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Post by Ruby on Jan 19, 2013 1:52:27 GMT -5
The cafe was loosing money, Granny had begun complaining, and Red could do little but nod conceding and shut the damned portion of the hotel down another day. Time and time again the elder woman had asked her what plagued her, and time and time again Red refused to answer. Multiple times she had threatened to retrieve Snow, the Queen had a tendency to get Red to bare her deepest secrets, but even then Red had refused to budge. Granny was going to give her one more week and if the issue wasn't resolved...The old woman had threatened to drag her to the palace conscious or no... and so far Red was not proving her recovery, in fact she only seemed to be getting worse.
Heavy bags had set beneath her eyes, her hair got a bit more wild each day and the nightmares... Granny was awoken damn near every night by the blood curdling screams that ripped themselves from Ruby's throat... and even then she would not tell her what was wrong, she would merely grab her bow and arrows and return in the morning with some freshly killed carcass, she got thinner, paler, and the lack of sleep was making her uneasy and unstable, It was breaking the older woman's heart.
Red was tormented by a variety of things, the deal she had made with Rumple, her feelings for Dorian, her training to control the beast, Reinhart was ruthless and now with the beasts anger that she had so carelessly given away her heart, it plagued her with memories of killing her ex-lover, thoughts of killing all of those villagers, nightmares of slaughtering her friends, her lover and Granny, and it was all taking its toll. Sure she could now change into the beast at will, but what good did it do anyone if she could barely function properly? Her hearing picked up Granny's steady footfalls and quickly she rose out of the chair and up onto her feet, the world spun and she swayed dangerously, but managed to stay upright as Granny trotted into view.
"I'm opening up the bar tonight." Granny blinked in surprise, but said nothing, she could see straight through her granddaughters facade... but even if it was only a one night thing, Granny was pleased to see her actually making an effort, even if it was only for her benefit, but she choose, at least for now to leave it be. Red trotted over to the door and unlocked the switch, changing the rough wooden sign in the wooden and resuming her place behind the counter.
Granny frowned, she had dressed for the bar made, a long sleeved red undershirt, the familiar brown corset and the flowing white skirts, but they dwarfed her now, just how much weight had she lost? Her hair was pulled back messily out of her face, wild ringlets hung scattered about her face, and her eyes had dulled, lost that vibrant green, perhaps her appearance was not so different to someone who had not raised her. She wasn't dying or thin enough to be considered unhealthy, but Granny knew with all of her heart that something was wrong... she really needed to get Snow back here.
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Post by Dorian Gray on Jan 20, 2013 19:53:46 GMT -5
Dorian had been in solitary for several days, sitting in his study with a book before him but staring at the same page blankfaced for hours. He could not shake his thoughts to concentrate on anything else. He would consume only three cups of tea a day, with no other substance to quell his hunger, but he did not care. He was numb with the new sensation of feeling. He was hungry, he was purposefully abusing himself to feel something--anything, and he had thus far been unsuccessful.
His life had been nothing short of miserable since he had last seen her. He didn't like to think of it; she had been the only woman who could ever break him down like that; she'd gotten too close to his soul and he could never forgive that, no matter what feelings he reserved for her. And there were a few. He missed her in his bed, mostly, now sleeping alone in the study. But he also missed her voice, her wit. She'd been a match for him. And he was fighting everything he felt. But finally, today, Dorian had had enough. He could not handle more loneliness. He could not find pleasure in anyone but her, and now more than ever he was longing for the opium that sent that wonderful, merry numbing sensation through his body. Surely, surely there was some here somewhere.
He downed a bottle and a half of brandy to smother his every fear, to make him more docile a man, so that he could go to see the woman that had driven him into madness. He rode quickly, thundering over the hills and into the city, halting evenutally his new steed (named Byron) just outside the inn. He had read earlier a quote from the good Lord Byron himself, saying "The great object of life is sensation- to feel that we exist, even though in pain." Dorian drew a deep breath and went inside.
He was wearing a hat and a dark surcoat., which covered his shoulders. The hat was pulled down to hide his equally dark eyes, and when he went in, Dorian sat in the corner. He knew that she would see him, though, despite his attire, but he'd hide while he could. He drummed his fingers on the table and sighed heavily. She would come over, she would scold him or hate him or something.
