Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 2, 2010 0:32:30 GMT -8
Well, here she was. Back in the scary forest. Sofia looked around. Where should she go? She remembered Maevia saying something about a town...what had the name been? Runela? Rudelda? Something like that. Maybe she should have listened better... It was tempting to turn around and go back into the laboratory. It was non-scary inside, well, Maevia had been pretty frightening in the end, but still. Sofia closed her parasol again. Maevia had said there would be wild Pokémon attacking and Sofia only had the parasol as a weapon. Hopefully, it wouldn't get dirty or worse, get a hole! How had she gotten into this mess? Oh right, these gods. She looked up at the sky. Were they laughing at her right now? Probably. She felt the urge to say something rude upwards, but that would probably make them laugh even harder. So what to do now? She could try to find this town, but she had no idea which direction to take. Or she could try to stick around to see if some other unfortunate soul would end up here, surely angry and lost and confused as well, but maybe no one would come anytime soon and Sofia didn't feel like spending the night here. Did Maevia live here? In the forest? Maybe she returned to the town in the evening and Sofia could sneak behind her? No, that was silly. She wasn't used to stuff like that. But she wasn't used to anything like that. Like being lost or without money or guards or away from where everyone knew her or around Pokémon, whatever they now were. Sofia eyed a big stone near the laboratory for a moment, then sighed and gave up. It was probably dirty, but she had to sit down for a moment. She needed help...seriously.
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Post by Taya on Dec 2, 2010 2:03:53 GMT -8
And so help should come, and not too soon either. It was impossible to entirely ignore the sounds of the forest, different beings chattering amongst themselves, the wind blowing and tree branches brushing together. If Sofia paid any attention at all, she may have heard a squeaky voice, "Say, look at that girl over there. How strange she looks." No doubt it was one of the wild Pokemon that had spotted her from its hiding place in the brush. When the young man spotted the laboratory through the trees, he was relieved. It appeared as though he was heading there, though he stopped short when he also spotted a young woman near by as well, perched on a decent sized rock. One would not expect a new trainer to simply be sitting there, so this must have brought about some curiosity in him, for he approached. "Excuse me?" He said, before closing too much of a gap between them. "Are you...alright?"
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 2, 2010 2:17:55 GMT -8
Sofia was indeed scared by almost every sound she heard, so she had been staring into the forest to look for something that probably hadn't been even there to begin with. Thus, the man startled her a bit. She gave a small squeak, but then immediately sighed in relief. Another human! Things were looking up! He didn't look like someone from high society, though, and Sofia had almost no experience with commoners. Still, she had to give her best now in hope that he could help her.
She got up and curtsied. "Good day, Sir. How kind of you to ask." Sofia sighed. "I am afraid nothing is alright. I have just been abducted by some gods and have no idea how to get back home or even out of this forest! Do you happen to be from around here or are you another lost soul suddenly stranded here? If that is so, I must inform you that you have been kidnapped as well. And that there are strange beings called Pokémon living here." It was hard for her to keep her composure and not ramble on endlessly, feeling very distraught.
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Post by Taya on Dec 2, 2010 2:42:38 GMT -8
The young man watched in silence as the woman reacted to his presence with her squeaking, he didn't laugh or comment on it. When she curtsied, he smiled just slightly, bowing properly in return. Even if he did not come from a high society like that belonging to Sofia, he seemed well-mannered enough. He listened to her words politely, without too much of a changing expression. Kage was never the best at showing emotion, but it occasionally had its benefits. Now may or may not have been one of those times.
"I was not born here, though I have been here from quite some time," he stated, after taking a moment to consider just what he should say. He wasn't one for long-winded speeches or replies. Still, he could tell by both her words and her appearance that she really wasn't doing too well out here. "I am used to Pokemon. They span every region." Her not knowing of Pokemon was certainly unusual, but he didn't bring it up.
"My name is Kage. If you know how you got here, I take it that you visited the professor? Did she not give you a Pokemon to protect you in these lands?"
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 2, 2010 3:03:05 GMT -8
Sofia was so very delighted when the man bowed. He did not look like it, but he seemed to be well-mannered. It seemed like she had gotten lucky indeed!
She felt her heart sink a little, though, when she heard that he had been here for quite some time. Did that mean he found no way back to his home? Or maybe he didn't want to go back? Hopefully, the latter was the case. His words were rather puzzling, though. "Pokémon...span every region?" she repeated. "I am from the kingdom of Norad and I have never heard or seen Pokémon before. You don't happen to know where that is from here or how I get back to it, do you?" He probably didn't, but it never hurt to ask.
