man that they picked up from the village destroyed by fire. Midori might have mentioned him before but honestly, he didn't remember much. He was a bit too focused on his mug of mead to really put any effort into remembering if he remembered this stranger or not. but, he greeted the axe warrior anyway. She sighed softly then spoke again.
"Uh.. Skai.. if I may ask.. what are you doing here?"
Skai looked confused. It was obvious what he was doing. He was having a drink.
"Uh.. is that a trick question?"
"No. I mean are you busy?"
"If by busy you mean putting effort into avoiding my domestic responsibilities. Then yes. If my wife asks.. I was not here." He poked Midori on the forehead. He knew Midori too well.
"Well.. I need an escort. Gar wants to explore something outside of the village.. and I can't take him alone." She hoped he'd say yes.
"Alright. I'll do it. So what are we doing?" He asked Gar this time.
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Post by Gar on Mar 1, 2017 5:06:22 GMT -6
Gar followed Midori's lead as they entered the building. He gave a lazy wave to the old woman at reception. She continued forward and introduced him to a blue haired man by the name of Skai. "Ahoy. Pleased to meet ya." Gar gave the man a smile, while simultaneously sizing him up. The guy wasn't too stocky as far as Gar was concerned. Therefore, the man would have to be rather skilled sniper if he were to act as an escort. Gar noticed that the man was focused on his drink. He felt bad for interrupting. The words of one of his old captains echoed in his mind. "There are three times that you never bother a man. When he's eating, drinking or with a woman." Gar smiled at the recollection, before returning to the conversation at hand.
Gar gave a hearty Hahar at Skai's comment about his wife. This guy's alright in my book. Junzentaru gave a light pulse in response to Gar's thought. You are bound to have a difficult life if one comment is all it takes to earn your trust. Gar shrugged it off. Of course it would take more than that to earn the details of his treasure map. Gar instead responded in line with what he believed would get the sniper to join them without divulging too much information.
Gar smiled, almost mischievously, at the man and cocked his head."We will be looking for a few things in the nearby vicinity. That said, I don't think we'll see any sign of these domestic responsibilities of yours. Think of it as an alibi of sorts. Hahar." Gar hoped the man would simply laugh and agree to come. Gar didn't have much of a plan on what to say if Skai pressed him on the particulars of the quest.
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Post by Midori on Mar 4, 2017 16:32:46 GMT -6
"Ha! Gar, you clearly haven't met my wife. That woman has an uncanny ability to know when I'm slacking off." Skai grinned. Midori had been witness to Skai's wife's uncanny ability to detect her husband's slacking ways. Granted Skai didn't do the slacking often but sometimes one cannot ignore that opportunity to relax.
"It's true. Lady Azi has a six sense for laziness." Midori commented. She was good friends with Azi and was sometimes on the receiving end of one of her lectures.
"She means well though. I can't blame her. Our family breeds horses and train archers on horseback for a living. It's not exactly the easiest life to live but it's worth it." He went ahead and finished his drink. He got up, cracked his knuckles, and stretched his arms up over his head. Then he put his arms down.
"I'd rather not risk her finding me out here. So, lets get going." It really didn't take much to convince Skai to go out and have a good time. Even if that good time meant expending more energy and doing more work than simply being on the ranch.
"Midori makes a great alibi already. I can't get in trouble for not doing my errands if I'm helping her with her own." He then ruffled Midori's hair as he often did when they were together. Which made her frown and forced her to fix it. In the eight or so years they have known each other, this interaction between them, has never changed. They acted like siblings would. Despite them not having a single blood or paternal relation what so ever.
"And helping a newcomer to our tribe with a tour of our outskirts. That's just builds a better alibi." He grinned.
"You are still going to get in trouble for not doing what you are supposed to do, Skai. But, thank you." Midori spoke as she fussed reassembling her braid. With that settled, the trio, was ready for an adventure.
