but hey, akira won't point out his catlike behavior, because he really never does? it's okay, morgana. instead...]
She's Magilou. With her is Bienfu—he's kind of like you. Sort of.
[in a vague way, but they can explain that later.]
I wouldn't call it "leaving you out," Morgana. [honestly? he sounds a bit hesitant. yeah. he's been putting this off for a reason, even if morgana has clearly been able to tell that there's something going on here.]
It might be easier to explain now that she's here.
[ this is... a lot to take in, frankly. His tail is wagging back and forth in agitation - both from the previous situation he just escaped from, and from the one he's in right now. Magilou? Bienfu? Mascot character? (Cute? Should he be flattered?! He feels a little offended.)
More than anything, he actually does feel a little left out. It's rare that he doesn't know what's going on in Akira's life; the two of them tend to stick together almost all the time. And for Morgana, who has little else anchoring him to this place - or any place - it's a little unnerving to feel like they're drifting apart. He stares at Akira, then at Bienfu, then at Magilou.
They're not cognitive distortions, at least. He can tell that much. But he has no idea what could explain a being like that in the "real world." ]
Like me... huh. [ the thought comforts him, but only a little bit. Magilou's comment only riles him up further, even if it's not her intention. He'll have to deal with Bienfu's existence later. ] He hasn't told me anything! You've been acting really weird ever since you woke up from that bad dream few weeks ago... Something happened to you, didn't it?
[ for the moment, he also doesn't seem to notice that Akira is talking to him in front of a non-Phantom Thief, and that she seems to be included in the conversation. ]
[akira offers magilou a bit of a weak smile.] You're just Magilou to me. You can do it your way later.
[... well.] I didn't tell him, or the others yet.
[which probably isn't making morgana feel any better? but it's not intentional; akira's definitely a bit conflicted about the situation. having to address it still is... difficult. there's a lot to unpack, a lot akira's still not even sure about addressing—it's probably a bit telling in itself that akira doesn't pay much mind to the fact that magilou's ability to communicate with morgana should be brought up.
one thing at a time.]
A lot happened, Morgana. [he knows he's been acting strange; he definitely hasn't been the same since he woke up from that "dream" he brushed it off as.]
I just didn't know how to tell you. [well. that's an interesting admission, huh?]
[ah. the atmosphere sure is getting heavy all of a sudden]
. . . Bienfu.
[the normin snaps to attention, before hopping onto Magilou's shoulder and then vanishing in a ball and ring of blue light. she affixes Akira with a lidded stare, folds her arms, and cants her head to the side slightly]
Hey, Trickster. You want me to start?
[asked in a very business-like and to the point manner. she knows how rough the story is for him, and she knows how rough it'll be for him to recant it to someone he cares for so deeply. but if she can give the gritty, gruesome details in her usual detached manner. . . perhaps she can help?]
[ Bienfu suddenly turning into a ball of light startles him a little, too?! He's suddenly standing back up again, inching even closer to Akira. She can't just do that to people like him, right...? For the moment, he tries to put it out of his mind... There's definitely something fishy going on. Something that Akira didn't know how to tell him. Him, of all people! ]
I knew it... [ though he can't emote very well in this form, he looks a little disheartened somehow. Did he think he wouldn't be able to handle it? Or he didn't trust him, maybe? Either way... Well, he looks to Magilou this time. ] I want to know. This guy's supposed to be my...
[ and then, all of a sudden, he realizes that Magilou's talking to him and apparently understanding him. ]
W-wait... Hold on a second. You can hear me?
[ Akira went to the Metaverse without them - or without him, anyway? What the heck is going on here? He feels so lost, and he really hates it. ]
...It might be easier if you did. You're better at that exposition thing.
[it's a quick interjection, though—
yeah, morgana probably deserves an explanation.]
She innately has a resonance for things most humans can't. Kind of like her cognition is a lot stronger than ours. [...] Strong enough that she wouldn't have to have it changed in the Metaverse to hear you properly.
