And what have we here? by Lexi
Lexi had been feeling rather cooped up in her common room. Sure, it was nice, but nothing interesting really seemed to be happening. So she decided to go take a look around the place that she would be calling home for the next seven years, see what interesting things could be found.She was passing through a corridor when she found the most interesting garden. It was a maze, and looked like it could house some really interesting features.
Lexi, naturally, began exploring. She soon came upon a tortoise, or something like it, lying on the floor of one of the passageways. It looked harmless, but its leg seemed to be out of whack. Having set other animals' bones before, she touched the creature lightly, and was shocked when a burst of flame came out of the creature, and scorched her sleeve, and a tiny bit of her arm.
She yelped in pain as the tortoise, or fire crab, as it must be, meandered away, and ran to put her arm under the stream of one of the nearby fountains. She heard a rustle in the bushes as she was examining the burn. It didn't look too bad, but it still stung. Leaving the injured arm under the water, she called out, "Hello, is anyone out there?" hoping that it would be another student, and not another angered animal.\n\n
Subthreads: Obviously an unappreciative firecrab.. by Ben with Lexi
Re: And what have we here? by Aisling O'Heady with Lexi
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And what have we here?
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Obviously an unappreciative firecrab.. by Ben
Ben exited the school, onto the lavish grounds, despite their desert climate enviroment. He shrugged, taking a look around the crystal clear blue sky, trying to locate the school's quidditch pitch. He figured it was a safe assumption that the six high golden hoops and stands would stick out in the cloudless azure sky, but somehow he couldn't see them. It was upon figuring out the pitch must've been on the other side of the castle when Ben noticed the entrance to what seemed like a garden.He stepped into the skywardly reaching bushes' pathway, instantly finding out that it was not only a garden, but a hedgemaze type garden. Ben grinned, his love for challenges appearing on his excited face. He was determined to find the center of the maze, or whatever else might be lurking in the shadowy depths of the 8 foot high hedges.
About ten minutes of wandering brought him to a place where the noise of a extremely agitated fire crab blasting met his ears. He instantly thought of his sister, and wondered where she was. It was his older brother instinct kicking in, and whether it was a complete stranger or not, he made his way to the noise. When he arrived to the source, he stopped, and saw his sister sitting by a fountain, cooling a mildly burned arm.
"Lexi! What're you doing out here? And what in the world happened to you?" he burst out, running towards her. He grabbed her arm from the rushing cool water, inspecting it. Ben and Lexi's father was a Healer, so he knew a few first aid type spells and the like. Ben flipped out his wand, whispering Derma Reparo to heal her small burn.
"Tell me you weren't trying to help that nasty firecrab!" he said, his concern fading and anger flaring, "You know that they're dangerous! Haven't you ever listened to Grandfather's lectures in London? I guess not, this being you we're talking about.." he said, managing to slip in a little joke in his anger. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Obviously an unappreciative firecrab..
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Thank you, Captain Obvious by Lexi
"I listen more than you do, Benjamin," she said through gritted teeth. Honestly, did he always have to start being protective? She was the exact same age as him, minus a few minutes. She deserved to be cut a little slack."And, for your information, brother dearest, I was just wondering around, the same as you were, obviously. It was hurt, and I was just trying to help it. I've gotten bitten and stuff before by animals, and nothings happened that was too serious."
She conveniently forgot the time that a stray fox had sent her to the ER after biting her, and her narrow escape from getting rabies from a sick wolf a few years before. Knowing Ben, he would remember, but she hoped he would have the sense to not mention it. It wasn't likely, though.
"And Grandfather used to do the exact same things that I do, so don't go using that as an example. Anyway, it was a small fire crab, and a small burn, so please, just let it drop. I'm fine now, I really am."
Her burn had withered to nothing, and healthy skin had replaced it. She stood, shaking her arm off slightly, and began to wonder the paths again. Ben would probably follow her, as he usually did, and hopefully he would stop lecturing her. It wasn't likely, though, since he never seemed to do anything wrong, and so never stopped coddling her. Honestly, her brothers were too much at times, and she wasn't sure how to stop them.\n\n
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Lexi
Thank you, Captain Obvious
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Lexi
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You're welcome, Madame Accidents by Ben
At his sister's retaliation, Ben just rolled his eyes. It was true that their grandfather (Ben III) did some of the crazy things his sister did, but that was in the name of becoming one of England's best Healers, not just for his own self satisfaction. He shrugged, however annoyed his sister may have gotten with him, it was all in the job description.Elder twin brother needed- Must be protective, strong, smart, a good example, and always around to deliver words of wisdom to the younger siblings. Yep, it was his job to make sure Lex didn't kill or fatally wound herself during his little animal saving adventures. Of course, he'd have to follow her around the grounds in order to make sure she didn't do anything else determental to her health.