"My name is Sofia Jalepeno Viviage. It is a pleasure to meet you." She smiled. "Oh, the professor? You mean Maevia?" Sofia looked at the laboratory. "No, she gave me nothing. We had a disagreement about these gods who abducted me. She seemed pretty unhappy when I called them criminals, something they obviously are since they kidnap people and decided that, if I was unkind to these gods, she also had not to be kind to me. I had no idea how this 'kindness' was supposed to look like, though. A Pokémon you say? Like a second Maevia? I'm not sure I could stand being around her all day..."
No really, a Pokémon? Sofia knew nothing about Pokémon, but if they really were super-smart animals, having one would maybe be like having a dog? Dogs meant a lot of work and fleas and gnawed on shoes. Did Pokémon do that? Sofia didn't know, but some sort of protection did sound good...
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Post by Taya on Dec 2, 2010 3:26:22 GMT -8
"And it... is a pleasure to meet you."
Sofia mentioned that she had not even heard of Pokemon, and the name of her home, one which Kage did not recognize. The corners of his mouth turned down ever so slightly, this being his look of puzzlement. "I have not," he finally said. "If you are from a place that knows not of Pokemon, a place I have never heard of... You may have landed yourself in an entirely different world." To him, it seemed perfectly plausible.
What seemed to appall him even more, though his expression never changed, so who knew if he was actually appalled or not, was that Maevia had turned her back to this young woman. He had never heard of her doing such a thing to anyone. It seemed out of her character, though, he knew that the professor held great faith in the legendaries. Surely speaking ill of them would upset her. It would upset anyone in her position.
"There are many different species of Pokemon. Maevia is only but one of those species and, by far, she is one of the closest to humans in physical appearance." Something about this statement amused him, though it didn't show. "I travel with Pokemon companions, as does nearly everyone."
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 2, 2010 3:44:43 GMT -8
"A completely different world..." Sofia tried hard to stop herself from crying again. "Does that mean that no matter how far I'd travel, I will never find the way back home?" Never see her father and sister again? Never see the trees in her hometown bloom in the spring again or enjoy the balls her father organized for the high society? Was she really stuck here, without money? She shook her head. "Maevia mentioned her gods possibly have the power to return me home, though", she added after a moment. "So that must mean they brought me here to do something. Like a game of theirs and the victor returns home." She looked at Kage. "Do you know what the conditions might be? Are you here because you don't want to return home anymore or because you can't?"
Sofia sighed. "So if almost everyone travels with Pokémon, I have a problem now, right?" This was highly upsetting! If even commoners had Pokémon companions in this world and Sofia was forced to spend some time here, there was no way she would remain without! Quite the contrary, she had to make sure to find only the best Pokémon to meet her high standards. At home, there were shows where dogs of certain races were sold for a lot of money. Surely it had to be the same here? But she had no money with her!
Sofia looked at the laboratory again. "What do you suggest I do now?" she asked Kage. She didn't want to go back in there to Maevia and beg. Someone of her status did not beg. And of course she would not apologize. But if that was the way to obtain a Pokémon... "I can't even really imagine how different Pokémon look, so I have even less knowledge about obtaining them, taking care of them or whatever else you do with them."
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Post by Taya on Dec 7, 2010 16:52:22 GMT -8
"A game?" Kage asked, having to stop himself from chuckling. He could tell that the young woman was having a hard enough time as it was. Though she seemed quite ignorant about the customs of this world and, even more so, this particular region, he was more sympathetic for Sofia than Maevia must have been. "I do not believe that this is a game, exactly. Not a soul that I know of has been able to return home or given any clues or challenges that may lead to them finding a way home. Most people accept their fate and find their calling here. I am here because I am happy to be here, happy to... start over." Kage's voice began to tail off with the last of his words and he was quiet for a moment after. However, a tiny smile eventually appeared on the man's face. "You may not have a Pokemon, but I do, as well as supplies. If you would like, I can travel with you until we find a way to get everything sorted out. How about it?" Before she gave him an answer, Kage reached into his coat and pulled out two Pokeballs, one in each hand. "Nyla, Vexsis, please, come out!" He said in a calm manner, tossing both of the Pokeballs out to one side. Bright red lights flashed out from each of the two red and white balls, two very different sized figures forming from within the light. When the Milotic, a Pokemon that was astonishingly beautiful and towered greatly over both humans, and the Gligar, a small bat-like Pokemon that appeared to have a scorpion-like stringer, appeared, both of the Pokeballs returned to Kage's hands. "Nyla, Vexsis, I would like you to meet Sofia. She is without a Pokemon and, up until her appearance here, she has never even heard of Pokemon. Sofia, this is Nyla," he gestured toward the Milotic. "And this is Vexsis," he said, then gesturing toward the Gligar. "These two are both Pokemon. Nyla is referred to as a Milotic and Vexsis is referred to as a Gligar." Nyla titled her head, looking down at Sofia, curiously, though looking serene. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she spoke, her voice having a beautiful melody. Vexsis, on the other hand, was not nearly as graceful or proper as the other Pokemon. He flew closer to the out-of-place human, only a few feet away from her face, greeting her with a huge fanged smile. "Hello!"