[he knows enough about her, but:] And I told her about you a while ago, so she was ready for it.
[ if she's calling him "Trickster" and he's mentioning the Metaverse in front of her, she must already know most of the story. Morgana trusts his judgement on who he tells about their group, so he relaxes a little bit, even if he can feel the tension in the air. It's not that strange for Akira to let someone else do the talking, but... ]
Yeah, of course! [ HE KNOWS WHAT MOVIES ARE TOO, AKIRA SHOWED HIM ONE!! THEY'RE GOOD AT THIS. ] Like "Hint," right? What does that have to do with anything?
[ did Akira go into her palace alone? Was her palace a murder mystery movie? honestly, that kind of falls in line with how palaces are, so he's ready to accept it. ]
[since akira is obviously familiar with the movie in question. but the fact that morgana eases on his suspicions a bit and continues to trust akira's judgment...
well, it matters a lot.
he isn't sure he'll be entirely deserving of that once this story is told, after all. this is unsurprisingly pretty stressful, even if magilou's already offered to take some of the weight off his shoulders here—but then, she knows better than anyone how hard this story is for him to tell, anyway.]
[stares at Akira like. wtf. but that seems to get the point across, so. . .]
Well, imagine one of those, staring forty-two strangers, hm? Forty-two people, all from the far reaches of the universe, brought to a deserted island and told to kill each other for the right to return home.
[that's. a blunt way of putting it, but. it's also the best way of putting it]
... Are you trying to tell me that happened to him?
[ it sounds too outrageous to be true, but Morgana's no stranger to outrageous things, being one himself. Still - that's radically different from anything they've dealt with so far. He narrows his eyes at Magilou quizzically, trying to figure out if she's telling the truth or not... but he can't read her at all, so he ends up looking over to Akira, instead.
Trapped on an island with a bunch of strangers and forced to kill each other? Really? ]
[that's directed at Morgana, just so can kind of gain an understanding of how they met in the first place]
The island itself was a dream, but the people linked to that dream were all very real. I'm evidence of that much.
[there's a joke here about how Akira dreamed up a cute girl and then she showed up on his doorstep one day, but she passes on it. for now]
A lot of people died in that dream. [s-so blunt] But it being a dream meant their deaths weren't permanent. "Winning" that game meant that everyone could wake up, and-- well!
As you can see, we won, and now everyone is awake and no longer suspended in a world between dream and reality.
[to. borrow Igor's phrasing? not on purpose, though-- sorry Akira]
[ the mechanics make enough sense to him, at least - he doesn't question the idea of a realm just outside of reality that has both permanent and not-so-permanet effects on its inhabitants. Morgana listens intently, looking troubled, at least as much as he's capable while in this form. ]
... So you went to a place like a Palace in your dreams, and while you were there, you had to kill each other?
[ he knows it's not actually a Palace, but it seems like the best point of comparison. It's a pretty bleak story, if it's true. Imagining Akira in that situation by himself is depressing. ]
Joker... How did you get out? If I had known, I would have come to save you.
[ he considers taking care of him and the others in the Metaverse to be his responsibility, even if he doesn't act like it. ]
Everything I did was to keep you and the others from being brought in to play that game. Or... see those things.
[there were too many of those things, and the things he did aren't ones he's proud of, so he just closes his eyes and shakes his head.
magilou can explain how they got out, he guesses. akira can only be adamant about the fact that he definitely did not want the phantom thieves to be there.
especially after what happened to the other phantom thief who was.]
[Akira's words earn him a silent stare from Magilou. perhaps it's because she knows the truth behind them, but. . . she thinks even someone out of the loop like Morgana could pick up on the subtext]
[she turns her attention back to the cat shortly afterwards. Akira will talk about it when he's ready; there's no rush at all]
Five people on that island were given specific instructions to murder. Kill at least one person each week, or the volcano will erupt and everyone will die.
