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Post by Aylen Hawkins on Oct 25, 2005 22:46:24 GMT
(invite only)
A nearly silent ruffling of wings was the only indication that anyone was there. “Did you deliver them all?” a voice asked. The hawk on his shoulder cooed a response. “Then we will have to make do without them.”
The dark clouds that concealed the sky parted for a brief moment. The moonlight took advantage of the gap, bathing the Astronomy Tower in its white glow. Its freedom was short-lived, however, and the darkness quickly swallowed up whatever light there had been. One could only hope that his plans wouldn’t be choked off as fast.
A hand absent-mindedly stroked the bird’s feathers as its owner watched the stairway intently. Strange things were happening. Strange things he intended to stop. That was the purpose of this meeting in the middle of the night. His fingers continued to apprehensively stroke the bird until the hawk became irritated and nipped at them.
Aylen clenched his hand and forced it to his side. He was filled with a kind of nervous excitement that comes with knowing that he was doing something important. He knew that this would not be easy. He knew this was monumental to the survival of the school. He knew he had to do this to protect what he held dear. Whoever was doing this would not get away with attacking his friends. He would see to that. “We will do this,” he whispered, then said it again with more conviction. A grin spread across his face and his eyes sparkled with energy. There was no turning back.
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Ondrea
New Member
Faerie (Slytherin)
Posts: 720
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Post by Ondrea on Oct 25, 2005 23:00:14 GMT
Ondrea had not gone to dinner that night, so she headed to the astronomy tower a bit before dinner would end.
The night was dark, the moon's light just seeped through a space the clouds had let open, but just for a moment. Ondrea usually loved the night-time, but as of late she had been a bit uneasy about wondering about a lone, or even with just one friend. She had been this way since after getting attacked in the graveyard, the memory reminded her of the huge chunk of flesh that was missing on her side. Then the sound of her flesh being chewed, it was just disturbing.
Once reaching the top, she grew excited, and scared, she still had to find out why she was asked to meet Aylen up here.
Once seeing the red-head, she gave Aylen a wave, as she approached him, and said in a quiet voice, "I got your message..." she said, her voice sounding concerned, and interested.
Her icy blue eyes then landed on the hawk, the one that delivered the message, she smiled at it, she always had an interest in animals.
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Post by Hayzie on Oct 25, 2005 23:12:11 GMT
Tap... tap... tap tap tap tap tap!
Where was that insistent tapping coming from? It was almost dinner time and Hayzie was determined she would finish off her Divinations essay before. She still had another four inches to go and was convinced it wouldn't take long... provided the tapping stopped. Finally, she lifted her head to the window directly in front of her and saw a sight which wasn't really expected. "A hawk?" she questioned, using her wand to open the window and let the bird in. Seeing the name 'Hayzie Roberts', her name, on the roll of parchment that was there.
Opening it and reading the instructions, one light coloured eyebrow raised. Aylen. One of her own students, as such. Sighing and folding the note to put in her pocket, Hayz rolled up her essay and sent it back into her bag before leaving for dinner.
~*~
Later that evening, she headed up to the Astronomy Tower. "Why'd he have to have it at the top?!" she grumbled, getting out her wand, Hayzie levitated her wheelchair up the stairs with greater ease than she had done before, but still awkwardly. When she finally reached the top and spotted the mop of red hair indicating the presence of the male Hawkins twin, the Gryffindor Prefect offered him a smile.
"Aylen... what's going on?" the blonde questioned, applying the breaks to her chair. He looked more serious than the prank pulling boy she constantly had to shout "HAWKINS!!" after. "Is there something wrong?"
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Forgoil Halifirien
New Member
Hufflepuff Student
Pain is to Pleasure as suffering is to Love
Posts: 958
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Post by Forgoil Halifirien on Oct 25, 2005 23:31:59 GMT
It was not long Forgoil had finished his read and checked the time; the hour was late and the time had come as the letter asked of him. The grey-haired lad had heard only rumors; nothing more, that a menace was drawing onto the school as of late. There had been vandalism, attacks, bloodshed and almost a death if what he heard was correct. As he walked through the door of the Hufflepuff Common Room, he wondered what the author behind the message thought that only a hand-full of students could do in the event of such an attack, but it was less of questioning the idea than it was of questioning him.