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 7, 2010 19:12:03 GMT -8
Kage was now the second person telling Sofia that there was seemingly no way back home. She shook her head and quickly rubbed her eyes to get rid of the new tears. "That...that's so mean! I don't belong here! I have a family at home! I don't want to be here... These gods can't just rip people out of their lives..." She looked at Kage. "...Or at least not people who don't want to leave." Kage seemed to be at least content with his fate, even though Sofia was a bit confused when he went suddenly silent.
Sofia was more than grateful for his offer. She really could use all the help she could get. "That would be very kind of you, thank you." She tried her best to smile, despite the circumstances. She had no idea how things could get 'sorted out', but maybe Kage had.
Then she suddenly found herself face to face with two Pokémon, well, actually more with the Gligar who flew up pretty close. Sofia was completely startled. "H-hello", she stuttered when Vexsis grinned at her. She took a deep breath. The Gligar didn't seem to have proper manners; scaring her like that...
The Milotic, on the other hand, was absolutely amazing. Sofia found herself fascinated by the beautiful Pokémon. She curtsied. "Miss, the pleasure is all mine!" After Maevia, Nyla was the second, very graceful Pokémon Sofia saw. True, Vexsis seemed to be...different, but two out of three was quite promising. Maybe most Pokémon were like Maevia and Nyla? Then Sofia definitely had to get some of her own!
Sofia desperately wanted to pet Nyla, but she didn't know if Pokémon even liked that. And since it looked like she would travel with them at least for a bit, it also wouldn't do to keep to those of her standard for now. It wasn't like she had much choice, after all, so maybe she could teach the Gligar some manners, too? A bit belated, but nonetheless, Sofia curtsied into Vexsis' direction, too.
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Post by Taya on Dec 7, 2010 20:08:13 GMT -8
It took Vexsis a moment to realize that he had managed to startle Sofia and, when this hit him, he suddenly frowned, backing away from her and landing on the ground awkwardly. Gligars, after all, weren't exactly meant for land-based travel and he had to balance leaning backward with most of his weight on his tail rather than his tiny feet. Personally, Vexsis out-right hated being grounded. He didn't like the lack of ability to see his surroundings and had no idea how small Pokemon that couldn't fly or hover could stand getting around.
Nyla smiled when Sofia curtsied to her and, in turn, the large serpent Pokemon dipped her head in a bow. Being without legs or arms, she was unable to curtsy, though she would have, had she had the ability to. "Please pardon Vexsis," she said. "He can be very zealous, but he certainly means well." Nyla, though incredibly different from the Gligar, got along with him well. He did mean well and could be very friendly, only he hadn't quite fully grasped the concept of personal space and manners. She, somehow, had gotten used to it.
When Sofia curtsied to Vexsis as well, the bat Pokemon was wonderfully delighted. His frown returned to a smile instantly and, though balanced awkwardly on the ground, he dipped his head in order to bow as well. It wasn't all that graceful, but it was the best he could manage in his position with his awkward anatomy. Should he bow any lower, than he would have fallen flat on his face. "I apologize for startling you," he said, once he returned to his normal grounded position. "I didn't mean to."
Kage allowed the Pokemon and Sofia to get themselves acquainted without saying anything else. He had wondered just how she should would react, though she seemed to be doing alright. He could already tell that Nyla and Vexsis were perfectly fine with Sofia, which pleased him.
"Sofia will be traveling with us for some time," Kage announced, looking between both of the Pokemon. "That is why I wanted her to meet you. She doesn't know anything about Pokemon, but who is better to teach her than the two of you? Sofia," he then began again, this time looking toward the young lady. "Vexsis, here, is my most commonly used Pokemon for battling, which may explain his in-your-face take on the world. Many Pokemon battle and enjoy battling. You could consider them tests of strength, in some cases, or even a hobby. Like humans, each Pokemon has a personality. Some may be territorial or have an ill temper and will attack humans to defend themselves, which is why it is dangerous to travel without a Pokemon." This may have been the most Kage ever had to explain on the situation, but he hoped that Sofia could take it all in.