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Post by Gar on Mar 12, 2017 18:43:52 GMT -6
With the addition of Skai, the group was now able to leave. The escort apparently made certain that everything was in order. Gar didn't know what would've happened had they not gotten an escort, but now it didn't really matter. Skai seemed like a decent guy and Gar was taking a liking to him. He also enjoyed the familiarity between the two Chaklai. It was a nice scene, but they would probably have to get a move on if they wanted to be sure this Lady Azi didn't find them. If his impression was correct she would be the type of woman to put Gar to work as well. To ensure that didn't happen Gar exited the tavern and retraced his path here toward the gates.
Upon arrival at the gate Gar reached into his pocket and unfolded the map. He examined it briefly to little avail. He hadn't made much progress in gaining his bearings since the last time he looked at the map. Gar sighed and hung his head in a defeated manner. He outstretched the map toward Midori. "I think you might have to be the navigator on this one." The pirate looked out upon the plains in front of him. If what he was told could be believed, there was an incredibly powerful weapon that laid somewhere out there. It was this groups responsibility to ensure that this weapon did not fall into the grasp of evil. Not to mention how strong Gar could be if he had both June and another magical weapon. Gar quietly hoped it would be an axe, or something he was familiar with. Gar looked to Midori to see which direction the group should go.
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Post by Midori on Mar 18, 2017 18:03:12 GMT -6
Midori took the map and examined it. She found it a bit strange that she had no idea that there was some mysterious powerful weapon somewhere on the outskirts of her village's homeland. And here she thought she and a majority of the children had investigated every single little nook and cranny of their home territory. Many of those adventures into her tribe's "city limits" had been with Skai, Azi, and a younger Lady Lucy. Maybe there was something that they missed. Gar was counting on her to lead. And she would be glad to do so.
So their first destination would lead them out of the city walls and into the edges of their territory. A simple enough walk. The landmark for that was the wall itself. The map did well to outline to city walls and the surrounding mountains. She knew there was a spot on the map past the wall that was a spire of rocks. She called it a spire. But, in reality it was three large rocks, taller than most houses, bound together through the earth. It resembled a larger fatter version of a duck's foot. Or the three fingers that stuck up when one did the OK hand gesture. Or in her tribe's case, it was a religious gesture meant to express intellectual discussion. The circle, representing the wheel of law and the three fingers representing virtues. But that wasn't the point. The point was that they were going towards the three rock spire thing. No more than a twenty minute walk away from the village walls.
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Post by Gar on Mar 24, 2017 1:23:03 GMT -6
Gar followed in Ashe's hoof-steps. Midori took to leading the way without a word. The pirate was walking tall, with a certain pep in his step. He even hummed a light sea shanty that he had managed to get stuck in his head during his introduction to Skai. If he remembered correctly, the lyrics spoke of a man who often hid away from his responsibilities. Eventually the responsibilities caught up with him and well the rest is open to interpretation. Gar didn't get the impression that Skai was too much like the man in the song, his candor simply reminded him of it.
Gar's holy weapon pulsed at his hip. You certainly are in a positive mood. Junzentaru commented on Gar's happiness. Gar nodded his head with a grin. He spoke aloud, both in response to the weapon and to the party members. " This is what its all about you know? Working together to finish a task to make the world a better place."
Gar just realized he may have said to much. Skai might question how exactly they would be making the world better, but maybe he would let it slide. Gar decided he should quickly change the subject. He pointed off into the distance. " Ho. I think I remember those pillars. Three of em. Looks like I made the right call in making you navigator huh? You're pretty good at this." Gar was happy that they were already making progress on their journey. At this rate they would have this magical weapon in no time.
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Post by Midori on Apr 1, 2017 19:47:35 GMT -6
Midori couldn't help but nodd at Gar's words. The sailor had only been with them a short time but it was nice to hear him already talk about making the world a better place. Midori remembered that Gar's parents were once Chaklai. It seemed that they had instilled their son with some of the virtues of the tribe even though they had left. That was something that had bothered Midori a bit. Why would people leave the safety of the Chaklai? Well, no, she kind of knew the reason for that. The life of the common man could get very monotonous. Midori herself was prone to this sort of boredom with life. As devout as she was she was only human. With as many likes and dislikes as the next person.
