apocalypsehowcomm | (mingle) It must be party time

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(mingle) It must be party time

Who: Ren Amamiya, Wanda Maximoff, you!
When: 12th of September
Where: Good Harbor Beach
Summary: Here's the barbecue log! Eating, playing games, having a bonfire and sleep-over on the beach!
Warnings: Alcohol? Ghost stories?

ɪ. ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ

Congratulations, you've made it to the Good Harbor Beach September barbecue! With the weather cooling, but still pleasant enough, it's a pleasure to have a hangout involving ADI's residents and those who live at Bonnie's. There are still so many people who don't know one another, and many to strengthen bonds with, so the hours your dearest Wanda and Ren spend cooking and flipping and seasoning are nothing but rewarding! Seeing people enjoying themselves is great and it's motivating for them to keep doing these encounters every now and then.

On the menu, we have:
- Burgers;
- Steaks with jacked potato sides;
- Ribs;
- Zucchini-and-Pecorino fritters;
- Several different salads, including ovcharska;
- Aubergine kebabs with charred onion salsa;
- Salmon yakitori;
- Takoyaki;
- Cupcakes
- Apples and honey;
- Cherry dumplings;
- Sarmale filled with rice;
- Bundevara (pumpkin pie);

For drinks, there's a selection of alcohol, as well as coffee, water, tea, and a variety of sodas. Take in the nice view, jump on the ocean, sink your toes in the sand and enjoy yourselves. There aren't any usable tables, but there are several blankets on the floor for your perusal.

ɪɪ. ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ

With bellies full, now it's when the real fun begins. There are a few decks of cards being passed around, as well as one of their single tables now organized to a beer-pong competition. Individually, games such as Never Have I Ever, as well as Truth or Dare can be seen, and those who wish to use their skills for entertaining are more than welcome to do so.

A little bonding here, a little drunken chatting there, this is your time to shine!

ɪɪɪ. ᴀ ʙᴏɴꜰɪʀᴇ

With those who have a curfew to worry about in mind, a bonfire is lit, and a few tents are set around the beach (may have to be shared). If anyone's got a nice story, now it's the time to share it, or perhaps if anyone can play an instrument, it's about time to break it out of its case. The night will be lively until the early hours of the morning, and of course, mindful of those who couldn't stay up this late.

The next morning, everyone will be properly thanked for their attendance and tupperwares will be distributed with leftovers for those who'd like to take some food home, the beach will be cleaned impeccably and everyone will go their own way, hopefully with smiles and a new sense of unity and connection from the amazing night they've just experienced.

ɪᴠ. ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴏᴏᴄ ɴᴏᴛᴇ

(Please put in your top-level subject line or prompt line whether it's okay to threadjack! Just to keep things more dynamic, we encourage it!)

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[ [ the shake makes the world spin and takes out keith's train of thought with it. he hadn't wanted to go back to their adi apartment for a plethora of reasons -- the biggest one being the fact that he still hasn't managed to shake off the feeling of being watched in his room. the mention of stayingin the tents actually gets keith to perk up visibly. ]

Find a tent? Okay, you got it. That's way better than going back to my creepy room.

[ questionable phrasing aside, keith ducks out from under shiro's grip and takes off running, arms outstretched like a jetplane as he clumsily runs back towards the campsite to zero in on one of the tents.

or more accurately, he kinda trips and bumps into the side of a red tent. mercifully the thing is unoccupied. ]

[ ha! worked like a charm! -- mostly. sure, it gets keith moving, but in contrast, has shiro hesitating. it’s all on account of three words: my creepy room. keith keeps giving away these little nuggets of insight left and right, and shiro simply isn’t equipped to understand them. shiro’s seen his room. the apartment came with three identical bedrooms, with the same furniture and same amenities, only in different configurations. the only difference shiro can attach to keith’s room from his own is keith has a closet of questionable attire, a hippo plush and two corkboards.

nothing too unusual. keith did the same while tracking the blue lion; organizing his thoughts in such a way isn’t creepy, per say. eccentric, yes, but not creepy. so what does keith mean?

it’ll have to wait for now, because keith’s got a hefty head start on him. putting a pin in it with the promise to ask about it later, shiro takes off running after keith. it doesn’t take long to catch up, not when keith is still clumsy in his steps and distracted with being an airplane. he doesn’t want to admit it’s kind of cute, so he’ll pretend it isn’t. doesn’t stop him from laughing when keith crashes into a tent. ]

Careful! [ voice amused and still caught up in a laugh, he closes in and claps his arm around keith’s shoulders, helping haul him upright and steady him. ] I thought you could fly anything. A Keith craft should be a cinch.

