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Post by David B. on Jun 9, 2012 18:48:15 GMT -8
OOC ((Invite only))
Screeeech.
The world came to a stop around him, the low rev of his engine being the only sound that really mattered to him at that point. He threw the shifter up into park, killing the engine before taking a breath, letting it out slowly. Removing his glasses, he popped open the cover on his dash, tossing them inside and slamming it shut. Pulling the keys from the ignition, he forced open the door and got out, shutting it softly. His deep blue navy shoes crunched against the earth softly with each step. Pulling up the hood on the dark black coat he wore, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked toward the rubble, turning his face away from the fury of the summer storm.
Few and far between in years, summer rain in California was refreshing, of course, but also thunderous. The humidity caused a friction that set off bolts of lightning and dropped hellish amounts of rain. Coming from New York, the rain here was more refreshing, albeit warmer. He reached pulled from his pocket a small package of plainly wrapped gum labeled "spear mint". Taking one and sticking it in his mouth, he glanced around him, taking in the silence. Using his foot, as he walked, slowly, he kicked over a few stones and pieces of wood, looking up at what remained of the building he was wanting to get in to.
The Local Office of US Defense.
He was hoping to find some kind of information left out of his own files. Mostly regarding what happened while he was underground. While he was...sick. What had torn the grasp of the world from the fingers of the governments that ruled it and handed it to the grinning madman Barker. So many gaps in the story. So much was left unsaid. One moment, people are walking to work and picking up their kids, the next...He walked up what was left of the steps carefully, grasped the large stone in front of the door and grunted while he pushed. Cracking light across the sky masked the sound of the stone as it shifted and crashed down the steps. His breath put steam into the air as he wiped some of the water that caught his face while he worked. Stepping to what was left of the wooden beams and entryway, he kicked a path open with a sharp snap, stepping inside and pulling down his hood.
It couldn't hurt to do a little search, could it?
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 9, 2012 19:16:46 GMT -8
“Boss, do you copy?”
“I copy, Nigel.” She whispered, lightly touching the bluetooth device attached to her ear.
“Heads up. You have company headed your way.”[/color]
“Any intel?”
“Appears male and alone. Allegiance unclear.”
“Roger. Thanks for the tip.”
“Heather and I will be keeping tabs from our current location. Nigel out.”
Delilah exhaled slowly, only to stiffen reflexively when she heard the footsteps on the wood behind her.
She was currently in the archive office, back where they kept paper files “just in case” computers went to hell. Well, being the apocalyptic age, computers were no better than projectiles these days. She was rifling through her fifth box of files, trying to find any more intel on Barker or Barker loyals that might be able to help them further their cause. So far, she had turned up next to nothing. Then again, she hadn't really been here all that long, two hours at most. They had walked here, but the two men she brought with her as look outs hadn't complained. Which was how she trained them.
She slipped into the dark corner of the room and pulled the black bandanna on her neck up and over her nose, hovering there in the darkness, little more than a misshapen shadow, waiting for whomever was steadily walking towards the archive office with a hand on the hilt of her bowie knife, the Widow Maker.[/size]
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Post by David B. on Jun 9, 2012 19:28:31 GMT -8
David stopped, looking around himself. Not suspiciously, mind you, just more in disappointment. He was expecting a place run down, blown to hell, but this was far less than he initially expected. Still, the ceiling had collapsed in such a way that prevented leaking, so at least it wasn't wet. It also meant that there were probably some files he could rummage through, try and figure out where the world went wrong. He unzipped his coat, reaching to the inner pocket and pulling out his black gloves. Not that he really cared about fingerprints, more so the idea of cutting himself when moving rubble to get to a box, or something along those lines.
"Hnnh. Not like theres much to go through anyway."
He spoke to the air, using the sound of his voice as some form of Solace in this place. Bending down, he used one hand to push a large lump of cement off a pile off boxes. Using his other hand, he swept other dirt and the ilk from a side-desk in the corner, setting the boxes he found on it. Looking off into the side room (The one Ms.Black would be hiding in, unknown to David) he grinned a little. There were heaps of files and cabinets still very much intact. Stepping under a low beam, he would cross the threshold, making for the cabinets enthusiastically, his eye catching on the already rummaged drawers next to the feet of-
Wait...feet?