"A better world is what we strive for. As members of the Chaklai." Skai spoke.
"Midori's a healer so she makes the world a better place one person at a time." He grinned a bit.
"Yes people do seem a bit more friendlier when they aren't suffering in pain." Midori commented back.
"The tribe does it's best to try and make the world better through peaceful.. humanitarian actions. Not all of life's problems need brute force to be solved." Midori nodded lightly at the words of her elders. She quietly patted Ashes on the side of her neck.
"Ah yes.. peaceful. Gar, don't let her decive you. Her staff hurts if she wacks you with it." He smirked.
"Although some actions DO deserve brute force." She glared at Skai. Then shook her head.
"So, Gar, where you from? You don't look a whole lot like those refugees from the village." He asked out of curiosity. He had not had the chance to talk to Gar as much as Midori did. All that he knew of him was what Midori had told him earlier. It wasn't long before the two of them were at the pillars of rocks mentioned before.
(ooc- your going to have to give me a bit of a guide as to how we are moving towards where.)
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Post by Gar on Apr 2, 2017 4:59:34 GMT -6
Gar was laughing happily. The banter of these two Chaklai was outstanding. It was the kind of back and forth talk that had to come from a long friendship. Gar found them funny, friendly. It helped to continue his good mood. They were good company, the kind you would need on a long voyage, or a twenty minute walk.
"Yahahar, Glad I don't look like a refugee. But dont you know? You aren't supposed to ask a sailor about his past." That was a lesson the Gar had leaned well. As he grew up on ships, he was typically curious, fascinated with the people who lived in his company. Who knows what kind of man they could be? Anything from an ex pirate to a devout priest, Gar had seen them all and he could tell them apart from a glance. Gar acquiesced.
"I was born and raised at sea. But if I had to call a place home, it would have to be Badon, Lycia." Gar laughed at himself a little. "Im sure you could've guessed as much. Hahar." Gar was a man who looked like a wannabe pirate. Bandanna, axe, and salt in his scruffy beard. Badon was a known port for pirates and the like. That said Gar probably shouldve called the sea his true home. That was where he was comfortable. Until recent events occurred, at least. The group was coming up on the first landmark.
Gar touched his head with a finger. "Hmm. I think we are supposed to look for a cave from here." Gar scanned the area to no avail. He spoke again. "It should be a cave that we can only see from this angle. Maybe. Unless I was reading that map wrong. Hahar wouldn't be the first time."
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Post by Midori on Apr 2, 2017 18:01:50 GMT -6
"I hear Badon has a cursed isle somewhere in it's waters. Full of monsters and a gate to a demon realm." Skai commented. He threw up his hands in an effort to make the place sound creepy. "Badon's the port town. Not the isle itself Skai. I imagine it to be a big melting pot of different peoples and cultures all working together to make life liveable. In that sense it's no different then our home village." Midori had never been to Badon herself. She only knew of the stories travelers had told her. The three of them arrived at the three great rocks. These rocks were massive in size. They stood to be about twenty or so feet tall and about teen feet wide. They resenbled a sort of cone shape. They were adorned with some large rope and yoshida style shide. The large cloth ornaments fluttered gently in the wind. There was a small wooden fence surrounding the rocks. "Oh.. this brings back memories." Midori spoke as she reached out to touch one of the paper charms. They were a little weather worn, but still white enough to be seen a few yards away. "Which ones?" Skai asked as he looked up at the highest rock. "All of them." She shook her head. "You see Gar, when we were kids we would climb these pile of rocks as sort of a dare to one another. These rocks are sacred.. so climbing them was all sorts of forbidden." He explained. "I climbed it first.. then goaded the others to do it." Skai proclaimed rather triumphantly. "The legend is that three brothers once tried to defend a woman they had never met from a monster. This woman turned out to be the earth mother in human guise. The monster was defeated but not with out the lives of those three being sacrificed. As a thank you.. the earth mother turned them into these giant stones you see before you." Midori clarified. "Yeah. Supposedly if you climb them with out any rope or equipment you prove you have like.. wisdom.. courage.. and strength." He scratched his