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Post by notdomino on Apr 3, 2023 5:39:24 GMT
"Get these two to the police. I just need a lo on their leader. Damn thugs... " To his trusted side kicks. Two villains sat bleeding, only to be handcuffed and hauled to the back of their SUV. "We've got things covered. Cops are on the way too!" Tendo said with a sniffle. His bloodhound quirk was what gifted the team with expert positioning. "I smell their leader roughly two blocks east. I'm sure you'll find an alley or sewer drain to cut him off. " He pinched his nose with his fingers coated in a soothing ointment. Tatsuki would chuckle, pulling a map out on his phone. "He doesn't know it, but he's headed close to your family's dojo."
"I know exactly where he is! Be back in flash" He sprinted off without another word. If it were left to him, he would have started with their leader, but this guy seemed to actually have some intelligence about him. The agency had been hunting down some radical people who'd been targeting quirked civilians, and committing all kinds of murderous acts. They went by the name of Alternative, and their popularity online was growing exponentially, like alongside the growing trend of villain activity. It was a logical train of thought, 'less quirks would mean less super-powered crime. ' Instead of advocating for stricter laws on quirk usage, they were only inciting more violence. All the more reason for Nocturne to take them down, before things got out of hand. A dark shadow would scale along the ground with some serious speed, only gaining more as it traveled through dark alleyways.
Arriving in the broad day light of the city streets, the hero emerged from the shadow swimming to cut the goon off. Just cause you've downed one cell doesn't mean you'll stop Alternative." He cackled. Nocturne on the other hand was done talking! With a blade drawn, it's shine practically radiated as he prepped a stance. He held his blade shoulder height, and aimed the tip at the man, ready to thrust. The goon prepped a gun, confident he'd win this exchange. The two would slowly step to mirror one another, and maintain distance. Traffic would halt as the exchange interrupted it. Whoever faltered first would be downed... "Reflection dance, Eclipse cutter!" He'd quickly side step, and change stances letting two bullets fly passed him. It revealed that the first stance was a feint, and his shadow ran away from the glittering sword. The angle was perfect, as his own shadow copied his movements and finally slashed, a blade made of shadow would peel off of the ground and knock the gun away. The real Nocturne had actually aimed his slash at the goon's shoulder to disable the want to even go for the gun again. "Damned quirk users. We'll end you all." There was an audible click, but it wouldn't mean much as he sank into the dusk hero's shadow. "We can talk plenty when we put you behind bars, and I have time for interrogations." He meant every word, but to the crowd it seemed like some cool quip. They'd clap and cheer for their number 10. This was shizuoka after all, and he was the peacekeeper... the hometown hero.
He sighed... he hated this attention, but from time to time, all it did feel nice to be appreciated. He'd hand the goon over to his side kicks, and take a walk. He needed a breather! All this pressure was eating at him. First it was the yakuza pulling him away from his pupils, to now having to deal with more threats on his home turf. He worried for Shinja, but there was so much to do. He'd try and give her a call before the day was done.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 3, 2023 17:25:21 GMT
'Help me! Please, help me!'
There was a sudden voice crying out as Nocturne kept walking down the streets, and it was echoing from inside an alley-way, with no one else seeming to pay heed to it. And, there was also a distinct lack of people where Noc was currently at, anyway. So who could be calling out like this either way, and what sort of danger were they in? There would only be one way to find out, and if Nocturne chose to dip inside of the alley-way the voice came from, he'd suddenly hear it again, almost as if on repeat;
'Help me! Please, help me!'
The noise would get closer and closer, until he'd be at the dead end of the alley, and there was--
A tape recorder, stuck on repeat?
"Hoo? My my, Mister Nocturne... and here I thought that you'd be more than happy to just ignore someone's cry for help. Guess I was wrong~"
As out from behind a nearby dumpster, a figure stepped out in sight of Nocturne. He was a tall, slender person, with a rather impeccable, formal suit on, complete with a hat that was tipped over his face just enough to cover his eyes, with slivers of green hair sticking out from underneath it. But what was visible on his face... was an eerily calm, yet 'friendly' smile.