"If we get attacked, I will protect you," Vexsis said to Sofia, wishing to assure her on that fact.
Kage continued to explain things, "Nyla, however, is mostly around for her company, these days. She only battles occasionally, usually by her own choosing. When we travel, she often stays in her Pokeball, as a large water serpent doesn't fit too well on land."
"Unfortunately," Nyla added. "It is the downside to being a water type Pokemon."
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Dec 7, 2010 20:51:51 GMT -8
Sofia was very pleased indeed when Vexsis bowed. She could tell movement on the ground seemed difficult for him and she was quite surprised that he tried. And since Nyla, who was obviously from a higher social class - or however Pokémon handled these things, really - seemed to be friends with him, Sofia had no problem to revise her first impression. "It is very much alright", she therefore assured the Gligar. "I was probably startled the most because I have, prior to this day, never seen a Pokémon before and am not used yet to it."
When Kage talked about fighting, Sofia frowned. "Battles? That sounds horribly barbarous! How can hurting each other and getting hurt be a hobby? From what I've seen, Pokémon seem to be graceful beings. There should be contests for beauty instead of fighting!" Well, she wasn't all that sure how Vexsis would fare in a beauty tournament, but there was no hurt in trying, she guessed.
"So all the nice Pokémon start to travel with humans and the ill-tempered ones attack them?" Sofia tried to grasp the concept of this strange world. "This means nice Pokémon are like guards?" So they probably were a bit like dogs, after all. It seemed that way, especially when Vexsis assured Sofia to protect her. "Thank you so much!" A guard was just what she needed and she was used to having them from home. Vexsis was probably the most unusual one she had ever had, but he seemed reliable.
Sofia nodded, understandingly, when Kage explained about Nyla. Of course Nyla would not enjoy fighting all that much. Sofia's impression of Nyla being of higher class was seemingly perfectly spot-on. "You live in the water?" Now that she thought about it, Nyla did look like someone not living on land. "How fascinating! I myself can't even swim, but I have heard stories of how beautiful the world is underwater!"
She then stopped. "Poké...ball?" She looked at the balls in Kage's hand. "T-they came out of that!" She had totally overlooked that fact when she had seen the Pokémon. "How is that possible? They're so small!"
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Post by Taya on Dec 7, 2010 22:22:39 GMT -8
"Aside from battles, there are Pokemon Contests. They are a lot like beauty contests, though it also includes battling rounds," Kage went on to say, on the matter of battling and what was done with Pokemon. "I have never taken part in such a thing."
"The battle rounds in Pokemon Contests vary from the usual battling style. One must incorporate beauty into their attacks and defenses while remaining powerful enough to defeat their opponent. It is quite a challenging thing to do." With Kage unable to explain it well, Nyla took it upon herself to jump in. She may not have ever been in a contest, nor had she much want to, but she knew all about them or, at least, more than her companions did.
"The world of Pokemon is a complicated thing but, yes, I suppose that you could consider some of them like guards. Not all wild Pokemon attack, exactly, but they may enjoy battling. It may seem hard to understand, but it is somehow part of their existence. Consider it how some humans enjoy sports or games. There are Pokemon that don't enjoy battling all too much, so they may find a different calling. There are Pokemon that are nurses, for example, some that run stores, some even train other Pokemon."[/i]
"Kage, you may not want to shove everything down her throat all at once," Nyla suddenly advised him, her words warm. "Surely, she must have gone through a lot. Taking in too much at once may not be the best for her." The Milotic was genuinely concerned for Sofia's well-being and, though there was a lot she needed to know, she was sure that she would be able to learn everything as they went along.
"The ocean is a beautiful place," she said to Sofia. "There is nothing else like it. Even though you may not be able to swim, perhaps you will still be able to see it one day."
Kage, though he understood Nyla's reasoning, had to somewhat disagree. In his mind, it was best to get the bulk of explanations over with before venturing off together.
However, it was Vexsis that jumped in, wanting a moment to speak as well. He took flight only for a short moment before landing happily on his favorite perch, Kage's shoulder. "Pokeballs are, how do you say... capsules. They seem to be a combination of technology and magic. I say magic, because there is no way that it's strictly technology, in my opinion. Pokeballs come in all sorts of variations, but all are used for 'capturing' and storing Pokemon. If you throw it at a wild Pokemon, you have the chance of capturing it and it becoming your companion. Once a Pokemon is captured inside a Pokeball, that Pokemon is linked to that ball. It can't be captured inside any other, nor can it be recalled into any other. Also, each Pokeball can only link to one Pokemon."