"Lexi, you can't wander around here all by yourself, you'll get yourself killed by some other animal that 'desperately needs your help'. Neither of us know our way around here, so we should stick together if something else like that should come along." Ben finished, gesturing towards the path of the retreating firecrab. \n\n
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Ben
You're welcome, Madame Accidents
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It's not my fault I get hurt... by Lexi
Lexi rolled her eyes. Ben really needed to get over the fact that she was going to take a few risks in her life. She wanted to help those who needed it, and she couldn't do that staying inside in a safe area. SHe was going to have to get out into the world one day, and what she was doing wasn't anywhere near as dangerous as what he did every time that he flew into the air for a quidditch game.Trying to steer off this subject before he began lecturing her about the fox and the wolf, as he had countless times before, she asked, "So, how has Sonora been going for you? Was that girl that you were talking to at the welcoming feast nice?"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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It's not my fault I get hurt...
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Re: And what have we here? by Aisling O'Heady
Aisling, had been wandering around the gardens for a bit more than an hour, but it seemed much longer. She was quite bored, until the instance ago she had look upward and seen an unfamiliar fellow student nearly cooked alive by a creature she couldn't see from the position she was in."Must have been a firecrab" She noted to herself, being one who enjoyed magical creature, as she raced towards the girl. She soon approaches.
"Are you alright there?" She inquires upon reaching the girls side. "That looked painful."\n\n
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Aisling O'Heady
Re: And what have we here?
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Aisling O'Heady
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Yeah, it is... by Ben
He noticed her swift maneuver in the change of subject, and duly noted it. Ben knew when to bring up old things, but he thought maybe it was a good idea to leave her alone just this once. So he accepted the change in conversation to something quite generic, in his opinion. But it made sense, since the two were new, and separated for the most part.It made Ben a little sad to know that his little sister was doing things and having experiences he'd never get to be able to have. Them being apart was a little heartbreaking, but he never let any kind of emotion like that leak too far out. He was the strong brother, remember? He wasn't allowed to let that kind of weakness intervene in his job.
"She waa lovely, yes. Was that boy you were talking to nice also?" he asked, feeling a little fake to be talking to his sister like this. Sure, it was fine to talk to other people in the bright and spirited gentlemanly tone he'd been taught to use with others, but using it with his twin was strange- they we're used to playing those silly pureblood manner games with each other. Being a protective brother had nothing to do with being all that, it was his natural instinct as a brother to be that way, and that he was used to.
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Yeah, it is...
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OOC by Lexi
Hey, it would probably be easier to keep track of everything if you could cut into our conversation at the bottom. It's just hard to have two conversations going on at once, that's all.\n\n
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OOC
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Well, you're biased by Lexi
"Tyler Wayne?" she asked. "Oh, yes, he was very nice. So, have you seen the quidditch pitch yet? Is it up to your "standards."" She laughed at this. Quidditch was one of those many things that the twins didn't agree on. She really couldn't care less for the sport, prefering muggle ones like lacrosse or field hockey. She had always thought of Quidditch as being too unpredictable, and Ben had always said that the muggle sports were far too dangerous.Ben didn't seem very happy, for some reason. He was putting on that calm, emotionless face that their grandparents had spent years teaching them. She, beign an emotional redhead, had never managed to do it with the slightest sincerity, but Ben could do it perfectly every time. It made her uncomfortable, knowing that she and her twin were so far apart. Honestly, sometimes it seemed that they had nothing in common, and then what kind of twin did that make them?
Lexi was randomly running her hand across the hedge as she talked, almost unconsciously seeing if there was anything under the greenery. "So, have you heard from the family yet? The letters always seem to get to you first, even though Mim is my owl." Mim, or Mimicry, had been one of those animals that Lexi had found in her youth. She had nursed it back from horrible concussion, but then it firmly attached itself to Ben.