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Post by notdomino on Apr 4, 2023 3:35:56 GMT
He twitched as he heard the plea for help. Yoo was certain he had finished off the last of this Alternative cell. He wandered toward the sound, unafraid of what an alley had in store for him. Most alleys were dark and filled with the precious element he fought with. Slowly, step by step he'd enter, but his mind wouldn't slow down. The sounds were strange... why was it repeating almost perfectly. His detective nose wouldn't let him rest, only looking deeper into the issue due to intrigue. Wiith an arched brow, he crushed the tape recorder with his foot and turned around to the unfamiliar voice.
"Hoo? My my, Mister Nocturne... and here I thought that you'd be more than happy to just ignore someone's cry for help. Guess I was wrong~"
Who the hell was this? No one he could remember off the top of his head. Not someone in the high-alert listings either... An inquiry popped into Yoo's mind pining for the answer of if this man were friend or foe. The expression of this gentleman gave "friendly" but if that were the case why lure him out of sight? Much like a police officer would rest their hand on their gun or taser, the dusk hero would rest a hand on one of his bokken. It wasn't necessarily for intimidation, but it wouldn't hurt to play it safe... at least until this guy spoke some more.
"There are times when a hero must do what a hero's gotta do." Interesting choice of words, since the "voice" crying for help was crumpled plastic under his shoe. "So what do I owe the pleasure... " He still couldn't place a name, even with a better look. "Mister Stranger?"
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 5, 2023 17:17:12 GMT
"Now now, why so hostile! No need to be pulling your weapon on a humble stranger, right?"
The man instantly put both his empty hands up in front of himself, signaling capitulation and surrender to Nocturne with an almost awkward smile, his hat tilting back to reveal a pair of slanted, slightly shut eyes with a nervous look on them. But they'd peer open ever so slightly once the man calmed down, revealing how they gleamed a slight golden underneath the shade of his hat, and almost had a... serpentine quality to them.
"I mean... not like you'd have any REASON TO, no~? Or are you just identifying everyone around you as a threat right away? Not entirely unexpected... Yakuza."
That one word. Spoken with such a bone-chilling icy tone, and almost SPAT out of the person's mouth as if it were the foulest bile upon Earth. It gave away that he KNEW of who Nocturne was, or more correctly, WHAT he was. And all pretense of innocence seems to have dropped from the man's features, that nervous smile twisted into a menacing scowl, and his eyes glaring proverbial daggers at Yoo.
"Ah, you know... sometimes I truly DO wonder... how on Earth did they EVER give you the chance to rise the ranks of the Pro-Hero ladder? Knowing what you are... where you're from? Oh, but I guess that's just how the world rolls! Isn't it?! Do one or two goody two-shoes deeds around town, and it seems you're just INSTANTLY forgiven~! Aah, if it only were so for all of us... but I'm getting ahead of myself here, aren't I?"
"After all... I've been so impatient, I haven't even given you time to even attempt to recollect who I am! Should not be too hard, right? It almost feels like yesterday, too! And even right in this VERY ALLEY..."
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Post by notdomino on Apr 5, 2023 21:33:58 GMT
"I mean... not like you'd have any REASON TO, no~? Or are you just identifying everyone around you as a threat right away? Not entirely unexpected... Yakuza."
"You aren't an enemy, though you've yet to prove yourself an ally. Every hero isn't as gullible as Strive." Yoo didn't remove his hand from where it rested, nor did he like where this guy was going with this conversation. He scowled as he did with everyone, but with this particular person, it was a deeper scowl. What was he, some kind of heroics purist? If he fought crime, and were successful... being ranked within the top ten was just a result of his success rate. To an extent that's all he cared about, slaying villains as efficiently as they popped into the public. If he was one of the most prominent heroes for two generations straight, people didn't need to know he was a yakuza. His light far outshined his darkness. Much to Hiretsu's point, a few good deeds DIDN'T dissolve the things he'd done in the past.