[a small sigh]
That was a lie.
The way to "win" the game was to kill off each and every one of those five people. And that's what we did-- not this guy and I, personally, but the other thirty-seven of us.
[ the movie comparison was apt, because this definitely sounds like someone's murder mystery screenplay. If Morgana didn't know better, he'd assume it was made up. But it's not like Akira to play tricks on him - and even if he doesn't know who this girl is, he seems to trust her, and thus, so does Morgana.
His insistence on keeping Morgana "safe" is so typically him that it kind of annoys him. ]
So you'd rather just suffer alone? We're a team, you know! Helping each other is what good teammates do. [ he has to say it - his sensibilities won't allow otherwise. But he can understand the gravity of the situation. He has to assume what Magilou is saying is exactly what happened; he looks back to her, ears flicking back in unease. ] ... You had five people get murdered?
Mmm. Yeup. It wasn't as though we knew who those five were until about five weeks into the game. They claimed a lot of victims before they were caught.
[. . . and. . .]
Not to mention there were people killing for their own reasons, separate from that group of five.
[she doesn't look at Akira when she says that; she isn't giving him away until he's ready]
[ he hopes that his (apparently) being so close to this girl at least means she was there to support him. He knows how Akira always tries to take everything on by himself... ]
33?! You saw that many people die?! [ his fur stands on end a little, and he glances back and forth between the two of them for a second, as if looking for the punchline. It doesn't come, of course. They've dealt with crimes of all shapes and sizes, at this point, but certainly nothing like mass murder on this level. It's way out of their league. Certainly out of a lone Joker's league. ] ... Are you serious?
[ is he okay? no, he's definitely not okay. He can't just ask that. But what can he do? What does he even say to something like this? He's no good at this sort of thing in the first place... He gives Magilou a look of disbelief, then turns to Akira, concerned. ]
[it's a lot, morgana. and akira knows that. so he just nods his head solemnly, shifting his gaze.]
Everyone's alive now. [that was the condition of winning the game, after all.
but "okay," is not what he'd call it. not for himself, at least. plenty of others were fine once the illusion was broke and they knew they'd get home safely. for akira, though—well, the nightmare he can recall akira waking up from was the start of his trying to move on from those traumatic experiences.
[Magilou links her hands behind her back and rocks to the side, nodding in affirmation]
Alive, awake, very unlikely to go through the same thing again. Small comforts, right?
[now she looks at Akira, whom she knows is still struggling with this. despite it being a dream, despite it all being a very distant memory. people like Magilou-- selfish people, who closed their hearts off to such things so long ago-- could very easily move on without issue. but people like him, good people, who still didn't know how to come to terms with the actions took during the game?]
[that was a lot harder]
[she takes a step forward, towards Akira, and gently bumps her shoulder against his. that's a motion she's learned from him]
[ at least their deaths weren't permanent - it's a step above the Metaverse in that regard. It would feel callous to say that. Morgana is used to looking after Akira, but this is so far outside his wheelhosue that he's not sure what he should say. What can someone say in response to a story like that? ]
Akira... [ he looks up at him again, ears wilting. ] ... Damn it. Why do these things always happen to you? You never did anything wrong, but it's like the world is your enemy!
[ being angry is a lot easier than being sad for Morgana. He could apologize, but it wouldn't help a thing - instead, he channels his feelings into frustration and action. Magilou's actions towards Akira don't go unnoticed, but he can hardly ask about that now. ]
It's good you're safe, but we need to find a way to make sure that never happens again! If the Metaverse can be that dangerous, it's our job to stop it. I'll figure something out.
[magilou's gesture helps a bit; he knows she's doing her best in her own way for his sake—she's trying, and it counts for a lot.]
I don't know why. Low luck stat, I guess.
[it's a weak joke, and he knows it. either way, akira shakes his head.]