[ he smiles and leads keith around to the front of the tent, letting go to bend down and peek inside the already unzipped opening. No people and no personal items, good. ] But you picked well, so you get a pass. Guess we’ll claim this.

[ keith grumbles as he's helped back up onto his feet. ]

I was only a tiny bit wobbly with the Keith craft.

[ a tiny bit wobbly might be a bit of a generous statement, but keith still says it with a distinct pout. nonetheless, he follows shiro around to the front of the tent and hunkers down to crawl inside where there appears to be exactly one sleeping bag. keith pokes at it like doing so might make i bud into two, then looks over his shoulder. ]

Are we sleeping together?

[ … yeah. it looks like someone may have raided this tent for extra supplies, because the tent is obviously built for two, however, there’s only one sleeping bag and one pillow. honestly, shiro isn’t fond of the idea of squeezing into a sleeping bag with someone else. it has nothing to do with keith. or perhaps, it’s the exact opposite: it has everything to do with keith, because keith’s safety is, as always, at the forefront of shiro’s mind. shiro hardly sleeps these days and when he does manage to catch a few hours? recurring nightmares run the risk of him startling awake with a shout or worse, with a violent jerk.

stupid. he seems to be calling himself this a lot lately. he should have pushed for them to return to the apartment and settled keith in his own room, even if it is supposedly creepy.

whatever -- shiro isn’t all that tired anyway. he likely won’t sleep. he needs to make sure keith doesn’t wander off in his inebriated state and close quarters give the perfect excuse to do so. encouraged by this one positive, shiro crawls in too, soon turning to work on zipping the entrance flap closed. ]

We can unzip it and use it as one big blanket instead. [ is that a yes? a no? shiro doesn’t directly address it, instead skirting around. ]

There should be enough room for both of us to sleep comfortably.

[ keith looks from the sleeping bag to shiro, then right back to the sleeping bag. is he tired? no, not really. but the sleeping bag looks comfortable enough and lying down doesn't seem like the worst idea.

as shiro works on zipping the tent closed, keith fumbles somewhat awkwardly to get the sleeping bag unzipped. it doesn't go all that smoothly, but after a few yankings he manages to get it at least halfway opened up. for better or for worse, he has a follow up question though: ]

But what about the pillow? [ there's only one of those and it doesn't look like poking things is getting anything to duplicate today. ]

Do I use you as a pillow? Or do you use me as a pillow?

[ he finishes zipping the flap and then pauses there, hand still holding the zipper as he closes his eyes, flattens his lips into a line and bumps his forehead to the tent. one, two he holds the position and then exhales, lifting his head as he opens his eyes. he should have anticipated that. if keith zeroed in on the one sleeping bag, of course he would then turn to the lone pillow.

if keith had only asked who gets the pillow, this wouldn’t be an issue. who should get the pillow is a legitimate question; asking who gets to be the substitute pillow for the other person is not. it strikes up an image in shiro’s mind and before he’s even fully comprehended it, he finds himself leaning heavily to one of those two options.

but then he catches up with himself and decides that, no, neither of those should be considered options. he turns away from the flap at last and looks to keith. just one, brief glance and then he reaches for that half opened sleeping bag to begin working the rest open. ]

I’m fine without one. You take it. [ without looking at it directly, he nods toward the pillow. ] You’ll be needing it more than me, considering the hangover you’ll be waking up to tomorrow.

[ once again, keith looks from shiro to the pillow back to shiro, expression contemplative. he doesn't initially say anything, simply letting his pouting fill in the brief silence. if there's an argument to be had about this, it's not one keith can manage with any eloquence. still pouting, he yanks off one boot then the other and kicks both over to the far side of the tent. ]

I don't want a hangover. [ because that's obviously something you can decide to avoid simply by willing it so. then in complete non-sequitur: ] I wanna cuddle though. Seems nice and toasty.