"After all... I've been so impatient, I haven't even given you time to even attempt to recollect who I am! Should not be too hard, right? It almost feels like yesterday, too! And even right in this VERY ALLEY..."
Nocturne didn't even flinch in fact, being in this alley hadn't phased him the slightest. He had no clue who this man was... One could say Hiretsu was correct in poking at Nocturne, but to be fair the dusk hero never classified himself as a savior. He only saved by proximity... more accurately if he had to. He generally left saving people to his sidekicks, while he dealt with combat. Above all else, Nocturne was a warrior and as such, saving a person here and there was just a insignificant notch on his already well-decorated belt.
"Not that I would remember. I had bigger fish to fry back then... as I do now..." He'd take a half step away from the man, scanning him over once more with a more discerning eye. It was true, he couldn't pick this guy out of a crowd if he tried. Why was he hung up on knowing this alley so well anyway?
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 9, 2023 19:00:53 GMT
Hiretsu would just be silent for a bit, not even taking a breath almost, as he just stared incredulously at Yoo for a while, before he'd finally seem to take a breath, and huff out in disappointment, one hand reaching up to brush along the brim of his hat, and the other just touching a chain that hung out from the hip of his pants, jingling it softly. Oh dear... this hero truly did not seem to commit anything important to memory, did he? Or was it just that he chose to swallow himself up so deep into his 'hero' identity that he just forgot every deed he's committed? "Oh dear me... is that truly how you operate, is it? Only caring about when your next 'big hit' is going to happen, and not caring about the smaller deeds that go unsung? Oh, that breaks my heart..."He was feigning sadness, and doing a DAMN convincing job of doing so, with his body posture all the way down to the broken tone in his voice, as he'd shirt himself a bit, his hand still holding onto that chain of his... wait, did it just move on its own? "... But I suppose that's to be expected from such FRAUDS!"With a sudden outburst, he'd rip the chain out of his pants, and fling it towards Yoo... except it looked a LOT different now; the links of the chain were more rigid and defined, almost making a square-shaped "scale" pattern as it hurled through the air... and the end of it now had a large, metallic snake head which had its jaws unhinged, fangs on display and ready to bite into Yoo! |
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Post by notdomino on Apr 10, 2023 4:50:23 GMT
Yoo squinted at the man. To a scrutinizing man like himself, all tears were crocodile tears. He took a deep breath to remain calm while the man flexed his acting skills. If he were a bit more sympathetic, this conversation would have him in a choke hold, but alas... Already unsheathing both swords, he- "It's more apparent to me you don't know the difference between a fraud and an authentic article." With a hyper-reflective sword in one hand, and a black-bladed sword in the other, maybe Hiretsu did get a rise out of Nocturne. He already was struggling to hold back. There was too short of a time to fully analyze what the hell just happened, or why a metallic chain snake was incoming. All Yoo knew was Hiretsu was a threat. Even with the lack of light in this alley, his Licht saber was able to give off a cool glow on his left side, casting an even darker shadow over his right side and Nacht saber. He flicked his left hand at an angle to defend. He was thankful Sextet the R&R teacher for both of these blades. They not only aid his manipulation of shadows but transformed his swordsmanship completely. He trained himself to the T over the break. He wasn't the same Nocturne from last year!
