Mac's Boarding House

[+Sorana]

On 24.7.2020 at 3:08 AM, ZincAboutIt said:

Kit smiled. "I've worked in lots of taverns, on and off. Never had a full-time job, but I helped out a lot down in Alleyharbor. Took over the bar for a whole summer at The High Tide when the innkeeper's wife had her baby."

She watched the woman interact with her few customers, thinking.

"If you'd want help housekeeping, I'd be willing, though I'd prefer room and board here if I'd be expected at all hours."

Temeria nodded in agreement. "Of course." she smiled, and then nodded again, mostly to herself. A room would be no issue, there were enough of them, most of them empty at the moment. And it made sense, if the woman didn't live here, she couldn't help Temeria at night, or early in the morning.

"If you want to - " she started, guessing which way would be the best to do this. She wasn't entirely sure whether she should admit the woman into her home immediatly, but she needed the help, especially if things continued like they had started, with one or two guests more coming by every day. "You can start now, work here for a week or two. Then we sit down, see whether the two of us can work together on a more permamently? You can choose one of the rooms upstairs, make it your own, you can eat here, and I'd pay you some money."

Gesturing towards the bard she added "This is Desmund. I asked if he is able to play here in the tavern room in the evenings. Maybe that way we can attrackt some guests."

@Rosharan A.C.

[Ashbringer]

Byron kept running.

He was... better. Perhaps. He felt like running was helping. He couldn't tell how much progress he was making, how fast his bubble was going, but he couldn't make out the plants growing anymore. That had to be a good sign.

He came to a building. Another building. A... boarding house. 

No. Boarding houses meant people and people meant - 

His mind started to crack again. No. Find the thing you're looking for. Whatever that is.

And he began running again.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Poller kept walking toward the Post. He'd signed up for a sort of Op-Ed position, but he'd need to ask about the details. If only he knew-

Another boy started walking across the street ahead of him. Only he wasn't walking, he was almost bouncing up and down, as if gravity was only pulling on him half the time...

No, Poller realized. He was only in half the time. He'd seen the kid before... he'd just bought a metal. Cadmium. It would slow down time, but he'd thought it was only in a specific area. Ben, that was his name.

Ben was... walking... towards Mac's Boarding House. But he didn't look like he was going there, just somewhere nearby?

Poller started running. "Hey! Ben! Wait up!"

[+Sorana]

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Was that scene more for your character development, or should I find a reason why Temeria stumbles into Poller?

@Ashbringer

[Ashbringer]

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A bit of both.

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

Satisfied that everything was going fine within the Boarding House Temeria reached out for a basket. She disliked the strange feeling bags people tended to use in this world. They were loud, felt so thin and they stank a little as well. So she had gotten herself a basket.

"I will head out, buy a few things." she told her new employee, knowing she wouldn't be gone long enough for something to go wrong. It would be a first test, to see if the girl could keep up with everything happening.

Amber left his candle and joined her when she made a stop behind the bar and reached out for the sword waiting for her. She never went anywhere without her sword. The instinct had been ingrained into her body and soul and she knew she wouldn't stop doing it. If the sword was useful or not, she felt better going around armed. Slinging the belt around her hip she knew that it provided a nearly strange contrast to the dress she wore, but didn't entirely care about that. She had left her uniform behind when she had opened the boarding house and there was nothing more to be discussed about the matter.

She stepped outside, basket on her hip, sword comfortably at her side, nearly stumbling into a young man, running past. She yelped in surprise when he suddenly crossed her path, or when she suddenly crossed his, she supposed, her basket with its two towels falling to the ground, rolling away.

"I'm sorry." she called out, torn between running after the basket and making sure she hadn't hurt him.

@Ashbringer

[Ashbringer]

Poller kept running after Ben. He wasn't entirely sure why, the other boy just seemed... off, like something was bothering him. He didn't seem to know where he was -

A woman stepped out from the boarding house, right in his path.

Poller quickly jumped to one side, but it was a bit too late, as it sent her basket of - towels? - onto the street. To her credit she apologized, even though this was entirely his fault.