Ruby did finally come, as he knew she would have to, and after a moment in a very low, unusually dark voice, he gave her a simple, "You don't look well, sweetheart."
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Post by Ruby on Jan 20, 2013 20:28:40 GMT -5
Granny was grating on her last nerves, she loved the old woman until her dying breath but she could not stand the insistent nagging, and there was no way in the deepest pit of hell that Red would tell her of her tangle with not one but two demons. The first had snapped her control, made her feel things she should never feel again, he made her dance on that razors edge of maintaining herself and she hadn't been so close to loosing herself in many, many years. Love made her weak and made the wolf stronger... and in that weakness, in that lack of self control she had sought her second demon, and most assuredly the more dangerous of the two.
"Shit." The curse escaped her before she could stop it and the patron in front of her jumped peering over the side of the bar. A broken glass lay stained and forgotten as she ducked beneath the counter to grab a roll of gauze. He offered his help and she shook her head quickly, she was careless enough right now without the aid of someone else. She bandaged her hand quickly and tossed the glass away pouring him another before drenching the bandages in alcohol. The burn brought some clarity to her muddled thoughts. The bar wasn't so crowded, not many had discovered its reopening and she remained relatively free of duty. Out of the corner of her eye some figure slunk into the dark corner of her restaurant and she didn't have to see his face to know who he was. Her heart plummeted to her stomach and chocked her at the same time. Damn.
She gnawed her bottom lip for only a moment before deciding how best she should handle this. She could ignore him. She really, really, did not want to speak to anyone at the moment. She would have left for the woods as she had every other night but then Granny would be upon her the next morning. The only reason she had reopened the bar was to shut the old woman up... if only for a day. With a look of fierce determination, she picked one of the glasses from above her and filled it to the brim with Brandy... the same drink he had ordered the first time he waltzed through her doors.
She slid easily into the seat opposing him and slowly slid the drink across the table towards him. She was tired, she was lonely, and she damned him because just sitting across from him made some of her anxieties melt away. She could not hate him. It simply couldn't be and with a sigh and a soft smile she chuckled darkly.
"For all of your beauty your not looking quite so handsome yourself. What ails you my Dorian?" Even though she had been so utterly foolish in the past week or so, she couldn't bring herself to care the moment she had glanced upon his eyes, all of her anxiousness shifted from her own persona to his. She couldn't stand to see such a dismal look in his eyes. With only a moments hesitation she reached across the table to stroke his drumming fingers, running her nails along his skin in a movement that was meant to be comforting.
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Post by Dorian Gray on Jan 20, 2013 21:02:07 GMT -5
Trouble followed Dorian anywhere and everywhere he went, but nothing had ever caused him so much pain. Of course, maybe it was better to feel pain than what he felt now, because what he felt was absolutely nothing. He should have killed her, and his regrets could have seeped into the painting. But while she still lived, the emotions remained alive in him, in his body and mortal form. He should have killed her, yes, reason said, but something else said no, he should have and could have not. That he would never be the same apart from her.
Damn this woman. She'd gone and done something, he could tell by the atrociously loose-hanging clothes on her body. She was deathly pale and thin, the picture of malnourishment, and he did not like it one bit. It was unbecoming, worrisome, unacceptable. And he would not have it that she'd live like this, no matter what curses he'd spoken upon her or what the picture itself had caused. He was not, by any stretch, a good man, but Dorian was going to fix whatever this was.
He removed his hat but kept the surcoat upon his back, so that it might remind him of his numbness. He accepted the brandy and watched with his eyes narrowed as she joined him at the table. Of course she'd come. How could she not? She knew him, knew his form, knew his mannerism. She had to notice him anywhere. With a sigh, Dorian let himself down the entirety of the glass, already having drinken too much earlier today.