"Refraction Dance,-" The light bouncing off of his blade seemed to glimmer and change the direction of the shadows cast. "Sundial Step." Yoo's body was carried along with the shift with inhumane speed. It was only a half step out of the way, but it was enough to begin a sprint. Shadows gathered to his right side as he noticed this snake's tail was even more menacing than it's head. Did he seriously have to deal with this thing first? Surely if he took out the "head," the freaky snake quirk weapon's would follow. "Northshore return-" A staple move would come next from an unknown angle due the Nacht Saber's color. He'd accumulated enough darkness to swing already, and would aim the slash wave to weigh Hiretsu down with it's weighted darkness. "Maurader" The slashwave would become much more visible the closer it got, but from afar it was hard to even see the blade it came from. The whole point of this technique was to ruin the enemy's sense of timing. While the attack hurtle toward his opponent, the hero made sure to stay weary of the inorganic creature's ends.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 11, 2023 18:19:46 GMT
So this is what Nocturne's been up to... well shit! He might just be a completely different deal than when he was back then. But, luckily for Hiretsu, he was resourceful, and creative. Even as Yoo was currently shifting with his shadows to side-step his initial attack and breaking into a sprint, the chain-snake started to undulate in mid-air, its whole body shifting and waving through the air as its knife-tail would suddenly 'whip' towards Yoo's shoulder before he began to fully sprint, aiming to hook that blade into the man's shoulder. Meanwhile, Hiretsu was already moving, and knelt down to push his hands into the concrete ground beneath them, his hands glowing a dim green before suddenly, the ground erupted into three roughly pillar-sized columns that'd shoot up in front of Hiretsu, forming three concrete-snakes that were bound to the earth, standing like a wall between Yoo and Hiretsu.
"Really? You think I'm just gonna let you prance about with your fancy attack names? Gimme a break!"
He'd taunt from behind his concrete barrier, before he'd dash out from behind it, and move towards a large ventilation pipe stuck to the wall of one of the buildings, touching it as well to transmute that into a snake as well, the 'head' ripping itself out of the top end of the wall as it'd hiss and emit literal billows of heated air in a cloud of steamy smog, rearing its head back before blasting a large gale of super-heated air right at Yoo, aiming to smother him in the heat and cloud up his vision with the foggy air. The three concrete-serpents did not stand idly by either, as they'd begin to lash out and snap their large stone-jaws at Yoo.
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Post by notdomino on Apr 13, 2023 2:50:36 GMT
A rebuttal from Yoo-" You complain about fancy names, and think this game plan is clever..."
He was an agile one wasn't he. Almost as slippery as Nocturne himself... ALMOST. "Sundial Step." The inoming blade would be met with Yoo's reflective katana although only briefly. Light would bend off of both blades creating a bigger shine to direct the shadows elsewhere, direct Yoo elsewhere. Appearing a few feet closer to the wall, Nocturne would continue his sprint, slowly sheathing the light-consuming sword. The alley would darken dramatically, and Nocturne would seemingly vanish without a moment's notice. He hadn't actually disappeared, he was sinking into his own shadow for enhanced mobility to try and outrun the hot steam and aim an attack at Hiretsu in the same breath. His black blade would soon meet its sheath as the dusk hero prepped another attack. His muscles tensed as he slowly sank into his own shadow. It would be hard to tell but the shadow raced toward his foe. Nocturne's voice could be heard booming through the apparent lack of light. "Iai-Fukahire."(Translation: Quick Draw-Sharkfin)and like a shark's fin gliding atop of the surface of the ocean, the black blade rose to the surface with the aim to slash at the Hiretsu's legs as the shadow sped by.
Arriving at the other side of the group of snake-y creations, Yoo would come skidding to a stop closing his weapon within its sheath with a satisfying clink. In this darkness, backing Yoo into a corner was impossible. This would have to be a heads-up fight about who could outthink the other. Normally foes were easier to ascertain. This guy... whoever he was, had a mind for tactics. It wasn't going to be as easy as he once thought... he wouldn't admit this aloud.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 15, 2023 16:14:08 GMT
Well, it was clever. Now he had a lot of set-pieces to work with. But honestly, so did Nocturne. He had the whole alley-way darkened with his shadows now, so Hiretsu really had to use his senses now, but instead of risking staying on the ground, he'd smirk slightly as he'd wave his hand, making one of the three concrete-snakes duck its head down, letting Hiretsu leap onto it as it'd raise him up a good 7 feet or so above the alley ground. Time for talk was over. He was going to commit to this for now, and really put some humility into Nocturne!