"No, I'm sorry, I-"

Suddenly he started feeling an episode coming. Quickly he reached behind him and grabbed the staff he'd lashed to his back, but not before he stumbled a few feet.

"Sorry. I'm fine that was my fault I'm sorry I'll get the basket," he rattled off as he hobbled over to the fallen cargo. He replaced the towel that had fallen out, brushed it off as best he could with one hand, and held it to the woman.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, hoping he wasn't blushing too badly.

 

Byron kept running.

He could feel it now. Something was calling to him. Threatening to destroy him if he didn't come.

Then he saw the building he was headed to. Only... he wasn't anywhere near it. He could just... know where it was.

So he kept running, oblivious to the scene behind him.

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

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sorry -.- I actually remember writing a reply to that post... it's gone I suppose

"No, it's fine." she hastily reached out for the basket. "It was my mistake, I stepped outside without looking around." Embaressed she smiled at him as if to make up for her mistake and then set the basket on her hip again. He seemed to be out of breath, as if he had been running. Turning her head she looked along the street, saw someone running away from them.

"Do you need help? Is he a criminal of some sorts?" she offered, setting down the basket again a hand touching the hilt of her sword.

@Ashbringer

Edited August 28, 2020 by Sorana

[Ashbringer]

20 hours ago, Sorana said:

"No, it's fine." she hastily reached out for the basket. "It was my mistake, I stepped outside without looking around." Embaressed she smiled at him as if to make up for her mistake and then set the basket on her hip again. He seemed to be out of breath, as if he had been running. Turning her head she looked along the street, saw someone running away from them.

"Do you need help? Is he a criminal of some sorts?" she offered, setting down the basket again a hand touching the hilt of her sword.

Sword?

"No! No, he's not a- well, I don't really know him- sorry," Poller said, trying to process everything. He was still tapping bronze - it stopped his narcolepsy from knocking him out, but it also made him slightly hyperactive.

"He was a customer at the shop I was working at. I was headed toward the Alleyverse Post when I saw him running like mad, and I was trying to figure out why. Guess I got a little distracted," he finished.

"I wonder where he's going. He seemed a bit... distant."

[+Sorana]

On 29.8.2020 at 4:51 AM, Ashbringer said:

Sword?

"No! No, he's not a- well, I don't really know him- sorry," Poller said, trying to process everything. He was still tapping bronze - it stopped his narcolepsy from knocking him out, but it also made him slightly hyperactive.

"He was a customer at the shop I was working at. I was headed toward the Alleyverse Post when I saw him running like mad, and I was trying to figure out why. Guess I got a little distracted," he finished.

"I wonder where he's going. He seemed a bit... distant."

"Do you think he needs help?" she changed her question and set the basket down inside of the door of the boarding house. "We could follow him, see if there is something we can do to help."

Looking again into the direction where the two young men had been running she turned her head, looked down the street. It was empty, but who knew. There were stranger things in this city than two boys running in the same direction. Or being chased by something she couldn't see. But first -

"I'm Temeria." she introduced herself. "And while you were passing by, if you're looking for a place to eat one day, make sure you stop by." she winked at him and pointed at the building behind him. "I took it over a little over a month ago and am still starting up."

[Ashbringer]

On 9/24/2020 at 11:29 PM, Sorana said:

"Do you think he needs help?" she changed her question and set the basket down inside of the door of the boarding house. "We could follow him, see if there is something we can do to help."

Looking again into the direction where the two young men had been running she turned her head, looked down the street. It was empty, but who knew. There were stranger things in this city than two boys running in the same direction. Or being chased by something she couldn't see. But first -

"I'm Temeria." she introduced herself. "And while you were passing by, if you're looking for a place to eat one day, make sure you stop by." she winked at him and pointed at the building behind him. "I took it over a little over a month ago and am still starting up."

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Speaking of a little over a month ago...  I need to look at my notifications more often... sigh.

"I... I'm not sure. He seemed... panicked, but I don't think he was hurt. It seemed more like he was following something than running from it," Poller replied.

He looked over the boarding house - it was a nice looking place, but it didn't seem quite his... style. He'd seen what places in the slums could rent for, and even Cassie's small upper rooms took a huge chunk out of his wages. Not that he blamed Cassie for that - her trade was rather expensive.