It's not something that can be stopped in the Metaverse. It wasn't the Metaverse at all—it might have been easier if it was.
[not that he really wants to discourage morgana here, but what he dealt with existed on such a different scale.] At least in the Metaverse, we can use our Personas.
[something he wasn't able to do on murder island, yaaay.]
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but hey, akira won't point out his catlike behavior, because he really never does? it's okay, morgana. instead...]
She's Magilou. With her is Bienfu—he's kind of like you. Sort of.
[in a vague way, but they can explain that later.]
I wouldn't call it "leaving you out," Morgana. [honestly? he sounds a bit hesitant. yeah. he's been putting this off for a reason, even if morgana has clearly been able to tell that there's something going on here.]
It might be easier to explain now that she's here.
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[her image as a dramatic and villainous witch, she guesses]
Bienfu is my mascot character! Though I suppose you are cuter, Morgana.
[Bienfu, who is still perched on the counter, lets out a gasp]
M-Miss Magilou. . . you've shot me through the heart!
[and in response, Magilou plants her hand on top of Bienfu's. . . hat]
Hey, don't worry! It's just a flesh wound. [then, to Akira, her tone sobering somewhat] You haven't explained anything to them yet?
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More than anything, he actually does feel a little left out. It's rare that he doesn't know what's going on in Akira's life; the two of them tend to stick together almost all the time. And for Morgana, who has little else anchoring him to this place - or any place - it's a little unnerving to feel like they're drifting apart. He stares at Akira, then at Bienfu, then at Magilou.
They're not cognitive distortions, at least. He can tell that much. But he has no idea what could explain a being like that in the "real world." ]
Like me... huh. [ the thought comforts him, but only a little bit. Magilou's comment only riles him up further, even if it's not her intention. He'll have to deal with Bienfu's existence later. ] He hasn't told me anything! You've been acting really weird ever since you woke up from that bad dream few weeks ago... Something happened to you, didn't it?
[ for the moment, he also doesn't seem to notice that Akira is talking to him in front of a non-Phantom Thief, and that she seems to be included in the conversation. ]
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[... well.] I didn't tell him, or the others yet.
[which probably isn't making morgana feel any better? but it's not intentional; akira's definitely a bit conflicted about the situation. having to address it still is... difficult. there's a lot to unpack, a lot akira's still not even sure about addressing—it's probably a bit telling in itself that akira doesn't pay much mind to the fact that magilou's ability to communicate with morgana should be brought up.
one thing at a time.]
A lot happened, Morgana. [he knows he's been acting strange; he definitely hasn't been the same since he woke up from that "dream" he brushed it off as.]
I just didn't know how to tell you. [well. that's an interesting admission, huh?]
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. . . Bienfu.
[the normin snaps to attention, before hopping onto Magilou's shoulder and then vanishing in a ball and ring of blue light. she affixes Akira with a lidded stare, folds her arms, and cants her head to the side slightly]
Hey, Trickster. You want me to start?
[asked in a very business-like and to the point manner. she knows how rough the story is for him, and she knows how rough it'll be for him to recant it to someone he cares for so deeply. but if she can give the gritty, gruesome details in her usual detached manner. . . perhaps she can help?]
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I knew it... [ though he can't emote very well in this form, he looks a little disheartened somehow. Did he think he wouldn't be able to handle it? Or he didn't trust him, maybe? Either way... Well, he looks to Magilou this time. ] I want to know. This guy's supposed to be my...
[ and then, all of a sudden, he realizes that Magilou's talking to him and apparently understanding him. ]
W-wait... Hold on a second. You can hear me?
[ Akira went to the Metaverse without them - or without him, anyway? What the heck is going on here? He feels so lost, and he really hates it. ]
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[it's a quick interjection, though—
yeah, morgana probably deserves an explanation.]