He had prepared to fight against the Danawi threat; he was informed not to but he went none the less and just the thought of being at the brink of such chaos..unnerved him. Normally Forgoil keep his thoughts well hidden beneath a vile of happiness, and even though most of the time he was happy, he hid his doubting nature. He could wield a blade; he knew some spells but would it be enough to save him on the field of battle if that were to become the situation?
These thoughts continued to plague the Scotish hufflepuff as he reached the Astronomy Tower and began to ascend the stairs; remembering how he was seemingly cursed with ever he visited it. But many told him that those were just instances and that they were not linked to him, yet he couldn't help but think that they were. As he ascended the last few steps, Forgoil steeled himself before joining this little group that he was gathering.
Everyone in the Tower so far was recognizable to the grey-haired lad as he looked about the group. There was Miss Hayzie Roberts. whom he had met with not long before this gathering. There was also another girl; though Forgoil didn't know her by name; he had offered her his lengthy view on a touchy topic in the Graveyard at one point in time. And then there was the leader, the one that sent the hawk as his messager and the one who had hawk in his name. Aylen Hawkins, a friend that Forgoil had not seen for a long time. Nodding in acknowledgement to everyone that was gathered there, Forgoil walked a little way so that he had some space and awaited for the meeting to begin.
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Post by Aylen Hawkins on Oct 26, 2005 1:17:24 GMT
His grin was quickly replaced with a serious expression as the first footfalls echoed from the stairway. Aylen relaxed slightly when he saw that it wasn’t a random wandering student out for a midnight walk. Then again, meeting in the Astronomy Tower at night wasn’t exactly allowed either. Bend the rules to save the school, how ironic.
So Ondrea was the first to come. Noting the nervous expression on her face, the redhead returned the Slytherin’s wave with a reassuring smile. Maybe it was just the thought that he wasn’t alone that comforted him. Only seeing another anxious face seemed to lessen his own worry, if only a little bit.
The Gryffindor Prefect was second. After a few strange bumping noises, the blonde prefect emerged from the stairs. A bemused look found its way onto Aylen’s face as his gaze fell upon the wheeled contraption Hayzie was sitting in. “Sorry, Hayz,” the redhead said, grinning apologetically. He had completely forgotten about her wheelchair. However, she had managed to get up here. The question was how she was going to get down. He was definitely going to have to pay her back later.
A familiar head of gray hair followed not long after the prefect’s arrival. Forgoil, a friend he had not seen for a long time. Memories of a botched fencing lesson and a rather entertaining water fight brought a smile to Aylen’s face, but he quickly shook it off and returned his thinking to the matter at hand. There were only a few people left until the meeting would begin. Hopefully they would arrive soon. "I'll tell you guys everything in a minute. There's still a few people we're waiting for."
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Post by Faerlain on Oct 26, 2005 2:00:10 GMT
I mention them now. I will not mention them again. It is not lack of love, Nor lack of sorrow, But the iron thing they carried; I will not carry....