'Shit.'
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 9, 2012 20:00:01 GMT -8
The rummaged through file boxes had been a dead give away, but Delilah had little time to amend this glaring error when she had made for her current hiding spot. She watched as the man entered the room, watched the dawning look of realization cross his face as he looked around and knew suddenly he was not alone.
As he registered this, Delilah sprung cat-like from her place among the boxes for him with brutal grace, aiming to hit his shoulders with her weight to knock him back. If she were successful, she would land on top of him, the knife (which she had drawn mid jump) pressed tight against his throat.
She would look down at him with a snarl on her lips, about to demand answers from him when a memory flickered behind her eyes. She would falter and relaxed her hold on the knife as this registered, leaving herself vulnerable to a counter.
If he had dodged the girl as she lept towards him, she would land daintily on her feet and whip around with the tip of her knife pressed against his spine. Unable to see his face, a memory would not register. “Who do you work for?” she would ask in a rough sounding voice, her free hand resting tensely on the hilt of a second knife.
Whether he was friend or foe was a wash at this point. He was an unfamiliar face and one could never be too careful with civilians.
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Post by David B. on Jun 9, 2012 20:14:18 GMT -8
"-OOF"
David, still a little off balance from noticing just the feet, was crushed backwards, his left foot hitting an object, probably a piece of the room or a box, causing him to fall clean on his ass. Of course, the girl would probably follow, David tensing at the feel of the blade against his throat. He was caught under her body, with a weapon held against him. He looked up, the glare of shadow and light behind her obsuring the features of her face. Somehow, though, she knew him- he could tell, by the split second hesitation and sudden lessening of pressure against his neck. Best not wait.
His hand, the closest one to her knife, would come down and grip her wrist, twisting harshly to try and force her hand open. Whether she dropped the blade or not, he would still be moving the weapon from his throat, his other hand coming up to strike her sternum. He would twist his body in the same instant, in the direction of her weapon-holding hand, so it would be more likely for her to be thrown from him and onto her own back. If it worked, he would scoot backward and away from her, out of her reach, so he could quickly come to his feet. Was she an assassin? It wouldn't be the first time someone was sent to kill him. Of course, turned out with him burying the body. He wondered if he would have to do that again. If the knife was on the ground, he'd lunge forward to try and grab it, brandishing it at her.
"WOAH! Stop! Just...wait!"
If she still held the knife, or picked it up, he'd stand with his hands up and open, ready for her to attack so he could break her down and get the weapon from reach. With her back to the doorway, what was left of the little light they had would be at her back, so her features would still be completely obscured for him.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 12, 2012 16:50:43 GMT -8
His response was as fluid as her initial attack, causing her to cry out as he twisted her wrist away from her to dislodge the knife. The knife went skating away from her and she let out a growl of irritation--
“OOF--!!”
--That was cut off abruptly by the shot straight into her solar plexus, winding her.
She rolled backwards off of him to get shakily to her feet, drawing her tanto knife and taking her knife-fighter's stance. He was on his feet as quickly as she was, brandishing her bowie knife at her threateningly.
“WOAH! Stop! Just...wait!”
She didn't move from her new stance, but she made no moves against him. Delilah was still trying to suck in air through her stunned diaphragm, just long enough for her to get her thoughts straight.
“You--” she choked and grimaced. “I went to high school...with you?”
It was more of a question than a statement. It had been so long ago that it felt like an eternity. San Francisco felt more like a dream than a fact, and if she was right, that was where she met the man standing in front of her. Or so she thought. Enough of her old classmates had been appearing out of the rubble these last few weeks that it made her believe that maybe the bombs hadn't killed everyone she ever knew. Then again, enough of them had come back that anyone could be someone she 'knew' until closer inspection.