"No," he said darkly, "I'm not. I know what it's done to me to go without eating hardly anything for a week; you, on the other hand, look much worse. Tell me, then. What have you done? What caused such bitter suffering? Was it I? surely not I for it is my painting that bears my soul. But you look like you've done something, Ruby." He let his eyes bore into her own. Her hand did not make him feel anything but remorse and nothingness. For once he did not want to consume her; he was glad enough that she was still real. For as much as he wouldn't tell her, as much pain as she'd caused him and his ego, he could not bear to have her leave his life.
He looked her over with stern disapproval. She looked miserable.
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Post by Ruby on Jan 20, 2013 21:41:49 GMT -5
She was tired, she was exhausted, she was anxious, she was worried, and she cursed herself every minute of every damnable day for the stupidity she had wrought upon herself. Yes... it had gained her control... but she had traded one demon for another, and this one she would never have control over. Better the demon you know then the one you don't. They phrase teased at the corners of her mind and she cursed them. She had known better, but she had been desperate. Desperate for some semblance of control in her life and she had done something so incredibly stupid...
She snapped out of her own thoughts as he spoke. He did not jerk away from her touch and she assumed that was a good of sign as any that he at least did not hate her and unimaginably, that brought some semblance of peace to her heart which was so unreasonably unjustified that it was a struggle not to snort. She released him, leaning back in the booth, not wanting to push her luck.. or her good fortune that he even came to see her again... and there was no doubt in her mind that he was here for her. There were plenty of other bars in Aledon, he did not have to seek out this one. She wondered for only a moment if he had come here earlier and seen it closed. Did it matter? He sat before her now, and her eyes quickly grew heavy with concern as he confessed to her.
"You haven't eaten? Dorian... you will make yourself ill. Allow me to fix you something. I've gone hunting several times I have lamb, elk, deer, what would you like?" Was his worry over her discovery of his secret the source of his misplaced eating habits? She would not allow him to waste away because of her own damnable curiosity. His secret was safe with her, she had scarcely thought of the damned thing since she had seen it. She did not move because his next words burrowed into her and reminded her of her own misgivings. He thought it was himself who had instilled such a dreadful appearance. Did she truly appear so thin?
"It is not your portrait that weighs heavy on my mind. To be honest I've scarcely thought of the damned thing." She kept her voice low, quiet, lest prying ears be listening. "You however love to haunt me, I find you creeping into my thoughts more often than not... doing delightfully wicked things to me when I am trying to work... or sleep." She could not resist the teasing light to her tone, but unlike usual it did not reach her eyes. She looked down, shying away from him. "I am not used to feeling so... out of sync with my wolf. So I did what I always do. Act impulsively and do something stupid." Her tone was considerably darker and her eyes clouded obviously remembering whatever stupidity she had done. "There is man in my world, who goes by the name of Rumpelstiltskin, or Mr.Gold, depending on where you're from." She spat his name out like a venom, a vile toxin that burned her tongue. "He makes deals with people, and utilizes a great of dark magic, mainly for evil purposes, if there is a true demon among us, its him. I... I sought him out to help me and he did. I can control the wolf, change at will, the moon no longer holds my sway... but now I owe him. He made me swear upon an open agreement, anything he wanted of me, he could have and I foolishly said yes. I fear he will use my curse for some wickedness that I cannot for see and I am afraid." She would not meet his gaze, she kept her head down and away, trying not to remember the wicked gleam in the demons eyes as she shook his hand. Trying not to think of what vile deed he would have her do, but even now she trembled. She had given Rumple the power to take down a short army and she did not think she could bear any more guilt upon her soul.
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Post by Dorian Gray on Jan 20, 2013 22:46:33 GMT -5
Ruby's eyes gleamed with something that looked malicious, that looked dangerous. And yes, Dorian had seen that darker, vicious side of her before, when they had lain together. He knew how dangerous she was to play with, she was a fire, but now he saw something more, something that was too much for even him to dare to touch. What consumed her, he kept wondering, and he had to know what could possibly challenge the atrocity of his painting--he'd seen the devil in that, and he saw the devil in her eyes.