[ heh; then he should’ve thought of that before downing however many drinks. wisely, shiro doesn’t comment on that. though, this ends up being a mistake on his part, seeing as it gives keith complete leeway to change the direction of conversation. unzipped sleeping bag in his hands, shiro glances up to look to keith again, this time with a wider, more dumbfounded gaze.

nice and toasty -- wait, what? ]

With me? [ brain locked up, the question slips out and immediately, the surprise gives way for him to inwardly groan. of course with him, who else? keith’s crush. no. keith’s loopy and ridiculous right now, but it’s quite a stretch to take that as some subtle request for shiro to go and retrieve keith’s mystery guy.

keith wants to cuddle with him and that’s… fine? ] Uh… are you sure? [ not a no. why isn’t it a no? ]

[ keith tugs at a corner of the opened up sleeping bag, sliding one foot underneath. ]

Mhm. [ followed by a nod that comes without hesitation to further emphasize the point. ] I haven't been sleeping so good by myself. Keep thinking something bad's gonna happen.

[ a shift as he slides his other foot underneath their makeshift blanket. ]

Feels better when you're around.

[ oh. keith has been having some rough nights too? he doesn’t know why this is surprising. the galra and the war are enough to produce some hefty night terrors on their own, but more than that, now there’s the last few months of monsters, temples, hallucinations and influenced minds. shiro swallows through a sudden upwelling of guilt. he should have been paying more attention. how did he not notice? sure, he’s thought keith more on edge and perhaps more sluggish at times, but he never asked. never pulled keith aside and tried to get to the bottom of it beyond a general check-in.

some best friend and some leader he’s turning out to be.

sitting through his own reprimands, shiro doesn’t give anything away as he watches keith slip his feet under the sleeping bag. feels better when he’s around? shiro hums softly, quirking the barest of smiles for two, three beats and then lets it uncurl into neutrality again. he feels better when keith is around too. it’s comforting to know he has someone watching his back and it helps settle his perpetual worry by having keith in sight. but most of all? they’re friends and it feels good to be around keith for that reason alone.

so maybe being close tonight isn’t such a terrible thought. ] You called your room creepy earlier. [ he works off his shoes; one pull each to have them off and set aside, socks following shortly thereafter. picks back the supposed blanket and arranges himself to scoot under. ]

Is it something about the apartment that bothers you? [ such as a roommate, who brings in contraband? ] Or is it… [ pauses and laughs once, even though it’s as far as it can be from funny. ] -- everything?

I dunno...

[ keith scoots further down under their blanket until he's settled on his back. notably, he isn't using the pillow just yet, angling, twisting and burrowing until he finds a comfortable position. that position ends up lying on his belly, halfway flopped on shiro's chest. he continues in that small pensive tone of voice. ]

Feels like something's watching me. Not sure who or what it is. But I don't wanna sleep alone. Not safe.

[ well then, so much for shiro’s plans. keith ignores the actual pillow in favor of shiro, similarly to how he ignores shiro’s wishy washy acceptance to cuddling. it seems as though alcohol makes keith bolder and more decisive than he already is under normal circumstances. clearly, keith is the one calling the shots here.

it’s almost a relief, honestly, to be the one following for once. now that the decisions have been made for him, shiro sees little point in disrupting everything by nudging keith off, especially when keith’s voice has gone soft and contemplative, shedding light to a vulnerability shiro was mostly blind to. if keith wants to sleep like this, for whatever reason, shiro can provide him that much. but first -- shiro sighs and tries not to jostle keith too much as he snatches the pillow neither of them have utilized. lifts his head and shoulders up, stuffing the pillow behind him, before flopping his head onto it.

much better.

he breathes in and exhales slow, relaxing into the feel of everything and once settled, he offers what he hopes is a comforting: ]

You’re safe there. [ even sleeping alone. is keith truly concerned about that? should shiro offer…? without much thought, his hand finds its way to keith’s back, palm flat to his upper spine. ] You know the kind of security ADI runs through that place. [ if they miss curfew, they even have a difficult time getting back inside. he huffs in a sound of vague amusement and swipes his thumb against his shoulder blade. ] And I’m there. Just one door over. Nothing’s getting into the apartment without me knowing about it.