While she asked her question, her hand hit something. Something very unusual. It almost felt like, like a hole. She pushed aside the plants, and saw that it was indeed a hole, with a ladder of sorts leading into the ground. She looked down into the darkness, but could only feel a great sense of excitement. There had been many times when her mother had scolded her about not thinking her actions through, or having more excitement than sense. This was one of those times.
"C'mon, Ben," she called out as she began descending down the ladder. She knew he would follow her, if only to make sure that she didn't kill herself.
If she had looked back, she would have seen that the suit of armour across the path from her was looking like if it could laugh evilly, it would. And when metal clothes find something amusing, you know that the result isn't going to be good.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Lexi
Well, you're biased
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Yes, I know. by Ben
"Well, I was coming out here to find this pitch I've heard about, and then this maze presented itself, and you know I can't pass up a challenge." he grinned, feeling the stoic mask he'd put up fade. "So I wandered in here to find you letting yourself get killed, and now- Hey, Lex, where are you going?"Ben watched as his sister discovered the strange break in the familiar hedge pattern. He moved over to where she was parting the bushes. A gasp of surprise revealed that Ben too had seen the hole, and his sister descending into the dark void that lay just beyond the sunlight. He felt a shiver run down his spine, but if it was because he was excited at a new adventure or apprehensive of teh dangers that surely were ahead, Ben couldn't tell.
"Lexi, are you sure of this?" he asked as she kept going down, rung by rung into the ever growing darkness. After she'd slipped under the shady veil of dark, Ben got on the ladder too, following her no matter wherever the path lead. \n\n
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Ben
Yes, I know.
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Because you know all, right? by Lexi
Lexi laughed as her brother must have seen her heading down the ladder. "I was not letting myself be killed. I don't let anything just happen to me, Benny, and you know that. Honestly, if one of us can be accused of just going along with the tide, it's you."She continued climbing down the ladder, until the light began to fade from the area outside the whole, and she was covered by blackness. "Ben, you are coming down, aren't you? If you're not, I swear, I'm going to murder you, and then tell mother, and she'll murder you as we-"
Suddenly, she slipped. It was the strangest sensation. One minute, she was hanging on securely to the rung, the next, she was falling. It had almost felt like something had pried her fingers off the ladder, but she knew that was ridiculous. Still, she couldn't squash the grain of fear and doubt as she fell.
It seemed like forever before she hit the ground. She had just been descending through nothingness. She heard a scream, but she couldn't remember for the life of her calling out. It was actually a rather nice feeling, of just being suspended in the air, but the thud as she hit the ground made her wish that she hadn't had that marvelous feeling, and just stayed safely on the ladder.
She must have hit her ribs, or something, for there was a sudden, glowing ache in that general area. It wasn't anything unfamiliar, as she had been wounding herself for years, but usually she had her dad around somewhere, who, as a healer, was able to fix her.
She felt in her pocket, and her eyes widened as she realized that her wand must have fallen out while she was falling. Oh, that wasn't good. To be stuck down here hurt was one thing, to be injured down here without a wand was another entirely.
"Ben?" she called out to the darkness above her. "Are you there?" She prayed that he would get down safely. There were times when she complained about his over-protectiveness, but, in truth, the only times she really felt safe where when she was with Ben or Patrick, because she knew they wouldn't ever let anything happen to her.\n\n
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Lexi
Because you know all, right?
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Of course... by Ben
The descent down the rickety ladder Lexi had led him to gave a violent shake, and within a two or three second timespan, Ben, too, was free falling from whatever height he was at. It was the most incredible feeling to be falling through a compeltely black atmosphere, the rest of the world melting around him. The strangeness of the situation made him reflect upon where his sister was, and since she was further down than he had been, she must've been falling too.The simple exhilaration of falling so fast, but still feeling as though time has stopped all around him, let Ben get lulled into a false sense of security. Time itself had frozen, but he knew that it couldn't have, since he still felt the rushing of his body cutting through the stagnant air in the hole. With a sickening thud, he heard what he assumed to be Lexi finally hitting the ground. From where he was, it sounded bad, almost as it she'd broken a bone.
Ben suddenly made very good friends with the bottom of the hole, as his body crashed down next to his sister. He'd heard her calling to him vaguely as he was still falling, but it had sounded like she was far, far away, whispering. As soon as he landed, Ben stood, starting a mental checklist of his bodyparts- Head- check, both hands functional- check, both legs functional- check, lungs working- check, bone broken- none. The checklist was a skill he'd aquired in the many years of living with his father's family, all of whom were healers.