Mary . Oliver [/center] Faye had been startled from her nap to hear a hawk tapping annoyingly upon her window, obviously annoyed because she hadn't instantly jumped up to recieve his message. Sighing, she flung off the covers and quickly made her way over to the window- the whole room was cold because she'd let the fire die down. So she allowed the hawk to enter and then took the letter, scrambling back under the covers to read it. So... she wasn't the only one who had been witnessing these strange attacks. That was something that was comforting to know. Gently massaging her hand, she recalled her encounter with the lycan who had kidnapped Professor Stevens. It had taken her hours to pick every last piece of glass out of her palm, but she had done it. The hand still remained bandaged, however, though she hid her injury so as not to alarm the other students in her house. It would not be a good thing to let the younger students, especially the first years, know about the strange and terrible events of the recent weeks. But she would attend Aylen's strange meeting, though she was a little bit afraid that it might be a trap. Bundling up later that night, she left the common room more than an hour before she needed to be up in the Tower. Making it look as though she had gone on her prefect rounds, she simply wandered aimlessly through the Great Hall and the various passageways before the time came. Darting behind a statue, she quickly put on a coat and scarf, her only defense against the cold wind that usually blew through the Astronomy Tower at this time of the night. And if it was one thing Faye hated; she hated being cold. Darting up the steps, she could faintly hear the sound of Hayzie's wheelchair on the stairs above her. A grin crossed her face as she heard various other people heading up as well- so, it was not to be a small meeting. She took the steps two at a time, determined not to be the last one to poke her head out of the trapdoor that led to the Tower's final tier. The wooden door gave way easily under her hand, revealing the distinct shapes of four other students. "Hello." She said simply, wrapping her scarf around her neck one more time. "I didn't expect for there to be so many people..." Trailing off, her eyes suddenly landed upon Forgoil, and she smiled. She would do nothing more than nod her head in his direction, however, though the expression on her face was more than enough to tell him how relieved she was to see him.
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Post by Professor Windwaltz on Oct 29, 2005 0:48:23 GMT
A shining red light gleamed from the root of the Astronomy Tower, and soon a swift figure ran up its tight stairwell. This figure could not easily be seen, at first, but his appearance soon became visible. To anyone's mind, they must've rejoiced. Professor Windwaltz had appeared to aid them. Then his appearance became more and more apparent, and when he stood before them all on the equal floor, all their previous hopes may have dropped. This was not Professor Windwaltz. He was about Talon's height, but he was clearly far older than their young Professor. He was a man in his later thirties, with the stubble of a blond moustache atop his lip. He held the look of one who once had great strength and lost it. In truth, he looked to be a Fatherly figure, if anything.
Perhaps a trained auror? His hair had streaks of grey in it, and his eyes were closed. He was gathering air from his escalation of the Tower. When he caught his breath, he looked up and opened his eyes at Aylen. They were a strange, familiar type. Sapphire blue, like Talon's, but they had a shining red fire behind them. This red was the most overpowering type possible. He wore a long green robe and silver buckles that connected them. At last, the man spoke, and it was a familiar yet strange voice. It was almost Talon's, but it was more implied to all of them than it was actually spoken. "Greetings Mister Hawkins. I recieved your message, and since Talon could not make it, I came in his stead."
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Post by Aylen Hawkins on Oct 29, 2005 3:28:36 GMT
More steps echoed from beneath the trapdoor. An unfamiliar face emerged from the hole, but from the shiny badge on her robes, Aylen recognized her as the Hufflepuff prefect he had contacted. “I didn’t expect there to be so many people either,” he confided to them. “But I’m glad you all came. There only one person left.” Not long after his words escaped his mouth, another set of footsteps made their way up the winding stairs. “Oh good, here she com—” The redhead’s eyes widened. The newcomer wasn’t whom he had been expecting at all.
The redhead shot a glare at Mercury. “You said you couldn’t find him,” he hissed. The bird gave a sort of hawk shrug and shuffled a bit on his perch. Aylen shook his head. Mercury was getting pretty old for a bird...maybe it was time for him to retire.
He opened his mouth to speak. “I didn’t think you’d be able to make it professor.” That was what he had almost said. However, he clamped his mouth shut when he realized. There were only subtle differences, but it was apparent this wasn’t their professor. He was much older and his eyes had an intensity of-of— Aylen had trouble thinking of the word. Then he heard, or rather, felt the man speak. Then it all clicked. The fire behind the eyes, the way he held himself, the way he communicated. “Trajan?” Aylen whispered. Was it the pheonix? What had happened?