[ it's all soothing -- beyond even what keith imagined it would be. the gentle rise and fall of shiro's chest as he breathes, the warmth of his body, the sound of his heart beating loud and strong in keith's ear and even the gentle hand on his back.... keith could melt right then and there. or maybe the alcohol's doing the finest work in making him feel both dizzy and heavy, it's hard to say. but what keith does know for sure when shiro tries to reassure verbally is: ]

No. No, you wouldn't. [ it's said with surprising firmness, despite the lazy way keith's draped himself over his best friend. ] There's wormholes and fire and things in the mirror. Y

[ his grip tightens slightly on shiro's shirt, eyes closing. ]

But losing you's still scares me the most.

[ shiro hates to admit keith has a point. they aren’t up against a tangible enemy. physical prowess can only get them so far when their so-called enemies are capable of twisting their minds until they’re torturing themselves with things that aren’t even there. and yes, that’s not even taking into account the wormhole traps and cursed items, some even showing up at headquarters. one door over, right, might as well be on the other side of the building with how quickly things can go south.

security can only be achieved when they’re together. and well…

he’s back to his earlier cut-off wondering: should he offer to room with keith? before, he would’ve instantly said no because he needs his space and he hardly sleeps and when he does, nightmares aren’t far. however, now, he’s stuck on keith saying he fears losing him the most. shiro feels similarly. he refuses to let anything happen to keith, not on his watch. so -- guess he should extend his watch, huh?

hand still at keith’s back, shiro drags it higher and touches his nape, brushing at the mess of hair there. he lets the silence extend a little longer and then: ]

Would it actually help you to have someone in the room while you sleep?

[ tentative and gentle, it’s not an offer just yet, but it’s a step in that direction. ]

[ keith hums, easily contented with the brush of fingers through his hair. again, it's a few bars from the tune intermittently in his head. pathetically enough, the song is enough of a distraction that he winds up dropping his train of thought, stopping to pick it back up only to wonder how it is he got here in the first place.

having his own room to sleep in, away from the eyes of other kids from the group home and his garrison roommate had always been such an incredible joy and relief. somehow this feels like regressing but different somehow? hard to connect the dots, but it still makes keith frown as he thinks about it. ...or tries to. ]

Not someone. [ mumbled eventually, still while his eyes are closed. ] You. Just you.

[ dammit. he was hoping -- what? that keith would laugh and say no, he was spinning a story? before shiro even finished asking that question, he knew what keith would say and what he would end up offering in return. well, actually, that’s partly true. he didn’t anticipate keith answering quite like that.

you, just you? he swallows back a question: why? it makes sense, he supposes. they’re the fragments of team voltron and beyond the commonality of a shared universe and a shared history, their friendship has them trusting each other with their lives. so who better to be with at his most vulnerable?

despite what keith’s said, keith’s mystery crush comes to mind. his suspicions are few. he can’t put a face to a guess but he imagines it down to the bare bones: keith’s room, keith’s bed and a different body -- slighter, perhaps -- than the one keith is resting against right now. keith said, he tries to remind himself, but he wonders anyway, if keith would inevitably find comfort curled up with this someone else. he doesn’t know why it bothers him. it’s not like he’s being replaced. they aren’t like this. keith wouldn’t want to cuddle while sober.

his inner voice betrays him then and points out how he isn’t denying wanting to do it himself. he shoves the thought back but it’s difficult to deny it now; to deny how it’s nice having the weight of keith’s head on his chest, feeling it through every draw of breath. that’s not why he offers, no. it has nothing to do with… whatever this is. instead, it has everything to do with shiro wanting to support keith through the worst of what this universe has in store for them. ]

My door is always open to you, you know. [ voice still holding all those gentle notes, shiro gives up on watching that mop of hair spilled out on him and looks to the poles crossing at the tent’s top. perhaps none of this will matter come morning. keith might not remember or if he does, he may never admit to it to take shiro up on it. either way, shiro can’t leave it alone right now. ]

If you can’t sleep or you feel unsafe… you can sleep in my room. [ he twirls his index, absentmindedly winding the ends of keith’s hair round and round it, tight. ] Any time. I’m usually awake anyway.