head. "It's funny.. looking at it as an adult.. these rocks are smaller now then when we were kids. And climbing these things with no safety net or supervision.. that's was kinda dumb. Remember the time we got caught?" "Gods above! Do I! I never saw the high priests so mad. And your mom.. she was furious! A bull would have paled in comparison to that rage. I had to scrub every single kitchen pot in the shrine for like a week. Right down to the grit. Some of those pots were cauldrons that could fit two kid versions of me." She shuddered lightly. Her wrists and legs were so sore after that. "Yeah. I was stuck on chicken coop and horse dung duty for a while too." He sighed. "We were all banned from seeing each other for like a whole summer after that. It was terrible.Midori shook her head. She re-examined one of the charms. The inside bit of the cloth charm had runes inside them that warded off evil. She could almost feel a faint hum of magic coming from them. "The clergy is responsible for maintaining all sorts of shrines and holy monuments. The monks and priestesses we weaved the fibers of the ropes together and made the shide you see dangling from them." "Anyway everyone's banned from climbing these rocks. But.. if it's a cave.. were looking for." Skai glanced around. He pointed out towards another hillside. He knew that there was a cave of sorts in one of those hills that lead towards an underground chamber. The chamber wasn't much and the Chaklai use it as a sort of storage. Maybe the map had some sort of riddle to solve an anient puzzle. After all that little cave did have some strange markings on it's insides. In a language that predates that of the Chaklai. "We'd have to go out towards the hills. Bout another fifteen minute walk from here." Midori beat Skai to the punch in terms of directions. "That's the only cave we know of that's near here." Skai shrugged. Midori got off of Ashes for a moment and let the horse eat some of the fresh grass that was around. "A small stream runs through there. It would be a good spot to take a break. Maybe you can tell us more about Badon when we get there."
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Post by Gar on Apr 7, 2017 19:18:29 GMT -6
“Valor, the Dread Isle. You know, I was supposed to go there once. Adventure of a lifetime, they said. Let’s just say I’ve had plenty of adventures in my time and I don’t think that one will define me.” Gar smiled as he thought about the voyages past. There was something about that time at sea that made Gar who he was. Even though he was on a sea of grass, hiding from the deep dark waters, he was still nostalgic about the trips he had been on. He had seen just about every coastline at this point. Aside from Bern.
“Hahar Now Badon’s biggest curse is having people like me calling it home.” Gar smiled and thought about his family. They lived north of Badon so had the port ever been attacked they wouldn’t be in immediate danger. Not only that but Badon was home to some of the oldest, most battle tested pirates that were still alive. That said, the pirate groups in the western isles were more numerous, and more ruthless. But they weren’t talking about the isles. They were talking about how the Chaklai would get harshly disciplined for climbing rocks.
Gar thought to his younger years, climbing masts and sails all the time. Even after his father told him he would go a month with no meat in his rations. “Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t grow up here. The adults sound like they already had their hands full with you lot. And I can’t imagine how the clergy would’ve handled a kid like me.” Gar smiled at how much of a terror he used to be for his father and the merchant crew. But somehow they did manage to teach him his letters and numbers.
Gar watched Midori dismount from the horse as if she had done it a million times before. He remembered watching some cavaliers help ladies off of their horses and wondered if he was expected to do the same. Offering a hand with a bowed head wasn’t exactly his style. Ehh, she’s probably better off without me getting in the way. Im not a knight anyway. Gar knew next to nothing about horses.
The group came upon the stream that Midori mentioned. Gar rolled his neck and promptly plopped down on the ground with a sigh. Skai and Midori wished to learn more of Badon. Gar was happy to provide information about the port. “Badon. Bars, less than reputable merchants, and well…” Gar placed a palm over his eyes and revealed a blushing smile. “There are plenty of pretty women who can drink you under the table and take your coin.” It’s happened too many times to count at this point. As if the pirate still hadn’t learned his lesson. Maybe he was just a little too optimistic.
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