He reclined only slightly, trying to look more relaxed and composed than he really was. He was playing with something unknown here, but he still felt a hard aching in his heart for this wicked woman who'd captured his soul, his thoughts, his everything. Now she had his pain in her hands and he could not let her know how much control she had over him right now. He looked her over, he tried to see what he was dealing with. He shook his head. "No, no, Ruby. I don't want anything. I've been... meditating on an empty stomach. It cleanses me." He sounded a bit religious, spiritual for a moment, but he had not meant to. He was the very devil himself, anyway.
Was she fretting her pretty little head over him? He hoped not, but he had thought so for a while. He took his hand to his hair in anxiety and left it resting on the side of his head. He did not want to hurt her, he didn't. And he'd given up some of his unhumanness to keep her alive, save her from the devil inside of him.
He listened intently the whole time, but he could not believe what he was hearing. Silence settled over him for a few long minutes, and then he folded his hands in front of him. "Ruby Red," he started gently, the darkness falling from his voice, "I should not have let you ever leave my manor. I will take the fall for this; I just want to know why." He was angry at himself and for the first time in, oh, forty something years, Dorian felt like he had real emotions again. Like his painting did not matter or exist. He felt... old. Dorian's dark eyes were piercing, his voice breathy but sure. He had to do something now. He had to act because these emotions were unlike any push he'd ever felt.
"Tell you what--and don't you stop me--I will go to this Gold tomorrow, I will make my own deal. And you'll be free from all your chains because they belong on me anyway. And my soul has taken much; it can handle more." He placed his hand on her arm, stroking her gently. She had been worth more than he'd known.
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Post by Ruby on Jan 20, 2013 23:14:04 GMT -5
Ruby trembled from her fear. She was right to fear Rumple, she knew that, had seen how cruel his magic could be, ripping apart families, people's lives like they were nothing, and perhaps to them they weren't, but there was nothing she could do. She accepted her control and he had seized the opportunity. As he had said... it never hurt to have a werewolf owe you a favor eh? His laughter, cruel and malicious, high pitched and shrill would haunt her until her dying day she was sure. His response at her words stunned her into absolute silence. She had never heard her name, either one of them, spoken with such gentleness, such understanding. She had expected his anger, his violence. She deserved to be slandered in the streets for her stupidity, Snow would have offered her no quarter... she knew that, so why in God's name had he?
"No." The word was spoken with such strength and such power that she felt the deep rumble in the very depths of her soul. Fury like she had never felt bubbled up in the pit of her stomach at the very thought of him taking her stupidity from her. She could control her wolf now and she would use every ounce of its power to keep him safe. He was one of many reasons she had sought such control. Her nails turned to claws and they ripped through the thing material of her skirts, the slight pain was enough to ground her. Her eyes shot to the scattered patrons and for the second time in little over a month did she bark at them. "Leave." It was a command, no leniency in her voice and the patrons were fast to make haste, the flickering gold in her gaze was enough to get the place abandoned. She slid from her side of the booth to his, craning her body around to face him. The gold vanished from her eyes and the claws receded back to nails. She caught his face between her palms and gently pulled him down resting her forehead against his with enough gentleness to make her shiver.
"God damnit Dorian. After I killed Peter, I promised myself that I would have no weakness, no more flaws, but then you walked through my door... I don't care if you flee this establishment, this city, and never speak to me again." She took a deep steadying breath, and her fingers trembled, both from her fear that he really would walk away and the fury that she struggled to keep down. "You will not burden the sins that are not yours to bare, you will not find Gold, and you will make no deals with him. I will not see his evil be upon you. Your soul will remain clear of his stain if I have to drag you away myself." She willed him to understand, to see why she could not allow such a thing.
"I know emotions, attachments, are lost upon you, forever locked away in your portrait." Traitorous tears flooded her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. "But such stipulations do not affect me, and I cannot see you fall for me because I love you." She whispered against his mouth never once breaking his intense gaze. If he ran from her, in fear or in disgust, she would make sure he never went to Rumple.
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Post by Dorian Gray on Jan 20, 2013 23:51:04 GMT -5
Dorian was having a hard time comprehending the emotions that played behind Ruby's face. She was mad, she was astonished; she was bewildered, she was anguished. But that wasn't it. There was so much more depth than that, and it burned Dorian's heart to see the extent of her display of emotions. He did not have feelings like that; to see hers was a fire beyond quenching, another Faustian deal. He had made a deal with the devil himself through Lord Henry Wotton, and to this day Dorian was magic, dark magic. He knew. He understood. And Lord Henry had remained always his faithful friend.