[ it's... strange. there should really be something more here that keith feels -- apprehension over waiting for an answer after admitting to something held secret for a start. embarrassment over the way he's laid himself out on top of his best friend. alcohol has blunted both of these, leaving his head full of a pleasant swirling, dizzying numbness that's made him forget how to be self conscious. forget how to be himself really. all his inhibitions around not being awkward are blurry and easily pushed aside as keith clumsily places both palms on shiro's chest and pushes up to try and look his best friend in the eye, curious but slightly unfocused. ]

You mean it?

[ equal parts hopeful and incredulous, he leans down close, nose inches away from shiro's as he crowds. he doesn't wait for an answer though, breaking into a lopsided smile.]

How come you aren't sleeping? Have you always not been sleeping?

[ given an extra moment of thought, this might be more self explanatory, but well.... thought and keith aren't exactly best of friends right now. ]

[ -- fuck. he really needs to stop treating keith like he’s in his usual state of mind. stop when he’s ahead, say as little as possible -- that’s how he should be approaching this. but what did he do? he tacked on an entirely unneeded bit of info pertaining to his insomnia. granted, in some ways, it’s easier to talk to keith when he’s like this but even so, shiro has his limits and he has no desire to deep dive into an explanation as to why he operates mostly off of, maybe, four hours of sleep.

it’s not just the questions either, that have shiro feeling completely off-kilter with where everything is headed. there’s palms on his chest, weight pressing more firmly into him, and a face, a very sweetly happy face filling the whole of his gaze.

-- double fuck. he presses his head back further into the pillow, although it does little to broaden the space between their noses, and then grasps keith by his shoulders, not quite pushing ( yet ) but holding to keep him still, just in case. ]

No real reason other than I’m not sleepy. [ a beat. a hastily amended: ] Usually. But I am right now. Aren’t you?

[ and here, now he’ll gently nudge keith back, encouraging him to return to his earlier spot, cuddled against him. ] How about you settle back down and we get some sleep, hm?

[ the push on his shoulders at least earns shiro some much needed space, even if keith doesn't oblige by hunkering down comfortably. still smiling sweetly, he shakes his head. ]

I'm not sleepy at all.

[ lethargic, dizzy and kinda out of it, but still pretty energetic and wanting to run some more on the beach as a matter of fact. but here, as if he thinks he's actually extending some kind of compromise olive branch rather than making a ludicrous demand, keith snakes his hand up to cup shiro's cheek. ]

Sing me a song to sleep?

[ plus side? one hand is off his pec. downside? said hand is now “groping” his face instead. shiro musters down a sigh and tries not to frown. he’s not frustrated per say, but he is feeling the first real crack in his patience. who knew that an inebriated keith would be so… touchy? their friendship has been tactile for a good while now, however, this has migrated into very unfamiliar territory, very quickly. he only wants to rein keith back in; keep it at a level that he knows both of them are comfortable with.

so he lets go of one shoulder and grasps keith’s hand, momentarily, unintentionally pressing it closer to his cheek before he skirts his fingers around and tugs keith’s hand away. one crisis averted, now for the second. ]

Uh… [ great start. sounding uncertain but willing to play along: ] If that’s what you want… ?

[ he'll try just about anything to get keith to settle down and sleep at this point. though, he hasn’t given it any mind up until this point: how far off are the tents from each other? hopefully they don’t have any neighbors listening in, especially for the next couple of minutes. ]

Do you have a particular song you’d like to hear?

[ fortunately for shiro, keith lets him redirect his hand and even scoots further down, twisting around to use shiro's hand to cover his eyes. ]

Uh-huh, I want a song.

[ stated emphatically as he squirms and finally gets comfortable, lying down with the back of his head resting on shiro's chest. ]

Sing me one of those old-timer tunes you used to play in the jeep. Or make one up. Just wanna hear you sing. Bet it's real nice.