She took a quick step forward into the light, still holding her knife at the ready with her guard-hand up to cover her neck. She pulled the protective bandanna around the lower half of her face down as she did so, still trying to catch her breath. Beneath the haze of rope-like scars on her arms, the holes where her piercings had been, the lack of red in her hair and the flat coldness of a killer's eyes, a shade of the Delilah-that-was remained, staring at him with suspicious bright blue eyes.
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Post by David B. on Jun 14, 2012 16:14:55 GMT -8
David stared a moment, trying to call back the memory. It had been so long ago since he was at the school, making friends, and since he had especially seen her... hell, David had trouble recalling what Emily herself looked like. The girl he had been most protective of, and probably most interested in romatically, and her image was just a shadow in his mind. Instead, people that were less important came to his brain instantly- such as Unfettered, or Gabriel, or the big lug, Jeremiah....and Olesya. He brought his body out of a ready position, but kept a solid lock on her body and face with his eyes. If she attacked him again, he'd have to choice put to put her out of commission. Still, he didn't find that likely. Why did her face seem so familiar...? He knew it started with a D....
"Delilah?"
The two of them had met, many years back, and the interactions were usually brief in nature, so it was a little muddled for him. Still, they were never enemies, so he was a little astonished she was there. It seemed like all sorts were crawling from the woodworks...Koyoshi, Stu...He was glad, after a fashion. So much of 259 had been destroyed, that seeing people who were the strongest and best they had was relieving. The only one he looked forward to seeing again most was Leon...the legendary male who could really help these guys in combat.
"You..wow. It's been forever...what uh, what are you doing here?"
He hoped it didn't sound like an attack on her, but again, he was used to people trying to kill him. Albeit it had been many years since the last attempt, he was not one for dropping his gaurd, and if someone had been able to get an individual whose company he enjoyed on occassion to accept a price for his head, well, he just wasn't sure how he would take it.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 14, 2012 17:40:26 GMT -8
“Delilah?”
“David,” she breathed, his voice triggering her memory, winning a small smile from her. But, like David, she didn't drop her guard or move from her stance. This new world was far too harsh to allow for that luxury. The tension was gone, but they were both ready to pounce at a moments notice.
Still, it was good to see another familiar face. Old friends were a rare commodity these days.
“You...wow. It's been forever. What, uh, what are you doing here?”
“Gathering intel on Barker,” she replied quickly. Her purpose here wasn't classified, but it wouldn't do to give away too much to someone who might not be a friendly, so she kept it honest but brief. “Why are you here?”
She kept the suspicion in her voice to a minimum, and she was growing more and more certain that they were not a threat to each other, but you never knew...”
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Post by David B. on Jun 14, 2012 18:22:29 GMT -8
David relaxed far more visibly. He wasn't counting on an attack now- she was sharing information, and remembered him. That was enough for him. He put a hand behind his head and gave a grin.
"Well, same story here, really. Everyone I know is either dead or joined witha group of fighters to combat Barker, so I'm seeing what i can do on my end to help."
Now that he thought about it, neither Kiyoshi nor Olesya had asked them to join any of their prospective groups. He wasn't insulted, like most would be- he just didn't really think to much about it. He had his own shit going on his plate, so adding another to his resume wasn't exactly first to-do. Besides, from what he could see so far, none of them were exactly proactive about their goals. They all just sat around, building strength. Well, Kiyoshi could probably be written off there. He had launched two small attacks into barker territory since he'd been there, both successful. But so far, he had yet to even see Unfettered, and the other groups had done little to make themselves known. He wondered if somewhere, Gabriel was sitting on a nest egg of fighters, ready to come out and stake his own claim to the ruins of the world. He kicked an empty box aside with his foot.
"Doesn't look like much is here though." He looked back to Delilah. "You here with someone?"
Whether friends or a gang, the question could be targeted at both. He wasn't sure who Delilah was friends with now, as she seemed to have changed dramatically since he had seen her last. Still, it wouldn't do to go and make enemies with whoever it was she was pal-ing around with, and he could at the least put their name on his list. He jumped a moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small radio.