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Post by Professor Windwaltz on Oct 29, 2005 21:48:52 GMT
The man smiled, his red and blue eyes glimmering down upon the redhead. "Correct, my name is Trajan," communicated he, as he looked around at the rest of the people gathered. Those who had seen him before seemed somewhat shocked, and those who had not were anxious to see if he would do anything. The smile disappeared. The man rose his hand and flexed his fingers, and then communicated once more. "You seem surprised to see me like this, and I do not blame you. We've never spoken before, nor have you ever seen me like this. But I assure you; If you think Talon could've helped you, so can I."
The man adjusted his green robes frantically, and seemed to flex every muscle in his body at once. "Well then, Mister Hawkins. And all others gathered. I figure I should say why I am here. I fear something dreadful has happened to Talon. Something terrible. Something worse than death. It is out of this fear that I am here - hoping that perhaps you could tell me why Talon never came home from seeking Azrael, and why I can no longer reach him."
ooc: Damn, I hate how short these posts are.
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Forgoil Halifirien
New Member
Hufflepuff Student
Pain is to Pleasure as suffering is to Love
Posts: 958
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Post by Forgoil Halifirien on Oct 30, 2005 2:24:14 GMT
Forgoil smiled when he saw Faerlain, but his smile froze on his face and melted into nothing as he heard the sounds of another person climbing the stair; perhaps the last memeber of this enterprise that had yet to arrive, but instead the boy was greeted with a different surprise of a stranger nature. The being that entered in the tower was not one that he expected nor recognized. At first glance, one would have thought that the mighty Talon Windwaltz had come to brief the students on what course of action to take and counsel them on what to do. But this man was not Windwaltz; for all their similarties; they had their share of subtilties as well. Then who could this man be?
When Aylen ventured a guess, it stunned the boy; this was Trajan the Phoenix? Impossible; the grey-haired lad had never heard of such a thing in all his life and he was supposed to believe that this man was once a fiery bird? Doubts clouded his mind, and stepping forward, Forgoil asked the stranger, "If you are how you claim to be; how is it even possible? A phoenix cannot simply turn into a man at will, and the Professor never mentioned that Trajan was an animagus. So why should we trust you? What proof do you have that you can help us? Heh, what proof do you have that you even intend to help us?"
"You leave too many blanks unanswered, so perhaps you should enlighten us before we take heed of what you say."
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Post by Teagan on Oct 30, 2005 5:41:00 GMT
After dinner, the one and only Ravenclaw Prefect walked about half of the way to their common room with the other students before making the simple excuse to use the restroom and idly stepping aside. After all, restroom use was quite acceptable. Especially when it was a female making that excuse. No one would be very curious to what she'd be doing in there, now would they?
Of course, Teagan did quickly head to the nearest restroom, but she only stood in there and quietly counted the time in the exceeding slow minutes that calmly pressed themselves through the near-desolate air. After three minutes of patient wait, she left and proceeded to the astronomy tower, her real destination. By now, everyone had surely already passed that hall.
Hopefully, the students in her common room that she was supposed to look after wouldn't get into any trouble. Normally, she would be studying, doing something she probably wasn't supposed to be doing, or sneaking up on the other Ravenclaws and scaring her unsuspecting victims who were dealing with "illegal" items or planning something that might cause her trouble. Without a Prefect to watch them, chances were that there would probably be mass chaos, but only if they noticed.
One by one, each step of hers contiguously, not hastily, silently balanced themselves throughout the many winding corridors. After much rather.... odd practice, Teagan had mastered walking without noise a few years previously, and she remained able to do so with much grace. She could walk like this very fast, actually. Wandering Prefects at night were common because they had to walk through the corridors and patrol the halls, anyway. Now, if she were to be running, there would be much more unwanted intrigue than was desired in any way what so ever. Thus, the silent Ravenclaw reached the astronomy tower's steps and ascended the cold, stone blocks. Her long, red hair mostly remained in the shadows, but oddly streaked with luminescent light that gently glimmered through the many breaks in stone that were filled with glass, the windows.