"I'll keep it in mind. It looks like a good building. Good foundation. Strong walls."

He blinked. What did he know about engineering? He made candy. He shook his head a little - must be the wave wearing off. He stopped tapping his bronze, letting the exhaustion from a jog fall onto him - a noticeable amount, but not a worrying one.

"Er... I should probably go... I can pay if I damaged your towels, or something," he said, reaching into his pocket for a few chips. 

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

On 16.10.2020 at 4:29 AM, Ashbringer said:

"Er... I should probably go... I can pay if I damaged your towels, or something," he said, reaching into his pocket for a few chips. 

"No, it's fine." she waved his money away. "Mac established this place for people without money, who had arrived here only a short time ago, and I want to stick to that. There is no use to charge you for some dirty towels I can easly clean myself." With a smile she turned around and set the basket back inside.

"If you don't mind, I would follow you." she decided. "Make sure he's in no trouble and then I'm gone again - I promise. But this city can be harsh at times, and maybe people running around with a panicked looked on their face aren't exactly a sign screaming that everything is perfectly alright."

She forced a nervous smile on her face, her fingers playing with the pommel of her sword. She was intruding, wasn't she? This was far too much, but if she kept quiet, if she closed her eyes and looked the other way, then she was exactly the same as everybody around them. Unlike Mac. He hadn't closed his eyes, he had kept them open ahd tried to help the city, the place. Despite everything, he still had tried to help and she had promised that she would do the same.

[Rushu42]

Aln ran through the city, her thoughts finally beginning to reorder themselves. Somewhere behind her, she knew, monsters were tearing apart her beloved library. Guilt twisted her insides every time she thought of how quickly she had abandoned it. And yet, what could she have done? She was no warrior, and the creatures had not seemed like simple beasts, easily deceived by a clever use of Illumination. No, this had been a coordinated assault. But what mind was behind it? What goal did they pursue?

As pressing as these questions were, they did not occupy the forefront of Aln's thoughts. Instead, she concentrated on an even more perplexing puzzle; the abrupt appearance of a lifetime of false memories in her mind. It was already becoming difficult to separate the recollections from what had really happened. Multiple times, as she thought through potential explanations, a passage from a book she had never read came to mind, or an image of a place she had never visited. It seemed that in this alternate timeline (as she had begun to think of it), the other Aln had dedicated even more of her life to research than she had in truth. Aln felt herself marveling at the scope of the remembered travels. She had recorded dozens of firsthand accounts, performed scores of experiments, and hunted down enough books to fill a library.

And yet, the more memories Aln brought to mind, the more she was struck by how unhappy this other self had been. She saw hours spent in research, but when was the last time that this woman had laughed? Or even smiled? She could feel the loneliness and fear that had been present beneath the surface of each remembered day. It took effort to remind herself that it wasn't real.

Aln suddenly noticed that her lungs were burning. Engrossed in her own thoughts, she had run further than was likely necessary for safety. She slowed to a stop and took in her surroundings. This was a part of the city that she rarely found cause to visit, a residential section near the center. Ahead, a sign on one of the buildings declared it to be a recently opened boardinghouse. Unbidden, another of the false memories rose to her mind. A conversation with . . . Temeria? Aln raised an eyebrow. All news she had of her younger sister reported that she had vanished, presumed dead, years ago. What did it mean that her fabricated recollections included her?

Aln's gaze drifted from the boardinghouse to the rest of the street. It wasn't very busy; only a couple of people were visible, standing to one side of the street. One, a woman, turned her head, and - Aln felt a spike of shock. No, she thought. No, it can't be. She stepped forward, eyes still fixed on the figure. The closer she got, the more her certainty increased - as did her astonishment. There, a sword on her hip and a basket on her arm, stood Temeria Sheneth. Somehow, the false memories in her head had known of her sister's presence before Aln herself had.