"Lexi, I'm here." he got out, a little weaker than usual. But still, he was fine as soon as his mind registered the fact that he was in a state of 'all systems go'. "Lexi, take my hand," he began speaking stronger, and reached one hand toward her, and the other into his left pocket for his wand. A quick whisper of Lumos illuminated the dark place, showing things Ben really didn't want to see at the time... \n\n
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Ben
Of course...
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Brothers... by Lexi
Lexi agreeably reached out and patted her brother's outstretched hand. She glanced around, and as the light from her brother's wand flickered on, she spotted her own lying a few feet away from her. She picked it up, muttered "Lumos," herself, and then stared around in shock. The ladder was gone, and now they seemed to be stuck in a cave, but had no possible means of getting out."Ya know, I think something doesn't like us," she joked quietly. Her ribs still hurt, though, and she poked one experimentally, and hissed in pain. Probably broken, at least that's what she supposed.
"Ben, what do you think we're going to do? Cause I do-" Suddenly, a bit of movement ahead caught her vision. It was, it was some creature, moving in the only direction offered them now. She decided to follow it, since it was the only thing left to them now. They would probably get out soon. At least, she hoped.
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Lexi
Brothers...
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...are awesome by Ben
The more Ben looked around the seemingly endless cave that surrounded the both of them, the more he got discouraged. The place was hugely cavernous, a complete surprise considering they'd just fallen from relatively small hole in the upper ground. He sighed and even cracked a grin as Lex came through with a joke, which was just like her personality- humor eventually made it's way through anything. Ben took comfort in the small, almost insignificant joke, knowing that even when things were bad, his sister would have something to make him laugh."Yeah, I think something's working against us already... and we're not even in classes yet."
He grinned wider, but the smile was short-lived as Ben watched his sister hiss in pain from touching a rib. It was a bad sign for someone as tough as Lex to make a noise from just touching a bone. A diagnosis came to Ben immediately- his first thought was right, and Lexi had broken a bone. The thought, however, didn't have two seconds before he saw his sister move after something that moved in the dark.
"Hey, Lex, what is that?" he asked, pointing his wand in the area she was headed, "This really doesn't look like a good idea... the wizarding world is not as forgiving as the muggles', and if we're following some wild magical animal, I swear, I'll..."
Ben stopped, finally seeing that Lexi had. A great looming figure was crawling it's way across the cavern room. A second of thought made Ben immedately jump in front on Lexi, his wand drawn, read to face whatever it was. \n\n
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Ben
...are awesome
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*rolls eyes* I give up by Lexi
Lexi shot Ben an exasperating glance as he jumped in front of her. Honestly, she was just as capable of defending herself as he was. The one thing that she liked about being in different houses was that Ben would have to stop babying her. But she merely rolled her eyes, and put a hand on her brother's arm to stop him.She walked foward carefully, and then squinted slightly. She couldn't tell really in this light, but that think looked like, like a rat. An enormous rat. Now, if there was one creature Lexi couldn't stand, it was rats, with their sneaky eyes, their skinny tails, and their plain ability to look repulsive.
"It's an ROUS," she muttered, staring. The Princess Bride had been one of her favorite films when she was younger, one of the few her brothers liked too. It was that film that gave her her deadly fear of rats. However, the rodent crawled on, and Lexi let out a breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding.
"Ben, the muggle world isn't all that forgiving. You were always locked up with your books and your tutors. You didn't know what it was like. You never went out into it. So would you please shut up." Lexu didn't know why she was beginning to feel so upset, but she did. And Lexi could never hold feelings in.
Before Ben responded, she saw, about 100 yards away, a stream of light coming down from the ceiling. She walked over carefully, trying hard not to jar her ribcage, and glanced up. "Ya know, Ben, I reckon we could climb this, and get out." She hoped he agreed. SHe wanted to get out of here before another rat, or something worse, came along.\n\n
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Lexi
*rolls eyes* I give up
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Good, that means I win. by Ben
Ben allowed Lexi to push him aside, but it was only because he knew that his sister was right. She was as old as he was, so he supposed that it was okay for her to take a small investigation of whatever it was that was waddling across the room. Upon finding out that the monster was something that resembled a muggle movie fantasy animal, Ben sighed. Hearing his twin do the same, he followed after her.But then, Lexi said something to him that made him stop. "Ben...You were always locked up with your books and your tutors. You didn't know what it was like. You never went out into it." His twin's words rang omniously in his head, simultaniously slightly wounding him. Ben had seen his sister be curt with Patrick, or with their parents, but never had she said something of that nature to him. Sure, sometimes they didn't get along perfectly, but that didn't mean they truly fought, and that certainly didn't mean that they said things so sharp to each other.