Earlier that day, she had been sent a note supposedly from Aylen requesting a meeting of some sort after dinner. He said that she could've chosen to take a trustworthy person with her, but she chose not to. There were several "trusting" people she knew, but no one held her absolute trust. No one would ever hold her absolute trust. Never again. In order to trust someone to such a great extent, you would have to actually care about them. People mattered to her, but she now considered feelings of love and trust to simple be of waste. Either they met expectations, or didn't. Her worst fear had occurred only a little over a year earlier, and she had hardened. What didn't kill you only made you stronger, something proven to be true. Teagan was stronger, if not extremely happy, but the event from her past let her know there was something incomplete in it all; it didn't fit together. So far, most of her research into this was included in doing some things she wasn't supposed to be doing. Actually, she had broken quite a few entertaining school rules in the process...
Now, she had finally reached the last few steps, and calmly and stealthily began to make her way through the well-known trap door. As her roseate eyes quickly peered around the darkness, she recognized all of the figures except for the one called "Trajan," as she had heard before slipping through the not-so-innocent door. He wasn't human, Teagan could tell, but he was in a human form. Yet, he remained in the front of the trap door, so no one could see this Prefect at the moment. Considering the secrecy of this whole thing, that would not be a very welcoming idea.
Teagan's hair elegantly drifted with her shape in the deep shadows as she soundlessly closed the door once more. She stepped more into the view of the others, including Aylen, and slightly away from the strange creature. The lesser shadows she moved to allowed for visibility, but, now, the more interesting things were to happen. What had they been called for, anyway? Perhaps this involved the interesting kidnapping? An interesting thought was that a Prefect from every house except Slytherin was there.
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Post by Hayzie on Oct 30, 2005 15:51:29 GMT
Maybe you can tell me why Talon didn't come home after seeking Azrael....
After those words, nothing else registered in Hayzie's mind. Talon hadn't come back? How long had he been gone for? Why had he gone to find Azrael of all people? For a few moments, the Gryffindor Prefect seemed lost in her own thoughts, to the extent where her eyes glazed over as if in a daydream, but abruptly shook herself out of it.
Her green eyes wondered over to the man Aylen had addressed as "Trajen", two brows raised in a curiosity that hadn't been seen in the blonde girl for a very long time. "What do you mean Talon didn't come back from finding Azrael? Why did he go and try to find him? What earth is going on here? For that matter.. why are we all here?" Hayz asked, her questions all seeming to blur into one long sentence rather than asked in a calm manner.
ooc: Sorry for suckyness guys!
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Post by Aylen Hawkins on Oct 30, 2005 16:11:21 GMT
Struck dumb by the sudden appearance of the mysterious man, all the Gryffindor could do was gape. His expression rather resembled one of a fish gaping for air. Like Forgoil, he had never heard of an animagus who could turn into a phoenix or a phoenix who could turn into a man. Of course, there was quite a bit of mystery surrounding the rare birds; or perhaps Trajan was special—if it was Trajan. Aylen snapped out of his trance as Forgoil made his accusation. His green eyes moved from his friend to the man and back again. The Hufflepuff was right, he realized. Anyone could have found the letter and made a polyjuice potion, though whoever did it had botched it a little. However, that didn’t explain the strange voice the man possessed. The redhead blew out air in frustration, running his hand through his hair. This was a lot more complicated than he expected.
Mercury suddenly let out an annoyed caw by Aylen’s ear, startling him. “What?” he asked the bird. The hawk let out a series of noises while Aylen nodded, seeming to understand him. “Right,” he said after Mercury was done. He turned to everyone. “We can trust him. Mercury recognizes him.” The redhead seemed to have complete confidence in the hawk, though it wasn’t clear what he had heard from the bird.
Mercury perched on his owner’s shoulder and turned his sharp gaze onto the man. His message was clear. Don’t you dare try anything. I know who you are, and Aylen trusts you, but I don’t. This being done, he settled back down, keeping a watchful eye on him; also noting another figure coming up the stairway. When Teagan emerged, he fluttered from Aylen and alighted upon her head. He didn’t like the mood Aylen was working himself into. He was never like this before, and for the first time, Mercury was frightened.