@Sorana

(I'm also tagging the people from the Scholar's Guild thread in case you want to know where Aln went)

@kenod @eltruT @Kings_way @AmazingGoob

[Mage]

Bartholomew Rogers stopped walking and looked up at the brownstone in front of him. He stood, hands on the hilts of his two silver daggers, for what felt like a long time. His journeying was over, but he had left the trials and adventures of his childhood on Threnody only to come to begin a new adventure in Alley city. Bart wouldn't admit it out loud, but deep down he felt a lack of purpose. While he acted like he new what he was doing, with so much determination that he forgot about other people, he didn't really know what he wanted. A life fighting shades in forests didn't satisfy him. So he had left the Cosmere. The Alleyverse was his last chance to find his purpose, and he wouldn't leave until he knew what everything was for. 

Bartholomew breathed deeply, looked up at the sun setting behind the worldspike, then walked into the boarding house to see about a room.

[Ashbringer]

Poller hesitated, not really sure how to respond to Temeria. He wasn't exactly the world's most Invested individual, but he could take care of himself just fine. Then again... the Alleycity was unpredictable at best. There'd been a fire downtown, he could see the smoke lingering - and something told him it wasn't due to a dropped candle or tool sparks.

Tool sparks?

Poller tapped a bit of bronze, trying to knock some sense into himself. Then another woman came running up, panting, with a surprised look on her face.

So, of course, Poller did what he always did when he met a new customer. "Hello! Welcome to Ca-"

He managed to stop himself there with a well-placed slap to his own cheek. "Er... nevermind. This is the Boardinghouse, but you probably knew that already. I don't really work here, but..." he drifted off, looking at the lingering shock on the newcomer's face. "Are you alright? I'm Poller, by the way. I work at Cassie's metal shop, and-"

Fortunately he didn't need to slap himself this time. "Er... sorry. I ramble. Bronze. It's complicated."

@Rushu42 (finally)

[Rosharan A.C.]

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So I haven’t exactly been active in the alleyverse at all, but I hope there’s nothing wrong with posting after a few months ! Desmund’s mainly been sitting, eating his meal I think.

Desmund looked up from his nearly finished stew, and blinked. Though he had sensed them arrive, he was still surprised to see several new people at the boardinghouse. Huh. Why didn’t I notice them earlier? I guess this stew was just too captivating. He chuckled quietly at his joke. 

Desmond took the last chunk of bread dipped it in what was left of the stew. As he moved the bread to his mouth, Desmund’s eyes again fell on the newcomers. There was a man who must have just entered the lobby, and two others standing outside. Miss Temeria was with them, saying something. They both looked very winded. Was something wrong? He couldn’t really tell. The boarding house is certainly more busy than it’s been the last few nights. It seems fate is making sure that I be social this evening. 

He probably should elicit some small talk. Or wait and let someone come to him. Maybe talk to the women that were here when he came down? Or no, he should see if Miss Temeria and those other two needed any help.

He sighed. I’m making this much more complicated than it needs to be. In the end, Desmund decided to just wait and watch for now. Besides. There was still some stew that needed eating.

@Sorana @Ashbringer @Rushu42 @Mage @ZincAboutIt @Die_eike

Edited November 27, 2020 by Ookla the Groovy
Grammar

[Rushu42]

On 11/14/2020 at 7:39 PM, Ashbringer said:

Poller hesitated, not really sure how to respond to Temeria. He wasn't exactly the world's most Invested individual, but he could take care of himself just fine. Then again... the Alleycity was unpredictable at best. There'd been a fire downtown, he could see the smoke lingering - and something told him it wasn't due to a dropped candle or tool sparks.

Tool sparks?

Poller tapped a bit of bronze, trying to knock some sense into himself. Then another woman came running up, panting, with a surprised look on her face.

So, of course, Poller did what he always did when he met a new customer. "Hello! Welcome to Ca-"

He managed to stop himself there with a well-placed slap to his own cheek. "Er... nevermind. This is the Boardinghouse, but you probably knew that already. I don't really work here, but..." he drifted off, looking at the lingering shock on the newcomer's face. "Are you alright? I'm Poller, by the way. I work at Cassie's metal shop, and-"

Fortunately he didn't need to slap himself this time. "Er... sorry. I ramble. Bronze. It's complicated."

@Rushu42 (finally)

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Sorry for the delay on this. I've been a bit distracted by RoW... (and school, but that's obviously secondary).