[ old-timer tunes… shiro has no idea what keith is talking about?? shiro’s taste in music has always been impeccable. shiro will always stand by the idea that tiny teen keith didn’t notice the tank running on empty when he stole the garrison’s jeep because he was too busy jamming to the evanescence file playing through the speakers. the thought has a small smile tilting his lips and surprisingly, it stays, even though shiro has no real desire to test his vocals.

in the shower? in a vehicle, alone? sure, shiro isn’t shy in belting out familiar lyrics, but in a tent, likely within earshot of a slew of acquaintances and one drunk boy now -- finally -- settling down? no thanks. and yet, even as he thinks this, he’s also shuffling through his memory bank, not only trying to pinpoint a song, but one he actually knows the lyrics to.

he hums, both in response and in some half-ass attempt to warm up a singing voice. ] I don’t know about real nice but -- here goes.

[ he continues to let keith hide his eyes under his hand. it helps in a way, though, shiro is also looking back to the top of the tent, which stems the last of his unease, enough so for him to start mid-song. ]

Oh, I am what I am. [ pretty decent. he can hold a tune. ] I’ll do what I want. But I can’t hide. [ classic music right here… and yes, he is powering through, despite the mix of awkward and shy warming his face from cheeks to ears. ]

And I won’t go. I won’t sleep. I can’t breathe -- until you’re resting here with me. [ recognize it, keith? likely not, but listen to the end message: rest. ]

[ keith's mental library for old-timer tunes is shockingly shallow despite their friendship so it should come as no real surprise that he doesn't recognize the tune at all. hell, shiro may as well be making this music up as far as keith knows. but the origin of the song isn't what keith is primarily concerned with. insofar that he's concerned about anything right now, he's largely struck by how nice shiro's voice sounds.

shy and unsure as shiro may sound in contrast to when he's giving one of his leader speeches or calling shots in the middle of battle, there's a rare, almost private tentativeness here that fills keith's ears just as much as it fills the tent. without any hesitation, keith opens his eyes, peeking over at shiro between the gaps of his fingers. it's dark in the tent, enough so that keith doesn't catch the way his best friend is flushed with embarrassment, but it doesn't hamper the performance. at least not in keith's opinion.

feeling warmer, he smiles happily to himself -- part spellbound, part content to watch the shadows of shiro's movements and listen in silence. unfortunately for shiro, he misses the subliminal messaging about rest. as the singing comes to an end, keith starts clapping in earnest, rolling ever so slightly to press his cheek back against shiro's chest. his voice is whisper soft when he speaks, but full of admiration. ]

That was amazing, Shiro. [ he laughs equally soft and quiet, bringing his hands down to his sides. ] How are you so good at singing? I feel all inspired now.

[ he’s -- clapping? why is he clapping? initially, it does the exact opposite of comforting shiro; it only has his embarrassment spiking. but his surprise toward the reaction mellows and now with keith’s cheek nestled to his chest again as the clapping putters out, shiro breathes easier. a smile comes next and then a soft laugh. amazing? must be the alcohol talking. decent is a far better assessment, but he supposes he’ll settle for good, but only good; get rid of that so.

it’s a ridiculous question from a ridiculous boy and fortunately or unfortunately -- shiro can’t decide -- shiro doesn’t have to explain by divulging his frequent vocal practices in the shower. instead, keith goes right on talking and drags shiro’s curiosity in another direction. a bit of his apprehension as well.

hand having fallen away from keith when he twisted, shiro keeps it away and on the blanket to the side. touch completely removed at this point, the only thing shiro does do is tuck his chin and return his gaze to keith there on his chest, hesitance filling his words. ]

Inspired to do… what?

[ he’s hoping it has something to do with resting?? ]

[ shiro may not be able to see it, but he can almost certainly hear the way keith grins as he drapes an arm over torso and nestles that much more comfortably. ]

Not rest until ... you know.

[ he puffs out a quiet laugh. sure it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering shiro's already resting here with keith, but the joke is a) funny and b) logical in the twists and turns of his inebriated head. ]

Obviously.

(mingle) It must be party time

i'm distressed by this brainhack attempt

shiro is learning. he knows what keith likes.

funny i thought this thread was pointing out that shiro does not, in fact, know what keith likes

Hey now. Shiro also knows keith likes his twinks.

i can't believe this is the takeaway message here...

what else is shiro supposed to think???

the obvious??

but what's the obvious!

im closing my eyes

i feel accomplished.

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i want you to know, this is the first song that popped into my head and idk how to feel about that.

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