She beckoned him forward, following the steady beam of crystalline light that was flittering down to their underground cavern. Ben watched as Lexi strode forward confidently, still wary of her obviously injured ribcage. She was hurting, and he knew it, but her nature wouldn't allow her to stop and let her pride be injured as well.
"Lexi," he said, not moving from his spot, "Lexi, how could you say someting like that?" Ben just couldn't come to grasp the fact that she would think of him like that- like a pampered little show poodle that never spent a day outside playing in the sunlight. The little comment hurt him, not in a big way, but like a small paper cut- they were small, sometimes even invisible, but no matter what the size, they all stung like nothing else. \n\n
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Ben
Good, that means I win.
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You may have won the battle, but not the war by Lexi
Lexi half turned, shocked by the hurt in her brother's voice. Ben was a firm stoic, and the fact that he let that helplessness, that despair in his voice show through proved how truly upset he was. She felt horrible, but it was something she had been keeping inside for a while. She had watched all sorts of horrible things happen, things that she knew she couldn't tell her twin about, otherwise he'd never let her leave home again. So she had kept it inside, her resentment, and her fear, and now it was the breaking point."I said it because it was true," she replied softly. "It's not your fault, Ben, but it's true nonetheless. If Father hadn't decided to keep you with a tutor, you would have seen it. You would have realized that the entire world is dangerous, no part more so than any other. I'm good at staying safe. I'm good at protecting myself. No matter what happens, I'll be fine. I always manage to be. You don't need to worry so much."
She walked over, and gave her brother a hug. She hadn't meant to hurt him, and so now she hoped she had managed to lessen the damage somewhat. Now, she grasped her brother's hand, and led him over to the wall. It was covered in footholes, just perfect for scaling. "So, do you want to go up first, or shall I?" She knew she should probably apologize outright, but she wasn't good at that sort of thing. Besides, they had never really needed it before. They were twins. They understood each other. Mostly.\n\n
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Lexi
You may have won the battle, but not the war
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Lexi
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War, battle: it's all the same to me by Ben
The look of registered shock was still firmly in place on Ben's face, and when Lexi didn't even apologize, it continued to stay there. It was times like these that made Ben wonder how they were twins. They seemed to never have the same ideas on things; they weren't even interested in anything remotely close to the other's interests. As strange as it was, there was a logical reason for it- their upbringing was almost completely different.Ben's father had raised him with the Stafford Family upbringing- pureblood ideals, impecable manners, the best tutors in the world for schooling, and of course a great deal of emphasis put on the importance of knowledge. Lexi had attended muggle school, and though the two shared information, it was different. The twin who grew up by himself and the twin that had many friends she saw everyday each developed their own ways of seeing the world, and how things should be.
"Lexi, you go first," he said, his brain finally kicking into gear, "I'll come behind you to make sure you get up safely." \n\n
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Ben
War, battle: it's all the same to me
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Anyway, it doesn't matter now by Lexi
Lexi nodded, still slightly worried. Ben still seemed upset with her, and she didn't know how to fix it all that well. Usually it was her upset with him or Patrick, and so he was the one who was making everything better. She wasn't good at this role. In fact, if what was happening right now was any indication, she was downright horrible at it."Okay, sure. So, do you have any idea where the hospital wing is, cause I think that should be our next stop." She agreed, nodding slightly. She rubbed her injured side slightly, wincing. Now was one of those times where she wished she had done what her mother told her, and carried advil with her wherever she went. Now, however, she couldn't fix that.
She placed a hand on a little piece of rock in the side, and pulled herself up. It would be a tough climb, but it should be manageable.
It was, in fact. There were a few sections where navigating got a bit, well, iffy, and one time when she lost her foot hold, and hung in the air for a few seconds, but she managed to get over the top, and only had to wait a few seconds before her brother also managed to pull himself up.
She stood, getting readjusted to the bright light, before realizing she was once again at the garden's entrance, at a hole she could have sworn was not there before. "So, shall we journey on from here?" \n\n
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Lexi
Anyway, it doesn't matter now
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