He was relying a lot on his shadows... and that light katana, which was new to Hiretsu, seemed to let him shift around with light. Really, he had both ends of his quirk covered. So how was he supposed to fight someone who seemingly had his weaknesses covered? He stayed atop of his snake 'mount's' head as he glared down at Nocturne, before he decided to try something. A wag of his finger, and the pipe-snake would hiss with steam as it'd wriggle and align itself from its perch in the wall-side, aligning itself so the few, sparse beams of sunlight that went overhead of them would reflect off of its metallic 'hide', and form a makeshift spotlight right down on Nocturne! Then he'd wave his other hand, and the two other concrete-snakes would rush in, jaws open wide to smash into the spot where Nocturne stood and possibly bite/devour him!
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Post by notdomino on Apr 16, 2023 18:49:04 GMT
Shadow would cast itself upon Yoo's skin in defense, but quickly begin dissolving in the casted light. The bites were tolerable, but because they were concrete, there was far more driving force than expected. Despite the pain of one snake biting into his leg, and the other latched to his shoulder, his eyes remained trained on Hiretsu. The snake's mouths were at least casting enough shadow for him to defend even if only a little whilst being in their jaws. "Now, what?" He asked, pretending like his shoulder wasn't jammed. He'd crack it back into place as soon as he got free, but for now, he'd stall for time. The alley would continue to darken despite Yoo being in a makeshift spotlight. The shadow Yoo casted from being in the spotlight was deep and decadent. It would stretch through this cruel dark space.
"Are you gonna start crying more, now that you've got me where you want me? All this just because I can't remember your silly name?" Yoo scoffed.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 17, 2023 20:29:53 GMT
"Are you gonna start crying more, now that you've got me where you want me? All this just because I can't remember your silly name?"Ohohoho, this old man still had more bite than bark, it seems! Hiretsu had to admit, even as Yoo got himself attacked by his two remaining concrete-snakes, still being shined upon by the pipe-snake's reflective surface, he had moxy to him! And that was good! He had been afraid that this was going to be a boring, once-and-over match, but it seems he was not to be disappointed. And that comment, oh it just made him grin with glee."Crying? Ooh, no no no no, Nocturne... you got it all wrong. I am positively thrilled. ECSTATIC, even! I had all the belief in the world that you were simply just going to ignore that silly little cry for help, impeding with your daily business, and just continue on like normal! Continue... like you did that one day! Where you left...""ME... to fend for my own."With his hat removed, and his green, short-cut hair exposed... perhaps now would Yoo remember him. Or should he splatter some blood all over himself? That's how he was LAST found by the shadow hero, after all... all bloodied and beaten up by an upstart villain who had kidnapped him, and with Nocturne showing up to aid him... well, his idea of 'aiding' seemed to just be beating up the villain and then leaving him on his own. "But I'll have to congratulate you for that day, Nocturne... because, thanks to you, I was shown what heroes REALLY are about... ESPECIALLY 'heroes' like you. Who just see their shiny badges as a sign of approval to do whatever the hell pleases you, regardless of what other people think. What right do THEY have to argue, when you're the ones 'saving' their lives, after all!? Oh, it's just such DELICIOUS hypocrisy, isn't it?! But oh, once again... getting ahead of myself~ Listen now, old fart, and LISTEN CAREFULLY..."
"I have a deal I wish to make with you. A bit of a chance at 'redemption' shall we say. To prove to me that you're not just a 'hero' that uses the title as an excuse to beat people up. It's a shame you smashed my recorder though... but I guess with that mentioned at least, you might be getting my gist. That voice wasn't some random sound file or whatever... right now, someone is just BEGGING for a 'hero' to come and save them~"
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Post by notdomino on Apr 20, 2023 4:09:10 GMT
Nocturne grimace at this display. This guy was clearly off his rocker. From the distant buzzing he could hear coming from his cuff link, it was likely the agency needed word on the next task. Being caught up here was not on the agenda, in fact, he'd figure a way out. "And fend for yourself you did... I'd never imagine someone I saved turning into a villainous freak show. I guess we all can't come from a shitty background and make it work" Referencing himself as the standard. Hell he was Nocturne the number 10 hero, he was THEE standard in Shizuoka city. If Hiretsu wanted sympathy, he'd have to find it somewhere else. "Kotai" (Translation: Solid) Something wriggled through his clothes and crept up his neck. A tattoo of a crescent moon would slide up his shoulder and onto his neck, before transforming into a dragon and peeling off of the man's body. It would exist despite the harsh light, a vantablack shadow, and clamp onto the snake on his shoulder, crushing its head. It would do the same for the snake at his leg, before dropping to the floor and returning to a normal shadow.