"It sounds strange, indeed, that any size Pokemon can fit into the Pokeball, but the inside is far greater in size than the outside. Also, inside a Pokeball, it's like there is another world, isn't it? Or so I have heard," Kage managed to add.
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on May 31, 2011 20:36:06 GMT -8
Sofia nodded to herself. What Nyla explained sounded at least much better than the other fighting described, even though these contests still seemed to be based on hurting each other. But well, it was at least an improvement. "That sounds still rather barbarous, but I suppose it would suit me more than these normal battles do. But well, I assume these wild Pokémon have no interest in such things as beauty." And that meant that, outside of these events, there would be a lot of uncivilized fighting.
This world seemed really fascinating. "I admit I have no interest in even human sports, but besides a few of them, most do not involve hurting each other, so I wonder if that can really be compared... That makes the Pokémon who find other callings look much smarter even, though."
Nyla was right, though. It was hard for Sofia to understand all of this at once and remember it all. "I just want to return to my home, really..." she sighed. While she understood that she would need to learn the conditions of this world and looked almost forward to find a graceful Pokémon for herself, she still would very much prefer not knowing about any of this and just being at home.
"I live in a large mansion near a huge lake full of fish", she told Nyla, "but I can hardly imagine what an ocean will be like! I would like to see it very much!"
And well, then there was this Pokéball concept. This was...simply horrible. "What is it with this world?!" Sofia shook her head. "Fighting everywhere and even to make someone your companion, you have to throw things at him! Is there nothing but violence here? As interesting as these Pokéballs sound, one would think that something made out of technology and magic at the same time could work without getting chucked at someone's head!"
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Post by Taya on Jun 2, 2011 20:26:20 GMT -8
"It depends on the Pokemon, my dear," Nyla replied. "Not all wild Pokemon attack others, either. I suppose it could be said that, in a way, we are much like humans. We all have very different personalities and views. Many Pokemon work alongside humans in different ways. Some even choose to be more like house pets."
"Yet most of them have to be captured by trainers, for their own safety, if they work alongside humans. If a Pokemon isn't linked to a pokeball, it could be stolen from someone very easily, right Kage?" Vexsis jumped in once again. The Gligar had taken some offense to Sofia's words, considering that he had chosen to be a fighter, but he tried to ignore them as best he could.
The young man nodded his head. "I've seen it happen before, I'm afraid, before I came to Trilotics."
Try as Vexsis might, however, he couldn't help but interject before Nyla could comment any more on the ocean. "You do understand that I have chosen to fight, as has Nyla," he said, his eyes clearly on Sofia. "Just because we made that choice doesn't mean we're stupid. We could have lived a cushiony life, doing civil work, but we decided to join Kage instead so he wasn't alone and had someone to protect him. How does that make anyone seem stupid?"
"Vexsis..." both Kage and Nyla spoke at once, Nyla heaving a gentle sigh. The trainer didn't appear to disagree with his Pokemon, though. If anything, he thought Sofia needed to understand in whatever way it could be gotten across.
"All it really requires to capture a Pokemon is for them to touch the button in the center of the ball. That doesn't injure them, but, if a Pokemon is running away, throwing it may be the only option. It doesn't exactly hurt them either, unless someone goes too far and throws it with too much force. Most Pokemon are much tougher than humans."
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Sheba
Seasoned Trainer
Posts: 323
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Post by Sheba on Jun 2, 2011 21:39:02 GMT -8
"Even if not all do that, according to what that rude woman, Maevia, said, there are quite a few of them who like to attack!" Well, there were dangerous creatures in the forest near her home, too, but it sure sounded like someone attacking was far more common in this world.
Sofia paused at Vexsis' words. "I understand. It makes sense that Pokémon should be bound to the ones they want to work with. I...think." Why was this so complicated? "Yet at the same time, it seems to be such a dumb system! You want to be captured, but really, 'stealing'? I think you are much more likely to be stolen when you're in a little ball! To image that someone would try to get me to be with them by binding me to that person by some magical means, that's horrible! What if you don't want to stay anymore?"
And really, this kept getting more upsetting, the more Vexsis said. "There is nothing wrong with protecting anyone. It's a honorable job. I myself have quite a few guards at home to ensure my safety, after all! Yet it is so barbarous that this is obviously something everyone needs in this world! Besides that, didn't you say there are battles being held? This has little to do with protection! It's fighting for the sake of fighting and hurting each other!"
Sofia panted. She was not used to yelling. This was not refined and she had better manners than that, usually, but this was all so very upsetting! "I just...I want to go home! I don't want to be stuck in a world where things are out to attack you and people fight for fun and make creatures who are obviously quite smart their slaves or something! That's not how you should pass the time!"
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