How could she tell him no? The one time he thought he could feel something, do something other than just indulge himself in things he couldn't really have, to be so young but to have lived so long--his curse was set in stone. Or rather, with oil on canvas. No other curse could reset his. It was permanent. But her strong contrary word shook him. He felt her... something... and it hurt. In no time she'd cleared the place and Dorian shook his head. No, no, no. He didn't want this much attention on them, on him. Not anymore.
She was swiftly at his side, holding his face in her death weapons of hands. He knew what she could do before, and now she had her beast at her own beck and call. She was so dangerous, and he was so depressed that he could only be subserviant. But Dorian's mind began spinning and her touch reminded him. He knew her. He knew the touch. And it made him confident. Melancholy no more, he thought. "I'm... Not... Leaving..." he answered evenly, deep breaths between each word as though some anger lurked beneath. His masculine desire for control had conquered him again. Now he just wanted to win.
"My soul already bears every stain a sinner could hope for: murder, adultery, rape, causing suicide, betrayal, deception, greed. I can do no more to hurt it, and I cannot die." he tried to remind her. This wouldn't be on her if he had a say in it. "I am over fifty years old. Probably more. But I cannot die, and I am so ruined already that more ruin will but blend in. No deal I made could ever, ever hurt me more than it hurts me... to see you like this."
He beseeched her listen to his side, but knew that she would not. And her next words caught him off guard, stunned him in silence. He breathed for a minute. In. Out. Deep. Shallow. Breaths, hard to come by. "You can't," he said to her, eyes beginning to well in both anger and trauma. "I am free to do as I will--my painting absorbs all, and he doesn't have to know I have it. Trust me, Red! Trust me! Trust me!' I would never tell you if I loved you, because I don't think it's possible. But you have to let me try this. Goddamn, Ruby. Let me save you for once." A tear did finally escape his contorted face, but he concealed it by taking her mouth harshly in his, kissing the hell out of her until she'd concede.
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Post by Ruby on Jan 21, 2013 0:29:37 GMT -5
Tears flooded her eyes and she stubbornly refused to let them fall, she had cried enough and caused enough grief. she would not be the source of more. His flesh against the soft skin of her fingers was the only thing that still grounded her to where she sat. Nothing else mattered, the bar, the cafe, the city of Aledon... nothing. It all paled in comparisson to what this man had become to her. She had never harbored such strong sentiments of any emotion towards anyone before. He mattered too her. He had become her life and she realized now that these last few weeks of deterioration, were not because she was afraid of what Rumple would do to her, but fear that whatever the task may be, it would bring harm to him, and the mere thought of his hurt made her heart bleed.
"I don't care what your soul looks like Dorian, I will not be responsible for tarnishing it, please don't make me. I dont care if you are twenty, a hundred, a thousand, I dont care how many people you have slept with, or how many people your actions have brought pain too. It would kill me, it would crack my heart to know that I was the cause of more suffering..." His words touched her though. He may not love her, he may not yearn for her like she did for him, but he cared, he cared to some degree about her.
"I knew that deal when I made it, I understand the implications and one day he may use me for destruction or chaos, but it will be worth it, because if I can control it, I can't harm you, I can never hurt you and I would make a thousand deals to that demon, I would sell him my heart, my soul, anything he wanted, if it meant you could be free of your curse. If I could take away your pain, your suffering, I would give up anything. I cannot bear the thought of loosing you" She cried then, tears dripping from her own eyes at his heavy command. He wanted to save her, he wanted to take her sins for his own, but Red could not let him... but she could deny him nothing, and when he kissed her hard enough to bruise. She could feel every emotion, every feeling, every thought poured into it and she was lost, a mere slave to his passions. She tangled her fingers into his hair and only when her vision grow hazy and her mind spun from a lack of oxygen did she pull him away.