"Want me to take her out?"
A voice could be heard, saying softly.
"Ha, nah. We're good. Just keep an eye out."
"...." All that could be heard was a little sigh, some mumbling about never letting her have fun, and silence.
He stuck the radio back into his pocket before looking up at Del.
"Sorry. Can't go anywhere alone these days."
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 16, 2012 16:07:37 GMT -8
"Well, same story here, really. Everyone I know is either dead or joined witha group of fighters to combat Barker, so I'm seeing what i can do on my end to help."
She relaxed, straightening her back and letting her shoulders fall somewhat. She purposefully flicked the tip of her knife across her palm, drawing blood. She flicked the blood off the blade and sheathed it in the same motion. She held out her hand for her other knife, the one David still held. Once it was back in her hand, she would do the same thing.
"Doesn't look like much is here though. You here with someone?"
As she opened her mouth to answer him, the radio in his pocket crackled and a woman's voice spoke.
"Want me to take her out?"
"Ha, nah. We're good. Just keep an eye out."
"...."
Delilah grinned at the exchange and managed a chuckle as David put the radio back in his pocket.
"Sorry. Can't go anywhere alone these days."
“I hear that,” she replied with a smirk, raising her left hand into the air slowly and clenching her fist.
“Roge—HEATHER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
“I'm going after that girl that hot guy brought with him! That's what Lady Boss said, right?”
“HEATHER THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT SIGNAL WAS.”
“It wasn't? Well, what did it mean?”
“IT MEANT 'STAND DOWN'. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS. TEN. MINUTES. AGO.”
“...we did?”
“MOTHERFUCKINGYESWEDIDYOUBLONDEBIMBO.”
“Waaah! Delilah, Nigel's being mean again! Make him stop!”[/i]
The bickering continued over her blue-tooth earpiece, but the majority of the conversation could be heard from the outside, being as loud as it was. Delilah sighed and managed an apologetic look at David before dividing her attention. She tapped her finger against the earpiece.
“That's enough, you two. Generally speaking, being a 'lookout' involves more looking and less being complete ass-hats on pain of doing wind-sprints until dawn. You have to find new positions since you just gave away your current ones. Now. Copy?”
“But he was--”
“She's the worst--”
“Wind-sprints until noon. DO. YOU. COPY.”
“...we copy. Over n' out.”[/i]
Delilah lowered her hand with a tired sigh as the connection went dead. “I wouldn't be surprised if he let a Barker patrol sneak up on us for that,” she said with a light chuckle. She ruffled her bangs with a black stained hand and sat down on a stack of boxes, looking up at David. “To answer your question, I've got two members of my team outside. We're with the Crows, so I guess I'm no different from anyone else you know who currently belongs to a group.” she tilted her head thoughtfully to the side as her gaze flicked over him. She nodded slowly to herself.
“Here to help anyway you can, huh?” she held out an oil stained, slightly bleeding hand for him to shake. “First Crow Delilah Black, Public Liaison and Domestic Officer. We could use your help, Mr. Blaze.” she nodded her head at one of the boxes he kicked earlier. “I noticed a file on you in there.”[/size]
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Post by David B. on Jun 17, 2012 13:12:04 GMT -8
He smiled, clasping the reddish-hand without issue, having watched her replace the blade he gave back.
"I'm glad your a crow- I live just on the border of their territory, near Olesya and some others." He glanced down at the box she kicked, half a word ripped off the front cover. "-idential civilian records." Confidential? Him? He bent down, grabbing a small stack of files and noticing the last half of his name immediately. Pulling the file, he was surprised at how thick it was- not that it was a thousand pages, but still fairly large. Having seen the "blaze" etched on the top portion of the file, he now noticed the rest: "Blaze brothers". His eyebrows drew down ever so slightly as he opened the record, reading aloud a few of the words from it.