She innately has a resonance for things most humans can't. Kind of like her cognition is a lot stronger than ours. [...] Strong enough that she wouldn't have to have it changed in the Metaverse to hear you properly.
[he knows enough about her, but:] And I told her about you a while ago, so she was ready for it.
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[she shoots Morgana a sly grin]
You two must be similar, or whatever counts for "high resonance" in your world. That's the reason you can see Bienfu.
[but! that's an explanation for a later day. she leans her hip against the counter and lapses into thoughtful silence]
Hmm, let's see, how to put this into words. . . oh! Have you ever watched a movie about a murder mystery?
[SHE KNOWS WHAT MOVIES ARE!! AKIRA TOOK HER TO ONE!! PRAISE HER KNOWLEDGE]
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[ if she's calling him "Trickster" and he's mentioning the Metaverse in front of her, she must already know most of the story. Morgana trusts his judgement on who he tells about their group, so he relaxes a little bit, even if he can feel the tension in the air. It's not that strange for Akira to let someone else do the talking, but... ]
Yeah, of course! [ HE KNOWS WHAT MOVIES ARE TOO, AKIRA SHOWED HIM ONE!! THEY'RE GOOD AT THIS. ] Like "Hint," right? What does that have to do with anything?
[ did Akira go into her palace alone? Was her palace a murder mystery movie? honestly, that kind of falls in line with how palaces are, so he's ready to accept it. ]
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[since akira is obviously familiar with the movie in question. but the fact that morgana eases on his suspicions a bit and continues to trust akira's judgment...
well, it matters a lot.
he isn't sure he'll be entirely deserving of that once this story is told, after all. this is unsurprisingly pretty stressful, even if magilou's already offered to take some of the weight off his shoulders here—but then, she knows better than anyone how hard this story is for him to tell, anyway.]
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[stares at Akira like. wtf. but that seems to get the point across, so. . .]
Well, imagine one of those, staring forty-two strangers, hm? Forty-two people, all from the far reaches of the universe, brought to a deserted island and told to kill each other for the right to return home.
[that's. a blunt way of putting it, but. it's also the best way of putting it]
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[ it sounds too outrageous to be true, but Morgana's no stranger to outrageous things, being one himself. Still - that's radically different from anything they've dealt with so far. He narrows his eyes at Magilou quizzically, trying to figure out if she's telling the truth or not... but he can't read her at all, so he ends up looking over to Akira, instead.
Trapped on an island with a bunch of strangers and forced to kill each other? Really? ]
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[there's no pride in it though, so akira just closes his eyes.]
An island that existed in... a collective unconscious. Not the sort we know, but a dream. [...]
More a nightmare, really.
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[that's directed at Morgana, just so can kind of gain an understanding of how they met in the first place]
The island itself was a dream, but the people linked to that dream were all very real. I'm evidence of that much.
[there's a joke here about how Akira dreamed up a cute girl and then she showed up on his doorstep one day, but she passes on it. for now]
A lot of people died in that dream. [s-so blunt] But it being a dream meant their deaths weren't permanent. "Winning" that game meant that everyone could wake up, and-- well!
As you can see, we won, and now everyone is awake and no longer suspended in a world between dream and reality.
[to. borrow Igor's phrasing? not on purpose, though-- sorry Akira]
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... So you went to a place like a Palace in your dreams, and while you were there, you had to kill each other?
[ he knows it's not actually a Palace, but it seems like the best point of comparison. It's a pretty bleak story, if it's true. Imagining Akira in that situation by himself is depressing. ]
Joker... How did you get out? If I had known, I would have come to save you.
[ he considers taking care of him and the others in the Metaverse to be his responsibility, even if he doesn't act like it. ]
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[akira says that simply and quietly.]
Everything I did was to keep you and the others from being brought in to play that game. Or... see those things.
[there were too many of those things, and the things he did aren't ones he's proud of, so he just closes his eyes and shakes his head.
magilou can explain how they got out, he guesses. akira can only be adamant about the fact that he definitely did not want the phantom thieves to be there.
especially after what happened to the other phantom thief who was.]