"Dorian Grey. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." She murmured her litany against the soft flesh of his mouth until her heart closed up her throat and she dragged him back to her to claim his mouth once more.
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Post by Dorian Gray on Jan 21, 2013 11:05:46 GMT -5
Dorian Gray, the great unfeeling wretch, was being pulled down by a woman who was resolute and set upon loving him. Did she not understand? So many women had professed their love to him; Sibyl Vane had been the first and the last that he believed, and he had driven her to take her own life. After that, Dorian had become immortalized, his soul restored to destruction, and his face forever beautiful. He did not and would not and could not love, but he could not seem to help caring for Ruby. She had challenged the control he had over his heart--the heart he thought he didn't even have. He could feel now, and the pain was so great that there was nothing to compare. Why did she fight him so? He was offering the only semblance of love he had, and she was refusing it.
His voice was strong but only in passion. "You've already tarnished me, Ruby. You've left a mark on my soul that I cannot erase. You have loved me, and no one has ever caused a stir in my emotions but you. As I have said, I will never tell you 'I love you,' but that does not mean that you haven't messed me up. I fear my soul is slowly returning to my body--a line has been already crossed... So you see," Dorian said, albeit gently, "you've already ruined me. Now let me ruin me more."
He shook his head and buried it in his hands, trying to hide from her even though he knew that such a thing was impossible. She had gotten to him; she knew more of him; she knew him better than anyone else ever had. So why did she keep insisting he not be allowed his freedom? He'd spared her from himself, only to allow her to be tormented by him.
"All I can hear, Ruby, is that there's a good chance you're going to end up hurting me anyway. Listen: if he is how you say he is, then he will use you to hurt me. Either way this goes, I will take the fall. But I can handle it. My soul will erase all bad from me. Ruby, let me do this for you." He was pleading with her, refusing to understand her side because he knew, somewhere inside, that he was stronger. He could handle pain, and to be honest, death would not even sting him now as it once would have. He deserved it, and now that that line had been crossed, he knew how much.
He would not move his mouth from hers until she consented. He would kiss her silly, and if she still did not allow it he'd chain her to his bed until he'd made the deal. No, she could not win this one. "I know you do," he whispered, then let himself be dragged back to her mouth. He was not going to let her take this one. This was his curse to break, his life to ruin.
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Post by Ruby on Jan 21, 2013 11:41:22 GMT -5
Red felt his passion and it melted her. She could deny him nothing. Even if it meant to destroy his soul... but Gold was a trickster, he was intelligent and he knew far too much. What if he tricked Dorian, got him to sign a second deal? What if he asked Gold instead to erase his memory of her? Would Gold even agree to such a bargain? The only reason he had accepted hers was for the brutal strength she could exude as the wolf. She could and she had destroyed factions of armies, she had been an ally to Aledon in numerous wars and had fought some of the nasty more brutish creatures of this world. She was powerful when she choose to be and Rumple knew that well. She could not stand alone against someone like Regina or anyone that wielded such monstrous amounts of magic, but to mortal men she was deadly. Why would he give that up for Dorian?
He kissed her. Again and again and again and again until her thoughts fell away like ash scattered to the winds and it was all she could do to cling to him and let him. She knew what he was doing and damn him it was working. For once, she would not prevail in this war of dominance, this time she would not win him, and with one last searing, mind-numbing kiss that almost made her want to have him here and now, she reluctantly pulled away from his mouth, so the next time he swooped her lips landed on his cheek. She kissed his face just as delicately as he had hers after their first night together, anywhere and everywhere they could reach.
"You have won me Dori." The pet name slipped from her mouth against her consent. She brushed her cheek against his own before her fingers dropped from his hair to snake around his waist and tug him impossibly closer. She buried her face in his neck, drinking his scent and remembering how much she had missed his body heat against hers as it seeped into her flesh. "I fear you are more dangerous to me. You could ask of me anything and I would grant it. I am your slave." She spoke barely above a whisper but the words were surprisingly strong. She had come to terms with her love for a creature who could never love her in return. "I can deny you nothing.." She squeezed him tightly as though afraid he would vanish from her grasp. "But please... please be careful. I will not see you hurt for me."
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