"'D Blaze. Twenty three.'[/i]" So it was two years ago? "'Current Location: Miami florida.'" He took a deep breath before continuing. "'David Blaze, general overview. Level headed, mentally unstable. Known associate of Leon Sudeki (RECORD SEALED) and Gabriel Seran (whereabouts unknown). Affiliated with Orange Level PHS 259. Ex-School Captain. Ex-Pillar. Ex-Dragon. Over three hundred known cases of violence against faculty and Students. Strength Level RED.' Where the hell did they get all this?"
He flipped to the last page of his record.
"'Should violent encounter prove inevitible, lethal force....advised.[/i]" He stared a moment, before glancing at the name of the next record on that file- his brothers. Damien. He took the records out of the file, stuffing them in the bag he brought along with him. He took a deep breath, brining his bag up onto the table and opening another drawer. He spoke over his shoulder.
"Not to sound rude, but can you tell me what's going on? I mean, I've heard basically nothing from Jon or Kiyoshi, and things seem to only be getting worse."
Yeah, finding yet MORE files on himself and his brother...well, sorta struck a nerve.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 20, 2012 15:39:46 GMT -8
Delilah simply tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes as he read the contents of the file outloud, nodding along every now and again, taking in the information. She hadn't read the file when she had come across it, mostly because there was already a similar file at the Crows base. She hadn't read that one either, but looking up old friends and schoolmates wasn't her mission. Right now, it was finding out as much as she could about Barker in hopes it would give them even the slightest of edges in the next confrontation.
She opened her eyes as he started digging through the rest of the office, leaning back on her pile of boxes.
“Not to sound rude, but can you tell me what's going on? I mean, I've heard basically nothing from Jon or Kiyoshi, and things seem to only be getting worse.”
She was silent for a time as she mulled over his reaction to the files, as well as how to answer his question.
“There's been a lot that's happened over the last little while...” she began slowly, wondering where to begin. “We located Mr. Asiv and John Ong, both of whom reported Leon Sudeki dead. Asiv and Ong are currently with Crows. The Crows have been expanding their territory and resources, building an army. We can't do much more than that at the moment: Barker has been quiet ever since we took the Marina back for our base of operations. The reality is that as much as we are prepared, we're not prepared to face a Barker onslaught. We've been blessed with that so far, and it's given us time to attach ourselves to powerful allies, like yourself.
“We didn't squander that gift: with the time we've been given, we've been training and raising an army...though we wonder why that is. It's possible he's ignoring us to establish a foothold in the South to box us in, but his silence worries me. Given that, it's no wonder you haven't heard from the two Zero Crows yet. I can't exactly speak for them, but as the leaders of a viable resistance against Barker, they're killing themselves with the tasks at hand.” She grimaced and ran a dusty hand through her black hair, peppering it with light gray. “Does that answer your question? If it does, what have you been up to for the last couple of years?”
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Post by David B. on Jun 20, 2012 16:06:17 GMT -8
David paused, a pain lancing through his gut at her words.
He brought up his hands, positioning them on either side of the file cabinet, knuckles going white as he gripped the metal storage container, a light crunch coming as each finger dented inward. Leon...was dead? No...David closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. Sudeki. His biggest rival. Greatest test. Only constant in his world and, most of all, friend. Perhaps not closest to him, like Emily or Les, but someone he still knew he could lean on. The blonde haired man was quiet, reserved, had an achilles heel for pizza and couldn't get enough fist action...his twisted grin and arching lightning across his body flashing just before they fought. David let out his breath slow, so as not to alert Delilah, removing his hands from the indents they had made to allow them to drop to his sides. Powerful allies...like him? What could one man do against the strength that wiped away Leon like an annoying little fly? Still, he didn't say anything, absorbing the information this girl was willing to provide. He grabbed his pack off the desk, opening it and grabbing his water from inside to take a long drink, stifling the sadness and setting it to the side. He could only imagine what the Dragon would think if he shed a tear in his honor.
"You want to honor me? Don't sit there and cry about it. Get out there and crack some skulls, Blaze. Do what we do best."