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[she turns her attention back to the cat shortly afterwards. Akira will talk about it when he's ready; there's no rush at all]
Five people on that island were given specific instructions to murder. Kill at least one person each week, or the volcano will erupt and everyone will die.
[a small sigh]
That was a lie.
The way to "win" the game was to kill off each and every one of those five people. And that's what we did-- not this guy and I, personally, but the other thirty-seven of us.
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His insistence on keeping Morgana "safe" is so typically him that it kind of annoys him. ]
So you'd rather just suffer alone? We're a team, you know! Helping each other is what good teammates do. [ he has to say it - his sensibilities won't allow otherwise. But he can understand the gravity of the situation. He has to assume what Magilou is saying is exactly what happened; he looks back to her, ears flicking back in unease. ] ... You had five people get murdered?
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[though he really did shoulder so many burdens alone in that time—well.
he'll get to his reasons eventually. he's still not sure how he wants to tell that part of the story.]
It was more than five. Those five had to die for the game to be "won," but... in total, it was. 33.
[thirty-three people died. it was a lot, and it was brutal.
and he was one of them but hey. minor details.]
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[. . . and. . .]
Not to mention there were people killing for their own reasons, separate from that group of five.
[she doesn't look at Akira when she says that; she isn't giving him away until he's ready]
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33?! You saw that many people die?! [ his fur stands on end a little, and he glances back and forth between the two of them for a second, as if looking for the punchline. It doesn't come, of course. They've dealt with crimes of all shapes and sizes, at this point, but certainly nothing like mass murder on this level. It's way out of their league. Certainly out of a lone Joker's league. ] ... Are you serious?
[ is he okay? no, he's definitely not okay. He can't just ask that. But what can he do? What does he even say to something like this? He's no good at this sort of thing in the first place... He gives Magilou a look of disbelief, then turns to Akira, concerned. ]
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Everyone's alive now. [that was the condition of winning the game, after all.
but "okay," is not what he'd call it. not for himself, at least. plenty of others were fine once the illusion was broke and they knew they'd get home safely. for akira, though—well, the nightmare he can recall akira waking up from was the start of his trying to move on from those traumatic experiences.
sorry, mona. this isn't a fun story at all.]
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Alive, awake, very unlikely to go through the same thing again. Small comforts, right?
[now she looks at Akira, whom she knows is still struggling with this. despite it being a dream, despite it all being a very distant memory. people like Magilou-- selfish people, who closed their hearts off to such things so long ago-- could very easily move on without issue. but people like him, good people, who still didn't know how to come to terms with the actions took during the game?]
[that was a lot harder]
[she takes a step forward, towards Akira, and gently bumps her shoulder against his. that's a motion she's learned from him]
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Akira... [ he looks up at him again, ears wilting. ] ... Damn it. Why do these things always happen to you? You never did anything wrong, but it's like the world is your enemy!
[ being angry is a lot easier than being sad for Morgana. He could apologize, but it wouldn't help a thing - instead, he channels his feelings into frustration and action. Magilou's actions towards Akira don't go unnoticed, but he can hardly ask about that now. ]
It's good you're safe, but we need to find a way to make sure that never happens again! If the Metaverse can be that dangerous, it's our job to stop it. I'll figure something out.
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I don't know why. Low luck stat, I guess.
[it's a weak joke, and he knows it. either way, akira shakes his head.]
It's not something that can be stopped in the Metaverse. It wasn't the Metaverse at all—it might have been easier if it was.
[not that he really wants to discourage morgana here, but what he dealt with existed on such a different scale.] At least in the Metaverse, we can use our Personas.
[something he wasn't able to do on murder island, yaaay.]
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1/of like. idk. morgana why.
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okay done now i'm so sorry
i'm love magilou
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