A man stepped in front of Aln, and she stopped in her tracks. He started rambling about a metal shop, but Aln was barely paying attention. Her sister was only a few feet away, surely about to turn and notice her. Acting quickly, Aln inhaled stormlight from a nearby shop window and covered herself in Illumination. It kept her clothes the same, and her rough shape, but altered the face enough that she was unrecognizable. 

"Aln?" Pel asked in her mind. "Why have you done this?"

It's too dangerous, she sent back. I was just attacked, and we still don't know why. I'm not bringing my younger sister into this.

"I see," said Pel.

It wasn't the full reason, Aln reluctantly admitted to herself. A memory once again flashed into her mind, of Temeria stepping into the guild, anger on her face. Hatred in her eyes. Aln wasn't sure she could face that again. 

The man from the metal shop - he had introduced himself as Poller - would need an explanation. "Please say nothing about the lightweaving," Aln said quickly, voice low. "I'm fleeing an attack and don't wish to be recognized." 

It was true, of course. Aln hated lying. Even wearing a false face felt uncomfortably deceptive. Hopefully he wouldn't ask why she had only just now donned the disguise.

"You said you work in a metal shop?" she asked, an idea coming to her. "Would you happen to have any aluminum I could borrow?"

[Ashbringer]

Quote

Aaaaand 1,000th post took a lot longer that I thought I would.

The woman... changed. "Please say nothing about the lightweaving," she said quickly. "I'm fleeing an attack and don't wish to be recognized."

A Lightweaving? That was a Surge, right? Fairly common in the Alleycity, but it was rarer than most. Surges were more combat focused than his Feruchemy, but Light was an exception to that.

Poller. She said not to talk about it. So stop thinking about it.

Metal shop. He could talk about that.

"Yes! I work in the metal shop. A metal shop. Er... Cassandra Adama's Metallurgic Emporium. Although she tells everyone to call her Cassie."

He scratched his ear. He wasn't great at... improvising, if that's what this was. He didn't know if it was the right term.

"We sell aluminum, although recently someone bought most of our stock of sheets in it. Ms. Adama's got a Soulcaster, so it's not that hard to get. If you need some now I can probably get some... but she's not big on borrowing, exactly."

@Rushu42

[Rushu42]

12 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

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Aaaaand 1,000th post took a lot longer that I thought I would.

 

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I've been on the Shard for nearly two years, and I'm still in the 800s, so I think you're doing just fine.

That's right, she thought. You already bought out their stock. It was hard to tell which of her memories were real - Aln had to push down a brief surge of terror at that thought. 

"If you don't have any aluminum currently in stock, don't worry about it," Aln said to the man. "My idea was a long shot, anyway."

Of course, she reminded herself, I can't even be sure that the memories are fake. I don't know what else they would be, but how could they have predicted Temeria's arrival? Storms. I wish I had my library.

"Why do you not wish for the members of your guild?" asked Pel.

What?

"The members of the guild", he persisted. "You've shown concern for your books and your research, but not the people. Some were likely hurt in the attack."

I... What could I have done? I'm just a scholar.

"You're a Knight Radiant. Do you know what it means to be a Truthwatcher? Why have you not sworn your third Oath?"

Aln put a hand on her head, unthinkingly disturbing a piece of the illusion. Pel, I really can't deal with this right now. 

Thankfully, he didn't press the issue. Rather than dwell on his words, Aln focused on the most concerning part of her new recollections. "Poller," she asked, "have you ever heard of an organization known as the 'Dark Alley'?"

[Ashbringer]

The Dark Alley.

"Aren't those just fairy tales? Stories of things crawling through the dark and manipulating blood? I thought those were just stories, meant to explain away the chaos that the Alleyverse is, and what people saw in-"

The Seven Day's War.

Poller's blood ran cold. He'd been told those stories. Multiple times, occasionally from veterans who had come to share their story so people would know what had happened. The Crusade. Solace. And most importantly, the monsters that had terrorized both sides.

Only... he realized that there was one image in his mind that was... an image. Something he couldn't really see. But... he'd seen it. He was sure of it.