He'd grab his shoulder tight and roll it until there was an audible crunch. There! With a hard wince, it was back in place. His leg was bleeding, but he was still mobile depending on the situation. But first, he'd change the tides. "All units be advised, tall green haired villain in my sights. JX District, by the Ryuujin mansion and dojo." With an annoyed expression, it seemed Nocturne was okay with taking the big fish over making a save. If he had no data on this person in peril, he wouldn't make a command. The man was no savior, only a warrior. He hadn't changed one bit... For now, he had reinforcements organizing and slowly incoming.
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Post by FreudTastic on Apr 20, 2023 20:23:20 GMT
"... So, still haven't changed, huh? Such a shame... oh well. What a shame! Only further proving the truth~"
Hiretsu could not even BEGIN to describe how immensely disappointed he was in this so-called 'hero' and his decisions. He didn't even seem to care that two of his stone-snakes were shattered. Even after all this time, he still remained the same! Oh well, the blood would be on his hands, not Hiretsu's. A small tap to the side of his head, and two small words were all he needed;
"Do it."
*BOOM*
Not even two or so districts away came the sound of a violent, fiery explosion as a car-bomb went off, the vehicle exploding in a spectacular ball of flames and metal, as the entire street was soon in a riot. People screaming in panic and calling for help, some calling police and paramedics, and just being in general disarray from the sudden eruption of chaos. But now seeing what kind of man Yoo was, Hiretsu kept his focus on the hero, guessing that he was just going to come for him rather than tend to the explosion. Which is why he did not hesitate, as the snake he stood upon quickly lowered itself to where Hiretsu could touch upon the broken-off neck stumps of the other two heads, and out of that 'wound' sprouted three more heads for each of them, as six of them were now hurling themselves at Yoo, stone jaws snapping and thrashing.
And while he'd have Yoo keep himself busy with that, Hiretsu quickly pulled out a small data-pad screen from one of his suit's inner pockets, turning it on quickly and merely giving a short nod for a command. Then out of the screen shot what could only be described as a black, tar-like 'goop' that flickered with bright cyan binary codes ever so often, as it'd start to envelop and drag Hiretsu into the screen. Whilst he'd have the time, he'd just give Yoo one last glare, his golden eye almost looking serpentine before they too got swallowed up into the goop, as it quickly 'sucked' back into the data-pad, and harmlessly plonked onto the ground. All the snakes, if there were any left, would soon slowly begin to revert back to inanimate objects, the concrete-snakes crumpling to bits, and the pipe-snake slowly turning back to sticking into the building wall again.
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Post by notdomino on Apr 23, 2023 1:19:23 GMT
With the makeshift spotlight off of him now, the entire ally would slowly descend into a deep darkness, even the alley's sole exit would seem to disappear in the darkness. As Hiretsu descended a blade would lash out, and whether it struck him or not, it would continue onto the stone pests he touched on the way to his exit. The sound of carving was apparent as Hiretsu made his leave. Nocturne wasn't even present at this point. The darkeness he was escaping was just a pit of slowly expanding bloodlust. With the villain gone and a casualty under his belt, a loud crash roared from alley way, light finally finding it's way back in. Yoo exhaled slowly to remain calm. Jumping down from the skies above, Rouge appeared. "Nocturne... what happened.?" He wasn't speaking to the woman as Nocturne. He was speaking to her as Yoo-doumaru Ryuujin. This could have been avoided, but Hiretsu went very well out of his way to make this personal. "Chiquita, gather the boys... we're going to go hunting very soon. For a person named Hiretsu..."Fade to Black |
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