Meanwhile, Trajan’s words had just registered in Aylen’s mind. I fear something dreadful has happened to Talon. Something terrible. Something worse than death. The words echoed through his mind, whirling around and mixing with other thoughts, turning it into a giant mess. “He’s gone, isn’t he?” he said after a pause. “Like Professor Stevens?” His brow furrowed in anger. The redhead turned his head, so the shadows hid his expression. They took Talon, they hurt Rezna, and Ashlle, too. He gritted his teeth. This was not going to happen again. He wouldn’t let it. “So it’s Azrael too, is it?” he said in a low voice. There was a dangerous hint to his tone, barely hidden. “Leader of the disbanded cabal, if I remember.” He looked up again at the group, noticing Teagan for the first time. "Alright, everyone's here. Let's get going."
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Post by Professor Windwaltz on Oct 31, 2005 2:36:45 GMT
Trajan shook his head, his long mane of blond hair swinging back and forth at the motion. His gaze was only fixed on Aylen at first, his red blue eyes connected with green ones, but the contact was interrupted by the appearance of a grey haired lad, one whom Trajan did not recognize. At first he simply kept his smile up as the boy came forward, but once he opened his mouth Trajan knew whom he was. And after Forgoil's query, Trajan laughed. Or implied a laugh, anyhow, everything Trajan did seemed to be ethereal. "Mister Halifirien," Trajan stated, blinking, "You are correct."
Mercury the Hawk, Aylen's companion, communicated to his owner then. When Aylen spoke his translation, Trajan was disbelieving. "Trust me? Mister Hawkins, you are too kind. I am Trajan, yes, Mercury is correct. But my motives? It would be amateur to trust me so easily. My will is this - I will help you in Talon's place. But I will do no more." Stepping further into the center of the circle, he glanced around at the whole group. "As for what I am, I will tell you this. Let your eyes, and not your memories, be your judge. I am not a Phoenix, nor was I ever Talon's pet, or even an Animagus. I did not opt to be a Phoenix...perhaps one day you shall know my story, for it is a long one, but you do not wish for me to detain you now, do you? Not when you have more important things to deal with? Like, perhaps, who took Talon, Azrael, and now I hear - young Amythest?"
His interests were on Aylen's last whisper, which spoke out above all the other things Trajan had said in speech. "Azrael? Yes, Leader of the disbanded Cabal. Talon went to speak to him after a disturbing incident in the Great Hall we stumbled upon days ago. Impending doom was upon us then - for it seems a mad Lycan named "Angelus Morti" has come along and plans to destroy us all. Talon thought that perhaps Azrael could lead the Cabal against this new villain. That's why he left. I didn't hear from him again, and from the looks of things...by what I am right now, he is either dead...or in a fate worse than one."
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Rezna Lardale
New Member
Hufflepuff Student
I do not say farewell, for I plan to see you again.
Posts: 750
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Post by Rezna Lardale on Oct 31, 2005 12:26:47 GMT
"Death we cannot fight easily, for it is too final," a voice reached them from the dark entrance of the tower, "but a fate worse than death could perhaps be in our power to alter."
Rezna Lardale stepped into the well lighted room and inclining her head to Aylen, she let her eyes rest on Trajan. She had heard everything word of their conversation as they echoed gently down the stairs leading up to the tower. It had taken a lot of strength for the girl to climb the stairs but she had done so eagerly. Following Teagan, she had hid in the shadows opposite her, back then not knowing if they could trust the older man.
Now, seeing him more clearly, she could see the similarities between him and the bird she had looked at so intently during class. It was surreal, seeing him now a man, but not unexpected. Her only quarrel, so to speak, had been the layer of secrecy about this characteristic of Trajan's between Talon and the phoenix. Hoping that no evil was hidden behind the story and the tale, she let her gaze fall from the man and rest on the leader once again.
"I'm sorry for the unexpected arrival, Aylen. My nurse chased Mercury out only after telling me I could leave the wing permanently. She doesn't like birds. Anyway, I got his message, hence why I'm here."
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