And even the memory of seeing chilled him to the bone. He tapped instinctively, but felt... something different than he was expecting. Wait, no, that was what he was - what?

"Maybe not," he said in a small voice.

He latched onto something else that the lady said. "Well, we do have aluminum in stock. We have a lot of powder, and weapons, just not in bulk. And if you really need it now, Cassie can just make more."

He paused. "I might be able to forge it myself. I'm a e- a salesman by trade, but I've gotten pretty good at metalworking."

Yes, think of metalworking. Not of Lightweaving or wars. Or of monsters that ravaged the mind.

He tapped and shivered.

[Rushu42]

That reaction was entirely too nervous for someone talking about a children's tale. Aln felt a cold pit of dread settle in her stomach. Could the Dark Alley possibly be real? She desperately wished not to be insane, but what if the alternative was worse?

"So monsters are invading your library, and you ran off to investigate fairy tales?" 

Aln ignored Pel's comment. The spren was helpful most of the time, but he had a habit of fixating on one element of a situation. This was important, too. Maybe it was related.

She studied Poller as he tried to change the subject back to aluminum. 

"Do you know something you're not telling me? About the Dark Alley?"

@Ookla Fell From The Sky

[Ashbringer]

Okay, so you're still not good at acting stoic all the time.

"... sort of. It's..." Poller searched for the right words. 

"It's not... I don't really know if it's the Dark Alley. But there's a memory I shouldn't have. Of the Seven Days War. I was a noncombatant... rusts, I wasn't even that, I was a refugee. But I can remember fighting... and trying to fight a... a..."

Horror.

"Something you see in fairy tales. Something you see the noble Misting knight defeat in honorable combat, but when you look at it you know it knows no such thing as Honor and that even a Mistborn alone stands about as much as a butterfly does in an Everstorm and-"

He stopped, tapping bronze. Something about that memory - he still couldn't even see the thing, just feel it's... malevolence. It was almost like his body was trying to knock itself out rather than look at it.

"If that's what the Dark Alley is, then... that's what I know."

@Ookla the Uscritic

[Rushu42]

Aln unconsciously took a step forward. "A memory you shouldn't have?"

That description, too - too much like what she "remembered" to be a coincidence. A chill ran down her spine, and she reached for a notebook instinctively, forgetting briefly that she had abandoned her satchel when attacked.

"Listen, I think something's going on. Do you know somewhere more private we can talk? Preferably with something to write with?"

@Ookla Fell From The Sky

[Ashbringer]

"Sort of? A memory of a memory. It's not mem-"

More private. Got it.

"Uhhhh... well, we're at a - no, that's not really - aaagh. We could go to Cassie's shop. She has a few rooms upstairs that no one ever uses. Plus I can get the aluminum you wanted... right? Or was that a - oh nevermind. That's really the only place I know, I... don't really have anywhere else."

He got quiet. "The War, y'know. That part I know is real."

@Ookla the Uscritic

Spoiler

Well, Cassie might be up to Anarchist/Ghostblood activities, but Poller doesn't know that.

Do you want to head off to that thread? I should be making a Cassie post there anyway.

 

[Rushu42]

On 11/30/2020 at 6:36 PM, Ookla Fell From The Sky said:

Spoiler

Do you want to head off to that thread? I should be making a Cassie post there anyway.

 

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That sounds good to me. I've been stalling a bit, because with her skillset, I think that Aln would figure out what's going on reasonably quickly - but I don't want to do that if it messes up whatever's planned. Of course, this interaction is pretty much the only active one at the moment (if my excessive delays can still be called "active"), so maybe pushing the plot is a good thing. What do you think?

"That sounds like an excellent place," Aln said distractedly. "Lead the way." 

Aln didn't notice his somber expression as she finally began to comprehend the scope of the problem before her. Mysteriously implanted memories in her own head were one thing, but if the Dark Alley were real, they could be facing a conspiracy that encompassed the whole Alleyverse. Don't jump to conclusions, she reminded herself. There was still so much that she didn't know. But whatever was going on, it was looking more and more likely that the old children's bogeymen were somehow involved.

[AonEne]

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Go ahead and go for it, Rushu. Don't worry about timing.