He smiled to himself as he replaced the water bottle casually.
"Yes. I'm sure they are very busy. Probably don't even know i'm around, which suits me fine. Means I can go where i please, and report to nobody." He turned around, facing toward her and leaning back against the desk, resting his palms on it's surface. "As for me, I transferred to 552 after 259, leaving there not long after to pursue my business full time. When the bombs hit, i bunkered until the fighting stopped. Once i thought it was safe, I left my house in Miami to come here, looking for survivors of 259, or my brother, Damien. I stumbled on Olesya and voila, here i am. Haven't spoken to hardly anyone else sense."
He wasn't complaining- he lived on the outskirts of what was considered Crow territory, though to be fair, they didn't seem to do much in the way of control. People came and went as they likes, fought as they liked, stole what they wanted and had nothing to fear. Of course, the Gang was probably stretched thin due to the war. David just hoped that Barker would remain pre-occupied with other matters- if Crows moved too quickly, they could alert Barker to their presence, and the madman may just decide to step on them without looking back. David, of course, would do what he could but in truth, if Sean wanted them gone, there wasn't much any of them could do at that moment in time.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jun 20, 2012 17:33:05 GMT -8
“Yes. I'm sure they are very busy. Probably don't even know i'm around, which suits me fine. Means I can go where i please, and report to nobody.”
She grinned at that. That suited her fine: it was his choice whether or not to join up with the Crows or anyone else for that matter.
“As for me, I transferred to 552 after 259, leaving there not long after to pursue my business full time. When the bombs hit, i bunkered until the fighting stopped. Once i thought it was safe, I left my house in Miami to come here, looking for survivors of 259, or my brother, Damien. I stumbled on Olesya and voila, here i am. Haven't spoken to hardly anyone else sense.”
So, he'd already spoken with Les? Well, at least there was that.
“And don't I count as 'anybody'?” she teased, laughing lightly. “Well, a few of the old crowd from #259 are still kicking around over here, and a couple of people from #552. Marcus Prasad isn't a Crow really, but he's around. Stu Pott is with Militia still, he's also the father of my son, Oliver. You've already met Olesya, and Kiyoshi runs the Crows alongside 'Unfettered'. And now there's you. Even with Barker kidnapping civilians and making them his slaves, it makes me wonder whose going to show up next!”
She paused for a moment as she thought the mention of his brother over, scanning her memory for any information she might have picked up over the last few months. “I haven't heard of your brother in any intel recently. There might have been a mention of him in a transmission we picked up from some Barker patrols, but I can't be sure....” she frowned suddenly, then leaned across from herself and snagged one of the file boxes, pulling it towards her. She rifled through it for a moment before discarding it and grabbing another.
The raven haired mechanic repeated the process three more times before coming across another file, newish looking and tossed it to David. “Now, Barker probably isn't using this place to store any info, but it's become clear that a lot of his soldiers came from the military and the city police. Maybe this will be a little more insightful.”
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Post by David B. on Jun 21, 2012 16:23:59 GMT -8
He took the file, a little cautious flag coming up in his head, a small smile coming to his lips. She seemed awful eager to help...perhaps she had no agenda at all, though in the current state of things David knew that most people expected things from those they counted as friends. The more friends you made, the more people you could potentially call on in your time of need. Still, she seemed sincere, and David wouldn't burn a bridge he was just beginning to build because of some stupid suspicions.
"Thank you...I'll probably pour over these from home, for the most part." He tilted his head a little, leaning against the desk with his hip as he folded his arms. "And speaking of stories, what about your's? How did you come to work for Kiyoshi and the crows?"
David decided that if the girl was so interested, he would be more than willing to step up and ask the same questions she did. After all, her story was probably far longer than his, and more interesting, though it was probably awkward that they continued to stand in the near dark and talk. David, however, wouldn't bring that up either. Why the hell would he want to? So they could discuss going outside into a friggen MONSOON just to avoid the visual discomfort? No. He was more than happy to keep the conversation here, where it was dry, and he could continue his searchings.
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